Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more
Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more
There’s little doubt that Battleship has pretty much nothing to do with the classic game and everything with trying to ape Transformers to give Hasbro yet another enormous franchise they can sell toys on the back of (although with Universal making the movie this time, rather than Paramount/Dreamworks. The more we see, the more like Transformers-At-Sea it looks, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It certainly looks pretty explosive in this new Super Bowl spot, so take a look.
Daniel Radcliffe in Equus
Thanks to Equus, the Internet is full of blurry pics of what Daniel Radcliffe’s got going on below the waist, but if you’ve ever wondered what he does in terms of manscaping, he’s decided to enlighten us. He is an oddly open young man, after all!
In an interview with Heat, he spoke about his role as gay poet Allen Ginsberg in the upcoming movie Kill Your Darlings and what that means for his body hair. He says, “I’m comfortable with my body. I’ve just been having a discussion with the guy who’s directing my new project (John Krokidas).
“It might have a bit of nudity and he said, ‘Just to let you know, if you’re getting naked, no landscaping of any kind. This is the 1940s.’
“I’m pretty much there anyway, mate! Not a huge amount of maintenance going on.” He did add though, “I mean, there’s a little bit, obviously, for courtesy.”
That just makes me wonder though – what counts as courtesy maintenance and what doesn’t?
He’s not a big fan of women completely removing the carpeting either. He added, “This is way too much information, but I don’t like girls with nothing down there either. It kind of freaks me out. You have to have something, otherwise it’s f—ing creepy.”
Well guys, just remember to keep your pubes, in case Dan ever turns!
Young Adult has Oscar pedigree written all over it. Directed By Jason Reitman (nominated for Up In The Air and Juno) in collaboration with everyone’s favourite hip writer, Diablo Cody (of Juno fame), and with the beautiful and talented Charlize Theron (Oscar winner for Monster) starring.
On paper it would appear that Mavis Gary (Theron) is a successful, beautiful 37-year-old writer living life to the full in Minneapolis, who’s enjoying all the trappings that life should bring a former prom queen. However, it is obvious from the opening scenes that her life is in a mess. She wakes up from a drunken stupor, having fallen asleep on her bed fully-clothed. She shuffles round her dishevelled apartment, drinks Coke for breakfast, prepares breakfast for her and her dog Dolce from ready made packet food, whilst watching The Kardashians on TV. [Read more…]
The first trailer for The Grey made it seem like someone had gotten over-excited about The Tree Of Life. It suggested the film was going to be some sort of weird, ethereal, existentialist drama. Thankfully though, that’s not what it is at all (well, it is a bit, but not too much).
Liam Neeson plays a guy whose job is to sort out the predators that occasionally menace the workers at a remote gas refinery operation in Alaska. On a plane ride with a number of other motley oil workers, things take a rather drastic turn when they fall out of the sky. Normally a plane crash would be the worst part of your day, but the men are now in the middle of nowhere and in the territory of a particularly vicious pack of wolves. [Read more…]
The Descendants was no doubt Oscar bound at its inception – directed and written by Alexander Payne (of Election, Sideways and About Schmidt fame) and starring one of The Oscars current favourites, George Clooney. With five nominations, the only question now is whether it’ll win.
Matthew King’s (Clooney) wife has been involved in a major accident and is on a life support machine. He is a lawyer as well as the executor of his extended family’s massive estate, even though he’s completely out of touch with his immediate family. The plot centres around Clooney coming to terms with, taking control of and understanding more about his fractured family, whilst also learning about his wife’s infidelity. [Read more…]
Today Jennifer Lawrence and AMPAS President Tom Sherak got up extra early to announce the Oscar nominations (it was 5.30am LA time) so that we can pore over them for weeks in the run up to the ceremony on February 26th.
Early reaction has been largely favourable, with the sense that the Academy has done a pretty good job, barring some grumbling over the lack of Drive in any of the categories barring Sound Editing and Michael Fassbender missing out on a Best Actor nom for Shame.
