Jim Carrey is gay...on-screen at least in the prison break comedy "I Love You Phillip Morris." In case there is any doubt that his character is gay, the actor certainly appears to be camping it up in terms of wardrobe. A gold lions head belt buckle? Pul-eeze! He is pictured with co-star Rodrigo Santoro during filming in Miami but the love of his life in the movie is plaed by Ewan McGregor.

This is gonna be interesting. Based on a true story, Jim plays a con artist who is sent to prison where he falls in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris (McGregor) who is freed from jail. Carrey's character, Steven Russell tries to escape four times in order to be with him. What I wanna know is, why would he ever leave Rodrigo Santoro!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There could be a lot worse things that looking a lot like and sharing a first name with Brad Pitt.

That has been the unique experience of the handsome Brad Rowe, a busy actor with a lead role in “Shelter,” a gay love story set in a surfing community that opens in limited release on Friday.

“It’s definitely been something that’s referenced a lot,” Brad told me last week. “I wouldn’t venture to guess whehter it’s hurt or hindered me. It’s been something people have latched onto but I think it’s waned as I’ve gotten a little older. Physically, I have changed and he has changed. But anytime people have a little hook to think about, it can never be a bad thing.”

Brad, 37, got his first big break 10 years ago in another gay-themed indie film: “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss” opposite a pre-“Will & Grace” Sean Hayes. In between has been roles in major feature films (“National Treasure: Book of Secrets”), television series (“Leap of Faith,” “1-800-MISSING” ““Wasteland”) and scores of TV movies and parts in lower-budget films.

In “Shelter,” Brad has, in my opinion, one of the best roles of his career. He plays a Hollywood screenwriter who returns from Los Angeles after a break-up and begins surfing with his younger brother’s best friend Trevor Wright.

The two men begin an unexpected romance and embark on an emotional and sometimes exhilarating journey that involves family, artistic dreams and choices.Brad is so good in “Shelter” - winner of the audience award at several film festivals in 2007 - that I found it astonishing that he was brought on board just a week before the movie was due to begin production.

“I didn’t have a whole lot of time to mull it over,” he said. “I read the script and instantly fell in love with it. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to be some beefcake surf film, you never know. I met with (director Jonah Markowitz) and he had a specific vision...Jonah was remarkable. He gave everyone a lot of leeway to bring their own thing. He had a pretty amazing maturity for a first-time feature director. When you go in to doing a project like this, someone who has written it is so invested. But Jonah said, ‘This is by all means not my story.’”

So how were two straight actors able to pull of the love scenes in the movie which was shot in just three weeks?

“When you get to the love scene, the physical part on the stairs and on the bed, it’s very intense but it was really fun," Brad said. “We had a great time with it. Trevor and I committed to it as actors, the producers committed to making it a safe place with a closed set, and Jonah gave us the freedom to figure it out. He said, ‘You guys make it happen in the way that you make it happen’ then just sort of let us have at it.”

Brad and Trevor's off-screen bond helped the performances: "It’s always a crap shoot when you put two actors together who don’t know each other. Trevor is a really open, fun goofy person from Southern California and definitely fit that surfer skater punk kid vibe. We just had a great time. We had a light-hearted fun time hanging out and being friends outside of work. It was totally easy and totally fun and I think that does translate onto the screen.”

Here is a clip:

Married to Lisa Fiori since 1999, Brad got a bit of a late start in Hollywood because he had an earlier career as a finance manager for political campaigns in Washington, D.C. He’s made up for lost time though. In the past year alone, Brad has guested on some of the most popular series on television including “CSI: NY,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “CSI: Miami.”

While those gigs pay the bills, he is trying to be more than an actor for hire and taking a shot at producing, co-writing and acting in the upcoming screwball comedy “For Better or for Worse” that is set to begin shooting in June.

“It's in the vein of ‘The Anniversay Party’ and ‘The Big Chill’ - a weekend event film that all takes place in one house,” he said. “Rather than being a funeral or a birthday party, the central event of the weekend is a gay wedding.”

Here is a another trailer from "Shelter" ....

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I see naked people.
I saw so many of them for so long that after awhile, I actually began to mostly pay attention to the songs they were singing in the new film "Naked Boys Singing" which had a high-energy premiere last night at the Regency Landmark Theatre on LaBrea.
Virtually the entire cast of talented singers and dancers were there (with their clothes on) but I missed their introduction, getting there just in time to give producer Kirkland Tibbles a hug before the movie started.
The movie is based on the long-running off-Broadway musical comedy review featuring 16 original songs and director Troy Christian landed some real talent for the production. Obviously they had to look good naked which wasn't really a problem since these are first-rate singers and dancers. Things start off very fun with the number "Gratuitous Nudity" and it is true, early on in the film, you do start to forget (a little bit) that they are naked. This is a movie I want the soundtrack from - especially for the numbers "The Naked Maid," "Fight the Urge," "Jack's Song," "Nothin' But the Radio On" and my absolute fave: "Perky Little Porn Star." Also really loved the soaring ballad "Kris Look What You've Missed."
Since I missed the arrivals line before the film and wanted to skip the after-party (enough parties for me this week!), I snagged interviews with three cast members as they made their way out of the theater.
Jason Curie, whose big numbers were "The Entertainer" (a real show-stopper), ""Robert Mitchum," and "Fight the Urge" told me he had absolutely no hestiation about being nude on the big screen.
"I've been nude on stage before and actually in some short films. Nudity to me isn't an issue, it's kind of never been a big deal," said Jason (pictured, above). "It was really exciting to watch it with everybody here and see the positive response. I wasn't nervous until 'The Entertainer' came on then it was kind of a rush of, 'Oh God, here we go.' People laughed once the heels got up on the piano and there we go."
After the opening number, Kevin Stea kicks things off wonderfully with the upbeat and fun "The Naked Maid" which had great choregraphy and props. For Stea, the opening night was "kind of nerve-racking. I have lots of friends here and I definitely feel my shyness coming out. Most of my work that I do for camera, you don't ever get to see the audience reaction to it. Being here with the audience and being naked in front of everybody, it's, startling. I'm happy that the reaction is really positive. If they were booing me then I'd be really upset. I'd be running out the door."
He is confident that gay men will like the movie but he is hopeful for widespread appeal: "Give it a go, leave your inhibitions at home and enjoy the ride. Enjoy the courage of the csst asnd the insight of the writers who wrote the songs. There's a lot of entertainment as well as a really strong message. Hopefully, when people come they won't necessarily just be looking for nudity and that by the end of the film, they won't even notice the nudity anymore because hopefully the pieces will stand on their own."
I had to know: is it hard to dance naked?
Said Kevin: "It depends on the temprature (laughs). Yeah, there are definitely other considerations that you have to think about when you're dancing naked - especially dancing as much as I was dancing.

As I left the theater, I spotted Joseph Keane (pictured, above) waiting for his car. He had brought the house down with his big number "Perky Porn Star" and I wanted to get his thoughts about the night.
"I was really excited about my number so I wasn't really nervous," he said. "It's difficult to do anything naked in front of anyone but yourself. But the process was really fun but it was really nerve-racking at first."
Joseph added: "I didn't have any trepitdation about beiing nude. I more was concerned about the material having not seen it before auditioning. But after talking with Kirkland Tibbles and Troy Christian about their vision, I was really excited."
The title is provocative and the actors certainly are nude, but Joseph assures there is nothing to be afraid of: "Personally for me, I wouldn't have signed on unless I could show this to my mom and my grandma and all my family members so I say go out and see it. I think there's a lot of stereotypes with male nudity and this is just a funloving show that happens to show a lot of make nudity. I think that "The Full Monty" was a big success and I think this is gonna be too."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's taken an awful long time for writer-director Ryan Shiraki's comedy "Freshman Orientation" to make it to theaters but it is a film that is worth the wait. I saw it at Outfest (I think it was last summer) and again on DVD recently and it is a sweet and funny film with a very talented cast led by Sam Huntington as college student, Clay, who pretends to be gay in order to get the girl of his dreams.
Also in the cast is the hilarious out actress Heather Matarazzo ("Welcome to My Dollhouse," "Princess Diaries"), a very funny Marla Sokoloff as a militant campus lesbian, SNL's Rachel Dratch as a middle-aged campus slut, Kaitlin Doubleday as the object of Huntington's affection, Mike Erwin as Clay's closeted roommate, and a terrific John Goodman as a big-hearted gay bar owner who shows Clay the ropes.
The film will begin playing at the Regent Showcase Theater, 614 N. La Brea (at Melrose) on Agu. 31 and I do recommend it. It will also premiere in New York and a gradual rollout is planned.
I spoke with Shiraki, a former head of talent for "Saturday Night Live" about his movie recently. "Orientation" is his first film and was made in 23 days on a budget of $1 million.
“I’m happy that it's coming out. I had no idea what was going to happen to the film after [its 2004 debut at] Sundance," he said. I’m really thrilled that the movie is going to be seen by more than my inner circle of friends and that people like it.”

So how was a first-time filmmaker able to assemble such a high-caliber cast with so little money?
"I used to work at 'Saturday Night Live' as head of talent so I knew Rachel and John and we were just able to attract these actors based on the material. Heather made the part her own, she really took it and ran with it. Same with Marla Sokoloff. I felt really lucky to get her in the film. She's very talented and funny. And Sam Huntington, I’ve always been a fan of. It was always seen as an ensemble film and I wanted to cast it as an ensemble and not give anyone short-shrift. I tried to write it so each had their own big scene.”
Getting Goodman was made easier because the film was shot in New Orleans where the actor lives: "I had worked with him at least once a year in SNL. He was in town for a few days and I asked if I’d get a few days in this movie. He was really great to work withb for the younger actors. He's an incredibly deft comedian and always in character and really knows the heart of a scene.”

While Huntington's character is straight pretending to be gay, his is an open-m inded character who ends up being a poster boy for fighting violence against gays and handles things with much care when his best friend and roomate Matt (Mike Irwin), confesses his true feelings for Clay and kisses him. Clay let's the kiss go on for a bit because he's curious to see if he likes it.
“The financiers didn't want to make some big coming out narrative, they wanted something broad, which I respected," the director said. "But I didn't want him to kiss aniother man and then barf all over him. So there was just one moment of, 'Hmmm. But not for me.”
Adds the 37-year-old Shiraki: “Matt is the idealized version of myself. I didn't get the hot frat guy in the end nor was I was hot. But we did have the same glasses.”

