Category Archives: Gay theme

The Affair (2014)

From IMDB:

A struggling novelist and a young waitress strike up an extramarital relationship that promises to forever change the course of their lives.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 10 episodes of this steamy romance and crime series. Each episode is just under 1 hour.

UPDATE:  Now from Amazon Prime you can stream 5 seasons of the soap opera that never ends. Season 2 has 12 episodes. Season 5 has 11 episodes. Seasons 1,3, and 4 have 10 episodes. Each episode is still about one hour.  That gives us a total of 53 hours of soap opera escape.

Nothing is perfect. Some portions are downright corny.  There is a strange interruption in plot when Noah seems to be having a series of psychotic episodes.  Did the writers forget to finish that part of the story?   Sometimes present events plus flashbacks from the past might seem somewhat confusing.

Toward the end I watched slowly because I did not want the story to end.  If a LOOOONG soap opera with a fair number of sometimes explicit sex scenes is your thing, DO NOT MISS!

Original review:

Noah Solloway is played by Dominic West,  the British actor with a long acting resumé. At the time of filming he was 45 years old.

Alison Bailey is played by Ruth Wilson, the British actress whose own resumé is just as long even though she was only 32 years old at the time of filming.  Her role as the sociopath “Alice Morgan” in the TV series “Luther” was chillingly unforgettable.

Alison’s marriage is failing while she and her husband morn the death of their young son.  Noah is having trouble writing his second novel and is trying desperately to be faithful to his wife even though he is immediately attracted to Alison.

Along the way there is a death that is being investigated  by Detective Jeffries.

As soap operas go, this one is not too bad.

The Dig (2021)

From IMDB:

An archaeologist  embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.

From Netflix:

On the eve of World War II, a British widow hires a self-taught archaeologist to dig up mysterious formations on her land, leading to a staggering find.

From Netflix you can stream this wonderful 1 hour 52 minute complete film.

Ralph Fiennes (who during the filming was 59 years old) plays Basil Brown the excavator and self-taught archaeologist. Carey Mulligan (who was 36)  plays the wealthy, widowed landowner Edith Pretty.

Actually the film is a homage to Basil Brown who was a humble man with no formal education whose industrious intelligence led him through self-study to become an intuitively clever amateur archaeologist.  In fact a major point of the story is that during his lifetime he was given no credit for having discovered a 6th century Anglo Saxon burial site complete with ship and precious jewelry. Instead the glory was claimed by the “experts” who tried to wrest the project from Basil. But Edith Pretty, who is dying from faulty heart valves damaged by childhood rheumatic fever,  comes to the rescue and champions Basil and his right to complete the project which, after all, is on HER land.  All the artifacts are now in the British Museum where the explanatory signage give full credit to Basil Brown.

Remember this film is NOT a documentary. But rather a drama involving many threads featuring:  Edith’s son and who will care for him when she dies, Edith’s cousin,  a young woman excavator whose uncaring husband turns out to be gay,  Basil’s wife, and others.  World War II also plays a prominent part in the plot.

DO NOT MISS!

Miss Scarlet and the Duke (2020)

From IMDB:

Eliza Scarlet joins forces with a Scotland Yard Inspector to solve crime in 19th century London.

PBS Masterpiece is showing each episode one week at a time. From PBS Passport all 6 episodes can already be streamed. Each episode is about 1.5 hours.

Eliza Scarlet is the daughter of deceased detective Henry. She needs to earn a living and wants to be a detective herself.  She meets resistance to this goal from Scotland Yard Detective William ‘The Duke’ Wellington who was also a friend to Henry.  In each episode she fights to be included in the current investigation and also in each episode she gains a bit more respect from the anti-feminist William. Of course, a romance is in the making. Overriding the 6 episodes is the question: How did Eliza’s father Henry really die?

Involving period piece.  Worth the watch.

Donald Strachey (2005)

From Amazon Prime you can stream the following 4 films whose main character is the gay detective Donald Strachey.

To rate each of these films as B+ is generous.  Think of them as an amusing and diverting series of acceptable trash.  Plots can be complicated.  Throughout the series you will see the same actors in the major roles.  Any mild suspense is short-lived.

Third Man Out (2005) 1 hr 39 min

A gay detective is hired to find who has been been threatening a notorious member of the gay community noted for outing people.

Shock to the System (2006) 1 hr 39 min

A gay detective tries to solve the murder of a college student.