Surprising many, it’s Hugo that has the most nominations with 11, followed by the expected leader, The Artist, with 10.
On the LGBT front, Christopher Plummer has, as expected, picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination for playing an aging gay man in Beginners. After his Golden Globe win he’s now the favourite in that category.
What was less certain was whether Glenn Close would get a nom for Albert Nobbs, in which she plays a woman living as a man. Thankfully she got a Best Actress nomination, while Janet McTeer got a Best Supporting Actress nod for the same movie. Rooney Mara also got a Best Actress nod for playing bisexual Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Although the AIDS documentary We Were Here made the longlist for the Best Documentary Oscar, it sadly wasn’t included among the final nominees. Other movies with LGBT themes that were shut out include J. Edgar and Weekend (although no one had expected the latter to be nominated, no matter how much critics love it).
Gay director Tate Taylor missed out on a Best Director nomination, but his film, The Help, picked up a Best Picture nomination, along with three nods for for its female stars in the acting categories. Likewise lesbian Iron Lady helmer Phylidda Lloyd didn’t get a nomination herself, but Meryl Streep is the frontrunner for Best Actress for her performance in the movie.
So you can decide for yourself whether the Academy got it right, here’s the full list of nominees in all categories. Let the bitching about Olivia Colman not being nominated for Tyrannosaur but Jonah Hill getting one for Moneyball commence:
Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Directing
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick
Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan
Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi
Animated Feature Film
“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski
Art Direction
“The Artist”
Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo”
Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris”
Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse”
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Cinematography
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski
Costume Design
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips
Documentary (Feature)
“Hell and Back Again”
Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Pina”
Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated”
TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
Documentary (Short Subject)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”
James Spione
“Saving Face”
Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
Film Editing
“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen
Foreign Language Film
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran
Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Iron Lady”
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
Music (Original Score)
“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams
Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Short Film (Animated)
“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Short Film (Live Action)
“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø
Sound Editing
“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Sound Mixing
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo”
Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball”
Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse”
Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo”
Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel”
Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman In Black
A few weeks ago it was revealed that Daniel Radcliffe was set to play gay poet Allen Ginsberg in a movie called Kill Your Darlings. The film about a murder case that united three of the most important figures of the beat era – Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs – before any of them made their name.
Ginsberg, famed for his poem Howl, is best known from images of him when he was in his 30s. At that point he had a huge bushy beard and receding hairline, leading to accusations that Radcliffe is the wrong person to play him. This is despite the fact the rather dashing and beardless James Franco played him only a couple of years ago in Howl.
The popular image of a slightly older Allen Ginsberg
Now Radcliffe has been defending his casting, telling the BBC, “Any criticism of me not looking right for the part – well, James Franco is way too good-looking to play Allen Ginsberg.”
Radcliffe added, “This is a 19-year old Ginsberg. I remember somebody saying to me, ‘Are you going to grow a beard?’ No, l’m not playing him at 40. That would be weird, they wouldn’t have cast me. He’s 19, clean shaven and has just got into Columbia University.”
Kill Your Darlings is about Columbia University student Lucien Carr, who was implicated in (and served time for) the murder of David Kammerer, who was found dead in Hudson River in 1944. The events surrounding the death are said to have had a massive impact on the beat circle – including Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs – who all became involved in the case, with it tempering the idealism they had felt beforehand.
Shooting is due to begin in March. Radcliffe will next be seen in The Woman In Black, which opens in the UK on February 10th.
There’s an old adage on the standup comedy circuit that the only thing worse than complete silence to greet your routine is a couple of stifled chuckles. This, they say, indicates that not only has your material failed, it has done so in such a way that the audience’s only response is to laugh at its failure.
