Washington Blade Film en-us http://washblade.com/rss 2009 - Washington Blade: The Gay and Lesbian News Source of Record - D.C. and National Gay News, Entertainment and Opinion Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT editor@washblade.com Reel Affirmations set to open
LGBT film festival kicks off Thursday with Quentin Crisp biopic
By Jaimie Schock
Friday, October 09, 2009
A hardened gang member battles self-doubt as he falls in love with another man. Lesbians dress in drag and dance topless at an international convention for the 10th year in a row. A teenage girl's VW Beetle is vandalized with hate speech so she takes it on a road trip. A transgender city manager loses his job, is threatened with violence and is forced into the public eye as he transitions.

These are only a few of the stories told through the featured films featured at Reel Affirmations (www.reelaffirmations.org), D.C.'s LGBT film festival now in its 19th year. It opens Thursday and runs through Oct. 24, with approximate ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/10-9/arts/film/15320.cfm Fri, 9 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Film deep freeze
Gay-themed movies Scarce aside from Reel Affirmations Lineup
By Joey DiGuglielmo
Friday, September 11, 2009
Gays typically get one major studio Hollywood movie a year. This year it was the polarizing “Bruno” (thanks a lot!). Last year was better — “Milk” was something to both enjoy and be proud of. Sadly, 2005, which brought “Transamerica,” “Capote” and “Brokeback Mountain,” turns out to have been an abundance fluke.

Everything else falls into two categories: mainstream pictures with gay appeal, which often requires some stretching; and cherry picking from the indie/foreign arena.

We'll start with the latter. The one looks-to-be-bright spot on the fall horizon is “Patrik, Age 1.5,” (Swedish with Eng ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/9-11/arts/film/15158.cfm Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EST Lust in the dust
'Country Teacher' explores morality and desire; opens today at E Street
By Amy Cavanaugh
Friday, June 26, 2009
It may have a simple plot, but “The Country Teacher,” a Czech film that opens today at the Landmark E Street Cinema, is a thoughtful, complex look at desire and sexuality in a small village.

When the film opens, Petr (Pavel Liska), the 30-something teacher of the title, has just left his job in Prague to move to a small village and teach natural sciences. As Petr settles into his quieter life,
he befriends his landlady Marie (Zuzana Bydzovska), whose advances he rejects, and her wild 17-year-old son, Lada (Ladislav Sedivy), whom he tutors in math. It's revealed to viewers that Petr is gay when an old boyfriend comes to visit and tries to win him back, but the sma ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-26/arts/film/14787.cfm Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST Silverdocs kicks off this weekend
Strong LGBT-themed films part of festival
By Amy Cavanaugh
Friday, June 12, 2009
The shortage of gay-themed films coming out of Hollywood means Reel Affirmations is usually the only time to see films with LGBT content. Enter Silverdocs, the annual eight-day documentary film festival that's a collaboration between the AFI and the Discovery Channel. With more than 100 films, Silverdocs also features a handful of terrific films with LGBT content or by LGBT directors.

The must-see film at Silverdocs is “Prodigal Sons,” the story of director Kimberly Reed's trip back to her small Montana town to attend her high school reunion. Reed, who is transgender, has been estranged from her adopted brother Marc for years, ever since he suffered an injury that lea ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/6-12/arts/film/14669.cfm Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST Behind Dali's mask
'Little Ashes' explores artist's Gay relationship with Lorca
By Amy Cavanaugh
Friday, May 29, 2009
One of the most anticipated gay films of the summer opens in D.C. today, with the release of “Little Ashes,” about the relationship between painter Salvador Dalí (Robert Pattinson) and poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (Javier Beltrán).

Screenwriter Philippa Goslett based the script on memories of Lorca that Dalí shared before his death, yet the interpretation remains controversial — while an intimate relationship between the artists had been long rumored, Dalí told interviewers he rejected Lorca's attempts at seduction.

The film begins in 1922 when Dalí arrives at university in Madrid, where he falls ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/5-29/arts/film/14619.cfm Fri, 29 May 2009 05:00:00 EST Satire or setback?
Gay rights advocates defend and question motives behind 'Brüno'
By Matt Schafer
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sacha Baron Cohen's new mockumentary “Brüno” purports to expose Americans' bias and homophobia surrounding gay men, but gay groups are split over whether Cohen's flamboyantly gay character helps or hurts the gay rights movement.

