Just when you thought the ignorant and complete lack of IQ “teabaggers” couldn’t get any more stupid, they showed a new level of hatred towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons on their “Teabag Express” tour stop in Lansing, Michigan on April 10th. A vendor at the event was selling “Straight Pride” t-shirts highly reminiscent of the “White Power” hate speech associated with the Ku Klux Klan and Skinhead/ White Supremacist movements. Reaction to the t-shirts in the gay community has been overwhelmingly negative although many are defending the rights of the “teabaggers” to wear such hate garbage. Ironically, the “teabagger” pictured appears to also be ashamed of his or her hateful display as he/she covered his/her face during the photograph. And perhaps as a very appropriate and unintended reaction, the trailer for the documentary Stonewall Uprising released today. The documentary details the “Rosa Parks” moment of the gay liberation movement in the United States, where patrons of the Stonewall Inn bar refused to acquiesce to police brutality and homophobia and fought-back against the physical violence and abuse inflicted upon them. On a personal, note, I discussed the importance of the Stonewall Riots in my Doctoral Dissertation in the context of the GLBT civil rights movement. Watch the trailer below. Stonewall Uprising, from First Run Features, released in select markets beginning on April 8th and will hit the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on April 27th, 2010.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Look in “Finn’s” Pad!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Robert Pattinson Loses His Fangs
Summit Entertainment has released the official trailer for Remember Me, the forthcoming drama starring Twilight and The Twilight Saga: The New Moon star Robert Pattison. The movie is about a troubled college student (Pattinson) who is struggling to find his own personal identity amidst relationship troubles with his estranged father. With all of the hysteria The New Moon is garnering, many probably aren’t even aware of Remember Me, which releases in March 2010. Watch the trailer below:
Remember Me in HD
Trailer Park | MySpace Video
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Lionsgate Acquires Texas Chainsaw Massacre
It looks like the buzz isn’t ready to die just yet. After a very successful remake and prequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Platinum Dunes apparently has dropped their licensure holding on the rights to the series. Lionsgate just signed with rights-holder and original TCM writer Kim Henkel to bring the cannibalistic and chainsaw-wielding terror Leatherface back to the silverscreen. Both the remake and prequel were very well done. Let’s hope the new owners continue to make the series quality. Some of the remarks from producer Mark Burg conjures some skepticism on that point: “What we’re going to do with it is bring it to 2010. Make it current day and come up with a new story that takes some of the basic plot points, if you will, and make it a current day movie. I don’t want to make another Chainsaw in the ’70s, that doesn’t thrill me. I haven’t seen first draft yet, but we’re working on it.” Burg says numerous directors have expressed interest in making the film. It will also be made for a new dimension; the new Massacre will take place in 3-D. Let’s hope this doesn’t signal a cheesy teen-slasher waste of celluloid…
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
New Twilight Sequel Trailer Gives Story Outline
A new trailer for The Twilight Saga: The New Moon was released today and features some behind-the-scenes commentary by its smoking hott co-star Taylor Lautner. I reluctantly went to see Twilight last year on a date with a guy who really wanted to see it. Dragged to the theater kicking-and-screaming, I actually ended-up LOVING the movie! From the looks of it, The New Moon promises to be just as good, if not better! Here’s the trailer. The Twilight Saga: The New Moon opens November 20, 2009 from Summit Entertainment:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
CNN Examines Gay Reaction to Bruno
I saw Bruno this past weekend and I have to say, I found the movie to be quite funny. As a gay man who is out in every aspect of his life, I truly didn’t take offense to one aspect of the film. Its an absurdity to think the film does anything else than poke fun at the outrageous stereotypes of gay men. On the contrary, I laughed my ass off. Anyone with just a small amount of intelligence and common sense knows Bruno hardly represents an accurate portrayal of a gay man. While the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the media watchdog group who monitors film, television, electronic, and print media representation of the gay community, disagrees with my assessment and believes the film causes far more damage to gay and lesbian people than good, some gay people agree with me. Below, CNN analyzes the gay reaction to Bruno, which grossed $30.4 million this weekend, placing it at #1 at the US box office:
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Academy Awards Extend to 10 Contenders
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the expansion of the “Best Picture” category. Currently at 5 films, the category will expand to 10 for the 2010 awards. Some are praising the move, citing the tendency of the Oscars to focus on dramatic films and independent-oriented movies instead of musicals and comedies. Others think expanding the pool to 10 will devalue a Best Picture nomination and result in a long and convoluted broadcast, already rushed for time. Personally, I think it’s a good move but would prefer the Academy take the Golden Globes approach and separate the films to include a “Best Picture” for drama and another “Best Picture” for musical or comedy.
