Good Morning, World

Hey oh happy Monday everybody -- I'm running woefully behind due to trying to get my holiday packages (not a euphemism) out this morning, so you'll have to entertain yourselves for a wee bit longer. Perhaps that photo of Eddie Redmayne being all come-hither will do something for you, I don't know, it was the first thing I found to post quick-like. Oh here's a thing -- if anybody wants to tell me what they thought of last night's finale of The White Lotus do so in the comments here. I personally was very happy and thankfully continue thinking Mike White a genius.

Well that was a fantastic fucking season of TV! #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/sNiF2GxPIa

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) December 12, 2022

Quote of the Day

"I don’t need characters to be likable. If someone is too likable, I’m slightly repelled by them. I don’t think it’s life, being likable. It serves no one to depict life that’s likable in art.”

That would be Sir Ben Whishaw (okay he's only a "Sir" in my mind, but what a sir!) talking to The Guardian over the weekend (thx Mac) about his next character, the leading role in This is Going to Hurt, a BBC limited series that premieres on February 8th. Apparently when this interview was conducted he'd just gotten his first feedback on his role from critics and the word "unlikable" was bandied about, which he doesn't get, and I agree for the most part. I mean, I have come up against the argument's limitations time to time (usually if the actor playing the unlikable role is someone I already hated beforehand) but mostly, right on. Especially about being repelled by too likable people, haha. 

There are other choice quotes in the interview -- Sir Ben talks about the too-brief nod toward the "Q" of his James Bond character standing for "Queer" in the last film, although the interviewer is wrong about this being the first not-straight nod in the Bond world, since who could forget Javier Bardem flirting with Daniel Craig in Skyfall and getting that, "What makes you think this is my first time?" line out of him?

I sure haven't. Anyway Ben also speaks well in the chat on the topic of non-queer people taking on queer roles, as is apparently the duty of every out performer to comment upon. I feel like I've heard him talk about this a dozen times now? I hope everybody stops asking him from here on out. Just stop asking the question period. We're over it! Anyway go read the chat, Sir Ben aka Our Great Gay Hope is a good read even if he does get all adorably shy about it. And there's a fine fuzzy photoshoot attached too, which I'll share after the jump...

Pics of the Day

The magazine known as British Vogue has dropped their 2021 "Hollywood Portfolio" today and there's so much hotness therein after I was done scanning down the gallery I had to go to the bathroom and make sure my eyebrows were still there. (They are.) If you click over wear protective glasses, please! We have lost enough in this past year, nobody needs to go blind for beauty! There are women included in their portfolio of course but because I am me I gathered up all the photos of the Menfolk that I plan on having an Oscar night orgy with -- hey, in the famous words of that monster that haunted the baseball field back in the 1980s, "If you build the sex swing, they will come." That's how I remember that movie anyway. Maybe I rented something else? I don't know. Hit the jump for the hot guys photos...

Little Ben's Big Weekend

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If you are looking for a Big Movie out this weekend you're gonna end up sore -- The Aeronauts is not good, don't see it, read our pal Chris' review at The Film Experience if you need further convincing. Oh and there's Aaron Johnson's Penis in A Million Little Pieces, which is definitely putting the "Big" in "Big Movie," but I already showed you that. That said there are several smaller independent films out today via all of the various platforms that I very much recommend you seeking out, and I shall now list them for you. 

I guess I might as well start with Little Joe, which co-stars our boy Ben Whishaw pictured two times above and which has opened here in NYC at least is at The Quad -- with that title and an openly gay actor you would be forgiven for imagining something about Warhol star Joe Dallesandro, but don't imagine that! You'll be surprised when you actually end up seeing a Body Snatchers riff set in a strange closed-up world of odd botanists fond of rich fabrics. You'll be surprised by Little Joe no matter what you go in expecting, I think -- it's a weird one but I have a fondness for any riff on Body Snatchers and this is the most original one to come along in awhile. 

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MARRY ME BEN IN YOUR MINT GREEN TROUSERS WE COULD BE HAPPY TOGETHER pic.twitter.com/9XSDr3tbMp

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) November 8, 2019

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Moving on I've already told you about twenty-teen times how you need to see Peter Strickland's latest In Fabric, a bifurcated fable about an evil red dress and the bewigged witches who cast spells upon it -- here's my review from Tribeca this past spring, and here's my recent write-up of the performance from one of them witches, which is amazing. In Fabric is playing at Metrograph here in New York, with Strickland there for several Q&As this weekend to boot!

And speaking of crazy stuff I saw at Tribeca another one from that fest this past spring is just now hitting U.S. theaters -- it's called Knives and Skin and here's my review of it -- it's about a teen girl who disappears one night and how her small-knit community deals with it, and if you have any idea how that might play out throw those thoughts right in the garbage can, they are garbage, because this movie is nothing like you imagine it to be.

