[LGBT] Undertow

**May contain spoilers**

An unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside; a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions.

Miguel (Played by Bolivian actor Christian Mercado) is a fisherman living in a small village where he has a pregnant wife and a family. His community of friends and family is what keeps him going and he thinks life is perfect - That is until Santiago (played by Manolo Cardona) comes visiting the small town and Miguel's perfect life goes spiralling out of control. 

Where to start with this movie. You know when television stations have this thing where they give you a free preview for a month so you can check out some of their stations and after the month if you don't sign up they take the station away? I was lucky enough to have OUT TV for a little while at my place and one night I scrolling through the channel and noticed a movie was starting. I left it where it was on the channel and tuned in to this movie. I didn't know the actors and the movie was in Spanish. Even though I do speak some Spanish I was thankful the movie had subtitles. The moment the movie began I was sucked in. It started out giving a view of life in a small village and everything (the good and the bad) that comes with it.  Miguel seems happy at first but as you pay closer attention you see just how miserable he is and when he and Santiago get together, it just proves to him and the viewers what happiness is for he

Christian Mercado

laughs more.  But the truth of the matter is, in small towns or villages, secrets come out faster than usual and when they do, someone almost always winds up dead or in big, big trouble.

Even though life sucks, Miguel manages to carve out a routine - he'd spend some time with Santiago, basking in real love with this man, laughing and critiquing Santiago's art. Then he'd go home and cater to his wife who soon becomes pregnant.  He fights to be a family man, to hide his gay secret from the people he surrounds himself with and to be happy. Then Santiago dies and Miguel suddenly have the perfect boyfriend--well aside from the death bit. He can walk down the street with Santiago and hold hands with him for only he can see Santiago. But Santiago's death doesn't make life any easier for their love. If anything, death merely complicates it.  To make matters worse, they enter Santiago's place and found naked artwork of Miguel littering the place.

Manolo Cardona

This movie was heartbreaking. It shows what happens when you want to be true to who you are and what you are but life just doesn't want to corporate.  When you force someone to play inside a box that doesn't fit them it can lead to madness and when the smoke clears everyone and everything would be destroyed.  There is such a poignant love story in this movie, a love that transcends death and mortality. It didn't matter that the true love was between two men your heart will just sob for them. There is such misery in losing a life you believe is yours and no one else's. 

And when the person you love isn't the person society thinks you should love, what happens when the love Society endorses find out about the other? Do you fight for what society wants or what you want? Do you fight to save face and break your own heart or fight to do what's right for someone who, at least for a moment--however fleeting, gave you the best moments of your life and loved you more than you ever thought possible or could ever understand?

Undertow is a brilliantly written, wonderfully acted and the music--perfection. If you're looking to a movie that rewards you for watching and feeds you in ways you've given  up on movie ever doing in these days of remakes and superhero fluff, this movie will do it. 

Oh and have a box of kleenex or two handy, you are SO going to need it.

Hugs,
Kato

Leave It On the Floor

When his homophobic mother kicks him out of the house, Bradley (played by Ephraim Sykes of Dance Flick, SMASH, 30 Rock ) falls in with the House of Eminence trying desperately to fit in and make the most of a bad situation. This movie started out breaking my heart. It had me wondering how a mother could treat her son so unfairly and full of hate. She called him a loser, and that was the last thing she said to him before he left the house with his things to live in his car.

Leave It On the Floor is an amazing movie full of music, heart break, love and so much soul. If you're not tapping your foot to the beat or wanting to get up and run-way walk through your room/house then you have no pulse. There is just something so catchy and endearing and just so spectacular about this movie and I don't precisely know what is it. It touched on the reality of some thugs who are out there, gay but has this reputation to uphold so they are on the down-low. It shows what happen when people lack respect for those around them and the repercussions of being young and foolish at times.

 This movie shows the ignorance that's in the world of people who can't put their hatred aside, even through loss and hardships. It's a sad narrative on the way most of us are; we see "gay" before "human."

 All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Leave It On the Floor. I would highly recommend it. Oh and have a box of kleenex handy because you're going to cry, laugh, sing, dance--it's an amazing roller-coaster ride.

