Gay-Friendly Blu-rays (1 Viewer)

[MatthewA]

Even if it isn't great, it can't be worse than the majority of modern-day heterosexual rom-coms that fall flat.

 

[Matt Hough]

Very true, and it was professionally made. I'm grateful someone was interested in doing it no matter how prosaic it was.

 

[Will Krupp]

It's on HULU so I'll have to check it out. I must admit to never having heard of it!

 

[Kenneth_C]

Surely I can't be the only one who recorded and watched the new rom-com The Thing About Harry broadcast on Saturday on Freeform cable (and Hulu for streamers).

It's in my Hulu queue. I expect to get around to it in the next week or so.

Meanwhile...

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is opening this Friday. There are high expectations for this gay Bollywood movie. I hope it does well at the box office and that we get a chance to see it outside of India.



Interview with one of the stars, Ayushmann Khurrana, who says people in the industry asked him to "re-think" his participation in the film: https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bo...hubh-mangal-zyada-saavdhan-1640962-2020-01-28

 

[Matt Hough]

I started watching the digital series After Forever today on Prime. It was created by and stars Kevin Spirtas as a middle-aged man whose lover dies from cancer and how he attempts to move on through his grief with the help of gay and straight friends. It's very good (it won five Daytime Emmys last year including Best Digital Series), and it is quite moving especially for those of us who are, ahem, into the early twilights of our lives and can identify with relationships where partners have passed.

The episodes are only 7-12 minutes in length, so I went through the first five in the blink of an eye (blinking away tears in a couple of them). Two seasons are available. Season three is shooting this summer.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Somehow After Forever had eluded me until this week. It popped up in some online news letter as "must watch tv" and then I remembered Matt had mentioned it here. I watched the first three episodes on Prime last night and can't wait to watch the rest. It's wonderful to see a more realistic slice of life depicting attractive men in their 50's being intimate and interacting with their circle of friends. There are LOL moments and very poignant ones that really hit the right buttons. There was one exchange in episode 2 where I burst out crying. This is well done and I recommend it, at least what I've seen so far, very highly.

I read the backstory of Kevin Spirtas and how this came together as well. Interesting read, to me at least.

 

[Will Krupp]

I'll check out AFTER FOREVER, thanks to everyone for the recommendations!

I wound up enjoying THE THING ABOUT HARRY quite a bit. I sort of knew what criticisms people had going in so it allowed me to enjoy the ride without worrying about it and I found it to be light but very cute. It went down easily but yeah, if these people just TALKED to each other then the conflicts would have been taken care of in at least half the time, lol. Youth is wasted on the young and all that.

I don't know what mileage this may have for everyone, but I came across a Showtime series called WORK IN PROGRESS that I had never heard of but I am ABSOLUTELY in love with. Abby McEnany plays a "45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke" named "Abby" (coincidence?) who is contemplating suicide (!) but starts a relationship with a sexy, younger trans-man (played by THE POLITICIAN'S Theo Germaine.) I know, it sounds like a "lot" but it's sharp, sweet, and FUNNY and McEnany is terrifically appealing in the lead. I had somewhat low expectations going in but it's been quite awhile since I've been as invested in a cast of characters as I was with this one.

 

[cinemiracle]

Watched THE THING ABOUT HARRY recently. Great film.

 

[Mark-W]

I know I am guilty of thinking, "Oh, this is a high-profile film, with Oscar nods and a famous director, so I don't need to mention it in this thread, much less post my thoughts about it."

I am glad you shared, Mark.

My goodness, this tiny mention 3 months ago is all the interest this phenomenal film could muster for this thread? In honor of the Academy Awards, allow me to shower it with some praise. It's a bittersweet story (semi-autobiographical) of an aging, gay film director with quite a few medical ailments (hence the "pain" of the title) who pensively reconciles his past life. There are moments of joy, sadness, longing, and "glory" as well. It got two nominations: one for Antonio Banderas and one for Best International Film. Since Parasite was also nominated for Best Picture (I would swap that out for Pain & Glory in a flash) that pretty much assures that Parasite and not Pain & Glory will win in the Best International category. Looking through a list of Almodovar's films, I now realize that until now I had never seen any of his work. That will have to be rectified.

