Looking: Season 1 (TV series)

The whole concept of gay series is indeed picking up. It all started with web series and it is very surprising and refreshing to see a big production company like HBO taking up the task of bringing a gay series on HBO. Sure, some would say that what's the big deal but whatever you say, I think it is pretty brave. The show has only aired 8 episodes in Season 1 but I completely enjoyed it.

THe show basically focusses on lives of 3 friends in San Francisco. Friendship binds them but each of them is at a different point in their journey. Patrick, works as a video game designer and wants ti get back into the dating scene after breaking up with his ex. Agustine is an aspiring artist. After he moves in with his boyfriend, he starts questioning his career and the whole idea of monogamy. And finally we have Dom, the oldest member and a longtime waiter. His romantic and professional dreams are still unfulfilled. Other characters are also introduced. Patrick meets Richie, a hair dresses, and is forever confused in what he really wants from his relationship with him. The confusion only escalates when his new boss is gay and after few months of flirting, his boss openly tells him he likes Patrick. Agustine befriends a sex worker and brings him for a threesome rendezvous wit his boyfriend without informing him about the details. His bf, who has been supportive of him throughout can't take anymore and asks him to leave. Dom, who wants to run his own restaurant has always been attracted to younger boys. Things change when he meets an older man, who not only helps in taking the next step in realizing his dream but could he also be the love of Dom's life that he has been looking for all along.

The stories intertwine and unspool dramatically as they search for happiness and intimacy in an age of unparalleled choices for gay men. It's refreshing to see characters of different ages relating socially even though some might say this happens infrequently in the real world. In gay online culture Looking means available for sex now, but this show is much more than that. The characters are looking for satisfaction, fulfillment in careers, friends and family. Performance wise, every actor is doing a fantastic job including all the characters that keep coming in the show. The dialogues are pretty natural and real. The sex-scenes are frank, but very tasteful and more is implied than ever shown, anyway. The humor is genuine and seems completely spontaneous. I really appreciate this more methodical approach.

I for sure am looking for the next season of this series. (8/10)

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Solo (Spanish) [Alone]

This film so much reminded of this hindi film "Kaun" that I had seen years back. It depends on your perspective of whether the 2 movies are in any way similar to each other or are poles apart but if you are a reader who also happened to have seen the film, then you would know what similarities I am talking about in the basic plot line. "You never know who are inviting home. Also you never know, whose home you are going to."

Manuel is a very handsome 27 year old furniture designer. One night bored alone at his home, he meets Julio on a chat room and next thing you know is that Manuel invites him home. The sexual sparks are ignited at once and they both stet sharing stories from their past. It is their collective problems with intimacy, trust and the fear of being hurt that make them hesitant to commit fully. Manuel tells the story of his ex-boyfriend, whom he was totally in love with and who ended up picking another young guy over him, thereby destroying his trust in every relationship. After a sex session, when Julio literally forces himself to stay over, you get a feeling that Julio is trouble and  Manuel is in danger. This fact gets multiplied when Julio keeps asking how much money does Manuel have for them to start a new fresh life away from everything and everyone because they both now think they are completely and utterly in love with each other. Tables soon turn, when a shock is waiting for Julio. He quickly finds out from the horses mouth himself, how with little of his own interpretation of the story, Manuel had completely distorted the truth and how shocking and dangerous the reality actually is. Who is being truthful, who is real, and who truly loves the other?

I have to admit that initially I thought that the film was moving at a very moderate pace and needed some steam because this could easily have been a stage play. But the length of the film made it up up for it. the film is sexy in all right moments and thrilling and exciting in others. The 2 boys keep going on back n forth and as a viewer you keep struggling on who to trust and whom not and I think this is where this small film succeeds. Julio and Manuel break-up and makeup in equal measure and we just sit and wait for that main twist to hit us. The dialogues are smarty used to show how both men are essentially just yearning for love but expecting two totally different things. The acting is wonderful by both the principal actors. Sure you may feel that a lot of time is spent on intimacy, kisses and future talks, but that was necessary in this case to completely shock the audience.

The play between the 2 men will keep you guessing. (6.5/10)

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Date And Switch

This film falls under the category of rom-com with a gay twist. The film was overall wuite decent and I saw it with 2 new friends of mine but there were a few moments in the film, which left me questioning on why certain things were happening the way they were. The film is about two high school buddies that cope with the knowledge that one of them is gay. The subject certainly isn't dated, but the film somehow fails to continuously entertain the audience. More on that later.

Michael and Matty have been best friends forever. In their high school, they make a pact that they will get laid at prom. All's well until Matty reveals that he is gay. The film now focusses more on Michael's gay panic rather than Matty's struggle for the same. Michael tries to be supportive by forcing Matty to go to a gay bar and even dancing naked in bubble soap with him. He tries to google "gay" to find more details leading to a hilarious scene between him and his father. Matty meanwhile meets a guy Greg but decides to keep the information away from Michael. Also one night, in a drunk state, Matty ends up having sex with his ex-girlfriend, who these days is quite close to Michael and he likes her. There is a tension that creeps up in their friendship but next thing we know is that they are hanging out together having fun and thats what one of my confusion was. Then at one point, in frustration Michael out's Matty in from of his parents to which he denies and even decides to go to prom with his ex-girlfriend. Michael then comes with Greg to still prove to natty how really supportive he is of Matty's choices.

There were times in movie when suddenly there would be tension between Matty and Michael and then in the next scene they would be having fun. Although Michael was trying to be supportive to Matty, I could not understand as to why would that bother Matty and him getting upset and frustrated. I thought as best friends Michael was doing the right thing. SO it was really never shown what Michael's real conflict was. Then the whole thing about them being part of the band and him not wanting to sing was an unnecessary drag in the film. Moe and more scenes were added just to show Michael's inner conflicts rather than focussing on core issues. Some of the jokes were really falling flat. The only funny scene was when Michael googles "gay". What was really lacking in the film was solid characterization, good dialogue, and interesting plot. The characters feel like teen caricatures and they simply aren’t relatable. The moments like coming out to your best friend of a decade; outing your best friend to his unsuspecting, conservative parents; or sleeping with your ex who your best friend is falling for, are not really examined in detail. They are just scenes to take the film forward which becomes a little annoying after a while.

Just an average time pass gay chick flick IMO. It definitely doesn't get boring. (5.5/10)

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