Continue reading "A chat with the man behind "Freshmen Orientation"" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The titles are tacky and the movies raunchy but the "Eating Out" franchise has so far been surprisingly funny, boasted hot and talented casts, and had a little bit of heart. I have learned EXCLUSIVELY (I've been itching to say that) that yes, there will be an "Eating Out 3."
"I never would have imagined it," Q Allan Brocka, who directed the first movie and wrote and produced both films, told me last week. (What am I doing holding an EXCLUSIVE for an entire week?)
"It will be next year. Nothing is official yet with who's coming back and who's not and we're going to base the story on who we can get and who's available," he said. "We just know we're doing it, we don't know more than that."

The first two films featured "American Idol" season one finalist Jim Verarros as well as the very funny actresses Rebeka Kochan and Emily Stiles (now known as Emily Brooke Hands). Ryan Carnres, who starred in the first film before his role as Andrew Van de Kamp's lover on "Desperate Housewives." He declined the sequel and was replaced by Brett Chuckerman.
Each film also have this in common: a hunky straight guy pretending to be gay in order to get a girl.In the firsat film it was Scott Lunsford and the second, Marco Dapper. Producer Michael Shoal tells me it's not crucial that the same leads return since "We always bring new meat to the market. The first two films were a success in their own way. One of the nice things about doing another sequel is that it can be completely different but just as intriguing, just as sexy, just as completely out there and just as politically incorrect. It's the type of film that nobody else would make but us."
After the jump, check out some sexy stills from the first two "Eating Out" films and if you have not seen either one, you can get an idea of why they have been so successful...

Related posts:
- Meet Marco Dapper
- Jim Varraros: From American Idol to Eating Out
- A tacky title but a funny movie

Continue reading "Announcing..."Eating Out 3"" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kind of tough to imagine anyone but Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as the leads in "Brokeback Mountain" with Ang Lee directing. But, if director Gus Van Sant had his way, he would have been behind the camera with Matt Damon and Joaquin Pheonix as the two cowboys in love.
In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, Damon confesses it is a regret of his:
“... Years ago, [Good Will Hunting director] Gus Van Sant wanted to do it with me and Joaquin Phoenix. But I was on my way to Italy to do "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and then "All the Pretty Horses." And Gus wanted to do "Brokeback" right after. And I was like, ‘Gus, I’m going to do a gay movie, then a cowboy movie. I can’t follow it up with a gay-cowboy movie!”[Laughs]

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" came out while I was knee-deep in Outfest coverage so I just got around to seeing it on Sunday afternoon. And I gotta say, there was nothing in the movie that bothered me as much as the fact the premiere for the "Bratz" movie was going on at the same time at The Grove. One of the mom's snapping a picture of her precious one swung around and her backpack collided with me. She looks at me and says impatiently: "EXCUSE me." I just kept walking, muttering "bitch" under my breath. I don't know who the actresses are who play the Bratz but they were all there along with an odd smattering of celebs ranging from Oscar winner Jon Voight to "American Idol" also-ran Ace Young.
Oh yeah, the movie. It's about a pair of firefighters, best friends, pretending to be gay in order to secure benefits for the widowed firefighter's (Kevin James) kids in case he is killed. But they undergo scrutiny by the state's pensiion board so get married in Canada and even sleep in the same bed in order to pull off the ruse.
I know there are some people who thought the movie to be homophobic which it is, at first. But it really does come around and in the end, makes a good statement against homophobia. Does that make it a good movie? No. But I always like Adam Sandler and I can't think of a movie where I found him more adorable. He'd make a terrific gay man. What I liked best was how Sandler's character handles the effeminate son of James's character. The boy wants to sing and dance - just like Justin on "Ugly Betty" and he ends up being his biggest champion - encouraging him to be who he is.
If every child who is "different" was embraced this way rather than shunned or made fun of - even by their own families - this world would be a much happier place.
Other good things: Jessica Biel, Richard Chamberlain and Lance Bass (in a cameo) are also in the cast.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I love sharing this news. here! Films has just announced that it has acquired North American distribution rights to the award-winning comedy Fat Girls, written, directed, starring and produced by emerging filmmaker Ash ChristianI saw this movie at last year's Outfest and was absolutely charmed by it. Read my year-old post: Channeling Your Inner Fat Girl.The comedy focuses on the trials and tribulations of Rodney Miller (Christian), a gay theater-obsessed high school senior who has his heart set on becoming a Broadway star. With his overweight best friend and fellow social outcast Sabrina (Ashley Fink) by his side, the pair tries to find dates for their high school graduation dance sending them on a journey of self-discovery.
Says Mark Reinhart of here! Films:“We are thrilled to help bring Mr. Christian’s debut project to theaters across the country. "Fat Girls" explores the angst and social isolation so many teenagers face as they struggle to fit in during the tough high school years. We hope audiences will fall in love with these characters.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, well, imagine my delight when I clicked over to the terrific AfterElton.com site this morning to see their lead story: Gay Movie Sex Scenes that Made History.Now most of them in the article, I'm seen and loved - including the photo at right of Daniel Day Lewis and another actor whose name I can't recall in "My Beautiful Launderette."
But one movie I had never heard of and now absolutely must see (I mean, look at the pictures!) is "Wet Hot American Summer. Set in 1981, the article states that "Summer" has become a cult favorite (sign me up for that cult!), especially among gay viewers for its unabashedly positive portrayal of a gay couple — sex and all. In fact, the gay couple is the only one in the film who even has a sex scene, and it's played more for heat than laughs.
The camp's hottest preppy (played by Alias' Bradley Cooper) is in love with another counselor (comedian Michael Ian Black), and they even get married, to the supposed dismay of the straight colleagues who — in true summer camp form — have been trying to get one of the men laid with a girl counselor all summer (the straight guys, far from horrified, actually buy the newlywed gay couple a chaise lounge for a wedding present)."
So sweet! How did I not ever see this movie? In addition to Cooper and Black, the cast also includes Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon ands Amy Poehler.
Check out the article, lots of video clips with it too!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, now I really can't wait to see this flick. Page Six reports: "ALAN Cumming may love his new flick, "Suffering Man's Charity" - but not too many others did at its premiere at the Core Club. Some scenes in the dark comedy - about a "failed composer turned music teacher with a weakness for impoverished young men" - were too much for the crowd. During a gruesome torture scene involving a scantily clad David Boreanaz and a whip, several people left and a woman fainted. Cumming - who adapted, directed, produced and stars in the movie - was unfazed and partied with Paper magazine execs afterward."
I'm sorry people fainted but a "Scantily clad Davi9d Boreanaz" I gotta see!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of my favorite things to do when in Palm Springs is to take in an afternoon movie at the Camelot, an arthouse theater where you can sip on wine while watching a film and escape from the scorching afternoon sun. On Saturday, I took in "Waitress" starring Keri Russell, a movie that is one of the sleeper hits of the summer. It just quietly, week after week, hovers around the bottom of the top 10.
My friend Sue and I have been planning to see it soon but I jumped the gun. Sorry Sue! "Waitress" initially got my attention because of the murder of writer-director and co-star Adrienne Shelly who was killed a month before this wonderful film made a triumphant debut at Sundance.
What a gem she left behind. Keri Russell leaves "Felicity" behind for good with her wonderous performance as Jenna, a diner waitress who is something of a pie genius who names her creations after the tumultuous events and emotions of life. An example: "I Don't Want Earl's Baby" Pie--a quiche of egg and cheese with a smoked ham center.
The close-knit relationships she has with the diner's two other waitresses (portrayed by Charyl Hines and Shelley) help get her through the hell that is her life with her annoying, needy, controlling and abusive husband (Jeremy Sisto, even creepier than he was in "Six Feet Under.").

Continue reading ""Waitress" is a winner..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jim Carrey has played many people in his very interesting career - characters both light and dark - but the only gay-themed project I remember him acting in was the superb telefim "Doing Time on Maple Drive" directed by Ken Olin way back in the early 90s when Carrey was a cast member on "In Living Color." In "Maple," he played the alcoholic brother of a closeted gay college kid played by the wonderful William McNamara.
But Carrey is about to play gay, something reported in Daily Variety yesterday which was then posted on Towleroad.com. Carrey will play Steven Russell, a real-life gay convict currently serving a 144 year prison sentence in Texas, "in I Love you Phillip Morris," based on the Steve McVicker book of the same name.

Continue reading "Jim Carrey to play gay in "I Love You Phillip Morris"" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few years ago, I actually FELL ASLEEP while watching "Ocean's Twelve" at The Grove. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Hated it. Was bored by it. Was actually pissed off by it because it was such a bad follow-up to "Ocean's Eleven" which I had absolutely loved.
Well, good news: "Ocean's Thirteen" is terrific.
I attended a packed screening Monday night at the Bruin Mann Theatre in Westwood of the film, which opens on Friday. As I walked out, I heard people say things like: 'That was so much better than the second one" and "That was pretty good!" and a few 'I loved it!" It's fun to hear that kind of positive buzz about a movie that deserves it.
Brad Pitt, George Clooney and to a lesser degree Matt Damon are the heart of this franchise and have a wonderful, easy chemistry on-screen. Clooney and Pitt in particular play off each other well - literally finishing each other's sentences at some points and ribbing each other at the end with some not-so-inside jokes. As they part ways at the end, Pitt says to Clooney someting like: "Don't let your weight go between jobs" (a reference to the weight Clooney gained for his Oscar winning role in "Syrianna" and Clooney responded with: "Why don't you have a couple of kids." The preview audence laughed knowingly.
Another comic highlight: the Oprah moments. That's all I'm saying on that.