Had Clint Eastwood, the director of J.Edgar attended the screening of his film that I did, he might have had a similar feeling. The last thing one would expect from a serious political biopic is moments of unintentional hilarity, but from the minute Leonardo DiCaprio appears on screen in an unconvincing elderly prosthetic, that’s exactly what you get. [Read more…]
This teaser for Resident Evil: Retribution may be the most shameless ever, as half of it is literally a plug for various Sony products. You can understand companies wanting corporate synergy, but this is a little ridiculous. At least it allows time for 30 seconds of footage from the movie, which looke like, well, a Resident Evil movie.
Here’s the synopsis: ‘The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, ALICE (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.’
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), America’s foremost lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy and anti-defamation organisation, has announced the nominees for its 23rd Annual Media Awards. The gongs are handed out for all different types of media, ranging from film and tv to theatre, journalism and even blogs.
On the film front, they realise that many gay movies get tiny releases and so to make things a bit more interesting, they split the awards between movies with LGBT content that got a wide release and those given limited releases. Albert Nobbs, Beginners and J. Edgar got the nomination for Outstanding FIlm – Wide Release, while Circumstance, Gun Hill Road, Pariah, Tomboy and Britain’s own Weekend are up for Outstanding Film – Limited release.
Mike Thompson, GLAAD’s Acting President, commented, “As media continue to tell new stories about LGBT people and families, a majority of Americans now support full equality of LGBT Americans. This year’s nominees enlighten and entertain, while spotlighting the diversity of our community. Audiences expect to see their own worlds reflected in media, and today more than ever, those include the lives of LGBT people. Viewers know that LGBT characters and stories are simply natural extensions of, and glimpses into, their own experiences from across America.”
GLAAD certainly likes holding awards ceremonies, as The GLAAD Media Awards will be held in New York on March 24, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square; in Los Angeles on April 21 at the Westin Bonaventure; and in San Francisco on June 2 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis.
Take a look below for all the nominees in all the English-language categories (and if you’re interested in the Spanish-language nominees, click here)
Outstanding Film – Wide Release
Albert Nobbs
Beginners
J. Edgar
Outstanding Film – Limited Release
Circumstance
Gun Hill Road
Pariah
Tomboy
Weekend
Outstanding Drama Series
Degrassi
Grey’s Anatomy
Pretty Little Liars
Shameless
Torchwood: Miracle Day
Outstanding Comedy Series
Exes and Ohs
Glee
Happy Endings
Modern Family
The Big C
Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character)
“Acceptance” Man Up!
“Beards” Hot in Cleveland
“Prom” Drop Dead Diva
“Recruited” NCIS
“The Boy Has Style” Are We There Yet?
Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
Cinema Verite
Outstanding Documentary
Becoming Chaz
The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
The World’s Worst Place to be Gay?
Two Spirits
We Were Here
Outstanding Reality Program
Dancing with the Stars
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys
The Glee Project
The Real L Word
The Voice
Outstanding Talk Show Episode
“Chaz Bono” Late Show with David Letterman
“Children & Teens Caught in the Wrong Bodies” Anderson
“Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests” The Oprah Winfrey Show
“The Wedding of Scott Cronick & David Gorshein” Conan
“Zach Wahls” The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Outstanding Daily Drama
All My Children
Days of Our Lives
Outstanding TV Journalism – News Magazine
“Day One” The Rachel Maddow Show
“Finding Home” In the Life
“GLBT in Texas” Spotlight DFW
“The ‘Sissy Boy’ Experiments” Anderson Cooper 360
“They Call it Corrective Rape” World’s Untold Stories
Outstanding TV Journalism Segment
“Battle Against Bullying” ABC World News With Diane Sawyer
“Children of LGBT Parents” MSNBC News Live
“Gay Dads Adopt 12 Kids” Good Morning America
“Kye Allums” Outside the Lines
“Split by Potential Deportation” CNN Newsroom
Outstanding Newspaper Article
“AIDS @ 30” (series) Windy City Times [Chicago, Ill.]
