LGBT themed movie and TV reviews by Mspacclown
Many years ago when I was in university, I was talking with a friend about what makes a film “queer.” Was it simply having queer characters and queer subject matter? Was it having something askew and off-kilter that queer viewers … Continue reading LGBT Movies: “Wild Things” (25th Anniversary)
A closeted Liberal Chairman (Björn Kjellman) falls for an out Social Democrat (a lovable Eric Ericson). Four More Years is an enjoyably fluffy romcom. The leading men have chemistry and charm. It’s refreshing to see a middle-aged actor in a … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Four More Years (2010)
Alfredo Alaria plays an eccentric dancer. He clashes with his conservative family. They suspect he may be… different. His penchant for performing campy musical numbers in revealing costumes is a clue. Different couldn’t directly address homosexuality in Franco’s Spain. But … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Different (1962)
Nuno, a college student, visits his sister’s farm in Vouzela. He soon falls for Alberto, a moody farmhand. Nuno is a cheerful protagonist in an angsty film. He remains blissfully unaware of the limits that class and gender place on … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Where the Sun Beats (1989)
Why bury your gays when you can make them bury each other? You may find yourself contemplating that question after seeing M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, the tense and morally muddy Knock at the Cabin. Based on Paul G. Tremblay’s 2018 … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Knock at the Cabin (2023)
This weekend the cinemas feature many tales of queer suffering and death. I wanted to highlight a film about surviving trauma. In Thomas Fitzgerald’s The Hanging Garden a gay man (Chris Leavins) visits his estranged family after ten years away. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Hanging Garden (1997)
Should the LGBTQ community assimilate or rebel? Should we band together or pursue our individual goals? These arguments were explored in a television drama titled Coming Out. It aired On April 10, 1979 as part of the BBC’s Play for … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Coming Out (1979)
A married man becomes obsessed with a teenage hustler. His wife intervenes. Man of Desire aches with sexual frustration. Each character is afraid of what they want. The film is in no hurry to give it to them. Dominique Delouche’s … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Man of Desire (1970)
The Holiday Sitter is Hallmark’s first gay holiday romcom. A big city business man falls for a small-town hunk while babysitting his niece and nephew. Jonathan Bennett mugs like he’s channeling Lucille Ball. George Krissa underplays the guarded love interest. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Holiday Sitter (2022)
Three people without housing find an abandoned infant on Christmas Eve. Hana, an optimistic trans woman, doesn’t want the baby left in the foster system. After many arguments they decide to search for the child’s mother. Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Ethan Clade, a gay biracial teen, is tongue tied when he meets his handsome crush. His supportive father, Searcher, plays wing man by talking up his son’s good qualities. Ethan is mortified. I braced myself for angry families to storm … Continue reading Movie Review: Strange World (2022)
2004’s Hellbent was called the “first gay slasher.” Let’s say it’s the first openly gay slasher. Four queer friends are stalked by a masked killer at a Halloween Carnival. The men are likeable and it’s sad to watch their fates. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Hellbent (2004)
A school teacher and a museum curator fall madly in love with a handsome policeman. Flash forwards tell us that it will end in tears. Why do we revisit stories of queer trauma? The back-alley hook ups. The brutal beatings. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: My Policeman (2022)
Michael York plays a villainous twink in the black comedy Something for Everyone. He sleeps and murders his way into Angela Lansbury’s aristocratic family. The promising premise is undone by Hugh Wheeler’s flabby screenplay and Hal Prince’s timid direction. It’s … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Something for Everyone (1970)
Dan Futterman plays an insomniac who wanders through Manhattan. He collects urban legends from the strangers he meets. Urbania is a strange film with an interesting cast. The episodic nature keeps it from building momentum. The protagonists’ motivation is unclear … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Urbania (2000)
Bros pairs a self-righteous museum curator (Billy Eichner) with a musclebound lawyer (Luke Macfarlane). They fight, banter and gradually fall in love. The story is familiar. What sets Bros apart from other queer romcoms is the sharp social commentary. Eichner … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Bros (2022)
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant follows an affair between a successful fashion designer and a young model. Petra (Margit Carstensen) treats Karin (Hanna Schygulla) as a mannequin. A plaything to provide inspiration and affection. Karin enjoys her wealth … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)
A working-class woman attends a gathering with her wealthy girlfriend. When a party game turns deadly, they’ll struggle to survive the night. Bodies Bodies Bodies begins as a stylish whodunit. Director Halina Reijn turns a sprawling mansion into a claustrophobic … Continue reading Spoil Sports: Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
James Dean cemented his legendary status when he died at the age of 24. Countless fans projected their fantasies upon him. Rumors of his bisexuality were rampant. The first film to address this was NBC’s James Dean: Portrait of a … Continue reading LGBT Movies: James Dean: Portrait of a Friend (1976)
I have been waiting for more than two years to see Trevor: The Musical. The show was originally set to debut off-Broadway in the spring of 2020 and I was planning to fly to New York to see it. Then … Continue reading Trevor: The Musical
Fire Island is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. An arrogant jerk (Joel Kim Booster) clashes with an uptight lawyer (MVP Conrad Ricamora) while vacationing in Cherry Grove. His sad bestie (Bowen Yang) falls for a dopey … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Fire Island (2022)
