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December 27, 2005.
No Holds Barred, QAF is Genius!.
Rating: 5
This show is amazingly outstanding. It's definitely "in-your-face" and not for the weak-of-heart or close-minded. It's a series based on the queer community living in Pittsburgh mixed with humor, emotion, and enough eye candy that would make even Wonka's Oompa Loompa's hard. The actors on this show are completely amazing. Each one of them is superbly cast for the roles they take on. Two of my favorite actors on the show are actually both females. Michelle Clunie, who plays a lesbian lawyer (in a 8-year relationship with her partner, Lindsay) outstandingly. And the second, Sharon Gless, the heterosexual mother who can be seen as wanting to be a gay man herself. The show makes no apologies (most notably in Brian Kinney played by Gale Harold) to anyone for the contents of the show and its portrayal of gay life.
SEASON ONE:
This season lays all the groundwork for the seasons to follow. It doesn't truly explain where the characters came from but it does enough that you can guess, and you'd guess correctly. The bonus materials are truly awesome to watch and these episodes are much more than a "one time" view. Each are so good in their own right that you'll keep watching them over and over again. The show is based around 8 people, four queers, two dykes, and a partridge in a pear tree...I mean, and a loving mother.
So, that's Michael (shy, coy, boy-next-door type who has an insatiable crush on his best friend, Brian), Brian (no regrets, no remorse, no emotion club boy who sleeps around with everyone because, well, everyone wants to sleep with him), Ted (the depressed-Eeyore-type of the group who's always feeling sorry for himself; also the oldest of the group), and Emmett (the flamboyant and proud queen). There's also Melanie and Lindsay (two loveable lesbians who've been together since before the internet was invented) and Debbie (Michael's mother who works at the Liberty Diner where everyone eats, a proud and loud mother of a gay son and gay brother). Lastly, there's Justin, Brian's one-night-stand who just so happens to be a minor and a virgin who latches on to him like a leech. But Justin knows how to work Brian and soon the pair become, well, a pair (though Brian will forever deny it).
SEASON TWO:
After Justin's bashing in last season's finale, a lot has changed. Brian has to cope with the fact that he's actually having some emotions for Justin, while Justin has to cope with the fact that he may never be able to draw again. After leaving everyone to go live with Dr. David, Michael breaks things off and has to come back to Pittsburgh feeling left out and in last place. Everyone's moved on with their lives and Michael seems he's been left behind. The rest, I'll leave for you to watch the show...
SEASON THREE:
The first of the last seasons to feature almost half of the episodes of what the prior seasons had this season featured the continuance of Brian and Justin's "break up" and "make up," Ben and Michael's love story, Ted and Emmett's romance, and much more.
December 14, 2005.
It's ending .... NOOOOOOOOO!!!.
Rating: 3
Hi. I love QAF. I recently bought seasons 1 - 4 on eBay. Unfortunately, I'm hearing impaired and the shows aren't closed captioned. I get so frustrated when the powers that be who release DVDs, don't take their hard-of-hearing and deaf viewers into consideration. I use a headphone when watching, but I still miss a lot of what is said, especially during the Babylon scenes.
Regarding this being the final season -- yes, it makes me sick but life goes on, doesn't it?
And, in case any of you sill harbor any unrealistic hopes of a QAF season 6, check out this link to Peter Paige's March 11th letter to his fans: (...)
QAF's going off the air will leave a big gaping hole in my heart.
I will miss so many great characters.
Brian - who wouldn't love him? Yes, he is a control freak who tries to run -- and sometimes inadvertently ruins -- his friends' lives (esp. Mikie, Lindsay, and Justin)and conform them to his way of thinking. Yes, he can be a heartless bitch of a slut who treats Justin and Michael so callously. But, as with many other seemingly cruel characters, he has a heart of gold that he hides with a ferocity. Make no mistake - he loves his friends and is like a lioness protecting the cubs.
Michael - forever in love with the unattainable Brian. Ironically, Brian feels Michael is "off limits" as well, so there is always that sexual tension between them. During the course of the show he grows up and stops whining so darn much. I loved how he rushed to the hospital and silently supported the devastated Brian after Justin was almost killed. It shows he is maturing -- after all, he was at the airport when Brian called and immediately canceled his frantic, last-minute trip to Portland for him. The scene where he rescues Justin having a panic attack (during his first venture outside after being bashed) is just indicative of what a loving and caring person he is.
