With the launch of the brand-new TLAgay.com, the Gay Cinema Video On Demand experience we have been offering for a long, long time was upgraded and improved. We have expanded (and continue to expand) our selection of new and old gay-themed movies available for your viewing pleasure. Here’s just five of our current favorites, from various years, that you may have missed – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! These aren’t our TOP 5, by any means – just a handful of flicks we want to highlight.
Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds © Ariztical Entertainment
2006, United States
Boasting a cast of hunks, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds is packed with more sexy, irreverent fun. Returning to head up the cast are gay “American Idol” finalist Jim Verraros as Kyle and Emily Brooke Hands as Gwen. New to the cast, along with an array of studs, is John Waters veteran Mink Stole in a hilarious turn as Kyle’s mom, Helen. When Kyle and Marc (Brett Chuckerman) have a breakup that doesn’t quite feel final, Marc goes off in search of other prey while Gwen, Kyle and Tiffany (Rebekah Kochan) head to art class, where Troy (Marco Dapper) will model nude. As the trio lusts after Troy, they can’t quite figure out who he likes: boys or girls? Troy and Kyle leave class together and head off across campus where they bump into Jacob (Scott Vickaryous) and his ex-gay group, “Coming In”. Kyle, who is ultra-gay without a butch bone in his body, decides to pretend he’s an ex-gay to see if he can get into mixed-up Troy’s pants. There’s lots of room for comic craziness as the charade heats up. Funnier and wackier than the first edition, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds is a total farce, without any intent to educate or illuminate any serious topics. Enjoy!
Love in the Time of Civil War © Breaking Glass Pictures
2014, Canada
Eschewing any explanation or backstory, this brutal drama simply observes the dark world of addiction and prostitution – and finds the beauty in the darkness. Infinitely more serious than our previous selection, Love in the Time of Civil War follows Alex (Alexandre Landry), a young French-Canadian drug addict who sells his body on the streets of Montreal’s Centre-Sud district. He’s flanked by tenuous friends Bruno, Simon, Jeanne, Eric and Velma, all of whom find themselves caught in the same spiral of compulsive behavior. Hostage to society’s market logic, they are the fallen angels of a dark and violent time. Yet their beauty somehow survives, rebellious amid the ruins. From one fix to the next, desire becomes a life raft, as their bodies, exultant, seek to avenge the humiliation to which they are condemned. Orphans of a wild tribe, they live and love, restless vagrants in the shadows of society’s comfort and indifference. This is a world that stylish filmmaker Rodrigue Jean knows well – you can also catch his documentary Men for Sale, which tackles the same subject in a non-narrative fashion.
The Seminarian © Breaking Glass Pictures
2010, United States
In The Seminarian, gay movie regular Mark Cirillo (The Last Straight Man, People You May Know, The Men Next Door, Kept Boy) plays Ryan, a closeted gay student in his final semester of seminary studies. Despite his school’s hostile stance towards homosexuality, Ryan has two gay classmates – Gerald (Matthew Hannon) and Anthony (Javier Montoya) – in whom he secretly confides. He is also close to his religiously devout mother who, as things stand, is unaware of his sexual orientation. Ryan needs to complete a solid theological thesis in order to continue doctoral work at the university of his dreams. As he works on his thesis “The Divine Gift of Love,” Ryan begins a relationship with Bradley (Eric Parker Bingham) – a guy he has met on the internet who seems perpetually unable to commit himself. Ryan confides in Gerald and Anthony, only to learn about their romantic struggles as well. Consequently, Ryan questions his views on God’s gift of love. The Seminarian is a thoughtful and romantic film that tackles big themes.
The String © TLA Releasing
2009, Tunisia
Set in arid Tunisia, tall, quiet Malik (Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan), a 30-year-old Parisian architect, returns to his homeland after the death of his father. He’s greeted warmly by his over-bearing, petulant mother (the legendary Claudia Cardinale) and is immediately confronted with her expectation that he stay and get married. This now strange world of his youth, his mother’s pressure and his barely hidden homosexuality set off anxiety attacks in Malik, who finally finds relief when he meets the darkly handsome handyman, Balil (Salim Kechiouche). They begin a tentative relationship, but Islamic mores, a still class conscience society, and the ever-presence of his mother threaten their young love. The String is a riveting story of forbidden romance that doubles as a character study of people lost in rapidly changing cultures. Don’t miss this engaging, insightful and undeniably sexy drama.
Tell No One © TLA Releasing
2012, Italy
Fast-paced, funny and even a little tear-inducing when it counts, Tell No One is a positively charming family comedy about successful young man who is long overdue to start telling the truth. Mattia (Josafat Vagni) is excited. He’s about to move from Rome to Madrid to start a new job and marry his long-distance boyfriend Eduard (Jose Dammert). This will solve two problems: 1) He will be much closer to the man he loves; 2) He won’t have to bite the bullet and finally come out to his family. His plan hits a major snag, however, when Eduard, having no idea that Mattia is still in the closet, announces that he has planned a surprise trip to Rome so that he can meet his boyfriend’s folks and ask for their son’s hand in marriage. Stunned by this unexpected news, Mattia has to compose himself quickly and decide whether or not it’s time to tell the truth to his old-fashioned Italian parents. For anyone who has ever struggled with confessing their sexuality to a loved-one, Tell No One should prove a real gem. The actors are superb, generating great empathy for a colorful, diverse cast of quirky supporting characters, and the filmmakers have done a wonderful job blending clever dialog and comic set-pieces with heartfelt moments of emotional poignancy.
