As I prepared this post -- yes, I do the work! -- I realized I kept typing "I Want Your Sex Movie" into Amazon and I think this may've been Gregg Araki's long game. He's going after our algorithms. I mean it's not like my algorithm needed much dirtying up -- lol as if -- but for those of Gen Z who the movie has words for re: a fear of sex, this one's for you. Anyway -- Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex movie has landed on VOD today! You can rent it right here, although you might want to wait for that price to come down -- 25 bucks is aggressive for a digital rental, yo. (The blu-ray, a format I much prefer, is out in October and you can pre-order that right here.) Not that the movie isn't worth all the money however you manage to see it -- click here if you never read my review. This movie is pure pop silliness and I had so much fun with it. And it also finally landed me a Cooper Hoffman crush -- he's the best of the latest crop of nepo-babies by far. Look at that face! Aww!
I considered waiting a little bit for another review of mine that is dropping later this afternoon, but what the hell -- not being patient guarantees me another post today and given the case of the Murky Mondays my head's currently swimming in that's not a gift I should side-eye. And linking to two reviews in one post is already a bounty, a bouffet -- then you add on half-naked Mason Gooding and -- I feed you people well dammit. That photo is one Mason himself shared from his behind-the-scenes experience making Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex, which my review of dropped at Pajiba on Friday. Read it right here. Surprising nobody I loved it -- do I wish that one of the many mentioned Grindr hook-ups that Mason's character kept talking about happened on-screen? Duh and durrr. Of course. But then there's a scene where Mason's in short running shorts and a half-shirt and I remember Gregg Araki always feeds us well too.
The other review of mine that dropped over the weekend was another one out of Fantasia Fest -- click here to read my thoughts on the horror doc Black Zombie, which ingeniously speaks about the undead-genre through the lens of Haitian and American race history. It's a terrific doc about The Movies -- as I say in my review it's yet another one that throws all the money I spent on getting a Film Studies degree in college into a big fire-pit; what I probably spent an entire sememster's worth of thousands of dollars on you can now see in a compact and fun little documentary. No I am not bitter, you're bitter. Great movie though! And as I said at the top -- stay tuned, I've got another Fantasia review dropping shortly...
This photo of Johnny Knoxville gleefully astride a giant pink penis "mechanical bull" ride at the L.A. premiere of Gregg Araki's wonderful new film I Want Your Sex last night -- while Araki's gives them the ol' thumbs up -- is my new favorite picture. This movie's out in theaters tonight, tonight, tonight -- our damned 14 year big-screen Araki dry spell has at last dissipated, huzzah! I've got a review of this movie coming shortly but for now luxuriate in this splendor.
OHHHH a Now Apocalypse reunion too!
THE PEOPLE DEMAND SEASON 2 #meiamthepeople
As promised alongside the film's poster yesterday the trailer for Gregg Araki's new film -- his first in over a fucking decade! -- I Want Your Sex has arrived! I've done all this table-setting about ten thousand times over the years this thing's been barrelling towards us but since it's trailer-time I'll do it again: the movie stars Olivia Wilde as an avante-garde L.A. artist...
... and Cooper Hoffman as her assistant who she starts getting it on with. The film also stars Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Margaret Cho, Johnny Knoxville, and Charlie XCX, among many, many, and many more. Now watch:
I Want Your Sex is out on July 31st. You will be seeing it. No that is not a question or a request. I am getting into the whole dominatrix thing now and I am telling you. Pretend my heel is on your throat. That's a good boy.
