THE BIRDCAGE

The Birdcage is a 1996 gay comedy. Armand Goldman owns a drag club called The Birdcage where his gay partner Albert is the star. Armand although gay has a son named Val. Val lets Armand know that he is planning to marry Barbara the daughter of a very conservative Senator. The two families have to meet and everyone knows Kevin Keeley the senator will not be amused to find his in laws are a gay couple. They hatch a plan where Albert plays the role of Val's uncle while Armand and Katherine Val's biological parents play the role of father mother. The plan begins to go bad because Albert is too flamboyant to act like a straight man. Katherine gets stuck in traffic and so Albert takes over the role of Val's mother wearing a wig. The Senator and his wife do not notice the gimmick. Katherine however arrives and introduces herself as Val's mother and it confuses the Senator plus wife. Val is forced to explain the true situation and even though the Keeley's are shocked Barbara and Val go ahead to do a wedding which both families attend.

THE WEDDING BANQUET

This is a 1993 gay movie about a gay couple who live together in USA but then the parents to one of them start interfering. Wai-Tung Gao is of Taiwanese descent and so his traditional minded parents from living in Taiwan expect him to marry soon and get children since he is already in late 20s. His boyfriend Simon hatches a plan to get the parents out of their affairs. He proposes that Gao marry a lady named Wei-Wei who is their tenant. It will only be a marriage of convenience for a limited duration since she also wants to get a green card through the marriage. Gao's parents decide to jet in for the wedding bringing with them lots of cash for a grand event. The wedding turns out very embarrassing since Gao is gay and does not like the affair with a woman even kissing. Wei-Wei rapes Gao and she gets pregnant. This upsets Simon very much. Circumstances reach boiling point and Gao is forced to confess his homosexuality to his mother. The mother is shocked and asks him not to tell the father who is recovering from a stroke. Unknown to Gao, his father already knows. The father informs Simon of about their secret affair and accepts him as another son. Meanwhile Wei-Wei gives birth and the whole family accepts the awkward scenario warmly.

WEEKEND

Weekend is a 2011 British gay film. Russell attends a house party with his straight friends but leaves early. He decides to head for a gay club where he meets Glen a studying artist. They both go to Russell's apartment where they have sex. Russel gets bored at the pool where he works as a lifeguard and decides to call Glen. They go back to Russell's flat where they get to know each other better. Glen learns Russell grew up in foster homes. Russell is upset to find out Glen is moving to USA soon for further studies and even has a farewell party planned for next day. Russell agrees to attend. While at the party a girl friend to Glen confides in Russell that Glen has had a previous gay relationship which went wrong. After the party at home Glen discovers Russell has been with his ex boyfriend John. That Sunday morning Glen leaves leaving Russell disappointed. Russell attends his friend Jamie's daughter birthday. He is clearly distort and when he explains to Jamie they decide to visit the train station to see Glen off. It is an emotional moment as Russell says goodbye and Glen hands him a present. Back home Russell opens the present to find it is a voice recorder with oral recollections of the activities over the weekend.

THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE

The Curiosity Of Chance is a 2006 gay comedy which follows a 16 year old boy's life in a European international school for a year. Chance Marquis is a gay teenager who shows up with a top hat and cane on his first day at Brickland International High School. His demeanor attracts the attention of bullies who single him out to torment. Chance however quickly learns how to survive after making friends with the school's biggest misfits. Chance is still discovering his gay self and so he visits a drag bar. When photos of Chance in a drag show emerge in school he has a hard time dealing with the homophobia that comes with it.

THE SKINNY

The Skinny is a black gay movie released in 2012. This film revolves around four black gay men who are former classmates at Brown University and their lesbian friend Langston who is a Yale University PhD student. They have met in New York for the Gay Pride March. Magnus who is their host is an affluent medical student and has a boyfriend named Ryan. Magnus' friends discover Ryan's profiles on the internet about sex parties including other sexual activities. They are shocked and Magnus now learns that Ryan has been living another life. They break up. Meanwhile, one of their friends Sebastian is date raped after getting high on ecstasy at a club. His HIV tests including those of the two men who he later identified as the rapists turn out negative. Kyle who works in film back in Los Angeles returns home sad after he discovers his positive HIV status.

GODS AND MONSTERS

Gods and Monsters is a 1998 gay movie about once powerful film director James Whale. He gets his fame especially for directing Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. James is long retired. He paints for leisure. James has numerous gay lovers who frequent the house. His housekeeper Hanna does not approve of all the infidelity even though she does not speak out. James is in poor health though. His casual contacts with random gay boys is cut short when he falls in love with the new gardener who is a former marine and Korean war veteran. This film revolves around James' fascination with the new gardener and eventual suicide.

