Category Archives: LGBTQ+ Films

2013 Films, Documentary, LGBTQ+ Documentary, LGBTQ+ Films, New York City

Getting Go-The Go Doc Project-2013

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Getting Go- The Go Doc Project-2013

Director Cory Krueckeberg

Starring Tanner Cohen, Matthew Camp

Scott’s Review #250

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Reviewed June 23, 2015

Grade: C

Getting Go-The Go Doc Project (2013) is a low-budget documentary that follows a shy, awkwardly gay college student named Doc.

He is completing his thesis project by filming a documentary surrounding an online crush he has developed, via porn, on a New York City exotic dancer named Go.

When Doc finally contacts Go and inevitably meets him, the filming of Go’s life begins. From there, a relationship forms, but at what cost, and what will the turnabout be?

The film is okay but surprisingly dull as it develops, and it quickly drags toward a predictable conclusion.

The underlying themes of this documentary are loneliness and obsession, shown from two different perspectives.

Doc, the boring, lonely college student, is enamored by the gorgeous, buff, seemingly independent Go.

As the two get to know each other, more is revealed about Go, his life past and present, his hopes, dreams, and fears. The film also explores Doc psychologically, and the two form an unlikely bond.

The film succeeds in teaching the audience that there is more to a dancer than his body and more to a nerd than his brain. Both are complex individuals.

The first half of the feature is fairly interesting.

Doc’s initial courage to contact and ultimately meet Go is admirable, and I enjoyed seeing what happened next.

Will Go be receptive to Doc or callously treat him as another enamored gay man?

When Go agrees to be filmed, and his life story is slowly revealed, I feel sympathy for him and am intrigued to learn more.

What was his family life like? Was he abused or victimized as a child?

I wondered.

Getting Go- The Go Doc Project loosely explores matters like this, though it introduces no supporting characters. Go and Doc and their budding relationship are the only focus.

The film then plods for the final forty-five minutes with an uninteresting love story that lacks suspense. Are we to believe the pair will live happily ever after? Not a chance.

Unfortunately, the acting isn’t great either, especially from Go, played by Matthew Camp.

Tanner Cohen is a bit better and the more interesting character of the two, with more depth. He is not comfortable with himself, his body, or even with being gay.

However, at this age (early twenties), one wonders if the character would even be comfortable with girls had he been made to be straight.

The main problem with the film is that the two are mismatched. Even though they develop a fondness for each other, the audience knows it won’t last.

Props to the filmmakers for trying something a bit different.

In the end, Getting Go – The Go Doc Project (2013) starts well, meanders, and ultimately stalls, but it tries hard to present a different type of story, and that is not so bad.

2014 Films, British, Comedy, Drama, Historical Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films

Pride-2014

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Pride-2014

Director Matthew Warchus

Starring Dominic West, Ben Schnetzer

Scott’s Review #215

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Reviewed January 17, 2015

Grade: B-

Pride (2014), based on a true story, deserves props for delivering a nice message about inclusion and groups of vastly different people coming together as human beings.

While it’s a nice film, the filmmakers play it a bit too safe, and it has a definite formulaic feel to it.

Surely the real story of Pride wasn’t as simplistic as this film felt at times.

The setting is 1984 England. A group of British miners goes on strike over wages.

A group called Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, made up of gay men and women, became interested in the strike and decided to help the miners and their families.

Why they decided to take on this cause is not fully explained. The National Union of Mineworkers hesitates to accept funds because it fears the publicity a group thought to be perverts would bring.

The film is riddled with clichés- the macho miners resist the help from the gays, many of whom are portrayed as effeminate. The characters who are lesbians look as though the filmmakers wanted to “butch them up”, thereby overdoing the stereotype.

There is a subplot of one gay young man who has not come out to his parents, a well-to-do, pretentious couple. When the truth inevitably comes out, the parents are angry and turn their backs on the teen.

He leaves home to join the gays and lesbians who accept him into their lives with open arms.

