tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83304314306088272222024-03-12T16:55:19.262-07:00Queering the ClosetBox? What Box? I'm just here to spend some time thinking inside the blog.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-47923885726165552942016-09-04T10:34:00.001-07:002016-09-04T17:40:06.972-07:00The Silver Demons - A LGBTQ Superhero webcomic is now live.For several years now, I've been working a LGBTQ superhero novel, The Silver Demons. Recently, I made the decision to convert it into a webcomic and the first chapter is now <a href="http://www.silverdemons.com">live</a> at http://www.silverdemons.com<br />
<br />
I plan on releasing on page per day, although I might have to change that a later date. Due to life circumstances, (like having to drive my partner to visit a relative in ill health who lives in a different state and college classes starting last week) I'm technically already behind. In any case, we'll see how things go from here.<br />
<br />
Here's the title page:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.silverdemons.com"><img src='https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7762/29419729216_64d6542604_b.jpg' border='0' width='450' height='600' align='left' style='margin:5px'></a><br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-89691797148541595342016-01-01T21:15:00.003-08:002016-01-01T21:15:33.634-08:00Queer Review: Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (2015)<i>Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens</i><br />
Director: J.J. Abrams<br />
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. Based on characters created by George Lucas.<br />
Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
Watching the seventh installment of the <i>Star Wars</i> saga feels, in spite of the title, like we're watching the Force hit the snooze button as many times as it can before dragging it's sorry arse into the bathroom to drive away the hangover brought on by a night bar hoping through the more wretched and scummy hives of Mos Eisley.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Take scripts from previous episodes. Put in blender. Puree for three to five minutes. Make sure to use a lid to avoid being splattered with spoilers.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
Detractors of the <i>Star Wars</i> saga on the whole have cynically claimed that the films were little more than marketing gimmicks to sell toys and licensed merchandise. Unfortunately, while I have been a fan of the series up until this point, <i>The Force Awakens</i> pretty much lives up the more cynical criticism the earlier installments received.<br />
<br />
Watching <i>The Force Awakens</i> feels like watching a mid-season episode of a TV series during sweeps week (back when sweeps were a thing before everyone just binge watched on Netflix). Everything's dialed up to eleven, everything getting thrown at the audience, and boy you better pay attention or you're going to get lost.<br />
<br />
Which pretty much is the main problem I had, the plot moves too fast. Outside of the opening sequences, there really isn't any time to absorb background detail or to really get to know any of the characters.<br />
<br />
This is probably best illustrated with how space travel now appears to work in this universe. The earlier films implied that even using hyperdrive, it still took hours, or even days to travel between planets. Now space travel appears to work like long range transporters on Star Trek. You just get in a ship, push a few buttons and arrive instantly at your destination.<br />
<br />
The problem this endears is that there is no significant downtime between the frenetic action scenes. Everyone just keeps jumping and yelling and running and swinging their lightsabers at each other. New characters like Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Maz Kanata (Maz Kanata) are thrown against the wall in the hope that some part of them will stick in viewers mind. A whole village gets wiped out by the bad guys, a planet destroyed, and a major character killed off. But the constant rush to get to the next thing prevents any of these elements from having a significant impact beyond sheer exhaustion.<br />
<br />
Remember the scenes on the Millenium Falcon in <i>A New Hope</i> where Obi Wan tries to teach Luke how to use a lightsaber? Remember the line, "it felt like a thousand voices cried out and were suddenly silenced"? Well there's nothing like that here. Turns out sometimes taking a breather is a good thing.<br />
<br />
The strength of the Star Wars saga was always it's world building. In earlier episodes, the filmmakers were pretty adept at showing the audience a skeleton and allowing us to flesh out the details of this vast galaxy far away. That doesn't happen here and the lack of any kind of breathing room once the plot kicks into high gear, doesn't help. Why did Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) turn to the dark side besides super vague daddy issues? What is the resistance? And if they're working for the legitimate government of the Republic, why are they called the resistance and not just the military?<br />
<br />
Then there are the borderline plot holes: Why is Luke Skywalker in hiding if he wants to be found? Why does no one in La Resistance have a complete map of the galaxy? What's the strategic advantage of having a device that can destroy all of the planets in an entire system for the First Order (besides the fact that the writers hadn't quite ripped off enough elements from the original trilogy at this point)?<br />
<br />
Admittedly, it's not all bad. There are a few elements I liked. BB-8 works very well as comic relief and as a substitute for R2-D2. Rey (Daisy Riddle) and Finn (John Boyega) make nice additions to the cast and help to up the diversity quotient. Some of the earlier scenes with Rey exploring (or rather scavenging) through a desert planet littered the remnants of a great battle, with crashed space ships and broken transports littering the landscape, work on their own and promise a more interesting story that never actually gets told. The cast generally acquits itself well during the brief moments when they're actually allowed to act. There's even a fairly obvious queer subtext between Finn and X-wing pilot Poe Dameron. Watch the trailer if you don't believe me. Here's hoping that it becomes text in Episode VIII and that we actually get a fully fleshed out story next time around.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
I would recommend The Force Awakens about as strongly as I would allowing ones kids to play Jedi and Sith near a <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc">Sarlacc pitt</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
Two Stars out of Four.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sGbxmsDFVnE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-79004514740522124992016-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:002016-01-01T19:25:34.156-08:00Deadpool or Who Was On First, First?A new <i>Deadpool</i> movie is coming out, and the filmmakers are promoting this as the "first" queer superhero movie.<br />
<br />
Now personally I've never read the <i>Deadpool</i> comic books. In fact the only comic book or rather, graphic novel, that I've ever read is <i>Watchmen</i>. But the word is that Deadpool is bi/pan/omnisexual (depending on who's talking) because he... flirts with both men and women.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, this is a case where the movie hasn't come out and thus this is all speculation, but the trailers show the character Deadpool exchanging one liners with other characters, while talking about how he has to save the girl (who at least declares she doesn't do damsel in distress).<br />
<br />
The thing is, if flirting is all it takes to make a superhero queer, then the first queer superhero arrived in cinema decades ago with the black and white silent film <i>The Mark of Zorro</i> (1920). It also bears remarking that all around flirting tends to a major feature of well, just about every super hero ever. So if all <i>Deadpool</i> does is flirt, then he's not going to be the first omniqueer superhero by a long webshot.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I do like the flippant gallows humor on display in the trailers. It should at least make for a nice change of pace from the ultra-vanilla Marvel Avengers flicks we've been getting a steady supply of for the past few years.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QPZHBjyUGhQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-37986785895958145292015-09-09T07:43:00.000-07:002015-09-09T07:43:15.136-07:00Queer Review: Dear White People (2014)<i>Dear White People</i><br />
Director: Justin Simien<br />
Writer: Justin Simien<br />
Cast: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P Bell, Brittany Curran, Justin Dobies, Dennis Haysbert, Peter Syvertsen<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
A comedy about a group of black students at the prestigious (and fictional) Winchester College, <i>Dear White People</i> manages to make plenty of provocative observations about the state of race relations in the United States, in addition to being both entertaining and funny.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
When the prestigious (and presumably Ivy League) Winchester College decides to engage in randomized housing assignments, it threatens to break up the Armstrong/Parker House -- the house which represents the heart of black student life at Winchester College. When the current the head of Armstrong/Parker, Troy (Brandon Bell) fails to protest the new policy, Samantha White (Tessa Thompson) runs against him and to her surprise ends up winning. Sam, who is famous on campus for her in-your-face radio show called Dear White People, sets out to overturn the new housing policy, while dealing with a serious of personal issues. These include the failing health of her white father and the complexities of navigating an inter-racial relationship when one is the face of black resistance on a mostly white campus. While all of this is going on, nerdy student journalist, Lionel (Tyler James Williams), tries to get the scoop on the situation while facing down both homophobia and racism. Further complications arise when Coco (Teyonah Parris) in an attempt to generate conflict so she can be featured in a reality TV series, agrees to DJ for a racist blackface party that will be thrown on campus.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
Recently, I had a conversation with a few other people that went approximately as follows:<br />
<br />
Person 1: So, why did you move to Minnesota?<br />
Me: Because my partner got a job teaching at [local college].<br />
Person 2: Oh nice! What does she teach?<br />
Me: Um well *he* teaches penology.<br />
Person 1: She teaches penology? What's that?<br />
Me: Er, it's the study of prisons. That's what *he* teaches.<br />
Person 2: The study of prisons, eh? That sounds interesting. I might take a class with her.<br />
<br />
My partner, as it were, has a similar story of living next door to someone for years, and talking about his (then) boyfriend using male pronouns all the time and the other person, in all of those years, never realizing that my partner was dating another man.<br />
<br />
Moments like this, at the end of the day, are easy to brush off as trivial. A minor pin prick, nothing more. But shrugging off each trivial incident can take a little bit more energy each time, eventually becoming simply exhausting to deal with. Some off us develop means of deflecting minor incidents, such as the above. Our skin becomes calloused and tough. Others are not so lucky. If one finds oneself saying, "but it was only a pin prick, it shouldn't have hurt them!" remember this: the place you stabbed was quite likely an open, gaping wound.<br />
<br />
<i>Dear White People</i> deals quite frankly with a topic that few films, even amongst those that explicitly care to address the issue of racism, direct their attention toward - that of micro-aggressions. There are no lynchings, no people of color falsely accused of a terrible crime, and no mention of the KKK. When the police show up, it's to break up a party and the only person arrested is a white male who's in the process of beating up Lionel.<br />
<br />
Instead, the topics that do get addressed are the lack of representation of interesting and complex people of color in the media, white people constantly touching black people's hair (Lionel refers to his hairdo as a black hole for white people's fingers), and having to deal with a white people simply dating a black partner, for no greater reason than to piss off their parents.<br />
<br />
One of the most visceral sequences (not to mention a fairly brilliant one from a writing and technical perspective) has Sam explaining three different patterns black people can fall into when interacting with white people. There's the offta, who dials their blackness up or down depending on the audience, the nosejob, who exchanges their blackness for whiteness, and the 100, or someone who is 100% okay with being black. What makes this sequence so compelling is the way Simien intercuts between different black characters who are all exhibiting the exact behaviors Sam is describing.<br />
<br />
Sam, we are told, is a big fan of Bergman, and with two characters (the dean and the president of the college) being described in a perpetual chess match, it would appear that Simien is trying to draw a parallel between the infamous chess match played with death in <i>The Seventh Seal</i> and the constant strategizing black people go through when interacting with white folks.<br />
<br />
With the films constant focus on issues of race, Simien naturally has been compared by just about everybody to Spike Lee. However, with Simien coming at the film's premier as gay, a more natural antecedent would be Cheryl Dunye who directed <i>The Watermelon Woman</i>. There is more than a bit of Cheryl (the character Dunye played in <i>The Watermelon Woman</i>) in Samantha White, mixed with Honey, the radio DJ from <i>Born in Flames</i>, (a film Dunye was not involved with).<br />
<br />
<i>Dear White People</i> does admittedly make a few missteps along the way. The ending feels a little anti-climactic, some of the melodrama doesn't always work, and a couple of major plot points are a bit confusing. However, these elements don't detract from the overall impact of the film. Based on what he achieved here, I look forward to whatever project Justin Simien chooses to work on next.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Highly recommended. <i>Dear White People</i> would be worth going through all the admission processes at all of the most difficult Ivy League Colleges to get into in order to see.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 and 1/2 stars out of 4<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XwJhmqLU0so" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-52509711424950471202015-09-07T06:32:00.001-07:002015-09-07T06:32:25.753-07:00Queer Issue: On the Upcoming Stonewall Film and the Absence of Historical Transgender or Transsexual Characters on FilmBy now, the fact that the soon to be released Stonewall movie directed by Roland Emmerich minimizes the contributions of transgender women of color and that key figures such as Sylvia Rivera and Miss Major are entirely absent, is fairly well known.<br />