Lastly but not leastly -- and along with Little Joe I wish I had it in me to write a proper review of this because it's deserving of one, but my brain just isn't really cooperating with me this week -- is the wacko imaginary friend tale Daniel Isn't Here, which stars Miles Robbins as a young man whose repressed id or perhaps his schizophrenia or maybe perhaps even the devil himself springs forth one day in the form of Patrick Schwarzenegger only to then keep finding excuses to take his clothes off. Funny, I have hot dudes who live inside my head who do the same thing constantly too!

Kidding aside DIR is a pretty fascinating movie with some gorgeous schizoid visuals and some truly ape-shit practical effects (there's one scene that left my jaw hanging on the floor) that's a little undone by a pair of lead performances I found, uhh, underwhelming. Basically I wasn't nuts about what Robbins and Schwarzenegger were serving up. But director Adam Egypt Mortimer has got a great eye and a keen sense of cinematic freak-out which will serve him well if he can line up, uhh, better actors next time around. (There's solid work from Sasha Lane and Mary Stuart Masterson on the sidelines though.)
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Yes, the rumors are true
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
is fucking breathtaking pic.twitter.com/p0Nn8EiQqA

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) December 4, 2019

Oh and the glorious lesbian romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire is apparently playing some theaters his weekend in order to qualify for Oscars -- here's my review of that; it is glorious. The movie, not my review, although who's to judge really? I don't think the movie will get any Oscar nominations since France chose a different movie as their submission for the International prize, but perhaps its breathtaking cinematography can muster a nom. What do I know? Why am I talking Oscars? God. Anyway the film's getting a bigger release come Valentines Day so if you miss it this weekend you'll have another chance then.

The only movies I'm seeing in the theater this weekend are tonight Gabriel Mascaro's Divine Love out of Brazil, which I told you about last week -- it's his long awaited follow-up to Neon Bull, a movie I adored -- and I might see a guild screening of Ford v Ferrari too, if I can muster the energy. I'm really indifferent towards that movie on the surface (cars, blecch), but there's one thing I'm curious about...

Jon Bernthal photographed by James Mangold
(via https://t.co/WZSrhAUHw3) pic.twitter.com/4GKccrQz6w

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) December 5, 2019

Spend Your Weekend Immersed In the Law

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Since there's nothing really big and new in theaters this weekend that looks much worth seeing -- that La Larona horror flick looks racist as shit to me, and don't get me started on that Christian garbage -- I'm going to spend my three-day weekend getting my own shit together for the 2019 edition of the Tribeca Film Fest, which officially kicks off on Wednesday and which I'll be reviewing films for once again for The Film Experience. I've already seen a dozen or so movies, a number which will more than double in the coming two weeks whee what a time to be alive. Anyway none of this has anything to do with that picture of Jude Law but who doesn't want to stare at Jude Law? Nobody, that's who. (He could've brought along his white speedo but perhaps it's under those jeans.) In summation, uhh, bye until Monday y'all.

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Hey look at this picture of Callum Turner & Eddie Redmayne & Jude Law & Ezra Miller, how about that, huh pic.twitter.com/MvPEaUUBOa

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) April 18, 2019

Pics of the Day

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Every year W Magazine does an arty photo-shoot of their favorite movie performers of the year and I always kind of hate their photography - they have been really keen on Mod lately, which is just not a fave, and sure enough they're up to those tricks again, although it's kind of got a late 90s Missy Elliott Music Video thing going on too I guess. 

If only they'd put Timmy Tim in an inflatable trash bag! Anyway I gathered up all the cute boys as is my wont, but if you click over to W you can see the pics of the ladies - Carey Mulligan and Nicole Kidman and Claire Foy and such - if you so desire. For the rest of us let's hit the jump for the remainder, including Michael B. Jordan, Steven Yeun, Mahershala Ali, oh and Eddie Redmayne getting a little gay with Rami Malek...

Good Morning, Gratuitous Callum Turner

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I have one thing and one thing only to be thankful to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and that's Jude Law's Pants. But let's say I had two things. If we said that I'd say the second thing was getting me to finally take proper note of Callum Turner, the model turned actor  who plays Eddie Redmayne's brother in distress.
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Callum has been bouncing around for a little while -- he was the lead singer of the punk band in Jeremy Saulnier's brutally fantastic Green Room in 2015, and he played some fellow Assassin of Michael Fassbender's in Assassin's Creed (am I really expected to remember anything about that movie?) Oh and best of all he played...