The female head of the committee is homophobic and vows to do everything in her power to make sure the gay and lesbian group does not succeed in aligning with the miners.

These clichés seemed way too overdone to make the film more dramatic. As a result, some characters come across as one-dimensional.

Even the story revolving around a character with AIDS seems watered down and soft.

On the plus side, casting the brilliant Imelda Staunton as the sympathetic, maternal Hefina is a strong point.

A huge supporter of gays and lesbians, she comically befriends all of them and is curious about their lifestyles. Bill Nighy is also excellent as Cliff, the older miner who turns out to be gay.

Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister at the time, is presented as greedy and selfish, with little regard for the miners or labor unions.

Pride (2014) is an earnest, sentimental, feel-good film that deserves adoration for bringing different communities together.

I would have liked to see the film take more risks.

2014 Films, Drama, HBO, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Social Issues

The Normal Heart-2014

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The Normal Heart-2014

Director Ryan Murphy

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer

Scott’s Review #198

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Reviewed December 1, 2014

Grade: B+

The Normal Heart is a 2014 HBO television movie based on the true story of Ned Weeks, an openly gay AIDS activist/writer, played by Mark Ruffalo.

The film is set during the period when the epidemic first surfaced, from 1981-1984, and the challenges and frustrations faced, mostly within the gay community, to bring exposure and assistance to the disease.

Weeks was famous for building a group of passionate members who banded together to overcome these struggles.

Brad Pitt produced the film.

This is wonderful to know, as films with this content (AIDS) are often tough to produce. It’s wonderful that Pitt’s wealth and influence were used effectively.

At a vastly different time in the country to be gay, the government did very little to assist with financing for treatment or researching a cure for it, which is the main point of the story.

The talented cast makes this film what it is.

Matt Bomer plays Ned’s closeted gay lover, Felix Turner, one of the many casualties of the deadly disease. Bomer lost 40 pounds to prepare for the role.

Julia Roberts plays polio-stricken doctor Emma Brookner, who helped the sick when few others in the medical community would.

Other supporting actors include Alfred Molina, who plays Ned’s supportive, powerful attorney and brother, and Joe Mantello, who delivers a terrific meltdown scene as his anger and anguish over the government not taking the disease seriously finally bubble to the surface.

Finally, Mark Ruffalo plays Ned competently, but why the slight feminization? The real Ned Weeks was masculine. A needless stereotype the film (or Ruffalo) chose to pursue.

The film shows the discrimination faced by people living with AIDS, from an airline pilot refusing to fly a plane carrying a sick patient, to an electrician refusing to enter a patient’s hospital room to fix a television set.

It is sad to realize how ridiculous these unfounded fears proved to be.

According to the film’s statistics, a major point of the film is how the United States Government, specifically President Ronald Reagan, did very little in the way of funding or even wanting to discuss the issue for years following the initial outbreak, resulting in thousands of lost lives.

And why exactly is Reagan considered a great President?

It makes one ponder. It was only due to beloved Hollywood star Rock Hudson contracting and dying from the disease. Elizabeth Taylor used her star power to get people involved, which finally led to the topic being discussed and action taken on a federal level.

My slight criticism of the film is that it looks and feels like a television movie, similar in texture to HBO’s Behind the Candelabra (2013).

The colors are bright and vivid, and it looks television-like. It could have used darker lighting and perhaps a gloomier, more dour feel, especially given the subject matter.

Otherwise, thumbs up, and respect for bringing this story to millions of viewers and hopefully educating those who weren’t there.

1985 Films, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Portuguese

Kiss of the Spider Woman-1985

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Kiss of the Spider Woman-1985

Director Hector Babenco

Starring William Hurt, Raul Julia

Scott’s Review #187

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Reviewed October 24, 2014

Grade: B+

1985 wasn’t the best year for film, nor was much of the 1980s, but there are unique standouts, and Kiss of the Spider Woman is an unusual, artistic film.

