yeryry

There's only been a handful of horror films with openly gay characters as the leads. The New Mutants  (2020), which was just released last month is arguably the first queer horror film from a major, Hollywood studio. All of the rest have been independent films. Of those films, none have really delved into the idea of homosexual domesticity or the idea of LGBTQ people in what looks like a traditional, home setup. Tommy Stovall's Hate Crime (2006) dabbled in that idea. Stovall's was a more straightforward, dramatic film that isn't shrouded in the lore or supernatural elements of most horror films, as well as the typical tactics of creepy noises or tracking shots of someone moving through a darkened space where the audience is waiting for the inevitable jump-scare. This film is shrouded in those elements, but it leans more on that domesticity and presenting a queer nuclear family as normal. Watching how a family like that is bonded along with how outside forces could tear...

Mark Steven Johnson is a filmmaker who started out mostly as a screenwriter. His first feature script, which got produced, probably remains his best, that of Grumpy Old Men (1993), which he made before he turned 30. He eventually made the switch to directing in the late 90's. His two biggest projects as director were Daredevil (2003) with Ben Affleck and Ghost Rider (2007) with Nicolas Cage. He's made a handful of films since then, but the most comparable would probably be When in Rome (2010), a romantic comedy with a quirky, if not magical premise. The premise here isn't magical but arguably can't be called any less quirky or ridiculous. The idea is that a man is suing the corporation behind a dating app that guarantees a user will find love in 1,000 different dating partners or less. It's not clear if it's a case against false advertising or breach of contract, presumably the latter. Johnson didn't write the script here. Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Ga...

This is the 13th feature in the franchise that began with X-Men (2000). It is an adaptation of the comic books or graphic novels from Marvel Comics about super-heroes, known as mutants, people who are born with powers or special abilities that usually don't reveal themselves until they reach puberty or their teenage years. The 12 previous, feature films focused on mutants who were already adults, so usually it was about people who already knew what their powers were and how to use those powers. The 2000 film had a teenage character named Rogue that provided the perspective of someone who is a veritable "new mutant" and is dealing with what's at first the horror of how these powers could hurt or kill people, even unintentionally. The 5th feature in the franchise called X-Men: First Class (2011) also dealt with teenagers in this world and how others might want to exploit or harm them. However, those stories for the most part weren't told from the teenage point-of-...

Premiered at 2019's Outfest LA, it won the Max Ophüls Prize, a prestigious award in Germany. Writer-director Kai Kreuser, a German filmmaker, has been the principal force behind the web series Kuntergrau , a short-form show about five gay friends in Deutschland. The series focused on young, white gay men under the age of 25. This film is about two gay men in particular who are a bit older and are at different stages in their lives. One of the men isn't even white, as Kreuser delves into the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis that is currently affecting Europe. His angle on it is to consider the circumstances, if one of those Syrian refugees were gay. Renato Schuch stars as Waseem, a man who came to Germany from Syria, specifically the city of Aleppo. He was studying music until the war forced him to abandon it. He probably had a home and a relatively normal life in Aleppo. Now, he stays in a shelter, sleeping in a small bunk bed with tons of other refugees, little privacy and i...

Think Brokeback Mountain  (2005) but only set in Russia and way more bleak of an ending. The comparisons to the 2005 Oscar winner have to do with aesthetic reasons. The landscapes captured in this film by writer-director Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy in his feature debut are akin to the landscapes captured by Ang Lee. Kopturevskiy prefers long, continuous takes, usually wide shots of his two protagonists traveling across a vast vista, typically a valley with beautiful mountain ranges looming in the background. Like the characters in the 2005 hit, the area either within or near the mountains represent a respite from what is a closeted life. It's basically a place where two men can go to be alone and be romantic or basically have sex. Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy himself stars as Sasha. If this were Brokeback Mountain , he would be Jake Gyllenhaal's character of Jack Twist. Except, he has no interest in getting involved with a woman. He has no interest in getting involved with anything. W...

Two, straight men from Germany go on a trip to Greece where their friendship takes a turn for the erotic. The title refers to a character from Greek mythology, a character whose music could charm anyone or anything. Some poetry about the Greek figure ascribe an alluring and sexual aspect, meaning either he or his music was seductive or could lead to sexual activity. The film features a Greek man who plays music, which leads to some seductive images and even lustful actions. It's a question though if external forces are at work, even magical forces, or if the lustful actions are simply the result of latent desires finally being released. In some superficial ways, it reminded me of Reid Waterer's short film Foreign Relations  (2014), which focuses on a closeted man who travels to Greece and encounters a local Athenian with whom he develops feelings but is reluctant to act upon. Writer-director Tor Iben's film isn't as comedic and lighthearted as Waterer's. Iben tends ...

Writer-director Charlie Kaufman adapts Iain Reid's 2016 novel. This is the third feature with Kaufman as director. It's his eighth as screenwriter. His earlier scripts were more fun and humorous, more comical. His recent scripts have been less so. Even though there is humor here and there, his most recent films have had an overall depressing tone. His last film Anomalisa (2015), which was more of a romance, still had more of a somber and melancholic tone. This film continues that melancholy. His film is like most of his others in that it's postmodern and hyperrealistic where fantasy and reality are blurred. This is mainly because his films are about the interior of a person's head, their thoughts and feelings, examining that interior almost with a microscope. This film is no different, as it's structured using voice-over narration from the protagonist, as it becomes a running commentary practically from beginning to end, whispered as if it were a Terrence Malick fi...