tomhashes Reviews

Yossi (2012)

This film will make you feel so good!

[9/10 · 30 August 2016]

This film is such a nice sequel to the 2002 "Yossi & Jagger"! The first one had a simple and nice plot, but I had issues with the undergrad-quality cinematography, and despite apparently winning awards, I wasn't very convinced by Ohad Knoller's acting, who played Yossi in the film. This sequel, however, is exactly what I was expecting: great cinematography, a complex but lovable plot, and great acting by Ohad, who really played Yossi well in this film.

Although I believe that it's totally fine that you don't watch "Yossi & Jagger" before watching this film, watching it will definitely help you understand a lot more in the film that hasn't been explicitly stated, like why Yossi would become a doctor and why he decides to go on a trip to Sinai (Sinai?!). This film isn't fully focusing on a romantic relationship like the first one did; instead it explores how Yossi lives after the death of Lior, and everyone of us can definitely identify with some of the moments shown in the film: getting off in a dark room at night, having Chinese takeaway at home alone, and watching mindless animal documentaries. Oh, and having hookups with shallow, petty gay men. Ohad Knoller played Yossi really well in the film; display of emotions is almost effortless, and although you can argue that it doesn't take much effort to play a sad, almost-middle-aged gay man, his little smiles and at times teary eyes are proof that Ohad knows how to play a character well. I have so much respect for Ohad after watching this movie. About his weight: yes, the Yossi we see is not the same one we saw in "Yossi & Jagger", but that has helped the movie delivered some of the most precious messages we have ever heard in film history about body positivity in the gay community.

This film has a romantic plot, after all. The relationship is lovely, develops at the right pace, and most importantly, is believable. That's why I say this film will make you feel so good. It's so good that I hope it is true, and unfortunately that means we probably won't see a third movie in the making - but never mind because it is such a good wrap-up to a great story already.

The review should not end without pointing out how great the soundtrack is - a great selection of songs to accompany the story, and nice lyrics too. Yes, the fact that the film deals mainly with Yossi's inner demons may scare away a lot of potential viewers, but this film is too good to pass up. If you're looking for a slow burning love story, this movie is just for you.

Out in the Dark (2012)

The story is surely lovely, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered

[7/10 · 30 August 2016]

I watched the movie knowing about the accusation of "pinkwashing", and having watched this movie, I have to agree to a certain extent that there is some sort of propaganda in this film. Being funded by Israel Film Fund should be a big red flag, as it had to somehow approve the script before the film got filmed. I had no idea that Israel is so gay-friendly before watching the film, but the almost rigid "Israel, gay haven; Palestine, hell on earth" seems too unrealistic, given that there are other Israeli films that say the otherwise ("Yossi & Jagger", for example). And personally I find the description of Israel as a gay haven not so credible too, given that it is a highly religious place and is somehow still socially conservative, but correct me if I am wrong.

The opening of the film resembles 2011's "Weekend" a lot, as pointed out by other reviewers too. However, don't expect "Out In The Dark" to have the same emotional depth as the other critically acclaimed film - the characters in "Out In The Dark" are almost all one- dimensional. Roy seems to exist in the film only to love Nimer unconditionally; there is no attempt to explain his love for Nimer or why he would try so hard to be together with Nimer. The plot seems out of touch with reality and even ridiculous because we all know how shallow gay men can be, and without explaining why Roy is attracted to Nimer beyond his physical beauty, the plot falls apart easily.

But this movie isn't all bad. Beyond the occasional gaps in the film, which require the audience's full attention to really understand the whole picture, the movie has touched on some universal topics in the LGBT+ community that we must all acknowledge: forbidden love, the fear of being kicked out and disowned by one's family, and the fragility of same-sex relationships. The main actors, though being limited by the feeble script, played the characters well and are obviously eye candies, so if you're watching this movie, you're in for a treat.

