Category Archives: Gay theme

Howl (2010)

From NetFlix:

James Franco steps into the shoes of famed Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in this star-studded biopic centered around Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” — and the widely publicized obscenity trial that followed its publication in 1957. Documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk) direct, with an A-list ensemble cast that includes Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker.

“Howl” is probably not for everyone (but what film is ?). Indeed it contains many words conventionally considered vulgar. That, in fact, is what the film is about: a courtroom trying to decide if the publisher of Howl (Ferlinghetti) must go to jail on obscenity charges.

So what is there to like about this “documentary” ?

  • No dialogs are invented. Every single word that you hear came from someone in the past.
  • Much of the original poem “Howl” is recited by the actor portraying Ginsberg. This is done is two ways: Either the actor is shown reciting his poem in a coffee house, or you hear the lines while watching very imaginative and appropriate animation.
  • You get to hear pro and con courtroom discussions about Ginsberg’s work.
  • You can see photos and film clips of the past and even see Ginsberg himself doing a small bit of recitation.
  • Don’t miss the final screen notes (just before the credits) that tell us what happened to the personalities (Ginsberg, Cassady, Kerouac, Orlovsky, etc).

For a really good history of that era see the Wikepedia article

Of course the film was slanted in favor of Ginsberg: you wouldn’t make such a film if you objected to his work. But I was annoyed at coffee house scenes in which the audience acts in a way to make it clear they are “moved”. It just seemed phony.

Brotherhood (2009)

From NetFlix:

After joining a neo-Nazi organization, former Danish army officer Lars (Thure Lindhardt) falls for Jimmy (David Dencik), a fellow skinhead who can’t ignore the sexual sparks flying between them — or forget the importance of keeping their relationship under wraps. Nicolo Donato makes his directorial debut with this affecting tale of violence and illicit passion that took the top prize at the Rome Film Festival.

To appreciate one theme in this film you should be aware that Danish Neo-Nazis are alive and well as we speak. In fact Steig Larsson in his Millenium trilogy refers to the Danish Neo-Nazi movement.

As opposing theme, gay male sex is supposedly “verboten” in the Nazi culture. In one amusing scene Lars explains to the Nazi group leader how pervasive the gay culture was among the German Nazis. Of course the group leader cannot accept such a notion.

Much violence occurs in the film. Suspense exists throughout because at any moment Lars and Jimmy might be discovered. Do not expect a happy ending.

As gay films go, this is one of the best I have seen because it avoids all of the usual gay cliches (for example, not a word about AIDS). There are explicit nude scenes of (unsafe) gay sex.

One interesting sub-theme is one of self-doubt: Jimmy initially is reluctant to engage in gay sex. Lars is never really certain he wants to join the Nazi group.

Hollywood looks need not apply here. In fact, Jimmy’s drug-addicted brother could easily pass for a very skinny vampire.

Danish with English subtitles.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

From NetFlix:

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), the children of same-sex parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), become curious about the identity of their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) and set out to make him part of their family unit, often with hilarious results. But his arrival complicates the household dynamics, and nobody is sure where or how he fits in — if at all — in this Golden Globe-nominated comedy.

Because of a few details such as Annette Bening using the F-word in the majority of her lines and several male gay sex video segments used by the lesbian couple to become aroused, this film is probably not for children (unless, of course, they come from Los Angeles).

If there is a message in this film, it is that gay marriage is not that much different from straight marriage as regards the passage of years, the difficulty of communication, infidelity and all the usual problems.

Would it really happen that Julianne Moore has a fling with Mark Ruffalo ?

Both kids were great and as the film ends my only regret was how things ended for Mark Ruffalo. Comments ?

Eyes Wide Open (2009)

From NetFlix:

Married Jerusalem butcher Aaron (Zohar Strauss) takes pity on homeless student Ezri (Ran Danker) and hires him to work in his shop. But when romantic sparks fly between the unlikely pair, Aaron’s wife, Rivkeh (Tinkerbell), becomes increasingly suspicious. The stern Orthodox community disapproves, and a menacing group of “modesty guards” monitors Aaron’s every move in this tragic drama, an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Who knew that Israel had “Thought Police” ? Let us assume that this quiet, sad, well-acted Israeli film truthfully portrays life among the conservative Jews. What we see, besides an obsessive religious observance, is neighbor spying on neighbor with often violent results. There are two parallel developments. On the one hand a young woman, betrothed by arrangement, is having an affair with a different young man. Eventually the neighbor Vigilantes of Righteousness confront and threaten the young man. The butcher ironically is part of this gang at the same time as in the second parallel stream he is having a homosexual affair with his assistant in his butcher shop, which affair has come under the Thought Police radar. Eventually the affair catches up with the pair. I will spoil no further.

In Hebrew with subtitles.

Sad revelation about conservative Israeli life.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009)

From NetFlix:

Tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) becomes the prime suspect when two journalists, including Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), die after Millennium magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade. In Part 2 of the trilogy based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.

Here we discuss the Swedish version.

You should first (read and) see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) which is the first book of the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Actors from the first film continue into the second film which follows faithfully the book such that its ending will flow into the third book.

Fortunately the DVD from Netflix allowed me to have both English dubbing as well as SDH subtitles for the hard-of-hearing. The dubbing does not match exactly the subtitles, but that does not matter. Moreover, the dubbing is spoken with very clear diction. If your hearing ever suffers you may discover that American actors often mumble because diction lessons are not part of the American acting tradition.

