Category Archives: Gay theme

2005, Abduction, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Corruption, Crime, Dark, Depression, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drug Dealers, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Gay theme, Interest in dogs, Kidnapping, Lesbian Theme, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Corruption, Revenge, School Teacher, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Teenagers, Tragedy, Violent, Well developed plot

Swedish Wallander (2005-2012)

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From Netflix:

Detective Kurt Wallander is an intense, headstrong maverick who’s prone to eating poorly, sleeping irregularly and drinking too much. Wallander relies on instinct and experience and doesn’t shy away from using illegal means to solve crimes.

Kathy and I have just finished stream-bingeing on all the Swedish Wallander episodes of which there are many. Cable TV gets worse each day and we were grateful to have something well-written, well-acted, and gripping to watch in the evening. Thank you, Netflix. “Gripping” is an important keyword (picture Kathy leaving the room during violent encounters).

To be precise about numbers of episodes:

Season 1 comprises 13 episodes.
Season 2 comprises 13 episodes.
Season 3 comprises 6 episodes.

Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander is a dedicated (even better – obsessed) detective whose personal life is one of drinking, loneliness, and coldness to his family. In other words, he is a mess. To his credit, the Swedish actor Krister Henriksson portrays such a man to perfection. However, as in often the case in such types of TV series, as much time is spent exploring his relations with others as in solving murder cases. For example, “Dicta“, which I have strongly recommended is cast in the same mold.

Quite a bit of camera footage is devoted to leisurely scanning the Swedish landscape and waterways. Wallander and his beloved dog Jussi take many walks on the beach outside his house.

During the course of the three seasons, characters come and go, never to be seen again.

Season 3 ends tragically. But I will not say more because that would be a spoiler. If you want to know what I mean, then send me email.

Once again, if you enjoy intense detective procedurals DO NOT MISS either “Dicta” or “Wallander”.

Be aware that there is also the Kenneth Branagh “Wallander” English series from Masterpiece Mystery.

2013, Acceptable Trash, Amusing banter, Based on true facts, Comedy, Corruption, Crude Talk, Cynical, Drugs, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, FBI, Financial malfeasance, Gay theme, Greed, Lawyers, Nudity, Scam Artists, Vulgar

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

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From Netflix:

Martin Scorcese’s high-rolling Wall Street drama is based on the memoirs of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, whose giddy career — involving audacious scams and confrontations with the FBI and other agencies — ended in federal prison.

Pop quiz: Who is America’s worst enemy? Answer: Her own financial institutions.

Normally I do not consider myself a prude, but I was shocked to:

  • see nude, explicit heterosexual activity
  • see nude, explicit male gay activity
  • hear some of the crudest, most explicit sexual references I have ever heard
  • hear a lot of screaming in place of worthwhile scripting.

Is this film merely an excuse to present the above items? Can the bar go any lower?

On the positive side, this film IS entertaining: tongue-in-cheek banter, a true parade of idiots, nude explicit sexual activity. What’s not to love? And if you ever wanted instruction on how to enrich yourself at the expense of gullible investors, this film is textbook. Have you ever seen a broker talking to a client on the phone while simultaneously giving that client the finger? You can also learn a lot from the shady Swiss bankers.

Keep your money in a sock and enjoy this guilty pleasure embarrassment.

2013, AIDS, British, Catholic culture, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Journalist, Quiet, True Story, Wonderful acting

Philomena (2013)

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From Netflix:

Floundering BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith and aging Irishwoman Philomena Lee form an unlikely bond when they pair up to find the son Philomena was forced to give up for adoption 50 years ago.

If I had not already known the story of Philomena I would have finished watching this marvelous film in a really upset and angry mood. Never mind that this outrageously true story has as happy an ending as is possible given the situation.

Judi Dench (Philomena) and Steve Coogan (Martin Sixsmith) play off one another perfectly as in ying versus yang, as in a Catholic believer versus an atheist, as in simple down-to-earth versus a sophisticated Oxford educated journalist. Much of the charm of the story is seeing each of them change over the course of the film: he softens into compassion, she forgives the evil nuns but finally feels the need to let the world know what happened to all those unwed young mothers.

No more will I say. Just enjoy the plot twists. One surprise (this is not a spoiler) is that at one point seemingly simple Philomena shows that she understands in blunt terms quite a bit about contemporary mores. Somehow that fact just did not ring true with me.

As a culture-vulture side note: Peter Hermann (Pete Olsson) is married to Mariska Hargitay (“Law and Order”) who is the daughter of Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. Just remember that for your next game of Trivial Pursuit.

DO NOT MISS!