I would recommend this movie because it reminds us of the fact that beyond the golden surface of the contemporary LGBT+ community, there are still people in the world struggling to survive because of their sexual orientations. And the relationship portrayed in the film, though shallow, shows the strength of what we can do if we come together in this fight towards ignorance and prejudice.

Floating Skyscrapers (2013)

A bisexual man choosing between his male love interest and his girlfriend

[7/10 · 12 June 2015]

"Freier Fall" (2013), anyone? I can't help mentioning another movie at the beginning of this review, as the two movies have more or less the same plot. However, it doesn't mean that those who have watched "Freier Fall" should spare their time on this movie, for "Floating Skyscrapers" has raised a lot of thought-provoking questions.

**** Spoiler alert ****

My biggest question is "Why does the woman choose to cling onto the man?" Why would any woman want to keep a man who has homosexual tendencies? Just let him go! The relationship is damaged anyway. How can the couple survive the relationship? Things only get complicated with the baby, like in "Freier Fall", but at least the woman in "Freier Fall" is smart enough to dump her husband. Is it a Polish thing to never let go of a man, I wonder?

Another question is that "What the hell is the man thinking?" He is digging his own grave when he invites the man over for lunch, and then dumb enough to have three people go on a trip together, only to get intimate with his love interest in the same tent that his girlfriend is sleeping in. WHAT? You either choose the man or the woman! At least the male lead in "Freier Fall" tries to hide his male love interest from his wife, which makes the situation plausible.

Okay, I get it: there is no happy ending for gay couples. That's the only possible explanation for the abrupt ending, except that it is unfortunately quite plausible. Hey: we're talking about Poland! Not just in Poland, things like this happen all the time! I wonder if this is all karma - if the male lead didn't beat up one of the gang members, maybe his love interest will not get revenged. Perhaps this is his consequence for being insecure about his sexuality? I don't have a definite answer for that.

But the ending only leaves me thinking more. Won't the man miss his love interest? How is he going to handle his family, when he obviously desires men now? This is not his first homosexual encounter either; won't he be tempted to have sexual relationships with men in the future? There are so many questions that can be raised from the movie, and the movie does not offer any answers for that.

There are plentiful explicit scenes, straight sex involved; prepare your fast-forward button if you don't want to see the male lead sucking the female lead's p***y. But bravo for both the male and female lead! They are willing to show it all, which is quite a brave thing to do. Especially for Mateusz Banasiuk, who is a straight actor; he has played well the indecisiveness and the emotional conflicts of the character.

Go see this movie if you want to see how a man's world got turned completely upside down. Not a happy ending, but it leaves you thinking.

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

I like it better than the first one

[6/10 · 11 June 2015]

Having watched "Pitch Perfect 1" a day prior to my visit to cinema for "Pitch Perfect 2", I did a side-to-side comparison of the two movies. Even though the second movie doesn't improve a lot in terms of plot, I think it's slightly better than the first one. (No spoilers needed, just read the IMDb synopsis of the movie and you already know the whole plot.) A lot of irrelevant subplot got cut out, they focus more on actual acapella, and important stuffs like school and career are touched on in the movie. At least they listened to what the critics said about the first movie.

Am I the only one who DOESN'T LIKE the jokes at all? Many of those are utterly tasteless! The movie has taken a step further: now they have to make fun of Central America, Korea, Germany and Denmark too. Adding insult to injury, transgenders are also being made fun of in the movie. I swear if there is another sequel, Muslims will be their next target. Bookmark me.

The whole movie is filled with those shameful humour, which I find very offensive. I simply DON'T GET why the screenwriter would include such tasteless jokes. They aren't that funny, and they don't serve a purpose. For example, the male commentator is just sexist, but his jokes exist for no reason! He isn't really made to be disagreeable, and he just walks away with his horrible jokes. What does this movie try to prove then? Make offensive jokes and there will be no consequences?

Luckily, the male lead Skylar Astin does not appear too often in the movie. His character is too perfect and blameless there's nothing interesting in him. His character is as two-dimensional as a flat surface.

