Good Morning, World

Just a reminder that Raul Castillo, as I told you at the start of this week, is in Cassandro with Gael Garcia Bernal, and that it's not the sort of thing that you want to miss. And it's on Prime right now! Okay that's all -- please do carry on with your morning.

Gael Garcia Bernal Eleven Times

I never got the chance to review Cassandro when I saw it at Sundance earlier this year but the movie is tee-riffic, it's in theaters right now, and you should go see it. This is the luchador (aka Mexican wrestler) movie starring Gael as a real-life flamboyant and gay wrestler by the name of, hmm, let's see, oh right Cassandro. It's a sports movie that works! And besides the riveting story and the terrific acting Gael gets sexy with both  Raúl Castillo and Bad Bunny (see a kissing scene with the latter here) so really what more do you need? Here is the trailer. And Gael (and his mustache) is on the cover of GQ Mexico this month to celebrate the film (if you can read Spanish here is the link) and I have the photos, every last mustachioed one of them, hit the jump...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from

The Inspection (2022)

Rosales: If we got rid of every gay person

in the military, there would be no military.

A happy 46 to the great Raúl Castillo today! Have y'all seen The Inspection yet? It really got lost in awards season last year but I thought it very fine -- click here to read my review from when it screened at NYFF. It deserved more attention. It deserved to be lavished with attention just the way that Jonathan Groff lavished Raúl's chest hair with attention on Looking dammit...

Raúl Castillo Eight Times

As I told you on Friday the "Gay Marine" movie The Inspection starring Jeremy Pope and lovely Raúl Castillo here hit theaters that day, and y'all should seek it out when it makes its way to your neighborhood -- here's my NYFF review. Weirdly the PR stuff seems to be hitting this week, after the movie came out? But I suppose maybe it'll be expanding to more theaters this week and, with a little thing like this, hoping for word of mouth. Anyway we've now got this photo-shoot of Raul for Cero magazine (along with an interview here) and our pal Kyle over at the New York Times talked to Pope today too, read that here. Good movie, hot guys, everything we ask for. Hit the jump for the more Raúl...

I Would Like To Inspect Jeremy Pope

The Inspection, starring Jeremy Pope as a gay man joining the Marines as a last-ditch grab at getting his shit together -- based on writer-director Elegance Britton's real-life story -- is in theaters today! I reviewed it over at Pajiba when it screened a few weeks back at the NYFF, check it out here. The movie is very fine, with excellent turns from Gabrielle Union and Raúl Castillo also contained therein -- I recommend. I gift it my seal of approval! No that's not a chocolate fingerprint -- it's my seal of approval, dammit. The trailer is over here if you missed it. 

An Officer and a Gentle Man

Hey there, handsome Jeremy Pope. How you doin? Anyway I might end up writing some more reviews out of the New York Film Festival once I've given my brain a minute (i.e. this weekend) to rest, but for right now let's assume that this review here today at Pajiba of Elegance Bratton's gay marine drama The Inspection is going to be my last review from the 2022 edition of my hometown fave film fest, just to err on the side of safety. (Meaning it's always safe to assume I'll be lazy.) Really though I have both Brooklyn Horror Fest and NewFest reviews to write as well, so uhhh there's that. Anyway click on our NYFF tag for links to all of this year's coverage (or on the Twitter thread below) and next week I'll do a proper round-up post, once I've decided whether I am actually done or not.

Alright let's start a thread of my #NYFF60 reviews now that they've started posting! First up over at @Pajiba here are my thoughts on the Opening Night selection of Noah Baumbach's WHITE NOISE https://t.co/jP0zWclAeo

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) October 6, 2022

Good Morning, World

Who doesn't want to wake-n-bake with Raúl Castillo here on the occasion of his 45th birthday today? These gifs of the Looking star are from the Netflix series Atypical -- they must be from the second season because I watched the first season of that and I do not remember this scene. And I would remember this scene. I'm not at all a stoner but stoners can be sexy and Raúl here is making that look easy. (See also Lou Taylor Pucci on Physical.) Anyway we love Raúl unconditionally and forever after his turn on Looking so we wish him the happiest day! Hit the jump for several more gifs of this exquisite sexy nonsense...