2013, Acceptable Science, Addiction, AIDS, Based on true facts, Crude Talk, Dark, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Gambling, Gay theme, Grim, Homophobia, Human spirit, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Transvestite theme, Unusual, Violent

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

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From Netflix:

Loosely based on true events, this drama follows Ron Woodroof, who refuses to accept he’ll die in 30 days when he’s diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. He extends his life and eventually helps many other AIDS patients by smuggling medications from abroad.

Repulsive! At least that was my first impression of Ron Woodroof who throughout the film is always “in your face”. His unbridled lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes leads to full-blown AIDS. He then spent the rest of his life (which was much longer than the doctors foresaw) smuggling medications from wherever he could. Along the way he eventually accepts as a friend a cross-dressing male prostitute despite the fact that Woodroof is portrayed as virulently homophobic. Also he eventually finds a helper and friend in a woman doctor from the local Dallas hospital.

My criterion for a good actor is one that is a true cameleon, that is to say, can adapt to many different parts. In my opinion, Matthew McConaughey has achieved cameleon-hood. Let’s hope he did not injure his health losing so much weight in order to look like a scrawny AIDS patient.

Be sure to consult the Wikipedia article which at the end contrasts the film plot with the true story.

If you don’t mind a view of America’s low life culture, in view of McConaughey’s performance, I call this a DO NOT MISS!

2013, Amputee, Based on a Book, Born Again Christians, Could Be Sad, Crude Talk, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Gay theme, Human spirit, Religious Theme, Small gem of a film, Thought provoking, Wonderful acting

C.O.G. (2013)

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From Netflix:

Based on a short story by David Sedaris, this comedy follows the brash young author as he travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. The journey exposes him to all sorts of culture clashes, but what awaits him at the farm is far worse.

In this small gem of a film, Jonathan Groff is perfect for the part of a naïve and searching young man taking a break from his parents and Yale. His character David is so vulnerable to all the questionable influences that you could sit and worry about what might befall him. And many unpleasant but possibly forming tribulations do come his way. Here is a sensitive film so close to reality that you might cringe when something possibly not violent but at least hurtful happens to David. You can watch Wolverine slice someone into pieces and not bat an eye. But when a supposed friend turns viciously against David you feel the ugliness in a very personal way. Jonathan Groff has a short resume, but be on the lookout for more of his performances.

Hats off to some wonderful villains.

Denis O’Hare (the born-again jade artist) is one of our most established support actors, which is to say you recognize him even though you might not know his name (no matter how many episodes of “Law and Order” you have watched). His performance offers one of the most devastating and hateful betrayals I have ever seen.

Exactly the same can be said for Corey Stoll (apple packing plant manager) in every aspect. You might remember him as Rep. Peter Russo from “House of Cards”. His character is no less sinister than that of Denis O’Hare.

Escape from the trash. Here is a wonderful gem that YOU SHOULD NOT MISS!

1996, Abduction, Based on true facts, Bicycles, Book Review, British, Complicated, Conspiracy, Cynical, Daniel Silva, Ethical struggles, Flirting, Gangs, Gay theme, Gritty, International thriler, Love Story, Physical child abuse, Political Suspense, Sea Rescue, Sex Scenes, Small British village, Spy Theme, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, War, WWII

The Unlikely Spy (1996) [Book Review]

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Book Description:

In wartime,” Winston Churchill wrote, “truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” For Britain’s counterintelligence operations, this meant finding the unlikeliest agent imaginable-a history professor named Alfred Vicary, handpicked by Churchill himself to expose a highly dangerous, but unknown, traitor. The Nazis, however, have also chosen an unlikely agent: Catherine Blake, a beautiful widow of a war hero, a hospital volunteer-and a Nazi spy under direct orders from Hitler to uncover the Allied plans for D-Day…

Daniel Silva was a journalist and TV producer before he began his first novel “The Unlikely Spy” in 1994. This book was such a success that Silva left CNN in 1997 to pursue writing full-time. One of his more known series of books are those featuring the character Gabriel Allon.

Although Silva was born and raised in the U.S.A. (he was raised Catholic and converted to Judaism as an adult), in reading this novel you would swear he was British. We had just returned from visiting our daughter in London and it was an extra pleasure recognizing all the London streets, parks, and subway stops that figure in the plot.

Once you get used to the 20 or so characters that stay continually in the plot you may find this WW II spy novel a real page-turner. Besides the usual cloak and dagger details, the novel is saved from dryness by romances, personal ruminations, political one-upmanship, historical tidbits, and an essential focal point: an effort to prevent Berlin from knowing exactly where the allied invasion will be, i.e. Normandy.

Finally I stayed up late reading for three hours just to see how the final great chase after the clever Nazi spies ended.

2013, Abduction, Dark, Detective, Drama, FBI, Flirting, Gay theme, Grim, Lawyers, Love Story, Made For TV, Mental Illness, Occasional gore, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Violent, Wonderful acting

The Following (2013)

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From NetFlix:

When escaped serial killer Joe Carroll goes on a new killing spree, reclusive former FBI agent Ryan Hardy is called in, having captured Carroll nine years ago. Hardy soon discovers that Carroll has a loyal following of killers ready to terrorize.