This time around I appreciated the actor Michael Nyqvist better and found that he fit the part. He is somewhat inert, but perhaps that is the intent. In general it is revealing to first read the novel and then compare your mental pictures of the characters with the actors chosen.

There is an explicit Lesbian sex scene. There is a rape scene.

I Am Love (2009)

From NetFlix:

Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, atmospheric film.

To really enjoy this Italian eye candy set in Milan, you should see this film on a big screen. Admittedly I have a prejudice, I am an Italophile. Except for 5 minutes in English and brief shouting in Russian, the film is spoken in an easy Italian accompanied by subtitles just for the Italian. You may also choose subtitles for the hard-of-hearing.

Cooking and food are central to the film, especially since Swinton falls in love with a young cook who is her son’s friend. Some of the film’s plot might strike you as unlikely. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the parade of beautiful scenery, beautiful homes and furnishings, beautiful food, beautiful clothing, and many beautiful (but always very “skinny”) women. And yes, there are some prolonged nude sex scenes set in the lush Italian countryside.

Viva l’Italia !

True Blood (2008)

From NetFlix:

Mind-reading waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, in a Golden Globe-winning role) dives into a complicated relationship when she falls for vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) in a world where the undead live openly and drink synthetic blood. Trying to improve their image and legitimize their finances, the out-of-the-coffin bloodsuckers hire PR firms and contribute to influential Republican politicians, among other tactics.

Get ready for two seasons of sex, violence, vampires in a well-made TV series of pure unadulterated fun and trash. From episode to episode the writers just get it right. A very young cast does a superb acting job. After watching for awhile I find myself thinking in a southern drawl. This is not gorn (gory porn). For a series on vampires, the writing is thoughtful and metaphorical. By metaphorical I mean that the premise of the series is that the United States is now in an epoch in which vampires are asserting their constitutional rights as is also the gay population. People now get addicted to the new drug of choice: vampire blood (known as “V”). Eventually characters get unwittingly involved with far-right groups out to attack vampires (and gays). Other oddities appear such as shape shifters. The sex is quite explicit and plentiful.

I LOVE TRASH !

George Gently (2007)

From NetFlix:

After the hit-and-run murder of his wife, London police officer George (Martin Shaw) moves to England’s North Country to find the killer. Feared by criminals and corrupt cops, George works closely with his partner, John (Lee Ingleby), to stop lawbreakers of all types. Set in 1960s Britain, this drama is based on Alan Hunter’s novels and features guest stars such as Richard Armitage, Phillip Davis and John Kavanagh.

After watching , Waking The Dead (2000) we yearned for a British detective series that offered attractive and memorable personalities. Red Riding Trilogy (2009) was grim in the extreme. The “George Gently” stories (series 1 offers 3 CDs, series 2 offers 4 CDs) are a good compromise. Martin Shaw’s character is mature, thoughtful, and great at sarcasm. His foil Lee Ingleby is perfect as a brash and impetuous young policeman who is usually nonplussed at George’s retorts. Be aware, however, that there are some ugly spots. For example, the very first CD does have instances (NOT explicit) of torture.

La Mission (2009)

From NetFlix:

Ultra-macho ex-con Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) learns the true meaning of being a father when he discovers his son (Jeremy Ray Valdez) is gay. Rivera turns violent at first, but when a beautiful neighbor (Erika Alexander) helps him see through his anger, he begins to reconcile his long-held beliefs. Peter Bratt (Benjamin’s brother) writes and directs this compelling drama, while Max Rosenak and Talisa Soto co-star.

Being gay in the macho latino culture is especially difficult. Peter Bratt’s story brings to life a part of that latino culture in Los Angeles which was for me a revelation. For example, a weekend ritual of Che and his friends is a slow parade of restored and exuberantely decorated automobiles which ends with a large outdoor gathering of friends for dancing and talking. Che is especially adept at restoring cars and has been working on a special auto for years as a way of encouraging his bright son to work hard in school. This son is the most important thing in the life of his widowed dad. To suddenly discover that this boy is gay (especially in a macho culture) might well destroy the father’s world.

Actually the real theme of the film is the prevalence of violence in this culture: husbands commonly beat their wives, men fight alot, teenagers are drawn to gang violence and guns, etc.

Benjamin Bratt is perhaps better known to us in 95 episodes of “Law and Order” as Detective Rey Curtis. He does an excellent job in this film.

A Home At The End Of The World (2004)

From NetFlix:

Boyhood pals Bobby (Colin Farrell) and Jonathan (Dallas Roberts) both love the same woman (Robin Wright Penn), but in different ways. (For one thing, Jonathan is gay). Yet, undaunted, they all try to make a life together — and even have a baby — in 1980s New York. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham’s novel gets deft treatment in this story about a troika of close friends who enter into an unconventional living arrangement.

Am I so conventional that I wonder if the sweet but decidedly unconventional situations portrayed in the film are even possible ?

All around the acting is excellent. Colin Farrell was 28 when he made this film. He comes off as just a sweet, loving, accepting, and somewhat naive young man whose worst fear is being alone. Is this character too good to be true ?

I can hardly believe that Sissy Spacek (who plays the mother-stepmother to the two men) was 55 when she made this film. She has a beauty that seems too young for 55 (or am I age prejudiced ?). The scene in which the boys teach her to smoke pot is priceless.

Dallas Roberts is convincing as a not especially happy gay man who loves Robin Wright Penn AND Colin Farrell. It is novel to see Farrell’s character remain completely straight yet allow himself to show real physical affection toward Roberts (dancing, hugging, kissing, but that’s it!). In our society would that even be possible ?