Dostana banked on a recycled story - guys pretending to be gays in order to be near gays, or even to get a rented room - Think even the classic Three's Company. As well as the others - I Now Pronounced You Larry & Chuck (2007), Partner(s) (2005), Three to Tango (1999) etc. But Dostana did the crime of painting gays as sissies, who walked and talked like girls, giggled like girls and.. and.. basically were softies. Did the director and screenwriters do any research before producing such crap??
Neha, who was supposed to be the girl the guys fell in love with, would have won the award as the most air-headed fag hag in the world? At least with other movies of such nonsense theme, there was decency for the gay pretenders to share one bed. Here, the two guys took two separate rooms. Wasn't she even curious how many times the supposed gay couple made love? And how the two guys would casually walk into separate bedrooms when they came back from outing together... Oh yeah, don't even get me started on her strutting her stuff in front of the guys at the beach... And why was she often in the middle of the two guys?? What was her agenda? Separate guys all the time, whom she thought to be lovers?
Point is.. the
I am too upset with the film. To console myself..
It pains me to write this review. I had wanted this movie to be so good that I would be writing glowing personal comment on the gay themed movie. And yet...
One has to admire Scud's ability to produce a movie of beautiful artistry. There were much to admire from the cinematography as well as the editing, although I had to question the necessary of 'flashing here and there' of the movie plots. The sceneries were breath-taking and he made us cared for the characters.
I cannot help but to categorise Amphetamine to the same level as Lan Yu (2001) and Bishonen (1998), as well as Scud's own PR. Amphetamine is a recycled movie of Permanent Residence. Scud is unable to produce films of a different challenge. I am beginning to wonder if Scud is capable of not following the old trick of the directors in portraying tragic in love affairs of gays. Scud is incapable of happy ending and he is not capable of showing guys in passionate love setting. There was nothing much in PR except for hugs in showers and in bed, which was repeated in Amphetamine. But when it came to the male-female relationship, Scud had no trouble to show the body movements involved.
I feared much when the movie progressed as I was afraid of PR's tragic movie-ending spoiler - and ending that made no sense to the audience or had no commercial attraction to invite repetitive watching. I hated being right. Before the moment where Kafka was stripped by guests in a normal party, which was really freaky weird, I knew the movie was going downhill. I did not believe that plot. Neither was I believing Daniel would be so drunken, he would look so pretty lying down on the floor with a bottle beside him, that spilled no champagne. I mean, instead of protecting Kafka from his crazy invited (many) guests, Daniel went drunk. Stupid.
The ending was more like Scud was trying to get into the 'hm... I wonder what did Scud try to convey by the abstract scenes'. I was more like 'hm.. I did not give a shit, the movie was again another half-failure.' Half failure? This is the kind of movie when one should play for the first half of the film, where things still make sense, just like in PR. After that, one should just switched off the film because the director made a mess.
Despite of all I had said, I still have to admire a better than average production of a gay themed film from Scud. I still hope to see a film that can stand out there to challenge wonderful gay themed films such No Regret (2006), Jeffrey (1995) and Reine Geschmacksache (2007).
This gay short film won several awards - namely, 2005 Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Best Short Film Jury Award, 2005 PlanetOut Film Festival Comedy Finalist, 2005 Michigan Reel Pride Best Boys Short, 2005 Sundance Film Festival's World Premiere.
Billys dad is a fudge packer - Watch more Funny Videos
Japan has been upfront with a number of teen-targeted gay themed films, and a number of them were easy-favourites. Hatsu Koi is another gay themed film that deals with gay teenagers in love.
Tadashi is in love with Kota. However, Kota is afraid that being labeled as a gay may cause him trouble. So, Kota keepts his distance away from Tadashi, which is hurting Tadashi.
Maybe I am shallow, but I don't really see the reason to be obsessed with Kota. There is hardly any chemistry here. Unlike otherr gay themed films from Japan, where the actors are usually cute, this film fails to pick a good one to make Kota stands out.
This gay film has already won the Audience Choice Award at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck.
Taam Saai Nam (Down the River) (Thailand) (2004)
0 comments Posted by Jon at Sunday, November 08, 2009
Judging from the cover, it looked like another film that I would love to watch - one, it's about young gay love. Two, it's another offering from the East.
