The LGBT Magazine [March 2012]

Amy's Top Gay Movies :D

Hello, my favorite person in the world! Yes, that means you. :3

My name is Amy, the newest member of this little group. :) I'm basically the silent member on this account, I mainly handle PMs (while Alex takes care of the Facebook account and stuff like that, and Laurie answers peoples' questions and makes the final decisions.)

This chapter is all about my favorite GAY MOVIES! ;) And I've seen a lot. Admittedly, I have spent hours upon hours on Youtube looking for good gay movies. It's basically what I spend my weekends doing and I regret nothing. :3 Sooooo, I've supplied a list of my favorite movies (and the links for your convenience). 

1. Juste Une Question D'Amour (Just A Question of Love)- 

[French with English subtitles. Made in 2000.]

This is an 88 minute movie, in which you follow the blooming story of Laurent, who's working as a summer apprentice to botanist Cedric. Laurent is a closet gay and lives with his best friend Carole to hide his sexuality from his highly conservative parents, who believe Carole is his girlfriend. Cedric, on the other hand, is openly gay thanks to his mother's support. Together, their love blossoms alongside the flowers in the greenhouse at which they work. But when Laurent's parents discover who he truely is, let's just say it isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

[Personal rating: PG-13 for brief nudity and light language]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLxiX-o2vj8&

 ((Laurie: This is a great film, and Laurent kinda looks like a cross between R Patz and the guy who plays Tyler in the vampire diaries... sounds weird but seriously he's one beut french man :P))

2. Shelter-                                                                                                                                                                

[American. Made in 2007.]

97 minutes of pure bliss! :D One of my absolute favorites, and if you haven't seen this movie, you must! This is a movie based around the life of Zach, a young man who had dreams of going to art school and making something of himself and his talent. These dreams were then crushed when his sister Jeanne had a son at a young age. Jeanne is an unfit mother, so Zach abandoned his hopes for college in order to take care of his nephew Cody. When his friend Gabe's openly gay older brother Shaun comes home for a visit, Shaun takes a bit of interest in Zach. This movie is a well-known favorite among the gay community, and it even has a happy ending (which is extremely rare in gay cinema). Not to mention both guys are hot. ;)

[Personal Rating: PG-13 just to be on the safe side]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpCNQGvYcpI

((Laurie, and i just wanna say Shelter is the BEST! ahh love that film so much <3))

3. Beautiful Thing-        

 [British. Made in 1996.]  

Sometimes it's hard to understand what they're saying due to their accents, but maybe that's because I'm American. ((Yeah Amy, its cuz your american :P I can understand it perfectly fine :)) If you're british I'm sure you'll have no problem at all. :) [Alex: *cough* that's because you are British, Laurie...]  Anyways, Jamie and Ste are next door neighbors in an apartment complex, go to the same school, and do much of the same activities. Yet these two boys rarely talk to each other, barely acknowledge each other. Ste gets beaten by his father and brother often, and one day he gets locked out of the apartment. Having nowhere else to go, Ste sleeps in Jamie's apartment. In the same room, in the same bed. Ste confesses that his family abuses him, and both boys bond closer to each other. (Apparently Ste is short for Steven?)... ((imma going to add and say its another one with a good ending... I hate films with bad endings. :( ))

[Personal Rating: PG-13 for rough language and physical abuse]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJETqDXeNrA

4. Chicken-

[Irish. Short film. Made in 2001.]

This short clip manages to correctly portray the intimacy and trust of young love in less than three minutes, regardless of sexuality. Subtle and sweet is the perfect way to describe this clip. Two friends, Mick and Kev spend the afternoon near railroad tracks that run alongside the seashore. Mick shows Kev how to "shotgun" empty beer cans, and when Kev fails to mimick the correct technique, Mick calls him a wuss and suggests they play the Knife Game as a test of courage.

[Personal Rating: PG]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2htKgdL7aY

5. Get Real-

[British. Made in 1998.]

 Steven Carter is intelligent, introverted, and gay. His only sexual outlet is the local park bathrooms, where he communicates with other boys through a hole in the wall and then sets up a meeting place from there. Despite the school's star jock being straight, he hits on Steven at the bathrooms, mistaking his handwriting for a girl's. (Makes more sense if you watch the movie.) Both boys are mortified, but Steven is open about being gay to John. Intrigued, John follows Steven home and makes a play on him, then panics and runs. After ignoring Steven at school, John gets drunk and surprises Steven at his house. There, John breaks down and confesses to Steven about a prior homosexual encounter and his confusion over his sexuality. Let's just say Steven solves John's confusion and they spend the weekend together. Their relationship grows and Steven pressures John to go public with their relationship. John claims that he's not ready, but Steven is sick of living a lie. When he comes out to the school through a public speech, will John follow his boyfriend's lead?

[Personal Rating: PG-13 for brief nudity and underage drinking]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDTz0gasLoQ

6. Starcrossed

[American. Short Film. Made in 2005.]

Darren and Connor have always had a close relationship, bonding over their father's harsh attitude towards them. As teenagers, they enter a spontaneous sexual relationship which soon merges into a romantic one. When their mother finds them sleeping naked together in bed, their parents plan to separate them forever. Darren and Connor run away from home to a motel, fleeing from the police. This 15 minute movie made me cry at the end. :( And this is INCEST between two brothers, in case you didn't understand from the summary.

[Personal Rating: PG-13  for incest]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-eamZcHHhs&feature=g-vrec&context=G2c8e966RVAAAAAAAAAA

7. Sommersturm (Summerstorm)-

[German with English subtitles. Made in 2004.]

Tobi and Achim have been best friends and rowing teammates forever. Their rowing team enters a competition over the summer, where all the teams camp and train at the same camp. When Tobi's team shares a campsite with Queerschlag, an all-gay rowing team, Tobi is forced to reflect on his not-so-innocent feelings for Achim, who is romantically attached to his long-term girlfriend. Tobi acts on his feelings and is promptly rejected, finding intimacy and comfort in Leo, a member of Queerschlag. 

[Personal Rating: R for sexual content, drug use, and underage drinking.]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeJLQPKXqg8

And there you have it! :D All my favorite gay movies. Of course, I'm also a huge fan of Queer as Folk but that's not a movie so I didn't include it. ;) All the links are only Part 1 of each movie, so you'll have to find the rest of the parts on the uploader's account or on the suggested videos on the side. Sorry about that. :(

If you know of any other good gay movies that aren't on this list, please tell me! :) I'm always up for watching more gay films. 

Hugs and butterfly kisses,

Amy :3

***Note: All the links will be left in a comment, so they'll be direct links to make it easier for you. :D