Continue reading ""Ocean's Thirteen" nicely redeems and revives franchise..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Through their own production company, Mythgarden, actors Chad Allen and Robert Gant not only managed to get their own film made ("Save Me") with lead roles for themselves, but the gay-themed film set at a "gay recovery" center, was also featured at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
"There's challenges at every level of this industry to tell stories about us," Allen Sunday at the Q-MeCon Queer Media and Entertainment Conference. "There's enormous challenges from financing to distribution to the creative side."
But he is undaunted and when it comes to making his own movies, uncompromising.
"If you're not in this to change the world, then go back and write about straight people because we've got things to do..Instead of being marginalized with niche themes and niche products, we get to break down all the walls. Gay cinema does not have to open in two theaters then go onto a life on DVD. We want our films to reach as large an audience at they can find...and in theaters."
Charlie David, the 26-year-old star of "Dante's Cove," is setting up his first independent film, Mulligans," to produce and star in and says: "It's an interesting dance when you step out of lur bubble and into the mainstream. Trying to sell outside our arena, everybody wants to [gay characters] to be the 10 percent part. Like the gay one on "The Real world" then there are nine other [straights]."
But Paul Colichman, the successful out producer of films including "Gods and Monsters" and the founder of here! TV and Regency Films, seems to have no use for the mainstream. He is at the forefront of creating and distributing queery content through his own companies and is encouraged by young filmmakers like Allen and Gant.
"Chad and Bobby exercise their power through their art every day and I'm so proud to know them," Colichman said at the Q-MeCon closing party. "Get your message out! Use digital distribution, use gay networks, use radio, use the Internet. Use it all!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Got Milk? Directors Bryan Singer and Gus Van Sant think they may.
According to today's front page of Variety, each is trying to be first in production with a film about Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and first openly gay elected official in the U.S., who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by Supervisor Daniel White.
After 15 years in development, "The Mayor of Castro Street," the movie based on the book by Randy Shilts, is moving toward the starting gate. Warner Independent Prods., which brought in Singer two years ago, is near a deal with Participant Prods. to co-finance and with Chris McQuarrie to write the final draft.
Now, Van Sant has attached himself to an untitled Milk script by Dustin Lance Black, writer of several episodes of the HBO drama "Big Love." The writer's agents at Endeavor will shop the script early next week. Adding to the intrigue is that fact that Van Sant was once set to direct "Castro Street" and even wrote a draft of the script years ago for Warners.
There will be a race to be first, Variety reports, noting the fates of "Capote" and "Infamous." "Capote" came first and became an awards season darling highlighted by an Oscar win for Philip Seymour Hoffman; "Infamous" followed a year later, and, despite good reviews, a dead-on Capote perf by Toby Jones and the presence of Daniel Craig and Sandra Bullock, barely got noticed.
Craig Zadan, who is producing "The Mayor of Castro Street" with Neil Meron, liked their chances to get into production quickly. This despite Singer's commitment to the Cruise movie, "Valkyrie," which has a July 8 start date, and a "Superman Returns" sequel which Warner Bros. hopes to have ready for release in 2009.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After an advance screening of "Fracture" last night at The Grove, the audience clapped enthusiastically and people walked out telling each other how good it was. I agree! It's a thriller about a brilliant man (Anthony Hopkins) who tries to kill his unfaithful wife then delights in manipulating the legal system - including a young prosecutor (Ryan Gosling) as he is brought to trial.
Let me say this first off: the Hopkins character does not seem in any way like a real human being. He's a brilliant perfectionist and it's fun to watch his outfox Gosling but we have no idea who this guy is and what makes him capable of shooting his wife in the face so methodically. He's so methodical about it all and Hopkins comes off a bit like Hannibal Lechter in his jailhouse face-off scenes with Gosling. There's a lot of far-fetched stuff here but Hopkins is awfully fun to watch though.
Gosling on the other hand, MAKES the movie. His portrayal of a young prosecutor who does some questionable things to get hmself a high-paying corporate job is outstanding. But before beginning his lucrative new gig, he's got a trial to finish for the district attorney's office.
While the plot is at times unbelievable, Gosling makes his character believable at all times. He's cocky, he's flirty, he's smart, he's determined, he's SEXY. He's got the world by its tail. But this case turns that world upside down. I found myself thoroughly engaged in the film due to Gosling's performance.
Also loved that it was filmed in LA with all kinds of location shots around the city. "Fracture," released by New Line Cinema, will bow in theaters on April 20.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Finally saw "300" last night! My college pal Bill was in town from NYC and we met up at Grauman's Chinese Theater to see the movie. I picked Grauman's because it is so plush and also has digital picture and sound. What better way to enjoy this hunky bloodbath? First off, let me give kudos to the filmmakers for making a movie like this for something like $40 million. It is set to cross the $200 million mark domestically this weekend. THAT, is a major financial success."300" is a 2007 film adaptation of the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller, itself partly inspired by another film, "The 300 Spartans" and is a fictional account of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.
The film, directed by Zack Snyder, was shot mostly with bluescreen to duplicate the imagery of the original comic book. As Spartan King Leonidas, Gerard Butler commands the screen. Wow! I hate to be shallow (yeah, right) but those fricken abs! They are like railroad tracks! Rodrigo Santoro is a very handsome man but you would not know it with the make-up he wears as Persian King Xerxes.
It was the perfect movie to take my straight friend to. I got all kinds of eye candy to watch and he got to see a bloody action flick. I know reviews were mixed but I had a good time. I recommend seeing it on the big screen because, well, all those Spartan abs look better that way. The flick is alos on giant IMAX screens...that would be cool - abs the size of a building.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even though the only gay character in "Blades of Glory" is a crazy stalker, I still enjoyed this goofy flick. So, it was no surprise to see that "Blades," which has Will Ferrell and Jon Heder playing-skating rivals who become the sport's first men's pair, debut as the No. 1 movie with $33 million in ticket sales.
Ferrell scored the second-best opening of his career, behind last summer's "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which took in $47 million in its first weekend.
And "Talladega" had a more prominent gay character who was a racing champion (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) instead of a stalker even if that stalker had my favorite line in the movie when he says to Heder: "I want to cut your skin off and wear it to my birthday party!" And my favorite scene? Someone's head falls off...that's all I'm saying.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I caught "Eleven Men Out" last summer at Outfest. I was tired after seeing three other films that day but was so glad I stuck it out to see this sports dramedy set in the soccer world in Iceland! It's damned good and I was so happy to learn today the here! Films has acquired distribution rights and its sister company Regent Releasing will book the movie into theaters this summer.
Written by Jon Atli Jonasson and Douglas, "Eleven Men Out" centers on Ottar Thor, the star of KR, the Icelandic soccer team. After he surprisingly comes out of the closet to a reporter in front of his teammates, the controversy surrounding his coming out leads him on a journey to discovery himself, and a journey off the KR team. He soon joins an amateur team made up of other gay men trying to play in a straight world. In the ultimate culmination of hard work and heartache, the KR team and the amateur squad wind up battling it out on the field during Gay Pride Day.

Let me tell you this: the actor who plays Ottar Thor (Bjorn Hylnur Haraldsson) is as gorgeous as he is talented, He displays a full-range of skill in scenes where he is dealing with his rebellious teenaged son who is humiliatied by his decision to come out as well as with his ex-wife as they unite as parents. There are cool soccer scenes and fun stuff with fellow players and, here's a realo selling point: Haraldsson has a really steamy sex scene with another man that is pretty much worth waiting for!
Says here! executive Mark Reinhart, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions & Distribution, here! Networks: “This timely social satire illustrates the struggle gay men and women in professional sports and beyond face while trying to stay true to their identity, and we think our viewers will be charmed by this delightful film.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lots of news coming out of here! Networks this week. The latest tidbit is that it has acquired North American distribution rights to the South Korean film "Huhwaehaji Anah" ("No Regret"), the first feature film from director Leesong Hee-il. here! Films’ sister company Regent Releasing will handle the film’s theatrical release during Summer 2008.
Set in Seoul, South Korea, No Regret centers on Sumin (Lee Young-Hoon), who leaves the orphanage where he grew up and heads to the city to study art design. After losing his job at a factory due to layoffs, he finds himself working as a prostitute in a gay bar. Initially Sumin resists the advances of Jaemin (Lee Han), who comes from a rich and conservative family that doesn’t accept his sexual identity. Eventually Sumin succumbs to Jaemin’s advances, after they briefly experience happiness as passionate lovers, Sumin and Jaemin’s relationship falls into heartache and tragedy.
“No Regret is a moving and visually stunning film, and here! Films is pleased to bring this project to North American audiences,” said Mark Reinhart, Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Distribution for here! Films. “This is one of the first films made on the Korean peninsula dealing with homosexuality, and we’re thrilled to be involved in bringing this project stateside.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Judging from this sexy scene, I think I want to see here! Networks' "The Raven," a gothic, alternative adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic horror tale. The film, directed by cult horror icon David DeCoteau ("The Brotherhood" "Leather Jacket Love Story"), makes its debut on here! this summer.

Principal photography on "The Raven" was completed this week. From a screenplay by Matthew Jason Walsh, the movie puts a new spin on the gloomy and macabre proceedings of the classic Poe story. The film centers on a group of young men and women in Britain who throw an extravagant party at an eerie mansion said to be the site of an infamous mass-murder. When the festivities are cut short by an ominous visitor, all hell breaks loose. As the murderer begins picking off the party participants one-by-one, old grudges resurface and new suspicions arise, making the entire affair a deadly night to remember.
DeCoteau’s "The Raven" is the first in a series of Poe-themed films that DeCoteau will shoot for here!. Next up for the director is the adaptation Edgar Allan Poe’s House of Usher, based on the classic Poe story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The movie poster for the Adam Sandler-Kevin James summer comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" was unveiled this week. They play firefighters who pretend to be gay in order to receive domestic partner benefits. There is some concern that the film, which no one has seen yet, will make light of what is a very serious equal rights issue for gays and lesbians: same-gender marriage.
I share that concern but am optimistic that the movie will have a positive message in that regard given that Sandler is involved. His movie, "Big Daddy," had one of the best no-big-deal portrayals of a gay couple I've ever seen in a mainstream movie. At any rate, I plan to check it out!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I get a press release the other day about the award winning gay feature "Race You to the Bottom" opening theatrically in Los Angeles on March 30 at the Showcase Theater. This is prior to the film's nationwide debut throughout April. It came with this picture of actor Justin Hartley, shirtless, and I thought it would be criminal of me not to share! Oh yeah, here's the movie's poster too (somehow I think the shirtless picture of Justin would sell more tickets):

I'll be writing more about this movie in the weeks to come but here is the plot in a nutshell: Nathan (Cole Williams "Harry and Max")), 24, is a travel journalist from Los Angeles assigned to write about romantic hot-spots in California's Napa Valley. Maggie (Amber Benson "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"), 24, is trying to figure out how to turn her political science degree into a career. Although Nathan and Maggie both have boyfriends, they are in the throes of a passionate affair, and this will be their first weekend away together. En route to Napa, they visit Joe (Justin Hartley, "Smallville") and Carla (Danielle Thomas) – friends of Maggie’s from college.  A spontaneous seduction brings to light their hopes and fears, forcing Nathan and Maggie to confront the reality of their romance as they drive through a gold and green autumn in wine country.
Hmmmm. Sounds like a real sideways "Sideways." 

