aharon-izraeli Reviews

Horseplay (2022)

Spank bank again

[2/10 · 4 May 2024]

I've followed the career of Marco Berger for quite a while , even though some of the earlier movies seemed somewhat immature and suffered for it as movies but there was a progression which reached a very satisfying pinnacle with El Rubio (the Blond One) . It is very disappointing , therefore , that this is such a significant step backwards into the territory Berger had already visited in Taekwondo . If there's a plot here other than to show these somewhat handsome men pranking each other , pranks of a sexual nature that it is difficult to imagine such a large number of straight or bisexual men agreeing to perform in front of each other then that plot is well hidden. It's like a very unsatisfying gay porn . Let's hope that the next one is a progression from El Rubio and not this.

Welcome to the Men's Group (2016)

Beyond awful.

[2/10 · 31 January 2024]

Where else would you possibly find so many good actors over acting such an incredibly horrible script?. From the opening shot it instantly becomes clear that this is not going to be as clever or as funny as any of the people involved in it's making seemed to think it had the potential to be. It's intensely verbose but , amazingly enough , it manages to say absolutely nothing that any sane person would be interested in hearing and is mind alteringly dull throughout. Every character manages to be completely unlikable . It is incomprehensible why any of the people would even want to be part of this group. After a very short time I gave up on them and so should you if you respect your sanity.

Dashing in December (2020 TV Movie)

Loved it but...

[10/10 · 29 December 2023]

I really enjoyed this movie , after serious misgivings at the beginning. It's very well made and pretty. The views are stunning. Juan Pablo was the stand out , as far as the cast was concerned , and I'd love to see more of him. I saw that Andie McDowell was involved in the production of the movie but as an actress she seemed a little distracted. Some of her mannerisms seemed like she was unfocused or maybe unsure of her next line... a very strange vibe from such an accomplished actress and I found it distracting from the character she was playing. As I said , I went from not being sure if I was going to enjoy it , to tearing up a little towards the end. I gave it a generous 10 but I think it deserves it. It may be Hallmark on steroids but , in the end , that's kind of what I want from a Christmas movie. Definitely worth the time and enjoyable with no naughty stuff so (almost) everyone should be able to watch and enjoy it.

Land of Storms (2014)

Love in a world of hatred

[10/10 · 24 November 2022]

This movie is amazing. Well acted beautifully filmed but sad beyond words. The actors are beautiful and the landscape is also harsh and beautiful but desperate in ways that we see reflected in the characters. Most people are going to hate the end but could we have believed any other ending in this place for characters in this situation ? I saw somewhere that it's based on true events and I can totally see how that could be but it also makes it even more heart breaking. This film is from 2014 and, from the very little I know about what's going on in Hungary, life for gays has only gotten worse since then. I hope that someday we'll see a gay romcom coming out of a true to life story from Hungary but I doubt that'll happen any day soon and this is definitely not the case here. Nevertheless , a stunning , amazing piece of cinema.

Bros (I) (2022)

Neither Rom, Nor Com

[2/10 · 18 October 2022]

Well , I've watched and enjoyed many , many gay themed movies...like , really a lot. I have to admit that I have even enjoyed some that I knew weren't so good but made me laugh , cry or care what happens to the characters. This movie did none of that. I genuinely spent most of the movie checking to see how much time was left to the end.

As many here have pointed out , the main protagonist here is just plain unlikable and his love interest can't act but the main problem is that it is billed as a romantic comedy and is neither of these things. A miserable failure of a film . I have never rated a movie that people put effort into making so lowly as it must be heart breaking to have something you worked on so hard dessimated but I feel like this movie deserves it. If you don't have to watch it for a paper you're writing on the least funny comedies ever made I'd give it a hard pass.

Happy Endings Sleepover (2019)

My instinct is to join the hate

[6/10 · 4 October 2022]

First of all , CIA agent takes his goofy crush along on his first assignment ? I don't think so. I don't know why the spy story is even in here , would it have been significant if the protagonist was an exchange student ? It might have been a little more realistic. The actors are cute but not cute enough to make this movie good. I really don't know why I even review this , except that , in spite of its many , many , many flaws I watched it to the end. I kinda cared that they would stay together , so something did work somewhere along the line. If you're looking for high art this is not it. I've seen worse , but there are much better movies you could be watching.