... the dude that Jake Gyllenhaal murders in the opening moments of the band called The Shoes' music video for their song "Time To Dance" which you can watch in full right here. He's dallied with all my faves! Strangely enough...

... he also co-stars in this 2017 movie called Mobile Homes with his Green Room co-star Imogen Poots that a friend of mine has randomly brought up twice over the past week and a half that I'd never even heard of before - have any of you seen it? Guess I've got to now...
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Anyway I thought he was good casting in Fantastic Beasts because he is both believably that weirdo Eddie Redmayne's brother as well as hotter and more likable, complicating who we're supposed to be rooting for among that movie's tepid love triangles a wee bit. 

I guess Harry Potter producer David Heyman thought so too because Callum's next role is the lead in a BBC "conspiracy thriller" called The Capture from Heyman - other than that we'll have to wait and see. While that happens let's hit the jump for dozens and dozens of pictures (I did mention earlier he did got his start doing some modeling after all) then...
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Ezra Miller Ten Times

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I don't have much in the way of hopes in a high nature for this weekend's latest Potterverse installment The Crimes of Gingerbread or Gingivitis whatever the hell it's called - as long as there are many, many shots of Jude Law in his tweed trousers shot from the back I'll probably be satisfied. In all seriousness I don't remember anything about the first Fantastic Beasts movie. Not a lick, nor whit. 

But I've got my tickets for Friday night nonetheless - the things we do to to make sure we use up the money we've already spent for our movie theater subscriptions. Let's hope there's fun to be had, Jude's ass to be ogled, and Ezra here (pics via) is allowed to inject a whiff of camp to the proceedings, as is his clear wont. Hit the jump for the rest of this for him extremely tame photo-shoot...

More Like Dumble-Buns Amirite

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I don't know that the folks behind cutting the Fantastic Beasts sequel really intended to introduce their "gay" character ass first (and second) but that's what they did with Jude Law's Young Gay Dumbledore. Fine by me!

Honestly... I recognized Jude immediately.
Anyway I don't know about this movie
but they're certainly speaking my language.

Here's the trailer:

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In summation:
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First shot of Jude Law as Dumbledore is clearly playing to a certain audience. #FantasticBeasts pic.twitter.com/jhr16cjhA2

— Stacy Lambe (@sllambe) March 13, 2018

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Shot of me furiously raising my hand.

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The Hot Gay Dumbledore We Need

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I've spent so much time flinching about Johnny Depp's presence whenever the Fantastic Beasts sequel's come up that I keep forgetting to rejoice over the fact that Jude Law is playing the young hot bearded gay version of Hary Potter's wizarding daddy Albus Dumbledore. The first pictures showed up a few days ago, as seen here - any idea who the suave nerd is standing behind him up above? There are several possibilities in the cast list. Whoever it is that's who Dumbledore oughta be rubbing wands with, not Depp's grimy Grindelwald, blecch. (click to embiggen)

Race to the Light House

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There's new news on The Current War, that electricity biopic we've been keeping track of, and I wrote it up today for The Film Experience so head on over there to read that. It probably involves the young fella pictured there since I went to all the trouble of posting that picture there. Or maybe just maybe I am being all clever and trying to throw you off the scent! You'll have to click over to find out! What an exciting time to be you!

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Danish Beasts

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I saw a TV commercial for Fantastic Beasts last night and the above image of the actress Alison Sudol flashed by very fast and I swear to you, I am not bullshitting this in the slightest, that I thought for a second that Eddie Redmayne's Danish Girl had wandered into the Harry Potter universe. And from there I imagined a movie where Eddie Redmayne was playing all of the characters, and I was amused for a minute... but only a minute because I hated The Danish Girl and I thought he was awful in that film and I really want to see Colin Farrell as a wicked wizard with a hot haircut. So no thank you, Eddie Redmayne. (And while we're at it - no thank you, Johnny Depp! God I can only imagine what "whimsy" he will bring to the Potter'verse.)

Colin Farrell Is The Wizard of Sex

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Colin Farrell...

... has cast a Hardening Charm...

... in my pants.

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Who Wore It Best?

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Delicious Danish Men

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I may have loathed The Danish Girl (and honestly the further away from it I get the more my distaste grows) but that's not going to keep me away from posting pictures of Matthias Schoenaerts & Eddie Redmayne wearing sharp-ass suits at red carpet premieres - I have the ability to compartmentalize my feelings in the face of drop dead sexiness, as should all of you. Hit the jump for a few more shots...

The Danish Girl in 55 Words

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You know how Roger Ebert once wrote about the forgotten Elijah Wood trifle North, "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it." That review's probably better remembered than the movie so you probably do remember. Yeah... that. Get bent, Danish Girl.

