THE GUARDIAN: n their feverish film, Craig plays a man embroiled in a drug-fuelled gay affair. He and director Guadagnino talk about love, ageing – and a forgotten sex act
There is no shortage of directors who have made movies about gay life only to then backtrack and claim they were not specifically gay stories after all: Tom Ford did it with A Single Man, William Friedkin with both Cruising and The Boys in the Band. Luca Guadagnino, the director of Call Me By Your Name and this year’s steamy tennis romcom Challengers, is not about to play that game. “It is the most gigantic gay film in history,” he says of his latest picture, for which he recreated 1950s Mexico City on 12 stages at the Cinecittà studios in Rome. “I don’t think there has ever been a bigger gay movie.” Then again, he doesn’t have much wriggle room: the film is called Queer.
His feverish adaptation of William S Burroughs’s novel, which was written in the early 1950s but not published until 1985, concerns an American expat, William Lee, who locks eyes with a young stranger across a crowded cockfight. This is Eugene Allerton, a clean-cut, blade-like presence, played by Drew Starkey. And who should star as Lee, the gauche, fumbling, sweaty goofball, but Daniel Craig? If No Time to Die hadn’t killed off James Bond, Queer would have done it in a trice. » | Ryan Gilbey | Wednesday, December 11, 2024
This was my review of Call Me By Your Name on Amazon on December 5, 2019:
Powerful and transformative, this wonderful movie is a celebration of love, a celebration of beauty in all its forms, a celebration of enlightened thinking, a celebration of the attraction of a summer in delightful, sunny Italy!
Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver) play their parts splendidly. In fact, all the actors do. Michael Stuhlbarg, the father, with his father-to-son talk towards the end of the film is a sensation; Amira Casar, who plays the part of Elio’s mother, plays her part flawlessly. The parents' acceptance of Elio’s sexuality is an object lesson in parenting perfection.
This superb film excites the senses! It electrifies you! It will probably change your perceptions, too. It has the power to shake a person out of his benightedness!
A celebration of the beauty of pure, gay love; this film shows us all how truly beautiful it can be, with all its joy and attendant pain. This is a love story, showing that love is love, no matter what form that love takes.
The movie will transport you back to the beautiful early 80s, when life was far less complicated. The attention to detail in the film is remarkable. When watching this film, you can feel Italy, feel the Eighties. Because of the filming techniques used, you feel that you are there in Italy along with the characters.
Having read many reviews, I know I am not alone in finding this film extremely moving. If you let it, it will touch something deep inside you, whether you are gay or straight.
The stunning beauty of this movie is what you get when the brilliance of an author such as André Aciman is married with the unbelievable skill of the screenwriter, James Ivory, and the creative genius of the film director, Luca Guadagnino. The result is a masterpiece!
This is a movie for those able to feel deeply. It is one of the finest films I have ever watched. Bravo to all concerned in its production!
Watching this moving film brought back fond memories of times that have past and evoked thoughts of what could have been. Truly touching! Don't miss it! But make sure you have a box of Kleenex to hand. You will surely need one. The movie is bewitching!
If you want to understand the attraction of gay love, this is the film for you! The discovery of a young man’s sexuality is tenderly and tastefully portrayed.
Watching this exquisite film is a not-to-be-missed experience.
© Mark Aleaander
All Rights Reserved
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Monday, November 25, 2024
The Reintroduction of Daniel Craig
THE NEW YORK TIMES: His vulnerable performance in “Queer” may surprise fans of the former Bond star, but it’s a return to the sexually daring films he used to make.
In love, it can be terrifying to show all your cards, to make yourself vulnerable, to let your desire be fully seen. What is offered to another person without reservation can also be taken without recompense. Still, because we want to be loved, we risk it.
Maybe we don’t think much about that aspect of love, preferring to dwell — as most movies do — on all the moony, swoony parts. But that dangerous feeling of exposure is the central preoccupation of the new drama “Queer,” and it can’t be explored without a lead actor who is similarly willing to offer himself up.
Enter Daniel Craig, 56, our erstwhile James Bond on a bold new assignment.
In “Queer,” due Nov. 27 and adapted from a William S. Burroughs novel, Craig plays Lee, an American expat in midcentury Mexico City who becomes enamored with a coolly distant younger man, Allerton (Drew Starkey). Lee is undone by a desire that is reciprocated only in fits and starts, and watching Craig pine so vulnerably packs a pop-cultural punch: Once considered the very face of masculine cool, his visage is now soaked in flop sweat. » | Kyle Buchanan | Reporting from Hollywood, Calif. | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Leer en español:
Daniel Craig explora el amor y las adicciones en ‘Queer’ : Su vulnerable interpretación en ‘Queer’ puede sorprender a los seguidores de la antigua estrella Bond, pero es un regreso a las películas sexualmente atrevidas que solía hacer. »
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Not Without My Daughter : Meet the Real Betty Mahmoody, Played by Sally Field.