<br />
However let's recap things briefly. While the film is yet to be released, and thus could look very different from the previews and promotional material, the signs are not currently all that promising. The main cast is mainly white and the trailer focuses on a white gay male character who appears to be responsible for (in the movie) actually starting the riots. Although, I never heard the version where a brick thrown threw a window was what started the riots, but um, okay.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, the trailer could be misleading, and the cast, as billed, is not reflective of who actually gets to play major parts in the film. Also, there is a character listed as Marsha P. Johnson on the film's IMDB, which will mean that Marsha P. Johnson will be the second transgender woman of color to have a character based on her appear in a major motion picture. The first (that I am aware of) being Lady Chablis in <i>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</i>.<br />
<br />
I have often bemoaned the straightening out of historical LGB characters when they are presented on the silver screen. A process in which bisexual or pansexual characters will either be presented as engaging in only heterosexual copulings, or the same sex partners will be minimized or ignored. If they character was gay or lesbian, then they will either wind up bisexual on screen or straight, depending.<br />
<br />
However, I have increasingly come to notice the actual absence of characters on film based on historical or real life transgender or transsexual people.<br />
<br />
Thus I tried putting together a list of all mainstream feature films that actually featured such characters. Documentaries are excluded. Stories based on a real life story where the transgender character was fictional were also excluded (ie: <i>Dallas Buyers Club</i>).<br />
<br />
Here is the list:<br />
<br />
-<i>Queen Christina</i> (1933)<br />
-<i>The Christine Jorgensen Story</i> (1970)<br />
-<i>Dog Day Afternoon</i> (1975)<br />
-<i>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</i> (1977)<br />
-<i>Boys Don't Cry</i> (1999)<br />
<br />
Upcoming Movies:<br />
-<i>Stonewall</i> (2015)<br />
-<i>The Danish Girl</i> (2015)<br />
<br />
I may be missing a few. I can't claim to be an expert on foreign films for example. And many early silent movies have been lost altogether. But even if there are a few examples that I'm missing, that's still a pretty pathetic list. If there are any, let me know, and I'll add them in.<br />
<br />
But as it stands, of these examples, one is the story of a trans-man who ends up dead (<i>Boys Don't Cry</i>). Two are famous for primarily being transgender or transsexual (<i>The Christine Jorgensen Story</i> and <i>Queen Christina</i>. The remaining two characters are incidental to the main story (<i>Dog Day Afternoon</i> and <i>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</i>).<br />
<br />
Not that there is anything wrong with presenting the stories of tragedy within the LGBTQ or cases where the character is famous for being LGBTQ, but there needs to be a point where we move past that.<br />
<br />
Consider as a point of comparison, the number of movies based on the lie of Ed Gein (<a href="http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC43folder/EdGein.html">who was not in any way transgender in real life</a>), in which characters who were based on him (or his murder spree) are shown cross dressing or attempting to obtain sex change operations. There are 5 of them that I am aware of. (<i>Psycho</i>, <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i>, <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>, and <i>The X-Files: I Want to Believe</i>.) Add in sequels and the Gus Van Sant <i>Psycho</i> remake, and these films easily outnumber the films featuring historical transgender characters.<br />
<br />
It's worth pointing out that there isn't exactly an absence of historical transgender or transsexual people to tell stories about. The fact that Sylvia Rivera has never shown up in a mainstream film in spite of (almost now) two films about the Stonewall Riots, is itself disheartening.<br />
A few examples:<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_L._Hart">Alan L. Hart</a>: Saved thousand of lives by innovating the use of x-rays in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashurbanipal">King Ashurbanipal</a>: Developed one of the largest collection of cuneiform documents ever and had a card catalog to find material. In plain talk: He invented the library.<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Ulane">Karen Ulane</a>: Was fired by Eastern Airlines for undergoing gender affirmation surgery and sued the airline in court before dying an airplane crash.<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We%27wha">We'Wha</a>: A famous Zuni Native American who met President Groover Cleveland.<br />
-<a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Conway">Lynn Conway</a>: Computer scientist whose innovations are still used in modern computers and transgender activist.<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27Eon">Chevalier d'Eon</a>: French spy and member of the Secret du Roi.<br />
-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus">Elagabalus</a>: Roman Emperor who developed such a scandalous reputation that he had damnatio memoriae (the erasure of a Roman's official public record and very rarely done) applied to him.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, it's important to note that the stories of people across the LGBTQ spectrum are told (this should go without saying right?). We are starting to see inroads being made with prominent films featuring cisgender LGB characters based on historical figures getting made and widespread distribution. <i>The Imitation Game</i> being the most recent example. However, the lack of portrayals of historical transgender or transsexual individuals on film (and arguably elsewhere) is an issue that needs to be rectified.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-76115018391553264132015-05-28T06:46:00.004-07:002015-05-28T06:46:43.138-07:00Queer Review: The Matrix (1999)<i>The Matrix</i><br />
Directors: The Wachowskis (Credited at the time as The Wachowski Brothers)<br />
Writers: The Wachowskis (Credited at the time as The Wachowski Brothers)<br />
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
What is <i>The Matrix</i> but the greatest science fiction film of all time? Few films can match what The Wachowskis accomplish here, in this tale that takes some of the densest metaphysical questions that have ever been asked and uses them as the basis for a high octane, adrenaline fueled action flick, which also happens to serve as a modern re-telling of Plato's Allegory of the Cave.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a computer programer in search of the elusive Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who Neo (Thomas's hacker alias) believes holds the answer to the question: "What is the Matrix?" On his journey to see Morpheus, Neo manages to make contact with Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss), a female hacker whom everyone thinks is a guy. When Neo finally manages to meet with Morpheus, he finds that the answer is more complicated then he imagined and that the reality he has believed in his whole life has been a lie.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
A the time <i>The Matrix</i> was first released, Lana Wachowski was still going by the name "Larry" Wachowski and the film was credited to "The Wachowski Brothers" rather than the moniker "The Wachowskis". Looking at the first Matrix movie now, it's possible to see a great many transgender subtexts that were not as obvious when it first came out. For starters, there is Trinity, a female hacker whom everyone thinks is a man (as commented on by Neo when the two first meet). The fact that people think Trinity is a man in the Matrix, is also brought up in <i>The Animatrix</i> short <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Animatrix#.22A_Detective_Story.22">A Detective Story</a>, where the titular detective assigned to track down Trinity, constantly refers to Trinity as a man. This essentially makes Trinity a women who is in the process of either escaping from or attempting to destroy an artificial reality where everyone thinks she is a guy.<br />
<br />
Other examples are more subtle but definitely are there. Take Neo, a hero who -- outside of scenes where he is required to fire off endless rounds of ammo from a variety of firearms -- is not generally presented in overly macho terms, at least if one were to compare him to the mold created by 80's action heros like Stallone or Schwarzenegger. As it is, Neo has to deliberately reject his old, gendered name of Mr. Thomas Anderson and has to correct Mr. Smith (Hugo Weaving), who constantly insists on using the old name. Then there is Switch, who in earlier drafts of the script, was supposed to change gender upon leaving or entering the Matrix. In the version that made it to screen, the character is instead presented as androgynous in both worlds.<br />
<br />
These trans subtexts I would argue, tie directly in with the films' main themes regarding the nature of reality. As the Oracle points out to Neo, all knowledge begins with knowledge of ones self. In order for Neo to be able to do anything as "The One", he must first know what he is and what he is capable of. As the story progresses, a key plot point revolves around Neo being unable to access his abilities until he has knowledge that he is the one. In other words, Neo becomes "The One" through self actualization and increasing his self awareness of who he is.<br />
<br />
Of course by now, it has been pointed out by others that <i>The Matrix</i> is basically a modern day retelling of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The story of Plato's cave is one where an entire group of people is kept prisoner for their entire lives, forced to stare at flickering shadows on a cave wall. Because these shadows are all these prisoners experience, they assume that the shadows are all that there is to reality. One day, a prisoner finds himself able to escape his chains, and makes his way up out of the cave. As he travels out of the cave, he becomes scared and disorientated by the new experiences he undergoes. Once outside, he is blinded by the bright light of the outside world. Eventually his eyes adjust and he sets out to explore the new world. Afterwards he returns to the cave and attempts to free the other prisoners, only for most of them to not understand his story about the outside world.<br />
<br />
Many of the elements of that story are present here. Neo is the prisoner who manages to escape and like the Prisoner, he is blinded by the bright lights of the outside world. "Why does the light hurt my eyes," Neo asks Morpheus. "Because you've never used them before," Morpheus answers. Presumably, the reason the Washowskis use white transition shots so frequently is to reference this element of the story. Furthermore, as Morpheus mentions to Neo in the scene with the Women in the Red Dress, many people who are kept prisoner in the Matrix, will fight to stay a part of that system, rather than accept the truth.<br />
<br />
While what <i>The Matrix</i> ultimately offers up is primarily a cerebral experience, it is also worth mentioning that the action scenes are pure visual spectacles, (the film is still famous for introducing the world to the Bullet Time technique). While the sequels were disappointing, the first film in The Matrix Franchise still holds up today.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
It would be worth doing advanced math problems involving matrices, if the reward was being able to see <i>The Matrix</i><br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
4 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vKQi3bBA1y8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-71342807340006046432015-05-18T09:03:00.000-07:002015-05-18T09:03:26.316-07:00Fury Road: Mad Max Reboot or Remake of Communist Manifesto?(Mild spoilers ahead)<br />
<br />
So, my partner and I saw <i>Mad Max Fury Road</i> last night in the theater. It was pretty spectacular, even compared to other spectacular works of epic epicness. Right now there are more than a few people out there pointing out that there are a few feminist themes running around amidst all the testosterone. Some men have even go so far to condemn the film for tricking people into seeing a feminist film. (And this is a bad thing because...?)<br />
<br />
What I haven't seen is a lot of people pointing out are the rather subtly overt communist themes that are also scattered throughout.<br />
<br />
Consider:<br />
<br />
-The Bourgeois Big Bad (BBB) owns the means of producing water and the main plot ends up being resolved by a coup to redistribute water production to the masses.<br />
<br />
-The BBB uses religion as an opiate to keep the masses under his control. There are a couple of ways that the religion is a drug connection is made. For one, the Mad Boys are conditioned to kill themselves in the service of the main baddie and are shown using chrome spray paint as an inhalant before committing kamikaze suicide bombing runs. At the same time, these suicide attacks of the Mad Boys is given all sorts of religious overtones. Then there is a scene where the BBB <i>lampshades</i> what he's doing by telling people not to get too addicted to the water that he's rationing out to them. The BBB does this in a scene where he plays Moses producing water from rocks.<br />
<br />
-People are frequently reduced to commodities to be exploited by the big bad. Examples of this include humans being used as sex slaves, milk mothers, and blood bags, with each group being ultimately separated from that which they produce.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-69230076022623476062015-05-18T08:29:00.001-07:002015-05-18T15:59:43.982-07:00Queer Review: 50 Shades of Grey (2015)<i>50 Shades of Grey</i><br />
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson<br />
Writer: Kelly Marcel. Based on the novel by E.L. James.<br />