Set in present-day South America (Brazil), two men are imprisoned for very different reasons and become cellmates.

Complete opposites, they form an unlikely bond rooted in friendship but also flirting with romance and, at times, love.

Luis Molina is outwardly homosexual and extremely flamboyant and perhaps out of touch with reality as he fantasizes and describes romantic Nazi films.

He is imprisoned not only for being homosexual but also for having sex with an underage male.

The other man, Valentin Arregui, is a liberal political activist who has been beaten, tortured, and interrogated due to his revolutionary-leaning politics. He has a rough, macho edge.

On the surface, the two men have nothing in common, but their proximity leads them to forge a close bond and mutual respect as they explain their pre-imprisonment lives to each other and to the audience.

The film’s true strength is William Hurt’s performance, very much against type, the best of his career by a mile. He fully embodies Luis’s effeminacy, yearning, pain, and obsession with escaping reality through film.

Raul Julia has the same effect, though in a completely different way, in his portrayal of Valentin.

Luis tenderly comforts Valentin, who is poisoned by prison officials who incorporate his stories of films into Valentin’s real life, as he yearns for his separated lover, Marta.

As Luis falls in love with Valentin, and one seems to double-cross the other, they face a test of courage and dedication to each other.

The ending of the film is a sad one, dark, yet thought-provoking, and shows love, tenderness, and bravery.

My only negative about Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) is that, at times, the flashback structure and Luis’s narration make it hard to follow exactly what is going on.

Still, Hurt and Julia’s performances, and the chemistry between them, are the film’s major strengths.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Hector Babenco, Best Actor-William Hurt (won), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture-Drama, Best Actor-Drama-William Hurt, Raul Julia, Best Supporting Actress-Sônia Braga

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best International Film (won)

2013 Films, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Horror, Zombie

Contracted-2013

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Contracted-2013

Director Eric England

Starring Najarra Townsend

Scott’s Review #184

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Reviewed October 12, 2014

Grade: B-

It seems that many reviewers of Contracted (2013) are looking for a deeper meaning to the film or debating whether a particular scene was a rape or a consensual sexual act.

I looked for neither and just took the 2013 independent horror film at face value.

I don’t view the film as worth overanalyzing or digging too deep beneath the surface.

The plot is rather basic.

Samantha is a young woman on the outs with her girlfriend Nikki. She goes to a party where her friend Alice gets her drunk, and Samantha winds up talking to a handsome stranger named BJ.

Samantha agrees to have sex with him in his car, but at one point begs him to stop. It is unclear what transpires.

The next morning, Samantha wakes up feeling strange- she assumes she is hungover, but gradually her hair, teeth, and fingernails begin to fall out, and her eyes are hideously bloodshot.

Her symptoms slowly worsen as she transforms into a strange monster.

In the mix are supporting characters, Riley, who is in love with Samantha even though she is a lesbian and rebuffs all of his advances, and Samantha’s Mom, who is convinced that Samantha is using drugs again (which she is).

I did not find the film to be a metaphor for punishing women or lesbians for a one-night stand. I viewed it as a fun, Saturday late-night horror flick.

If I were to dissect the film critically, the premise is rather absurd- a young woman turning into a zombie/monster after having sexual relations with a stranger.

Silly, but I am not expecting highbrow art from this type of film. The acting, especially of the actress portraying Samantha, is below average at best, and horrid at worst.

The three central female characters (Samantha, Nikki, and Alice) are presumably all lesbians or bisexual; especially Nikki is irritated when a man dares to hit on her, as if they should magically already know she is a lesbian.

Nikki is very unlikeable. She seldom returns Samantha’s calls and keeps pushing her away.

I did not buy any of the three as lesbians- not to be stereotypical, but they each had feminine-only qualities.

The way Samantha’s mother kept insisting that Samantha was on drugs became irritating by the fifth time she brought it up.