May 21, 2017 | This is an account of her experiences in 1984–86, when she left Alpena, Michigan to go to Iran with her husband and daughter for what she was promised would be a short visit. Once there, she and her daughter were held against their will. It was made into a 1991 film starring Sally Field as Betty.
Betty and her daughter became trapped in a nation that was largely hostile to Americans, a family hostile to her, and an abusive husband. According to the book, her husband separated her from her daughter for weeks on end. He also assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave.
She eventually escaped with her daughter. The book details her 500-mile escape to Turkey through the snowy Iranian mountains and the help she received from many Iranians. Upon returning to America in 1986, Betty filed for divorce in the USA.
Betty and her daughter became trapped in a nation that was largely hostile to Americans, a family hostile to her, and an abusive husband. According to the book, her husband separated her from her daughter for weeks on end. He also assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave.
She eventually escaped with her daughter. The book details her 500-mile escape to Turkey through the snowy Iranian mountains and the help she received from many Iranians. Upon returning to America in 1986, Betty filed for divorce in the USA.
Saturday, July 01, 2023
A Night to Remember | Full Movie in Color (1958)
Jan 9, 2022 | A Night to Remember is a 1958 British docudrama film based on the eponymous 1955 book by Walter Lord. The film and book recount the final night of RMS Titanic, which on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and then sank in the early morning hours of Monday, 15 April 1912. Adapted by Eric Ambler and directed by Roy Ward Baker, the film stars Kenneth More as the ship's Second Officer Charles Lightoller and features Michael Goodliffe, Laurence Naismith, Kenneth Griffith, David McCallum and Tucker McGuire. It was filmed in the United Kingdom and tells the story of the sinking, portraying the main incidents and players in a documentary-style fashion with considerable attention to detail. The production team, supervised by producer William MacQuitty (who saw the original ship launched) used blueprints of the ship to create authentic sets, while Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge worked as technical advisors on the film. Its estimated budget of up to £600,000 (£13.1 million adjusted for inflation [2019]) was exceptional and made it the most expensive film ever made in Britain up to that time.
The World Premiere was on Thursday, 3 July 1958, at the Odeon Leicester Square. Titanic survivor Elizabeth Dowdell attended the American premiere in New York on Tuesday 16 December 1958. The film disappointed at the box office. However, it received critical acclaim and won the 1959 "Samuel Goldwyn International Award" for the UK at the Golden Globe Awards. The film has been described as "the definitive cinematic telling of the story." Among the many films about the Titanic, A Night to Remember is regarded highly by Titanic historians and survivors for its accuracy, despite its modest production values, compared with the Oscar-winning film Titanic (1997).
The World Premiere was on Thursday, 3 July 1958, at the Odeon Leicester Square. Titanic survivor Elizabeth Dowdell attended the American premiere in New York on Tuesday 16 December 1958. The film disappointed at the box office. However, it received critical acclaim and won the 1959 "Samuel Goldwyn International Award" for the UK at the Golden Globe Awards. The film has been described as "the definitive cinematic telling of the story." Among the many films about the Titanic, A Night to Remember is regarded highly by Titanic historians and survivors for its accuracy, despite its modest production values, compared with the Oscar-winning film Titanic (1997).
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Peyton Place (1957). Full Movie.
How Peyton Place comforted this closeted teenager »
Tuesday, December 06, 2022
Kirstie Alley, Cheers and Look Who’s Talking Actor, Dies Aged 71
THE GUARDIAN: Actor’s family confirms she died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, as her former co-stars including John Travolta pay tribute
The film and TV star Kirstie Alley, pictured in 2019. She has died aged 71. Photograph: Monica Almeida/Reuters
Kirstie Alley, the TV and film star known for her roles in Cheers, Veronica’s Closet and Look Who’s Talking, has died at the age of 71.
Alley’s death was confirmed on Monday night in a statement from her children, William “True” Stevenson and Lillie Price Stevenson, which was posted to her social media account. Her manager also separately confirmed her death.
Alley had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and was being treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, her family revealed. » | Sian Cain | Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Kirstie Alley, Emmy-Winning ‘Cheers’ Actress, Dies at 71: She also starred in the NBC sitcom “Veronica’s Closet,” which aired from 1997 to 2000. »
Kirstie Alley, the TV and film star known for her roles in Cheers, Veronica’s Closet and Look Who’s Talking, has died at the age of 71.
Alley’s death was confirmed on Monday night in a statement from her children, William “True” Stevenson and Lillie Price Stevenson, which was posted to her social media account. Her manager also separately confirmed her death.