Justin - while his good looks pretty much left me cold at first, I grew to love his bravado and perseverance. It's so fitting that he becomes one of Deb's favorite people. He's so "in your face" about demanding common courtesy and respect for gay people. Yeah, he's a fictional character, but the world could use a lot more REAL Justins, Brians, Mels, Daphnes, and Debs. It's also heartbreaking watching him unable to remember the bashing incident, yet reacting predictably with fear to people touching him. It's also sweet that despite the fact that he's the one who received the head injury, he accurately perceives it was Brian who suffered the most damage by the incident.
Emmett - so worldly, yet naive and so adorable. He is just as protective of his friends as Brian. He is a caregiver in need of one of his own. I loved how he fell in love with George despite the great age difference.
Mel - I just love the combo of her vulnerability and toughness. She is one of Brian's worst critics (like Deb). On the other hand, she loves him for his fierce loyalty (esp. to her, Lindsay, Justin, & Michael) and like him, she exacts swift judgement and/or justice upon their friends' enemies. I thought it was so touching how she and Lindsay took Justin under their sweet, angelic wings and defended him against Brian, while trying to convince Brian he really loves Justin.
Daphne - what a little sweetheart. I just love her. She is everything a best friend should be to someone like Justin. I felt so bad for her when she fell in love with Justin, knowing full well she would never have him.
Ben - I would fall in love with someone like him in a heartbeat. He is just so manly, handsome, and vulnerable. (And, the guy who plays him is gay in real life.) I really liked Mikie's doctor boyfriend, too, but not nearly as much as Ben.
The crazy Deb (how could someone not love her). Much as I love my Mom, Sharon Gless' Deb is my ideal of a mom. Brian and Mel pale in comparison when it comes to this fierce She-Beast. Despite wanting to protect her son and her "Sunshine" from Brian, she wants to protect HIM as well -- frustrated as she is by the big, protective wall he's constructed around himself over the years.
My silly sentimental heart will heal and I will have the memories (not to mention reruns). After all, my heart has been broken by "Sex and the City," "The Golden Girls," "The X Files," "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Soap," "The Carol Burnett Show" and "Dark Shadows". Monday, 5/16, will be yet another shock to my poor long-suffering heart as "Everybody Loves Raymond" goes to rerun heaven.
The reason I gave this 3 stars as opposed to 5 is that 1) it's not closed-captioned and 2) as others have complained there is a tracking problem with several of the disks -- several of the episodes end abruptly or freeze in the middle and nothing I do will get the !@#$% things to completely play.
December 31, 2005.
WOW!!!.
Rating: 5
Wow! What more can you say about this show? Wow its so shocking, wow its so different, wow its so addictive and wow Brian and Justin are so hot.
Queer as folk has quickly become my new favourite show...and im guessing it will remain so for a long time. So far no show has been able to reach me and intrigue me as much as this one. Whether im crying over the injustice in some storylines, feeling proud of the characters in others....or down right frustrated at where Brian and Justin's "relationship" is headed - there is nothing more fascinatingly brilliant that i would want to watch.
I own the box sets for the first three seasons and i have already ordered season 4. The show isnt very well advertised here in Australia...in fact it isnt advertised at all. So i cant believe how lucky i was to be channel surfing one night recently. I only saw the last 2 episodes of season 4 on tv and i knew i had to buy the boxsets for all the seasons. Never regretted it for a second...best buy of my life. The episodes are all amazing...and the incredible special features are just an added bonus. There are cast commentaries and all sorts of "behind the scenes" features.
This is a box set for everyone both gay and straight.
BRING ON SEASON 5!!!
December 29, 2005.
STILL saving for......sooooooo worth it.
Rating: 5
I only have the first season on DVD (due to lack of funds) but have watched EVERY episode on Showtime. It's not the usual type of show I watch but the stories and characters are soooo captivating; I've laughed and cried so many times watching. Sharon Gless, "Debbie", should win some type of award every year--her character is brilliant and she plays it so well. On occasion, I can even get my husband to watch and he thinks the story lines are good too. (He gets a kick out of Emmit) This, by far, is my favorite show and I will continue saving my pennies to get all the seasons :)
December 15, 2005.
The best thing on TV.
Rating: 5
With all the crap currently saturating out screens, one looks desperately for a beacon of light. This, ladies and gentlemen, is it. Watch this show -- you will laugh, you will cry, you will scream, and you will smile (at least once per episode) guarunteed. If you want to be entertained indefinately, buy the best show on television. Queer as Folk is the most fun you've had in years
December 28, 2007.
BUYER BEWARE.
Rating: 5
Please beware of pirated copies offered here. There is no NTSC edition of this title so if you see any Seller advertising as such you can be sure it is a cheap Asian bootleg. This exquisite Collector Box Edition contains all 8 seasons on 25 double layered discs not 38 discs as these con artists say.