Hugs,
Kato

Can't Curry Love

**LGBT MOVIE**

A handsome East Indian from London visits India, falls for a local guy, meets a trans-gendered 'hijra', and discovers a country he only thought he knew - IMDB

This is a short I found on youtube but I had to watch it. It's not at all ike Cinderfella or even anything I've seen before. I don't think it's right to call it a movie because it was only about twenty five minutes. You have to go into it and take it for what it really is. It's funny and cultural and romantic.  The thing about this little flick is, it was long enough to make me wonder about the characters, like his boss, or the trans-gendered encounter. It had the ability to be a much better full length film. I hope they consider it.

Anyways, awesome short.

Kato

Handsome Harry

**LGBT movie**

An ex-Navy man carrying out the last wish of a dying shipmate renews contact with old friends to break the code of silence around a mysterious, long-buried crime. IMDB.

For months since I signed up for Netflix, I've been seeing this movie in my recommended movies. I'm not particularly sure why because well, I hadn't at the time watched any LGBT movies on Netflix. But since it was still in my list, and it was scoring four and five star ratings and reviews I thought I should check it out.

Well, it was a waste of time. I'm watching this movie thinking, come on! Give me something! One girl said how it was a testament to human nature and our society and I'm watching this movie thinking what a load of crap! I continued to the very end of the movie thinking it just HAD to get better. I was wrong.  So it is about a man, seems to be a lady's man in the small town, who left his life in the navy behind and seemed to be doing quite well until his old navy buddy is on his death bed calls him.  So it sends him hurtling back to this night when they all beat the crap out of another sailor because he was gay. Okay, good premise so far right? Here's where the wheels fall off - or started to fall off - Harry goes to meet with his friend who quickly dies then sets off on a mission to get his friend (or himself) forgiveness. It's not clear which.

The movie was one big musical montage of sorts--at least it was good music--but he spent the whole movie driving from one state to another, finding these old Navy buddies who hates his guts - one guy was wealthy but disowned his son because his son is gay, then the man's wife left with Harry who spends a night in a hotel with her making love - I was so put off by this I almost stopped watching. Then one is now a born again Christian who in the middle of Harry asking about what happened back then tells Harry to "give your life to Jesus." I know it was a serious moment but the way he said it and the way it happened I burst out laughing.

Anyways, the movie was horrible. No one learned anything from any of it-not their actions in the past and not the life they were living. They all grew up to be well to do people who are miserable human beings. They were hollow and superficial almost as if the writer didn't bother digging into their lives and putting it on the screen. I was left feeling ripped off and outright irritated I'd wasted so much of my life watching the movie and got nothing from it.

By the time the movie ended I seriously wanted to cry because it was like watching the ending to THE SOPRANOS all over again. I was left falling off a cliff with not proper closure of anything which a movie like Handsome Harry should have.  The two saving graces--well three--were Steve Buscemi (the creepy guy singing He's got the Whole World in Con Air and from Boardwalk Empire) but he was only in the movie for a grand total of like five minutes and Jamey Sherridan (The captain from Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Robert Queen from The Arrow) who plays Harry. Then there was the music -- Amazing, AHH-mazing music. I was happy to see Campbell Scott (he plays(ed) Boris Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz in Royal Pains) in it as the older version of the kid they beat up. Both he and Jamey gave me some older man eye candy so that was good as well.

Bottom line, don't waste your time.

Campbell Scott - as David Kagan - the victim in Handsome Harry

Kato

I Do - Yes please

**This film is LGBT**

I'd just finished watching big Eden for the hundredth time and was looking for something to watch. I couldn't figure out what I wanted so I began trolling the Wolfe Video website hoping to get an idea of what I wanted to see. I found one called Saltwater but when I went to this website that you can get movies VOD - you pay a fee and you can stream the movie for seven days then the link expires- and to my horror this website doesn't take paypal and though I'm a somewhat trusting person, I did not feel comfortable just handing over my credit card to this site. So then I had to find another website to watch my movies on through VOD that accepted paypal! Took me an hour and I found it. I went back to the Wolfe website and found this movie I Do.

