Between them, David Hockney and Lucian Freud probably had a greater impact on 20th art than any other British artist, and Hockney remains influential today, with his latest work being a well recieved as some of his earlier, more famous works. Like Freud, Hockney is gay, something that influenced both of their paintings, in both subject and style (although Hockney isn’t keen on labels).
A new documentary about David, simply titled Hockney, is finally getting a US release, and you can take a look at a trailer for it below.
Here’s the synopsis: ‘HOCKNEY is the definitive exploration of one of the most significant artists of his generation. For the first time, David Hockney has given access to his personal archive of photographs and film, resulting in an unparalleled visual diary of his life. The film chronicles Hockney’s vast career, from his early life in working-class Bradford, where his love for pictures was developed through his admiration for cinema, to his relocation to Hollywood where his life long struggle to escape labels (‘queer’, ‘working class’, ‘figurative artist’) was fully realized.
‘David Hockney offers theories about art, the universe, and everything: “I’m interested in ways of looking and trying to think of it in simple ways. If you can communicate that, of course people will respond; after all, everybody does look.“ But as HOCKNEY reveals, it’s the hidden self-interrogation that gives his famously optimistic pictures their unexpected edge and attack. The documentary traces the artist’s journey to live the American or Californian dream, yet paradoxically reveals that he never broke ties with the childhood that formed him. Did Yorkshire awkwardness in his blood give him the willpower to survive relationship problems, and later the AIDS plague that killed the majority of his friends? Acclaimed filmmaker Randall Wright offers a unique view of this unconventional artist who is now reaching new peaks of popularity worldwide, and, at 78, is as charismatic as ever, working in the studio seven days a week.’
Director Randall Wright comments, “I wanted to create a strong sense of place in the two very different landscape that David calls home – the vast bright spaces of California, and the moody hills of East Yorkshire. The creative push and pull of these absolute opposite environments energizes David’s constant search for answers, both creative and personal. Also digital cinema is now brilliant for reproducing painting. The color accuracy, and image resolution is breathtaking. David’s paintings look stunning on the big screen. As David would be quick to point out, the two mediums, cinema and painting have a much closer relationship in the twentieth century than people realize.
“After the Second World War European humanist filmmakers saw themselves as continuing the figurative tradition of oil painting. And films were always significant to David. He moved to the Hollywood Hills, he befriended Billy Wilder, and of course he has experimented with films for the last thirty years, resulting in his recent multi-screen movies. Some of his latest paintings are massive and in a widescreen format. For me cinema offers the opportunity to deal with an artist in a very down to earth way, without commentary and the standard art world experts. In the dark we can really focus on powerful images without interruptions.”
Hockney will open at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and at Metrograph in New York, and at Laemmle Royal, Playhouse 7 and Noho 7 in Los Angeles on April 22, 2016, before moving to other US cities. [Read more…]
Tough Love has gotten plenty of fans thanks to its first two seasons, charting the journey of LGBT best friends and roommates Steven and Blaire as they stumble through love, friendship, and sex in New York City. Now Season 3 is on its way and to give us a taste a trailer has arrived.
I wonder whether this short was inspired by the ‘incident’ a month or two ago when Grindr went down for an hour or two and you’d have thought the gay apocalypse had arrived. Perhaps that’s a bit strong, but people did get very exercised about it.
Back in the autumn of 2014, comedian Jimmy Fowlie introduced us to his alter-ego Danny in the gay-themed web series Go-Go Boy Interrupted. The show was loosely based on Jimmy’s own life, following go-go dancer Danny who’s having difficulty adjusting to the fact that with his 30s approaching he’s getting a bit old to party every night and get paid to gyrate in clubs.
Max Landis – son of director John Landis – has made quite a name for himself writing the likes of Chronicle, American Ultra, and Victor Frankenstein. Now he’s moving into the director’s chair himself to tell a gay-themed tale called Me Him Her.
What We Have has had a successful run at LGBT film festivals around the world and is now making its way to DVD. As a result, we’ve got a new trailer.
Synopsis: ‘A Nebraskan family reunion couldn’t seem more backwards to a gay Californian teenager. If Ryder had his way, he’d choose a moment just like this to come out, the bigger the scene the better.
Synopsis: ‘PACKED IN A TRUNK celebrates the life of Edith Lake Wilkinson, a gifted and prolific lesbian artist who, in 1924, was committed to an asylum. All her worldly possessions were packed into trunks and she was never heard from again.
Fans of arty rudeness may already know the name Peter Rome, not least from the BFI release a couple of years ago of 
Sometimes you watch a trailer for a gay-themed movie and it really looks like it might be one of the few that truly stands out from the rest. Departure is one of those films, which has a good cast, an interesting looking story and seems like it’s going to be beautiful to look at.