Queer Cinema

[melodility]

I'm a massive film addict, particularly American independent and European/Asia arthouse. I've come across gay films within these genres, but this year took a full on expedition into the genre, watching something like 100 films which are considered LGBT. One of the reasons I joined this forum was the hope that I'd find others to talk about this with - the gay guys I know aren't into film and let's face it, straight guys don't watch gay cinema.

So, I've re-watched some classics (Brokeback Mountain, A Single Man, Bad Education, The History Boys, Mysterious Skin, Beautiful Thing, Happy Together, etc.), and found some wonderful new films (Shelter, Undertow, Plan B, I Killed My Mother, Harvest, North Sea Texas - among others) which thankfully make up for the hours and hours of seriously awful dogshit I've had to sit through.

But most interesting of all is this new wave of queer cinema in the cinema verité style, which started with 2011's Weekend and followed on this year with Keep The Lights On. Low budget, realistic, well-written dramas with excellent performances. And they don't involve coming out or death!

I'm really excited for what comes next!

I'd love to chat to anyone and everyone about any of these films above or any others in the genre - and what your take on queer cinema is.

And actually, the LGBT classification too. That's a bit illogical.

 

[tampa24]

Being British, have you ever seen the movie"Get Real"? It's very good even though it has no nudity. haha One of my favorites for sure.

 

[grace17]

I'm a massive film addict, particularly American independent and European/Asia arthouse. I've come across gay films within these genres, but this year took a full on expedition into the genre, watching something like 100 films which are considered LGBT. One of the reasons I joined this forum was the hope that I'd find others to talk about this with - the gay guys I know aren't into film and let's face it, straight guys don't watch gay cinema.

So, I've re-watched some classics (Brokeback Mountain, A Single Man, Bad Education, The History Boys, Mysterious Skin, Beautiful Thing, Happy Together, etc.), and found some wonderful new films (Shelter, Undertow, Plan B, I Killed My Mother, Harvest, North Sea Texas - among others) which thankfully make up for the hours and hours of seriously awful dogshit I've had to sit through.

But most interesting of all is this new wave of queer cinema in the cinema verité style, which started with 2011's Weekend and followed on this year with Keep The Lights On. Low budget, realistic, well-written dramas with excellent performances. And they don't involve coming out or death!

I'm really excited for what comes next!

I'd love to chat to anyone and everyone about any of these films above or any others in the genre - and what your take on queer cinema is.

And actually, the LGBT classification too. That's a bit illogical.

Hi Mel, I rarely watch television, but I really enjoy watching a good movie, especially on a rainy evening by the fire. Surprisingly, I haven't really delved into art house or queer cinema apart from 'Brokeback Mountain' which I've watched several times and cried several times. So thank you for the list, and I'll get back to this thread as I work my way through.

 

[bobbity]

If you don't mind subs, I can tell you of a few Japanese and Korean gay-themed movies to watch. Actually, here's a link. There's quite a few and I highly recommend them all. And as far as I know, they all have subs.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7443B013A33FC0FF

Incidentally, these are all Japanese movies but if you're really interested I'd recommend a movie called Huhwaehaji Anha(No Regrets). It's great and doesn't shy away from sex scenes. It's the closest I'll ever get to Korean gay porn, as the production and distribution of porn(gay or straight) is illegal in South Korea.

Enjoy!

 

[Beth]

I am a huge fan of movies, and "gay themed" ones are just some of the ones I like to watch. Recently on YouTube, I caught "When I'm 64." This is a British movie about an "odd" couple that make it work. Also, "Beginners" with Ewin McGregor (I would watch that man take a shit and love it!) As well as "Weekend" and "3." I sometimes like to watch the short films on YouTube as well. What I look for in these movies, is a connection that is made and the way that connection changes a person. Hope you enjoy!

 

[bobbity]

Here's a link to Huhwaehaji Anha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt3qwFWc4rg

Just remember to follow the same uploader to get the rest of the parts. Also, Antique Bakery is good. It's a Korean movie based off of a Japanese manga. Lol.

Also, Just Friends is a light hearted comedy about two men who pretend to be straight when one of their mother's shows up.

And you MUST watch The King and the Clown. The quality of the movie is equal to that of Brokeback Mountain. I highly, highly recommend it.

Frozen Flower is about a king who has his male lover sleep with the queen in order to produce an heir. At first, his lover is reluctant but doesn't have much of a choice. So he sleeps with her and if you want to know the rest, you'll just have to watch it yourself.