Behold the first official poster for Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex, which hits theaters on July 31st -- also they're saying the trailer lands tomorrow so surely we'll cover that when that happens. I suppose, after Pillion, you can say that we've got our second dom-com of the year here! For now just enjoy your first but hardly last sight of adorable Cooper Hoffman all strapped up and loving it. And yes I have seen this and no I have not reviewed it yet -- I saw it at NewFest but I think there's a good chance I might wait to review it closer to its release, what with Tribeca weighing down heavy on me right now. I am watching so many movies right now! I think I have watched like 30 movies since I saw this movie ffs. I have already booked another press screening of IWYS so I can refresh my brain -- don't cry, is my point! You will hear from me on this movie, have no worries whatsoever. About that, or about the movie. (Yes that is me hinting that I liked the damn thing.) (poster via)
I WANT YOUR SEX is Gregg Araki’s TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN! — a fucking hysterical and sexy blast
I mentioned in passing last week that over the weekend I would be seeing Gregg Araki not once but twie in person over the weekend thanks to 1) a screening of the new 4K restoration of Mysterious Skin at IFC Center, and 2) a screening of his new movie I Want Your Sex at NewFest. Saying this happened "over the weekend" doesn't even cut it -- it all happened within the span of a few hours on Saturday. (And that doesn't even count the few minutes I spent standing directly next to him outside the venue for the latter -- we was all up in each other's business that day! Anyway I took a couple of videos of all of this business that I posted on Instagram but hell, I should share them here too. Right? Right. Above that's Gregg and actor (turned Oscar-nominated director) Brady Corbet talking about the making of Mysterious Skin for a few minutes; below is Araki introducing I Want Your Sex. And P.S. yes I will be reviewing IWYS soon enough, but for now feel free to enjoy this spoiler-free gay goodness...
Hooray, this interminable three day work week has ended! I'm free! And it's a heckuva weekend ahead! Not because Backrooms starring the above hotness that is Chiwetel Ejiofor is out in theaters (no that picture is not from Backrooms, I actually have no idea what it's from, but who the hell cares look at him), because I already shared some of my mixed thoughts on Backrooms earlier today right here. No this is a heckuva weekend ahead because NewFest 2026 Pride Edition kicks off today! I already told you about its fantastic line-up at this link but basically I'm freaking out with excitement over one movie, and that movie is Gregg Araki's new movie I Want Your Sex.
(P.S. That is I believe a new picture from the film there.) I am seeing a new Gregg Araki movie this weekend y'all! I have not been able to type out that sentence in twelve years. TWELVE YEARS. That's cruelty, utter cruelty, finally coming to an end. And awesomely enough I'll be making a whole day of it, this Araki-ness, because there's also a screening of the new 4K restoration of his movie Mysterious Skin that's screening at IFC Center on Saturday too, which I'll be at -- and not just me, but Araki and actor turned director Brady Corbet as well! Hot damn, what a time will be had. So stay tuned, to my socials and here -- I will surely got stuff to say soon. Have a good weekend, one and all but especially me!
The line-up for the 2026 Pride Edition of New York's NewFest has been announced today -- they're screening Gregg Araki's new movie! The one called I Want Your Sex starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman (as well as Mason Gooding whose fine visage I have included above) which I have talked and talked and talked about with great vigor and enthusiasm. No I have not seen it yet, and yes I think this will be my first chance. (It's hitting theaters on July 31st.) The line-up also includes Leviticus, the queer horror film that I have seen and heartily recommend -- last time I mentioned it here was when I was complaining about my inability to write about it just yet, and as you can see I haven't done that yet. That's out much sooner -- that hits theaters on June 19th. But if you're in NYC NewFest is beating that by a few weeks! Tickets are on sale right this minute so go buy some, New Yorkers! And as a reminder the "Pride Edition" of NewFest that happens at the beginning of June is the smaller version of the festival -- the larger one happens in October. But if you'd like to see everything they are screening besides the two aforementioned titles (including some Heated Rivalry goodness) hit the jump...
Today was a great day for all of us intelligent and beautiful Gregg Araki fans, as a whole bunch of news dropped with regards to the New Queer Cinema legend and icon seen above sandwiched between Pillion star Alexander Skarsgård and director Harry Lighton (oh what a wonderful place to be sandwiched). First came word that his Sundance film I Want Your Sex starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman has gotten picked up by Magnolia Pictures! And they plan on releasing it... some time this year. The lack of specifics annoy me. Why not just do next week? I don't have anything going on next week. I can do next week! Pencil that in, Magnolia! Ahem. Anyway obviously we'll be refreshing the whole of the internet until we do have a release date announcement, making it so you can just keep refreshing MNPP for the news. I got you! The other big news is that he chatted with Variety today (thx Mac) about the forthcoming 4K restoration of his masterpiece Mysterious Skin -- we already knew that was a thing happening but now we have a new trailer...
