In this Boys On Film review, Phil, Raj and Sean take on one of BFI Flare’s centrepiece film selections in Firebird.

From IMDB: At the height of the Cold War, a love triangle between a junior officer, his best friend and a handsome fighter pilot enters dangerous territory.

Firebird is like a softer “Top Gun” for gay audiences – minus the toxic masculinity and replacing it with real emotional threats to our sexuality. Homoeroticism galour. Intense, dynamic and heartbreaking.

Wow. Just wow.

Firebird was a powerful cinematic experience and captures a feeling that we haven’t quite felt since Call Me By Your Name. With a breakout performance from Tom Prior, Firebird could be a film which could set him on the path to superstardom, perhaps leading man material, the same way CMBYN did for Timothée Chalamet.

Whilst Phil and Raj loved Firebird, Sean was a little bit more middle of the road with this one. But, you should check Firebird out for yourself if our review has piqued your interest in any way.

Not quite sure when Firebird is released, but as soon as it’s available, I will be renting and owning this one on digital – which says a lot.

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every week, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post Boys On Film on BFI Flare: Firebird appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

In this Boys On Film review, Phil, Raj and Sean take on one of BFI Flare’s strongest films this year in Cowboys starring Steve Zahn and Sasha Knight.

From IMDB: A troubled but well-intentioned father who has recently separated from his wife runs off with his trans son into the Montana wilderness after his ex-wife’s refusal to let their son live as his authentic self.

With a plethora of trans films out now, Cowboys is an original standout and a fresh take on stories about young trans boys. Do not overlook this movie.

Cowboys is one important film that must not miss your radar this year.

With powerhouse performances from Steve Zahn and Sasha Knight at the forefront, Cowboys most certainly had me feeling all the feels and tears. With supporting cast in Jillian Bell and Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia as a good guy!), this little film has all the makings of an indie hit.

It’s 4s across the board from Phil, Raj and Sean for Cowboys.

Cowboys was already released in the US, but look for it to hit international PVOD markets sometime soon.

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every week, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post Boys On Film on BFI Flare: Cowboys appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

BFI Flare always brings us the best in LGBTQ+ film and this year’s online film festival certainly delivered.

In this Boys On Film review, Phil, Raj and Sean take on the opening night film – Jump, Darling starring the late Cloris Leachman and Thomas Duplessie.

From IMDB: A rookie drag queen, reeling from a break-up, escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline yet desperate to avoid the local nursing home.

Jump, Darling is a lovely gay film set to the soundtrack of Robyn, Allie X, Years and Years, Scissor Sisters and London Grammar

With an incredible pop soundtrack and touching performances, Jump, Darling highlights the relationship with a drag queen and his sometimes grouchy, but endearing grandmother.

With mixed reviews from your Boys On Film judys, Jump, Darling may not be for everyone, but if you’re a gay boy who deeply loves his grandma, this film will certainly tug on your heartstrings – especially if you love a good Robyn moment in film.

RIP Cloris Leachman and thank you for leaving us with this fantastic film.

Jump, Darling was already released in Canada, but look for it to hit PVOD in the UK and US sometime soon.

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every week, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post Boys On Film on BFI Flare: Jump, Darling appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

Alaska Is A Drag is about Leo who is doing the very best he can to stay motivated on his dream of becoming America’s next drag superstar. Sometimes this can get a little challenging whilst living in Alaska in a small trailer, working in a fish factory, helping his sister beat her cancer and getting into a homophobic scuffle just about every single day.

In this episode of Boys On Film, Phil and Raj discuss the film and it’s stellar cast led by Martin L. Washington Jr., Maya Washington, Matt Dallas, Margaret Cho, Jason Scott Lee and even a special appearance from Nia Peeples (remember her?).

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every Monday and Friday, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post BFI Flare Film Festival – Boys On Film Review: Alaska Is A Drag appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

In this episode of Boys On Film, Phil and Raj talk about their interpretations of the movie, Harris Dickinson’s impact on the movie, style versus substance and whether or not it’s a hit or miss for a second viewing.

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every Monday and Friday, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post BFI Flare Film Festival – Boys On Film Review: Postcards From London appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson, a young new actor that I’ve come to respect from his goofy role in Melissa and Joey who later ended up in this small, little indie film called Jurassic World – which somehow went on to be a massive worldwide hit. Go figure. I jest.

But really, the true reason Nick Robinson has my attention as an actor was because of his indie breakout role in The Kings Of Summer – a movie that I adore. It’s not that Nick is the next big thing or tomorrow’s new “it boy”, it’s more to do with him being your every day sort of boy-next-door that is super appealing. Too see him get a lead role in Love, Simon – playing that same sort of character that he emulates so effortlessly, really just makes a lot of sense.

Greg Berlanti
Love, Simon is directed by openly gay writer/executive producer Greg Berlanti – the genius behind some of my favourite DC Comics TV shows including Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lighting and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow. Greg knows how to tell stories for the modern day young adult and it’s nice to know that he’s taking some of his heroic tv storytelling and bringing it back onto the silver screen about a topic that close to his heart – coming out. Greg previously brought us The Broken Hearts Club in 2000 and once again offers a fresh new story using “universal themes of romance, acceptance and family” via Love, Simon.

