NEWS

All the news from film and the world of the gays

Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait Of James Dean Trailer

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

It’s long been claimed that James Dean was bisexual, despite there not being all that much empirical evidence for it. It’s also been said he was a major masochist, who enjoyed things such as having cigarettes extinguished on him. It looks like the new film Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait Of James Dean is going to take these ideas and run with them.

The movie will screen at LA’s Outfest, but you can get a feel for the movie from the trailer above.

With the movie, filmmaker Matthew Mishory has imagined what the star’s life was like before he became a household name. It sees Dean (Jamie Preston) in the early 1950s, living with a male roommate with whom he’s also romantically involved. However he’s also tangled up with female classmates and older benefactors, who find it difficult to keep hold of the idiosyncratic young man.

“Our film has nothing to do with any other film that has been made about James Dean,’ Mishory told Gay Star News. ‘As the title suggests, it is a portrait, a moment in time. Our approach was to find the antecedents to a remarkable life and career and to tell that story not by using the language of conventional Hollywood filmmaking but instead by using the language of memories and of dreams.’

The film screens on Monday at Outfest, but there’s no news on any UK screenings.

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Help Gay-Themed Film Better Half – The Story of Tony & Leo Get Made

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

It’s tough getting an indie movie made, especially one that’s gay themed. As a result an increasing number are looking to crowdsourcing to try and get into production. One that’s vurrently going down that route, is Better Half, which has a Kickstarter campaign to try and get at least $35,000 so it has enough money to go before the cameras.

You can take a look at the preview clip above to see whether you think it might be worth getting the full movie made, and then head over to Kickstarter and pledge some cash. And if you need a bit more info on Better Half, here’s their statement below.

When was the last time you saw a dramatic gay film that didn’t have a coming-out, a pulsing night club setting, a heated courtroom debate on discrimination or a HIV/AIDs PSA embedded within it? What was the last gay film where the plot focused on the human drama between people, and not the “Gay”?

They ARE out there. We want to bring you the next great one… with Better Half.

Better Half is a story about a young DC couple’s transition from couplehood to becoming a family, who also happen to be gay. Tony is the kind-hearted social worker who can’t turn a blind eye to any soul in need, much to the frustration of his practical-minded partner. Leo is a financial planner who likes his things: his loving partner, his growing small business and prefers to live quietly & simply, with as little contact with the rest of the world as possible. So when an infant is abandoned at Saint Agnes, Tony sees it as a sign. Suddenly Leo is confronted with making good on his claim that he wants a family with Tony. Family-phobic and emotionally guarded, Leo must reconcile his fear of fatherhood with the real risk of losing Tony altogether.

Over and over again, folks who have read this script insist this is something new, that Better Half is a film missing from the landscape of gay cinema. And, we wanna bring it to you, but we need your help!

We are a resourceful bunch, so it won’t take a million dollars to make a great film. At present we have a modest “guerilla filmmaker’s” budget at $257K. We are really hustling to nibble away at that number. We are already well into pre-production, nailing down locations and talking to talent about roles and shooting schedules. We need to raise a cool $75K to get us through principle photography.

As a production team, we have worked together before. We are accustomed to shooting fast and light without sacrificing quality in the storytelling or production value. We got a bunch of passionate people on board for this project; they want to see this film made. But We can’t do it with Your support!

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Mississippi: I Am – Trailer and Lance Bass talks about the film

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Outfest has just started in LA, and one of the films screening is the documentary Mississippi: I Am, about the hope that the endemic homophobia in the conservative Christian State can change, using the experience of N*Sync singer Lance Bass (a Mississippi native) as a case study. You can see the trailer above and there’s an Outfest interview with Lance below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In 2006, ‘NSync’s Lance Bass came out publicly as gay. Once the “most beloved son” of his home state of Mississippi, he was instantly rejected and his hopes that Mississippi could ever embrace change were dashed. Four years later, the story of a Mississippi youth made national headlines. Constance McMillen was suing her school for denying her the right to go to prom with her girlfriend.