Why did Riley pursue Samantha ad nauseam when he was aware that she was a lesbian? What is BJ’s motivation for presumably giving Samantha a drug? She was already drunk enough to have sex with him- why did he want to turn her into a monster?

This plot point is unclear.

The film is not character-driven; it is strictly plot-driven, and like most horror films, is meant to be that way. The finale is quite satisfying, as Samantha’s fate, along with her mother’s, is left up in the air.

The same cannot be said for Nikki or Alice, as both receive their just desserts.

Contracted (2013) isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s a fun little horror film to enjoy. Just don’t ask too many questions.

2014 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, New York City, Romantic Drama

Love Is Strange-2014

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Love Is Strange-2014

Director Ira Sachs

Starring John Lithgow, Alfred Molina

Scott’s Review #174

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Reviewed September 24, 2014

Grade: B

Love Is Strange (2014) is sweet, though not nauseatingly sentimental, and explores many different types of relationships; at the forefront is the same-sex couple Ben and George, played by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, respectively.

They are a successful New York City couple of a certain age, together for nearly thirty years, and finally legally wed in a low-key ceremony surrounded by friends and family.

George teaches music at a strict Catholic high school where the students and staff know and love him and his new husband.

The bishop doesn’t support his marriage, and he’s fired unceremoniously.

This causes Ben and George to become homeless and rely on family and friends for a roof over their heads.

The film features several secondary character relationships.

Ben’s nephew and wife balance busy careers with a temperamental, rebellious, confused son; Ben’s niece from Poughkeepsie seems neurotic.

Neighbors who are gay police couples have loud parties seemingly every night.

Marisa Tomei, who plays Ben’s niece by marriage, Kate, and Charlie Tahan, who plays Joey, Ben’s great-nephew, are probably the most prominent in the supporting cast.

While well-meaning and accommodating, Kate bottles up her anger and comforts herself with nightly red wine.

Joey lashes out at his great-uncle in frustration, criticizing his artwork and scolding him for using his teen friend in a portrait, a friend whose sexuality is unclear.

Most other characters are not fleshed out well and are there to move the plot along. This is slightly disappointing. I would have preferred a bit more backstory regarding the rest of the cast.

Throughout the film, a few clues about Joey and his friend’s sexuality surface, but they don’t go beyond the surface.

I was curious about the cop’s backstory. How long have they been together? Do they face conflict at work?

Numerous scenes show both cops in uniform running errands or visiting the hospital, which seems to emphasize that cops can be masculine and gay, a fact I love, yet the characters are one-dimensional.

Why is Ben’s niece neurotic? The film doesn’t pursue this at all.

The film belongs to Lithgow and Molina.

The two have such effortless, natural chemistry that the audience instantly believes they have been together for decades. The fact that Lithgow and Molina are lifelong friends in real life surely adds to the realism and naturalness.

Ben is the yin to George’s yang. Lithgow and Molina’s performances are so understated and calming that you might overlook how excellent they are, since they are both low-key characters.

Love Is Strange (2014) is a film about strength, courage, loyalty, and perseverance through life’s challenges.

It is a sensitive and lovely film.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Male Lead-John Lithgow, Best Supporting Male-Alfred Molina, Best Screenplay

2013 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films

Pit Stop-2013

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Pit Stop-2013

Director Yen Tan

Starring Bill Heck, Marcus DeAnda

Scott’s Review #168

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Reviewed September 10, 2014

Grade: B

Pit Stop is a small independent film from 2013 that centers on a group of gay men living in rural Texas, outside of Houston or San Antonio.

The plot focuses on two men, Gabe and Ernesto, who don’t know each other. They recount their ups and downs, mostly about dating and relationships.

Gabe lives with his ex-wife Shannon, and they share a child they raise together as a family. They have a warm relationship and live together as friends.  Gabe was recently dumped by a married man who wants him to stop calling.

Ernesto lives with a younger man whom he used to date and is trying to convince him to move out and get his life together.