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So after watching the season finale of "The Class," I decided to watch a screener of "Nine Lives" which made for quite an adjustment from light silly comedy to hard core drama! I gotta say, "Lives" was fascinating in the way that it just took you to unexpected places as it zoomed in on nine individuals whose lives intersect – emotionally, sexually and dangerously over the course of one day. It was at times moving, at times very sexy, at times disturbing and at times horrifying.
The real standout segment is the story involving Daniel (Nick Salamone), a closeted television producer who is a real jerk, his hunky boyfriend Corey (Steve Callahan) and their pool boy Carlos (Eric Turic). Salamone does a perfect job of being absolutely loathsome and Callahan is superb in showing his character's hurt and rage. You'll see what I mean during a certain pool scene.
The other standout is the story of pregnant Lisa and her perpetually late husband Ralph, who is living life on the down low. I was particularly impressed and moved by the performance of Debra Wilson as Lisa. It's mostly a monologue of her talking to the camera as she tells us her life story while painting her baby's room. The power of those scenes, especially after she gets a fateful phone call, are still with me today and I think will stay with you.
"Nine Lives," an adaptation of the play "Complications," is the film debut from writer/director Dean Howell and writer Michael Kearns and is described as a cross between Schnitzler's "La Ronde" and Altman's "Short Cuts."
The movie debuted this month on here! TV and will be out on DVD in the coming months.
Don't miss it!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom Cavanagh, one of my crushes, is playing a gay ex-Toronto Maple Leaf in the upcoming film "Breakfast with Scot." He did an interview with NBC Sports.com about the movie and locking lips with actor Ben Shenkman who plays his life partner in the film which is about a gay couple raising a gay kid.
Here is some of the Q&A that led to the kissing question:
Q: Let's play "$20,000 Pyramid", the bonus round. I'm giving the clues. Here goes. 'Julie Bowen, Kelly Ripa, Rena Sofer, Bridget Moynahan, Ben Shenkman...'
TC: Um, 'People Who Are Better-Looking Than Me?'
Q: I'm sorry. We were looking for 'People I've Kissed Onscreen.'
TC: Here's the problem with that. You ever hear Conan O'Brien talk about the problem with having gone to Harvard? It means that you're sentenced to a lifetime of, whenever you do anything halfway stupid, having to hear, "And you went to Harvard?" Likewise, when you get to kiss these beautiful women, for the rest of your life you get no sympathy. "Oh, your leg was severed at the knee? At least you got to kiss Bridget Moynahan."
Q: You even feel that way about Ben Shenkman (pictured, right).
TC: Let me quote Keats here: "Beauty is truth, and truth is beauty." And when you're as good-looking as Ben Shenkman, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. Although, I'm not sure if Ben's wife wants to hear me say that."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Got a note from actor Steve Callahan (he's on the right side of the bed in the picture above) who I liked so much in "East Side Story" and got to know a little bit when I did a profile on his boyfriend Tom Beirdz. Another movie Steve starred in, "Nine Lives," has had success overseas but not been distributed in the US. That changes today. Here! TV begins airing the movie today and will repeat it throughout the month in advance of its DVD release. I have not yet seen the film but look forward to it (especially judging from these stills from the movie. Steve is as good looking and thoughtful as he is talented and won Best Supporting Actor at the 2004 Tampa International Film Festival for the film.

NINE LIVES is a provocative film debut from writer/director Dean Howell and writer, Michael Kearns (INTIMACIES, T-CELLS & SYMPATHY, ROCK). A cross between Schnitzler's LA RONDE and Altman's SHORT CUTS, we zoom in on nine individuals whose lives intersect- emotionally, sexually and dangerously over the course of one day. In addition to Callahan, the cast includes William Christian, Dennis Christopher, John Ganun, Dean Howell, and Michael Kearns.
Visit the film's Website to see the trailer and for more information!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those of you in the LA area, the new issue of Frontiers Magazine is on the stands! Why am I so excited? It features my cover story on the stars of 'Boy Culture' that's why! And for those of you not in the area, I can't mail ya one but I can share it with you...enjoy!

THREE'S COMPANY: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE STARS OF THE SMART, SEXY NEW FILM 'BOY CULTURE'
By Greg Hernandez
Before they all arrived in Seattle to shoot Q. Allan Brocka’s new film, Boy Culture, Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens and Jonathon Trent had never before crossed paths.
That could have been an obstacle since they had only 18 days to shoot a movie that required physical and emotional intimacy between the three leads. But the three actors bonded deeply as they got gym
memberships for daily workouts and lived together in the days before filming and all through the shoot.
“We were up in Seattle by ourselves. For the most part, it was the three of us,” says Stephens, best known for playing the title role in Noah’s Arc. “We had every opportunity to become real friends which I
think worked for the movie. All three are very different characters and have a genuine affection for each other.”
Boy Culture, which will be released in theaters March 23, tells the story of “X,” a wildly successful male escort played by Magyar whose life changes when he get entangled with his roommates (Stephens and Trent) as well as a reclusive elderly client named Gregory (portrayed by Patrick Bauchau).
“What drew me to the character was, at the core, he was somebody who is really afraid to love,” explains Magyar. “He’s kind of a tough guy, not the most chipper or sweetest. But underneath, he’s a great person who wants to be loved and accepted - that’s something we all want, gay or straight.”
Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Matthew Rettenmund, the film goes beyond the drama that would likely arise when three available and very attractive men are sharing a home. Those attractions are explored but the film also focuses on the unlikely friendship the develops between X and Gregory.
Before Gregory will agree to sex with X, he tells an unsettling love story spanning fifty years and dares X to try something he hasn’t felt for years: emotion.
“It appealed to me more because I found that this had Gregory’s character was written in to expose X to real feelings and emotions,” Magyar says. “I would say that in the film itself, his roommates are his friends so to speak but Gregory becomes a close friend.”
He also found it especially gratifying to work with Bauchau who he says is “an incredible actor and great person and was very easy going with him. We just formed a friendship outside of work and it carried over into X and Gregory. It made it a very relaxing and comfortable environment.”
Stephens’ character Andrew and X are clearly attracted to each other but face a bumpy road toward getting close.
“Andrew is recently out of the closet and just moved to Seattle to get away from marriage engagement to a woman that didn’t pan out,” Stephens explains. “He is just coming into his sexuality and learning to deal with men on that level. When he met X, he was attracted to him but wasn’t sure about pursuing it. They sorta became friends but
it seems Andrew began to pursue other means of satiating his sexual appetite.”
Besides his own issues, it bothers Andrew that X is a male escort: “I think that was the big stumbling part of it. He likes X but doesn’t understand how he can share himself with people for money. He’s got a problem with that.”
Trent’s character is even more rudderless than his two older roommates and engages in self-destructive behavior involving drugs and sex.
“Joey is the child or the baby in the threesome,” says the young actor. “He’s this young kid who is very insecure and scared and lonely so he flaunts his sexuality to get what he wants. A lot of
people do that when they don’t know what else to go on. They use what they feel they have. For Joey, it was all about his sexuality. He’s charming in a slutty way.”
Stephens is confident the movie will connect with gay audiences given its popular reception at Outfest and other festivals. But he also this “film has great crossover potential. It has issues that cross race and cross age. Even though it’s essentially a gay love story, I think it will appeal to a broad audience.”
Magyar agrees.
“I think if you are looking for a story about love, being gay or straight, this is the movie to see,” he says. “It’s a drama with fun and humorous moments. It’s very real, something we can all relate to - that feeling of being afraid to love and putting up walls and barriers because we’re afraid of what it means to allow ourselves to feel certain things.
“I am very proud of the film.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love the tagline of the new movie "Gray Matters," opening in theaters today: "A romantic comedy about a brother, a sister, and the girl of their dreams." Gray (Heather Graham) and Sam (Tom Cavanagh) have the perfect relationship — as brother and sister. Close since childhood, now that they are adults they still live together and are each other's best friend.
The one thing that ends up coming between them is Charlie (Bridget Moynahan), Sam's new girlfriend who also ends up bringing out a different side of Gray that she never knew existed before — her lesbian side! Uh boy. Poor Sam. But when you are as cute as Tom Cavanagh (I've had a mad crush on him since "Ed'), you should be able to rebound just fine. Alan Cumming and Molly Shannon are also in the cast. The trailer looks really funny but critics have not been kind.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just noticed this on USA Today's POP CANDY blog and had to share it even if it was released last week. If I hadn't seen it, chances are a lot of you had not either: Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger's gay kiss in 'Brokeback Mountain' was voted the best screen kiss of all time, according to an online poll conducted by DVD rental firm LOVEFiLM.com.

Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard's romantic scene in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' was voted second (I agree!), while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's passionate kiss in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' came third. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh took fourth place with their tender moment in 'Gone With The Wind'. The other same-sex kiss to rank high was Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair's lesbian clinch in 'Cruel Intentions' which claimed fifth position.

Here is the complete list:
1. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in 'Brokeback Mountain'
2. Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
3. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'
4. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in 'Gone With The Wind'
5. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair in 'Cruel Intentions'
6. Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in 'From Here To Eternity'
7. Al Pacino and John Cazale in 'Godfather'
8. Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger in 'Bridget Jones' Diary'
9. Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in 'Spiderman'
10. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray in 'Dirty Dancing'

What I wanna know is this: why didn't the kiss between Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Dr. in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" make the list? Just kidding. I just found it while surfing for "Brokeback" smooches and wanted to share:

I also thought it would be fun to also add some of the comments readers made after the list was published on PopCandy. Feel free to add your thoughts to the Out In Hollywood blog
Comments Added: Today 18:20
"I am a straight man. I would vote for 2 guys kissing if it were Tony Leung and Alain Delon. or maybe that guy from Taboo."
- jerry Added: Today 16:51
"I'm not a lesbian but i like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair in 'Cruel Intentions'. but I love Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray in 'Dirty Dancing' more... And hey, can I vote for "Killing me softly"? It was simply hhhooottt... :-) "
- jessie Added: Today 05:26
"I'm straight and I'd vote for it."
- also mike Added: Mon 21:05
"is this a gay poll? no straight man would ever vote 2 guys kissing ever!! no offense to the gay community"
- mike