The Fabre family has just moved into the neighborhood. Hanna (Michèle Laroque) and Pierre (Jean-Philippe Écoffey) have 4 children - one girl and three boys. Well, maybe not 3 boys. Ludo (Georges Du Fresne) believes that he is a girl. A seven year old girl. He likes to dress up as a girl and play dolls. He does not play sports like the other boys, because he believes that he is a girl God has built wrongly - forgetting an X for him, instead of the Y he is trapped with - an XY. And Ludo is obsessed to be Pam, the Barbie-alike, instead of wanting to be Ben, the guy in the Pam-Ben package.
I often prefer coming out and coming of age stories, where the film deals with a teenage guy falls in love with another guy. So, for me, to watch Ma Vie En Rose and to think of the trans issue, is usually a non-interest topic for me. But it was hard to be not interested when the movie was made so well.
Ma Vie En Rose is co-written (with Chris Vander Stappen) and directed by Alain Berliner. It is a marvelous film, deserved to awed over again and again. It is an uplifting story about the world of a kid, and how the kid should be understood, instead of being judged. It's about us not imposing thoughts and ideas on others, when they don't fit into our stereotyped world.
I was enchanted by the bond shared between Hanna and Ludo. The mother-son relationship was the center of the story, and not of Ludo obsession to marry his neighbor boy, Jerome. It was Hanna who initially protected Ludo's confusion with his identity when Pierre was upset. Count in Elizabeth (Hélène Vincent), Ludo's liberal-thinking grandma, to support Ludo through his obsession to cross-dress. And the psychiatrist's treatment was not working well for Ludo, who was already forced to deny his inner thoughts and feelings.
Eventually Ludo's issue became a cause of concern among the neighbors, including Pierre's boss, Jerome's father. When Pierre lost his job, it was the protective Hanna who lost her cool, and started to treat Ludo coldly.
I was puzzled with Pierre's sudden turn-around as the accepting father. Somehow, he emerged as the guy who was cool with Ludo's inability to adapt. Hanna became the temperamental one.
The near-ending scene was a touching one, where adults are taught to be more open-minded and not to lose oneself in our expectation of how a world should be.
A marvelous movie.
AWARDS:
- Won 1997 Golden Swan in Cabourg Romantic Film Festival
- Won 1997 Best Screenwriter in European Film Awards
- Won 1997 Jury Award for Best Film and Presidential Award for Best Foreign Language Film in Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
- Won 1998 Outstanding Film (Limited Release) in GLAAD Media Awards
- Won 1998 Best Foreign Language Film in Golden Globes, USA
- Won 1997 Box Office Award in Joseph Plateau Awards
- Won 1997 Crystal Globe in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Won 1997 Best Film Award in Molodist International Film Festival
- Won 1997 FIPRESCI Prize in Sarajevo Film Festival
- Won 1997 Audience Award in Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
- Won 1997 3rd Place Audience Award in São Paulo International Film Festival
Kysset Som Fikk Snøen til å Smelte (A Kiss in the Snow) (1997)
0 comments Posted by Jon at Sunday, October 04, 2009A young guy has a crush on another cute guy. Unfortunately, the cute guy has a girlfriend. Somehow, the young guy hangs around the cute guy and his girlfriend, while withholding his own sadness. A play in the snow, making snow angels get the guys to fool around. The girl gets jealous and the gay guy gets what is coming.. A beautiful short gay film, with really cute guys. :)
This gay film won Ursula Award Hamburg Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and Best Short Film Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 1998.
This clip is only 3 minutes long. The actual gay short film is 22 minutes.
Although this was made in Norway, for a movie edited this beautiful, no words are needed.
When he was a young man, Ivan hid behind his busy workload instead of looking for a lover. He got his own place and indulged in boxing exercise and gym. That was when he met Windson (Osman Hung). Ivan was attracted to Windson and made his move. They became good friends, and Ivan had hoped for more. Unfortunately, Windson was straight, and had a girlfriend back in mainland.
They became closer friends eventually - a gay guy and a straight guy, with the gay guy falling for the straight guy, and the straight guy unable to return his love. Windson became more accommodating to Ivan's need and allowed Ivan to touch him, and they shared brief kisses but nothing more, which led to Ivan into frustration.
When Ivan's grandma passed away, Ivan was further devastated when Windson announced that he was getting married to his mainland girlfriend. Windson left Hong Kong. Their paths crossed again eventually and Windson told Ivan he never got married. Ivan had always been his 'wife', except that Windson could never understand how a straight him could ever be in a relationship with Ivan.