On the Other Hand, Death (2008) 1 hr 26 min

A mysterious client of private eye Don Strachey pays him cash to tail a woman who turns out to be an undercover officer; an older lesbian couple are victims of threats and vandalism; an old flame of his lover Tim shows up to support the older couple; neighbors are angry at the couple for refusing to sell out to a developer; and, parents are angry at one of the couple, Dorothy, for being a good guidance counselor to gay teens. Her partner, Edith, wants to move away; Dorothy is adamant about staying. When someone dies in a fire in their barn, the stakes get higher. Don, who does not believe in coincidence, gives the police enough information to stay on their good side as he pursues the truth.

Ice Blues (2008) 1 hr 38 min

Tim Callahan, aide to New York Senator Lauren Platt, is disappointed that all of the $3 million funding has been pulled from his latest pet project, a safe zone for children and youth. His personal partner, private investigator Donald Strachey, believes Tim’s passion for the project stems from the fact of his own sister’s troubled youth, she who has been missing since age seventeen. Tim believes his prayers have been answered when a man, identifying himself as a lawyer, tells him that he represents someone who wants to make a $3 million anonymous donation to the project. Those prayers turn into a nightmare when that lawyer is later found murdered, the dead body in Donald’s car. The murdered man is Jake Lenigan, a third generation lawyer in a powerful family law firm. Jake’s father was murdered twelve years earlier, the perceived suspect in that case being his wife Joan, who has since disappeared. Tim and Donald’s situation becomes even more nightmarish when Tim anonymously receives that $3 million in untraceable Euro bonds. The murderer will do whatever is necessary to get that money back from Tim and Donald, the latter who is working with the police to find Lenigan’s purpose in wanting to donate the money to Tim’s cause, find if Jake’s father’s murder has anything to do with this case, discover the owner of the money and thus the probable murderer, and most importantly protect himself and his boyfriend from being possible murder victims.

 

 

 

Roswell (2020)

From IMDB:

Centers on a town where aliens with unearthly abilities live undercover among humans. But when a violent attack points to a greater alien presence, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose them.

From Netflix;

A decade after the death of her sister, Liz reluctantly returns to her small hometown and reconnects with her teenage crush Max.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this sci-fi soap opera. Each season consists of 13 episodes, each episode usually lasting exactly 42 minutes (think of the film cutting involved!)

Ignore the seemingly serious thumb print summaries above. Nothing about this pseudo sci-fi love fest should be taken seriously. Rather the point is to just relax and enjoy the corny and acceptable trash.

As far as the virtually unknown actors let us briefly note that Nathan Parsons (who plays Max Evans) is Australian and that Jeanine Mason (who plays Liz Ortecho)  won Season 5 of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and earned the title of America’s Favorite Dancer. So much for fame!

If there is anything serious about this fun time-waster, it is the theme of the problems faced by illegal immigrants. In this respect the story is often political. Border agents are painted as racist bullies.  And there there are the fairly common difficulties of drug addiction.  Finally let us not overlook the prominent gay theme.

Because season 2 ends so abruptly,  the series demands another season.

I LOVE TRASH!

Uncle Frank (2020)

From IMDB:

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina, for the family patriarch’s funeral, they’re unexpectedly joined by Frank’s lover, Walid.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 34 minute Amazon produced film.

In the American South of 1973 being gay was difficult, to say the least. Frank Bledsoe, a gay man,  has long ago left his southern family in small town Creekville and moved to Manhattan where he could live his life as he wanted. His lover Walid can never return to his native country Saudi Arabia (or risk being beheaded.)

Start by assuming that everyone in Creekville is homophobic.  One of the worst offenders is Frank’s father, Daddy Mac,  whose explicit denunciations helped drive Frank away from home.  When Daddy Mac dies suddenly Frank has some touch decisions: Should he go to the funeral?   Should he out himself?  Should he take Walid?

Frank’s trip back home is interwoven with tragic childhood flashbacks and enlightening discussions with his niece Beth. In addition the stressful situation prompts Frank to return to his former alcohol problem.

Needless to say Frank’s treatment during the funeral is traumatic and cruel. In a very natural way the relatives express their culturally ingrained homophobia, the usual refrain being “You will burn in hell!”

Beautifully acted, thought provoking, and tough to watch.