Sir Yes Sirs

Giving off some major Moonlight meets An Officer and a Gentleman vibes the trailer for The Inspection is here this morning -- the Closing Night movie of this year's New York Film Festival, the drama from Pier Kids director Elegance Britton stars Hollywood actor (I will be happy when I no longer need to clarify that I mean the Ryan Murphy show in this context) Jeremy Pope as a street kid whose mother rejected him who decides to join the Marines, and it's based on Britton's own story. I have posted about this movie a couple of times previously, after I found out it co-stars American Honey actor (and big time MNPP crush) McCaul Lombardi -- he can be seen...

... in the trailer punching the main character in the shower, because of course I'm attracted to the homophobic bully type haha. What's new? (Lombardi himself seems anything but, for the record!) Anyway also seen getting some steamy action in the shower (and I too would include lots of shower scenes in my military movie), and this of a less violent sort at least, is Looking hunk Raúl Castillo...

... which seems all sorts of promising (even if Raúl seems like he might be ten years older than the rest of these actors -- am I nuts?) Anyway A24 has their hands on this movie so expect it to get some real push beyond the fests, and it's in theaters on November 18th -- here is the trailer:

Raúl Castillo Seven Times

Oh here be a Hump Day treat -- a brand new photo-shoot of dreamboat Raúl Castillo thanks to Jon magazine! I say gimme, gimme, gimme. In related gimmes, a couple of weeks ago on his Insta Raúl posted a throwback bunch of set photos of himself with Jonathan Groff & Russell Tovey from that noted gay classic Looking, Andrew Haigh's HBO series that ran for two seasons in 2014-2015 and somehow managed to be both ahead of and behind its times...

Raúl Castillo posted a bunch of photos of himself and Jonathan Groff on the set of #Looking and man I miss this show! pic.twitter.com/dnKV8twx9W

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) March 12, 2022

... and Raúl got me really jonesing for a Looking re-watch in the process. (Or a third season, even -- dare to dream.) I assume the entire series is on HBOMax, right? I've also got the blu-ray set with the movie included, just in case (never trust digital only dammit) but one of these days I think that, much like Richie did to Patrick, I will again plow through all of that soon enough. Plow on through! And now let us plow on after the jump for these photos...

McCaul Lombardi Two Times

Here are a couple of snaps of note that American Honey actor McCaul Lombardi has shared on his Instagram over the past week -- you cans ee plenty more of McCaul in our archives, of course. Checking his IMDb page he has a few projects lined up -- most interesting is one called The Inspection from Elegance Bratton, the documentarian behind the 2019 doc Pier Kids that followed three homeless LGBTQ youths; this new fiction-based movie will be a retelling of his own story (he was also a Marine) starring Hollywood actor Jeremy Pope; also in the cast besides McCaul are Raúl Castillo, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union. Good cast! We'll have t keep an eye out for that one.

The Monsters Are All Moving To Brooklyn

Hello to my fellow New Yorkers! Or "People who might be in the New York Metropolitan Area between October 14th and 21st"-ers! Tickets have gone on sale today for the 2021 version of the Brooklyn Horror Fest, which is always a solid little blast of oogies-boogies and gore-soaked entertainment. It will be virtual and not-virtual this year, meaning people will actually be able to go to a movie theater to see a bunch of its titles -- as always, we implore you to be a vaccinated person if you're going to leave your damn house. If not, stay home and rot. That said there are a ton of titles that BHF has in their clutches this year that are worth leaving the house for, several of which I've already reviewed: 

Here is my review of After Blue! 

Here is my review of The Feast! 

Here is my review of The Sadness!

I've also seen but not reviewed Earwig, The Last Thing That Mary Saw, When I Consume You, and of course the classic Trouble Every Day from Claire Denis which is screening for its 20th anniversary. All of these things have their moments! Oh and they're also screening Session 9 for its 20th, and that has more than "moments" -- that movie is a straight up masterpiece. 