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford, Victor Rasuk, Marcia Gay Harden<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
In spite of what has been written about <i>50 Shades of Grey</i>, it is difficult for me to argue that the final product that reached movie screens represents anything other than an anti-BDSM, pro-abuse propaganda piece. I have nothing against BDSM and although I don't consider myself a pro-BDSM advocate or anything, I support peoples right to engage in such activities. As it stands, there is nothing pro-BDSM about <i>50 Shades of Grey</i>, which presents the activity as something that practitioners should be ashamed of.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson) is an ordinary college student about to graduate with a degree in English Literature, who ends up interviewing the mysterious Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). In spite of her clumsiness, or perhaps because of it, Christian appears attracted to Ana during the interview, and afterwards, she finds herself thinking about him during quiet moments. Eventually, Mr. Grey starts to stalk Ana, showing up at her place of work, buying expensive gifts for her, and generally being a creep. Which Ana oddly enough finds attractive. After being mysterious, and vague about what he really wants with her, Christian eventually reveals that he is a BDSM Dom and proposes that Ana could be his sub. In spite of not being interested in BDSM, Ana naively continues to think that she and Christian can maintain a normal relationship. Unsurprisingly, what develops is about as unhealthy as unhealthy can be.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
<i>50 Shades of Grey</i> was originally developed as a fan fic based on <i>The Twilight Saga</i> before being published and released as it's own book series. Only rather than featuring vampires, <i>50 Shades of Grey</i> has BDSM. While I have never read any of the books in either series, I did watch the first <i>Twilight</i> film and the similarities are striking. The female leads are both underdeveloped and both find themselves falling for mysterious man-childs. Stylistically speaking, both adaptions appear to have been influenced by the Chris Columbus School of Adaptation. This means remaining as faithful as possible to the source material, while including as much stilted camerawork, stilted dialog, and as many stilted action/sex/singing scenes as possible.<br />
<br />
As for claims of <i>50 Shades of Grey</i> being pro-BDSM, it's hard to reconcile such a view given what is on screen. Ana consistently seems repulsed at the thought of being a submissive to Christian. For his part, Christian expresses extreme self loathing because of his partaking and getting off on doing BDSM. There is no indication that this self loathing is caused by anti-BDSM stigma but rather appears to be the result of a writer who legitimately believes BDSM to be a bad thing.<br />
<br />
This is a critical point to understanding if a work of art is for or against LGBTQ folks, when such a work shows us engaging in self loathing: What is the cause of the angst? If the work in question shows that the loathing is the result of societal prejudice, and the character has overcome the self-loathing to become confident with regards to their sexuality and/or gender identity, then the work should not be considered anti-queer. However, if the work shows the character needing to be "cured" or otherwise overcome their gender identity or sexuality, then it absolutely should be reviled for being a transphobic or homophobic crapfest.<br />
<br />
Given the ending of <i>50 Shades of Grey</i> (and having read what others have written about where the series ends up) I get the impression that this particular story is following the latter trajectory.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, there are a few other parallels between BDSM and queer identity present in the film. For starters, the way Mr. Grey gradually builds up to the reveal of his sexual proclivities strongly suggests an individual who is coming out of the closet. In fact, that's where most of the BDSM activities take place in the story, in a locked closet (or rather dungeon as it's called by the characters).<br />
<br />
Then there is the idea of sin and seduction that parallels ones anti-LGBTQ narratives are built upon. Specifically, the way sin, in the religious sense, is frequently shown to require a recruiter to lure people into engaging in a sinful activity. Once the victim has given into the temptation of a sinful lifestyle in question, the victim can thus be punished for their weakness and even start to engage in luring others in as well. Consider the ultimate fate of Eve in the story of Genesis or how in the 1961 film <i>Boys Beware</i> has the underage protagonist being punished for having sex with a pedophile, in spite of the fact he had been the victim of statutory rape. Note how the sin narrative erases the idea that anyone would have a natural inclination towards an activity that society has deemed as sin. Also note Ana's frequent incredulity at the idea that anyone would enjoy subbing for a dom.<br />
<br />
For those interested, here is the film <i>Boys Beware</i> for you to... enjoy.<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ECilAeLLATc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
In <i>50 Shades of Grey</i>, Christian is mentioned as having been seduced into the BDSM lifestyle by an older woman when he was all of 15. Of course, now that Christian has been seduced into the lifestyle he is now both a lurer and a sinner who should be ashamed of what he is. Again, the idea that anyone would be naturally inclined towards engaging in BDSM is all but assumed to be impossible.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, given the way both films ignore actually abusive behavior -- be it stalking, sexual assault, or statutory rape -- in favor of condemning sexual activities frowned upon by society, <i>50 Shades of Grey</i> becomes the equivalent of <i>Boys Beware</i> with regards to BDSM films.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
If you ever have the misfortune to hear the line: "Mr. Grey will see you now." - take it as your cue to leave.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
0 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SfZWFDs0LxA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-59682459088980721542015-05-06T07:18:00.003-07:002015-05-06T07:19:16.441-07:00Queer Review: Get on the Bus (1996)<i>Get on the Bus</i><br />
Director: Spike Lee<br />
Writer: Reggie Rock Bythewood<br />
Cast: De'aundre Bonds, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Richard Belzer, Gabriel Casseus, Albert Hall, Hill Harper, Harry Lennix, Bernie Mac, Wendell Pierce, Roger Guenveur Smith, Isaiah Washington, Steve White, Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
The Million Man March on Washington DC in 1995 was an event organized by the controversial Louis Farrakhan and was designed to improve the image of black men by challenging negative stereotypes. That at least is what the textbooks say about the event. What Spike Lees' film <i>Get on the Bus</i> about The Million Man March does is paint a more intimate, on the ground perspective of a group of black men on their way to the rally.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
The story begins by introducing the characters we will be spending the next two hours with boarding the bus. Once the trip has begun, conflicts between as the men begin to clash with each other. Gary, who is both biracial and a police officer whose father was killed in the line of duty, becomes a source of tension that is exacerbated when it is revealed that Jamal (Gabriel Casseus) is a former Crip. Flip (Andre Braugher), a snobbish actor, becomes virulently homophobic when he finds out that Randall and Kyle (Henry Lennix and Isaiah Washington) are a gay couple in the midst of a breakup. Evan and his son Smooth (Thomas Jefferson Byrd and De'Aundre Bonds) who are handcuffed together because of a judge's order after Smooth was caught robbing a grocery store. Further problems arise when the bus breaks down and a new bus driver who happens to be Jewish is brought on as a replacement.<br />
<br />
Through it all, Xavier (Hill Harper) a film student makes a noble effort to document the proceedings. As tensions flair, guidance is provided by George (Charles S. Dutton), who organized the trip, and Jeremiah (Ossie Davis), an elderly man who it is eventually revealed to have a serious heart condition that threatens his life.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
It is perhaps because my recent film viewing has been exceptionally selective, but I feel that there has been a strong aversion in recent years by filmmakers to avoid actually addressing complex ideas or real life issues in films. As it is, I found myself surprised at the philosophical depth displayed by Spike Lee in <i>Get on the Bus</i>. Lee has always been a controversial figure and accusations against him for being divisive are everywhere. But as it is, every time I watch a Spike Lee Joint I find it to be an exceptionally thoughtful and balanced effort.<br />
<br />
<i>Get on the Bus</i> manages to explore a variety of political issues all the while never losing sight of the characters. The dialog at a couple of points comes across as stilted, but given the nature of the production (filmed on a low budget over 16 days) that's to be expected. The issues that are addressed by the characters range cover just about everything from the root causes of economic deprivation faced by African Americans (is it the result of discrimination or welfare causing the breakup of African American families) to what it means to reform oneself after a hard life of crime. At one point, a character points out the problematic symbolism of Evan arriving at the rally with his son in chains.<br />
<br />
As the story unfolds, much of the conflict is driven by the prejudices of the characters. The replacement bus driver, Rick (Richard Belzer) finds himself the target of anti-semitic remarks and quits as a result. Several black women express the view that the march is both exclusionary and sexist. Randal and Kyle find themselves the target of homophobia. It's fascinating how Lee was able to present a microcosm within the film of the march that includes most of the criticism against it and Louis Farrakhan without any of these elements coming across as a forced attempt at balance -- or at least none of it felt forced when I watched it the film while unaware of the criticism against Farrakhan for being both anti-semitic and homophobic. While the March is presented as having the potential for positive change for African-American Men, Lee still makes sure to include a cross section of this criticism.<br />
<br />
As for the gay couple Kyle and Randal, they are presented as just as dedicated to the march and as integral to the group as any other main character. Furthermore, the unique prejudices they face are presented as no less significant to them than those faced by the other characters. That is there is no game of oppression olympics being played out here. When Kyle reveals that he served in the Marines, he talks about having to face both racism and homophobia when he tells of an incident where he was wounded by friendly fire:<br />
<blockquote><i>When I woke up, they were laughing and talking about how...they killed two birds with one stone. One nigger, one faggot.</i></blockquote><br />
External obstacles to the group include a scene where they are pulled over by a State Trooper in Tennessee. The scene makes us wonder if someone broke the rule the group was given at the beginning about not carrying illegal substances and is about to be arrested.<br />
<br />
In spite of the obstacles that the group faces (which are frequently set up to mirror the obstacles and discrimination that African American Men face in our larger society) the movie ends on a note of hope. In the final scene, a prayer is read which had been written by a character who passed away just when the group had reached Washington. It includes the following quote from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Job">Book of Job</a>:<br />
<blockquote><i>For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down...<br />
... that it will sprout again...<br />
... and that its tender shoots will not cease...<br />
... though its roots may grow old in the earth...<br />
... and its stump may die in the ground.<br />
Yet at the scent of water...<br />
... it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.</i></blockquote><br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Definitely would be worth a difficult bus ride to see <i>Get on the Bus</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gHHiYMOx_M8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-29093369484384042002015-03-04T14:51:00.005-08:002015-03-04T14:51:50.034-08:00Queer Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)<i>Jupiter Ascending</i><br />
Directors: The Wachowskis<br />
Writers: The Wachowskis<br />
Cast: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatumn, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
Jupiter Ascending is a mess and not in a good way. This represents the weakest entry into The Wachowskis filmography that I have had to opportunity to see, due to this film falling far shorter than usual with regards to the high ambitions that The Wachowskis usually set for the stories that they tell. Then there is the tricky matter of the main villain, Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne), falling prey to sexist and transphobic tropes.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is an ordinary young woman, working a dead end job as a cleaning lady in her family's business. When her cousin encourages her to donate her eggs at a fertility clinic, she goes, only for the medical attendants to turn into aliens and try to kill her. Fortunately, she is then kidnapped-slash-rescued by a strange being who calls himself Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) who informs her that <del>her reality is a computer generated dreamworld designed to turn human beings into batteries</del>, or uh rather... that earth is a farm maintained by aliens who harvest humans so they can have eternal youth. It also turns out that there are a lot of planets like that out there. Oh and we humans were genetically engineered by the aliens with their DNA, which they spliced onto a native species in order to create us. Also, Jupiter is the reincarnation of the Abrasax siblings mother, who was murdered. And Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) is the one who inherited Earth and wants to start the harvesting, like right now. Meanwhile Jupiter and Caine are (supposedly) falling in love, while Jupiter tries to claim her title to Earth.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
