Guy Branum (photo: Mindy Tucker)
Review: ‘Bros’ Is A Winner Balancing Big Laughs & ‘Bromance’
Luke Macfarlane, Billy Eichner in ‘Bros’ (photo: Universal Pictures)The new romantic comedy Bros is a winner. Starring Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane, the film is one of the funniest, laugh out loud movies I’ve seen in a theater in a very long time. Continue reading “Review: ‘Bros’ Is A Winner Balancing Big Laughs & ‘Bromance’”
Madonna’s ‘Finally Enough Love’ + More News
Madonna (photo: Ricardo Gomes)
Photos From LA Pride 2022 + More News
Los Angeles Pride Parade (photo: Wes and Alex)
Forbidden Love Story Set Amid The Height Of Communist Rule “Firebird”
(images via official Facebook page)
Harry Hamlin: Playing Gay In ‘Making Love’ Ended His Film Career
L-R Michael Ontkean, Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin (promo photo via IMDB)
News Round-Up: October 6, 2021
Some news stories you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: 23 years ago today, on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard (above) stopped into the Fireside Bar in Laramie, Wyoming, to take a break from his studies at home. By the following morning, a family, and a nation, was changed forever by an act of senseless violence. Continue reading “News Round-Up: October 6, 2021”
Out Movies: Friendship Turns To Romance In Gay Prison Drama ‘Luz’
Ruben-Ernesto Reyes in LUZ (promo photo)
Synopsis:
Ruben Gonzales (Ernesto Reyes) is a young latino man who’s fallen into the world of the mafiosos. When an accident leads him into incarceration, his relationship with the cartel and with his family is strained.
While in prison, he falls in the complex hierarchical system until his cellmate and eventual lover Carlos (Jesse Tayeh), comes to his side and helps him find emotional and financial stability.
When the two men are released from prison 2 years apart, they again meet on the outside and while dealing with the circumstances that had them incarcerated in the first place, they ponder whether what they once had was real or just two people hoping to seek light in a dark place.
The film is available now for streaming/digital download on iTunes, Vudu, FandangoNow, and GooglePlay. 
Stanley Tucci & Colin Firth Shine Bright In ‘Supernova’
L-R Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth in Supernova (image via The Bureau)
“‘Supernova’ is a deeply romantic, modern love story,” writer/director Harry Macqueen told Variety when the film was announced in October 2019. “It follows two people who are bound together by their love for each other but being pushed apart by the situation they find themselves in.” Macqueen described the movie as “an intimate, naked portrayal of a relationship facing a fissure that threatens to cut it to its very core.” In the trailer, Tusker stands at a family dinner to address his failing faculties, but the writer finds he’s unsure about reading his own words. And as Sam steps up without pause, we are devastated. We also get cute ‘longtime couple’ moments that put the two stars’ chemistry on display like when they share a narrow bed or, while traveling in the RV Tusker asks Sam is they could perhaps “explore the outer regions of 5th gear.”
In his review for Variety, Guy Lodge writes, “As a couple staring down the barrel of early-onset dementia, a peak-form Firth and Tucci give nuance and ballast to Harry Macqueen’s small but beautifully formed sophomore film.” Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw was effusive in his praise: “The veteran pair are on magnificent form in a drama about love and mortality that is all the more powerful for its restraint.” And noting the “two finely calibrating performances,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Dalton observed, “It is also refreshing, even in 2020, to see a drama about a gay couple that does not make sexuality a key theme or problematic plot point. The film is premiering today at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain and is also slated for its UK debut on October 11 at the BFI London Film Festival. Expect to see the film’s release in time for the upcoming awards season as the duo (who each raise the daddy factor in the film) are already generating a lot of honors buzz. 
What To Watch: Acclaimed Short Film ‘Requited’ Explores Holding On Versus Letting Go
The acclaimed gay-themed film short Requited is available to stream for free for the first time since it made a splash at film festivals in 2011. The 20-minute short follows a 20-something gay New Yorker, Nicholas (played by Chris Damon), who’s considering whether or not to attend the wedding of his unrequited high school crush, Aaron (Matthew Watson). Complicating the equation, attending the nuptials would mean missing the departure of his current boo, Gregor (Max Rhyser), who’s relocating to San Francisco. Shot in an intimate, unpretentious style, it’s easy to imagine Requited as a precursor of sorts of HBO’s LGBTQ series, Looking. With the short, Sal Bardo made his debut as both writer and director of a film project. He recently told HuffPost he was inspired to pen the short due to the dearth of good LGBTQ narratives in Hollywood at the time. “I wanted to write something for myself that depicted characters and stories I could relate to,” Bardo told HuffPost in a recent interview. Having based the story loosely on a real-life friendship he’d had as a young adult, he added, “It’s definitely a snapshot in time. Looking back, the film feels very cynical. I think maybe I’m a tiny bit less cynical now!” Premiering at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival, Requited was well-received on the indie film festival circuit and was honored with the Audience Award: Best First Time Filmmaker at Washington D.C.’s International LGBT Film Festival, Reel Affirmations. Describing Requited as his “first pancake,” Bardo looks back fondly on his first film. “The first pancake is never as good as the rest ― you have to warm up the pan,” explained Buardo. “My work has gotten much better, but I’m still really proud of ‘Requited.’” Previously, the short was only available as part of the compilation Blue Briefs. Following the success of Requited, Bardo’s 2015 film Pink Moon scored the Jury Prize for Best Film Short at the Big Apple Film Festival, and his music video for Paper Ring’s “Great Escape” was nominated for the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBT short film award. You can watch the full 20-minute version of Requited for free below.