THEGAYUK

Day: 15 October 2013

  • 6 Of The Best Torture Movies

    As it is #PleasureAndPain month here at TGUK, this month’s 6 of the Best looks at the genre of torture films.

    The genre has recently been subject to a resurgence in mainstream cinema, initially coming back to the attention of the masses with Eli Roth’s much publicised Hostel. The “torture porn” genre, as it is often known, has recently culminated in films such as The Human Centipede 2, which was the subject of much controversy and a “ban” by the BBFC until certain parts were cut from the movie. But the history of on screen torture is long standing with films like Marathon Man and A Clockwork Orange being considered cinema classics. So sit back, prepare to wince, hide that pair of pliers (just in case) and enjoy six of the best…..

    Hostel

    In Eli Roth’s genre setting film, a trio of American students on a back packing trip around Europe find themselves drawn to a Hostel in an unidentified Eastern European country, lured with the promise of sex and hedonistic pleasures. But the Hostel serves to provide young victims for a business which allows the rich to pay to have a private room in an abandoned factory, which is well equipped with every tool and torture device imaginable. The payment allows them to do whatever they want to poor, helpless victims. What follows is a nightmare of pain, graphic scenes of torture and wince inducing moments. For those who are not too keen on watching people have their kneecaps removed with an electric drill, there is always the beautiful looking Jay Hernandez to take your mind off the dank basement horror on display. Hostel was also rated in our most homoerotic horror movies.

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

    The Tortured

    When his child is abducted and murdered by a paedophile, a young doctor takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the maniac to exact his revenge. Keeping the killer chained up in his basement, he uses his medical knowledge to ensure that the maximum amount of pain is inflicted whilst keeping him the right side of consciousness. But as the torture continues, the doctor finds himself increasingly struggling with his morals, despite the fate of his child. Jesse Metcalf sheds his Desperate Housewives image with this brutal film which raises an interesting moral debate about how far you would go if someone hurt your loved one which is set against the cruel acts being perpetrated.BUY IT FROM AMAZON

    Martyrs

     

    This French Language film is one of the most notable films to come out of the French New Wave Horror Genre. A young girl seeks revenge on the people who held her captive and tortured her as a child. In her perusal of her captors, it leads her and her best friend, another victim of abuse, on a horrific journey which unfolds the mystery of who the organisation is and why they have a programme of systematic torture. This film is a disturbing mix of psychological horror and brutally realistic scenes of relentless torture, particularly in the latter half. This is extreme cinema and is certainly not for the faint hearted. If you have a low threshold in terms of screen violence, then this is a film you should avoid. If you have a strong stomach, then this film provides some original viewing. This is a good film but certainly not one for everybody.

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

     

    Eden Lake

    A young couple head to Eden Lake, a beauty spot which will soon be turned into a gated community, for a romantic weekend together. After a run in with a group of hoodie wearing teens, whereby the gang leader’s beloved dog is accidentally killed, the couple find themselves on the run through the woods, relentlessly pursued by the youngsters. This tense British horror/thriller is an excellent film and is filled with realism and scenes which make you hold your breath and peek through your fingers. Michael Fassbender stars in this underrated and incredibly tense film. Watching a gang of youngsters torture the couple is uncomfortable viewing and if you ever wondered what it would look like to cut out someone’s tongue with a Stanley knife, then this is the film for you.

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

    Hard Candy

    After three weeks of chatting on line, a thirty-two year old photographer arranges to meet a 14 year old girl in a coffee shop. After she shamelessly flirts with him, despite the age difference, she suggests going back to his house where she drugs him and ties him to a chair. She accuses him of being a paedophile and proceeds to try and extract a confession out of him. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, but has she got it wrong, and is his photographic project the real reason why he has met her, or is there something more sinister going on? This film raises a number of moral questions and has you guessing all the way through as to who is right and who is wrong; who is the victim and who is the villain. Once again featuring some moments to make you grimace, this thriller is a tense film which keeps you guessing.

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

     

    I Spit On Your Grave

    In this remake of the classic 1970’s film, a writer heads to the solitude of an isolated cabin in the woods to cure her writers block. But after falling foul of a group of locals, she is sexually assaulted in a disturbing attack. Managing to escape, she rebuilds her strength and exacts her revenge on each of the gang, one by one, and in fitting ways to how they had treated her. This film is vicious at times and is one of the better remakes of old films of late. Despite the graphic violence on screen, you can’t help but find yourself root for the heroine as she gets one over on the gang who attacked her. And, if you have often dreamed of Chris Hemsworth naked and tied up in front of you, then look no further.