‘Something was shifting in one of the most socially conservative places in America. This gave Lance, and so many others, a glimmer of hope for change in the state they call home. Mississippi: I Am examines the relatively new battle on the part of primarily young LGBT people to bring gay civil rights and visibility out in the open and beyond division.’

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FILMS: Mississippi: I Am

Jessica Biel Offered Viper Role In The Wolverine

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

I always think Jessica Biel is an actress who’s actually better than the roles she gets suggests, and hopefully she’ll be able to get to prove that in The Wolverine, as director James Mangold has offered her the role of The Viper in The Wolverine. She would join a cast that also includes Will Yun Lee and Brian Tee, who will play villains The Silver Samurai and Noboru Mori.

The Viper has an intriguing past history with Wolverine. At one point she was an ally to Logan and yet also blackmailed him into marrying her. It isn’t known if The Viper will be a friend, foe or a bit of both to Hugh Jackman’s character. Indeed at the moment Biel hasn’t even accepted the role.

The Wolverine follows the title character to Japan, where he hopes to find out more information about who he really is. Production is scheduled to begin in August, with shooting to take place in both Australia and Japan. (Source: Twitch)

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ACTORS: Jessica Biel, Hugh Jackman DIRECTORS: James Mangold FILMS: The Wolverine

Edgar Wright’s The World’s End Teaser Poster

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

After years of teasing, the script is ready and Universal has given the greenlight to The World’s End, the movie that will reunite Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright. And to show it’s real (and as Comic-Con is on), a teaser poster has been revealed. The movie will start shooting in October.

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ACTORS: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost DIRECTORS: Edgar Wright FILMS: The World's End

Daniel Radcliffe Gets The Horns

July 14, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Daniel Radcliffe has has signed up to star in the supernatural fantasy/thriller Horns, based on the best-selling novel by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King), with Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, High Tension) directing, according to Variety.

Horns is a supernatural thriller driven by fantasy, mystery and romance, about Ig Perrish (Radcliffe), the number one suspect for the violent rape and murder of his girlfriend. Hungover from a night of hard drinking, Ig awakens one morning to find horns starting to grow from his head and soon realises their power drives people to confess their sins and give in to their most selfish and unspeakable impulses – an effective tool in his quest to discover the true circumstances of his late girlfriend’s tragedy and for exacting revenge on her killer.

Director Alexandre Aja says, “After reading Joe Hill’s cult book, I couldn’t resist temptation to dive into the devilish underworld and reinvent a universal myth. Horns is a wild ride of sin and crime, with a love story in its heart.”

Additional casting is now underway, with principal photography slated to begin this fall. Red Granite Pictures’ international sales arm (Red Granite International) will handle foreign sales for the film.

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ACTORS: Daniel Radcliffe DIRECTORS: Alexandre Aja FILMS: Horns

Peccadillo Pictures Reveals UK Release Slate – What LGBT treats are coming?

July 13, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Distributor Peccadillo Pictures’ bread and butter is finding interesting gay-themed films from around the world and bringing them to the UK, along with various other intriguing non-gay treats. They’ve now revealed their planned cinema releases for most of the rest of 2013, as well as a preview of what’s coming in 2013. So what can we look forward to (text from Peccadillo Pictures press release)?

LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR – IN CINEMAS AUGUST 1ST (EXCLUSIVE WEST END RUN)
Dir: Sheldon Larry | Country: USA
“A sizzling mash-up of Paris Is Burning, Rent and Dreamgirls” – IndieWire

Sheldon Larry’s audacious, raunchy and big-hearted musical—with songs by BEYONCE’S music director Kim Burse and choreography by BEYONCE’S dance master Frank Gatson Jr.—takes us into the fabulously funky world of voguing. (Remember the documentary Paris is Burning?) Here the setting is contemporary downtown L.A. Our hunky, homeless hero Brad, discarded by his homophobic mom, falls in with the members of the House of Eminence, ruled by the stern aging diva Queef Latina, who keeps a careful, loving watch over her makeshift family of runaways and throwaways. When two of her crew fall for Brad, the Queef is royally unamused. STEP UP and STREETDANCE move aside, there’s a new beat in town…

CIRCUMSTANCE – IN CINEMAS AUGUST 24TH
Dir: Maryam Keshavarz | Country: Iran/USA
“SWIRLING AND SENSUOUS. Ripples with the indignant energy of youthful rebellion…undeniable power and conviction.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls – Atafeh and Shireen – discovering their burgeoning sexuality, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into.