Permanent Residence open well. I was intrigued by the cinematography of the film, although I thought the choice of the child actor was poor. But still, the beauty of the film was delivered well enough to ignore that. As the movie progressed into Ivan's youth life, the climax of the gay film picked up, as we are treated to many seconds of beautiful male nudi*y. Sean Li and Osman's bodies can bring shame to many lead male actors of erot*c films. They are simply beautiful.
The dynamic of wanting and staying a distance of the relationship between Ivan and Windson drew my attention. I was wanting to see how it ends. However, once Windson left Hong Kong and Ivan became the 'son' to take of ailing mother of Windson, the film became a little bit draggy. The second half of the film was rather disappointing, until Windson showed up again, and just like most gay films, gay characters deserve no happy ending. So, we were treated to the unnecessary ending of the gay Titanic. Just when I thought the gay film had ended, the film seemed to go directionless and dragged unnecessarily to become a joke.
Still, for the first part of the gay film, the film was worth to be devour for the beauty of the complexity of a love between two - a gay and a straight. Beautiful indeed.
Connected is a gay film told of two gay lovers, starting from their lonesome days to the day they found each other and then to the break-up. The gay film tells the story on a subway train, which quickly reminds me of Trick, the delightful gay themed film on young gays finding one another through the subway train. However, I am not feeling all that love for Connected.
Is One of You Eddie has to be one of the best gay short film I have ever seen. This gay film preaches funnily on not to judge a book by its cover too soon. Really, what is a gay man's look? What is the fashion sense and style? What is the trend of clothing and clothes for a gay man to wear and to be, in order to be considered as an in-gay. Michael Simon wrote and directed this wonderful gay movie, which runs for 8 minutes, about 4 neighbors who are too quick to comment negatively on Eddie, until a hunk shows up.
Bàwáng Bié Ji (1993) - Farewell My Concubine (China)
0 comments Posted by Jon at Friday, August 07, 2009
This is one of the year's best films. - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-times
Chen Kaige's film is one of the year's true masterpieces. - James Berardinelli, Reelviews
The film is an adaptation of the novel written by Lilian Lee.
Director : Chen Kaige
Producer : Hsu Feng
Writers : Lilian Lee (also novel), Lei Bik-Wa, Lu Wei
Casts:
Leslie Cheung as Cheng Dieyi
Zhang Fengyi as Duan Xiaolou
Gong Li as Juxian
Storyline : Dieyi has been brought up to make believe that he can play a female role in the Chinese Opera. He lives to embrace the life of a female role. As such, there is the question of his sexual attraction to Xiaolou. Is it nurtured or is it natural?Since the day Dieyi joins the army of young workers, trained to impress the audience who love the story portrayed on stage in heavy costume and make-up, Xiaolou has often been protective of Dieyi. This is even so when initially a young Dieyi refuses to act as the female character. Xiaolou forces Dieyi to accept his fate.
As time marches on, Dieyi and Xiaolou become a sensational couple on stage, loved by many. However, behind the stage, the relationship between Dieyi and Xiaolou is tested when Juxian steps into the picture. Juxian tempts Xiaolou into a relationship with her, which jeopardises Xiaolou relationship with Dieyi. Feeling betrayed, Dieyi finds comfort in the arm of an admirer. However, that does not end the feeling Dieyi has for Xiaolou. When Japanese soldiers take over China, it is Dieyi (with persuasion by Juxian) who must do his best to entertain the soldiers in order to plead them to release Xiaolou. That does not rest well with Xiaolou who sees this as an insult to the Chinese. The final test on these three come when the Chinese Revolution arrives. In the eyes of many young ambitious communists, Dieyi, Xiaolou and Juxian are confronted with their personal greed for their own freedom, mixed with fear.Does true love survive?
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-times
No film can ever hope to convey the complex mosaic of cultural upheaval caused by everything that happened between 1924 and 1977, but Farewell My Concubine does an excellent job presenting samples of the flavor while telling a story that is both epic and intimate.
- James Berardinelli, Reelviews
- Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
..Farewell My Concubine boasts some startling moments, a few grand set-pieces and excellent performances all around..
- Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Awards :
- Won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival 1993. The Palme d'Or was shared with Jane Campion's The Piano from New Zealand (1993).
