thepartyoftea

Boy Love (BL) genre refers to the often cutesy romance between two men or boys. It's a genre of fiction and is often long and drawn out will they or won't they situations.

The Boyfriend series from Netflix seems to be a live action BL series putting 9 pretty boys in their 20's and 30's to live and work in a house. They are tasked with the chores of the house and running a coffee truck. The coffee truck seems to be a way to get two of the boys away and maybe build some rapporteur between them and find them in more day to day situations which isn't a bad idea. Being in more day to day situations could lead to better long term relationships than just fancy dates.

If you're coming in here expecting plenty of cute boy on boy action you're going to be left a little disappointed. Where 'For the Love of DILFs' had someone make a mess in the elevator the first episode of Season two, it takes six episodes for two people to even kiss. (One of the commentators even yelling at the screen to kiss in episode three).

The cast are all pretty boys with slightly different, yet similar backgrounds. A few of them have a bit interesting backstories that lead into their characters on the show and create some drama and does lead to some people growing as a person.

Some people just fade into the background while the show focuses on the drama around the two more popular guest.

The show often cuts to a panel of five commentators, which isn't uncommon for Japanese style shows, but only one of them are queer and seem to have an optimistic or naive outlook on the queer community. With no host it often feels like the boys are in a bubble with no one probing their minds expect each other.

Overall it's just alright. Pretty boys in a house and selling coffee while overplaying two songs by Glen Check.

It's All Sunshine and Rainbows is a little romantic comedy in the same vien as a Hallmark movie, except the lead is played by a drag queen. Miss Sunshine, played by the Canada's Drag Race season one winner Priyanka, is a lady who after an upset heads back to her small town and finds out she has inherited her aunt's business and has to share it with the hunky worker.

The lead may be played by a drag queen but is passed off as a regular woman and not as a man in a dress. In fact other than a few other drag queens in supporting roles and the nudge nudge wink wink about the alternative name for a rooster there really isn't anything that seperates this with any other movie like it. It's cute, safe and has a few silly moments. It plays within the lines of the genre but doesn't break out of it.

The Silent Hill franchise has gathered a cult following over the last decade from the series take on psychological and survival horror games, the newer instalments have been meet with oh hum reviews. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the first instalment of the Silent Hill franchise on a Nintendo console and a re-imagining of the first game in the series. This being my only gaming experience with the franchise (I have seen the movie, one of my favourite video game based movies), Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the best horror game I've played since Resident Evil 4. During the game there's 2 different perspectives: the first is a psychological therapy session with a pretty blunt psychologist which has you fill out a few.. tests. The other part of the game has you in control of Harry Mason who wakes up from a car crash and is searching for his daughter during a cold winter's night in Silent Hill. Harry's mission takes him all over the town while the tests from the therapy session alter the town in slight ways. The therapy sessions are short, so you spend most of your time as Harry. Shattered Memories plays a lot like an adventure game (such as Hotel Dusk or Myst), you go around the town and search for keys when you hit a locked door. Thankfully the keys are never far to find, no expansive backtracking like in Metroid games. During times in the game the world shifts from normal to a frozen nightmare with creatures that look like meat skeletons that will chase you down. Harry's only option is to run and this creates some of the most intense chases I've played in recent times. Climax Studios, developer of the game, clearly made this game for the Wii. While a PS2 and PSP version are available the Wii version seems to be tailored made for the flash light controls. Controls in general are extremely well done. Climax clearly learnt a lot from their previous Wii title Overlord: Dark Legend and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories controls better, looks better and sounds better. That being said, the game has a few faults to it. The game is very liner, only one way to go. During the chase sequences you will end up running in circles a couple of times because it's too dangerous to stop, whip out your in game phone and check the map to see the next goal. Minor really, but the game does an amazing job at crafting a wonderful and creepy experience and will have you excited all the way to the end credits when your psychological evaluation is given..