Alley had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and was being treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, her family revealed. » | Sian Cain | Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Kirstie Alley, Emmy-Winning ‘Cheers’ Actress, Dies at 71: She also starred in the NBC sitcom “Veronica’s Closet,” which aired from 1997 to 2000. »
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Robert Redford Cutting a Dash in The Great Gatsby
Tuesday, April 05, 2022
Monday, February 14, 2022
Barbra Streisand : The Way We Were
Sunday, January 02, 2022
'Boy Erased': Joel Edgerton & Garrard Conley on Portraying the Family in Gay Conversion-Therapy Drama
Tuesday, December 07, 2021
Call Me By Your Name - Official Trailer - Starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet
Aug 14, 2017 • Call Me By Your Name, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman.
It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).
Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Armie Hammerbr /> Timothée Chalamet
Michael Stuhbarg
Amira Cesar
Esther Garrel
If you haven’t seen this film yet, you might want to watch it when you have some spare time over the Christmas holidays. I watched it at Christmastime two years ago. I stumbled upon the film by chance. I’m glad I did: I was spellbound by it! I watched it so many times. I lost count how many times in total!
It’s a lovely story; but more than that, it transports one back to a bygone age, a simpler age, when people led less complicated lives. There’s lots of smoking in it, too. Something you don’t see much these days. People actually did smoke a lot back then before people became politically correct and when the notion of secondhand smoke hadn’t been thought of.
But what is particularly enjoyable about this movie, in my opinion, is the fact that one feels as if one is actually in Italy along with the characters. It’s the way it’s been filmed, apparently. The ending of the film is also very good – it’s moving. Very moving!
I was particularly taken by the film because of its setting. It reminded me of the times I spent in Ticino many years ago, in a similar setting. Watching this film was, for me, like a trip down memory lane. Not because of the relationship, because I didn’t have a gay relationship in Ticino, but because of the ambience of the film.
Do yourselves a favour and try and watch it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. – © Mark
It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).
Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Armie Hammerbr /> Timothée Chalamet
Michael Stuhbarg
Amira Cesar
Esther Garrel
If you haven’t seen this film yet, you might want to watch it when you have some spare time over the Christmas holidays. I watched it at Christmastime two years ago. I stumbled upon the film by chance. I’m glad I did: I was spellbound by it! I watched it so many times. I lost count how many times in total!
It’s a lovely story; but more than that, it transports one back to a bygone age, a simpler age, when people led less complicated lives. There’s lots of smoking in it, too. Something you don’t see much these days. People actually did smoke a lot back then before people became politically correct and when the notion of secondhand smoke hadn’t been thought of.
But what is particularly enjoyable about this movie, in my opinion, is the fact that one feels as if one is actually in Italy along with the characters. It’s the way it’s been filmed, apparently. The ending of the film is also very good – it’s moving. Very moving!
I was particularly taken by the film because of its setting. It reminded me of the times I spent in Ticino many years ago, in a similar setting. Watching this film was, for me, like a trip down memory lane. Not because of the relationship, because I didn’t have a gay relationship in Ticino, but because of the ambience of the film.
Do yourselves a favour and try and watch it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. – © Mark
Friday, November 05, 2021
Angelina Jolie ‘Saddened’ by ‘Ignorant’ Countries Banning Eternals over ‘Beautiful’ Gay Love
PINK NEWS: Angelina Jolie has said she is “sad” for the “ignorant” countries that have banned Eternals reportedly over its gay content.
The new film, which sees gay tech maverick Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first same-sex kiss, has been quietly yanked across the conservative Gulf nations, per reports.
Angelina Jolie, who stars as Thena, a member of the celestial race of superhumans known as the Eternals, said she is “proud of Marvel” for “refusing to cut those scenes out”.
“I still don’t understand how we live in a world where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and love,” Jolie, 46, told News.com.au.
“How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant. » | Josh Milton | Friday, November 5, 2021
Angelina Jolie Is “Proud” Marvel Refused to Cut ‘Eternals’ Scenes Featuring Gay Hero for Gulf Nation Censors: The film was pulled from release in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait after Disney refused to make edits demanded by local censors. »
Monday, October 04, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Gipsy Kings - Trista Pena
Sunday, July 18, 2021
L'actrice espagnole Pilar Bardem, mère de Javier Bardem, est décédée à 82 ans
LE FIGARO : DISPARITION - Fille d'acteurs et sœur du cinéaste Juan Antonio Bardem, la comédienne avait reçu un Goya pour son rôle dans Personne ne parlera de nous quand nous serons mortes.
