S/D: Gay movies of arty qualities

So I read Myra Breckenridge, and I liked it as much as I like anything Gore Vidal has written (he's fine, sure), and didn't know anything about the film version, and I popped it in one afternoon when I was staying over at a friends and had nothing better to do. I loved it, it felt like a proto-"Natural Born Killers" except about sex instead of violence, with all the other footage intercuts, and a hammy-and-great Rex Reed performance. Minutes after it was over, I googled about it and was surprised to learn it was widely loathed, that Gore Vidal disowned it, that Rex Reed hated it, and so on, and so forth. Am I crazy? I think it's totally a great movie

A friend asked why I hadn't included it. I wasn't as enthused as you, goon, but its maladroit understanding of the novel is real fun.

Included on your dud list, you mean? Maybe I should watch it again, I just remember thinking it was very funny

I'm also curious Alfo if you've seen Hail The New Puritan and your thoughts on it

After the failure of this film, [director Michael Sarne] was never asked by an American studio to direct another film. Upon learning that Sarne was now working at a pizza restaurant, Gore Vidal is said to have commented that this was proof of God's existence.

I very much doubt Mike Sarne ever worked in a pizza joint fwiw. Funnily enough I saw him recently in a crappy early 60s British teen movie and he was the best thing on it.

... actually, having just checked his IMDB page, he did disappear for about 10 years after Myra Breckenridge, plenty of pizzas could have been served in that time.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Come_Outside_Mike_Sarne.jpg

i made my mind up recently to read then see Myra, but it's surprisingly difficult to get hold of the book -- it doesn't circulate in the NYC library (Brooklyn either).

Well worth the read.

If first heard of Parker Tyler from reading Myra Breckenridge.

highly related:

https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/queer-now-then-1970/

Baby Doll is my kinda Tennessee Williams (as straight as possible).

Michael Koresky looks back at Marlon Riggs' Tongues Untied and the political furor around it.

https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/queer-now-then-1991/

I'd fallen out of the habit of checking these ... I sincerely hope this becomes a book someday:

https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/queer-now-then-1997/

starting at NYC MoMA next week:

MoMA’s film collection includes significant holdings by lesbian and gay filmmakers, especially in the period ranging from avant-garde celebrations of queer culture on film to the tragic resolve of the AIDS crisis on home video. Featuring a selection of classic, forgotten, and newly preserved landmark films of the movement, “Now We Think as We Fuck”: Queer Liberation to Activism explores the ways that queer moving-image artists defined and inspired their marginalized community. Works in the series demonstrate how those in the movement rose to heroism in a time of crisis, acting to change the course of history.

https://www.moma.org/calendar/film/5186

a rare opportunity to say "one for Sextool" at MoMA

Surprised @ no mention of Barbara Rubin's 'Christmas on Earth'

Koresky on Flaming Creatures (last column if FC doesn't return)

https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/queer-now-then-1964-jack-smith-flaming-creatures-jonas-mekas/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASN_qGMUREY

(Just kidding.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Stucker#/media/File:Stephen_Stucker.jpg

That being said, Benediction looks promising.

Fire Island doesn't look good, obviously, but I don't see why contempo gays don't deserve a Spring Break or a Where the Boys Are '84 of their very own.

Spring Break was already plenty queer.

(Spring Breakers)

https://worldfilmgeek.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/springbreak-still.jpg?w=816

OK, that looks gayer.

A gay Netflix series of non-artful qualities, Heartstopper, is the best gay thing I've seen in a while.

I was curious if that was worth a watch ... I prefer the Hulu show Love Victor (more or less) to its major motion picture antecedent Love Simon.

I just read the first volume of the Hearstopper graphic novel, and have the other three on hold at the library. I'm not sure how much the first season of the series (or is it a "limited series?") covers, but I'm thinking I should hold off on starting the series until I finish up the books.

It covers the first two volumes. A friend praised the fidelity to the source.

What'd you think? As I wrote on Facebook, I grinned from ear to ear by the time I reached the last episode's revelations. Nice to see bisexuality given a boost too: no equivocations, no this-is-just-a-way-station bullshit.

I also appreciated how Nick Nelson might be one of the few recent genuinely nice characters successfully presented.

The first volume was really sweet. It may border on slight--although I am told the series eventually moves beyond just two boys making goo-goo eyes at each other--but I nevertheless appreciate its (relatively) angst-free presentation of queer joy.

Except for Nick's mom (nicely played by Olivia Colman) the parents are non-entities; however, Charlie's friends are fully fleshed out.

hoooooly shit I just watched ZERO PATIENCE (1993), a very wacky and surreal musical in which noted explorer Sir Richard Burton drank from the fountain of youth and lives forever and is making a documentary about AIDS' Patient Zero? Please watch this. It's on Criterion Channel at the moment.

That's been a blind spot of mine for years and years. Will happily check out soon.

Daniel Craig plays an outcast American expat who lives in Mexico, and Drew Starkey stars as a younger man with whom he becomes madly infatuated, in Luca Guadagnino’s next film ‘QUEER.’

Filming begins this month in Italy. pic.twitter.com/jfUiDC2QAG

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 21, 2023

I detest cheap sentiment.

Or a book full of clippings?

Or a salted peanut.

Daniel Craig leaning into gay roles now makes good on how hot he was in Enduring Love and Munich

and Infamous, the first movie where I went hubba-hubab.

this would make for a fun movie tie-in version of the book, if that's still a thing

Passages proving surprisingly divisive amongst my Letterboxd gays

Your response?

(I watch it on Saturday)

Still on my to-watch list, sadly, but I expect it opens here before too long. Meanwhile, I'll be reviewing Rotting in the Sun soon enough.

(Oh crap, Passages has opened here. Will try to see it this weekend.)

i enjoyed it!

Another gay arty short I've seen tons of enthusiasm over: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-taking-of-jordan-all-american-boy/

I really liked Passages too. Must've been the Ira Sachs thread that I posted on.