Hello My Love is about a girl who is awaiting the return of her longtime boyfriend but when said boyfriend shows up, he brings his "roommate". Hilarity and fierce competition ensue.

And yeah, these are all Korean. Personally, I prefer Korean movies to Japanese because the quality tends to be better and there's an actual plot. Whereas, in a lot of Japanese gay-themed movies I feel like, if there's any plot at all, it's just used as a tool to create sex scenes which is fine if you're looking to watch porn. Not movies. They just don't feel as fleshed out and frankly a lot of them suck. Though, I do recommend Takumi-kun. I really liked that one!

 

[bobbity]

And here's a treat for those of you who have no interest in watching Asian cinema:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=related&v=9hjidIaTYiE

It's called Christopher and his Kind. It's set in the 1930's and is based off of a book with the same title. Enjoy. And sorry about the double posting. I just keep remembering all these great movies I want to share. Lol.

 

[melodility]

Being British, have you ever seen the movie"Get Real"? It's very good even though it has no nudity. haha One of my favorites for sure.

Oh yeah - on a mission like this, you've got to start with Brit flicks from the 90's! We were quietly making memorable gay cinema while the US was still too scared of box office death. So Get Real is on the list alongside Beautiful Thing, Priest, My Beautiful Launderette (which I love) and Maurice (which I hate). It's great that one of ours is a favourite of yours!

 

[melodility]

Hi Mel, I rarely watch television, but I really enjoy watching a good movie, especially on a rainy evening by the fire. Surprisingly, I haven't really delved into art house or queer cinema apart from 'Brokeback Mountain' which I've watched several times and cried several times. So thank you for the list, and I'll get back to this thread as I work my way through.

Hi Grace - yay to inspiring you! I'm at your service for further recommendations and do post what you think.

 

[melodility]

If you don't mind subs, I can tell you of a few Japanese and Korean gay-themed movies to watch. Actually, here's a link. There's quite a few and I highly recommend them all. And as far as I know, they all have subs.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7443B013A33FC0FF

Incidentally, these are all Japanese movies but if you're really interested I'd recommend a movie called Huhwaehaji Anha(No Regrets). It's great and doesn't shy away from sex scenes. It's the closest I'll ever get to Korean gay porn, as the production and distribution of porn(gay or straight) is illegal in South Korea.

Enjoy!

Thanks Bobbity! Will defo check these out when I get a few minutes. Subtitles aren't a problem for me at all, they don't detract from the film. And I haven't watched any Korean cinema since Park Chan Wook's Vengeance Trilogy, so it's time I revisited.

And if you want reasonably explicit sex scenes, try Brotherhood (Danish, I think), Time To Leave (French), Bear Cub (Spanish), Wild Things (French), Presque Rien, (French), Weekend and Keep The Lights On. I'll try and think of others but explicit doesn't mean good - and often a sex scene is the only good thing in an otherwise dreadful film ...... But I'm always on the lookout anyway

 

[melodility]

And here's a treat for those of you who have no interest in watching Asian cinema:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=related&v=9hjidIaTYiE

It's called Christopher and his Kind. It's set in the 1930's and is based off of a book with the same title. Enjoy. And sorry about the double posting. I just keep remembering all these great movies I want to share. Lol.

I thought this was pretty bloody good too! And quite daring for mainstream British TV considering its Doctor Who doing some serious man- whoring!!

 

[grace17]

I am a huge fan of movies, and "gay themed" ones are just some of the ones I like to watch. Recently on YouTube, I caught "When I'm 64." This is a British movie about an "odd" couple that make it work. Also, "Beginners" with Ewin McGregor (I would watch that man take a shit and love it!) As well as "Weekend" and "3." I sometimes like to watch the short films on YouTube as well. What I look for in these movies, is a connection that is made and the way that connection changes a person. Hope you enjoy!

OMG! Beth, I so agree with you about Ewan McGregor. I recently watched a very young Ewan McGregor in "Shallow Grave", a 94 mainstream suspense. His hair was much longer than his usual style, in keeping with the trend at that time, and I was completely mesmerized by how almost pretty, but not the least bit feminine, it made him look. In one scene he was messing around with his flatmate and ended up dressed in her clothes, black sequined spaghetti strap dress, spiked heels and siren red lipstick, which only heightened my weird fascination.

