Today we have the fabulous Daisy Harris and her Gay Movie Review Blog Tour. Welcome Daisy!
Movie Reviews: Awesome Gay Foreign Films, Volume 2
Hello, loyal followers! And thanks Jessica for having me on the blog today.
An introduction for those of you who don’t know me already—
I write books. Romance books about gay men. As such, I watch a lot of gay movies and gay-themed television shows. I figure that if you’re here, you might enjoy some of the same gay movies I have. And this being the holidays, you might be looking for something new to watch….
So—
Welcome back to my Gay Movie Review blog tour! The tour calendar is at the end of the post, so you can follow along to other stops. As with most blog tours, there’s a prize involved. A randomly selected commenter will win a DVD of my favorite gay movie I’ve watched this year, Weekend, and a free book from my backlist.
On with the blog…
#1: C.R.A.Z.Y.
This gem of a movie is French Canadian. So right off the
bat, you know it’s going to be sexy and have attitude for miles. Yes, it’s in
French. (Canadian French! Deal with that!) So there are subtitles. But the fact
that it stars the incredibly sexy Marc-André Grondin more than makes up for the effort of reading the dialogue.
At its heart, C.R.A.Z.Y is a family drama. It’s about a
father’s love for his five sons, a son’s love for his father. And if you don’t
mind, I’m going to stop with the periods between each of the letters...
So, yeah, CRAZY is a family drama, and also a coming out story. The core conflict is between Zachary Beaulieu (played by Marc-André Grondin) and his father, Gervais Beaulieu (played by Michel Côté.) As a young, gay man, Zac struggles with his perfect older brother, his giant family, his disapproving father, his sexuality and his obsession with Ziggy Stardust.
Oh, and this movie is set in the 70s. Did I mention that? No. I don’t believe I did. But, regardless. It’s set in the 1970s, so not only do we get to see Marc-André Grondin in make up, we also get to see him in bell bottoms.
Nothing but win here.
The ending is uplifting, an essential in my book for “awesome movie” status. But the whole thing is deep, heartfelt, and beautifully told. This is a must-see gay film. Highly, highly recommended!
It won 35 awards! So, honestly, it’s not just me that thinks this movie is great.
Here’s the trailer. You be the judge…
#2: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is not just a good movie, or a great movie, but it’s an IMPORTANT movie. Every author who writes male-male romance, in my opinion, should watch this film.
Maxi Oliveros (played by Nathan Lopez) is a twelve-year-old feminine gay boy growing up in the slums of Manila. His family—composed of a father and two brothers—are petty criminals. And Maxi falls in puppy love with a handsome, very adult, cop.
This story is outstanding in so many ways. It’s fresh, honest, real, uplifting. But more than that, it takes place in a culture where there is a lot more room for gender fluidity than there is in the US. Maxi’s father and brothers love him unconditionally, and spoil him with trinkets and barrettes. Maxi has a group of little-boy friends who are just as feminine as he is, and who are known and loved by everyone in the neighborhood.
In a world filled with people with real problems (as opposed to first world problems), being gay, and even feminine, is only part of Maxi’s landscape as he struggles to grow up.
The work he does for his family helps put food on the table. And by “food”, I mean mainly rice. His father is a criminal because it pays well. Back when he worked a “real” job, Maxi’s father lost his wife because he didn’t have money to pay for a doctor. Maxi’s father is fiercely protective of his family, and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they have the basics they need to survive.
The police officer Victor is a good man, too, and very aware of the evils both within the police force and outside it. He wants to help Maxi, but struggles not to use their relationship to bring Maxi’s father to justice.
In the end, this is a story about growing up. It’s happy, sad, and everything in between. Watch it. Right now.
It won a kajillion awards. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the trailer below, and see what I’m talking about. I bet you end up renting Blossoming tonight.
This ends today’s installment of the Daisy Harris Gay Movie Review Blog Tour. Come by my blog (www.thedaisyharris.com) on Thursday, where I’ll be discussing the Eating Out franchise, pre-Chris Salvatore!
Oh, and be sure to comment at the end. Have you seen these movies? Did you love? Hate? Have any other movies to recommend? Add your two cents.
The Daisy Harris Gay Movie Review Blog Tour Schedule:
Tuesday, November 27 — Awesome Gay Foreign Films, Volume 1 (Cup o Porn)
Thursday, November 29 — Good But Depressing Gay Foreign Films (Alyssa Linn Palmer)
Tuesday, December 4 — Soccer-Themed Gay Movies (Cup o Porn)
Thursday, December 6 — Totally-a-M/M-Romance-Plotline Gay Films (Joyfully Jay)
Tuesday, December 11 — So Bad, They’re Good Gay Films (Cup o Porn)
Thursday, December 13 — Awesome Foreign Gay Films, Volume 2 (Jessica Freely)
Tuesday, December 18 — Eating Out franchise, pre Chris Salvatore (Daisy Harris)
Friday, December 21 — Awesome U.S. Gay Films (Saritza Hernandez, agent)
Tuesday, December 25 — Eating Out Franchise, post Chris Salvatore (Daisy Harris)
Thursday, December 27 — Gay Adoption Films (Fiction with Friction)
Saturday, December 29 — Gay Films for the Holidays (Tara Lain)
Bio:
Birkenstock-wearing glamour girl and mother of two by immaculate conception, Daisy Harris still isn't sure if she writes erotica. Her romances start out innocently enough. However, her characters behave like complete sluts. Much to Miss Harris's dismay the sex tends to get completely out of hand.
She writes about fantastical creatures and about young men getting their freak on, and she's never missed an episode of The Walking Dead.
Want to learn more about new releases, general news and my latest inappropriate boy band crush? Sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/b96xX
Or visit my website: www.thedaisyharris.com
Oh, my, I didn't know Grondin had another movie (should have known from the way Baruchel was raving about him in the GOON bonus features). I'll have something besides his Van Damme imitation now--thank you!
Posted by: Trix | December 13, 2012 at 01:29 PM
OMGOMG! There are Goon Bonus Features????? Where are these features??
0.0 #WANT
And yes, this is where I first saw Grodin. He was SO HOT in this movie.
Posted by: Daisy Harris | December 13, 2012 at 05:10 PM
BTW, thanks, Jessica, for having me on the blog!
-D
Posted by: Daisy Harris | December 13, 2012 at 05:10 PM
You're welcome, Daisy! What a terrific idea for a blog series. M/M fans and gay movies -- a natural combination. And now I have some new movies to check out. :) I just watched Beautiful Boxer and Another Gay Movie recently. I enjoyed both.
Posted by: Jessica Freely | December 13, 2012 at 06:22 PM
The GOON DVD has a ton of extras, though a lot of them are kind of...extraneous. (Not much for the hockey nut, nor tons of artistic insight.) So, I recommend keeping a quick finger on the fast-forward button...I think Marc-Andre doing Van Damme (the black suit and slick ponytail gives it away) might be in the blooper reel (but you might want to double-check). I wish that part had been longer...it was pretty adorable.
Posted by: Trix | December 13, 2012 at 11:26 PM
Jessica—glad to hear you liked Not Another Gay Movie. It was sort've over the top, but I really like it. And yeah, Griff and his straight-acting jock. Can't remember his name now, but that character was so up my alley. I'm all about the reluctant tops. :)
Thanks again for having me on! Cheers, D
Posted by: Daisy Harris | December 14, 2012 at 12:59 AM