In his new movie from Universal, rumored to be fully titled: “Brüno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt,” Cohen portrays a gay Austrian fashionista seeking fame. The movie is due out July 10, but when it first went to the Motion Picture Association of America this month, it received an NC-17 rating for si ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/4-24/arts/film/14410.cfm Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EST MTV's 'Pedro' captures late AIDS activist
Late gay 'Real World' housemate lives on in biopic
By Dan Renzi
Friday, April 03, 2009
Long after the last episode of “The Real World San Francisco” aired, the life of cast member Pedro Zamora comes to life once again in MTV's biopic “Pedro,” which premiered Wednesday.

The first HIV-positive character on TV, Zamora captured the hearts of millions of viewers as a cast member of “Real World,” allowing cameras to film the goings-on of his daily life in San Francisco. He spent his time on the show working as an AIDS activist, as well as fostering a budding relationship with his boyfriend. As a result, he received international acclaim for putting a face to the disease, and then-President Bill Clinton publicly praised Zamora with perso ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/4-3/arts/film/14310.cfm Fri, 3 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EST Bracing for a dry spell
Post-'Milk' moviescape features dearth of gay content
By Joey DiGuglielmo
Friday, March 06, 2009
Mainstream movies with strong gay themes remain, even in 2009, few. For every high-profile success like “Milk,” which just had a decent showing at the Oscars and is due on DVD Tuesday, months drag by with little to entice queer movie fans who yearn for anything resembling their lives on screen.

To earn a slot at the neighborhood multiplex, movies with gay content have to prove, like “Milk,” that straights will buy tickets, too. Finding anything gay there these days requires getting creative. Tyler Perry in drag in yet another Madea movie? Hardly a gay/trans breakthrough.

Off the beaten path, though, a few options remain, a couple in art houses b ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/3-6/arts/film/14179.cfm Fri, 6 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EST 'Milk' wins two Oscars
Penn, Black take Hollywood's top prize
By Joey DiGuglielmo
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sunday's Oscar telecast proved the Academy's gayest in recent memory with “Milk,” the highest-profile queer-themed movie since 2005's “Brokeback Mountain,” winning two statuettes.

“Milk's” Oscar tally was slightly lower than “Brokeback's” (both movies had eight nominations; “Brokeback” won three Oscars to “Milk's” two). But nobody was predicting a Best Picture Oscar for “Milk,” whereas “Brokeback” was considered a strong contender for the top prize three years ago (it lost to the polarizing “Crash,” a sore spot for many gay movie fans).

This year, though, largely ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/2-27/arts/film/14142.cfm Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST 'Phillip Morris' is MIA
Gay-themed Jim Carrey movie delayed by distribution snafu
By Amy Cavanaugh
Friday, February 27, 2009
“I Love You Phillip Morris,” which premiered at Sundance in January, is one of the most buzzed about films that premiered at the famed independent film festival. With heavy gay content, it could join the ranks of “Brokeback Mountain” and “Milk” as one of the most visibly gay movies, but it may take time for viewers to see it — the film has not been picked up for distribution.

The film stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as lovers who meet in prison. Carrey plays Steven Russell, a closeted Texan, who, after being rejected by his mother who gave him up for adoption, runs off to Miami. There, he comes out and becomes a con man, landing himself ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/2-27/arts/film/14143.cfm Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST Winds of change
Exploration of romance, monogamy ends on predictable note
By Greg Marzullo
Friday, January 30, 2009
It's a sadly familiar story. A group of tight-knit gay friends goes through hell when a sexy interloper makes his way onto the scene.

The tall, dark stud goes to work at undoing every relationship he encounters, forcing people to examine whether they're really interested in monogamy or even solid friendships. While Richard LeMay's “Whirlwind” (which dropped Tuesday on DVD) is nothing new, some solid performances and a decent script by Jason Brown makes the movie more than just another typical tale.

In the Big Apple, a group of 20- and 30-something gay friends meets regularly for dinner parties, gossiping, catching up and teasing one another about sexual esc ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-30/arts/film/13994.cfm Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST 'Milk' and more
2008 saw some cinematic gems, even at the multiplex
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, January 02, 2009
All in all, 2008 was not a bad year for gay movies. The art houses were well stocked with gay-related fare, and in at least one case, a major film hung around in multiplexes for more than just the obligatory one-week run. Listed below are my picks for the year's top queer films, with the hopes that 2009 exceeds expectations.

“Milk” obviously gets the big prize this year. Although not necessarily besting “Brokeback Mountain” in terms of mainstream cultural importance (the Oscars will contribute to that), the film certainly came at a heartbreakingly ironic moment for gay Americans.