Jack (2004)

From IMDB:

Jack (Anton Yelchin) is busy with adolescence when he realizes his parents are divorcing and even worse, his dad is gay. After some bittersweet experiences, Jack learns no family is perfect, but his own is more caring, supportive, and stronger than he knew.

From Amazon Prime:

Fifteen-year-old Jack finds his life turned upside down when his parents divorce and he discovers that his father is gay. When his friend Max reveals his own family troubles, Jack learns to appreciate all that he has – however unconventional and troubling it may be.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 43 minute family drama.

Dad Paul is played by Ron Silver. Mom Anne is played by Stockard Channing.  Jack is played by Anton Yelchin. Max is played by Giacomo Baessato.

Jack is 15 going on 16.  He is a typical kid who is on the varsity high school basketball team.  He and his best buddy Max gaze  shyly and longingly at their female school mates.  At fate would have it, it was only when Jack’s world seems to collapse that he able to befriend Maggie whose own father also turns out to be gay.  When Jack learns that Max’s father physically abuses Max’s mother,  he begins to appreciate his own family.

Despite the theme, this is a feel-good film in which Yelchin’s portrayal of Jack is pitch perfect and endearing.  This film is one of those rare gems that I somehow stumbled on.

 

Euphoria (2018)

From IMDB:

A difficult situation gives two distant brothers the opportunity to get to know each other deeply.

From Netflix:

An entrepreneur prone to partying and his estranged brother, a teacher resigned to a humdrum life, begin to bond under fragile circumstances.

From Netflix you can stream this 1.5 hour complete Italian film with English subtitles.

Matteo is the successful playboy and his brother Ettore is a quiet and very ordinary man.  Ettore has a fatal, malignant brain tumor but supposedly (or so Matteo believes) does not know what his illness is. Matteo goes to great lengths to keep the truth from Ettore.

Because of their great differences, the once close brothers have drifted apart. In the background Matteo is busy partying and chasing male gay conquests. Ettore has fallen out of love with his wife and is now in love with a new woman.  Both brothers are part of a large, noisy Roman family complete with zany mother. As the plot progresses, the somewhat dissolute Matteo works hard to keep Ettore on track with his hospital treatments.  Despite arguments and physical fighting, eventually the brothers realize their love for each other.

For some reason this film, which is certainly not for everyone, kept me watching. Probably it was the real humanity portrayed that was most appealing.

Stonemouth (2015)

From IMDB:

Mystery drama based on a novel by Iain Banks. Stewart Gilmour returns to his hometown after been driven out two years before by a local gangster. He returns for the funeral of his friend who recently committed suicide. He sets out to try and get the bottom of his friends death who also happens to be the son of the local gangster and the brother of Stewart’s ex girlfriend.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the two episodes of this complete story. Each episode lasts an hour.

Granted this drama set in Scotland is a soap opera, but it was really nice to see a complete story played out in only two episodes.  Granted also that the tensions, violence, and betrayals could have been stretched out a lot longer but instead were possibly resolved too easily. But what is wrong with a short, easy watch filled with good guys, bad guys, real friendships, and a nice love story?

One of the Scottish actors, Gary Lewis (who plays Mike MacAvett), seems to show up in many productions. You may remember him as Colum MacKenzie in the very popular Scottish series Outlander (which you should not miss).

Do Stewart and Ellie work out their difficult situation?  You too can find out in a mere 2 hours.

 

The Perfect Wedding (2012)

From IMDB:

Home for the Christmas holiday, a gay man starts falling for his ex-boyfriend’s lover, not knowing that the relationship is a mere pretense.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 22 minute comedy romance film.

When society is having a tough time, entertainment at that time can be grim. For example, in France after WWII the outlook was bleak which may explain why for a time La Grand Guignol was a popular live performance that featured torture. When times improved, that entertainment closed down.

So here we are in July 2020 suffering from the COVID-19 caronavirus.  At the same time there are quite a few streaming offerings that are real downers. Don’t despair – “The Perfect Wedding”  is an unabashed piece of acceptable trash that is a corny feel-good soap opera. And I guarantee you a happy ending for all four couples:  Mom and Dad must confront Dad’s incipient Alzheimer’s disease;  Daughter wants to marry her boyfriend in a simple wedding; Daughter introduces her girl friend to Son’s workmate; reformed alcoholic Son will find his male soul mate.

James Rebhorn, who plays Dad, is instantly recognizable. From his sizable resumé we see that he was Frank Mathison in Homeland.

What’s not to love?  Especially when I LOVE TRASH!