- Won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival 1993
- Won the Best Film not in the English Language BAFTA (British Academy Award) 1993
- Won the Mainichi Film Concours for Best Foreign Language Film at Mainichi Film Concours 1993
- Won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film 1993
- Won the Best Foreign Film of National Board of Review (USA) 1992
- Won the Best Foreign Film of L.A. Film Critics Association 1993
- Won the Best Foreign Language Film of Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1993
- Won the Best Actor Award for Foreign Movie of Japanese Critic Society (Leslie Cheung) 1994
- Won the Special Award of Chinese Performance Art Association, mainland China, (Leslie Cheung) 1993
- Won the New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Foreign Language Film 1993
- Won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (Li Gong) 1993
- Won the Special Award of Political Film Society, USA 1993
- Won the Silver Frog Award (Changwei Gu)at International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (Camerimage) 1993
- Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (Oscar) 1993
- Nominated for the César Award for Best Foreign Film 1994
- Nominated for the Golden Frog Award (Changwei Gu) at International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (Camerimage) 1993
Country : China / Hong Kong
Running Time : 171 min.
Language : Mandarin
Box Office : $5,216,888 (USA) and 470,920 Admissions (Argentina)
Links :
This is one of the most delightful, must see gay films.
Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone) is the school nerd. A cute nerd. He hangs around the public toilet at the park, in hope to find someone who may want what he wants - a boy to boy love. It's the only place he thinks is same enough for him to meet someone like him. The problem is he never goes into the toilet. One day, he decides to do exactly just that. He steps in, and starts to communicate with a stranger in the other stall, by notes through a small hole. As he steps out to wait for the stranger to show up, Steven is surprised to know that the stranger he is cruising in the toilet is John Dixon (Brad Gorton), the school jock.
John is in denial. After the dance night, John shows up at Steven's place and they begin a secret relationship because John dares not to face the truth of his own sexual orientation. So, Steven has to hide his new joy from all, even his best friend, the funny Linda (Charlotte Brittain). When Steven finds out that John still keeps a girl to pretend that he is straight, John forces himself to see Steven in public, to prove to Steven that he loves Steven.
The problem is that John's father is not so open-minded and problem starts.
Get Real is a wonderful gay themed film that deserves to be watched over and over again. Simon Shore directed this wonderful gay film, written by Patrick Wilde. The story, the music and the actors are charming. One can get really addicted to this gay movie. At the end of the movie, it is good to think of the line - It's only love. What are we afraid of?
I wish to see a part 2, where what Steven and John has is real. :D
Tomatometer: 77% (as of Aug 4, 2009)
Awards:
- Won 1999 Ourense Independent Film Festival Audience Award and Jury Prize (for Best European Film)
- Won 1999 Emden International Film Festival Emden Film Award
- Won 1998 Edinburgh International Film Festival Audience Award
- Won 1998 Dinard British Film Festival Golden Hitchcock and Audience Award
- Nominated for 1999 British Independent Film Awards
- Nominated for 2000 Chlotrudis Award
El Marica is a gay short film that deals with a gay kid and his closeted identity. His best friend wants to convince others that the gay kid is not what others assume he is. So, they visit the prostitute. The gay kid runs away. His best friend gets angry with him, and shout hurtful words. Years later, as an adult, the best friend write an apology letter to the gay friend.
Salvador Dalí (Robert Pattinson) arrives at university in Madrid and befriended Federico García Lorca (Javier Beltran) and Luis Buñuel (Matthew McNulty). Salvador became close to García. However, their relationship did not have the chance to grow. Salvador found García's closeness to him more than he was prepared to handle and moved away. Salvador got involved with a married woman. When García visited, he found his friend a changed man, in his life and his politics.
Little Ashes is based on true story, directed by Paul Morrison.
Of course this film generates much interest since Robert Pattinson became the talkabout new pop male star. Everyone has to know Robert. That Edward, from that vampire Twilight film. And the good news is.. in this film, Edward.. I mean, Robert, kiss. Not once. Not twice. Often enough to make us happy for his progress to embrace such character, and to be so jealous of Javier, the guy who is doing whom most of us want to be doing.. I mean, kissing.
Robert wore funny hair in this film. He was not the hunk as like Edward. But still, we know it is Robert Pattinson and we want more of him. I believe that the last scene of Robert in water with Javier was done with nudity. Someone has got to confirm this. Sigh...
A must watch for all Robert Pattinson's fan.
Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is gay. And just like any gay boy in high school, he becomes a target of bully by his classmates. It does not help the fact that the guy he has a crush on, Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker) befriends these jerks, although Jonathon does not join in the crowd to belittle him. When the drama school teacher picks a reluctant Timothy to lead a remake of A Midsummer Night's Dream, strange things start to happen. For example, Jonathon's willingness to dump his cheerleader girlfriend for Timothy. Slowly, almost all the town population is turning gay.
Were The World Mine is a gay themed film developed from the gay short film Fairies (2003). Tom Gustafson directed both. It is a musical film that is done with a touch of humor and romance, where only a gay boy's fantasy (of a straight jock returning love and affection) turns into reality. Where boy-boy and girl-girl kisses are accepted, so unlike the homophobic atmosphere the day before. All because of a love potion.
It is good to find a movie where the two male leads have the ability to charm the audience and leaving them hoping for more. I enjoy looking at the male actors in the film, so happy singing and dancing away in the film. You know, the good kind of feeling one gets watching a happy Broadway show. And it helps that these young men are yummy and shirtless often enough to feed the eyes. Oh yeah, I love the kissing scenes between the many young men in the film. The chemistry between the two male leads was good, although I was wishing for more movie time between these two, without the interference of Max (Ricky Goldman) who happens to fall for Timothy too.
This is one good film where gays do not have to have tragical ending. The ending is indeed a gay (happy) ending, that make me smirk happy.
Were The World Mine won the Audience Awards
- in Florida Film Festival (2008, Best Narrative Feature)
- in Rhode Island International Film Festival (2008, Best Feature)
- in Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2008, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Men's Favorite Feature)
- in Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (2008, Feature Film)
- in Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival (2008, Best Feature Film or Video)
- Q Award in Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (2008, Best Overall Film)
- Best of the Festival Award in Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival 2008
- Grand Jury Award in L.A. Outfest (2008, Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature)
- in Nashville Film Festival (2008, Best LGBT Film and Best Music in a Feature Film)
- Scion Award for First Time Director in Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (2008)
- Jury Award in Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (2008, Best New Director and Best New Director)
- Best Editing in Woodstock Film Festival 2008)
Between Love & Goodbye is a gay themed movie that tells the journey of love between Kyle (Simon Miller) and Marcel (Justin Tenner). What starts off as a beautiful, loving relationship turns into an ugly disagreement between the two young gays when Kyle's brother-turned-sister-turned-back-to-brother April (Rob Harmon) moves in with them. Marcel is not comfortable with April overstaying the welcome, and April retaliates by poisoning Kyle's mind, trashing Marcel.
I was thrilled when I first viewed the movie, to be greeted on screen, 2 yummy young men, who loved to kiss and rolled around naked on the bed. Well, not so often on the second scene, but enough to see a naked, cute Marcel. I have a problem with the name Marcel.. it keeps reminding me of Ross's monkey in Friends, Season 2. Except that this French Marcel is way cuter, and I enjoyed seeing him naked. I enjoyed the first half of the film, basking in the lovejoy between Marcel and Kyle. At a certain angle, Justin reminded me of Justin Taylor of Queer As Folk.
Once April stepped in, I was less thrilled of the film. But I was sure the movie would concentrate little on April. So, I continued watching. I was disappointed. I never thought I would find any movie character more irritating than any characters done by Tori Spelling. Boy, I was wrong. It was either April's fault or the writer's fault. Either way, it killed my taste for the movie.
I did expect April to be trouble, but I just could not buy the theory that Kyle cannot see through. And then, in the middle of the movie, out of nowhere, instead of revealing April to be the issue, Kyle and Marcel both confess that they had flings with others, which drag the relationship down. Badmouthed and influenced by April, Kyle start to have arguments with Marcel. Both claim ownership of the apartment that they share.
Marcel has one disadvantage. He is trying to get a Green Card to stay in USA, by faking a marriage with Sarah. April uses this to his advantage to make Marcel lose. At the end of the day, the argument is not between Kyle and Marcel, but between Marcel and April.
And Kyle dies. Which is so stupid. Because I don't even know why such ending is needed. And why April is not the one who dies.
I was disappointed with this film, which has the promises - since Latter Days' Aaron and Christian to be gays' favorite couple. Moreover, this gay themed show comes from Casper Andreas, who gave us the wonderful A Four Letter Word. Such a pity. Such a pity.