... as well as a new poster, which I'll post down at the bottom of this post. In the interview Araki really gets into the depths of what he did in restoring the film and it sounds like A LOT and I'm not sure it all sounds necessarily "good" to me but we'll see. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm always worried when these restorations aren't just clean-up jobs and the filmmaker starts talking about how they wanted to fix things they didn't have the money or the tech for before. He even specifically makes to make sure the point that he wasn't doing what George Lucas did to the Star Wars films but... it sounds like a lot of noodling so I worry. Like the one comparative screenshot they share...
... it seems like he altered the movie's iconic angled font? (The top picture is the old version, the bottom is the new.) I don't like that! That is not how the title is supposed to look! But, deep breaths, I will wait and I will see. Anyway the part of the interview that didn't stress me out was this thrilling tidbit -- the film's soundtrack will be getting a vinyl release! That's unimpeachably exciting news. And as for the poster, seen below, the great poster shop Posteritati here in NYC is promising they'll be selling this poster as well as a "limited alternative style" which I will be jumping right on -- I have a couple of signed posters they dropped when Araki's "Teen Apocalypse Trilogy" came out via Criterion that I cherish deeply. The one for Nowhere hangs over my bed!
THR has a great big piece today on Gregg Araki's return to filmmaking after a decade, I Want Your Sex which is premiering at Sundance this weekend -- the film stars Olivia Wilde as a provocative L.A.-based artist and Cooper Hoffman as her young assistant slash sexual conquest, and it'll surely be a button-pusher. I know I am feeling my button pushed by the photo down below of a Cooper & half-naked Mason Gooding hang-out! Anyway I'm trying to not be too bitter that I'm not able to see this since I'm only covering Sundance virtually this year and not in person, but... oh let's say I am not succeeding at that and leave it at that. So let's just enjoy this first batch of photos after the jump...
Stella: It's a well known fact that your dreams are
just your brain taking a dump
at the end of the day. They don't mean anything.
It's wild that Gregg Araki's Kaboom turned 15 this year, isn't it? WILD. But that's not why we're here -- we're here (and we're queer) because it's Gregg Araki's birthday today! His 66th if you can believe that shit -- and knowing him (via his movies only, unfortunately) he's probably excited about the whole devil number thing. As excited as any gay man can be about turning 66 I suppose but hey, dude's been looking 20 years younger for decades -- he's winning.
Anyway I've seen stills from the above 1992 interview with Araki (because he looks extremely slutty and hot in it) but never the entire interview, so finding out that somebody uploaded the entire thing onto YouTube is a treat! I'll watch that over my lunch-break and you should join me. 2026 will bring us Araki's first film since White Bird in a Blizzard ELEVEN years ago -- his perfect series Now Apocalypse is sandwiched in between there but it's still a nightmare of an extended break from having Araki-goodness in our lives so let's hope that I Want Your Sex is the start of a fresh cycle of movies.
I was actually forced to delete my post sharing that image from IWYS last week via an actual email from an actual fucking lawyer -- I think it was Sundance freaking out about the image leaking a day early but I didn't leak it! It was everywhere. But there it is now, reposted, now that Sundance has had their EXCLUSIVE (not exclusive) day in the sun with it. Can't wait to see the movie anyway! And in summation, will somebody put Kaboom out on 4K (or even just blu-ray) already? It's another movie of Araki's that's gone totally under-served on physical media -- it's ridiculous how much a pain in the ass they're still making it to watch his movies properly! Thank the heavens for the box-set of his "Teen Apocalypse Trilogy" that Criterion finally dropped after years of my shrieking about it.)
No no no baby! I ain't been ignoring you! I promise. I've just been trying to get some off-blog stuff done this Monday -- one of which was sending out holiday cards (zzzz) and the other much more exciting thing was I have been listing tons and tons and more tons of movies onto eBay for sale. I spent all day yesterday on one of my pruning jags, making space for new movies by getting rid of older ones -- anyway check the eBay out if you're interested in buying some movies from me. And yes there are two, count 'em two, Gregg Araki movies listed. Also a couple of Criterion box-sets and a heap of Jake Gyllenhaal movies that I'm upgrading to 4K. Good shit to stuff yer stockings with!