There are times when <i>Jupiter Ascending</i> almost manages to achieve the ambitious goals set out for itself by the Wachowskis, but the end result is more disaster than the intriguing space adventure it aims for. There are parts that show off an intricately developed universe, complex characters, the development of philosophical themes, and even bits of intriguing social commentary. Then there are parts that are just confusing and too often, the Wachowskis simply seem to want to show off that they know how to handle a special effects budget.<br />
<br />
In the past, the Wachowskis have shown the ability to combine the examination of philosophical themes, even while blowing stuff up real good. Even their post-Matrix material is better than the reputation it has received. <i>Cloud Atlas</i> suffered a bit from over-editing, but still managed to hold itself together and <i>The Matrix</i> sequels while a step down from the first, still managed to tell coherent and engaging stories.<br />
<br />
<i>Jupiter Ascending</i> on the other hand, does not hold together so well. Much of the important plot points feel rushed, the big action scenes tend towards the incoherent and confusing, and the universe all of this is set in feels half developed. In spite of the fact that the story drags, there were times when I wanted more time spent explaining how this particular universe worked and to character development as well. The relationships and motivations of the Abrasax siblings in particular felt under-developed (a situation not helped much by the fact that they always spoke softly in half-whispers with each other). Furthermore, the fact that we are never shown exactly what a harvesting of a planet looks likely (merely the results) makes audience investment in the central conflict that much harder.<br />
<br />
In <i>Jupiter Ascending</i>'s defense, there are a couple of interesting ideas presented, even if they are half developed. The concept of creating sentient life to lengthen the lifespans of other beings, is not that far removed from the creation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savior_sibling">savior siblings</a>, where a child is created via in vitro fertilization and is expected to donate cells and tissues for an older sibling with a fatal disease. In other words, the technology for doing what is presented as science fiction here, not only exists, but is already being utilized. I'm not sure if the Wachowskis actually intended for their to be any parallels here, but they are worth pointing out.<br />
<br />
As it is, the characters and situation itself are both interesting, even if they are only half developed.<br />
<br />
However, there is one awkward element that I want to point out. The main villain, Balem, is presented as being both extremely effeminate and having an obsession with his mother (and thus by default, he also has an obsession with Jupiter Jones). Note: Lana Wachowski said that the story was inspired by <i>The Odessey</i> but with regards to greek mythology, the Oedipal Complexing going on is lot more obvious than anything else. Anyways, the point being is that Balem is queer coded in some pretty obvious ways.<br />
<br />
Now, one trope regarding transgender villains that I have pointed out before, is that trans villains (who are almost always woman) are always presented as not only deceptive, but as actively stealing the bodies and or identities (among other things) of woman. Now, while Balem is not presented as transgender, he is still an obviously effeminate, queer coded villain, who actively seeks to steal an entire planet from a female character. Between the use of human bodies to create a fountain-of-youth type substance and Balem's mother obsession, several uncomfortable parallels end up being created with extremely transphobic films such as <i>Psycho</i> (where the titular character is also obsessed with his mother) and <i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i> (an alternate take on the story where Dr. Jekyll uses female hormones in order lengthen his lifespan and winds up killing numerous female sex workers in order to obtain them)<br />
<br />
What makes this particularly awkward is that Lana Wachowski (who co-directed along side her brother Andy Wachowski) is herself transgender.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, there are a few problems with trying to paint <i>Jupiter Ascending</i> into a transphobic corner. As close as it comes to paralleling one transphobic trope, there are numerous others that it avoids. Balem never engages in deception to obtain what he wants, but instead shows himself resorting to force to get it. Instead, there is only one Abrasax sibling who resorts to deception, and he was shown engaging in sex play with several female looking alien type characters. Furthermore, Balem doesn't want to steal anyone's body to assist with a gender transition type process (as was done by the main villain in <i>The X-Files: I Want to Believe</i> but merely to extend his life. Even if the specific person he is trying to steal the planet from is a woman, the bodies that the fountain-of-youth substance is made from are going to inevitably have to come from males, females, and anyone otherwise outside the gender binary. Thus, due to this generality, one could argue that the trope of "trans women stealing from women" is technically avoided.<br />
<br />
When I first saw the previews for <i>Jupiter Ascending</i> part of me was interested in seeing a female lead in an action heavy film being made by a direction team of whom one half is a woman. As it is, whenever a woman is made the lead of an action film, it inevitably ends up being a member of (as Mr. Cranky put it in his review of <a href="http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/underworldevolution.html">Underworld: Evolution</a>) "'hot chicks in skimpy or skin-tight outfits beating the crap out of things' genre."<br />
<br />
However, while Mila Kunis plays the role with spunk and determination and the character does get to display both a degree of autonomy and show off her intellect (she manages to memorize most of the universes legal code in what could not have been more than a few hours time). There is even a bit during the climax where she is shown risking life and limb to remove members of her family from a dangerous situation. However, for all the ways Jupiter Jones parallels "The Hero's Quest" (that is, the story hero who comes from a humble background to be revealed to have an important role in grand events) she still tends to wind up a mere damsel in distress to be rescued by Caine.<br />
<br />
As it is, he potential for Jupiter Jones to be a female hero is wasted, like so many of the other potentially intriguing elements of this story.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Not quite worth ascending to Jupiter in order to see, but might be worth taking a reasonably priced commercial space flight (if those were to ever be developed at some point in the near future).<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
2 and 1/2 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t4ZzMkDLjWI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-80423399713250812872015-02-03T07:12:00.000-08:002015-02-06T09:09:57.839-08:00Queer Issue: The Box Trolls, Same Sex Parents, and the Never Ending Parade of Gender Transgressive Villains.In the grand scheme of things, there are plenty of little details that can escape my attention. I didn't know until last night, for example, that the original teaser trailer for <i>The Boxtrolls</i> featured same sex parenting.<br />
<br />
The trailer opens with an anonymous narrator intoning, "Sometimes there's a mother, sometimes a mother and a father, sometimes there's a father and a father, sometimes both fathers are mothers."<br />
<br />
It appears then that the makers of <i>ParaNorman</i> (the first children's movie to feature an openly gay character) are still willing to continue pushing against homophobic boundaries.<br />
<br />
This is a good thing.<br />
<br />
Here is the trailer for those who are curious:<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xrC40fnHI9g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
My partner and I watched <i>The Boxtrolls</i> the other night and while it at times evokes some of the better elements of <i>ParaNorman</i>, there were some other elements I want to comment on. I don't plan on writing a review, as I was watching it while playing on my laptop and thus was not fully paying attention to the film<br />
<br />
The basic story revolves around Eggs, a human boy being raised by Boxtrolls, a sentient group of trolls who are vilified and hunted by the citizens of Cheesebridge. Thus it would appear that the references to same sex parenting in the teaser trailer are rather apt.<br />
<br />
This too is good.<br />
<br />
However, in a plot twist, it turns out that the head Snatcher (the group tasked with hunting down the Boxtrolls) is also a cross-dressing cabaret singer, who uses his secondary identity to help vilify the Boxtrolls via over the top theatrical performances.<br />
<br />
This is not a good thing.<br />
<br />
On one hand we are fortunately spared any over the top transphobic <i>Ace Ventura</i>-esque reactions. Eggs doesn't react much of all to the revelation, nor does any one else. And in what I think is a first, this is a first cross-dresser baddie who is shown stealing anything from any female characters. The closest he comes is trying to steal a truly feminine white hat from the mayor.<br />
<br />
As it is, the White Hats (which represent the upper crust of Cheesebridge and are presented in the most fay terms possible) are what provide motivation to the Snatchers. As it is, the Snatchers work assiduously to join the ranks of the White Hats, and thus the Snatchers are the ones who spend the most time fanning the flames of hatred against the Boxtrolls.<br />
<br />
There are definitely a few interesting subtexts regarding class roles going on here.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I am not sure what the point of the whole The-Head-Snatcher-Sometimes-Dresses-Up-Like-A-Woman sub-plot was. It does, however, do a pretty good job of reinforcing the idea that trans people are deceptive. In fact, deceptiveness is pretty much the character's defining character trait. When Eggs first shows up on the surface of Cheesebridge, and sees the Snatchers putting on his anti-Boxtroll propaganda piece, his immediate reaction to the drag performance is to label it as fraudulent.<br />
<br />
In fact, Eggs attempting to reveal the head snatcher as a "fraud" pretty much sums up the rest of the movie. The final scene of the movie has Eggs exhorting the head Snatcher to "stay true to his own nature" and that it doesn't matter what the Snatcher wears or eats.<br />
<br />
This is *not* a good subtext.<br />
<br />
In fact, it's a pretty shitty subtext, precisely given the constant stream of transphobic rhetoric that transgender people should "stay true to their nature" and not try to live as the gender they identify as and instead live as the gender they were assigned by society.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I don't know what more to say about all of this. <i>ParaNorman</i> was groundbreaking, and the same can be said about the trailer for <i>The Boxtrolls</i>. Too bad the actual movie <i>The Boxtrolls</i> delivers such a problematic message.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-57913266113860169282015-01-26T09:40:00.005-08:002015-01-29T13:16:50.324-08:00Queer Review: The Imitation Game (2014)<i>The Imitation Game</i><br />
Director: Morten Tyldum<br />
Writers: Graham Moore. Based on the book <i>Alan Turing: The Enigma</i> by Andrew Hodges.<br />
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, James Northcote, Alex Lawther, Jack Bannon<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
Thankfully <i>The Imitation Game</i> does not fall prey to the tendency of filmmakers to de-emphasize a heroic LGBTQ historical figures sexual identity. What we do get is a powerful, well made film about one of the more ironic chapters of human history. Alan Turing's work was influential in the fields of Mathematics, Philosophy, and Cryptology and he is considered the Father of Computer Science. His work on codebreaking is credited by historians has potentially having shortened the World War II, thereby saving countless lives. However, his ultimate fate might not have been very different had the Axis powers won that great conflict.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), one of the most talented mathematicians of his time, applies to Bletchley Park (the British center tasked with decoding German communications during World War II. He is accepted and immediately makes enemies with his immediate supervisor and coworkers due to his abrasive personality and his idea that a new kind of machine is necessary to break the German encoding device known as Enigma. As Turing puts it, it will "take a machine to break a machine". Further complications occur when Turing attempts to hire a talented female mathematician, Joan Clark (Kiera Knightly), to help with the decoding efforts, only to have her face severe sexism that hinders the contributions she can make. Eventually, Turing is successful in building the first decoding Machine (which he dubs Christopher after a childhood love) and ultimately aiding the Allies in their eventual victory over Germany.<br />
<br />
This does not prevent Turings' inevitable fate when he confesses to having sexual relations with another man and is forced to participate in hormone therapy or go to jail.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
When I was growing up, my mom refused to allow us a TV and thus the two of us would frequently listen to audiobooks as a form of communal entertainment instead. While I have not (as of this writing) seen the 2001 film <i>Enigma</i> (an alternative version of the Bletchley Park story where Alan Turing was written out and replaced with an entirely heterosexual character), I do clearly recall listening to the audio book with my mother. I do remember that the tale that was told was one of a sweeping romance where the hero and his lover must face impossible odds while working against impossible odds to break the German codes.<br />
<br />
Such is the history that a homophobic society would have us believe, one in which queer people simply do not exist but as victims or villians. This is how our history is stolen from us, not merely by presenting only the stories of us as monsters or victims, but by presenting the lives of our heroes as if they themselves were straight.<br />
<br />