IN THE NAME OF

In The Name Of is a 2013 gay movie about a catholic priest. Father Adam works at a home of teenagers with behavioral problems. Adam is secretly gay. He has used the vow of celibacy to escape from his own sexuality. He refuses sexual advances from one of the boys using his vow as an excuse. A new boy has also been spreading rumors about his homosexuality. At one time comes upon two of the boys having sex on a chair. He removes the chair the next day and the active partner could tell father Adam knows. The passive boy later commits suicide and only father Adam and the other boy know why. Father Adam carries a very heavy burden of staying in the closet and celibate. Trouble catches up with him when he is accused of having an affair with a boy.

LAW OF DESIRE

This 1987 gay movie also goes by the Spanish title La ley del deseo. The film follows a complex love triangle between three gay men namely Pablo, Juan and Antonio. Pablo is a film director. His homosexual partner is Juan. Pablo meets Antonio at a party and they both go ahead and have sex. It is Antonio's first time to have sexual intercourse and he gets obsessed with Pablo. Antonio also gets jealous of Juan's relationship with Pablo. He confronts Juan and ends up throwing him off a cliff to his death. Pablo suspects Antonio for the death but he gets engaged in an accident which gets him hospitalized. Pablo's sister Tina reveals that she has found a lover at last. Pablo discovers the lover is actually Antonio. Antonio holds Tina hostage in order to get time with Pablo. Antonio shares some moments with Pablo then commits suicide.

FLOATING SKYSCRAPERS

Floating Skyscrapers is a 2013 gay film about Kuba who trains as a swimmer and is still discovering his homosexuality. Kuba has a girlfriend named Sylwia. She takes Kuba to an art exhibition after picking him up from training. There he meets Michal and they both strike a conversation. Unknown to Sylwia, Kuba is secretly gay and has been admiring men training including receiving oral sex from a guy in the bathroom. Kuba and Michal continue to meet and grow fond of each other. Michal falls in love with Kuba One day at a dinner in Kuba's home, Michal tells Kuba's mother about his love for Kuba. The relationship distracts Kuba from his training and one day he quits in the middle of a swimming competition. Michal eventually comes out to his family about his homosexuality and love for Kuba.

LONGTIME COMPANION

Longtime Companion is a 1989 gay movie which chronicles the emergence of HIV/AIDS and the impact it had on a group of several gay friends. Sean is a scriptwriter, Howard comes from a wealthy family, Paul is a business executive, Fuzzy is a lawyer then Willy and John. They also have a lady friend called Lisa who is Fuzzy's sister. John is hospitalized for pneumonia only to be diagnosed with the new disease which The New York Times calls the 'gay cancer'. Gay cancer was a term used to describe AIDS before research found out what it was because it was first discovered widespread among the gay community in New York. John is the first in the group to die from AIDS complications. Several of the friends continue to fall ill and die from the disease including Howard who discovers early enough to declare his status publicly and raise money for AIDS causes. The title of this gay film comes from the term The New York Times used to describe homosexual partners. The New York Times always described the surviving homosexual partner in the obituaries as his longtime companion.

NORTH SEA TEXAS

North Sea Texas is a 2011 gay movie about an introverted child named Pim. Pim spends most of his time drawing and sometimes cross dressing with his mother's clothing. Pim falls in love with another boy Gino who is a neighbor. They do share several intimate moments during their teen years but it later turns out Gino has a girlfriend. Gino soon starts spending more time and moving in with the girlfriend leaving Pim lonely again. Gino's sister Sabrina is in love with Pim but it takes her some time to discover that Pim is gay. Sabrina turns hostile on Pim after she discovers even though he moves into their home when his mother runs off with a boyfriend. Gino's mother dies and it reunites Pim and Gino once again even though Gino has moved on.