If this was somebody's first movie I'd like to say , don't give up but work a lot harder before you start filming. Also the version of Paul Simon's America in the soundtrack was painful , and that's one of my favourite songs of his. Honestly I don't know how to rate this. I'm pretty sure that if I was in a different mood I would be harsher but for now , I'll go with a very generous 6.

Arrangement (II) (2019)

Excellent for a short movie

[9/10 · 21 January 2022]

The actors are all excellent and the photography is of a very high quality. The time restraints of the genre seems to play into the question of time amongst the characters . I would have liked another few minutes but it's pretty near perfect for what it is.

The Christmas Setup (2020 TV Movie)

One of the better American gay themed movies I have watched.

[10/10 · 25 December 2021]

This movie is cute, believable, well acted and silly without being stupid. The gay couple has amazing chemistry and the relationship between the mother (Fran Drescher doing a great job) and her sons and everyone else is both over the top but believable, no mean feat in a Rom/Com, gay themed or not. It's a movie well worth your time if you like the genre or are gay or both. I gave it ten stars and would give it more if I could have. I came away feeling happy and satisfied and thats a win in my book. Loved it.

Throuple (2015)

Not as bad as I feared from reading the reviews

[7/10 · 18 December 2021]

Not as bad as I expected from the YouTube comments and reviews here. It's not a great movie and it's not plot driven, for sure, but if you want a movie that you don't have to think too much in order to understand what's happening and is pretty to watch, this is it. I didn't find it as annoying as another reviewer seems to have, I just think that listing it as gay themed, as YouTube did seems a bit of a stretch. Otherwise it's a not unpleasant way to pass an hour and a half on a rainy Sunday afternoon, as I just have.

My Life on Ice (2002)

It's not so much that it's bad. It's just pointless

[2/10 · 18 December 2021]

Half way through I just came here to see what other people were saying about this and I'm afraid I have to concur with the nay waters on this one. It's slow, difficult to watch because of the faux home made amateur shtick and you never become invested in the characters as there doesn't seem to be any point to anything, let alone a plot. This, in the end, comes off as one of those family home movies that the entire family groans when your Dad threatens to show, so why on earth would a total stranger have any interest in watching it? Truth is, he wouldn't, neither did I. Total failure from my point of view of view and I've never done this to a movie here before but I give it one star, only because there's no way to give it a minus ten stars.

Bromance (2016)

A beautiful movie

[9/10 · 8 December 2021]

A low key movie, beautifully written and acted by a very talented cast of young actors. It leaves you thinking and evokes emotions you may have forgotten you once had. It documents the crashing of youthful dreams and fantasies against the wall of adult reality in a subtle and moving manner. It won't suit those who enjoy Hollywood block busters because it moves at a gentle pace, allowing secrets to slowly surface. A very enjoyable experience all in all.

Gone, But Not Forgotten (2003)

It's really not good...but I couldn't stop watching.

[7/10 · 14 November 2021]

This movie is genuinely awful and yet.... It is kinda cute. I watched it when it is already 19 years old and so many bigger and better gay themed movies have been made over that time so this really doesn't stand up. The acting is clunky as hell and everyone is badly dressed, the lighting is awful and a million other things are wrong with it but, as I said earlier, I couldn't not finish it and the end almost evoked a happy tear. If you like gay themed cinema and cinema and you're in the mood for something oh-so-light and don't take it too seriously, you'll probably find yourself quite liking this too. How to rate it? I think I'll give it a 7.

I Want to Get Married (2011)

Just.... no.

[1/10 · 18 October 2021]

The thing is that I do (usually) quite like Matthew Montgomery but whatever the hell he thought he was achieving with the lip thing, and whoever allowed him to continue with it ...it just looks really really stupid and kind of insulting to the audiences' intelligence. That's not to say that the movie would be good otherwise; it's a pile of steaming horses**t and it's movies like this that give gay cinema a bad reputation .There are a lot of great gay themed movies being well made on important issues and even some good comedies..this doesn't belong to either category. Really, even if you can watch it free on YouTube....don't bother, life's too short to waste on garbage like this...in case you were wondering...I didn't like it.

Play for Today: Abigail's Party (1977) Season 8, Episode 3

An amazing slice of the '70's served with a sardonic twist.