Ernesto also has a former partner who is comatose and whom he continues to visit in the hospital.

A subplot is Shannon’s struggles to date. She arranges a date with a co-worker and, after drinking too much, embarrasses herself by coming on too strong to him.

The point of the film is that all the characters are struggling to find love and companionship, and most are lonely, yet not unbalanced or neurotic.

They reside in the middle of nowhere, which dims their chances of finding love.

There are no villains, and all the characters are quite likable. There is a reason to root for each of them, especially Gabe and Ernesto, and I kept hoping they would be brought together, since they seem like a wonderful pair with real chemistry.

Both are caregivers in their current situations, so what transpires after the film is interesting.

Pit Stop (2013) is a feel-good, happily-ever-after type film, mostly screened at independent film festivals and the gay festival circuit.

The film is small and steady, but a nice, uplifting experience and worth checking out.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: John Cassavetes Award

2012 Films, Documentary, LGBTQ+ Documentary, LGBTQ+ Films

How To Survive a Plague-2012

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How To Survive a Plague-2012

Director David France

Starring Bill Bahlman, David Barr

Scott’s Review #141

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Reviewed July 29, 2014

Grade: A

A wonderful thing about documentaries is that they can be a learning experience and a teaching tool.

How to Survive a Plague (2012) is one such type of documentary. It is an authentic, real, gritty piece of work, and that’s what makes it so powerful.

The AIDS epidemic in the 1980s was a monumental and devastating time in social history, and this documentary chronicles a group of advocates.

They tirelessly fought to convince the Government (at that time less than sympathetic towards victims of the disease) to approve and administer drugs to combat AIDS.

This organization was called ACT UP, and it brought the gay community together, along with sympathetic members of the straight community.

Good people fighting against the establishment for change.

Nearly all the footage from the film is from the period in question, and the activism is both heartbreaking and inspiring to witness.

The Pope, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush are not portrayed in a positive light, but rather as uncaring and unwilling to help those dying from the disease.

A moving, inspirational film that teaches you never to give up or back down from what you stand for.

How to Survive a Plague (2012) was deservedly nominated for the 2013 Best Documentary Oscar.

Oscar Nominations: Best Documentary-Feature

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Documentary Feature

2011 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, New York City

Gun Hill Road-2011

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Gun Hill Road-2011

Director Rashaad Ernesto Green

Starring Esai Morales

Scott’s Review #138

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Reviewed July 27, 2014

Grade: A-

Gun Hill Road (2011) is a very small, independent film set in the Bronx, New York, hence the title, which is a famous street there.

It tells the story of a Hispanic family: the father, Enrique (wonderfully played by Esai Morales), has recently been released from prison and is adjusting to clean living.

His wife Angela (Judy Reyes) has moved on emotionally and physically, and his teenage son Michael (Harmony Santana) is going through a sexual identity crisis and defines himself as a female.

Each of the three characters is sympathetic and well understood in terms of motivation.

The most interesting facet of the film is the father/son relationship, as Enrique must eventually come to terms with Michael’s sexuality and gender definition, which is not portrayed as easy in the Latino community.

The film has a rawness and realness.

Gun Hill Road is a dysfunctional family drama, character-driven, sometimes difficult to watch, and quite captivating, though the ending is slightly disappointing, as events were left open-ended.

Santana was nominated for the 2012 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.

I only wish this film had received wider recognition and acclaim, as it’s a marvel.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Supporting Female-Harmony Santana

2013 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films

Concussion- 2013

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Concussion-2013

Director Stacie Passon

Starring Robin Weigert

Scott’s Review #111

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Reviewed July 15, 2014

Grade: B+

Concussion (2013) is a small, interesting, independent film that tells the story of an affluent Westchester County, NY housewife who is a lesbian.

Brilliantly played by Robin Weigert, the woman is married to another woman and decides to become an escort for other women experimenting with their sexuality.

On paper, it reads like a comedy, but it is a character study and strictly a drama.