 

[melodility]

I am a huge fan of movies, and "gay themed" ones are just some of the ones I like to watch. Recently on YouTube, I caught "When I'm 64." This is a British movie about an "odd" couple that make it work. Also, "Beginners" with Ewin McGregor (I would watch that man take a shit and love it!) As well as "Weekend" and "3." I sometimes like to watch the short films on YouTube as well. What I look for in these movies, is a connection that is made and the way that connection changes a person. Hope you enjoy!

Hi Beth - thanks for the tip! I've only just cottoned on to YouTube being used as a platform for short films, will have to check back over my list of things I couldn't get hold of. Do you have any others I shld check out? I'm not a huge fan of shorts, they leave me mostly unfulfilled, but if you can track down the British short We Once Were Tide, that's one I was really impressed by. Its on one of the Boys On Film collections, Cruel Britannia, I think.

 

[melodility]

OMG! Beth, I so agree with you about Ewan McGregor. I recently watched a very young Ewan McGregor in "Shallow Grave", a 94 mainstream suspense. His hair was much longer than his usual style, in keeping with the trend at that time, and I was completely mesmerized by how almost pretty, but not the least bit feminine, it made him look. In one scene he was messing around with his flatmate and ended up dressed in her clothes, black sequined spaghetti strap dress, spiked heels and siren red lipstick, which only heightened my weird fascination.[/

Shallow Grave was a big hit in our house (my sister's a Ewan superfan and I was an indie cinema even then) but it wasnt mainstream - it was total indie fare, Danny Boyle pre-Trainspotting, pre-28 Days Later, pre- Slumdog Millionaire, pre-Olympic Opening Ceremony! Back before he and Ewan were household names. Its so great that you saw it recently - it's still an excellent film.

So, if you scoot waaaay down the bottom of Ewan's IMDB page to Lipstick on your Collar and Scarlet and Black - we watched those back in school, rewinding and pausing on VHS the scene where he climbs down a ladder naked cos you get a brief glimpse of his cock !

 

[tampa24]

Oh yeah - on a mission like this, you've got to start with Brit flicks from the 90's! We were quietly making memorable gay cinema while the US was still too scared of box office death. So Get Real is on the list alongside Beautiful Thing, Priest, My Beautiful Launderette (which I love) and Maurice (which I hate). It's great that one of ours is a favourite of yours!

"Get Real" is definitely an all-time favorite! You're so right about Britain being farther ahead of the U.S. on gay themed films. Producers were scared to death of the Puritans over here.

I also have a like/hate relationship with the movie "Maurice". But I still consider it an important contribution of cinema as a historical period piece.

"Beautiful Thing" is wonderful!!

 

[joninliverton]

There was a bit of gay theme in Downton Abbey.

 

[tampa24]

There was a bit of gay theme in Downton Abbey.

Is it in the new season still to be shown in the U.S. or was it in last year's?

 

[BenBen]

Beautiful Thing is one of my all time favorite gay movies. It made me so sad and so happy. I always wondered how my life would have been different if I would have known 1 other gay person when I was that age. A bf would have been great but even just someone to tell me I wasn't alone. I also love Plan B, it was full of so much emotion. When I had cable TV I watched the Here channel all the time and watched every gay movie they had available on demand. My local DVD rental store had a nice selection of gay movies and independent movies but they've been closed for 4 years now and the Family Videos store has a very limited number of gay and independent movies. Now all I have is Netflix and they don't keep up with it at all. Most of their gay movies are old and outdated or incredibly stupid like the gay zombie and gay vampire or slasher movies, not much quality there. I'm kind of starving for some good gay cinema.

 

[Beth]

Beautiful Thing is one of my all time favorite gay movies. It made me so sad and so happy. I always wondered how my life would have been different if I would have known 1 other gay person when I was that age. A bf would have been great but even just someone to tell me I wasn't alone. I also love Plan B, it was full of so much emotion. When I had cable TV I watched the Here channel all the time and watched every gay movie they had available on demand. My local DVD rental store had a nice selection of gay movies and independent movies but they've been closed for 4 years now and the Family Videos store has a very limited number of gay and independent movies. Now all I have is Netflix and they don't keep up with it at all. Most of their gay movies are old and outdated or incredibly stupid like the gay zombie and gay vampire or slasher movies, not much quality there. I'm kind of starving for some good gay cinema.

You should sign up for Fandor (about $10 a month) or NetFlix ($8 a month). Both have a great selection. Also, just try YouTube (free) and in the search, type in "gay full length movies." Enjoy!

 

[joninliverton]

Is it in the new season still to be shown in the U.S. or was it in last year's?

Its to do with Thomas who had a go at a guy before.. But this time he gets set up... I say no more... bitch...