What makes this movie enjoyable for me is Rebel Wilson and Flula Borg's performance. Rebel single-handedly saved this movie with her innate humour and lovable movie lines. Flula's performance is even more impressive. Perhaps his example will show Hollywood that people from Youtube aren't necessarily wacky and some of them actually have talents!

I was kind of surprised that Obama would agree to appear in this movie, given that this movie isn't that good to begin with. I hope there will not be a "Pitch Perfect 3", because enough is enough.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

The last twenty minutes saved the whole movie

[5/10 · 9 June 2015]

As much as I would love to enjoy this movie, I just couldn't. I'm a big music fan but this movie just does nothing for me.

First of all, it's rare that I find NONE of the characters likable. I just hate all of them twenty minutes into the movie. And at thirty minutes, I was already wondering if I should stop watching it.

The racist and homophobic jokes are utterly tasteless. What was the director thinking about when producing the movie?

If it wasn't for the last twenty minutes, I would've given this movie a 4/10. The plot is slow until the last twenty minutes; the major swerve at the end is nice but is not really plausible for me.

I'm seeing Pitch Perfect 2 and I don't have a high hope. It's a pity, because if the plot and characters play out well, this movie could have been one of my favourites.

Keep the Lights On (2012)

Disappointing!

[5/10 · 6 June 2015]

I had high hopes for this movie because it has overwhelmingly positive reviews, some even called it the "best film of 2012". I didn't watch the movie until now, and I am really disappointed!

I was dragging myself through most parts of the movie. 30 minutes into the movie and I was thinking, "I'm not interested, what's so interesting about this movie?" Things only became slightly interesting midway through the movie, and so I tried to finish the movie to see if there's a really great ending or something. But sorry, no.

I guess there are two things you can learn after watching this movie: first, the gay hook-up culture (and how it hasn't changed 20 years later... cough... Grindr... cough...); second, the overused "drugs ruin relationships" cliché. Come to think of it, I don't really see the point of the use of drugs in this movie. What's most frustrating is that not much is known about Paul other than his drug addiction! Let's draw an easy comparison: "Weekend" (2011). I don't get how "Weekend" was dragged for filth for featuring drug use, when it actually carries weight and adds an excellent level of depth to the characters! Yes, Paul is a druggie, so what then?

Go see this movie if you want to see a rocky relationship that may or may not work out in the end (no spoiler duh). But don't get you hopes up cause you'll be just as disappointed as I am.

The Third One (2014)

A glimpse into the life of a gay couple

[7/10 · 6 June 2015]

This is a nice movie which sheds light on the life of a gay couple. I personally find the 20-minute dialogue between the three actors the highlight of the movie. It's taken in two long shots, 10 minutes per shot. The conversation really provides a glimpse into the life of a gay couple. I particularly like how the conversation is so natural and spontaneous that it is like being taken from a genuine conversation. In terms of dialogue, I think it's just as good as "Weekend" (2011), which has been praised for its natural and genuine dialogue between the two male leads.

The nervousness displayed by the male lead Fede is also praiseworthy. His visible nervousness adds layers of depth to the character and shows how nervous one can be before a hook-up.

However, I have to say there are several parts of the movie that I don't really like. First, the 20-minute chat room scene is REALLY unnecessary. The conversation is SO ordinary that it adds nothing to the movie. If you haven't watched the movie yet, I suggest you to skip that part because the movie works just fine with that scene. My other complaint is that the sex scene is almost awkward to watch. It's difficult to endure a one-shot intimate scene in which you only get to see the actors' face and chest. What's the point? Either cut it short or let the audience sees everything! Well, probably not the latter, as the sex is poorly simulated. I wonder if any of the actors gets a hard-on during the scene - it'd be pretty embarrassing!

The summary of the movie says the male lead Fede "has changed after the night", which I do not find to be the case. Not much growth is shown at the end of the movie, except that the audience catches him enjoying last night's memories, as if he has learnt something from it.