Of the movies I haven't seen yet that I'm dying for there's Night Teeth, aka the forthcoming Netflix vampire movie that stars The White Lotus breakout Sydney Sweeney alongside Megan Fox, Lucy Fry, Alexander Ludwig and Raúl Castilloooooooooo. I'm sure the movie is too hetero to have Alexander & Raúl make out but I'll just put that thought out into the world. You're welcome. Oh and they're screening Gaspar Noé's Lux Aeterna which stars the gutsy-and-then-some two-some of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beatrice Dalle, too! I'm so excited for Spooky Movie Season! Go buy some tickets!

Good Morning, World

Today Zack Snyder's new zombie movie Army of the Dead is hitting (has hit) Netflix (and in theaters as well, I think?) and so natch it's got me getting nostalgic about the first time I met one of its stars, Raúl Castillo, which would be where we'd all also like to be met -- in the tender embrace of Jonathan Groff. On Looking, silly!

Gosh we miss Looking. Even if I dug the first season more than the second I'd have been there front and center for a third, but it wasn't to be. I guess they did at least let them make a wrap-up movie -- that's more than most shows get. I need to re-watch the whole she-bang. Maybe after I watch Army of the Dead tonight I'll actually be so inspired and do that over the weekend.

With #ArmyOfTheDead out tomorrow I think we can all agree that Raúl Castillo pic.twitter.com/aojOWHagOM

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) May 20, 2021

As Good As Dead

I don't know if you were privy to my inflamed reaction to the entire Justice League Snyder Cut bullshit debacle -- think I said more, or should I say "shrieked more," about it on twitter than I did here on the site proper. But I found the entire spectacle distasteful -- the fact that so much money got tossed at it on a poisonous flotilla of toxic fanboy behavior; the fact that a terrible film got turned into a four-hour terrible film; the fact that anyone with eyes and ears tried to say it was any better on the ass-end of the experience and not just hours and hours more shit. Anyway in my ever so humble opinion that was a gross experience for all parties involved! 

That said the devil help me I am definitely feeling myself suckered in to Mr. Snyder's next movie, the zombie-heist flick Army of the Dead. It recalls the good part of Snyder's career -- aka the start, with his Dawn of the Dead remake. And it's truly got a super cast. Who can argue with Dave Bautista? He's so goddamned likable. You add Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Matthias Schweighöfer, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick (seen above, strapping it on), and a zombie tiger? A zombie tiger! And I am pretty sure I saw a horde of Chippendales dancer zombies at one point? I can't fight this, you guys. Here's the just-dropped trailer:

We'll find out soon anyway, since Army of the Dead is hitting Netflix in a little over a month on May 21st. That said this is definitely one I'm a little annoyed I won't be able to see on a big screen. Right? It is screaming out for a great big screen.

You and and Me and Whose Army

I didn't post the poster for Zack Snyder's forthcoming Zombies-in-Vegas movie Army of the Dead last week because I haven't quite decided where I stand on the movie -- Zack Snyder's 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake was far better than it had any right to be and I was his fan for a good long while after it, but diminishing cinematic returns (and his professed love of Ayn Rand, barf) eventually snuffed out that flame. But this thing has got a cast!

The film, which hits Netflix on May 21st, stars Dave Bautista, exhibitionist-Deutsche -twunk Matthias Schweighöfer (see plenty more of him here), the great Hiroyuki Sanada (we love him very much), the great Raúl Castillo (with an admittedly godawful hair-do), the great Garret Dillahunt, and many many more. There are even girls, I suspect!

Anyway I have clearly caved and am posting about the movie today because they released a trailer and it looks like a heap of big dumb Zombies-in-Vegas fun. I spotted both a Liberace and an Elvis in the mix -- it's a shame Zack couldn't get Celine Dion to play herself, but who knows what surprises he's got in store. Watch the trailer yourselves, here and now, and give me your thoughts in the comments:

Pic of the Day

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Thanks to Raúl Castillo and his electric yellow pompadour for sharing this shot from the set of Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead movie, which has that chin-dimpled director-man returning to the zombie flick for the first time since his best film the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. See our previous post on the new film right here -- it's a heist film set in Las Vegas during the Zombie Apocalypse, and it's got a delicious cast that also includes  Garret Dillahunt, Hiroyuki Sanada, Dave Bautista, and Matthias Schweighöfer. So it's basically Ocean's Arrrrrgh.

.

