bjk1961 Reviews

The Big Bang Theory: The Matrimonial Momentum (2015) Season 9, Episode 1

Meager Fare

[4/10 · 22 September 2015]

Possibly the most disappointing episode ever. After waiting so long for Leonard and Penny to finally marry, the episode delivered a charcoal sketch of what should have been an attempt at a master work. The entire effort of the writers seems to have been to get passed the wedding so they could get to the post-nuptial discord.

With this storyline, the writers can now unite Leonard and Sheldon against Penny and Amy and drag out all the relationship clichés. I hope they at least take a moment to dust off the clichés before shoving them center stage. I think everyone has had enough of the on-again off-again disconnect between Penny and Leonard, and by extension, do not want a rehash with Sheldon and Amy.

A "new start" motif would have been a general relief, but that opportunity has been lost. As others have noted, perhaps The Big Bang Theory has "jumped the shark".

Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan (2012) Season 7, Episode 5

Put me off The Doctor for two months.

[4/10 · 8 September 2014]

I've been watching Doctor Who since the 80's, and I believe this is the worst episode ever. Everything we knew about the Weeping Angels was thrown out the window -- any statue could be an angel, including the Statue of Liberty, and one was able to blow out a match while being watched. Ultimately, the unceremonious dumping of Rory and Amy proved to be completely disheartening. They were relegated to the past as if they were a bad smell. Additionally, the story line made it clear that it would be utterly impossible to see them again. I felt like the characters meant nothing to The Doctor. Totally awful episode. I had no desire to watch any more episodes for more than two months.

Two Drifters (2005)

Idiotic Garbage

[5/10 · 3 February 2014]

I just cannot find the right words to describe how much "Odete/Two Drifters" suffers from having the writer as the director of the film. Perhaps another director or an editor could have straightened out this nonsense and made it intriguing. As it is, this film should not have seen the light of day. I actually found it insulting that the writer/director served up this trash with a straight face and expected the audience to applaud. The film simply lacks any cogent story beyond the initial tragedy. Once Odete enters the frame, the film slowly veers off the tracks of credibility until it is completely air-born. The film ends abruptly, as if slamming directly into the ground, with an ending so ridiculous that I actually felt slapped in the face. Plenty of movies have a gay man who meets a straight woman equipped with a "magic" vagina that he can't resist. It seems to be a film staple that gay men just haven't met the right woman. However, transcending that idiocy, this film ends by giving Odete an ethereal penis with which she expands her madness to include Rui. After this nugget of manure, I just cannot take anymore "straight women with gay men" lunacy. Really, it's enough.

Unconditional (II) (2012)

Excellent Film

[7/10 · 7 January 2014]

"Unconditional Love", aka "Unconditional", presents the intense story of a severely repressed homosexual attempting to create his fantasy woman from an inexperienced, virgin, teenage boy. Seventeen year old Owen meets the slightly older Liam and becomes dazzled by his attention, fast car, money, and large personality. After an evening drinking and fearful of being rejected by his new friend, Owen allows Liam to dress and make him up as a woman. Liam then convinces Owen to go out on the town as the newly created "Kristen".

Afterwards, Owen attempts to distance himself from Liam, but Liam's threat to disappear for good and his own immaturity cause Owen to reconsider. From this point forward, Liam's fantasy becomes the driving force in their relationship. As the fantasy persists, it grows and becomes fragile. It threatens to crush both of them as Liam spirals closer and closer to homicidal rage because the fantasy fails to transcend to reality, and as Owen struggles to come to terms with burgeoning sexuality and personality before he loses everything.

I have not been so engaged by a psycho-drama in a very long time. I am amazed at the quality of this gay-themed film as most suffer from the dreaded "writer as director" or a tiny budget that mandates starving artists. This film exceeded every expectation I had. Every actor hit every mark, every scene moved the action forward, and the whole exceeded the sum of its parts. Harry McEntire as "Owen" and Christian Cooke as "Liam" gave performances way beyond their years and carried the film beautifully. I can't wait to see them in the future. Definitely worth going out of your way to see this film.

Hawaii (I) (2013)

Another winner!

[8/10 · 4 January 2014]

I couldn't be happier! Marco Berger touched my heart again with this winning dramatic romance between two timid individuals, unsure of life and love. "Hawaii" makes the perfect addition to the collection of Marco Berger's offerings. Be sure to catch them all. They make a perfect film festival all by themselves.

"Hawaii" lays out the day to day interactions between Eugenio (played by the unconventionally handsome Manuel Vignau, "Bruno" from "Plan B") and Martín (played by Mateo Chiarino) that build a budding romance neither knows how to address. Tension builds until, finally, a fateful kiss that changes everything. I spent the rest of the movie repeating the mantra "please, please, please, please" for the perfect ending. See if I got my wish...

The Perfect Wedding (2012)

All around good romance.

[7/10 · 14 December 2013]

"The Perfect Wedding" presents a simple, straight-forward romance that doesn't try to be anything it isn't. The entire cast is wonderful, the production values are high, and the film combines the straight story line and the gay story line perfectly. The impending wedding of the straight sister perfectly balances the blossoming romance and drama of the gay brother. I've been craving a gay romance without all the tortured souls, internalized homophobia, and convoluted drama. This fit the bill perfectly. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Also be sure to watch "Plan B" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408972/), a great romantic comedy that will really move you.

Soulbound (2011)

dreamers awake

[10/10 · 2 September 2013]

Only "Brokeback Mountain" surpasses the soul-touching perfection that "Teus Olhos Meus/Soulbound" brings to the screen. The performers inhabit their roles perfectly and fill this love-story with genuine emotion and earnest, human struggle. In this film, every element converges successfully to take the viewer on an impossibly subtle ride through an authentic landscape fraught with the highs and lows of human relationships. The entire ride unfolds smoothly and organically with no false-steps to break the spell cast by these enchanters. In truth, I completely forgot that I was on a fantastic roller-coaster until the ride ended, and I was facing the wonderful, reeling, and real emotional after effects of great movie-making, just like "Brokeback Mountain". I will never forget this movie.