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

  • OPINION | Coming Out: You say a hill, I say a mountain

    It’s been a while since I’ve submitted any articles, partly because I’ve been moving and partly because what writing I have been doing seems to be turning into a bit of a beast. A big gay-related beast! I won’t give much away (in fact I’ve given nothing away) but I suspect I may park the beast for the moment and save it for a rainy day.

    Last month everyone has been talking about ‘coming out’ and what this means to people. In my mind coming out is a very personal thing and means different things to different people. But what does it mean to be ‘out’ and why is coming out still a thing for the gay community? Are we making a mountain out of a mole hill?

    When I was 18 (all those many years ago) I pretty much knew what I was and that girls just held no interest for me at all. However, no matter how good my friends were or how close I felt to them I didn’t feel that while at college I could ‘out myself’ to everyone. I think this was mainly because I was scared of losing the friends I had worked so hard to earn – I wasn’t a very popular kid when I started high school (I looked like Harry Potter). That and of the guys that had declared themselves as gay in my year were, how shall we say, ‘bad examples of gay men’ that didn’t have a nice word to say about anyone.

    I remember one occasion when one of them decided to be incredibly bitchy to a friend that had simply and politely said hello to him. Having overheard this I quickly stepped into action and launched a tirade of abuse at said boy reducing him and his ‘posse’ to tears. While this isn’t something I am necessarily proud of I stand by that action as it was one of many incidents where this person had spat poison at the world and spitting poison at the innocent is a step too far.

    At the time I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. My experience of being gay up until that point was two very camp, very bitchy gay guys in my year that had a very close group of friends but other than that was on the outer edges of the school social groups. Do I out myself and declare myself as different to them or just keep shtum as being different doesn’t make a difference?

    The moment I left college (literally that afternoon) and after quite a few drinks down the local Wetherspoons I did out myself and the majority of my friends did the usual response stating that they already knew and this was old news. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or not, in my mind I hadn’t given anything away – I was the perfect model of a “straight teenager”. Or so I thought.

    It’s only now looking back that actually I remember a few house parties where hands would wander and my crush on two boys in my class (one at a time I might add). The first one was tall, thin and blonde. He was laid back, took everything as cool as you like, and was good with his hands and just yum. I had thought I was discreet but clearly my gawping at him didn’t go un-noticed. That and I used to make up stuff just so he would talk to me. (You can see why me being gay was obvious to people can’t you??).

    The other one was a member of my close group of friends. Tall, thin but this one was sporty. Sweet as you like but very teenage male, which kind of made him even hotter. Anywho, when at house parties it was my hands that would go wandering (or a cheeky feel of certain areas).

    Given all that I think that I made more of an issue of coming out that I should have done. Clearly I wanted to, and it was abundantly obvious that I was but in my head coming out would end the world and sees me back as the lonely boy I was in the first year of high school.

    Coming out to my mum was just as traumatic, but for completely different reasons. At the time I was seeing someone (not quite first love but close) and it had ended abruptly as he was shagging his ex and couldn’t have the spine enough to look me in the eye to tell me. So I was sat at home crying my eyes out and saw fit to dump all this on my mum and seek some motherly comfort. Not the best way to do it, but none the less got it done. Tears were had but no anger or issues and now she thinks it’s wonderful.

    My dad on the other hand is another kettle of fish. As with my school mates I strongly suspect that he knows, especially as I’m 26 and have never brought home a girlfriend or even mentioned one. I did agree with myself that once I had moved out from the family home that I would sit him down and tell him as I was then out and standing on my own two feet. If he then chose to have an issue with it I wouldn’t be living under his roof. I doubt he will, but it’s that little voice in the back of the head that says “be careful”.

    I am currently out of the family home and still haven’t had ‘the conversation’. I am going steady with someone and he has met my mum and brothers family and technically has met my dad, but not as “Hi Dad, this is the man I love”. I know I should just get it out of the way but something just stops me from doing so. Which isn’t me at all, usually I look people in the eye and tell them how things are. I can’t stand people that shake off their responsibilities, especially if a relationship is coming to an end. But here I am, shying away from doing something that could well be a mole hill and not a mountain…

    At work technically speaking I am not “out” but that isn’t through wanting to hide my sexuality that is more to do with that I just don’t discuss such things at work. Some of the people know as I know them outside of the office but on the whole they don’t and actually I’m not fussed if they do or do not know. If that’s lazy state of ‘in the closet’ then fine, I’m being lazy!

    In a time where discrimination is still rife I understand the fear people have and why people therefore fear the damage that coming out does. I would however encourage everyone to really think and see if this is truly a mountain or a mole hill? Is the damage real or is the news already out and the damage not what you think? Sometimes it will be, sometimes it won’t.

    But always remember to do what feels right for you and what works. Coming out is a personal thing so never feel pressured into doing or not doing anything. No one has the right to force you into coming out, not even a partner.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Male In Chelsea – 5 Hot Guys In Made In Chelsea

    We like a bit of ruff, but we also like a bit of posh – so we decided to take a closer look at the males of Made In Chelsea – and we called it Male In Chelsea – see what we did there?

    Not everything can be doom and gloom in gay media – which is why we’ve dedicated this page to the yumminess of the Males Of Chelsea.

    We’ve done some deep research to bring you these hot mens…

    Freddie

    Freddie is ours. Hands off. So apparently his mum used to be super model and his dad was in the hotel business. If only he were gay so he could sweep us our feet and whisk us away to some far flung destination for a free hotel stay…

    Mark Francis

    Mark Francis looks so posh that just one moment of looking into those deep brown eyes will probably turn you into an aristocrat. Probably not.

    Alex

    Apparently Phoebe’s Ex. Blah.

    Proudlock

    Proudlock wears Timmy Mallet glasses and has a perchant for silken shirts. Want him? He’s also got a cool earing which we may or may not want to nibble. Probably.

    Spencer

    He’s either thinking ‘who made that smell’ or ‘hug me till I stop crying.’ Spencer we will hug you. Always mon cher.
    There you have another incredible waste of 5 minutes of your time… Ta da.

  • REVIEW: LoveLite’s Lipoglaze – The Lunchtime Lipo

    LOVELITE’S LIPOGLAZE is a revolutionary non-invasive fat-reduction procedure that is new to the UK, although it has been around in the US for several years.

    The procedure gently heats up and then cryogenically freezes stubborn fatty deposits, permanently destroying the fat cells. The body then naturally eliminates this waste tissue over the next few weeks. They claim to remove around 26% of fat cells in the specified region per treatment.

    Lipoglaze can be taken as a single session or, if there are several problem areas, can be conducted as a set of treatments, although LoveLite recommends keeping sessions at least a week apart to give the body time to metabolise the dead fat cells.

    Lipoglaze is approved by the FDA and studies have shown it to be not only more advanced than liposuction, but also better than radio frequency and ultrasounds for removing stubborn fat deposits that patients find they can’t shift even with a good diet and exercise.

    LoveLite’s Lipoglaze has been endorsed by various celebrities, including the stars of The Only Way Is Essex, Made In Chelsea, The Apprentice and The Bachelor, as well as the glamorous WAG Lizzie Cundy, model Nicola McLean and Blue’s Antony Costa.

    But is it actually any good? I decided to pop along to try out this treatment and find out why so many people are now turning to non-surgical methods of fat loss.

    The clinic is located in a converted townhouse on Harley Street, and is clean and comfortable, sharing an entrance and waiting room with The London Clinic.

    Jourdan, the therapist I saw, is warm and well-spoken, and able to answer any questions with a reassuring professionalism and courtesy. My only constructive feedback for her is that she asked me to sign the consent form before explaining the procedure, whereas it really should be the other way round. She explained there may be some discomfort during the procedure and the possibility of bruising afterwards, but put me thoroughly at ease.

    The area undergoing treatment is pulled into a machine, which feels very tight and a little uncomfortable, although not terrible. This discomfort eases slightly after a few minutes, although the tightness remains throughout the procedure.

    After around an hour, the machine is removed and I am left with a strange feeling and a bizarrely rectangular bruise on my stomach. As the procedure is non-surgical, I was able to leave immediately, and took myself off to John Lewis for a (very healthy) scone with jam and cream!

    A week later, and the redness has completely vanished, although only just. Other than the bruising, there have been no side effects to this treatment as yet, and I am fairly certain none are likely to turn up now.

    Results are starting to show already, but only minimal and extremely localised. The bruised area was a little tender for a day or two but not painful, and it soon calmed down.

    Please stay tuned for further updates once the results have had more time to develop.

    Lipoglaze is available at the LoveLite UK clinic, 144 Harley Street, London W1G 7LE. Further details, including booking instructions, are at www.loveliteuk.co.uk or call on 0845 505 0805. Treatments cost £600-£1000 depending on treatment area and size.

    Visit them online at http://www.loveliteuk.co.uk/lovelite-ice-lipoglaze-testimonials.html