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just love the title. In fact, I keep saying it over and over again - much to the utter annoyance of my colleagues here in the newsroom. The indie film, "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" made its World Premiere last week at the Berlin Film Festival. The Jamie Babbit-directed feature will screen three times at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Tx. beginning March 11.
"Itty" is the story of a girl’s blooming political consciousness and ascent or descent (depending on how you see it) into political extremism. Anna (MELONIE DIAZ) is a young apolitical receptionist at a plastic surgery clinic whom has recently broken up with her girlfriend and been rejected from college. Anna’s family is readying for her sister’s upcoming marriage, and Anna is feeling lost and miserable. One night, Anna meets Sadie (NICOLE VISCIUS), a radical feminist and member of a guerilla action group called Clits in Action (CIA). Intrigued by this flirtatious girl, Anna gets ensnared in the group, and eventually she surpasses her feminist mentor and leads the CIA to its most radical act. By the end of the film, Anna is truly empowered and is transformed into a womyn with a “y”. Stars Daniela Sea ("The L Word"), Melanie Mayron ("Thirtysomething"),Nicole Vicius ("Half Nelson") and Melonie Diaz ("Raising Victor Vargas") with a rocking soundtrack featuring Heavens to Betsy, Slaeter Kinney, Team Dresh, The Need, Slumber Party, Bikini Kill, Peaches and Le Tigre and other politically charged music.
Will keep you posted for any local LA.area screenings as they are announced...
Now say the title five times fast" Itty Bitty Titty Committee Itty Bitty Titty Committee Itty Bitty Titty Committee Itty Bitty Titty Committee Itty Bitty Titty Committee.
It's hard to stop!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AfterElton.com asked a panel of gay film experts to compile a list of the top 20 most groundbreaking gay movies. Any list like this is so subjective that it is sure to result in much debate. I, for example, would place "The Living End" and "Beautiful Thing" (pictured, right) much higher on the list and would place "Brokeback Mountain" at the very top of the list. Anywho....here is the complete list:

1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
2. Teorema
3. Pink Flamingos
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Paris is Burning
6. My Own Private Idaho
7. Fireworks
8. Tongues Untied
9. The complete works of Bruce LaBruce
10. Silverlake Life: The View From Here
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday
12. Law of Desire
13. Boys in the Band
14. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
15. Parting Glances
16. La Cage aux Folles
17. Beautiful Thing
18. The Living End
19. Victim
20. Querelle

The panel consisted of: Joseph J. Cook, program Director, Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; Alonso Duralde, author of "101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men"; Jay Gilman, the obligatory film buff; GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano; film critic Matthew Hays; Attitude magazine editor Adam Mattera; Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival artistic director Raymond Murray;The New York LGBT Film Festival Executive DirectorBasil Tsiokos; Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival director Xavier-Daniel.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My niece lives in Austin, TX so maybe she can be among the first to see Alan Cumming'[s latest directorial effort: "Suffering Man's Charity" which will make its world premiere opening night at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival at the Paramount Theater in Austin which runs March 9 - 17.
"Suffering Man’s Charity," written by Thomas Gallagher, stars Cumming, David Boreanaz, Henry Thomas, and one-time lesbian Anne Heche. What interests me the most is that Boreanaz, the former star of "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and current star of FOX's "Bones," plays a gay man in the film. He is one of the most handsome men in all of television and his track record for hit shows is quite impressive.
Here is the plot: John Vandermark (CUMMING) has taken in a struggling writer, Sebastian St. Germain (BOREANAZ) who overstays his welcome. When John discovers that Sebastian has simply been using him, he turns the tables on his young tenant in an effort to make him work off his rent debt. When Sebastian dies accidentally in the process, John tries to make it up to him by helping him get his book published posthumously. When the book is published, John can't help but take credit for the work of genius and Sebastian comes back to haunt him.
Sounds veeeeery interesting.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When the feature film "Boy Culture" hit theaters March 23, the leading man, Derek Magyar, will be sure to get your attention. He is uncommonly handsome and very buff and can really act. He's terrific in his role as a male escort named "X" who has given up on love. Magyar, who I interviewed for an article I will share in the coming weeks, tells me that he is straight in real life but grew close to his co-stars Darryl Stephens, Patrick Bauchau and Jonathon Trent.
“They are great, great actors and great people and we had a great time together,” Magyar says of his co-stars. “I think if you are looking for a story about love, being gay or straight, this is the movie to see. It’s a drama with fun and humorous moments. It’s very real, something we can all relate to."
“What drew me to the character was, at the core, he was somebody who is really afraid to love. That is something we can all relate to. That was my attaction to the character from the get-go. He’s kind of a tough guy, not the most chipper or sweetest. But underneath, he’s a great person who wants to be loved and accepted - that’s something we all want..."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm trying to watch all the major Academy Award nominees before the ceremony in less than two weeks! Saw "Babel" over the weekend and last night I took in "Notes on a Scandal." Judi Dench was just delicious! Last time I saw her on the big screen was as James Bond's boss M and she was so self-assured and attractive. In "Notes," she is CREEPY! A spinster lesbian shcoolteacher who falls in love with Cate Blanchett then blackmails her into being her "friend." Dench's character narrates the thing and I liked that aspect of the film a lot. You see it all from her warped perspective. She is crackers! Blanchett is terrific (although better in 'Babel" I think) and I think you will enjoy the heck outa this one. For anyone who might scoff at Judi Dench getting an Oscar nomination virtually every year it seems, she earns them! She certainly does this year.
Now I just have to find time to see "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Venus," "Little Children," "Volver" and "Pan's Labyrith" and my pre-Oscar research will be complete! I guess this means I'll have to take in "Norbut" AFTER the Oscars...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The coming of age movie "Wild Tigers I Have Known" has been acquired for distribution by IFC Entertainment for its First Take label. The film, written, directed and produced by Cam Archer is about a 13-year-old boy (Malcom Stumpf) who develops a crush another boy (Max Paradise).
Well WHO hasn't had THAT happen?
The movie is executive produced by Gus Van Sant and Scott Rudin and is set for theatrical release at the end of February and will be available via On Demand on Comcast as well as Cablevision, a corporate sibling of IFC.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a movie I wanna see! It has been announced that Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan will star in the film version of the stage hit "Southern Baptist Sissies" which they toured in last year. The play is from producer-director Del Shores who is also responsible for the the cult hit "Sordid Lives" which Burke and Jordan also appeared in. Beth Grant also starred in "Sordid" and will appear in "Sissies" which is a dramatic portrayal of four boys' experiences growing up gay in the Baptist Church.
Del Shores Productions has partnered with Funny Boy Films to transform the stage production into a feature film.
Kirkland Tibbels of Funny Boy Films, Del Shores and Jason Dottley of Del Shores Productions will produce the film. Tibbels and Shores first began working together developing the upcoming half-hour television series based on "Sordid Lives" for MTV's LOGO channel.
"This is my most personal piece, my story," Shores said. "Because of the play, so many people have written me, telling me it's their story too and how deeply they were affected by it. So I'm very excited that the film is going to finally happen and will reach an even wider audience. "
Pre-production will begin in late February, with principal photography slated for the Spring. Shores will direct.
The play premiered at Los Angeles' Zephyr Theatre in 2000 and enjoyed a ten-month sold-out run. It has since has successful runs around the country.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I never saw "The History Boys" on Broadway but I kind of feel like I have. I saw the movie version of the Tony-award winning play on Saturday at the $3 theater at Beverly and Fairfax and found it to be quite good. With the play's cast inhabiting the same roles on-screen, it's almost as if they just filmed the play at the theater one night. The actors are so comfortable and so good in their roles. The play won six Tony Awards last June including best play, best actor (Richard Griffiths) and best featured actress (Frances de la Tour). Griffiths and de la Tour are both up for British Academy Awards for their roles in the film version. Since the movie is barely in theaters, you will probably have to wait for DVD to see it but it shouldn't lose a thing at home really.
Written by Alan Bennett, the story takes place in Cutlers' Grammar School, Sheffield, a fictional boys' grammar school in England that follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examination. They are under the guidance of two teachers with dramatically contrasting styles: young and handsome Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) who teaching method basically seeks to disguise the boys' ignorance in the hope of programming them for success, and othe old and troubled Hector (Griffiths) who wants to teach knowledge as it is.
The film is filled with wonderful dialogue delivered by a very talented cast who have made an effortless transition from stage to screen. My favorite scene is when Posner (Samuel Barnet) tells Hector that he thinks he is a homosexual and that he wouldn't not want to be. He's longing for the cocky Dakin (Dominic Cooper) who only has eyes for Irwin. The film touches on so many themes and i love the "Dead Poet's Society" moments and the interaction between the boys. They are all pretty blase and almost amused at Hector's groping them whenever he gives them a ride home on his motor bike. While he might be a brilliant teacher, he is a very troubled man.
I love the final scene when we leap forward in time and see what has become of this group of boys. It's the scene that probably won de la Tour the Tony.
Thumbs up for "The History Boys."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remember Brad Rowe? He's the very handsome actor who looks very much like Brad Pitt. Pitt has been a superstar since 1991's "Thelma and Louise" while Rowe has had to make due with steady work in television and movies. But gay men remember him well as the object of Sean Hayes' lust in "Billy's Big Hollywood Screen Kiss" which came out before Hayes went on to star in "Will & Grace" and began dodging questions about his sexuality.
Anyway, Rowe ended up being either bi or gay on the film and there was a scene in bed with he and Billy (Hayes) that i think a lot of us can relate to!
Rowe is playing gay again - hooray - in "Shelter," which centers on a young man, Zach (Trevor Knight, pictured below), in San Pedro, Calif. Zach gives up on his dream of art school in order to provide for his family, consisting of his aging father and his young nephew Cody, whose mother decided her priorities lie elsewhere.
When his best friend's brother Shaun returns to town, Zach finds in him a friend and confidante. As Zach becomes increasingly attracted to Shaun (Rowe), their casual surfing relationship turns into much more, setting off a chain of events forcing Zach to choose between continuing to put others first or fighting for what he wants for himself

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So when my friend Eddie was in town, I gave him a stack of DVD screeners of movies I wanted him to see with the condition that he return them to me before he left (he lives out of the country right now). He got through all of them over three weeks except for "East Side Story" so he decides to watch it, on a portable DVD player, in the car, as I'm driving us to Palm Springs for the weekend. Every time we pass by a big truck or drive by a mountian he'd say, "Go slower, the shade makes the picture sharper!" Fortunately, once we got to our resort, he did watch it again.
So why am I telling you all of this? Because it got me thinking about "East Side Story" and when it might be coming out in theaters or DVD. It's such a good movie, directed by Carlos Portugal, who I interviewed when the movie screened at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival in LA a few months back when the movie was introduced by Edward James Olmos.
I sent Carlos a note the other day and he tells me that the movie should have a distributor by early this month! Hooray! AND, it is going to be playing at the Palm Springs International Film Festival next week. The dates are January 8th at 8pm and January 10th at 1pm. Both screenings are at the Camelot Theater. Last month, the movie won " Audience Favorite Award" at the International Latino FIlm Festival (San Francisco) and at the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
"I am very proud that it's getting this type of reaction in both Latino and GLBT festivals," Carlos tells me.
Here's the synopsis of what is a very good, sweet and funny film that I hope keeps getting the attention it deserves:
Young Diego Campos (Rene Alvarado) has long felt trapped in East LA and plans to move away and open an upscale restaurant with his ultra closeted boyfriend, Pablo Morales (David Beron). But Pablo views their "down low" relationship differently - a point driven home when he starts dating Bianca Campos (Gladise Jimenez), Diego's spirited young Aunt. Meanwhile, openly gay white men like Welsey Henderson (Steve Callahan) and Jonathan Webber (Cory Schneider) are moving in, gentrifying the Latino neighborhood. The attraction between Diego and Wesley is immediate and electric, forcing both men to re-examine their state of affairs.