Gregg Araki's throuple-coded romp Splendor from 1999 and starring a perhaps never hotter Johnathon Schaech, Kathleen Robertson and Matt Keeslar (swoon), is now streamng, for the first time anywhere I believe, on Tubi! Watch it right here! Granted the man-on-man action in this movie is extremely and frustratingly limited -- Araki for all his gay cred often edged us on that front -- but the homo-tension between Schaech & Keeslar is still enough to light my socks on fire every time I watch and re-watch and rewind and pause this movie, and I think you'll enjoy it too if you've never seen it. (See my previous posts on it here.) I have been having the feeling that this movie might be getting a physical media release soon -- once Gregg''s long long long begged for "Teen Apocalypse Trilogy" finally made its way to Criterion and then Smiley Face made it to Vinegar Syndrome I figured it'd only be a matter of time before the rest of his classics got dug up. I have a feeling that The Living End might be ahead as well. Also I just realized that I think Kaboom is out of print too? WTF! And of course Araki's series Now Apocalypse is still in desperate need of any release at all. Get to it, studios!
Incredibly shocking and sad news today as we learn that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gossip Girl,Mysterious Skin and Harriet the Spy actress Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away at the far far far too young age of 39. I only started watching Buffy regularly in its fifth season (and had to go back and watch all the earlier seasons on DVD) so Michelle's character of Dawn never felt imposed on the show to me like it did to most people who watched the show from the start (of course that was part of the knowing wink of the character) -- anyway I was vehemently pro-Dawn and was always knocking back at the character's haters. I also got to interview Michelle in 2004 for the Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly -- I tried to find the interview online but it doesn't seem to be anywhere. I've only done two interviews in my entire life (the other one being Michael Fassbender because how could I say no to that) because I am not a natural conversationalist (which should read: cripplingly shy) but I remember Michelle being lovely and sweet and funny in our phone convo. Our deepest condolences go out to all the people who knew and loved her. With the possibility of a Buffy reboot ahead we now have to wonder how they'll address this. How very very sad.
The lovely folks over at Vinegar Syndrome have been making this transition towards the 2025 hellscape land softer than it ought to thanks to their dropping OF some truly substantial physical medias upon us -- last month they brought us the forever unreleased Diane Keaton. masterpiece Looking For Mr Goodbar in 4K, and this month they're gifting us with Gregg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face starring Anna Faris! If you've been around here at MNPP HQ for awhile then surely you've heard me going off about my love for this movie more than once -- I'm not a "Stoner Comedy" person in the slightest but I adore this one and the shitty DVD has been out-of-print for ages. Pre-order it at this link! It's the little things that will hopefully get us through these difficult times and if I have to devour an entire plate of pot cupcakes to do it then so be it.
Heads-up, happy people! The vast library of our beloved Criterion Collection is on sale on Amazon right now at 50% off! This will presumably be for the entire month of November as they do this to compete with the same sale at Barnes & Noble that typically starts a little later in the month. That means it also includes pre-orders for movies out before the end of November, which includes Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water, the original Godzilla in 4K, and Paper Moon in 4K! And of course it includes last month's barnstormer of an excellent drop with Todd Solondz' Happiness, a Val Lewton horror double-feature, All of Us Strangers, and that to-die-for Gregg Araki trilogy! And then there's the issue of that massive 40-film 40th anniversary box-set that Criterion is releasing on November 17th -- that's not priced at the full 50% off right now but it is priced at $400, so $10 a movie, which seems like a damn good deal already. Anyway point being click on those links and treat yourselves to some movies, it will distract you from... [gestures wildly]
"I too quit smoking (2013) AND find this type of pictures cool. Also, PSA: if you're feeling like you want to start smoking again, just remind yourself "I do not want my body and house to stink like stale horseshit", then go drink one more glass of water to entertain your hands and lips. Congrats, btw."
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