*NOW WITH LOWERED LEVELS OF TRANS-FAT*

Filth Is My Life!!!!

Saturday June 26th
7:00 p.m.
Movie begins @ 7:30 p.m.

FanboyQ DVD Reviews

Here we are again, gentle readers – another edition of FanboyQ’s DVD reviews. This month I’d like to look at a modern classic that definitely needs some revisiting. It’s hard to believe The Talented Mr. Ripley is already more than a decade old. This is a film that despite its continued popularity in book form among gay audiences I feel was never really embraced by the same said viewers. I have heard the argument that Tom Ripley wasn’t really gay, just a sociopath. I’ve heard the argument that this was just another misuse of the homosexual in cinema, a malicious other-worldly entity invading the happiness of normal ‘straight’ people. And believe me; I understand both arguments but counter with this: The Talented Mr. Ripley must be watched with the same queer eye that has turned films like The Wizard of Oz and Calamity Jane into gay classics.

In the series of novels by bisexual author Patricia Highsmith, Tom Ripley is never out and out outed (hee-hee) but the hints are definitely there in all five books and particularly broad. Director and screenwriter Anthony Minghella uses a similar approach in his 1999 masterpiece, but the expansion of the character of Peter Smith-Kingsley – who is quite openly gay though the word is never word is never used) suggests Ripley is absolutely gay, but closeted due to the time period. The differences between novel and film don’t end there. The book version of Ripley is a villain from the beginning, making a living in New York City with minor crimes of forgery and impersonation. Matt Damon’s film version is given a more innocent background: he’s a struggling musician who white-lies himself into an arrangement with shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf. These two key divergences are what set The Talented Mr. Ripley apart from other film versions of the series and make it of particular interest to gay audiences.

Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley is the quintessential queer boy outsider, with some of the same characteristics that make Judy Garland and Joan Crawford so endearing to queer viewers. You can almost feel his need to belong, desperate and clawing. You empathize and excuse his ability to convincingly ‘pass’ amid the other characters – who among us hasn’t butched or femmed themselves up at one time or another – fearful at being discovered as the ‘other’. Even as the movie progresses and Ripley becomes increasingly violent in an effort to keep the lifestyle that his beloved Dickie Greenleaf enjoys, as an audience member you find yourself grasping on to Tom’s humanity. And this is where Anthony Minghella’s brilliance really shines through – he takes you to the edge of your ability to forgive Ripley’s actions, then suddenly presents you with a violently tender moment – rather than be mortified at Tom your heart bleeds for him.

This is also one of the first times American audiences got a good hard look at Jude Law – and apparently they liked what they saw. Law’s Dickie Greenleaf, the charismatic and spoiled deutersgonist, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars that year – although the film was largely ignored by the Academy otherwise. Yet again, Minghella’s expert direction really makes the character shine; at first Dickie is only spoken of, then our first glimpse is a longhsot through binoculars. When the Tom and Dickie finally come together into the same frame, they are both in bathing suits and a very clear picture is formed: Dickie is bronzed and healthily muscled, with a charming and confident smile and golden curls – Tom is pasty and thin (Matt Damon lost 30 pounds for the role) with thick glasses and flat mousy hair – Dickie is lounging comfortably in the radiant Italian sun – Tom is awkwardly hopping across the beach because of the hot sand. Dickie is everything Tom wishes he were. Everything about him is coveted – his money, his looks, and his love. I got the impression from Jude Law’s magnificent performance that Dickie is just as aware as Tom of the chemistry between them, and to his detriment uses that to get what he wants and needs from Ripley, namely that his hedonistic lifestyle is worthy of being desired and that his father is wrong about what he should be doing with his life.

So this movie already has a brilliant director and screenwriter, gorgeous cinematography, two powerhouse lead performances, and a hauntingly beautiful score – what more could you possibly ask for? Well I guess a fantastic supporting cast SHOULD be too much to expect but you’re going to get them anyway. I’m not normally a fan of Gwenyth Paltrow but even SHE is superlative as Dickie’s girlfriend Marge Sherwood. In fact, this is the ONLY performance of hers that I feel is worthy of that shiny gold statue she has.

Add Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the vile Freddie Miles – the only character that can really see through Tom’s facade – and you’re really cooking with gas. And then there’s Cate Blanchett. Like a few others that bear her name, I really can’t think of a moment I haven’t loved the woman. Is there a role out there she can’t do? Unfortunately there really isn’t much to her role here – another character that was expanded for the film version – but with what she has to work with she does wonders. Her characterization of Meredith Logue, another wealthy socialite with something to gain from Dickie, is magnetic and she ultimately becomes essential to the arc of the film, which features a much different ending than the novel.

