Each year the Library Of Congress chooses 25 films for preservation, which it considers are important enough to cinema that they deserve special protection. This year’s movies have now been picked, and amongst the movies – some well known, others less so – is Paris Is Burning, Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary about the queer Ball Scene in New York.
The documentary shone a light on a phenomenon which was largely unknown even by most of the gay world. The ball scene was a self-created world, populated by those largely ostracised by society – and not just because they were queer – such as poor African-American and Hispanic gay men, drag queens and transgender women, who came together into ‘Houses’ that competed against each other in fabulous drag balls. It’s a world that’s still going strong today.
Paris Is Burning is considered seminal as both a look at this world and in terms of gay-themed documentary as a whole. It’s also been incredibly influential, not least on the current world of drag. However, it has become controversial, with some accusing Livingston of essentially being a voyeur onto the scene, and an enabler of cultural appropriation due to the influence the film has had (including popularising the idea of ‘shade’ being an insult, and ‘fierce’ for strong fashion look). Some of the participants also felt used, as despite the success of the documentary they made little money out of it.
While Paris Is Burning remains adored by many and loathed by others, the Library Of Congress has decided it fits the criteria of being ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’ enough to enter the National Film Registry. Other movies going in this year include East of Eden, The Lion King and The Birds. Another semi-queer favourite is also included, Thelma & Louise. Take a look below at the list of all 25 films. [Read more…]
Somehow I don’t think this movie will be held up in the future as a paragon of 21st Century feminism, but hey, it could be kind of fun in a Fatal Attraction/Single White Female way. Now a trailer for the movie has arrived, suggesting things are gonna get pretty extreme between Katherine Heigl and Rosario Dawson.
Yesterday we got the first official poster for Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and that’s now been followed by a trailer. While it’s certainly intriguing, it’s perhaps not quite as big as you might have expected, and doesn’t really explain much about the plot, but it does do a decent job of making it look like a slightly more hopeful version of Saving Private Ryan.
Trey Parker has had plenty of success with South Park, but as an actor he’s largely stuck to things he’s created himself (alongside Matt Stone). However, he’s entered the world of Despicable Me 3 to play the new villain.
Earlier this year it was suggested that Warner/DC was developing a follow-up to Suicide Squad centred on a female group of villains, known as the Gotham CIty Sirens, with Margot Robbie attached to return as Harley Quinn. That’s now been confirmed, along with the news that Suicide Squad’s director, David Ayer, is now attached to produce and helm the film, according to 
Earlier this year 
It doesn’t look like things are going to be going well for the Autobots in Transformers: The Last Knight. The recent trailer showed Optimus Prime and Bumblebee fighting, and now the first poster shows Prime standing, sword in hand, standing over what looks to be the corpse of his yellow (former) friend.
Aquaman has found itself a villain, and it’s someone not unfamiliar with the world of DC characters. Patrick Wilson previously Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl in Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Watchmen. Now, with Snyder helping oversee the creation of the DC movie universe (having helmed Man Of Steel and Batman v Superman), Wilson has joined Aquaman.
A decade ago Malcolm Ingram’s documentary Small Town Gay Bar found a lot of acclaim, screening at Sundance and winning awards at the likes of LA’s Outfest and the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The film, which focused on some small gay establishments in the US Deep South, is now planning a spiritual successor, Southern Pride.
A lot of people wondered whether Moonlight would be this year’s Tangerine – a movie that was heaped with critical praise but got completely shut out at the Oscars. However, if the Golden Globes is any indication, it’s got a good shot of being amongst the nominations for the Academy Awards. Indeed, it’s already racked up a series of wins at Critics Choice awards, and so may actually have a shot at the Best Picture Oscar itself.