Spoiler

I especially liked the reveal at the end. All through the movie there were flashbacks to a younger Salvador and his mother played by Penelope Cruz, and I was noticing that the young boy didn't resemble Banderas very much, and also the older version of Cruz didn't look much like her. The final flashback zooms back to reveal Banderas directing a movie about his youth, so all that had been presented as memory flashbacks, were in fact scenes from his future movie, hence the reason why there was no resemblance. Brilliant!

I also really identified with the scene of young Salvador bringing the towel to Eduardo, and upon seeing him completely naked proceeded to faint!

 

[Kenneth_C]

Watched End of the Century on Blu-ray last night, and - wow! - easily one of the best gay movies of the past few years.

I don't want to say too much about it, since I think a large part of its power comes from not knowing too much. Suffice it to say that what seems at first to be a Spanish Weekend morphs into something very different and unexpected. Like Weekend, it's mature, intelligent, nuanced, and insightful. The two leads have great chemistry -- and are extremely hot, to boot. I guarantee you'll never hear "Space Age Love Song" the same again.

I will certainly be following writer/director Lucio Castro after this. It's a superb first feature; hard to believe it was filmed in only 12 days! Will be listening to the director's commentary later as I'm really interested in what he has to say.

P.S. Speaking of Weekend: I watched it again last week. It's been probably 8 years since I last saw it and was blown away all over again. So timely, so perceptive, so sexy, so moving. Definitely one of the high water marks of gay cinema.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yep, Weekend is a wonderful, unique viewing experience.

 

[KeithDA]

I started watching the digital series After Forever today on Prime.

Just finished both series of this and yet was not particularly enamored with them. I kept going mainly because each episode was so short (why was it structured like this?) and it is a fairly easy watch. It is different in that the message is more about grief that late-stage dating, but still worth it to see gay characters front and foremost. Short episodes mean the plot points are telegraphed very early when I really wanted a bit more of an overall emotional pay-off and perhaps some more twists and surprises. The last shot of series 2 is explained by the fact that series 3 is apparently on the way.

Anything else on Prime I should be looking at? (we've got a month's free membership and I'm such a cheapskate...)

 

[Will Krupp]

Anything else on Prime I should be looking at? (we've got a month's free membership and I'm such a cheapskate...)

VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL? Not really especially gay related but have you caught all of MRS MAISEL, the BBC's ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE (IMO the hands down best of the new spate of BBC Christies) or FLEABAG? All are worthy!!

 

[Matt Hough]

I'm almost finished with season two of After Forever, and I plan to start from the beginning and watch it all again when I finish it. I have been very impressed by it.

 

[MatthewA]

Watched End of the Century on Blu-ray last night, and - wow! - easily one of the best gay movies of the past few years.

I still have to watch Weekend; now I have two movies to watch.

 

[KeithDA]

I've just caught up with '120 bpm' which was shown on Channel 4 late one night over the last weekend. Not what I expected at all - it almost has a documentary feel (in a good way) that runs alongside the main doomed relationship. What a clever way of explaining the issues of trying to get the French authorities to react. Thoroughly recommended.

 

[Matt Hough]

I still have to watch Weekend; now I have two movies to watch.

For anyone interested, I did review the Blu-ray when it came out, and that review is here.

 

[bujaki]

I've just caught up with '120 bpm' which was shown on Channel 4 late one night over the last weekend. Not what I expected at all - it almost has a documentary feel (in a good way) that runs alongside the main doomed relationship. What a clever way of explaining the issues of trying to get the French authorities to react. Thoroughly recommended.

I second your recommendation. Extraordinary acting as well.

 

[MatthewA]

I agree. It is a travesty that it was not at least nominated for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar.

 

[ptb2020]

I've just caught up with '120 bpm' which was shown on Channel 4 late one night over the last weekend. Not what I expected at all - it almost has a documentary feel (in a good way) that runs alongside the main doomed relationship. What a clever way of explaining the issues of trying to get the French authorities to react. Thoroughly recommended.

I saw it in cinema when it came out here in France. A very angry but intensely involving and moving film. Winner of numerous awards in France and well deserved.