See anything good lately?

29th & Gay - As he approaches the dreaded age of 30, James Sanchez (James Vasquez) -- an out-of-work actor with thinning hair, a growing stack of bills and, worst of all, no boyfriend -- is beginning to believe that life has passed him by. This engaging indie comedy chronicles a year in the life of the perpetual odd-man-out as he tries to find his niche with help from his two best friends, Roxy (Nicole Marcks) and Brandon (David McBean).

(rent) I originally had this as meh/rent, but it might be worth a watch. It's very much a coming-of-age film for the soon-to-be-30 set (Oh, shit, that's me!). Parts of it hit too close to home for me, because I'm in similar shoes, but other parts seemed a little silly/stupid, and it suffered for the acting, which was not riveting. Definitely worth a watch if you're in that age and struggling with what you're getting out of life and are patient with small-production movies :)

Under One Roof - Daniel Chang is a closeted Chinese-American boy living in San Francisco with his traditional mother. Eager for a grandchild, Mrs. Chang desperately wants to see Daniel married and devotes much of her time to finding a suitable Chinese girl for him. But when she recruits a new tenant, Robert, for the downstairs flat, Daniel finds himself falling for the hot Southern boy -- not the kind of match his mother was hoping for!

(rent) This was a cute, OK movie that didn't repulse me, but didn't really snag me either. Some scenes are strong, but they are equally balanced out by awkward scenes. There is some humor, romance and angst, but nothing really grabbed my emotions and took me with it, nor was I particularly attached to any of the characters. It was very much a classic M/M romance for the screen.

Apart From Hugh - A gay couple drives straight into relationship road bumps in this bittersweet love story. Set in a small town in the American northwest, the tale follows Hugh (Steve Arnold) as he eagerly plans a party for his one-year anniversary with Collin (David Merwin), who's simultaneously reevaluating whether he's really ready for a committed relationship. Jennifer Reed also stars.

(unfinished) I couldn't finish this story. It may have been good by the end, but a glance at some of the reviews on Netflix tells me this probably isn't so. Although made in 1994, it's produced like an old flick in black and white with shoddy sound, none of which bothered me. The acting wasn't too bad, although the script was and the story didn't seem to be going anywhere. When the lead female started tearing up grass to feed cows, I gave up. If you're into French-esque, movies that are more poetry than plot, this might be good for you, but definitely rent it first.

X-Men: First Class - In this exciting prequel to the X-Men series, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) -- the future Professor X and Magneto -- are best friends dedicated to harnessing their powers and promoting the education of fellow mutants during the turbulent 1960s. The duo works together to stop a powerful adversary that threatens mankind, but their ideological differences drive them apart and turn them into ferocious enemies.

(buy) While this should have perhaps been called "A Mutant Affair," it was a well-done (if not slightly un-canon) interpretation of Charles and Erik's coming together and inevitable break up. As long as you don't look too far outside the movie (not even to the other movies in the "series"), then you won't see anything too terribly wrong. If you're a hardcore X-Men fan...well, I'd still see it, but pretend it's not an X-Men movie. Before seeing it, I'd heard lots about the homoerotic subtext, but watching it, I didn't really see it...until Charles breaks up with Erik for a woman his moral decisions. Actually, he did mostly break up with Erik about moral stuff, because the amount of romance between Charles and Moira was very limited. I only joke about this film so much because it is well done and very enjoyable, as long as you don't care about canon storyline. The actors were brilliant and the plot was well done (for what it's worth). And then Magneto puts on his silly outfit and I giggled the rest of the movie.

BearCity - As he comes to grips with his undeniable attraction to big, hairy men and adjusts to his new roomies, cute cub Tyler (Joe Conti) struggles to figure out his place within the tight-knit bear community, gain acceptance from his old friends and find fuzzy love. Full of hot hookups and hilarious mishaps, this quirky romantic comedy co-stars Gerald McCullouch as Roger, the stud who catches Tyler's eye.

(rent/buy) I'm not really into bears or bear culture (whatever that means), so a movie all about bears isn't really up my alley. However, this was an adorable, fun movie that was totally worth watching. While it's not something I'd probably rewatch (even though I really enjoyed it by the end), I could see other people really enjoying it. It had a pretty good plot, three sets of men who are in different places in their relationships (or lack there of). Conti and McCullouch had a nice dynamic, and there are limited sex scenes, although there are many shirtless bears walking around during the movie. Definitely worth a watch.