LGBTQ news and entertainment
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| (image via kenneth-in-the-212) |
Kenneth-in-the-212 reports that a sequel to the oh-so-NYC-centric gay romance Trick has a sequel in the works just in time for its 20th anniversary.
I remember seeing the original Trick starring Christian Campbell and J.P. Pitoc in 1999 as two gay men who meet one night in Chelsea and set off in search of a place to get intimate.
The indie flick also featured memorable performances by Tori Spelling, Steve Hayes and Miss Coco Peru.
I’d love to see this happen 🙂
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| Rami Malek as “Freddie Mercury” |
“Roger, there’s only room in this band for one hysterical queen.”
Many were surprised by the so-called “straight-washing” of Freddie Mercury’s personal life in the first trailer for the upcoming, Bohemian Rhapsody.
Those folks will be pleased that the second trailer gives us more personal insight to the legendary frontman’s audacity and bisexual authenticity.
The official synopsis:
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury.
Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.
The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career.
Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music.
Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
In Theaters November 2, 2018
From the official synopsis:
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is the deliciously scandalous story of Scotty Bowers, a handsome ex-Marine who landed in Hollywood after World War II and became confidante, aide-de-camp and lover to many of Hollywood’s greatest male—and female—stars.
In the 1940s and ‘50s, Scotty ran a gas station in the shadow of the studio lots where he would connect his friends with actors and actresses who had to hide their true sexual identities for fear of police raids at gay bars, societal shunning and career suicide. An unsung Hollywood legend, Bowers would cater to the sexual appetites of celebrities—straight and gay–for decades.
The list of A-list celebrities Bowers attended to reads like a who’s who of golden age Hollywood. Rock Hudson, Cole Porter, Cary Grant, and Katharine Hepburn were among the stars Bowers reportedly catered to.
The documentary is based on the New York Times best-selling memoir Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars.
After having a successful run on the film festival circuit, the film opens in Los Angeles on July 27 and on August 3 in NYC.
Watch the trailer below.
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| (still from Call Me By Your Name) |
While the LGBTQ community was giddy over the success of gay-themed Call Me By Your Name at this year’s Academy Awards where James Ivory won the Oscar for “Best Screenplay,” a new study shows depictions of LGBTQ characters in movies released by major studios last year actually declined.
LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD took a look at the 109 films released by major studios in 2017. And in issuing their annual Studio Responsibility Index found that gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer characters appeared in only 14 films (12.8%).
That marks a precipitous drop from the 18.4% of major studio films found to be inclusive in 2016. Indeed, this is the lowest percentage of films featuring LGBTQ characters since GLAAD began reporting on the issue in 2012.
Additionally, GLAAD notes that many of the gay characters in 2017 films were barely seen on screen. Looking at the 14 films that included LGBTQ characters, in half of them the LGBTQ characters had less than five minutes of screen time.
There was some good news to report: diversity increased as 16 of the 28 LGBT-identified characters were people of color. That makes for 57% of the total characters in 2017 versus only 20% in 2016.
It’s important to note that the report did not include the LGBTQ representation in the films released by the smaller, boutique labels like Sony Pictures Classics, which produced Call Me By Your Name, and Fox Searchlight, which served up the Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs redux, Battle of the Sexes.
When you add those outlets to other similar offices – like Universal’s Focus and Lionsgate affiliate Roadside Attractions – to the mix, you do get a more diverse, inclusive result.
Of the 40 films released by those labels in 2017, 28% contained LGBTQ characters, which is almost double the 17% in 2016.
In a recent interview with Time Out London, Sir Ian McKellen spoke about the lack of LGBTQ representation in Hollywood:
“Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary, do they? They only recently discovered that there were black people in the world. Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible way throughout its history. Gay men don’t exist. Gods and Monsters [1998], I think, was the beginning of Hollywood admitting that there were gay people knocking around, even though half of Hollywood is gay.”
With opening day finally upon us, hubby Michael and I ventured out last night to catch the new gay-themed romantic comedy, Love, Simon.
Directed by gay power-producer Greg Berlanti – who’s the driving force behind Flash, Riverdale, Brothers & Sisters, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow – the film is based on the novel Simon vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda.
I found Berlanti’s groundbreaking film – it IS the first mainstream film to feature a teen gay front and center – to be an exuberant cross between a 1980s John Hughes teen angst film (without the overwrought angst) and a thoughtful exploration of what it’s like to come out in high school today.
The film is filled with humor – in its dialogue, characters, and situations – but never sacrifices actual emotional depth.
The first half of the movie takes its time, but that’s necessary to lay the groundwork for where we’re headed.
As a mainstream high school romantic comedy, there are some cliches here – the “parents are away, we have to throw a house party,” the vice-principal who “relates” to his students, clever voiceover from our hero, all backed by a soundtrack of catchy pop tunes.
Simon (charmingly played by Jurassic World’s Nick Robinson) tells us upfront his “huge-ass secret” – that he’s gay and he doesn’t really know how to come out. And, fearing how life could change, he’s not sure he wants to.
He also resents having to “come out” at all (which leads to a clever sequence imagining kids having to come out as heterosexual to their shocked parents). Why is “straight the default?” he asks.
His life becomes complicated when he falls in love via email with an anonymous classmate who calls himself “Blue.” His identity is the cliffhanger of the film and Berlanti keeps the suspense going in clever fashion.