There is a vocal group of critics who will leap upon any historical inaccuracy in a film which deviates from history in even the smallest of details. Similarly, justification for homophobic language is simply given as "well, that's just the way people talk". However, when films present a LGBTQ character as heterosexual and/or cisgender, then the result is typically nothing more than a deafening silence.<br />
<br />
In <i>The Imitation Game</i> there are a few deviations from history, mostly around simplifying the work being done at Bletchley Park and with how the decoding of the Enigma machine was actually used by the Allies. But these generally do not detract from the narrative, other than in one particularly contrived case where one of the codebreakers, after the decoding is first accomplished, reveals that one of his relatives is on part of a group about to be attacked, and the team must make the contrived decision to allow German attack to be carried out, rather than risk revealing to the Germans that Enigma has been broken. It's a small misstep, but it happens at a time when the film should be soaring.<br />
<br />
Other deviations include making Turing to be more anti-social than he probably was. While the real Turing was indeed eccentric, he is written as if Graham Moore believes Turing to be a high-functioning autistic (allow me to insert the obligatory "not that there is anything wrong with that" disclaimer here) and his caustic relationship with his co-workers. The only problem with this is that it causes Turing to come across at times as a pan-romantic asexual. The only thing that prevents such an interpretation, is Turing repeatedly identifying as "homosexual" and his eventual prosecution for sexual deviance. As it is, Turing is never shown engaging in a same sex relationship or any kind of romance as an adult.<br />
<br />
In any case, what is demonstrated very well by the film is the way in which Turing's work as codebreaker, philosopher, and mathematician was influenced by his sexuality. The most obvious as presented in the film, was the how the death of Christopher Morcom, drove Turing to consider how machines themselves might be able to think and to store consciousness. Turing believed that it might be possible someday for them to store human consciousness. He also developed what is known as the <a href="http://xkcd.com/329/">Turing Test</a> (also known as the imitation test or game), which is an artificial test to determine if a machine is "thinking". Another thing that is done well by the film is the presentation of Turing's philosophical work into the question of Artificial Intelligence. The framing sequence, where Turing is being interrogated by a detective, has the two debating the question at length.<br />
<br />
What is equally interesting, is the double meaning that can be read into the title. Does the imitation game refer to the Turing Test or to the imitation that LGBTQ people are constantly forced into, when we must imitate the lives of cisgender, heterosexuals? Either could apply to the life of Turing, who became engaged to Joan Clarke while they were working together at Bletchley Park. Fortunately, the filmmakers go out of their way to make it clear, that while Clarke and Turing were very close friends, their relationship was not in anyway romantic but based upon both of them facing different, but parallel forms of discrimination. While I don't wish to take anything away from Turing, it is worth noting that despite modern stereotypes, computer programming was once <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-computer-programming-was-womens-work/2011/08/24/gIQAdixGgJ_story.html">primarily seen as being a woman's work, due to it's secretarial nature and the fact that it could be done at home</a>.<br />
<br />
However, the greatest irony of Turings' life is not one that is often addressed. The NAZI's themselves were of course notoriously homophobic and imprisoned many gay men in concentration camps, where numerous expirements were performed on them in order to determine a cure for homosexuality. Such experiments included castration. As it were, Alan Turings' eventual prosecution at the hands of the British might have been only slightly better than his fate would have been at the hands of the NAZI's. Thus, while Turing's work was instrumental to an Allied Victory during World War II, he was not able to fully enjoy the results of his work.<br />
<br />
Further irony comes in the fact that Turings' case was not unique, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6824206/ns/us_news-security/t/report-more-gay-linguistsdischarged-first-thought/#.VMZ3-3DF-Nw">in the years leading up to 9/11 and aftewards during the US led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, numerous translators specializing in Arabic and Farsi were let go from the US Military for violating DADT. Some have speculated that had they had not been fired, the US would have had a chance to prevent 9/11.</a><br />
<br />
Benedict Cumberbatch gives an impressive performance as Alan Turring, and able support is provided by his costars Kiera Knightley and Mathew Goode. The scene where Turing committed suicide was filmed, but not included in the theatrical version. Turings' final fate thus is revealed by title cards. This is the correct choice in my opinion. While it is important to note the consequences that Turing faced for being gay, too many of stories told about us go out of their way to needlessly demonstrate how miserable being queer can be. As it is, the film ends on a bittersweet note, with scenes of Turing and his coworkers celebrating the end of World War II. This perhaps is the best thing that we should remember Turing, how his accomplishments changed our world for the better. How he died is important, but only because those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, as historian George Santayana (who was either gay or bi) would have put it.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Highly recommended. This is no imitation of a great movie, it has the heart of the real thing.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
Four Stars out of Four.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/S5CjKEFb-sM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-44702452118423448702014-12-02T13:35:00.001-08:002014-12-02T13:35:15.122-08:00The 90's called. They want their film franchises back.Alright, with the release of the trailers for <i>Jurassic World</i> and <i>Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens</i> I am getting a very 90's vibe right now. Dunno why exactly, but for whatever reason, the new <i>Star Wars</i> trailer strongly reminds me of the days of trying to download <i>The Phantom Menace</i> Quicktime trailer on a 56k phone line. Now those were the days.<br />
<br />
The new <i>Star Wars</i> trailer has of course already garnered a ton of analysis and speculation, but I figure that's no reason I can't do my own.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OMOVFvcNfvE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Opening: Ominious voiceover prattling on about feeling the force getting awakened from its' beauty sleep.<br />
<br />
A man jumps up looking scared and wearing a stormtrooper outfit with no helmet.<br />
<br />
Let's get the obvious question out of the way: Isn't this guy a little short to be a stormtrooper?<br />
<br />
Next shot: Cute robot.<br />
<br />
Next Shot - A bunch of stormtroopers lined up in a flying contraption thingie. One of them really is shorter than the others.<br />
<br />
Insert J.J. Abrams signature wobbly cam here.<br />
<br />
A young women starts her pod racer and flies away.<br />
<br />
X-Wings!<br />
<br />
A guy, who apparently got lost on his way to audition as an extra for AFI's DecemberUnderground music video, is wandering around and... WHOAH COOL LIGHTSABER!<br />
<br />
MILLENIUM FALCON! DOUBLE MEGA WHOAH!!!<br />
<br />
Final Note: Not unexpectedly, the new lightsaber design has caused a bit of speculation. Some say it looks silly (which does become question begging, did such people realize this was a <i>Star Wars</i> movie they were talking about?) and others have speculated that the extra appendages serve a function, maybe. Personally, I think that they look like vents for excess energy, given that what comes out looks less like mini lightsaber blades and more like actual flames.<br />
<br />
As for <i>Jurrasic World</i>, I kind of lost interest in the film series after <i>The Lost World</i> so I can't exactly say I'm enthusiastic about this. Also is it just me, or does it look like Chris Pratt is playing Sam Worthington here?<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RFinNxS5KN4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-62394545125637914602014-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:002014-11-09T16:52:05.179-08:00Queer Review: Elephant (2003)<i>Elephant</i><br />
Director: Gus Van Sant<br />
Writer: Gus Van Sant<br />
Cast: Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Jordan Taylor, Matt Malloy, Carrie Finklea, Nicole George, Brittany Mountain, Alicia Miles, Ellis Williams<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
Tackling a controversial subject matter is never an easy task for a filmmaker, but Gus van Sant manages to create a exploitative motion picture about the Columbine murders that provides a clinical analysis of how such an event could come to pass.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Through long takes, the story of several high-schoolers is told as they go about an ordinary day. One has to take the wheel from his drunk father as he is being driven to school. Another takes pictures of a couple in a park. One young women refuses to change for gym class and is reprimanded for it. Meanwhile two friends draw up plans to murder as many of their classmates as possible before engaging in mass carnage.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
As someone who has spent many hours pouring over data regarding violent crime as part of an academic research project, it's difficult for me to separate my own work and views on the subject with the story told by Gus Van Sant. So forgive me if I end up talking too much about my own research here a bit.<br />
<br />
Our cultural rhetoric on violence consistently posits violent acts as an externalized phenomenon. That is, as something that comes to us from outside our families and our communities. This in spite of the reality that most violence occurs either between family members, intimate parters, or between people who are otherwise known to each other. Our focus on sensational events such as school shootings is one method by which we externalize violence as something that comes from the outside, particularly in the way that it allows us to blame everything from violent video games to absentee parents. Furthermore, such events can be depicted as dramatic inter-group conflicts, such as jocks vs. nerds or the outcasts vs. the preppies. What such framing ignores is that most violence really should be thought of as a phenomenon that occurs within groups, and not solely as the result of conflict between groups.<br />
<br />
While Gus Van Sant arguably comes close to perpetrating externalization by making school shootings the subject of a movie, he manages to avoid it many ways within the film. The most common explanations are indeed thrown out there. The shooters are shown playing a violent video game that involves shooting people in a desert like setting, watching Nazi propaganda, being bullied, etc. But none of these explanations feels adequate or complete when we watch shots of the teenagers walk nonchalantly down school hallways shooting their classmates as they go, almost as if Gus Van Sant is mocking the superficiality of anyone who would propose any of the aforementioned hypothesises.<br />
<br />
There is one extremely problematic element I have to comment on, namely a shower scene where the two shooters shower together and even share a kiss. While one could argue that this is merely another explanation that Gus Van Sant is trying to mock, it doesn't really help that it means that we have yet another film on our hands where queer identity is overwritten onto historical individuals who committed horrible misdeeds.<br />
<br />
Once again I have to say it: The best way to come out in history is to have committed terrible crimes against humanity; the best way to remain closeted was to have been good.<br />
<br />
Ultimately though, <i>Elephant</i> is atypical in terms of it's structure. The plot is both elliptical and recursive, with long camera shots following characters as the walk through hallways, only to show us a scene we saw before but now from a different angle. Most of this is Cinéma vérité or slice of life type material. It is not until the end that those members of the audience who might have been unaware of the subject matter, will find that this story is spiraling towards tragedy.<br />
<br />
The title of <i>Elephant</i> has two possible interpretations, one is of a parable about a group of blind folks trying to understand an elephant by touching different body parts and limiting their analysis to only those parts that they can feel. Each individual comes to a different conclusion based on which part of the elephant they are touching and none realize that they are touching a large animal. The other interpretation has the title referring to "the elephant in the room" or the obvious subject that no one wants to talk about. Both perspectives can provide viewers with insight into what Van Sant is trying to say.<br />
<br />
Many other reviewers have claimed that Gus Van Sant offers no explanations for why incidents like Columbine happen. As someone who has spent a lot of time studying violent crime statistics (much of it involving what can be considered original research) I do not think that violent crime, even incidents as disturbing and shocking as Columbine are incomprehensible. As a film reviewer I do not think that Gus Van Sant himself intended for his film to be given such a nihilistic interpretation. Instead he offers up what should be obvious, that to commit such a horrifically violent act requires a person to experience extraordinary alienation.<br />
<br />
Many might assume that people commit horrible crimes against humanity fail to see other people as fully human. That may be so, but many of the cases of violent crimes I found myself studying involved the perpetrators themselves being highly self destructive. The Columbine shooters after all were not arrested or shot by police but instead died at their own hand. Since this is a pattern that repeats itself over and over again, the better question I think is this; do the most violent people amongst us see <i>themselves</i> as human? Maybe this is just me reading my own ideas onto the film, but given how Van Sant approaches his subjects, I cannot help but think that this may have been the connection he wanted viewers to make.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