As Prop 8 passed in California weeks before “Milk's” r ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2009/1-2/arts/film/13861.cfm Fri, 2 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST A 'Dream' come true
Musical fantasy ties 'Midsummer Night's Dream' to gay love and desire
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, December 12, 2008

trong class="textdark">Editors' note: pan class="textdark">The Blade ran a capsule review of this movie when it was shown at One in Ten's Reel Affirmations gay film festival in October. Blade features editor Joey DiGuglielmo gave it an “F,” calling it a “train wreck of staggering proportions.” But because critical review is just one person's opinion and because “Were the World Mine” is playing again locally, our film critic shares his thought ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/12-12/arts/film/13719.cfm Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST Revisiting a classic '50s heartthrob Farley Granger in town for 'Strangers on a Train' screening By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO Friday, October 24, 2008 Alfred Hitchcock loved casting beautiful actors in his movies — Grace Kelly, Montgomery Clift, Cary Grant, Tippi Hedren, Ingrid Bergman, Kim Novak, the list goes on. In the leading man department, though, perhaps no screen idol was more beautiful than Farley Granger, the '50s-era dreamboat who played leads in two of the Master's movies: 1948's “Rope,” a modest hit that's mostly remembered because it was filmed in long takes like a play, and 1951's “Strangers on a Train,” which, like “Psycho,” “Rear Window” and “Vertigo,” is one of the famed director's most-remembered hits. Granger, now 83, will be at the ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/10-24/arts/film/13471.cfm Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EST By Friday, October 03, 2008 ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/10-3/arts/film/ Fri, 3 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EST Keeping her 'Head' Summer Bishil sparkles in Alan Ball's newest critique of Main Street By GREG MARZULLO Friday, September 19, 2008 The stifling atmosphere of suburban America is nothing new to gay director Alan Ball, who wrote and co-produced the Oscar-winning film “American Beauty” in 1999. Sexual tension, neighborly propriety and the American dream were all subjects of the much talked about movie, and in some ways, Ball's newest endeavor, “Towelhead,” is no different. Yet, this film's sexual awakenings are of a much different ilk and possibly run deeper in America's current cultural climate. Jasira Maroun (Summer Bishil) is a 13-year-old girl who is quickly sent to live with her Lebanese-born father (Peter Macdissi), after her mother's boyfriend takes an unhealthy interest in the bud ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/9-19/arts/film/13283.cfm Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EST Remembering 'The Women' Remake's iffy casting inspires nostalgia for original By ROBBIE BARNETT Friday, September 12, 2008 The 1939 movie “The Women,” one of the films that made that year the best of the Golden Age, is on the short list of any classic Hollywood gay favorites. I haven't seen the remake, which opens today (the region's sole press screening was curiously inaccessible — often the sign of a stinker), but I will over the weekend. Its release, though, has me waxing nostalgic for the original, which is being screened Saturday at Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens for its annual Gay Day festivities.  “The Women,” helmed by late gay director George Cukor, boasts an impressive all-female cast of 135 women and there isn't a single male character in t ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/9-12/arts/film/13260.cfm Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EST British Humor Invasion Gay culture and British comedy go hand-in-hand By Wednesday, September 10, 2008 ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/9-10/arts/film/13252.cfm Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EST Finding the merciful Allah 'Jihad for Love' highlights the plight of gay Muslims in countries around the world By GREG MARZULLO Friday, September 05, 2008 These days, it's hard to escape fundamentalist Islamic rhetoric, which often sounds, if not downright barbaric, at least bewildering. Seemingly shackled to a patriarchal worldview (what else could explain the identity-obliterating burqa?), radical Islamic clerics and worshipers have used their so-called faith as a means of flushing “undesirables” from their lives — and gays fall under the label of social outcasts. In the haunting documentary “A Jihad for Love,” opening this week at E Street Cinema, director and writer Parvez Sharma explores the lives of gay and lesbian Muslims from countries around the world, including South Africa, India, ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/9-5/arts/film/13202.cfm Fri, 5 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EST Camping it up Documentary on gay teen Christians has noble goals but fails as compelling cinema By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO Friday, August 15, 2008 Sometimes artists, whatever the medium, have such noble intentions that knocking their creation feels curmudgeonly. Who'd want to blast a documentary about a summer camp that helped rural Midwestern gay teens having crises of faith? Not I, so let's get this straight up front — hats way off to the organizers of the gay Christian camp featured in “Camp Out,” a 78-minute 2006 documentary that was finally released on DVD last week (it was screened locally at the 2006 Reel Affirmations gay film festival). It's obvious from watching the movie that these gay camp counselors, primarily Rev. Brad Froslee, had the teens' best interest at heart when he and a fe ... ]]> http://washblade.com/2008/8-15/arts/film/13084.cfm Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EST