Five Man Army

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You always know it's a good sign when I'm not sure which member of a cast to google first for pictures to accompany a new film announcement -- I went with Raul Castillo (once I realized I hadn't posted the above photo when I'd posted the rest of its sweltering sexy photoshoot) but Zack Snyder's new movie also gave me the option of the great Garret Dillahunt, the classic Hiroyuki Sanada, the brick shithouse of Dave Bautista, the much-loved-from-afar German Twunk Matthias Schweighöfer.

My goodness and gracious. I know I know, I said "Zack Snyder," we all collectively shudder a bit. But once upon a time Zack Snyder made some fun movies -- I was with him longer than most sane folks, up through Sucker Punch even, or at least some of it; it was the superheroes that truly did him in. And yes I agree his Ayn Rand thing is a horror. But this new flick, besides this cast, is returning him to his roots -- it's a zombie flick a la his Dawn of the Dead remake, called Army of the Dead, which... okay let's retire the "of the Dead" titles in honor to George Romero. Those were his. But this sounds like a fun idea -- it's a heist movie set in a post-zombie-apocalypse Las Vegas. Come on! That sounds fun! Also there's this guy...

Plunge Your Knives Straight Into My Face

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Well this one certainly appears to be living up to the hype I have been giving it myself since it was first announced -- we were immediately excited about Rian Johnson's forthcoming whodunit comedy (or as Chris Evans' blithely smirks, "CSI KFC") Knives Out since it stars Daniel Craig, the aforementioned Evans, Michael Shannon, a camp prepped Toni Collette...

... Jamie Lee Curtis, Lakeith Stanfield (with stache), 

Raul Castillo, Christopher Plummer, and 

several other super duper awesome folks...

... we even called it one of our ten most anticipated films for the year of the year when we listed such a list a few weeks ago. But they've just dropped the very first trailer for the film, which is out at Thanksgiving, and man alive if this thing didn't scoot from vaguely exciting straight on up to put this shit inside my fucking face and sew my face shut with it until I suffocate from happiness. Watch:

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Can you even? I can't even.

Start counting the days, y'all.

Good Morning, Groff

.

They're just going to go ahead and make a new season of Looking so I have more gifs to post -- I'm nearly out! There are a lot of reasons for a new season of Looking, but I think we can all agree that "Jason needs to make more gifs" is the most important reason of them all. I mean how am I going to keep wishing Jonathan Groff and Raúl Castillo and Russell Tovey and Murray Bartlett and on and on happy birthdays if this no-new-Looking trend continues? It's unsustainable. 

Anyway yes it's Jonathan Groff's birthday today -- he's turning a whopping 34, leaving his Jesus Year behind in the dust -- and we wish him a very fine one. If David Fincher wanted to give Jonathan and the rest of us, mainly the rest of us, a present for his birthday he could go ahead and announce when we'll be getting the next season of Mindhunter now...? I wouldn't hate that. Raúl agrees...

5 Off My Head: 2018's Feats of Stache

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First things first yes I know that Sebastian Stan does not have a mustache in Destroyer -- he has a goatee. The world's sexiest goatee ever! But while goatees do seem to be making a comeback -- look no further than half the cast of The Predator reboot...

... the year that was 2018 was more about the Staches. Staches were so thick in the musky air that we started up a series on Movie Mustaches! And so I figured before I kissed the year goodbye I should give some love to our favorite examples of them there nose-ticklers in the twelve months that was. Make like you're Sam Elliott's Oscar Nomination and get on for the crazy ride y'all...

Our Top 5 of 2018's Greatest Mustaches

Chris Hemsworth in Bad Times at El Royale

Riz Ahmed in The Sisters Brothers

Tom Sturridge in Mary Shelley

Rupert Friend in The Death of Stalin

Raúl Castillo in We the Animals

And with a special off-movie shout-out...

... to Billy Magnussen in Maniac, just cuz.

Oh fine as long as we're here we might as well 

take a moment for the bounteous beards, too...

Left to right: John Krasinski in A Quiet Place, Boodi Kabbani in A Moment in the Reeds, Ben Foster in Leave No Trace, Jason Momoa in Aquaman, and Colman Domingo in If Beale Street Could Talk

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Now share some of yours in the comments!
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