Five movies walk into a bar...

Breakfast With Scot - Eric (Thomas Cavanagh) and his lover, Sam (Ben Shenkman), are pushed into becoming temporary parents to an 11-year-old boy (Noah Bernett) with a fondness for gold chains, lace and the color pink while Eric's brother (Colin Cunningham) -- the boy's guardian -- is out of the country. Neither man ever saw himself as a father, but having such an undeniably colorful child around the house has a funny way of changing their minds.

(rent) The blurb of this movie is kind of misleading, as the real focus is Eric and Scot, their clashing personalities, and whether they can find happiness by reaching a middle ground. I was uncomfortable with this movie in the beginning, as Scot is over the top and Eric is nearly incompetent. I ended up getting through it by multitasking, but overall it was a well-done movie dealing with bullying, stereotypes, and family. The story didn’t really grab me, and I found more dynamic between guardians and child than the main couple, which made it hard to believe.

Weekend - This frank drama centers on the cautious relationship between two gay men--one a genial lifeguard, the other a lusty art-gallery worker--who contemplate turning a passionate one-night stand into something more meaningful.

(meh/rent) There was nothing particularly wrong with this movie, but it also wasn’t fantastic either. I found the accents quite pleasant, but the actors tended to mumble their lines (although this could be in part due to accent differences). It was pretty slow moving and tended toward awkward, which the description somewhat indicates. I found the end to be both hopeful and depressing. I didn’t particularly enjoy this movie, but I could see others liking the alternative feel.

Weiss Kreuz - Refined florists by day but deadly fighters by night, the Knight Hunters are led by the silent Aya Fujimiya, with temperamental athlete Ken Hidaka, computer expert Omi Tsukiyono and playboy Youji Koudo rounding out the foursome. When the sun dips below the horizon, the quartet -- also known as Weiss Kreuz -- metes out rough justice against terrorists, drug lords and other baddies who are beyond the long arm of the law.

(rent) If you’re looking for good anime, this is not it. However, it also is kinda famous among the yaoi community despite a complete lack of canon gay. The first season (described above) has a wandering, ambling story that often skips major plot points or doesn’t explain things completely (or at all). The characters are funny and the action is laughable. Also, I found the art style a little too ‘90s for me.

Season 2 (Gluhen) has a much more cohesive plot and an art style that appealed to me more. Unfortunately, large chunks of information via alternative mediums that is available to the native speakers is not available in translation, so some things are a little confusing. The plot was pretty good still, although I found the ending to be more somber than I was hoping. In some ways I liked season 1 more because I could laugh at it, although I can’t deny having actual plot was good.

Brave - Scottish princess Merida uses her archery skills to establish her independence, but when she accidentally angers the ancient land's three powerful lords and is granted a poorly conceived wish by a witch, she must go on a quest to repair the damage.

(rent/buy) First off, I felt the blurb was a bit misleading with the ‘ancient land’s three powerful lords’ bit. Not strictly a lie, but it made it sound like she pissed off ancient spirits. The plot development was so-so, as many things happened just to further the plot/action, especially things involving the spirits. To some extent it works with the somewhat mystical elements, but sometimes it was just like, “Really? Again?”

Still, this was a cute, fun-for-the-family movie. Definitely more for ‘girls’ than ‘boys,’ although there are things that will keep the boys entertained. It’s funny, well animated, has a fair amount of adventure and a soft, cuddly theme. Overall pretty enjoyable.

De-Lovely - Kevin Kline stars as the celebrated 20th-century composer Cole Porter, who looks back on his life unfolding like one of his musicals, replete with drama, suspense and joy -- at the center of which is his mercurial relationship with his wife, Linda (Ashley Judd). After meeting in Paris, the couple marries with the understanding that Porter -- who penned many hits, including "Anything Goes" and "It's De-Lovely" -- is gay.

(rent) This was a very slow moving and mellow movie and definitely isn’t for everyone. I think it’s important to go in with no expectations, as this movie doesn’t really do anything. It’s mostly just a visual biography, although I’m not sure the amount of research involved. It was interesting and had plenty of musical numbers (well timed), but it didn’t particularly move me or absorb me into the tale. Worth a viewing, but not necessarily extremely entertaining.