The film's website is: http://www.myspace.com/eastsidestorymovie

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember Tom Cavanaugh from the charming series "Ed" on NBC? I just think he's the sexiest thing and very talented.His guest spots on "Scrubs" as Zach Braff's brother are always very welcome and he brought a lot to the short-lived WB show "Jack and Bobby" which cast him as the gay uncle to Christine Lahiti's two sons.
Now Cavanaugh is playing gay again in "Breakfast with Scot," a movie about a gay hockey player. It tells the story of a gay couple who who end up adopting an 11 year old boy. What is really cool is that the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs have given the go ahead for the filmmakers to use the Maple Leafs’ name and logo. Well,Canada IS a country where they actually let gays get married. Still, Cavanaugh says: “I never in a million years thought when we finally went to shooting we’d be donning Leaf sweaters. I thought it’d be that thing where it’s the Toronto Razorbacks or whatever.�?

The Maple Leafs apparently didn’t have the least bit of a problem with it, according to Towleroad.com. Leafs’ general Scott Ferguson said that while they aren’t trying to make a statement, it wasn’t hard for them to give permission once they had permission from the NHL.

But it DOES make a statement, a big one.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just received the terrific news that "Save Me," a film produced by and starring openly gay actors Chad Allen and Robert Gant as well as gay rights supporter Judith Light, has been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival in January! When I ran into Chad at an event last month I told him I wanted to do a big write-up on the film. But Chad was nervous about drawing too much attention to the movie because it might hurt its chances of getting into Sundance. Well, now that it's in, I feel free to write about "Save Me" all I want.

The drama chronicles the life of a young gay man (Allen) who flees his life of drugs and sex to return home to find himself. He arrives at a Christian ministry run by Light which promises to transform him from gay to straight. While there, he meets and falls in love with another gay man (Gant) who is also trying to go "straight." Also in the cast is Allen's real-life boyfriend, actor Jeremy Glazer.

The movie wrapped production this fall and I am rooting for it to make a big splash at Sundance. We need intelligent, gay-themed films and the level of talent and heart from Allen, Gant and Light pretty much ensures that. While Lance Bass may get more ink these days for being an out gay man, Allen and Gant were trailblazers in this regard and seem to be two of the more thoughtful and well-adjusted actors around. And Judith Light is simply an angel to the gay community. She cares so much and is a very special human being.
A big "Out in Hollywood" CONGRATULATIONS to all!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I raided a free magazine rack in West Hollywood last night and one of the publications I picked up was the November issue of dotnewsmagazine. Two of my favorite out actors, Jason Stuart and Wilsaon Cruz are on the cover! I've interviewed both several times in recent years and think the world of them. They are in the new comedy "Coffee Date" and were profiled in the magazine by writer Gil Kaan.
Jason and Wilson may not get a People magazine cover for being out, but they are two performers we can be very proud of for always being honest about who they are. For Wilson, this is especially noteworthy because he was just 19 when he was cast as Clare Daines best friend on "My So-Called Life" more than a decade ago and came out publicly then.

Here is a taste of the interview:

Both Stuart and Cruz did not have smooth personal "coming out" experiences. Cruz's father kicked him out of his house. He was living in his car only a few months before beginning his role on "My So-Called Life." Cruz's "coming out" became well-documented, and was incorporated into the series' plotlines.

For the then 20-something-year-old Stuart, it was frightening.
"I was totally wrong about both of them and how they would react," Stuart said. "My father was 'Oh, who cares?' and my mother was the one that had the problem. Then it got worst, and two years later she stopped talking to me."
Stuart publicly "came out" to viewers of the highly rated Geraldo in 1993 after 10 years of doing stand-up with "no point of view." It took a year of performing fat jokes for Stuart to realize that they didn't work.
"When I first started, I put a bathroom scale around my neck," Stuart said. "I talked about being a fat kid, which was totally ridiculous because I was never fat doing stand-up."

Both actors had interesting advice for young actors who decide to come out.
Says Cruz: "'Coming out' is a personal thing. But being good at what you do is good business. If you're going to be an 'out' gay actor, just know that it's going to be a little harder--it just is. The only way to minimize how hard it is on you is to be as good as you possibly can. That means studying your craft and working as much as you possibly can and keeping your ego in check and make it about the work."

Says Stuart: "Come out! Come out where ever you are! When you are 'out,' you are 'out' for me, and I am 'out' for you. We become a big community, and we're like a large family."

To read the article in its entirely, click on dotnewsmagazine.com.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is some very welcome news released on Monday: here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here! Networks, announcded it will executive produce and oversee worldwide distribution for the upcoming feature "Kiss the Bride."

The romantic comedy follows the impending nuptials of happy, heterosexual couple Ryan (James O’Shea) and Alex (Tori Spelling), and how that happiness is disrupted by the arrival of Ryan’s old high school friend Matt (Philipp Karner), with whom Ryan had a fling with in his teenage years. (I love it already!)
Suddenly, both Matt and Ryan are forced to confront long-forgotten feelings for each other while perky, unsuspecting fiancé Alex befriends the new visitor.

The supporting cast is a good one: Joanna Cassidy, Tess Harper, Robert Foxworth and Spelling's husband, Dean McDermott (I literally bumped into Dean at the 90210 reunion event a few weeks ago. He's dishier than I thought and very tall).

The film's director is C. Jay Cox whose first feature film, "Latter Days," won the Audience Award for Best First Narrative Feature and was nominated for its screenplay at the 2005 Los Angeles Outfest. I was there the night it screened and the rousing standing ovation the film got at the Ford Ampitheatre is something I will never forget.
Cox previously wrote the box office smash "Sweet Home Alabama" starring Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, and Josh Lucas.

"Kiss the Bride" is the first project of new production company Shadow Factory and is now in production in Los Angeles. It will premiere in theaters and on here! Networks in 2007.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not nearly as tacky a movie as the name suggests and my feelings are this: I sat through I don't know how many teenage sex comedies when I was young ("Porky's," "Last American Virgin," "Losin' It" etc) so why shouldn't young gays have something silly and sexy to see?
I saw "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds" at Outfest this summer and found it harmless and enjoyable enough. And take a look at the poster: some serious beefcake in star Marco Dapper. In the first "Eating Out" movie released two years ago, Kyle (Jim Verraros) convinced his straight roommate to pretend to be gay to get the girl. Now, with the help of Gwen (Emily Brooke Hands) and Tiffani (Rebekah Kochan), Kyle pretends to be heterosexual to land Troy (Marco Dapper), the new guy -- and nude model -- in town. But things get complicated when Kyle finds himself joining the campus ex-gay support group and nabbing a girlfriend! Kyle's ex boyfriend, Marc (Brett Chukerman), is horrified at the plan and decides to pursue the confused Troy with his own tactic -- being his out gay self. Who will win?

I am promoting this movie on Out in Hollywood because I think it's fairly entertaining but also because the publicist, Jim Dobson, thought of emailing me the release dates and the poster today. When someone makes it that easy to get the information, it is my pleasure to share it.

The following are firm release dates and cities before going wider release in January.
November 22: New York Quad
December 8: Los Angeles Sunset 5, Pasadena Laemmle One Colorado, Chicago Century Center, Atlanta Midtown Art, Minneapolis Lagoon Cinema.
December 15: Seattle Varsity Cinema, San Diego Hillcrest
January 5: San Francisco Castro
January 12: Palm Springs Palme d’Or
January 19: Boston Kendall Square
January 26: Denver Starz Film Center

Click HERE to see a scene from the film.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was a strange blip that it wasn't until Sunday that I finally saw "Quinceanera," the movie that won the top two prizes at the Sundance Film Festival. I've been writing about its box office performance for months and even interviewed its star Jesse Garcia and co-directors/co-writers Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmorland last weekend. But, I had not made the time to see this movie and boy, was I missing out. On Sunday, I walked from my house to the new Recency Theater (former Laemmle) on Fairfax at Beverly which just re-opened for business. All tickets were $3, hot dogs $1 and popcorn free. Of course the medium coke I bought cost $4 but I still felt like I was getting away with something.
OK, the movie: set in Echo Park, it tells the story of 14 year old Magdelena (Emily Rios) who, despite not technically going all the way with her boyfriend, finds herself pregnant (the sperm crawled up her leg or something). Her preacher father goes beserk so she moves in with her saintly great-uncle Carlos who had previously invited another cousin, Carlos (Jesse Garcia), to move in after his family disowned him for being gay.

Although I have strayed far from my hispanic roots in my adult years, the movie made me remember fondly all the family gatherings at each of my grandmothers' houses, cousins all around, the conversations in Spanish, the food on the stove. It took me back so vividly and that's why I know the filmmakers really got things right. I have aunts who seemed like the aunts in the movie and cousins too. I attended a few of their quinceaneras and loved being taken back to that era of my own personal history by this wonderful movie.

The performances are across-the-board terrific with the standouts being the three main characters: Rios, Garcia and Chab Gonzalez as uncle Thomas. Rios is so natural on screen and does a wonderful job of showing her characters strong sense of self which she never loses despite her circumstances. Garcia's character, however, is not as fully developed and you wonder why he has no issues with being gay (a rare thing for a hispanic kid I would think) and he goes from being unfriendly to his pregnant cousin to wanting to get a job and help her raise her kid. I love that they ended up close and supportive of each other but there is no scene that tells us how it happened.