Winner of the Sundance Audience Award, Circumstance is a thrilling exposé of an Iranian culture rarely seen. Maryam Keshavarz’s directorial debut has blazed a promising trail at film festivals the world over, challenging audience’s pre-conceived perspectives of a society and how women can defy the rules imposed upon them, despite the dangers they face.

HIT SO HARD – IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 5TH (TBC)
Dir: P.David Ebersole | Country: USA
“Hit So Hard is one of the most inspiring rock docs in recent memory” – San Francisco Bay Guardian

When Nirvana burst onto the scene in 1991, the music they played spoke directly to an angry and disenfranchised generation. Grunge took over MTV and radio overnight… but just three years later, the drug-related deaths of several musicians and the suicide of Kurt Cobain closed the books on an all too brief era. Patty Schemel, the acclaimed drummer for Courtney Love’s seminal rock band Hole, was in the middle of all of it. The openly gay woman who always felt different never dreamed she would be in a multi-platinum band, touring with legends… or that, thanks to drug addiction, she could lose it all. Given a video camera just before Hole’s infamous Live Through This world tour, Patty filmed everything; the shows, the parties, and startlingly intimate footage of Kurt and Courtney. This footage has never been seen… until now.

Directed by P. David Ebersole, HIT SO HARD is a harrowing tale of overnight success, the cost of addiction, and ultimately, recovery and redemption. Featuring music from Hole, Nirvana and grunge legends Sonic Youth, HIT SO HARD is an all-access backstage pass to the music that shaped a generation.

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON – IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 2012
Dir: Ira Sachs | Country: USA
“Breaking new ground in contemporary Gay American cinema” – The Hollywood Reporter

It’s 1997 and New York City is in a state of intense flux when documentary filmmaker Erik Rothman (Thure Lindhardt) first meets Paul Lucy (Zachary Booth), a handsome but closeted lawyer in the publishing field. What begins as a highly charged first encounter soon becomes something much more, and a relationship quickly develops. As the two men start building a home and life together, each continues to privately battle their own compulsions and addictions. A film about sex, friendship, intimacy and most of all, love, Keep the Lights On takes an honest look at the nature of relationships in our times.

COMING IN 2013
LOVING WITHOUT REASON
Dir: Joachim Lafosse | Country: Belgium/France
WINNER: BEST ACTRESS – Cannes: Un Certain Regard

Young, effervescent and full of life, Murielle (Emilie Dequenne, Rosetta) has a promising future ahead of her when she meets and falls head over heels for the handsome Mounir (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet). A wedding soon follows, and the happy couple quickly set about preparing to make a family. However, with family comes ties, and none come so tight as that between Mounir and the mysterious Doctor Pinget (A Prophet, Sarah’s Key), his adoptive father. As Murielle continues to bring new life into the family, in the form of four beautiful young girls, frictions between Mounir and Doctor Pinget reach boiling point. Helpless to extract her husband and children from the wealthy nest that Doctor Pinget has provided for them, Murielle is drawn deeper into an unhealthy three-way relationship. With Doctor Pinget acting as Murielle’s personal pharmacy, and Mounir taking extended trips abroad to Morocco, Murielle becomes increasingly alone and unstable. There is only one way out of this nightmare, and for Murielle, all sense of reasoning must be abandoned.

Celebrated director Joachim Lafosse’s intense, multli-layered dissection of an unorthodox family unit created an unprecedented buzz at the Cannes Film Festival, not least because it was based on real-life events.