“Coming Out to America” by Melanie Asmar, Westword [Denver, Colo.]
“Even on Religious Campuses, Students Fight for Gay Identity” by Erik Eckholm, The New York Times
“Led by the Child Who Simply Knew” by Bella English, The Boston Globe
“Local Lesbian Couple Navigates Life’s Daily Challenges as Parents” by Najla Amundson, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead [Fargo, N.D.]
Outstanding Newspaper Columnist
Alfred Doblin – The Record [Bergen, N.J.]
Craig Wilson – USA Today
Frank Bruni – The New York Times
Maureen Dowd – The New York Times
Peg McEntee – The Salt Lake Tribune
Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage
Pioneer Press [St. Paul, Minn.]
The Boston Globe
The New York Times
The Oregonian [Portland, Ore.]
The Salt Lake Tribune
Outstanding Magazine Article
“15th Anniversary of the Passage of the Defense of Marriage Act” (series) by Chris Geidner, Metro Weekly
“Black & Gay in Corporate America” by Carolyn M. Brown, Black Enterprise
“Making It Work” by Rod McCullom, Ebony
“The Secret I Don’t Want to Keep Anymore” by Janet Mock as told to Kierna Mayo, Marie Claire
“Transitions” by Eliza Gray, The New Republic
Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage
Entertainment Weekly
People
The Advocate/Out
Time
US Weekly
Outstanding Digital Journalism Article
“Adam and Pete: Love in a Time of War” by Max J. Rosenthal, HuffingtonPost.com
“Black and Transgender: A Double Burden” by Kellee Terrell, TheRoot.com
“Soldier Leaves Legacy Much Larger Than ‘He Was Gay'” by Wayne Drash, CNN.com
“The Rainbow Struggle” (series) GlobalPost.com
“What are Little Boys Made Of” by Jim Burroway, BoxTurtleBulletin.com
Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia
“Breaking Boundaries” by Eliza Gray, Joe Heroun and Margy Slattery, TheNewRepublic.com
“Coming Out” by Sarah Kramer and Nicole Bengiveno, NYTimes.com
“Glamorous Gay Dance Scene a ‘Family Affair'” by Brooke Sopelsa and Drew Katchen, MSNBC.com
“Injustice at Every Turn” ITLMedia.org
“Transgender: A Special Report” (series) TimesUnion.com [Albany, N.Y.]
Outstanding Blog
Bilerico Project
Mombian
New Civil Rights Movement
Rod 2.0
Towleroad
Outstanding Music Artist
Beverly McClellan, Fear Nothing
Girl in a Coma, Exits & All the Rest
Hunx and His Punx, Too Young to Be in Love
Lady Gaga, Born This Way
MEN, Talk About Body
Outstanding Comic Book
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade by Allan Heinberg, Marvel
Batwoman by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, DC Comics
Secret Six by Gail Simone, DC Comics
Veronica Presents: Kevin Keller by Dan Parent, Archie Comics
X-Factor by Peter David, Marvel Comics
Outstanding Los Angeles Theater
Bonded by Donald Jolly
House of the Rising Son by Tom Jacobson
Killer Queen: The Story of Paco the Pink Pounder by Peter Griggs
No Word in Guyanese for Me by Wendy Graf
Who’s Your Daddy? by Johnny O’Callaghan
Outstanding New York Theater: Broadway and Off-Broadway
Maple & Vine by Jordan Harrison
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott
Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner
Unnatural Acts: Harvard’s Secret Court of 1920 conceived by Tony Speciale
Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off Broadway
She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen
Southern Comfort book and lyrics by Dan Collins, music by Julianne Wick Davis
The Dog and Pony Show (Bring Your Own Pony) by Holly Hughes
The Escape Artist book by John Kelly, songs by John Kelly & Carol Lipnik
The Momentum by Boo Killebrew, Geoffrey Decas O’Donnell & Jordan Seavey