And then there is the gay couple who moves in to the house in front as part of the gentrification of this Echo Park neighborhood. They seduce Carlos but when one of them begins an affair with him behind his partner's back, all hell breaks loose and the couple evicts the uncle and the two cousins from the back house which is a part of their property.
There's an upbeat ending, believe it or not, and what I did like was that Garcia's character really does grow into a man who has some lessons to teach those relatives who had been so judgemental.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Had a nice conversation with filmmaker Carlos Portugal this morning. His movie "East Side Story" will screen Friday night as the only gay-themed film that is part of the Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival. Portugal, a gay Latino man who executive produced some Spanish-language comedies that aired on Telemundo, wrote and directed this romantic comedy.
Explains Portugal: "It is a comedy that pushes buttons.Ii'm an openly gay man and I point out what I think is wrong with the gay culture and the Latino culture; the Latino men who are on the downlow and also the racism and homophobia in the Latino culture. I also show how racist and closed-minded gays can be at tinmes, certain white gays only want to be around other certain white gays."
The movie tells the story of Diego Campos who is tired of living in East Los Angeles and being on the “down low�? with the ultra-macho Pablo Morales. Things heat up when Diego is outed and Pablo decides to take cover by dating Bianca Campos, Diego’s young Aunt. Meanwhile, Diego turns his affections to Wesley, an openly gay Anglo, who along with Jonathan, his jealous boyfriend, have bought the house next door.
"I wanted to tell a story that came from the heart, about relationships and family and falling in love and falling out of love.It's a very sweet romantic comedy about coming out and coming home."

The movie, which was filmed in 21 days in Los Angeles, was made on a shoestring budget with a cast of unknown actors. Portugal says he "called in all my favors" to get the movie made. Fortunately, he had made lots of contacts and friends during his 10 years in the entertainment business.
"Everyone said yes and showed up," he says. "They donated their time, helped with catering, you name it. It was a labor of love. You hear a lot of horror stories about first time movies but we all worked together well and had so much fun together."
Portugal, 38, is of Cujban descent and grew up in Miami. But he has lived in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. The movie isn't exactly autobiograhical but there are similarities to his own life.
"The story is an original story but I was raised by my grandma as the characterin the film was, been on the downlow with Latino guys and had a white boyfriend as he does. You have twice the hurdles of someone who is just a white gay man. It can be a lot more dramatic but I also think it can be a lot more funny."

The movie has also been accepted at the International film festivals in San Francisco and San Diego and was the audience favorite at the Philadelpia Gay Film Festival. There is heavy distribution interest but a deal has not yet been sealed.
"East Side Story" screens 9:30 p.m. at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Tickets can be purchased at www. latinofilm.org or at ticketweb .com

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's not exactly a robust time at the box office, not unusal for September. But some movies with gay characters are still selling tickets at the multiplex and here is a round-up of those:
"Little Miss Sunshine," the indie hit which features Steve Carell taking a road trip to a beauty contest with his sister's dysfunctional family, finished in eighth place with a gross of $3.3 million. After nearly two months in theaters, the film has slowly ammassed a cumulative gross of $46.3 million.

Dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in six weeks was the Will Ferrell NASCAR-themed comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" which finished in 13th place with a weekend gross of $1.9 million. "Talladega" features "Ali G" star Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay race car driver from France who becomes champ, dethroning Ferrell's character. The movie has grossed a terrific $145 million to date, more than such widely-hyped summer releases as "Mission Impossible III" and "Poseidon."
Continuing to lose steam after nearly three months in theaters is "The Devil Wears Prada" with Meryl Streep in the role of a lifetime as the fashion magazine editor from hell, Anne Hathaway as her frazzled assistant, and Stanley Tucci as her loyal, and gay, employee. "Prada" took 26th place with a weekend total of $337,521 and an overall gross of $123.2 to date.

In limited release, Sundance winner "Quinceanera" finished in 40th place as it plays in 94 theaters. It had a weekend gross of $97,063 and has earned $1.4 million to date. The raucous comedy "Another Gay Movie" remains in 19 theaters and grossed $31,581 Friday through Sunday and has a cumulative gross of $580,369.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the next few months, there is a whole new batch of movies with gay characters hitting theaters in both wide and limited release. Coming up first (Sept. 29) is "Broken Sky" which was the Dramatic Showcase feature at Outfest this year. With a running time of two hours and 20 minutes, most in the audience felt the Spanish-language movie could use some serious editing.
"Maybe the movie feels longer because there is so little dialogue," star Fernando Arroya told me during the festival.
In the film, Arroya (sitting right in photo) plays a college student in love with another student (Miguel Angel) and follows their journey through bliss, then growing apart, heartache and finally, reconcilitation. "My character is a big motherf*****! He hides all of his feelings, represses them. but he realizes, for all of his life, don't lose the opportunity to love if you feel it."
The two actors have countless kissing scenes and several very intense love scenes without a stitch of clothing on that make Heath and Jake's scenes in "Brokeback" look tame.

Also screened at Outfest to a SRO crowd was the documentary "Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner" (Oct. 4)which covers the "Angels in America" playwright's life between 2001 and 2004 as he writes, works on John Kerry's presidential campaign, marries his partner and opens the accilamed musical "Caroline or Change."

The drama "Wild Tigers I have Known" (Oct. 4) follows 13-year-old Logan (Malcolm Stumpf) as he copes with his budding homosexuality and he falls for the popular kid in class. It is a Gus Van Sant production.

The big-screen adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' memoir "Running with Scissors" hits theaters on Oct. 11. It tells the story of a young Burroughs (Joseph Cross) who is pawned off by his mother (Annette Bening) to her therapist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox). The film is a comic tale about a young gay man growing up in the middle of an extended crazy family. Joseph Fiennes' plays a pedophile who becomes Burroughs' first lover. The movie is directed by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck).

"Infamous" (Oct. 13) is the second biopic about gay author Truman Capote as he researches his book "In Cold Blood." It will be fun to compare Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance in "Capote" to Toby Jones' performance in this version. "Infamous" has what "Capote" certainly did not: a passionate same-sex kiss between Capote and one of the killers (played by the new James Bond, Daniel Craig!). Also in the cast is Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini and Sigourney Weaver.

The thriller "The House of Adam" (Oct. 27) is about a closeted police detective who investigates the unsolved death of his lover, Adam. Complicating mattersis that Adam comes back to haunt him.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you want some laughs, there's a terrific Spanish comedy (screened at Outfest) that is opening in a limited number of theaters in New York and Los Angeles today. "Reinas," ("Queens" in Spanish) tells the fictional story of the first 10 gay couples to be legally wed in Spain, in a spectacle broadcast live on TV.

Of course, nothing goes smoothly, nothing. There are crazy mix-ups and non-stop laughs. Although the guys are charming and sexy it is the actresses who portray their mothers who steal the show with their considerable comic chops, beauty and vitality.

Spain legalized same-sex marriage while "Reinas" was in production in 2005.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know the opening weekend numbers were low, but when I went to see "Snakes on a Plane" at The Grove this afternoon, I was still surprised to see the auditorium only about three-quarters full. It's just as well, more room to spread out.

I wanted to hear Samuel L. Jackson say "I've had it with these motha@#*& snakes on this motha@#%* plane!" I also was curious about the male flight attendant whose sexuality, I had read, was ambigious. So there he was, played by Bruce James, seemingly gay based on various stereotypical traits etc. But in the end, SPOILER ALERT, his hot blonde girlfriend, Kitty, jumps into his arms after landing. Passengers and flight crew alike had been sure he was in deep denial and had made her up.
I don't really see what's so funny about having a character like this in the film but, whatever.

The actor spoke about his not-so-gay role with AfterElton.com last week. Here are a few excerpts:

"When the bodyguard gets bit in the ass, what happens in the script is that right away they need to suck out the poison, but no one will do it. So he [Ken] says right away “I'll do it�?. So it's things like that made people think he's gay. The same thing when one of the snakes dies and they're trying to figure out what color the snake is and Ken pops up and says “That's teal.�?
AE: Does Ken have heroic moments in the movie?
BJ: Yeah, he does. I push someone out of the way of beverage cart racing down the aisle. I also have a moment with a snake in the galley. People are stuck in the galley, and I come in and push them out of the way and there is a snake on the floor. I pick it up and nuke it in the oven. That was a scene they added after they tested it [the movie], and apparently I tested really well, and they just wanted to add a little more stuff for me. It's a fun scene too because Ken sees the snake on the floor, and since they changed the movie to an R, I get to swear a little bit. I see the snake and say, “Oh, f*** me�? which is totally something Ken would say.

AE: You seem pretty aware of the issues involved with this character. What accounts for that? Is that part of being a Canadian? Or just you?
BJ: I think for me personally it just has to do with experiences I had growing up. A good friend of mine in high school was gay and came out. Then I was also a resident advisor at Simon Fraser University and we did a lot of training involving a lot of different types of people. And you learn to have an open mind about things. That's one of the greatest jobs I've ever had. But I've always been open and fine, and I know that I'm not the most masculine person in the world. I'm not the most feminine either, but I'm to a point where I'm comfortable with who I am and I know who I am and those traits that I have.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Out In Hollywood" has been tracking the box office performance of Fox Searchlight's "Little Miss Sunshine" during its first weeks in limited release because among the movie's characters is a suicidal gay man played by Steve Carell. It's a wonderful performance in a wonderful film. Check out my story in today's Daily News detailing how this little movie could end up being one of the biggest hits of the summer.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Was meeting a friend for coffee this afternoon and brought along a screener of "Boy Culture," the movie we were supposed to see last month on Outfest Awards night. A bad back (now much improved) sidelined me for a few days then and I still felt bad that he hadn't seen this well-done movie directed by Q. Allan Brocka who wrote and directed "Eating Out."

Well now, you won't need a friend with a screener to see "Boy Culture" because it was reported later Friday on Advocate.com that TLA Releasing has acquired all North American, United Kingdom, Australian, and New Zealand theatrical and home entertainment distribution rights to the movie! So it will be hitting the big screen then be released on DVD for all to see. No specific release dates yet.

Raymond Murray, president of TLA Releasing, called the film "a fresh, playful film brimming with strong performances, a charismatic cast, and a witty, incisive voice.�? TLA has also released such films as "Latter Days" and "Another Gay Movie," among many others.

Based on novel by Matthew Rettenmund and adapted to film by Brocka and Philip Pierce, "Boy Culture" centers on a male escort named “X�? (Derek Magyar), who gets romantically entangled with his two roommates, Joey (Jonathon Trent) and Andrew (Darryl Stephens of "Noah’s Arc" and "Another Gay Movie"), and a reclusive, elderly client, Gregory (Patrick Bauchau of"Panic Room").

"Boy Culture" won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the 2006 Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the Jury Award for Best Screenplay at 2006 Outfest in Los Angeles. It is a terrific movie and will be well worth watching whenever it comes your way. In the meantime, here are a few images from the movie:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MTV's Logo Network asked its viewers to vote for their favorite lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered films and compiled a terrific list of the 50 Greatest Films with handy links making it easy to buy them on DVD.

"Brokeback Mountain" was the big winner coming in at number one! The rest of the top 10 was 2. "Latter Days," 3. "Beautiful Thing," 4. "Trick," 5. "Bound," 6. 'Angels in America," 7. "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," 8. "Desert Hearts," 9. "Tripping the Velvet," 10. "Big Eden."

