Of course, the big gay film for the weekend is Three Dollar Bill’s screening of the German, lesbian classic, Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 film starring Romy Schneider as an orphaned teen sent to a boarding school and her naughty, forbidden love for her sexy teacher, Lilli Palmer. It’s the third film in Three Dollar Bill’s spring film series, Innocence Lost and it will screen on Saturday, April 17 at 7pm at Northwest Film Forum…Expect LOTS and LOTS of Ladies Who Like Ladies to attend and swoon at the very lovely Miss Schneider and Miss Palmer, but also expect lots of film buffs because this is the first US screening in 20 years. It’s a must see film for fans of classic LGBT cinema.
Another must see, but one available on DVD, is Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 masterpiece of a perceived murder and cover-up in Swinging Mod 1960’s London, Blow-Up. It’s Antonioni’s first English language film, and probably his most accessible for audiences (uh, his other films are very…esoteric and do NOT make for easy watching; Antonioni is an acquired taste, like Scotch or S/M bondage sex…) and stars David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, and iconic model Veruschka. It’s a beautiful movie but it IS a bit oblique…take a fellow film snob with you and argue about what it all meant after the screening at a coffee shop. Blow-Up opens Friday, April 16 and runs for a week at The Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th Street in the University District. And, on opening night, this Friday, there will be a live music performance from Brother James & Soul-Vation after the film.
I meant to post about this earlier but forgot, but tonight is your last chance to check out Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining at Central Cinema…yeah, it’s on DVD, but it’s fun to check it out on a bigger screen and drink some brewskis. Also, I love this poster by David Lasky. And, starting this weekend, Central Cinema will also be one of the homes for the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival. Check out the gay themed Vintage on Sunday, April 18 at 3pm or Neshoba, a documentary about the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964 that screens on Wednesday, April 21 at 7pm. And, the opening night film is the Genie Award winning Nurse. Fighter. Boy, the Sickle Cell Anemia documentary which screens on Saturday, April 17 at 7pm at the Cinerama. Check any or all of them out.
Finally, a brief mention of Death at a Funeral…I don’t understand this movie. It’s a remake of a not very successful film from THREE years ago (the original was British/the remake has been transposed with African-American actors), about a family gathering for the funeral of the family patriarch and some startling revelations about him (he’s gay and has a little person as as a lover, in this film, he’s portrayed by the excellent actor Peter Dinklage, who deserves better) and a general unairing of all the family secrets. I have a lot of questions about this film…like, WHY is this film being remade? WHY are there some talented actors slumming in this? WHY can’t someone make a film with African-American actors and themes that isn’t complete crap? WHY is the acerbic playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute directing this crap? WHY is Luke Wilson allowed to continue acting when he’s barely qualified to do AT&T commercials? And, WHY did Luke Wilson get so unattractive? He used to be cute…too much beer? He does look suspiciously puffy…So many questions, and not one of them are worth answering. I won’t be seeing this, but someone fill me in if it’s any good or worth the price of a ticket…I’ll stay home to watch Tracy Jordan, er, I mean Tracy Morgan for free on “30 Rock”…
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