KUMA
Director: Umut Dag | Country: Turkey

Ayse, a beautiful 19-year-old girl from the Turkish countryside, is chosen to be married to the handsome Hasan, son of formidable and house-proud mother Fatma, who resides in Vienna with her husband and six children. However, what soon becomes apparent is that Ayse is to be second wife to Fatma’s husband. This tight-knit family go to great lengths to preserve traditional values, and although polygamy is illegal in Austria, Ayse is welcomed with warmth. Yet, her presence in a country whose language and culture is entirely foreign to her immediately marks her as an outsider. As Western societal norms and Muslim religious beliefs draw closer together in an ever diversifying family unit, tensions arise, resulting in an explosive stroke of fate.

Umut Dag’s mature feature debut is a rich tapestry of swirling emotions, suppressed desires, unspoken words and uncomfortable yet pressing social and political questions.

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FILMS: Leave It On The Floor, Circumstance, Hit So Hard, Keep The Lights On, Loving Without Reason, Kuma

It’s A Return To Babylon For Gay Filmmaker Matt Riddlehoover

July 13, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Jennifer Tilly as Clara Bow in Return To Babylon

A few week ago we posted some images from the upcoming comedy Scenes From A Gay Marriage, which proved extremely popular due to quite how amazingly hot the cast is!

Now we’ve had news from the movie’s openly gay director, Matt Riddlehoover, who’s revealed that it’s not only Scenes From A Gay Marriage he has ready for release, but also another film called Return To Babylon. In that film ‘scandals and pratfalls abound in this satirical and sexy look at the silent movie era’. The title pays homage to Kenneth Anger’s infamous book Hollywood Babylon, which purported to lift the lid on the sex, drugs and death in classic Hollywood (although many have questioned the truth of much of what gay film pioneer Anger wrote). That gives us a hint about what we can expect from Return To Babylon. Here’s the release we received:

‘Matt Riddlehoover, 26, is a hyphenate extraordinaire. The openly gay writer-producer-director-actor-editor has not one, but two new films set for release.

‘Playing off of his likeness to [and love of] Woody Allen, Riddlehoover’s upcoming comedy, Scenes from a Gay Marriage, touches on themes such as sex, love, and adultery. The film stars Riddlehoover, Jared Allman (Sundance Channel’s Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys) and hunky newcomer Carson Nicely.

‘Meanwhile, Return to Babylon, a silent feature Riddlehoover wrote, executive produced, and edited [long before the success of The Artist], is securing distribution. Jennifer Tilly (pictured), Debi Mazar, Enrique Sapene, and Tippi Hedren are among its sparkling cast.

‘Riddlehoover will reteam with Allman, Sapene, and Bring Chase Productions for another [as of right now untitled] comedy in 2013.

‘Keep up with UK release dates and showtimes at http://www.facebook.com/scenesfromagaymarriage‘

Personally, we can’t wait to see both films!

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See Outfest’s Director Talk About The Impact Of LGBT Film

July 13, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Outfest, LA’s LGBT film festival, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most important in the world, opened its 30th event last night with a screening of the documentary Vito and an honour for John Waters.

The Advocate has posted a new interview with Outfest’s Executive director, Kirsten Schaffer, who talks about the importance of LGBT movies and festivals, which is particularly relevant at a time when some are wondering whether gay themes have become mainstream enough that we no longer need such events. It’s well worth a watch, so can look above to see Schaffer’s take on things.

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Frankenweenie – Comic-Con Trailer

July 13, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

As part of their Comic-Con panel, Disney unveiled a fun new trailer for Frankeweenie, which reveals more plot and is done in the entertaining style of a 1950s-type horror movie promo. It gives a great look at the stop motion film, and shows that while it may be in black and white, it has a beautiful style, as you’d expect from director Tim Burton. The movie will hit UK cinemas on October 17th.

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DIRECTORS: Tim Burton FILMS: Frankenweenie