Gay-Friendly Blu-rays (1 Viewer)

[Jason_V]

Yes! Sum of All Fears, and also My Beautiful Laundrette were in that group of of DVDs in June of 2003. And the following year in May of 2004 New Line Home video released Torch Song Trilogy and Love! Valour! Compassion! Perhaps the nudity in that film was more satisfying to your younger self

Yes, yes it was! I'm really happy I got out of that phase and I have more...refined...tastes now.

 

[Matt Hough]

I don't know how many of us stream in this thread, but iTunes put two of the Donald Strachey mysteries on sale in HD for $6.99: A Shock to the System and On the Other Hand Death, the second and third movies in the quartet of films. I bought the former since it's (1) my favorite of the four and (2) to see its quality as opposed to the DVDs. I'll report back here later today after I've watched it.

 

[Jason_V]

I don't know how many of us stream in this thread, but iTunes put two of the Donald Strachey mysteries on sale in HD for $6.99: A Shock to the System and On the Other Hand Death, the second and third movies in the quartet of films. I bought the former since it's (1) my favorite of the four and (2) to see its quality as opposed to the DVDs. I'll report back here later today after I've watched it.

I was all over these movies when they came out. Partly because I really enjoyed them and partly because it's Chad Allen. I mean, I know I had a crush on him all the way back when he was on Star Trek in 1990. I was 11 years old.

 

[Matt Hough]

The HD stream (which according to the website is 720p, I guess upconverted by the Apple TV 4K to 4K) looked very nice. It was a bit sharper than the DVD but not day and night better. And I'll have to keep the DVD because it contains some special features which have not been ported over to iTunes. So, I'm glad to have it so convenient on my iTunes lineup, but I'm not sure I'll jump on the other one on sale or the other two if they eventually come down in price. The DVDs may be good enough. I'll have to rewatch one to get a better handle on them on the TV I'm currently using as my primary.

 

[Mark-P]

The HD stream (which according to the website is 720p, I guess upconverted by the Apple TV 4K to 4K) looked very nice. It was a bit sharper than the DVD but not day and night better. And I'll have to keep the DVD because it contains some special features which have not been ported over to iTunes. So, I'm glad to have it so convenient on my iTunes lineup, but I'm not sure I'll jump on the other one on sale or the other two if they eventually come down in price. The DVDs may be good enough. I'll have to rewatch one to get a better handle on them on the TV I'm currently using as my primary.

According to what website? The movies were shot in HD and according to the specs I see on iTunes the files should be 1080p.

 

[Matt Hough]

According to what website? The movies were shot in HD and according to the specs I see on iTunes the files should be 1080p.

The iTunes website. The listing under the title where they give information on the release.

 

[Mark-P]

The iTunes website. The listing under the title where they give information on the release.

You must have your account set to download 720p or something. All four movies show being available in 1080p for me.

 

[Matt Hough]

You must have your account set to download 720p or something. All four movies show being available in 1080p for me.
View attachment 56039

I'll have to check on that. It could just be the difference between the resolution of the iPad where I looked it up and my TV which is 4K (as is the Apple TV 4K device I watched it on).

 

[Mark-P]

I feel a little guilty and that I owe you six bucks for even asking about Best Day Ever. But I’ll steer clear of it. Anyway, you sold me on Hidden Kisses and Handsome Devil.

Wow, has it really been over a year since I pledged to watch these films? In honor of St. Patrick's Day Week (I'll be watching Irish movies all week long) I watched Handsome Devil on Netflix and absolutely adored it. I'm developing a real fondness for out actor Andrew Scott. He's so deliciously evil in Sherlock and so lovable in Pride and Handsome Devil. It had been my intention to wait and buy the film on sale at iTunes but it's been a long wait. Vudu actually has it cheaper but since Breaking Glass isn't a part of Movies Anywhere, I'd personally rather have the movie stranded on iTunes rather than Vudu.

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched On the Other Hand, Death from my DVD last night. Upconverted by my UHD Sony Blu-ray player to my OLED, I could see no appreciable difference between the quality of the HD stream on Shock to the System and this DVD, so I'll probably save my $6.99 + tax for something else.

 

[KeithDA]

I'm developing a real fondness for out actor Andrew Scott. He's so deliciously evil in Sherlock and so lovable in Pride and Handsome Devil.

I agree - and I also think that Andrew is the best bit of 'Handsome Devil'...

 

[Joel Arndt]

I don't know how many of us stream in this thread, but iTunes put two of the Donald Strachey mysteries on sale in HD for $6.99: A Shock to the System and On the Other Hand Death, the second and third movies in the quartet of films. I bought the former since it's (1) my favorite of the four and (2) to see its quality as opposed to the DVDs. I'll report back here later today after I've watched it.

Matt, thanks so much for mentioning the Donald Strachey mysteries. I've now watched the first two and find it very entertaining. I love how Don (Chad Allen) and Tim (Sebastian Spence) interact in their relationship. It comes across as very natural to me. I loved it in Shock to the System (2006) when Don and Tim are discussing how their lives may have been different if they were straight and Tim says (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I like my lifestyle. I like being gay." You know what? So do I.

 

[Matt Hough]

Matt, thanks so much for mentioning the Donald Strachey mysteries. I've now watched the first two and find it very entertaining. I love how Don (Chad Allen) and Tim (Sebastian Spence) interact in their relationship. It comes across as very natural to me. I loved it in Shock to the System (2006) when Don and Tim are discussing how their lives may have been different if they were straight and Tim says (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I like my lifestyle. I like being gay." You know what? So do I.

I agree. This series depicts one of the most natural gay couplings I've ever seen in the movies. Nothing feels forced; everything feels just right. Some of my favorite scenes in all of the movies are the scenes between Don and Tim.

 

[Will Krupp]

Matt, thanks so much for mentioning the Donald Strachey mysteries. I've now watched the first two and find it very entertaining. I love how Don (Chad Allen) and Tim (Sebastian Spence) interact in their relationship. It comes across as very natural to me. I loved it in Shock to the System (2006) when Don and Tim are discussing how their lives may have been different if they were straight and Tim says (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I like my lifestyle. I like being gay." You know what? So do I.

Thanks for the Donald Strachey heads up. I remember watching the first one when it was new but I also remembered not caring for it much at the time and never watched the other three. The recommendations from you and Mark and Matt and others made me decide to give it another shot. Well, I don't know WHAT I was thinking back in 2005 but these really are engaging and fun. Maybe I was in a bad mood? Who knows? I've watched the first three and am saving the last (ICE BLUES) for later. Thanks, I 'm so glad I gave him another go!

I don't buy from ITunes because I don't have AppleTV and I won't watch movies on a computer screen but they are available on HereTV (through Amazon Prime.) It was cheaper to add HereTV for a month ($7.99) than it was to rent them individually ($3.99 each) so that's what I did. Now, I have that for at least a month but there are some fun things there so it's not a bad deal. Interestingly, SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM is only available there in SD while the other three are 1080p.

 

[Mark-W]

I love all the activity in this thread as of late.

I wanted to add news that has me all giddy:

Netflix will premiere the full series later this summer. Inspired by the books of Maupin, per its official synopsis, the series “begins a new chapter in the beloved story. Mary Ann (Laura Linney) returns to present-day San Francisco and is reunited with her daughter Shawna (Ellen Page) and ex-husband Brian (Paul Gross), 20 years after leaving them behind to pursue her career. Fleeing the midlife crisis that her picture-perfect Connecticut life created, Mary Ann is quickly drawn back into the orbit of Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis) and her chosen family, the residents of 28 Barbary Lane.”


Other, "Yeaaa,,, oh, no!" news:
I hear Schitt's Creek is a fantastically hilarious show.
Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy? Sign me up!
But, it has been a busy busy few months;I thought "I'll see it eventually."

I just found out that is has a gay character and found this video and melted.

Schitt's Creek is available in the USA on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The Oh, No! of this post is that Schitt's Creek has one more season and before the series ends.

 

[Mark-P]

I love all the activity in this thread as of late.

I wanted to add one that I just heard about that has been all giddy:

Netflix will premiere the full series later this summer. Inspired by the books of Maupin, per its official synopsis, the series “begins a new chapter in the beloved story. Mary Ann (Laura Linney) returns to present-day San Francisco and is reunited with her daughter Shawna (Ellen Page) and ex-husband Brian (Paul Gross), 20 years after leaving them behind to pursue her career. Fleeing the midlife crisis that her picture-perfect Connecticut life created, Mary Ann is quickly drawn back into the orbit of Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis) and her chosen family, the residents of 28 Barbary Lane.”


Other, "Yeaaa, oh, no!" news:
I hear Schitt's Creek is a fantastically hilarious show.
Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy? Sign me up!
But, it has been a busy busy few months, so I thought "I'll see it eventually."

Now I just found out that is has a gay character and found this video and melted.
Watch this video.
Love song to David
Schitt's Creek is available in the USA on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

One guess what I am watching this weekend.

I don't think the new series will be quite "present day" as that would put MaryAnn into her sixties and Mrs. Madrigal nearly 100. The previous series have all been set roughly 15 to 20 years prior so that the ages of the original actors align with the characters they portray.

 

[Matt Hough]

Looking very much forward to more Tales....

Schitt's Creek is very broad but very funny. Kind of reminded me in a way of Green Acres where the father figure of the show is basically down to earth and is surrounded on all sides by looney, eccentric, outrageous characters. I don't like to call a show canceled when the creators (father and son Levy) decided on their own that six seasons was enough. I think the end was arrived at by mutual consent. The gay relationship is very sweet, but Patrick doesn't join the show until midway through season two, so you have to wait for that to start up. There are lots of other funny things to experience in the meantime.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Looking forward to the reboot of Tales as well. I think it's great they've been able to recruit many of the original cast back for this.

And Matt, your comments about Schitt's Creek are spot on. I love that show. Excellent writing and a wonderful cast that works well together.

I discovered this quirky little gem last year and binge watched the first four seasons on Netflix which was fairly easy since the episodes run only 21 to 22 minutes each. This is a show that just keeps getting better.

Yes, it's a shame that Season 6 will be its last next year, but I read that this is the story arc that Eugene and Dan Levy want and they're going to conclude the series in the way they envisioned which isn't a luxury many series have.

 

[Mark-W]

Thanks Matt and Joel.
I am glad to hear the show is ending on its own terms and not through studio/corporate decisions.

 

[Matt Hough]

And I'm thrilled that Murray Bartlett is playing Michael Tolliver on the rebooted Tales. He played my favorite character on Looking, and any chance to see more of him is a big plus.