It is formatted for PAL, Region 2 and require PAL or multi-system DVD player. It comes in a black box, not the red box shown on a picture surely posted by one of the dishonest sellers.
December 31, 2006.
Slow, but quietly ennobling.
Rating: 4
This film is best appreciated if you take time to recognize what it is NOT. It is not an expose of the dark side of gay life in the 60s (think Dirk Bogarde in "The Victim," 1961); it is not a frivolous or slick Hollywood "coming out" story (a la "In and Out"); nor is it painfully earnest like so many independent films by gay directors. The film is simply a look into the life of a gay school teacher (Jim) in London in the mid-seventies (though I suspect it could have been shot in New York, San Francisco, or Sydney and been just as credible). Jim's days consist of making reasonable efforts to manage a classroom of unruly teens; his evenings are spent going to bars and discotheques where he connects (with varying degrees of success) with other gay men. There is a redundancy to this scenario that modern movie-goers may have little patience for ("Okay, we get it!" I can hear them screaming at their TV screens), but I found the repetition to be important. The teacher continues Sisyphus-like to make the daily efforts to meet someone. There are scenes in bars that seem to go on forever. Like Jim, we see nothing but a wall of men dancing together to endless dance club music. There are shots that last three or more minutes where the camera focuses solely on the Jim's eyes as they scan the room. Is this desperation? or patience and optimism? Viewers will clearly interpret such scenes based on their own histories and perspectives. Another recurring scene is of Jim driving his previous night's guest to the tube or their place of work. These scenes, too, can be seen as either depressingly repetitive or satirically comical. ("Oh, the things we tell one another the morning after," I said to myself. "Who do we think we are fooling?) The writer-director Ron Peck is clearly in command of his subject material. This is not Warhol's "Chelsea Girls" where the camera was kept running for no particular reason. As a viewer, you are confident that something is going on in this quiet and highly textured film. Those who can surrender to the film's rhythms will get something out of it. There are at least three stories unfolding here. There's the story of a gay man looking for a relationship; the story of a teacher willing to expose his personal life to his students if it will make a difference in their lives; and there is the story of a man's relationship with a needy fellow teacher (who happens to be a woman who probably has a crush on him, but clearly is uncertain how to process what she is learning about her colleague's lifestyle). In the end, the teacher seems to be a valiant soul, keeping it together and struggling, as all souls must, to play the hand he has been dealt.
Although there are no DVD extras, Peck did do a follow-up film that is also worth looking at ("Strip Jack Naked," 1991).
December 22, 2006.
London Bar and Work Lives.
Rating: 4
Jim (Ken Robertson) is a thirtyish geography teacher in a London comprehensive school, something like an American high school. Remarkably for 1978, he is an out gay man to any adult with an interest and quietly non-descript to the rest, including his parents. Nighthawks generally alternates scenes of Jim's visits to gay bars and their natural follow-ups with scenes of him teaching his class or talking matters over with recent teaching addition Judy (Rachel Nicholas James).
Before the movie, Jim has banished Tim, his lover for the last three months, and is looking for someone new. He tries Mike, Neal (Stuart Craig Turton), Peter, an American banker, and John. Quietly shocked, Judy offers brief advice and parallels.
Matters come to a head when Christopher, a student, asks in class whether Jim were 'bent' or 'queer'. Jim says he is, conducts a question and answer session, and, contingently, survives the reaction.
Jim has two nude scenes, Neal shows some skin, as do various dancers in the two London bars used. There are no explicit sex scenes.
Water Bearer Films did a good job of remastering, making the picture much sharper than the VHS version. There are no extras.
Each time I see the film, I like it more. The film does an especially good job of showing dating skills, including politeness, suitable intimacy management, and how to be out without making a big deal about it. The actors come across as real people dealing with real situations. Recommended.
December 06, 1999.
Depressing slice of the gay life twenty years ago..
Rating: 3
This daring film (for its day) takes us on a tour of a lonely life - a gay teacher in 1978 London trying to find a lover. It is touted as the first gay-themed narrative film with a "positive" outlook - in that no one is ashamed of being gay and no one dies in the end for being so. I will grant it that, but the life (however accurate) of a seeker of love and relationship in a world only interested in casual sex is, in the end, a negative look at a negative world. How far we've come. The film is cast with competent, though almost universally plain, actors. Some scenes go on far too long. And it's drab and drear both in locations and in lousy color saturation. This is a hard one to sit through. Its importance is totally historical - to see where we were and be glad we've come a great deal farther towards our goals.
December 11, 2007.
Hilarious.
Rating: 5
The movie touched on some serious issues, but did it in a way that you could still laugh. I highly recommend it.
December 04, 2004.
Awsome gem.