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Danish Girls Who Love Danish Boys Who Are Danish Girls Who Love Danish Girls

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I am getting so damned forgetful in my ancient age -- earlier today I admitted that I keep forgetting Laura Dern is in 99 Homes, and now watching the trailer for The Danish Girl 3/4s of the way through there's a flash of Matthias Schoenaerts and I'm like, "Damn! Right! Him! Of course!"

I only watched the trailer because some folks (ahem) were talking on Twitter about Eddie Redmayne & Ben Whishaw kissing, which...

... sure enough. God those two put together are like five and a half pounds wet. Anyway the trailer's lovely to look at -- I wasn't a fan of The King's Speech, which won director Tom Hooper twelve too many hosannas if you ask me, but I did think it was a gorgeous film, and this trailer here is again a gorgeous visual thing. Watch!

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The trailer does remind me of this tweet of mine though:

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So how long until I stop thinking Alicia Vikander is actually secretly a robot in every role she plays? My guess is never.

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) August 4, 2015

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I wonder how they'll work Vikander's robotism into this period time-frame? Will she take off her lady pieces and give them to Eddie to make himself into herself with? "Here, Danish Girl, here is my robot skin, you may have it, I am merely a robot from the future underneath." Why aren't I writing and directing this movie again?
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I Am Link

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--- Boy Girl - I don't really have a ton of interest in seeing The Danish Girl at this point in time; maybe that will change once we get closer to its release and the buzz grows... or maybe all it will take is one picture of Matthias Schoenaerts in the movie... you decide. Real tough, that one. Anyway over at TFE they're looking at Eddie Redmayne's first interview about the movie with Out Magazine, and Eddie sure does have a pretty mouth.

--- Waters Across The Pond - I finally figured out why John Waters has been giving lots of interviews lately -- the British Film Institute is doing a retrospective of his work... just like the Film Society here in NYC did last year. Copycats! And just like he did here Waters has programmed a bunch of his favorite movies to play alongside it. Vice talked to him about two of his picks, Joan Crawford's freak-feautre Trog and Boom with Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton, which we just mentioned earlier this week in relation to the new Pitt-Jolie Joint By The Sea -- as an aside did you hear that By The Sea got "a strong R-rating for 'strong sexuality, nudity, and language'" -- please let it all be Brad's!

--- Bizzaro World - I'm not sure when I started to find Henry Cavill creepy but the stone's turned in the past few months and now I've begun to see something dead in his eyes a la Tom Cruise and I don't know if there's any going back. I haven't mentioned it before because I'll probably get shit for it and I haven't really been able to pin it down but I think it's just that the more that time passes and the less genuine personality he displays in that time that he's just begun to feel like this gorgeous void, know what I mean? All his answers feel written by committee. Take his new interview on The Tonight Show where he implies that his Superman diet is fucking - once upon a time I'd have been all va-va-va-voom about that, but I have a hard time picturing Henry Cavill fucking anything anymore. And I'm sad about that! I want to picture that!

--- Girl Woman - My pal Sean got to interview comics writer Phoebe Gloeckner for The AV Club; I weirdly kinda felt the need to skim big chunks of this because I am reading her book The Diary of a Teenage Girl right now, even though I already saw the movie version and know what happens pretty much. But what I did read was great, which is fitting since Sean is very good at his job. Oh and Sean got to interview George RR Martin this week too. Damn, man.

--- And Finally we just wished Alfred Hitchcock a happy birthday a little bit ago with some "Paul Newman vs Sean Connery" hotness but this other thing is fun in a totally different gay way -- here's a list of Top Ten Fashion Moments in Hitchcock! (Thanks Mac) They rightfully begin the entire piece with a picture of Eva Marie Saint in North By Northwest in that "blood clot" gown, which is maybe give or take "anything that ever touched Grace Kelly" my favorite of all the Hitch fashion. Of course don't cry for Grace Kelly, she places well, taking up three of the ten spots. (Sidenote: did you see the picture of Grace that I instagrammed last night? I really love that picture; there's something so different and unexpected about it.) Anyway the piece is great but it really needed a picture of Kim Novak in that gown she wears the first time we see her in Vertigo, so here...

That Face!

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I was trying to figure out who Eddie Redmayne, the actor who plays Julianne Moore's loving son in this weekend's Savage Grace, reminded me of, and I think I've figured it out. Witness:

No? The Cillian Murphy part was easy, but there's something about him that definitely brings Kip Pardue to mind. Maybe the nose? I don't know.

Wow I'm devoting way too much thought to this. What's that? It's an election year? I can't hear you, I'm lost in thought of celebrity noses. I am doomed.
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