The woman (Abby) has a seemingly happy marriage. Her wife is a high-powered attorney, and Abby stays home and raises the kids.

But she is bored and conflicted in her marriage, and something is missing. She loves her wife, and they have a wonderful circle of friends, both gay and straight.

They throw dinner parties and have a sense of togetherness.

The escort scenes aren’t what you might expect. Very little sexual content occurs, but rather bonds can form between escort and client.

I love the way no lesbian stereotypes are portrayed- both main characters are intelligent, attractive, and feminine.

The clientele is not dangerous, trashy, or flighty.

Concussion (2013) is not a lesbian film per se, but it’s a human film- anyone in a long-term commitment or anyone who admires a character-driven film will relate to this movie, and it should be viewed.

2013 Films, Biography, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films

Dallas Buyers Club-2013

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Dallas Buyers Club-2013

Director Jean-Marc Vallee

Starring Matthew McConaughey

Scott’s Review #54

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Reviewed June 24, 2014

Grade: A-

While Dallas Buyers Club (2013) is a well-written screenplay based on the true story of a straight Texas man who contracted AIDS circa 1985.

The film’s main appeal is the brilliant performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.

1985 was a different period as far as the deadly virus goes- people did not know then what they do now.

The fear and judgment featured in the film must be kept in mind for the time and location (Bible Belt Texas).

McConaughey’s physical transformation is an amazing feat, to begin with, a normally handsome, well-built actor, turned gaunt and hollow-eyed, but he completely encompasses this role with an intense, character, rich and flawed.

His body language and mannerisms are mesmerizing.

Leto’s performance as a transsexual, also stricken with the disease, is equally amazing.

The character is immediately sympathetic and vulnerable- a wounded bird you would like to take under your wing and save.

Despite the subject, the film itself is not a downer, nor does it attempt to be preachy. Rather, it is a tale of friendship, human growth, and survival in bleak times.

The film is dark, yet inspirational at the same time.

McConaughey and Leto deserve their Oscar wins for these roles.

Oscar Nominations: 3 wins-Best Picture, Best Actor-Matthew McConaughey (won), Best Supporting Actor-Jared Leto (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling (won), Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best Male Lead-Matthew McConaughey (won), Best Supporting Male-Jared Leto (won)

1998 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, New York City

High Art-1998

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High Art-1998

Director Lisa Cholodenko

Starring Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell

Scott’s Review #21

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Superlative indie drama by acclaimed director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right, 2008) and an incredible performance by Ally Sheedy, who makes viewers forget all her past, forgettable “80’s roles”.

She portrays a lonely, drug-abusing, star photographer, enamored with a new neighbor in her New York City apartment building.

Her life is spiraling out of control, and she is inspired by her new friend, who is on an upward career path.

The film is a dark love story with a raw, moody quality. It’s a raw, emotional, mesmerizing film.

Patricia Clarkson is her usual awesome self as Sheedy’s even more drugged-out, unhappy partner.

The love triangle is interesting and painful.

The three leads (Sheedy, Clarkson, and Radha Mitchell) all give knockout performances, but the film belongs solely to Ally Sheedy, who is spectacular.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Female Lead-Ally Sheedy (won), Best Supporting Female-Patricia Clarkson, Best First Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Cinematography

2012 Films, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Romantic Drama

Four-2012

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Four-2012

Director Joshua Sanchez

Starring Wendell Pierce

Scott’s Review #20

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Oh, how I wish more films like Four (2012) got mainstream support.

Movies like this are why I love and support independent films. Much better than much of the drivel at the local multiplex.

Four is a purely character-driven movie, not plot-driven, with silly special effects or CGI.

It centers around four people on the 4th of July evening.

The movie has two separate stories, and its heart is the characters’ loneliness, isolation, and need to reach out for human connection.

The stories interrelate at times throughout the film.

Exceptional acting is involved.

Four (2012) is an excellent little film.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Male Lead-Wendell Pierce