Fifteen TV episodes of psychosis, ugly violence, and really good acting offer you a guilty pleasure. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Kevin Bacon always delivers a great performance, including this gory series. James Purefoy makes a great psychotic and insidiously clever villain. Take note, in addition, of the trio of very young adults (Valorie Curry, Nico Tortorella, and Adan Canto) who provide a sadistic bisexual mini-drama on their own. Nothing is nice in this series except possibly Kyle Catlett who plays the little boy Joey.

Stream along with NetFlix and expect to be absorbed.

1990, Anti-Semitism, Based on true facts, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Gay theme, German, Human spirit, Jewish Culture, Military, Nudity, Polish, Revenge, Russian, Sex Scenes, True Story, Violent, War, WWII

Europa Europa (1990)

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From Wikipedia:

Europa Europa is a 1990 film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. “Hitler Youth Salomon”. It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped the Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but as an elite “Aryan” German. The film stars Marco Hofschneider and Julie Delpy; Perel appears briefly as himself in the finale. The film is an international co-production between CCC Film and companies in France and Poland.

Hopefully you will watch both this 2 hour film and also the 3 hour film Sunshine.
Whereas “Sunshine” is an epic showing the history of Hungarian Jews during several epochs, “Europa Europa” is a true story about one Jewish teenager’s survival in the confusing changes in political alignment in Germany, Poland, and Russia between Hitler and Stalin.

WARNING: Once again (as in “Sunshine”) there will be some ugly scenes. Once such scene shows what it was like in the Jewish ghetto during WWII when the Germans either starved the Jews, or killed them outright, or sent them to concentration camps.

If this were not an autobiography I would label it as fantasy or magic realism or some such departure from reality. Yupp, the teenager, had literally unbelievable good luck. However, he survived partly because in all his reincarnations he learned to speak not only German but also Polish and Russian. Of course, he was also very resourceful. Moreover, when faced with a moral choice, he chose survival.

Watching the indoctrination of the Nazi Youth into a violent anti-Semitism was a revelation.

Despite the story’s best efforts, I will personally never believe that the German people did not know what was happening to the Jews.

Coupled with “Sunshine” I would call this film a DO NOT MISS!

2009, Comedy, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Human spirit, Italian, Italian culture

Loose Cannons (2009)

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From Netflix:

This fiery comedy from director Ferzan Ozpetek finds young Tommaso about to reveal to his large, frenetic Italian family that he’s gay. But he’s beaten to the punch by his older brother, who is promptly disinherited by their furious father.

“Fiery” is not accurate. Instead this film is a sentimental feel-good that offers some truly funny laughs. Fundamentally the theme of the film is that if you want a happy life you have to be bold and assert your own individuality instead of, for example, doing what your parents expect. Granted, family obligations and duties may be stronger in Italy than here in the U.S.A. Here this independence applies not only to the gay sons but also to their grandmother who did not get to marry the man she really loved and consequently lived a life of regret.

For you Italophiles, the Italian spoken in this film is beautiful to hear. English subtitles appear and are not optional.

2008, AIDS, B-movie, Barely Acceptable Trash, Corny, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Gritty, Marital Infidelity, Melodrama, Murder Investigation, Not Recommended, Nudity, Prison, Religious Theme, Ridiculous plot, Sadism, Suicide, Suspense, Terrible acting, Unrealistic, Violent

The Fall (2008)

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From Netflix:

When his loser brother is accused of killing a priest, Frank (Scott Kinworthy), a hotshot lawyer with lofty political aspirations, steps in to defend him. But as Frank digs up the truth, he uncovers damning revelations from the past that could ruin his future. Written and directed by John Krueger, this suspenseful drama follows the conflicted attorney’s difficult choice between saving his sibling or himself.

If you are ever teaching a course in film writing or acting and you need an example of really bad writing or acting then have I got a HORRIBLE film you can use to great effect!

Only the (somewhat farfetched) plot kept me watching. Not that it would have cost me anything to stop watching this film streamed from Netflix. At times I sat watching in open mouthed wonder that anyone could act in such an amateurish and exaggerated manner. Think high school actors (although I have seen better acting in high school plays).

If the acting seems bad, wait till you learn the plot. Although I will spare you the gory details, this film manages to dredge up plot lines involving a hotel for gay encounters, a priest who commits a theatrical suicide, adultery, a psychotic gay prisoner, attempted murder using the AIDS disease, sadistic prison guards, a completely amoral and ambitious wife of a lawyer, and the list goes on.

Do not claim that I did not warn you! On the other hand, aren’t you really curious to see just how bad this film really is?