I read the blurb for it--and debated whether I wanted to follow up the feel goodness of big Eden with something that seemed as if it would rip my heart out and stomp on it only to run it over with a bulldozer. I mean, sure, I was being a tad dramatic but sometimes when you watch a really sad movie that's how it leaves you feeling, especially with an ending like Shut Up and Kiss Me. Still, I took a breath, paid my VOD fee and hit play.

The story centers around Jack Edwards (played by David W. Ross- former member of Bad Boys, Inc)

David W. Ross - writer and star of I Do

who is a gay British National living in New York. He works with his lesbian best friend with photographers and makes a pretty good living. He's happy with his life until tragedy hit and he finds himself playing father to his niece, on the brink of deportation and being put in the position of having to chose between his family or lying to get his green card and possibly face federal prison. Not only that, he drew his best friend Ali (played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Natalie in Ugly Betty and herself in Entourage) in, by marrying her to pretend she's his wife so he can get his papers. To make matters worse, right as they marry, Jack meets the love of his life, Mano Alfaro (played by Maurice Compte, Gaff in Breaking bad and Chatto in Choke.Kick.Girl: The Series). 

I thought well, this is going to be another badly acted gay movie about some guy who can't get his crap together and it's going to wind up having a crappy ending to leave me thinking Well, there's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back! But boy was I wrong. To top off a very intriguing story that touched on Gay Equality Rights, and the horrible things one can say to another after guilt forces them to be silent for years, I was fanning my face like a moron saying don't cry! Don't cry! I couldn't help it. Jack just kept having one horrible day after another. Think about it. You're finally forced to marry someone and then finds Mr (or Mrs) Right, the very next moment! How sucky would that be?

Maurice Compte

Mano has his own demons that will shock and anger you then make you feel as if you just want to hold him until he feels better and those demons go away.

I Do was brilliantly acted. The music was stunning the scenery perfection and the script, though some parts could use a little tweaking, was amazing. The emotions coming off the screen left me crying and laughing out loud at times. Sometimes I found myself getting so caught up in the movie I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Ali (Jack's best friend) and then shake Jack's Sister in Law Mya (played by Alicia Witt, Rosalind Harker in The Mentalist).

The secondary characters were all necessary and lend an air of authenticity to the film that was breath-taking. At one point I found myself muttering repeatedly "No no no! Don't do that! Just walk away man! Walk....away!" during one of Jack's interaction with a secondary character.

This movie will pull you in from the first first sound of Jack's voice the moment the movie begins. Though it it will break your heart, it will not leave you disappointed. It will make you want to really look forward to anything else David W Ross may decide to pen in the future. I was pleasantly surprised at this, his first go at it and couldn't stop watching, even for a bathroom break. I Do is one of the BEST LGBT movies I've seen thus far and it gives me a renewed hope that soon, we'll be able to see more.

Oh! And before I forget, Grant Bowler, Chief Lawkeeper Joshua Nolan in Defiance - a hot show here in Canada on SHOWCASE TV, is in it for a brief moment. He plays Jack's brother Peter.

Grant Bowler - plays Jack's brother, Peter.

Hugs,
Kato

PS: please check out Grant Bowler in DEFIANCE on Showcase TV if you're in Canada! All others can watch it on SyFy - The new season doesn't begin until June of 2014 (oh the horror!) so you have time to get caught up on all it's end of world-ie goodness.  Also visit DEFIANCE's official website by clicking HERE.

Shut up and Kiss Me

**this is a LGBT movie**

Ben (Ronnie Kerr) is tired of one night stands and stupid men. He is looking for more, stability, monogamy. He's 35 and is looking for something of substance. This movie follows his trials and tribulations on his search for Mr. Right.