So whether you’ve never seen the film before or you saw it when it came out it’s another one of those classics I highly recommend to anyone with a love of gay cinema. And as an added bonus in these harsh economic times, its age has made it relatively easy to find and cheap when it’s found. When $29.99 is the standard price tag on most new releases a great flick for under $10 sounds awfully sweet.

Well, that’s it for me this month – be sure to check out FanboyQ’s DVD Reviews again next month – until then you can drop me a line at FanboyQ@gmail.com

I've decided to Tumble...

HERE

My Facebook 'Throwback' Pic This Week

The Q at the tender age of 15...

That's me in back...

Miss World is live on YouTube

I uploaded my latest video on YouTube. Catch it now before they take it down!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRPLri7ON3w

My OTHER original Diva video

Pic(k) of the Day

Merry Fucking X-Mas: Music for the Rest of Us - FanboyQ's First X-Mas Album!

1. What a Wonderful World - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (feat. Shane McGowan)
2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Hole
3. Winter Like My Life Is Passing - Arthur Greenslade
4. Making Christmas - Rise Against
5. Cold - Annie Lennox
6. Lonely Siberian Winter - DJ John
7. The Rose - Bette Midler
8. Funky Christmas - Brat
9. Come Undone - Duran Duran
10. It's Cold Outside - The Choir
11. White Christmas - Corporal Blossom
12. Soon Forget - Pearl Jam
13. The Bitter End - Placebo
14. Candle: Coventry Carol - Tori Amos
15. The Lovers of December - Rod McKuen
16. In the Bleak Midwinter - Sarah McLachlan
17. Imagine Santa - DJ BC
18. New Year's Back at Sunset - Glenn Close and Christopher Hampton

Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

OutCentral Cultural Center and The Nashville Film Festival collaborate to present

Queer Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

WHO: OutCentral Cultural Center in collaboration with Nashville Film Festival (NaFF)

WHAT: Queer Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience Through Cinema

WHEN: 4th Saturday of every month at 7:00 PM

WHERE: OutCentral Cultural Center 1709 Church Street (between Revive Café and Vibe. On the same block as OutLoud! and Blue Genes) Nashville, TN 37209

COST: $5 for members $8 for non-members. No one turned away for lack of funds.


CONTACT INFORMATION:

For Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience through Cinema:
FanboyQ@gmail.com


For OutCentral:
info@outcentral.org


OutCentral Cultural Center is proud to be partnering with The Nashville Film Festival for a twelve month, twelve film series entitled Queer-Colored Glasses: The Queer Experience through Cinema that will focus on filmmakers, actors, writers, stories and plots of particular interest to the “queer” spectator.

From the first flickering images that ever lit up a screen, cinema has been a place where queer voices have called out and demanded to be heard with varying degrees of success. From films made by LGBT filmmakers and performers to the particular phenomenon that gay people often “see” a film differently than their straight counterparts.

“Images of GLBTQ people on the big screen--both positive and negative--have had such a tremendous influence on our lives,” said Jim Hawk, Executive Director of OutCentral Cultural Center.

“Most of us can remember the first time we saw "one of us" on the screen. This series takes an important look at those images and how they effected our lives--and the lives of generations of GLBTQ people.”

Historically, most LGBT filmmakers were forced to work in relative secrecy about who they were, being mostly relegated to avant-garde and independent film circles. Thus, cinema is also the forum for the queer voice of the “other” – stories and characters that – while not necessarily gay – represent the outsider whose story queer audiences identify with.

"I am extremely excited about the partnership between the Nashville Film Festival and OutCentral,” said QCG Artistic Director Joshua Thomas.

“I believe one of the most important tools we in the gay community have for examining our past is in film theory. Gay audiences have historically experienced films differently than the rest of society. In examining the past through this collection of films, we'll have the unique opportunity to watch society's views on homosexuality change throughout the years."

With the enormous cultural and historic differences between films made in the 1930’s and those made in modern times the characteristics that gay culture use to signify homosexuality have also changed dramatically over the years. While present-day films are allowed to be relatively forthright about sexuality in their presentations older films were often forced to only hint at it in varied ways. Thus, many classic Hollywood performances, directors, actors and – in some cases – entire genres must be closely examined in order to hear the queer voice within them.

“NaFF is thrilled to partner with OutCentral to present a unique collection of voices from film history,” said NaFF Artistic Director Brian Owens.

"We believe that film represents a great opportunity for those unheard or seldom heard to present their stories in ways that create dialogue, understanding, and bind us all together as a greater community. We hope people will come and enjoy and talk about these films and what they mean to the GLBT community and community at large.”

Top 10 Songs of the Decade

It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks the 2000s will be over. Obviously, it's been an interesting and troubling decade.

The Hubs and I were talking the other day about the way music has changed over the past 10 years. That got us talking about what we would consider our favorite song of the decade.

I can never do just one.

Here's a list of my favorite songs that were released from 2000 - 2009. I'd like to hear what your favorite song (or list of songs) from this decade is.