For those interested in a film on such a sensitive subject matter, this is one <i>Elephant</i> in the room that is worth discussing in order to understand entirely.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 stars out of 4<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/htlsOf3PnGY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-10634305938309354772014-10-20T09:49:00.001-07:002014-10-20T09:49:24.853-07:00Queer Review: Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)<i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i><br />
Director: Roy Ward Baker<br />
Writers: Brian Clemens. Allegedly based on the novel <i>Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</i> by Robert Luis Stevenson.<br />
Cast: Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick, Gerald Sim, Lewis Fiander, Susan Brodrick, Dorothy Alison, Ivor Dean, Philip Madoc, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Tony Calvin<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
A gory retelling of <i>The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</i> by Robert Louis Stevenson, the Hammer Horror film <i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i> inserts numerous transphobic elements into the classic tale and also <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2013/10/queer-issue-stealing-sisterhood-love.html">uses the trope of female transgender villains as thieves of womanhood</a>. The story also blends bits of history, such as references to the Jack the Ripper murders in addition to including the characters <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders">Burke and Hare</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Dr. Jekyll (Ralph Bates) has reached a point in his research where he believes that he can find a cure for most of the common disease and ailments that plague mankind. The catch is that he also realizes that it will take him many decades to complete this research. To solve this problem, he begins harvesting female hormones from deceased female corpses and begins utilizing two thugs by the names of Burke and Hare (Ivor Dean and Tony Calvin) do so. Instead of extending Dr. Jekylls' life, the hormones end up turning him into a woman (which leads to the requisite Hammer Horror nudity). He winds up explaining away his new identity as Ms. Hyde, Dr. Jekylls' sister, to his inquisitive neighbors. Ms. Hyde however, winds up completely dominating Dr. Jekyll and soon takes up stalking and murdering female prostitutes in the same manner as Jack the Ripper, just in order to maintain a fresh supply of female hormones.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
No one would mistake <i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i> for a historical bio pic revealing the "true" story behind the infamous Jack the Ripper murder cases. However, in that it clearly draws inspiration from historical events, can be seen writing queer identity onto a historical villain where no hard evidence of one previously existed. <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2014/07/queer-issue-unfortunate-straightening.html">As I have previously noted</a>, the only time history is guaranteed to remember someone as being a member of the LGBTQ community is when they kill someone. If you are queer and do something heroic, good luck with history remembering your true identity. However, being heinously evil is a great method for coming out of the closet, even for those who are 100% straight.<br />
<br />
This is of course on top of all the more overtly transphobic elements. In this case, the filmmakers appear to be promoting the idea that transgender or transsexual woman can only become "true" woman by stealing something from other woman. In this case, female hormones. TERFs (trans exclusive radical feminists) will love it.<br />
<br />
It is possible of course, to get lost in a debate as to whether or not the character of Dr. Jekyll is supposed to represent an actual transgender or transsexual individual. After all, he (the character) continues to maintain his masculine identity after starting the female hormones, rather than being written as an individual whose gender identity does not align with the one they were assigned to at birth. That is, the story is not about a "true" transgender or transsexual individual. However, I think this would ignore the obvious intent of stories involving gender non-conforming characters. That is, not only are they intended to associate gender non-conforming behavior with general evilness, but they also get to promote the idea that there is no "true" transgender or transsexual identity (along with other misguided mistruths about transgender and transsexual identity). To put it another way, the filmmakers get two shots off at transgender and transsexual identities for the price of one.<br />
<br />
In a more philosophical vain, I found myself wondering about about the ethics of what Dr. Jekyll was attempting to do with his research. He believes he can find cures for most of the most common diseases and thus end a great deal of suffering for humanity. While this itself is a little arrogant, his solution for expanding his lifespan to complete his research is a little out there. Most researchers in the real world would do as much as they could in their natural life, then hope succeeding generations of scientists and doctors would be able to complete it. This being a Hammer Horror film, Dr. Jekyll naturally chooses the most horrific (not to mention unethical) option available to him. Although I suppose pointing out the absurdity of his motivations in this case makes about as much sense as using female hormones to extend ones lifespan because women live longer than men.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
It would probably have been a lot more fun to have been operated on by Jack Ripper than to see the transphobic mess that is <i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
2 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q9OgkHb1tXM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-45585030110316318692014-10-10T08:22:00.002-07:002014-10-10T08:22:39.854-07:00Queer Review: Nymphomaniac Vol. II (2013)<i>Nymphomaniac Vol. II</i><br />
Director: Lars von Trier<br />
Writer: Lars von Trier<br />
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Udo Kier, Michael Pas<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
<i>Nymphomaniac Vol. II</i> continues the story told in <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. I</i> as the two movies were originally conceived as one single story before being split into two films). <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. II</i> takes Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg/Stacy Martin) in a darker and grittier direction, as she goes to increasingly extreme lengths to satisfy her sexual desires.<br />
<br />
In the plus column, <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. II</i> has the first openly identified asexual character to appear in a major motion picture. In the negative column, the ending is one of the most problematic I have had the displeasure to witness, both from a dramatic *and* social justice perspective. Not only does it do a grave disservice to the characters, it's very nature reinforces accusations of misogyny against director Lars Von Trier.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
After being found injured in the street in <i>Vol. I</i>, Joe continues to tell her story about her life as a nymphomaniac to Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård). In her quest for sexual release, Joe seeks out K (Jamie Bell), an unusual BDSM practitioner, but this leads to her neglecting her child and the end of her relationship with Jerôme (Shial LaBeouf). After K, Joe winds up working for L (Willem Dafoe) as a shady "debt collector". After Joe becomes a successful "debt collector", L suggests that Joe take on a protege P (Mia Goth). Joe is reluctant due to P's young age, but ends up cozying up to her anyways. The two end up forming a lesbian relationship, yet things quickly fall apart when Jerôme comes back into the picture.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
Never before have I found myself disliking a movie based solely on a single moment tacked onto the very end of the story. Not only does this moment dramatically undermine everything that comes before, it is both pretentious and serves absolutely no purpose other than to stroke Lars von Triers' ego. Everything that can be wrong with a piece of filmmaking is embodied in the last few moments before the end credits roll.<br />
<br />
Before the ending <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. II</i> is on the same level as <i>Vol. I</i>. There are a few new wrinkles, such as Joe having to deal with being unable to seek sexual release and later engaging in a sexual relationship with a woman half her age. But for the most part, as with <i>Vol. I</i> there is a great deal to appreciate.<br />
<br />
From a queer perspective, <i>Vol. II</i> expands upon elements that were only hinted at in <i>Vol. 1</i>. Seligman comes out here as asexual, making him the first character in a major motion picture to do so. Previously, asexuality has been limited to subtext, and for whatever reason, strongly associated with characters who engaged in cannibalism. (Examples: <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> and <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2013/12/queer-review-eating-raoul-1982.html">Eating Raoul</a>). Thus, I almost want to call him the first non-cannibal asexual character as well, but for the fact that potentially, there are other subtextual asexual characters out there I am unaware of.<br />
<br />
One thing that occurred to me, is that both Seligman and and Joe go against gender stereotypes. Joe seeks out sexual pleasure, no matter the cost, in spite of society constantly telling woman that they should play hard to get. Seligman is asexual and seeks pleasure in the study of music and mathematics, in spite of society constantly telling men that they should do everything possible to spread their wild oats. While this perhaps makes sense, I cannot help but wonder what this might mean for the possibility of female asexual characters. Would most people even think a thing like that strange or would such a character ultimately appear perfectly normal to audiences? This is another reason I am little nervous about declaring Seligman the first openly identified non-cannibal asexual on film, it is quite possible there is a female character out there who fits the bill, but due to our society viewing woman as sexually passive, the characters' identity could easily slip by unnoticed, even by me.<br />
<br />
In Lars von Triers' defense, both Joe and Seligman are complex individuals who both happen to exhibit elements of queer identity. There is also plenty of dialog (mostly from Seligman) defending human sexual desires and practices. While this at times borders on an author tract, it is still welcome to hear. Admittedly there are problematic places that Lars von Trier goes with this. For example, in the first film when Seligman defended Joe sexually assaulting a man on a train, and here Joe defends pedophiles who do not act on their desires. While I understand the sentiment, I don't see what is so great about a pedophile merely failing to harm a child. Shouldn't adulation be reserved for those who do genuine good, not merely fail to do bad?<br />
<br />
One could potentially find things to criticize in the horrible way Joe's lesbian relationship ends in disaster, but that would ignore the fact that every relationship Joe develops ends badly. There is much more to criticize in the way Lars von Trier chooses to end the story and the way in undermines Seligmans' earlier claims of being asexual. While I try to keep in mind that films themselves are not obligated to adhere to social justice principles, there is much to mourn in what might have been. As it is, while it is nice to have an openly identified asexual character in a major motion picture, I cannot make the argument that this actually represents a step forward for asexual identity on the silver screen.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Pretty much only for completists who viewed <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. I</i> and want to see how the story ends. Just be warned about the pointless awfulness of the ending.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
1 star out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VVIa7tvgKHg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-68676594984319138022014-09-29T09:50:00.000-07:002014-09-29T09:50:09.206-07:00Queer Issue: Moral Dilemma: Would You Work For a Homophobic or Transphobic Employer?Recently, my partner and myself moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, due to a job my partner was offered teaching Corrections for Minnesota State University. My partner is from the mid-west, so the cultural shock is not quiet so great for him, but I personally don't think that I will ever get used to hearing "soda" referred to as "pop". Also, I'm used to there always being hills or tall buildings around, so the wide open sky is a little off-putting for me. As it is, one reason for the lack of posts recently, is that I have been getting used to the area and am still trying to figure my way around a new location.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, I'm doing fine and am finishing up my B.A. degree in Criminology for Wilkes University. I ended up having to take incompletes in two classes in the spring semester, so I'm finishing up my work for those while I search for a job here in Minnesota. I also am in the application process for a job at a local newspaper writing as a freelancer.<br />
<br />
However, I am still looking elsewhere for work and recently came across an add for a staff position at a homeless shelter. At first glance the position looked good. The hours for the shifts they were hiring for were a little inconvenient, the pay was not great, but I figured it would be a good chance to obtain valuable experience working for a cause I believe is important. Plus I already have a lot of work and volunteer experience that would make me appear to be an ideal candidate for the position. Everything seemed set. Then I looked up the address in the ad.<br />
<br />
As it turns out, the organization in question is one that has a history of discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. The name of the organization isn't relevant, but for the record, this organization has both turned away homeless LGBTQ people seeking their services and there is at least one documented case of an employee being fired after coming out as LGBTQ that I am aware of. Also, at one point there was a link on their website to a virulently homophobic organization.<br />
