Sparks fly as Matthew Montgomery and Derek Long connect in the gay thriller ‘Socket.’ (Photo courtesy of ‘Socket’)
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By GREG MARZULLO
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hope does not spring eternal this spring for gay cinema fans. In fact, it pretty much withers and dies under a hetero-centrist frost. Most of the studio releases slated are of the "gay interest" variety, which, granted, is a subjective label. Also, some mainstream films have notable gay artists involved with them.
Opening this month is "Married Life," a film by gay director Ira Sachs, who was behind 2005's "Forty Shades of Blue," which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance that year. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Cooper and Rachel McAdams, the film is about a married man who tries to poison his wife in order to run off with his mistress. Of course, the excellent Clarkson stars as the intended victim, and her performance alone should make the screen sizzle.
One of the season’s more interesting films is "Stop Loss," directed by out lesbian Kimberly Peirce, who helmed "Boys Don't Cry." An Iraq war veteran (Ryan Phillippe) returns home and tries to reassemble his life. He's soon recalled back for another tour of duty, throwing his life into violent conflict again.
Jodie Foster takes a turn in the kiddie-adventure genre in "Nim's Island," opening April 4. Abigail Breslin and "300"-hottie Gerard Butler are her co-stars in this film about a girl whose favorite author (Foster) helps her save her island home from invaders.
Out on April 25, "Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay" is a follow-up to the 2004 film "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle." Fans of the first film will be pleased to know that gay actor Neil Patrick Harris returns for the second film, complete with a shimmering rainbow unicorn. The trailers are laugh-out-loud funny, especially when Kumar (Kal Penn, recently seen in "The Namesake") is mistaken for a terrorist by an old white woman on an airplane. Irreverence abounds.
Releasing the same day is "Then She Found Me," which old-school queens should watch for, considering that gay icon Bette Midler is on screen again. Helen Hunt, who also directs, stars as a woman struggling through a nasty patch after her husband jumps ship, her adoptive mother dies and her bio-mom, an eccentric character, waltzes back into her life.
Of course, almost every queen will probably be at opening night for the "Sex and the City" film, which opens May 30. Lots of clothes, empowered women (although some women I know feel otherwise) and the leading ladies of the TV show make this nearly foolproof. Let’s just hope the writing’s decent.
For real gay cinema, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled at the local art houses and check out some DVD releases this spring.
"Shelter," the story of a selfless young gay man’s obligations clashing with his desires, opens at the Gateway in Fort Lauderdale on April 4. It will also come out in DVD in May.
March brings "Socket," which was seen at gay film festivals in 2007. After being struck by lightning, the protagonist discovers a subculture of gay men getting off on electrical charges. Also out this month is "Looking for Cheyenne," a French film about a lesbian who retreats to the countryside to escape an urban, patriarchal society. Watch for "Nina's Heavenly Delights," a lesbian film about an Indian woman hoping to win a cooking challenge in order to save her father's restaurant.
Perhaps most interesting, coming in March is the release of Marlon T. Riggs’ documentary "Tongues Untied." When it first aired on PBS in 1991, it caught the attention of moral conservatives already rabid over PBS’ and the National Endowment for the Arts’ involvement with so-called indecent art. "Tongues Untied" presented frank views of black gay sexuality without pulling punches. The film still holds its relevancy today.
Another spring DVD release is “In the Blood,” in which serial killers and gay men meet (but not together, for once), which will come out in April.
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