10. Umbrella - Rihanna

9. Hurt - Johnny Cash

8. Get Together - Madonna

7. Music - Leela James

6. Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake

5. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce

4. Passive Aggressive - Placebo

3. Maps - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2. Rehab - Amy Winehouse

1. All These Things That I Have Done - The Killers

FanboyQ #MusicMonday Mix for August 3, 2009

May You Live in Interesting Times: Music for the End of the World

Our Day Will Come - Jamie Cullum

1999 (AudioDile Goes Astray Mix) - Prince

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning - Smashing Pumpkins

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel

Lake of Fire - Nirvana

Black Hole Sun (Chew Fu 128 bpm refix) - Soundgarden

The End of the World - Skeeter Davis

Outbreak! - The Groovie Ghoulies

Sympathy for the Devil (Who Killed the Kennedys?) - Laibach

It's Only the End of the World - Black Box Recorder

Gimme Shelter (Streetlab Mix) - Streetlab

How It Ends - DeVotchka

Time Of The Season - The Zombies

Apocalypse Please - Muse

Armageddon Days Are Here Again - The The

Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks

The Last Day on Earth - Marilyn Manson

Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Justify My Love [The Beast Within Mix] - Madonna

Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire

Goodbye Cruel World - Pink Floyd

This Is The End (Dirty South Remix) - The Doors

Fade to Black - Metallica

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - R.E.M.

What a Wonderful World - Nick Cave & Shane MacGowan

Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

A Warm Place - Nine Inch Nails featuring Stella Soleil

End of the World - Armor for Sleep

Astro Zombies - The Misfits

The End of the World - The Cure

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Dave Stewart & His Fabulous Rock Orchestra


listen to this week's show HERE

Fanboy Q In the News

My first mention in the press!! Kind of!!



My mother would be so proud.

The New Twenty

The New Twenty (2009) Starring Bill Sage, Terry Serpico, Nicole Bilderback, Colin Fickes, Andrew Wei Lin, Ryan Locke, Thomas Sadoski – Directed by Chris Mason Johnson



The New Twenty tells the story of five college friends that are approaching thirty and questioning the bonds they once shared. In a post 9-11 world where ‘text is the new sex, gay is the new straight, and friends are the new family’ Chris Mason Johnson has given us the most dysfunctional ‘family’ ever. There’s Julie (Nicole Bilderback – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, Clueless) an over-achiever, and her aggressive fiancé Andrew (model Ryan Locke from Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy video). Then there’s Julie’s gay brother Tony (Andrew Wei Lin) and his addict roommate Felix (soap star Thomas Sadoski). Tony is dating the HIV+ teacher Robert (Bill Sage – Sex & the City, Mysterious Skin, Boy Wonder). Then there’s woof-y Colin Fickes as Ben Barr, a bearish geeky guy that spends most of the movie trying unsuccessfully to hook up online. Julie is incredibly successful at her job which threatens Andrew. He becomes fixated on his own success and partners with a stereotypical money-grubbing investment banker. He also tries to bring in Tony who refuses after her overhears the banker verbally gay bash him. Tony and Robert are having problems as well – although there’s only one real scene that conveys that – and eventually they break up. All the tension (I know, *what* tension?) builds until the climactic finale at Andrew’s bachelor party. This is a movie that gets everything and nothing right. The performances are top caliber from this ensemble of back-players, but that can’t help a talk-y script that confuses, ignores, and generally falls flat. There’s so much importance plot-wise on the careers of the two leads – and yet you’re never quite sure what *anyone* in the story does for a living. For example, Andrew’s job apparently consisted of yelling obscenities and scarring his staff of two. And there was also some confusion on my part about Felix’s addict status; we see him meet up with some girl and they go back to her apartment. Next we see a baggie with something inside and a glass pipe – I’m thinking pot, right? Also, cue ‘girl-with-a-guitar’ music. But the movie treats it like he’s addicted to heroin. Now, it may have been heroin in the baggie, but there’s really nothing else in the movie that would indicate *what* the guy is addicted to. And the tacked-on fifth wheel Ben is completely pointless and spends the entire movie maybe hating his body, smoking, and being incredibly needy. At the end of the movie I felt like if thirty is the new twenty then I feel sixty. Killer soundtrack though. The New Twenty will be available on DVD on July 21st.

My Exciting News?

You're looking at one of the new staff writers for pinkkryptonite.com, the web's premier source for GLBT comic and pop culture news.

My plans for world domination are finally coming to fruition!!

ALL HAIL THE PINK!

Some exciting news..

That I can't tell you yet. :P

I got an e-mail this morning with some exciting news that I had been waiting to hear about.

There will be a big announcement in the coming days - so keep your eyes peeled!!

In the meantime - let's celebrate with some dancing bears!!