The Conversation
I’ve seen a lot of chatter on Facebook about Love, Simon being too frivolous of a film for those in my gay circles. Well, let’s get one thing straight here. Love, Simon is a rom-com coming out story for millennials. It’s certainly no Brokeback Mountain, Call Me By Your Name or Moonlight by any stretch of the imagination – but nevertheless, I think it’s an important film.

Why is it important you ask?
Well the message Love, Simon is sending a positive one inciting that everyone deserves a great love story. There isn’t an epic trial or tribulation that Simon must go through and overcome in this movie, however it’s really about bravery, taking pride in yourself and looking at the world through your own lens. That’s what I really liked about this film. Yes, it’s a bit campy in places. For instance the Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance Somebody” dream sequence is so super-gay that even the film acknowledges it’s own ability to go OTT. And yes, perhaps the story is a bit too perfect to be realistic, but Love, Simon does make you feel-good and it will put a smile on your face with it’s witty writing and constant “who is it?” guessing game as you journey with Simon trying to find out who his secret gay pen pal really is. The point is this though. Love, Simon is important because it’s a gay film that is speaking to the masses, via mainstream distribution, telling a coming out story that resonates to us all, young and old and for those of us in-between. For me, it’s no different than some of my favorite “lighter” gay-themed movies I adored whilst growing up like Broadway Damage, Trick and Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.

Why Go See It?
Love, Simon is a new Sixteen Candles for this generation. The acting is wonderful, the story is heartwarming and the diverse cast has great on-screen chemistry, bringing together some of the hottest new talent from the 13 Reasons Why phenomenon and highlighting one of the true breakout stars of today in way of Keiynan Lonsdale from The Flash – an out queer Australian actor/musician of color who is making waves right now in TV and music. Overall, Love, Simon will make you laugh, cry and maybe even wish you were a young adult in love again, minus all the societal baggage a lot of us had to grow up with.

Love, Simon is out now in theatres. Should you need another reason to see Love, Simon well here’s a beautiful song from the movie called “Strawberries & Cigarettes” by none other than Troye Sivan.

The post BFI Flare Festival Boys On Film Review: Love, Simon appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

In this episode of Boys on Film, Phil and Raj offer up a preview of our most-anticipated films this year at BFI Flare including Postcards from London, Love, Simon, Freak Show and the restored version of Maurice.

If you’re at the festival this year and see us – say hi!

New episodes of Boys on Film are released every Monday and Friday, so make sure to subscribe to Phil Marriott’s YouTube channel for updates.

For more EQ Music film and television reviews, check out our Film/TV channel right here on the site.

The post Boys On Film: BFI Flare Festival Preview appeared first on EQ Music Blog.

What’s it about? Meet Ned. He’s your atypical Irish ginger bender with fair skin and an accent to die for. Ned’s big dilemma is that he hates boarding school because all his schoolmates (well, you really can’t say mates, he despises most of them) are utterly obsessed with rugby. In fact, the whole school is obsessed with rugby which makes music-loving Ned the butt of many of many jokes unbeknownst to his oblivious father and younger step-mom who have left Ned for a life in Dubai. Ned’s world is turned upside down when handsome devil rugby champ Conor transfers to his school and becomes Ned’s unlikely roommate.

Why is it good? Ned and Conor’s friendship in the film is very sweet and unassuming and the two eventually find common ground in their gayness, although both are quite different types of boys indeed. Just as Conor helps Ned fit in more at school by befriending him, Ned helps Conor comes to grip with sexuality, something that he struggles with in balancing a macho athlete persona with his need for more meaningful interactions in life. Often times Conor’s only defence against his own fears is to beat the crap out of his peers, something the rugby coach takes great delight in.

What’s quite endearing about Handsome Devil is that Ned has a problem with not being “the only gay in the village” once Conor arrives and he struggles a bit having to share his special gay card with someone else, but ultimately realises that he’s found a special friendship to embrace and he’s willing fight to keep that friendship. Shoot, Ned even takes a beating for it as it’s something that important to him.

If you are a fan of British gay teen comedy Get Real from 1999, then you’ll feel similar vibes with Handsome Devil – I most certainly did. With great supporting performances from the English teacher (played by Andrew Scott) and the uber macho, slightly homophobic rugby coach (played by Moe Dunford) and a great use of music throughout the film, Handsome Devil is a little piece of film that will surprise and delight connoisseurs of gay cinema.

With Handsome Devil, you’ll leave the cinema feeling good and wishing your could have been friends with Ned and Conor in real life.

For more film reviews, make sure to check out our Film & TV channel.

More from BFI Flare:
Phil Marriott’s and actor/singer Kris Webb review Waiting For B at BFI Flare.
Would you wait in a queue for 2 months to see Beyonce live?

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