Some of my favorites that also made the list were 16. "Maurice," 22. "Get Real," 27. "Broken Hearts Club," and 28. "The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bumped into the talented young actor Matt Newton last night at a bingo fundraiser in West Hollywood. We had spoken two summers ago when his political drama "Poster Boy" was screening at Outfest 2004. As it so happens, the movie is FINALLY getting its theatrical release this Friday after two years in purgatory. Locally, it will play at the Regent Showcase on LaBrea.

Newton plays the closeted son of a conservative U.S. Senator. He meets a guy (Jack Noseworthy) who helps him to put a shocking gay spin in his father's reelection campaign.

"This has been one of the most exciting weeks of my life," Newton said. "I've heard from people I haven't talked to in years who have seen the posters on LaBrea."

As the completed film sat on the shelf waiting for a distributor, Newton put it in the back of his mind and got on with acting. He had a starring role in the indie film "Dahmer" and did guest spots on such shows as "JAG," "Criminal Minds" and "Judging Amy." His most recent job was a recurring role in the Nickelodeon series 'Drake & Josh"

He realizes now that "Poster Boy" could have a better chance finding an audience in 2006 than it would have in 2004.

"There's the obvious similarity to Mary Cheney," he said. "And it is just as timely now with the November mid-term elections coming up."

Newton, 29, is straight and single but in the film finds an awfully cute boy to hook up with, much to the chagrin of his conservative parents played by Michael Lerner (Oscar-nominated for "Barton Fink") and Karen Allen of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" fame. The young actor is especially effusive about working with the two old pros who he calls "acting legends."

"Poster Boy" bows in New York and in eight other cities on Aug. 18 then will be released on DVD in early November, just before the elections.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The friend who was with me at the Abbey the night we found ourselves at the bar next to "Vacationland" star Gregory J. Lucas last month sent me an email a few days ago to tell me that the actor's picture was on the front of the NY Times features section! I thought, cool! This little movie is getting some well-deserved attention!

The WRONG kind of attention as far as I'm concerned! The reviewer, Nathan Lee, was NOT impressed. His review starts like this: Too bad the title "Another Gay Movie" is already in use; it would have worked nicely for "Vacationland," a generic coming of age movie whose arrival on the scene suggests that the audience for gay indie clunkers is inexhaustible.

Ouch! I disagree. I've seen more than my share of those "gay indie clunkers" Lee writes of and "Vacationland" isn't one of them.

So, I'm standing by this movie that so wonderfully captures the blossoming love between two high school best friends (Lucas and Brad Hallowell) who give up any pretense of being straight at some point and just go with their feelings. There's no agonizing about it, they just become romantically involved, the way every gay high school kid wishes it could be. I loved the film for that. Sure, I didn't love the creepy subplot involving a child molester who resurfaces in the life of Hallowell's character but, for me, there was enough in this movie to make it very worthwhile.

So far, "Vacationland" has played at various festivals including the Berlin Internaitonal Film Festival and at Outfest in Los Angeles. It opened in New York City last week but no Los Angeles release date yet.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Maybe it's because I've been blogging on them for the past five weeks but it seems to me that this is the gayest weekend ever at the movies! Gay or straight, I suggest everyone check one of these movies out if you can: "Quniceanera" "The Night Listener" "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Groomsmen" or "Shock to the System (pictured at right)."

Here is a link to my Daily News story which ran Thursday on the current commercial state of queer film in the post "Brokeback Mountain" era.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ready to hate it, I watched an advance screener copy of "Another Gay Movie" on Satuday. Turns out I didn't hate it one bit. It was funny, raunchy, outrageous and even kinda sweet. But I REALLY coulda done without the brief full frontal nude shot of "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch who has a cameo. The comedy is about four high school seniors, best friends who happen to be gay, who make a pact to lose their virginity before heading off to college. I loved that their sexuality is never made an issue of. The movie has only one coming out scene and it's a hoot as the gender-bender guy in the group comes out to his mother amid much trepidation. She just looks at him and says, "Duh!!!"

Lots of physical comedy too with the "American Pie" Jason Biggs-like character (played by Michael Carbonaro) being caught by his parents in some embarassing situations. SPOILER ALERT: A quiche is used in the same way an apple pie was used in the Biggs movie. Carbonaro by the way, won the best actor prize last week at Outfest.

The movie, shot in 16 days last year for $500,000, opens in limited release in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia on Friday and will expand in the weeks following.

I chatted with the movie's writer-director Todd Stephens the other day and he decribes his film as being "in line with 'Porky's' and 'Revenge of the Nerds' and even crazy movies like 'Scary Movie.'"

"A lot of us gay filmmakers are bored with coming out movies," says Stephens, who wrote "Edge of Seventeen," one of the best movies of that genre. "We are ready for something different and I wanted to push people's buttons a little bit. There's some edgy stuff in there."

With homosesuality no longer being swept under the rug as in decades past, Stephens said more of today's younger gays want to see some lighter fare reflecting their own lives.

"We all still grow up with straight parents so I'm sure it is still hard but I think it might be easier," Stephens said. "I purposely set this movie in a workd where being gay wasn't an issue whatsoever, nobody agonizes, nobody is being persecuted or being teased. I think the younger generation will appreciate that."

Stephens said Internet buzz has helped increase awareness of the film with more than 100,000 people having watched the trailer on the YouTube Web site.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many writers, directors and stars of queer-themed films including Alan Cumming (above) speak out during the new documentary "Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema" which debuts Sunday on The Independent Film Channel. From Before Night Falls, Boys Don't Cry, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss and High Art to Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love
Velvet Goldmine, Edward II and Love! Valor! Compassion! , virtually all landmark LGBT films are touched on.

The movie explores the emergence of gay and lesbian films from the beginning of the gay rights movement in the 60s to the "new queer cinema" of the 90s, to the proliferation and influence of gay and lesbian film festivals like Outfest to the mainstream film business' late discovery of the gay market.

This documentary is heavy with films clips and insightful interviews. It will likely acquaint you with some movies you've never seen, many of which are available on DVD. One of those interviewed is Outfest Executive Director Stephen Gutwillig who during this festival has been talking a lot about Outfest's Legacy Project which is dedicated to preserving LGBT films for future generations. Many of the films are damaged "due to decades of neglect." He said Saturday that saving and preserving these films "is the cause of our time."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With an awful name like "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds," you kind of expect the worst. But a jam-packed Outfest audience at the DGA on Thursday night (including me) were willing to take its chances. And we were rewarded with plenty of laughs throughout the movie which was sweet, sometimes raunchy, sexy at times, and almost always funny. If you missed it, a second screening has been added for Sunday at noon at the DGA.

Touted as the first gay comedy sequel ever, "Sloppy Seconds" is an improvement over the first film which was screened at Outfest last year. Both movies star Jim Verraros, the talented performer best known for coming out after making it as a finalist during the first season of "American Idol."

The sequel ramps up the beefcake quotient and also has a funnier script that is performed with comic gusto by a group of energetic actors. The flick was filmed in 10 days in Los Angeles this spring. It does not have a distributor yet but is certain to make it to DVD as did the original film.

"It was a very fast shoot but we were able to do it in a very short time because they were so good," said writer-director Phillip J. Bartell.

In addition to Verraros, "Sloppy Seconds" also frtures cast-holdovers Emily Brooke Hands and Rebekah Kochan who have the best comic timing of the cast. They are a hoot! Many of the cast members are in their first films including everyone's object of affection, James Michael Bobby, who was asked about his sexuality by a woman in the audience who said, "I want to know if he's really gay because I wanna hit that!" He's straight in real-life but didn't hold back in playing gay.

Also in the audience Thursday was Q. Allan Brocka, the writer and director of the first "Eating Out." This time, he's a producer on the film. He was too busy making "Boy Culture" (below) which has been given Outfest's choice awards show spot at the Ford Ampitheatre on Sunday night. I've seen it and found it pretty enjoyable and won't mind seeing it agaIn on Sunday with an audience.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sat in the audience at the DGA theater Sunday before a series of bizarre short films was screened (I shoulda gone to brunch instead...but I digress!). Some guys were grumbling about how Ed Burns, the straight movie star married to Christy Turlington, was showing up later that night to screen his new movie "The Groomsmen" about a group of guys, lifelong friends, who reunite for the wedding of Burns' character to his pregnant girlfriend (Brittany Murphy).

Turns out one of the guys, who left town without a word 8 years earlier, is gay and never told anybody. Portrayed by John Leguiizamo, he comes out to each buddy in the days leading up to the nuptuals. "One character being gay doesn't make it a gay movie," one of the outfesters said, and he said it kinda bitchy too.

But it all turned out good.

The movie played to a capacity audience that laughed a lot and shed a few tears and applauded wildly throughout the credits. Then the very tall Mr. Burns, who took a 5 a.m. flight from New York, took the stage for a lengthy Q & A. I was struck by how touching the coming out scenes because they reminded me of coming out to my straight college friends when I was in my late 20s. Some were surprised, some weren't, and we all have stayed close. And this is how it was in the movie with Jay Mohr's character especially touching and honest: "You didn't talk to me for eight years because you're gay? Why didn't you gamble on me man?" And later, a guilt-ridden Mohr says to another friend: 'He's a gay! My best friend's a gay guy and I was making gay jokes."

I wondered how Burns got it exactly right. He said: "I started to ask some of my gay friends, 'How did it go down when you talked to your family and friends?' It was based on their experiences."

The movie was shot in 21 days with a budget of $3 million, funding that came through after Burns got Brittany Murphy attatched to the movie which was stalled despite a cast that already included Burns, Mohr, Matthew Lillard and Leguizamo. It will get a limited release in New York and Los Angeles and based on how well it does, will expand into more markets. I hope it is a big success.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First the movie, then the Oscar snub, then the DVD release then Jake and Heath's MTV Movie Award win for best movie smooch. And for those who can't get enough of "Brokeback Mountain," a new Web site has debuted.

FindingBrokeback.com. is a free, non-profit effort that documents the journey of four Brokeback aficionados who joined forces in early 2006 to retrace the fictional steps of Ennis and Jack. Documentation of their journey – and tips for taking your own tour of the film's breathtaking locations – makes its debut today on the web.

The site features hundreds of new photographs of memorable locations from the movie – some strikingly similar to actual frames in the film. The site also features travel advice for others who want to explore the mountains and open spaces of rural Alberta, where Brokeback Mountain was filmed.

Site co-developer Jim Bond says Web-based discussion boards are full of questions about the locations in the film and speculation about whether those seemingly mythical places really exist.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)