[10/10 · 1 July 2021]

I'm sitting writing this review 22 years after the first review on here, which was posted 20 years after I first saw this play, as a teenager, on television. I've never forgotten it, not so much because it was funny but because it was the first time that I genuinely loved something that I also found narrowing to watch. The gaudily dressed characters in the gaudily wallpapered living room stomping all over each other both with what they said and what they didn't dare to. I recently had an opportunity to see it again and while the fashions of the 70's haven't aged well, everything I remembered was still there and still as harrowing as before. The acting is beyond superb and it is, if not exactly a joy to watch, definitely worth watching, again and again.

Highly recommended.

Old Dogs (I) (2009)

These reviews are way funnier than the movie.

[10 April 2021]

It's not often I give a movie a bad review but this is beyond awful.

Chef (2014)

Even for this vegan, this was a feel good movie.

[10/10 · 28 March 2021]

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this movie except for one joke about vegans and everyone wolfing down meat the whole time . The actors, the script and the music were all spot on in this pure feel good movie. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If I could have given it more stars I would have.

Loved it.

Mighty Oak (2020)

True, it's flawed but I really enjoyed it anyway

[8/10 · 20 March 2021]

I read the other reviews here after seeing the movie. I have to admit that it is pushing the limits of plausibility a little but it is, nevertheless, a very enjoyable movie. The actors were good and the music enjoyable. It's definitely worth a look, I gave it a chance and enjoyed it very much.

The Goldbergs (2013–2023)

Corny as hell and I love it.

[10/10 · 13 February 2021]

Very entertaining. Well written, well cast and has great music. I gave it 10/10 and stand by that 100%.

Carol's Second Act (2019–2020)

They should have known better

[4/10 · 9 February 2021]

Everything that everyone wrote here about this show is true, over use of the laugh track, terrible scripts, characters who don't seem, even slightly, connected to any kind of reality. All of these actors should have known better. As for Patricia Heaton, let's hope she finds something considerably better than this, it would be a shame if this was her swan song. I gave it four stars but I was being extremely generous.

A Royal Night Out (2015)

A good romantic comedy

[9/10 · 5 February 2021]

I'm not sure that they really needed it to be about Elizabeth and Margaret. I think that it might have stood alone just fine if it had been a fantasy about two princesses, I mean adding the real princesses names makes it kind of confusing because the real Elizabeth is too prissey to imagine in this situation, if she had been she might have been more empathetic towards Diana later on. Anyway, all that aside, it's a charming romcom fantasy we should enjoy for what it is... a well put together romantic fantasy. Personally, I really enjoyed it tremendously.

Save the Last Dance (2001)

I liked it.

[9/10 · 29 January 2021]

As a non American I really enjoyed this movie and I think that even if it's not perfect it does attempt to tackle the question of race relations, interracial romance etc. Does it do it clumsily? Perhaps. Thing is, for its audience, very few movies attempt to deal with that question at all. After the Trump years I feel America really does need to have these kinds of movies pushed down their unwilling threats because this message, even if it's been out there forever obviously has yet to hit home for too many. Aside from all that...I found the acting good and the music and dancing very enjoyable. Definitely worth a look.

Whiplash (2014)

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

[10/10 · 20 January 2021]

Just watch it. You don't have to know anything about jazz or drumming. If you enjoy superb acting in a well written movie this is the one to watch. Amazing performance by the young lead and his mentor, with Paul Reizer giving a great performance as the father. I can't recommend this movie highly enough.

Single Parents (2018–2020)

Kids talking like 40 year olds and 40+ adults behaving like kids.

[3/10 · 20 January 2021]

I wonder why this hot mess was cancelled? This is being shown in a loop on one of my cable channels with The Unicorn. When I first saw them, I really wanted to like this because of the guy from Everybody loves Raymond, unfortunately he's awful in this, but then everyone is. Everyone speaks in, usually very unfunny, one liners which is extremely tiresome and the children sound like they got the adults lines while the adults behave like idiots, this might sound like an idea with comic potential but a few minutes in, it's immediately apparent that it's not funny...even a little bit. At the beginning, I hated The Unicorn too but the characters were somewhat likeable , I gave it a chance, and it improved with time. This never did.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021)

Simply the best, better than all the rest.

[10/10 · 5 January 2021]

I'm totally in love with this show. The actors, the script, the aesthetic are wonderful but the real star of this show is the music, the old songs. I hope that they manage to maintain the standard and quit when they no longer can. In the meantime, I'm enjoying every single second.

A Dog's Way Home (2019)

Cute tear jerker

[10/10 · 23 October 2020]

If you love dogs, cats or whatever you will enjoy this movie. Just remember to have a box of Kleenex handy for the end because there will be tears.