Rating: 5
This is one of my favorite movies ever. It's hillaroius with lots of heart. It's one of those films where you acually laugh and cry during it. All of the actors ( Jennifer Tilly, Mitchel Anderson, Lori Petty, "T.C", Cynda Williams, and Serena Scott Thomas in particualar) turn in great performances. The movie is about a group of friends ( who just happen to mostly be gay and lesbian) try to deal with life, death, and hard ships. I f you want more indepth descrption of it go to the other DVD edition's reviews. But I deffinetly recomend you buy this edition. Other then a great movie there is a witty, funny commentary track by Lori Petty, Jennifer Tilly and the producer Steven Wolf. I was laughing out loud with some stories and comments they had about the making of the film and there experiences in sundance. Plus I believe the two of them were the standouts of the cast so it was even more enjoyable. There are also some deleted scenes and some bloopers ( very scarce) but better then nothing. Overall it's a very good DVD and I'd buy it anyway just for the greatness of the movie. For movie with a 250,000 budget ( seriously) it deserves top honorr. Good for everyone.
December 14, 2004.
MADE IN AMERICA.
Rating: 5
What a pleasant surprise! Honestly, I have had the feeling for many years that a move like "Relax, It's just Sex" would never be made here in America. This movie is about a group of very intriguing good friends comprising of both gay and straight characters where, for once being gay is NOT the problem. It is not a "coming out" or a "is he or is she gay?" film; everyone is very comfortable with his or her sexuality to the point that they are able to be very supportive of each other no matter what is going on in a particular person's life at any particular moment.
There are many very funny moments intermingled with "real life" serious situations, which are dealt with--including love, HIV infection, commitments, a miss-carriage, and a "gay bashing". The "gay bashing" for me, really hit home. For once, in this movie, the "victim" had opportunity to get immediate revenge and did so to the shock and horror of his friends who had problems dealing with his anger and his execution of revenge on one of the bashers. (In all honestly if given the opportunity to get revenge on a "gay bashing" punk, I think that I would take advantage of that opportunity as the character, in the film, did!) All of the actors in the film are great with Jennifer Tilly giving, to me, an Oscar winning performance-she's hysterically funny at one moment and "heart breaking" the next moment. I just wish I had a group of friends as portrayed in this movie. If you are into good films, buy this DVD
December 30, 2004.
Incredible Movie.
Rating: 5
I ran into this movie while channel-surfing on TV. The introduction drew me in -- I couldn't figure out what they were doing with the people on a rotating stage in black and white and the corny 60's sounding announcer -- then suddenly the storyline went full-throttle into what could be some modern-day relationships in America. The movie not only focussed on intimate relationships between lovers but the strong bond between friends. I laughed and cried, was shocked and amazed, and thoroughly immersed throughout the entire movie. I saw the movie a few more times on cable, then have rented it a few times to show other friends who have never heard of it. Everyone loves it so I'm going to add it to my DVD collection to save having to rent it again! I highly recommend it to anyone who has an open mind, who loves great dialogue, and who actually enjoys a good story in their movie.
December 01, 2004.
ok.
Rating: 3
This movie definetly had a different plot then all the other gay films out there. A Gay man takes revenge on what the straights have been doing to him.. The scene is shocking and his friends plead with him but he doesn't stop and you feel sorry for him and the abused .. then he disappears. What happens next ? Go and see for yourself.
December 31, 2004.
Stella's Past Is Playing tricks.
Rating: 5
Stella is a young, alienated woman who is trapped by the tricks of her mind. She is driven into a life of prostitution by her mysterious past, which unfolds for the viewers in fractured, painful memories. Fragments of her childhood invade her present state of living, taking her back into a past which she longs to escape. She dreams of a redemption that will scourge her of her tortured memories, and allow her to live a new life, with her newfound love, Eddie. As she finally begins to break free of her past, Eddie's own tricks (drug use, prostitution) threaten to destroy their thread-bare happiness. Loving oneself, and forgiveness, should never be so hard. Kelly McDonald (Stella) and Hans Matheson (Eddie) give stand-out performances in this feature debut by director Corky Giedroyc. McDonald and Matheson are sensitively waif-like, vulnerable, and utterly embraceable, as two down-trodden, drug-addicted prostitutes attempting to make the best of their young, shattered lives. Their emotional facial expressions comprise the bulk of writer A.L. Kennedy's concise dialogue. Giedroyc chose to film Stella amongst the squalid streets of Prague, slashing the scene-scapes with a distorted use of chiaroscuro, and real addict-prostitutes, whom the actors worked with prior to filming. This gives Stella Does Tricks an authentic ambiance of desperation, alienation, loneliness, and despair.
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