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Reviews
The Disappointments (2020)
My favorite show in 2021
It is a rare thing to run across an example of LGBTQ+ cinema that comes across as an entertaining and unsensationalized examination of a group of gay guys real lives. The Disappointments knocks it out of the park on that one. It's much more similar to the show Looking in terms of it's being based on reality vs. Say the extreme camp of Where the Bears Are (another show I enjoyed immensely).
Assembling a stellar cast and giving them an amazing story to tell would seem like a no brainer but too often creators or the studios involved end up whitewashing our stories to make them more palatable for the masses to enjoy. You will not find that here. Instead we get to witness what feels like an omnipresent view of a group of LA 50 something gay friends real life events. Warts and all.
I'm not going to detail the plot of the show as if you're reading this you already know that. What I am going to say is that this is a show that is well worth your time to watch. They managed to pull off in less than 2 hours of screen time with a 30k budget what most major cable/streaming show can't do in 10 hours and multi million dollar budgets. Tell a fantastic and engaging story about characters that draw you in from the 1st 15 minutes that almost never get represented in modern media. People over 30. It does so without being preachy or having a social agenda to convey.
If you watch it you will enjoy it and then if you do help spread the word about how good this show is and if you can help donate to make Season 2 happen as we need to reward independant excellence doing it on their own.
In the Flesh (1998)
I'll be watching for more films from this director
After having watched a LOT of "gay cinema" lately and finding most of it downright dreadful this film was a welcome breath of fresh air. The plot is engaging, the acting was good, and I found myself glued to the screen even though it was very late when I put the DVD in the player and I was expecting to fall asleep on the couch. It is definitely a worthwhile movie to watch, and I've been making my friends aware of it.
I very much enjoyed the music in the film (something I normally don't pay attention to) and think it's a shame you can't buy a soundtrack. Guess I'll have to rip an mp3 of "Had To Let You Go" by Pop Cycle until/if I can acquire a copy of that tune legally (yep it's THAT good).
If you're debating giving the movie a chance, you should. Is it the best movie ever? No. Is it better than most of other stuff being passed off as gay themed movies lately? DEFINITELY! It ranks right up there with Tales of the City (10) and Broken Hearts Club (9).