YOSSI & JAGGER

Yossi & Jagger is a 2002 Israeli gay movie about two soldiers who are in a secret romantic affair. Yossi commands a unit near the Lebanon border. Jagger is second in command and very handsome. One day the colonel comes to supervise and night time ambush with two female soldiers. One of them Yaeli has a crush on Jagger but he is not interested since he is gay and in love with Yossi. Yossi is against the operation that night because of safety concerns due to the full moon. It however goes ahead and fatally injured and dies in Yossi's arms. At a funeral reception Jagger's mother thinks Yaeli is her son's girlfriend but only Yossi knows even his favorite song.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 gay movie slightly based on Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1, 2 and Henry V. The film is about two friends Mike and Scott. Mike is a gay hustler who is quiet and suffers from narcolepsy. He was abandoned as a child and is trying to find his long lost mother. Scott is the son to Portland's mayor. Mike is picked up by a woman at his hustling spot and once in her house he meets best friend Scott and another hustler Gary. Mike suffers another narcolepsy attack while preparing for sex with the woman. He wakes up next day with Scott in Portland. They leave for Idaho to visit Mike's older brother Richard on a quest to find Mike's mother. Richard tells Mike his mother works as a hotel maid but when they visit the hotel they find she left for Italy to find her own family. Mike and Scott travel to Italy and find the farmhouse his mother worked but a young lady named Carmela who lives there informs them she returned to USA months ago. Scott and Carmela fall in love. Scott is bisexual even though he still insists he is straight and will leave hustling once he turns 21 and inherits the father's fortune. The lovers return to USA leaving Mike to return alone sad. Scott's father soon dies and he inherits the fortune. Scott rejects and avoids company with all his fellow hustlers now. He now runs a posh restaurant. Meanwhile, Mike is back on the road and suffers another attack. Two men pull up and steal his backpack and shoes. Later, someone else unidentified puts Mike in a car and drives off with him. The origin of this gay movie comes from a 1963 Novel, City of Night.

AN EARLY FROST

An Early Frost is a respectable gay movie made for television in 1985. It was the first major TV movie to deal with the topic of AIDS. The movie is about Michael Pierson a successful young gay lawyer. One day Michael suffers from a bad cough at work and is rushed to hospital. There he gets the bad news that he has AIDS. His gay partner Peter confesses that he has had sex outside their relationship because Michael works to much and is closeted. Michael is infuriated and he throws Peter out then travels to inform his parents. His father Nick is angry about the news and refuses to talk to him for some while. He even gets very upset when Michael tries to kiss his sister. Nick just like most other Americans at the time is not well informed about AIDS and its mode of transmission. Michael's health continues to deteriorate as he suffers discrimination both from family and co-workers because of his sexual orientation and AIDS. He eventually winds up in hospital even though paramedics had refused to transport him. In hospital he meets Victor a flamboyant homosexual also dying from AIDS. Because of misinformation about AIDS at the time, even hospital staff treat AIDS patients with a level of caution including throwing away Michael's possessions. This film depicts the emergence of AIDS especially among gay people at the time and the disparity associated with it.

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

Keep The Lights On is a 2012 gay film about two gay men one a lawyer and the other an artist. Erik is an artist while Paul is a lawyer. The two men meet through a phone sex hotline. They immediately get attracted to each other and begin an intimate gay relationship. Paul is having a problem with drug addiction and it affects their relationship greatly. Erik is working on a documentary which he is successful with. This film is about relationships and how sex, friendship, intimacy and love play a part in them.

PARIS IS BURNING

Paris is burning is not necessarily a gay movie but a 1990 documentary about the ball culture among the gay and transgender. It consisted of the minority Latino and African-American communities. Balls are competitions in which cross dressers compete on a run way walk just like real models. Judgement criteria includes drag reality, clothing beauty and voguing. Voguing is a dance imitating the fashion poses on the cover of Vogue Magazine. This gay documentary switches between ball competitions and interviews with some of the prominent members in the scene. It explores their personal lives and things they have had to go through because of their identity such as racism, homophobia, AIDS and poverty. Some were kicked out by their parents at a young age while some survive as sex workers. This underground community finds freedom to be themselves in these balls away from a world which discriminates and despises them.

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS

Before Night Falls is a 2000 gay film based on the autobiography of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas. Reinaldo was born and raised in Cuba's Orient province by his single mother and grandparents in 1943. Reinaldo moves to the capital Havana to continue with his studies. While in Havana Reinaldo explores his sexuality and is soon openly gay. He is also given a chance to publish his writings after receiving a honorary mention in a contest. His political writings and homosexuality make him a target of Castro's regime and it is not long before he is accused of molesting minors. He is imprisoned at El Morro. After being released he eventually manages to flee Cuba to New York where he moves in with his friend Lazaro. His joy is however short lived as he is diagnosed with AIDS. After battling with the disease for several years, Reinaldo takes his own life after intentionally overdosing on drugs and alcohol on December 7th 1990.