<br />
It is perhaps also worth pointing out that the link was taken down when it was pointed out to the organization and I could (if I wanted to name the organization in question) point to several news articles talking about the organization claiming they would mend their ways. However, a brief search turned up no news articles about the organization actually creating concrete policies to eliminate discrimination against the LGBTQ community, so it seems unlikely that such change has occurred.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to my dilemma, it is possible that the local chapter does not discriminate against LGBTQ people and if the local head honcho was open minded, I might be able to get hired. But if I was hired by this organization, what would the implications be?<br />
<br />
There are more than a few ways of looking at this issue. For example, the field of law enforcement and the criminal justice system have a reputation for being particularly homophobic and transphobic (in addition to engaging in other forms of prejudice) and thus one might reasonably question why an LGBTQ person would seek employment as a police officer or other wise within the criminal justice system. But the reputation of law enforcement officers in this case might be misleading that homophobia and transphobia (in addition to other forms of prejudice) are prevalent (or at least present) in just about every other career field imaginable, from science and medicine, to higher education, to politics and government.<br />
<br />
One of the key features of systemic forms of discrimination and prejudice is that they are, well... systemic, and in general, it would be virtually impossible to find a career in which they would not be present.<br />
<br />
But can a career choice be compared to working for a specific employer? This is the question that gives me pause. There are further complications here as well, namely that as far as I can tell, this organization runs the only homeless shelter for a long way around and thus an argument could be made that it would be better to have me working for this organization than not, as hypothetically, I could potentially work from within to make the local chapter more queer friendly so to speak. This latter choice is definitely a gamble though.<br />
<br />
But at the end of the day, I simply do not like being put in this position in the first place. I want to work and put the skills that I have gathered during my life to good use. The choice of having to let them go to waste (if I am unable to find steady work elsewhere) or putting them to a use in a situation that might potentially increase homophobia and transphobia in our society is not a choice I look forward to making.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-32702115607043856302014-08-17T21:48:00.001-07:002014-08-17T21:48:57.925-07:00The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies has a trailer now but little BilboWent to see <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> today. Not much to report there, except it took itself a lot more seriously than it looked like it would in the trailer. But it was still entertaining in all it's 80's glory.<br />
<br />
Oh and there was a trailer for <i>The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies</i> shown at the beginning. I watched it again, and the main question I have is... Bilbo who? Why even bother calling this The Hobbit other than marketing? I think there are like 6 seconds where you have a clear shot of Bilbo's face out of the entire 2 minutes of the trailer.<br />
<br />
Also it almost deserves a trigger warning for the deadly serious mood. The style is very much the same for the trailer for <i>The Return of the King</i> and even uses a song from the movie itself.<br />
<br />
Here be the trailer:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZSzeFFsKEt4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-86161812472087022222014-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:002014-08-16T10:57:38.964-07:00Queer Review: Nymph()maniac Vol. 1 (2013)<i>Nymph()maniac Vol. 1</i><br />
Director: Lars von Trier<br />
Writer: Lars von Trier<br />
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Connie Nielsen<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
In <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 1</i> Lars von Trier examines the issue of female sexuality through the experiences of one woman, Joe. Volume 1 is a fascinating look at a myriad of subjects, ranging from nymphomania to fly fishing, and hopefully Volume 2 will continue what von Trier started here.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
A battered and bruised woman, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg/Stacy Martin), is discovered battered and bruised on a sidewalk by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), who takes her in. While recuperating in his house, Joe begins to tell Seligman about her life as a woman with a voracious sexual appetite. While she regales him with tales about the 7-8 men she slept with per night, he makes references to fly fishing and the Fibonacci Sequence. Key stories that Joe tells Seligman involve her participation in The Little Flock, a club Joe formed with her best friend B and whose purpose was the denial of the existence of love, as well as her losing her virginity to Jerôme (Shia LaBeouf).<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
Lars von Trier is a director who deliberately swerves between general pretentiousness and legitimate insight more frequently than a drunk driver trying to zig zag through an obstacle course. Naturally, he is a divisive filmmaker amongst critics. <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 1</i> tones down some of his more off putting qualities, creating a final product that is at least highly watchable.<br />
<br />
Lars von Trier has a habit of focusing his lens on female characters who fall into the Broken Birds trope and <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 1</i> is no different. It's one of the reasons that von Trier has been accused of misogyny in the past. However, here he makes a clear effort to present Joe in a non-judgmental light. Seligman offers he up reassurances to Joe (who refers to herself as the worst human being ever) that her behavior is not as bad as it seems and her sexual appetite is not the result of some dark trauma in her childhood.<br />
<br />
In Vol. 2, Seligman will "come out" as asexual (a first for a character in major motion picture I believe) and Joe will experiment with BDSM, along with engaging in a lesbian relationship. However, for part one, all of the relationships are hetero and there aren't any hints regarding Seligman's sexuality (unless you count that most of his interests and obsessions, like fly fishing, are completely non-sexual). That is, there really isn't anything *really* approaching a queer subtext in Vol. 1.<br />
<br />
Performance wise, the most memorable one in <i>Vol. 1</i> belongs to Stacy Martin, who plays young Joe's sexual awakening with a verve rarely seen from a performer of any age. As the older and more damaged Joe, Charlotte Gainsbourg is more subdued. Stellan Skarsgård doesn't have much to do besides listen and react non-judgmentally to Joe. Those who associate Shia LaBeouf solely with the <i>Transformers</i> films may be surprised at what he puts on display here (both bodily and acting wise). Uma Thurman has what amounts to an extended cameo, but she has fun with it in a scene dripping with gallows humor.<br />
<br />
While <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 1</i> is a worthwhile endeavor, the more interesting (and problematic) content is contained in <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 2</i>. However, it is possible to view <i>Nymphomaniac Vol. 1</i> as a an almost complete motion picture, and it's non-judgemental take on female sexuality means it has enough virtues to stand on its own.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Nymphomaniacs and non-nymphomaniacs alike should be able to get something out of this film.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 out of 4 stars.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Gdxzno5Xp2Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-66244988451978741682014-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:002014-08-13T19:46:09.369-07:00Queer Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i><br />
Director: Jonathan Liebesman<br />
Writer: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Evan Daugherty. Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutle characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.<br />
Cast: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn, Tony Shalhoub, Tohoru Masamune, Whoopi Goldberg, Minae Noji, Abby Elliott<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
This most recent incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise manages to capture some of the fun one expects from a film bearing the title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Intrepid reporter Apri O'Neil (Megan Fox) is desperate to land a big story about a vigilante group fighting against the dreaded Foot Clan but finds herself being relegated to covering puff pieces by her employer. However, during her investigation into the Foot Clan and the vigilantes pays off, and April manages to snap a few key photos of the vigilantes, who turn out to be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and are led by the anthropomorphic rat, Splinter (Tony Shalhoub). The four turtles it turns out, were once Aprils' pets and she had named after famous Renaissance Artists: Leonardo (Johnny Knoxville), Raphael (Donatello), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), and Donatello (Jeremy Howard). Unfortunately, Aprils' involvement with the group leads The Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) and Eric Sacks (William Fichtner) directly to the Turtles liar. After suffering a devastating attack, the turtles must regroup to save Splinter and stop Sacks and The Shredder from releasing a deadly toxin that will kill thousands.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
I grew up in a home without a television, as my mom refused to pay for that unnecessary contraption. What I do remember though, is watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at my babysitters and I visited my Dad on weekends, who did not share my mom's Luddite views on the boob tube. I was, back in the day, a bit of an obsessed fan. I owned the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action toys and a punching bag with one of the characters emblazoned on it -- I think it was Michelangelo as he was my favorite Turtle. I also remember watching the first two movies repeatedly when I was visiting my Grandma Gladstone. As it was, she owned a TV, which since she lived in the country, only got one channel through one of the biggest satellite dishes ever, which sat out in the middle of the field across the street. Thus, one of the primary activities I engaged in at Grandma Gladstone's being watching movies on VHS.<br />
<br />
In any event, the current movie holds up pretty well. The role of the Shredder and the foot clan has been reduced to being Sacks' henchmen, which is a disappointment. On the other hand, April O'Neil has been given an expanded role, including playing a key part of the Turtle's origins. Megan Fox is not the strongest of performers, but does a good job in presenting April O'Neils' determination in becoming a crack reporter. Michelangelo spends a fair amount of the movie trying to convince her to be his beard. In a sense, the key appeal of the Turtles is the ridiculousness of the premise. There isn't much for the filmmakers to do, other than to make sure the goofiness and humor are translated to the big screen. Personally, I thought this at least was done well enough.<br />
<br />
The four Turtles are named after Renaissance artists. Three of them, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Rapheal, are thought by historians to have been gay or bi. Michelangelo engaged in numerous same-sex affairs, primarily with the male models he based his work on. Donatello once chased a thief with the intention of killing the criminal, but ended up being seduced by him instead. Leonardo made a self portrait of himself in drag into one of the most recognizable paintings of all time (if analysis of the bone structure in the Mona Lisa's face is correct). (Source: <a href="http://www.queersinhistory.com/">Queers in History</a> by Keith Stern)<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the one turtle who is not named after a Renaissance artist who was as queer as a 3 dollar bill, was Rafeal, who is presented as a perpetually angry warrior who rebels against Leo. What else could Rafael represent, but a warning against all of the dangers and negative aspects inherent to the Heterosexual Lifestyle?<br />
<br />
All things considered, the conclusion is obvious. Given all the hours I spent watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles growing up combined with their queer inspirations, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made me gay. Clearly, the LGBTQ activist looking to lead fresh, young youthful members into the homosexual lifestyle could not a find a better recruiting tool and the Gay Agenda has no better weapon in it's arsenal, than Leo, Mikey, Raf, and Donnie.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
There is enough Turtle Power in this film to be worth it for fans to check out. And be sure to bring a few potential recruits along as well!<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 pink shells out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dwXFsrp6WBs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-66741773871009389402014-08-05T19:18:00.001-07:002014-08-05T19:18:29.641-07:00Queer Review: The Trial (1962)<i>The Trial</i><br />
Director: Orson Welles<br />
Writer: Pierre Cholot and Orson Welles. Based on the novel <i>The Trial</i> by Franz Kafka.<br />
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Elsa Martinelli, Suzanne Flon, Madeleine Robinson, Romy Schneider, Orson Welles, Akim Tamiroff, Max Haufler<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