Where do I start with this movie? Okay, lets start with Ronnie Kerr (NYPD Blue, Vampire Boys 2) is a very good looking man, I have to put that out there and while I adored this movie, I have to say he could have given a little extra effort. He doesn't seem to be good at the back and forth dialogue as some of it gets lost in his facial expression but when it comes to sadness, he is spot on--and let me tell you there is a lot of heartbreak in this one.   So the movie startsout with Ben at a dating service advertise himself for a new man. Then his best friends get to sit in and and its a riot hearing their back and forth.  I laughed until I couldn't breathe at the montage of men he found from the dating service - from a pre-op who thought Ben wasn't his type, to a goth decked out in all black with black eyeliner and outfit and lipstick and a 17 year old pretending to be 24. Then he tried online dating which didn't end well either. 

He'd all but given up when he sees Grey, played by Scott Gabelein (The Fallen, Paradox Alice) jogging by him while he's watering his lawn. Let the stalking from the front lawn begins! 


Ronnie Kerr

From there its a lovely, funny tale of lust at first sight and the best friends forcing Ben to step out of his box and actually talk to Grey rather than watching him like a stalker from the front lawn.

The acting after this gets progressively better becauase not only is it funny but they begin getting into some hard topics like infidelity and HIV. Now where the movie takes on a drastic turn--I'm a romance writer myself and after my two character meets each other I try desperately not to let them sleep with anyone else. Grey has this iss with monogamy that Ben can't seem to get over. Which makes sense **spoiler alert** and when Grey cheats not once but twice - it breaks Ben's heart.

What I have an issue with is the ending. They go the whole movie with Ben refusing to settle for some man who can't keep it in his pants even going to therapy for it.  He talks about how he deserves more than a man who cheats on him and sudenly WHAM! All of a sudden, in the last two minutes of the movie, he's cool with it. He accepts Grey and is man-whoring ways and all is right with the world. I'm sorry I cannot accept that ending. There was no explanation leading up to it, no nothing. It was like poof! it never happened.

Scott Gabelien

This movie is okay. It's quaint and cute and funny in some parts. If I had to give it stars I'd give it a three stars and thats because the secondary characters were a hoot to watch--if I was being truly generous I'd stretch it to a three and a half star movie since Ronnie was so yummy but ugh. there were dialogue that was repeated so many times I wanted to scream. The ending just ruined the whole thing for me - UGH.

Hugs,
Kato

Arizona Sky (LGBT)

**Note: Movie is LGBT Themed**

Starring: Eric Dean, Jayme McCabe, Patricia Place, Evan Cuthbert, Brent King, Emerson SMith, Bernadette Murray

As teenagers, Jake (Eric Dean) and Kyle (Jayme McCabe) were best friends who crossed that line in the realm of lovers. But they lived in a small town, cowboy country, so their fear of what would happen if they made it public drove a kind of invisible wall between them. Then Jake's father got a new job and moves Jake away, leaving Kyle behind. Though they promised to keep in touch, life gets in the way; from Jake's rise in the film industry to Kyle's absent father and ailing mother. Years later, burnt out and having panic attacks, Jake runs home with his new best friend, a straight womanizer. Once again, Kyle and Jake is pressed together, sparks are still there and Kyle must now come to terms with who and what he is or lose Jake again.

This movie started out a little slow. I think there was way too much dialogue. But there is a great movie beneath it all. Jake's life in the big city is one of too much work, heart pains and a best friend who carries a different woman home every night. I felt Jake's angst, his anger at what his life has become. I felt as though he was trapped in this lifestyle, the movies and the work, with no way to save himself.

Jayme is a good kind--a true cowboy down to helping out the townspeople and his beloved aunt (Patricia Place). Though he doesn't recognize Jake when he first sees him the moment he realises who Jake was the sparks came flying back. We find out all the hurt and trials he's had to face alone over the years with the passing of his mother, his dead beat father showing up at her funeral, all her medical bills, having to sell the family house and still be in debt, plus fighting his attraction to men. You feel his pain and his utter confusion and the war waging inside him.

Though the dialogues got a little long at times I couldn't help feeling something for these characters.

My issue, my main issue, with ARIZONA SKY  is that it had no in betweens. I guess what I'm saying was it would have been better if it had a few town's people, show a bar scene, maybe show a memory or two but this movie was a small production so it can be overlooked.

All in all this movie is enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it. My only warning is go into it with an open mind and you will definitely enjoy it.