Media featuring LGBT content
A warlock stalks a twink at a seaside resort. Rival witches seek control of ancient magic. Everyone has lots of sex. Dante’s Cove is a supernatural soap opera with a heavy dose of camp. A clever idea that suffers from … Continue reading LGBT Media: Dante’s Cove
Channel 4 commissioned Kevin Elyot to write a screenplay celebrating gay pride. They should have read his plays first. He wrote cynical tales about cruel, self-loathing gay men. No surprise that the characters in Clapham Junction are a mix of … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Clapham Junction (2007)
Son’s gay. Dad’s gay. Mom’s mad as hell. The Lost Language of Cranes premiered at the UK film festival in 1991. It was broadcast on PBS and the BBC in 1992. The story follows a family as they cope with … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Lost Language of Cranes (1991)
Consenting Adult aired on ABC on February 4, 1985. Marlo Thomas and Martin Sheen reject their son (Top Gun’s Barry Tubb) when he comes out. Cue earnest monologues and screaming arguments. This TV-drama hasn’t aged as well as similar works … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Consenting Adult (1985)
He’s straight! He’s gay! They’re roommates! Crazy, right? But wait, there’s more. The straight guy’s Sicilian! I thought Kiss Me Guido would focus on their odd couple friendship. But focus is not the script’s strong suit. It gets distracted by … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Kiss Me, Guido (1997)
All the Queen’s Men is a film at war with itself. It’s 1944 and three British spies are tasked with stealing a German Enigma machine. Breaking the Enigma’s military codes could turn the tide of World War II. The factory … Continue reading LGBT Movies: All the Queen’s Men (2001)
Most LGBQ people spend the first portion of our lives pretending to be straight. We do so to fit in with our family, peers, co-workers or community. To feel accepted. To feel safe. The following movies turn conventions on their … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Gay Deceivers
A good romcom feels effortless. An exercise in wish fulfillment and charm. A bad romcom reminds you how tricky the alchemy can be. The tropes that delighted in the past feel grating. Quirky neurotics grow irritating. Lonely “nice guys” become … Continue reading LGBT Movies: All Over the Guy (2001)
Women in Love follows two depressed sisters who fall for repressed men. Ken Russell’s film is beautiful but chilly. He sprinkles shocking moments between stretches of tedium. The characters in D.H. Lawrence’s novel rejected their conformist society. Larry Kramer’s screenplay … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Women in Love (1969)
Noah’s Arc premiered on the Logo Network on October 19, 2005. The series featured a quartet of black gay friends in Los Angeles. The opening credits established their personality types (Romantic, Uptight, Clown, Player). Romantic Noah was the protagonist but … Continue reading LGBT Media: Noah’s Arc
An engineer is on trial for the murder of a teen boy. He offers a strange explanation for the boys’ disappearance. He could control the wind. The Boy and the Wind (O Menino e o Vento) was one of the … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Boy and the Wind (1967)
Teen brothers (one gay, one straight) inherit the family farm in rural Scotland. Their personalities clash but they gradually learn responsibility. Accounts aired on the UK’s Channel 4 three years after Scotland legalized same sex relations. It features subtle writing … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Accounts (1983)
Alan Bates fights for custody of his ex-boyfriend Gary Oldman’s dog. The battle becomes a microcosm of their failed relationship. Alan sees himself as a hero and Gary’s family as villains. But We Think the World of You allows things … Continue reading LGBT Movies: We Think the World of You (1988)
In the late 90’s media celebrated the bond between straight women and gay men. Will and Grace and My Best Friend’s Wedding were smash hits. Less remembered, but still profitable, was a film called The Object of My Affection. Wendy … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Object of My Affection (1998)
Last week I recapped the UK series Queer as Folk. The hit show featured a wealthy white man who slept with minors and abused his friends. Today I’ll look at a show it inspired: HBO’s Looking. The lead, Patrick Murray, … Continue reading LGBT Media: Looking
Queer as Folk was groundbreaking. A playful, angry, fearless look at the lives of gay men. A show that defied homophobes and put gay sex on prime-time television. A middle finger to the assimilationists on Will and Grace. I didn’t … Continue reading LGBT Media: Queer as Folk UK
The gays stole Christmas. It’s ours now. The last two months have seen a burst of LGBQ holiday movies. I binged them, wrote spoiler filled recaps, and ranked them best to worst. Happiest Season (2020, Netflix). Mackenzie Davis invites her … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Happy Holi-Gays
The Prom is a musical with an identity crisis. An Indiana school board cancels prom to prevent a lesbian couple from attending. A troupe of actors organize a protest to jump start their sinking careers. Is the story about the … Continue reading Movie Review: The Prom (2020)
In 2002 the Durham Catholic School Board barred Marc Hall from taking his boyfriend to the prom. He sued them. The story inspired a film, Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story, which premiered on CTV Television Network in 2004. Aaron … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Prom Queen (2004)
I enjoy romcoms. Even the terrible ones. But most same-sex romances are filled with angst. Here are some rocky romances I watched in 2020. Breaking Up Appropriate Behavior (2015, US). Desiree Akhavan rebuilds her life after a bad breakup. Her … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Rocky Romances
This week I continue to compile my 2020 movie reviews. Today’s films look at artists and athletes in life and fiction. Biopics C.O.G. (2013, US). 28-year-old Jonathan Groff is miscast as a gullible student who takes a job in rural … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Artists and Athletes