Monday, April 20, 2009
A Fantastic Walk Through Grey Gardens
Saturday saw the premiere of HBO Films Grey Gardens, which detailed the story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ estranged aunts who turned their backs on being part of the socially elite to live a life in solitude and squalor in a decrepit and decaying mansion in East Hampton throughout most of the 20th Century. The film is a fantastic exemplary of just why HBO continues to show its dominance as the premier subscription cable channel and also highlights the amazing talents of its stars Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore.
Grey Gardens shows how a mother’s influence can have profound and lifelong effects on her daughter and just how powerful issues like self-esteem and self concept can create massive psychopathology among individuals who are intrinsically connected by a stringent codependency unlike any other. The movie intertwines the filming of a documentary about the pair (which really occurred in the early 1970’s) and what unfolds earlier in their lives which ultimately leads to a life that most would look upon in disdain. As I was watching Grey Gardens, I continually found myself in greater and greater disbelief. I judged these individuals’ lives in-terms of missed major life milestones and ultimately concluded their lives were perhaps vain and with very little importance and meaning.
But in the end, we are left knowing that despite the conclusions made about this mother and daughter, nothing is quite as it seems in-terms of their existence and undying love for each other. Each of these women lived for the other. While certainly mental illness and psychological disorders abound and become more obvious as the story unravels, some of the conclusions I made were completely debunked by the time the credits began to roll. Grey Gardens is beautifully photographed with painstaking attention to every minute detail of the estate both at its prime and its demise. And the score couldn’t have been more appropriate and well-orchestrated in the context of the story.
If you missed Grey Gardens, you missed quite an amazing movie that looked like it belonged on the big screen rather than the small. While the story at the root of the film proves shocking, at times frustrating, and even sometimes sad, in the end, it is amazingly moving and was put in the hands of some masterful actors and filmmakers who ensured the film could’ve easily played in megaplexes in wide-release rather than televisions and home-theater systems. Grey Gardens will repeat for the next several weeks on HBO. To check showtimes, visit http://www.hbo.com/films/greygardens/. A DVD release is also scheduled but dates have not been set just yet. This is a great movie and I would highly recommend seeing it so that when it takes home every golden statue from the Golden Globes and Emmys at the end of the year, you’ll be quite familiar with why it is earning its accolades.
The full trailer for Grey Gardens, from HBO Films:
Thursday, March 26, 2009
A Beloved Story Comes to the Big Screen
As a child, I was a gigantic fan of the story Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendek. Now, Warner Brothers is bringing the beloved story to the big screen in a major motion picture directed by Spike Jonze. Filming of Where the Wild Things Are was nearing completion last year but test screenings indicated audiences believed the film was too scary, especially for children. So, the studio ordered the production team to practically start over. With the vast majority of the film being refilmed, its trailer has been released and it looks incredible. With stunning visual effects mixing computer-generated images and classic animatronics, Where the Wild Things Are looks to be quite an amazing film and will be released nationwide on October 16, 2009.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
After its nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is gaining a little ground towards its limited US release at the end of this month. The film is based on Michael Chabon’s 1988 novel which depicts the story of 3 good friends who experience love and lust in the midst of a gay/bisexual love triangle the summer after their college graduation. The film, which stars Peter Saarsgard, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, and Nick Nolte looks promising if this trailer is any indication: