In the 1932 short film Betty Boop for President Ms. Boop runs her campaign against the terrifying Mr. Nobody. “When you’re hungry, who feeds you? Mr. Nobody.Who cares what becomes of you? Mr. Nobody.Should you wake some early dawnFind a … Continue reading The Night Thread of Mr. Nobody (12/11/23)
Rob Williams has devoted his career to producing indie gay romcoms. Shared Rooms was his stab at the Love Actually formula. Three gay couples meet on Christmas to discuss adoption, art and hook up culture respectively. The tropes of bad … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Shared Rooms (2016)
All are welcome. (Except the ios WordPress editor. You know what you did.) Continue reading Weekly LGBT+ Discussion
This fall Netflix premiered two queer biopics. Rustin focuses on the year 1963 as Bayard Rustin co-organizes the March on Washington. Maestro follows the three-decade romance of Leonard and Felicia Montealegre Bernstein. The history is important. The people are interesting. … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Rustin & Maestro (2023)
Lots to unpack here. I see heavy Fallout 3 influences in the opening images. I’m not seeing the off-kilter humor and the 1950’s nostalgia. What do you most want to see in this series? Share your thoughts below. Continue reading Fallout Teaser Trailer Reaction Thread
Oliver (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student at Oxford. He befriends Felix (Jacob Elordi), a wealthy Adonis. Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his estate with his shallow family (led by Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant). The … Continue reading Movie Review: Saltburn (2023)
King Magnifico (hammy Chris Pine) asks his subjects to trade their “wishes” for “security.” A spunky teen named Asha (earnest Ariana DeBose) demands the wishes be returned. Disney’s Wish features a malleable premise. The concept of surrendering your “wishes” can … Continue reading Movie Review: Wish (2023)
Gracie (Julianne Moore) molested a 7th grade boy, had his baby in prison, then married him. Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is an actress preparing to play Gracie in a biopic. They spend a fraught week studying each other. Director Todd Haynes … Continue reading Movie Review: May December (2023)
Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim graphic novels followed the exploits of a Canadian slacker in love with the mysterious Ramona Flowers. He was forced to duel her seven evil exes. Scott lived in a magical Toronto full of quirky hipsters, … Continue reading Spoil Sports: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)
This weekend Saturday Night Live produced a skit about pop singer Troye Sivan. Bowen Yang told the audience that Sivan was “gay famous.” This inspired me to revisit the glam era. These rock stars achieved mainstream success by hiding their … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Oscar Wilde first published The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890. Dorian has youth, beauty and wealth. A lovelorn artist gives him a cursed portrait that reflects his soul. It ages and rots while Dorian remains spotless. This gives him … Continue reading LGBT Movies: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976)
A gay professor visits his creepy hometown for a funeral. He assumes the sketchy locals are homophobic. He’s not wrong, but there’s more going on. It’s a horror movie so he’ll ignore every red flag the town waves. Cthulhu is … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Cthulhu (2007)
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal play ex-lovers on opposite sides of the law. Hawke is the sheriff of a small Western town. He’s vowed to arrest Pascal’s fugitive son. Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life is his second English language … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Strange Way of Life (2023)
LGBT History Month was founded in 1994. In the U.S. and Canada it takes place in October and coincides with National Coming Out Day on October 11. All are welcome! Continue reading LGBT+ History Month Discussion
Chicago’s 41st Reeling Festival showcased LGBTQ+ cinema from around the world. I reviewed several of these films at Frameline. But here are some additional highlights. Fireworks (2023, Italy). A tragedy inspired by an infamous murder case. Two bullied boys fall … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Reeling Festival 2023
Hallmark’s Notes of Autumn tells two love stories: one straight, one gay. Rubber faced Ashley Williams and buttoned up Luke Macfarlane find boyfriends (Marcus Rosner and Peter Porte) who push them to pursue their artistic passions. The screenplay works hard … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Notes of Autumn (2023)
Konami’s LCD handhelds were powered by two AA batteries. LCD sprites crammed all the games visuals onto a small screen. The first TMNT game had you maneuvering through a two story obstacle course. The 1990 sequel, TMNT 2: Splinter Speaks, … Continue reading Splinter Speaks Night Thread (9/24/2023)
Saúl Armendáriz has been a professional luchador since 1988. In Cassandro we see his rise from humble runt to celebrated exótico. The Liberace of Lucha Libre. The exóticos would wrestle in drag. Regardless of their sexuality they adopted flamboyant queer … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Cassandro (2023)
Third time is the charm for Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptations. A Haunting in Venice wisely tells an original story here rather than competing with a classic. He borrows a few names from Hallowe’en Party and discards the rest. The … Continue reading Spoil Sports: A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Konami produced a series of LCD handhelds inspired by their games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. 1989’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lifted design elements from the NES games first two stages. April O’Neil has been captured! To free her you … Continue reading Turtles LCD Night Thread (9/12/23)
Youssef Chahine was one of Egypt’s most acclaimed film directors. In Alexandria… Why? he recounts his teenage years. World War 2 is raging and Egypt’s economy is collapsing. Chahine’s alter ego, Yehia, escapes into dreams of Hollywood. Actor Mohsen Mohieddin … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Alexandria… Why? (1979)