To make things even more complicated, an obnoxious classmate named Martin (Logan Miller) discovers Simon’s secret and threatens to out him unless Simon helps him date one of his friends.
Eventually, the secret comes out (no, that’s not really a spoiler) and Simon copes with his new world.
As a gay man myself, I definitely felt I was reliving some of my own coming out journey.
Touching moments with his parents – played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel – are handled with thought and care.
In a one-on-one scene with Simon, Garner lovingly tells him, “You can exhale now, Simon.” And that moment felt authentic for the whole film – one big exhale for young LGBTs.
It was refreshing to see Robinson’s “Simon” delivered as a clever “every teen.” And you could definitely see hints of 1980s Matthew Broderick witticisms in our hero.
At the screening I attended, I saw practically no checking of cell phones during the film. Folks were paying attention: talking back to the screen, laughing at an over-the-top queer dance sequence, and gasping in sympathy. When Simon’s anonymous crush was finally revealed, the audience broke into euphoric applause.
Love, Simon is a warm-hearted, crowd-pleasing mainstream movie about a gay kid, and how many of those do we get?
The film appears to be doing well at the box office. According to Deadline, the flick is on track to open in 4th place at the box office to the tune of $11.7 million – more than the $10 million cost of the film.
I don’t recommend movies just because they have gay content. I have to like them. And I like Love, Simon.
I encourage you to get out and see the film. If we want to see ourselves in the art around us – TV, movies, music – we have to show up and support.
Go see Love, Simon. You’ll smile, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer.
Berlanti and company don’t necessarily reinvent the teen romantic comedy, but they do throw enough rainbow glitter around that you’ll definitely walk out with the feels.
Here’s the trailer:
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| Alan Cumming in After Louie |
Artist and AIDS activist Vincent Gagliostro’s debut feature After Louie will premiere on March 30, 2018 in New York City to be followed by a video on demand release across cable, internet and satellite platforms.
Synopsis:
After Louie stars Alan Cumming (The Good Wife) as Sam, an artist and activist from ACT UP who lived through the early years of HIV/AIDS and is struggling with survivor’s guilt and Zachary Booth (Last Weekend) as Braeden, a seductive younger man that Sam meets in a bar. The pair drop their pants and quickly thereafter Sam drops his emotional guard.
They develop an intergenerational relationship that reawakens Sam’s artistic soul and reviving his wilted heart.
Beyond the evocative performances and setting, After Louie is a love letter to New York City: engaging its rich backdrop, while honoring the history of the gay rights movement and the progress that’s been made.
Amid the arguments over politics, loss, aging, white privilege and the dark side of gay sexuality, After Louie offers up a pervasively wicked sense of humor and a big, generous, survivor’s heart.
The cast also includes Zachary Booth, Sarita Choudhury, David Drake, Joseph Arias, Justin Vivian Bond, Eric Berryman, Patrick Breen, Wilson Cruz.
Gagliostro began his professional career as an art director in the worlds of fashion and beauty, creating campaigns for a variety of major brands while working with renowned photographers.
In 1987, Gagliostro became a founding member of ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power).
In the early 90’s Gagliostro started a quarterly journal titled, XXXFRUIT, which was then commissioned by the Whitney Museum for an online version. At the same time he was the creative director of QW, a New York weekly gay news magazine.
He was a contributing cinematographer for the Oscar nominated documentary, How To Survive a Plague.
“The film’s passion, insights and feeling frequently hit home. A thoughtful contemplation of what it means to be gay today.”
— Sarah Ward, SCREEN DAILY
“One of the most exciting queer films of 2017 so far.”
— Jude Dry, INDIEWIRE
“After Louie may well be the most important gay movie you will see in your lifetime.”
– John Paul King, LOS ANGELES BLADE
Check out these awesome billboards by 20th Century Fox for their upcoming mainstream gay-themed rom-com Love, Simon.
Fun messages completely in tune with the cities they reside in.
Can’t wait for the film – due out March 16.
Here’s the latest trailer and more of those fab billboards.
There’s a new UK trailer for the upcoming coming-of-age gay-themed film, Love, Simon, and it makes me want to see the film that much more.
The new film, directed by out director/producer Greg Berlanti (Dawson’s Creek, Brothers & Sisters, Green Lantern, Everwood, Political Animals, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow) has gotten a lot of ink as one of the first major feature film with a teen LGBT-centric story.
This new trailer has more insight into teenager Simon’s burgeoning same-sex attraction.
From the film’s synopsis:
Everyone deserves a great love story. But for seventeen-year old Simon Spier it’s a little more complicated: he’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing.
I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming Love, Simon in theaters March 16.
The official synopsis goes like this:
Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon (Nick Robinson) it’s complicated: no-one knows he’s gay and he doesn’t know who the anonymous classmate is that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.
This would be the first gay-themed teen romance flick with a nation-wide release.
From the folks who brought you This Is Us, Brothers & Sisters and Dawson’s Creek.
Watch the new trailer below.
Plus, we get the first track from the film’s soundtrack – Bleachers “Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song).”
Take a listen below.
Ten films have made the shortlist out of 63 that qualified for this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
One of those ten is the acclaimed In A Heartbeat chronicling the charming tale of a schoolboy who’s heart leads him to face his same-sex school crush.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote to select five nominees in January.
Watch the charming animated short below.