Hey Sean, Audra, Chuck, and Forums,
Let me start off by saying I love you guys. I have been an avid listener since your interview with Bear McCreary way back when BSG was still on. There are a lot of idfferent podcasts I listen to, but yours is in my top three, of which there is no actual order cause it’d be all Sophie’s Choice on my iPod and that would be sad. That being said I have a wierd request, and this will take some explaining.
Like I said I listen to many podcasts, one of them is “Filmspotting”, a film review podcast. Now I can tend towards snobbery in my movie watching, but only in certain respects. I can see movies as art, where I call them “films”, and then there is entertainment, geekery, and all around fanboyishness and those are what i generally call movies. Filmspotting takes care of my art needs, and you guys take care of my other needs, not to mention your just plain coolness and relatability to listeners. I also like hearing both perspectives on more current films when you both talk about something similar.
So, my request, is could we have a Queer Film Arc? I’m gay, and in all my time listening to you guys, you have never seemed judgemental towards the queer community. I don’t make it onto the forums very often, but when I do, I’ve never seen anything there either that would make me uncomfortable. In all the podcasts I listen to, no ever really tackles this topic in a tasteful manner. Filmspotting treats it mostly with kid gloves if they even watch something close to a queer film, and then actual podcasts dealing with gay issues tends to stick to politics, or just shallowly discuss queer flicks.
I know you are a family show, so this may be to far out there even for you guys, but I have a few suggestions as far as films go, and even have pics that might draw in our GWCers. So listed below are my suggestions, if you’ve read this far in the e-mail, I hope you’ll continue.
“Imagine Me and You”
From IMDB: " A newlywed bride becomes infatuated with another woman, who questions her sexual orientation, promoting a stir among the bride’s family and friends."
My Take - COMPLETELY CUTE. Really, this movie, no mattter how many times I see it, makes me laugh out loud. It’s romantic, and heartwarming, and totally believable, and totally family friendly. Also, it stars Piper Perabo as the main character, she also starred in “Coyote UGly”, “The Cave”, and “Carriers”. HEr Husband is played by Matthew Goode who portrayed Ozymandias in “Watchmen”, and her female love interest in Lena Headly, who we know as Sarah Conner from the “Terminator” TV series and the Queen from “300”. Also we get Anthony Stuart Head as Piper’s father, who I LOVE as Giles in Buffy.
“Angels In America”
IMDB Synopsis: “Playwright Tony Kushner adapts his political epic about the AIDS crisis during the mid-eighties, around a group of separate but connected individuals.”
My Take: Funny, tragic, beautiful, esoteric, well acted, well directed. This movie is packed with stars, you have Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, Patrick Wilson (also from “Watchmen”), Mary Louise Parker (Weeds), and Justin Kirk (Weeds), just to name a few. It’s got MAJOR elements of fantasy (the Angels in the title are literal). It really does portray the early days of the AIDS crisis with a human face instead of a statistical one. Almost all the actors play various roles (it was originally a stage play, done the same way), if you catch it, look for Meryl Streep as an ancient Rabbi in the beginning. The langauge may not be family friendly, and there is a little sex, but generally it’s quite moving and depending on maturaty level mostly acceptable.
“Shelter”
IMDB Synopsis: "When his college dreams are sidelined by family obligations, a young man finds comfort in surfing with his best friend’s brother. "
My Take: Reallly sweet, realisitic if a bit sappy romance. This movie is mostly unknowns, but it is well acted and beautifully shot. The music fits the surfer setting, and the characters are pretty relatable. This is one of my favorite movies ever, mostly because of the little epilouge/coda at the end that they shot months later, just before it hit theaters, which I think gives a final warm touch to the film. Pretty family friendly, sexually it’s like prime time ABC/CBS style, language can be a little rough at times, and there is some minimal drug use.
“Testosterone”
IMDB Synopsis: "Dean has been stumped for some time in his attempt to produce a follow-up to “I was a Teenage Speed Freak,” his incredibly successful graphic novel. His fans expect great things from him and his editor, Louise, is hounding him. Instead of working, however, Dean spends his time searching for his Argentine lover Pablo, who went out one night for cigarettes and never came back. "
This movie is funny, violent, and a bit shocking. I’m mostly throwing it in here because it’s about a comic book artist on a mission of revenge, and you definately get that bit of suspenscion of belief like a comic book. It’s also told like one. It has one of the best quotes ever:
Dean: " I’m just a fag with a gun who needs a chainsaw."
[sees a building across the street]
" And there’s an Argentine Home Depot!"
The biggest stars in it are Jennifer Coolidge (Stiffler’s Mom, from “American Pie”, and all those Christopher Guest mockumenteries), Antonio Sabato Jr, (
he’s in stuff still right?), the main character is portrayed by Daniel Sutcliffe (Rory’s dad on “Gilmore Girls”).
These are just a few of the many hundreds of decent non-mainstream queer films out there. If anyone besides me is interested, please pipe up, and throw in your own suggestions!