The biggest problem of the movie is that it doesn't really have a clear focus. It's not focusing on a romantic relationship, or a person's growth, or a really good sex. At the end of the movie, I don't really know what the movie wants to represent. The 20-minute dialogue is the only part that I find meaningful and can provoke thoughts on the life of a gay couple. Besides that, I fail to see how the movie works. It's still worth a watch, but only if you can endure a sex scene that's almost too awkward to watch.

Salvation Army (2013)

This movie isn't that bad!

[8/10 · 4 June 2015]

This is the sort of movie that doesn't have much of a plot, but is compelling enough to keep you watching. The shots were incredibly beautiful, yet powerful. But then, if you were looking for a movie which involves a romantic plot or erotic scenes, you might just be as disappointed as I am.

If you are looking for a "proper" gay movie, this is definitely not one. I wouldn't even say that "gay" is the main theme of the movie - "confusion" might be a more suitable one. As an auto-biographical movie, I think it does a pretty good job already. I am intrigued by the movie to read the novel, too.

Bottom line: only watch this movie if you want to spend an hour or two to get to know the story of a person, who just happens to be gay. If not, watch "Hawaii" (2013), a movie with similar pace and cinematography, except that "Hawaii" actually has a plot.

The Way He Looks (2014)

Like the Short Film, This Movie Is Beyond Stunning

[8/10 · 28 May 2015]

First off, let me just say this: if you haven't watched the movie yet, I strongly recommend you not to watch the short film first. I found that watching the short film first ruined my watching experience of this movie.

I actually forgot how I stumbled upon this movie; I think the movie trailer was auto-played by the Youtube player. Anyway, it is indeed a great film, and I was so happy to have come across this movie by accident.

To be frank, one of the reasons I was keen on watching this film is because of its high rating. It's just a few marks below one of my absolute favorites, Weekend (2011), which stimulated me to watch this film.

Basically, this movie is an elaborated version of the short film. The two films more or less have the same plot. I always think it's hard to turn an outstanding short film into an outstanding 90-minute movie. This one definitely did not disappoint me. When I was watching the movie, I was thinking why it could get such a high rating. Well, the reason is really simple: it is genuine. None of the dialogues is misplaced; the emotions are heartfelt; and the cinematography is indeed splendid. The actors made the plot believable too: Gabriel (Audi) and Leo (Lobo) were great actors; they conveyed the emotions smoothly. I was surprised to know Audi's real age and Lobo's normal eyesight. I guess that is evidence that they really carried the story well.

There are one or two scenes which can be considered slightly explicit, but they don't exist just for the visual stimulation. They carry weight, reveal characters' inner-feelings, and move the plot forward. You know, some films include explicit sex scenes which indeed provide pleasure for the viewers, but this movie is not one of them.

I also loved how the plot is so simple yet heartwarming. Like some reviewers have pointed out, this movie does remind you of what first love feels like, especially for gay teenagers. The confusing emotions and the hesitation of whether to trust your feelings are revealed splendidly in this movie. Also, the fact that the film involves a blind character adds a twist to the movie. The plot is indeed a wonderful one, but after watching the movie, I can only wonder whether a blind, gay teenager falling in love with a new student who also happens to be gay is plausible. I'm not saying that the fairytale ending is implausible, but the way that the movie is packaged as "a beautiful youth story" took away a tiny bit of my love for this movie. Hence why it's a 8/10, not 9. Nonetheless, in this world where gay stories almost never have happy endings, I will gratefully take this movie.

One more point to add: I don't know if critics have noticed, but clothing have become a recurrent theme in gay film and literature. Like Jack's bloodstained shirt in Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Oliver's "Billowy" shirt in André Aciman's novel "Call Me By Your Name" (2007), Gabriel's jacket has become one more item to be included in the recurrent theme of "clothing" in gay film and literature. The meaning of clothes is not just on physical but also metaphorical level, and in this film, Leo's yearning for Gabriel is best revealed by how he treated Gabriel's jacket.

Let's just put it this way: if you haven't seen the movie, you need to watch it as soon as possible.