L'actrice espagnole Pilar Bardem, mère de Javier Bardem, est décédée samedi à l'âge de 82 ans, ont annoncé ses enfants dans un communiqué publié sur les réseaux sociaux.«Nous voulons partager la nouvelle que Pilar Bardem, notre mère, notre exemple, est décédée. Elle est partie en paix, sans souffrance et entourée de l'amour de sa famille», ont écrit ses enfants Carlos, Monica et Javier dans un message publié samedi soir sur le compte Twitter de Carlos.
Née à Séville en 1939, Pilar Bardem était la fille d'un couple d'acteurs et la sœur du célèbre cinéaste Juan Antonio Bardem. Ses trois enfants se sont également consacrés à la profession d'acteur, atteignant, dans le cas de Javier, une renommée internationale avec l'Oscar pour son rôle dans No Country for Old Man [sic] des frères Coen. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 18 juillet 2021
About Pilar Bardem in English fromm Wikipedia: Pilar Bardem »
Theme from Love Story (Soundtrack Version)
Thursday, July 15, 2021
Interview: ‘Death in Venice Screwed Up My Life’ – the Tragic Story of Visconti’s ‘Beautiful Boy’
THE GUARDIAN: Björn Andrésen was the striking child star of the classic film, the perfect embodiment of youthful beauty. Fifty years on, he is still haunted by the exploitation that continued long after filming stopped
Björn Andrésen was just 15 when he walked straight into the lion’s den, being cast as Tadzio, the sailor-suited object of desire in Luchino Visconti’s film Death in Venice. Its release in 1971 made him not merely a star but an instant icon – the embodiment of pristine youthful beauty. Sitting alone in Stockholm today at the age of 66, he looks more like Gandalf with his white beard and his gaunt face framed by shoulder-length white locks. His eyes twinkle as alluringly as ever but he’s no pussycat. Asked what he would say to Visconti if he were here now, he doesn’t pause. “Fuck off,” he says.
No one who sees The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, a new documentary about Andrésen’s turbulent and tragic past, will be surprised by that answer. Visconti, he tells me, “didn’t give a fuck” about his feelings. He wasn’t alone in that. “I’ve never seen so many fascists and assholes as there are in film and theatre,” says Andrésen. “Luchino was the sort of cultural predator who would sacrifice anything or anyone for the work.” He makes his feelings about Death in Venice itself equally plain: “It has screwed up my life quite decently.” Although he is an accomplished pianist, no one seems very interested in that side of him. “Everything I ever do will be associated with that film. I mean, we’re still sitting here talking about it 50 years later.” » | Ryan Gilbey | Thursday, July 15, 2021
New Doc Pieces of Us Honors Resilience of Those Who've Survived Hate
ADVOCATE: The film showcases the courage of those who've endured hate crimes and other horrific instances of bigotry, from New York to Denver to India.
Those who’ve endured anti-LGBTQ+ hate are more than victims, more even than survivors — they’re incredibly brave and resilient people, says filmmaker Cheryl Allison, who is honoring them in her latest documentary, Pieces of Us. “This is a story of hope, this is a story of courage ... no matter how you identify, you can see a piece of yourself in this story,” Allison says. Unlike some other films about hate crimes and other horrific instances of bigotry, Pieces of Us isn’t primarily about those incidents, she says. “This was about what happens afterwards and how you handle it,” she explains.
The film, which will make the festival rounds this fall, tells the stories of multiple subjects. Jipsta is a gay rapper and school psychologist in Brooklyn who was beaten on a New York City subway platform for holding hands with his partner. Leia Pierce is a single mother from Denver whose 9-year-old son, Jamel, took his own life after being bullied for being gay. Mykel Dicus is a gay New York performance artist who was physically attacked in his home by a man he met in a bar. Victoria Cruz is a transgender veteran of the Stonewall riots and longtime activist who was Dicus’s crisis counselor. Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India, known as the world’s first out gay royal, received death threats after coming out and was initially disowned by his family. The movie shows how all have responded to traumatic events by becoming advocates for their community, and it spotlights other activists and allies as well. » | Trudy Ring | Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
LGBT Film History: The Early Years (1910s – 1920s)
Jun 1, 2019 • In this video essay, I take a look at early cinematic depictions of homosexuality, especially during the Weimar era (1919 – 1933) in Germany. 28 May 2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the release of "Anders als die Andern" (1919) which was the first LGBT-themed film in history.
Films that I talk about include "A Florida Enchantment" (1914), "Salomé" (1923), "Michael" (1924), "Die Büchse der Pandora" (1929), "Mädchen in Uniform" (1931) and "The Sign of the Cross" (1932).
Films that I talk about include "A Florida Enchantment" (1914), "Salomé" (1923), "Michael" (1924), "Die Büchse der Pandora" (1929), "Mädchen in Uniform" (1931) and "The Sign of the Cross" (1932).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)