A surreal tale about a man accused of an unknown crime, <i>The Trial</i> represents the best kind of cinematic absurdity to be directed by Orson Welles.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) awakens one morning to find his apartment being searched by police officers, who demand that he bribe him to make his life easier. He is told that he is under arrest but not that the crime he is being charged for. Not knowing what to do, Josef seeks the advice of L'avocat (Orson Welles) but finds his council less than useful. As he goes about trying to clear his name, the surreal experiences he undergo increase in their bizarreness. L'avocat all but tries to seduce him and after Joseph files a complaint about the police officers, he walks into a room to find them about to be whipped. As his ordeal becomes increasingly absurd, Josef becomes desperate enough to seek the advice of the painter of the courtroom judges. But for all his efforts to avoid it, Joseph K. is drawn inevitably to his ultimate fate.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
While I was working towards obtaining a criminology degree from Wilkes University (which I am still working on), I participated in an internship which involved observing court cases. Many of the people who found themselves in court, of course were poor and lacking in eduction. In most cases, it was obvious to me, that many individuals, victim and accused alike, must have found the entire experience with it's multiple hearings, appeals and counter-appeals, and adherence to technical overwhelming. In any case, I can imagine that there are many people out there who would identify quite strongly with the experiences of Joseph K.<br />
<br />
The casting of Anthony Perkins in the role of Joseph K. was a deliberate push by Welles to add a queer subtext to the film. As Roger Ebert wrote in <a href="http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-trial-1963">his review</a> of <i>The Trial</i>:<br />
<blockquote><i>Perkins was one of those actors everyone thought was gay. He kept his sexuality private, and used his nervous style of speech and movement to suggest inner disconnects. From an article by Edward Guthmann in the San Francisco Chronicle, I learn that Welles confided to his friend Henry Jaglom that he knew Perkins was a homosexual, "and used that quality in Perkins to suggest another texture in Josef K, a fear of exposure."</i></blockquote><br />
There are other ways that <i>The Trial</i> suggests that Josef is not entirely straight, although these primarily boil down to him being seduced by a series of woman and having Josef fail to return any kind of affection back to them. A late scene has him being chased down a long corridor by a gaggle of female teenagers. However, a more interesting subtext emerges though, when L'avocate comments that being accused makes men more attractive, right before requesting that one of Josef K.s' fellow accused kiss his ring.<br />
<br />
Generally speaking, I am not a fan of surrealist motion pictures, but for me <i>The Trial</i> works. There is a bit of writing advice that goes that it is important for characters to want something, even if it is simply a glass of water. The problem I find with surrealist films (or absurdist narratives in general) is that such stories tend to forget this advice and present characters who lack the most rudimentary of motivation. Josef K. at least, clearly wants something, to prove his innocence. It is just unfortunate that he is forced to do so under the most absurd of circumstances. It helps in no small measure, that Orson Welles with his astounding visual storytelling abilities is at the helm. Visually, this is almost as impressive an achievement as <i>Citizen Kane</i>. Welles was clearly willing to push the envelope as far as he can with each picture he made (and retained control over) and this is evident in every shot of <i>The Trial</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
Would be worth being tried in the most Kafkaesque of trials in order to see.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 stars out of 4.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R_7weUR0oMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-39293971798882316062014-07-24T00:13:00.000-07:002014-07-24T00:13:30.118-07:00Queer Issue: Gay Nazis and Transgender Serial Killers: How Filmmakers Queer up Historical Villainy<i>Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom</i> directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, is a film that depicts 4 Italian fascists torturing, and ultimately murdering a group of innocent youth. In spite of it being hailed as the most controversial film of all time, I find it little more than a mere curiosity. Defenders of <i>Salo</i> claim that it is an edgy and radical indictment of Italian Fascism. Others just call it torture porn. I myself fall into the latter category although I would also addd that it is unfortunately as queerphobic a film as they come.<br />
<br />
I have not in fact watched <i>Salo</i> all the way through, I fast forwarded through the <i>Circle of Shit</i> sequence. But the rest of the film is only just about as unwatchable. I tried watching it a second time at one point, only to make it far enough through to feel confident that my earlier reading of the film was not entirely incorrect. Honestly, the Pasolini appears to have included no greater message in <i>Salo</i> other than people can be horribly cruel to each other. Or maybe it was supposed to be that Fascism creates an particularly virulent setting for people to become especially horribly cruel. In either case my response is, "excuse me while I call in Captain Obvious for a rescue mission".<br />
<br />
<i>Salo</i> is particularly problematic with regards to the depictions of the Italian Fascists engaging in same sex activity, sodomy, and rape. Rape is rape, wether the victim is male or female but Pasolini depicts the Italian Fascists raping of the male characters as representing particularly heinous behavior. From the way these scenes are filmed, it is clear that Pasolini intends for we, the audience to be just that much more shocked by the male on male activity, over the other scenes of torture, rape, and general depravity. For this reason, I cannot agree with the claim that <i>Salo</i> represents a "radical" vision, but instead I must stress the point the point that it presents a completely conventional viewpoint with regards to sexual politics.<br />
<br />
Just as <i>Salo</i> presents it's sexually liberated libertines as unmistikably queer, so too does <i>The Damned</i> present the NAZI SA Sturmabteilung as engaging in a gay orgy, with the officers pairing off before being disposed of on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives"> Night of Long Knives</a>. This is on top of <i>The Damned</i>'s most ardent NAZI supporter, Martin, being shown engaging in a variety of queer behaviors, including his iconic drag impersonation of Marlene Dietrich.<br />
<br />
Then there is <i>Germany, Year Zero</i>, which includes a NAZI trying to seduce his young charge into joining the NAZI and Homosexual lifestyles. <i>Germany, Year Zero</i> by the way, is apparently prestigious enough to be given a Criterion Release.<br />
<br />
Of course, mainstream films (if <i>Salo</i> and <i>The Damned</i> can be considered mainstream) are not the only ones to link same sex desire to Nazism, pretty much every Nazi sexploitation flick (a genre which includes titles such as <i>Love Camp Number 9</i> and <i>Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS</i>, includes at least one lesbian officer amongst the NAZI's ranks.<br />
<br />
Of course, both the NAZI's and Italian fascists persecuted those they caught engaging in same sex activities. After the Night of Long Knives and the assignation of Ernst Röhm (the openly gay commandant of the SA), the NAZI's stepped up their persecution. In the end, around 15,000 men and women would be imprisoned in camps such as Buchenwald. There they would be the victims of medical experiments, including efforts to create ex-gay therapies.<br />
<br />
By using homophobia to condemn fascism, filmmakers commit the ironic sin of promoting a message easily found at any neo-Nazi rally.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the way transgender characters are presented, particularly the image of the transgender serial killer. This is an image that continues to persist up to the present day. The serial killer Ed Gein has served as inspiration for films such as <i>Silence of the Lambs</i> and <i>Psycho</i>. More recently, <i>The X-Files: I Want to Believe</i> paid homage to <i>Silence of the Lambs</i> by borrowing (or ripping off, depending on ones perspective) the plot of <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>, although it should be noted that the villain of <i>I Want to Believe</i> bore little resemblance to Gein.<br />
<br />
But once again we have the issue of history and cinema being at odds with one another, for there is almost no evidence that Ed Gein was transgender or engaged in gender non-conforming behaviors. <a href="http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC43folder/EdGein.html">Instead the story of him trying to wear female body parts appears to have been created entirely out of media sensationalism.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2014/07/queer-issue-unfortunate-straightening.html">Contrast the above examples to the frequency of stories of LGBTQ historical figures who managed to achieve greatness but who inevitably wound up being straightened out when it came time to tell their stories on film.</a> <i>Enigma</i> wrote out Alan Turing from the story of the development of the Enigma machine altogether, the device which helped crack German codes used during World War II and (potentially) saved thousands of lives. Apparently, on the silver screen queers can only be Nazis, we cannot fight them.<br />
<br />
More recently, <i>Dallas Buyers Club</i> took a <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/17/was_dallas_buyers_club_s_ron_woodroof_gay_or_bisexual_friends_and_doctor.html">bisexual hero in the fight against AIDS</a>, Ron Woodroof, and presented him as straight.<br />
<br />
When it comes depictions of transgender and transsexual historical figures, it gets worse, as their stories typically never making it to Hollywood in the first place. Their is a distinct paucity of transgender historical figures in motion pictures. Mike Newall's <i>Stonewall</i> never mentioned Sylvia Rivera, nor had any character that could act as a stand in, and <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/2014/05/setting-record-queer-stonewall-those.html">it looks as if Roland Emmerich's upcoming <i>Stonewall</i> flick will follow a similar path</a>.<br />
<br />
Remember this, when people argue that films don't have to present an individuals sexual orientation, it's not so simple as presenting a character as straight or queer when the patterns of who gets straightened out and who does not, is not random. When Hollywood only presents queers as killers or NAZI's, while ignoring the stories where we are the heroes, it does nothing but reinforce the message that we are dangerous, creepy, and immoral. But the LGBTQ community is not composed (at least entirely) of killers and Nazi's, in spite of what some apparently want the public to believe. There are heroes amongst our ranks and it is important that their stories get told as well. But it is also important to remember that the villainy attributed to us, is all too frequently exaggerated.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-58841910561280594952014-07-19T01:48:00.002-07:002014-11-15T09:04:01.774-08:00Queer Issue: The Unfortunate Straightening Out of Hollywood ReduxIt is easy to get caught up in analysis of LGBTQ related films that focus on movies in isolation without consideration of larger patterns. But those larger patterns can be more revealing than any in depth analysis of a single film can accomplish. When it comes to the presentation of characters based on LGBTQ historical figures, there are plenty of examples of films that have had no problems presenting their characters sexual orientation and gender identities with a reasonable degree of accuracy. There are also plenty of films that have even exaggerated the queerness of their characters, while on the opposite end of this issue are those that have downplayed or straightened out the sexualities and gender identities of LGBTQ historical figures.<br />
<br />
The question then becomes, in what situations are LGBTQ historical figures most likely to retain their sexualities and gender identities or have them exaggerated and when are they going to be straightened out?<br />
<br />
To analyze this issue, I divided up films based on LGBTQ historical figures into the following categories: Killers, Criminals and Other Villains, Neutral, LGBTQ Activists and Pioneers, Artists, and Generally Heroic. I also included films that presented certain historical figures as queer, even if the gender identity or sexuality of the historical figure has not been well established or is otherwise known. In order to include as wide a range of films as possible in this analysis, I have included films that are heavily fictionalized or merely used certain historical figures for inspiration. Films in this category are marked with a ✦. Films made during the Hays Code, which banned depictions of same sex sexuality, are marked with an asterisk.<br />
<br />
Here are how the results broke down:<br />
<br />
<b>Killers</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>Kill Your Darlings<br />
Monster<br />
I Shot Andy Warhol<br />
Swoon<br />
Heavenly Creatures<br />
The Krays<br />
Bloody Mama<br />
Braveheart<br />
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil<br />
Deranged<br />
Elephant<br />
<br />
Psycho*✦<br />
Silence of the Lambs✦<br />
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde✦<br />
Salò✦<br />
The Damned✦<br />
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS✦<br />
Texas Chainsaw Massacre✦</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u>:<br />
<i>Rope*<br />
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith✦</i><br />
<br />
<b>Criminals and Other Villains</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>I Love You Phillip Morris<br />
Dog Day Afternoon<br />
Boys Don’t Cry<br />
<br />
Bent✦<br />
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut✦<br />
Angels in America✦</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u><br />
<i>Mommie Dearest</i><br />
<br />
<b>Neutral</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>Queen Christina<br />
Philomena</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u><br />
<br />
<b>LGBTQ Activists and Pioneers</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>Milk<br />
Kinsey<br />
The Christine Jorgensen Story</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u>:<br />
<br />
<b>Artists</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>Wilde<br />
Capote<br />
Howl<br />
Gods and Monsters<br />
Ed Wood<br />
Love is the Devil<br />
Next Stop, Greenwich Village<br />
Frida<br />
The Hours</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u><br />
<i>De-Lovely<br />
The Libertine<br />
Anonymous<br />
Saving Mr. Banks<br />
Cabaret<br />
Quills<br />
<br />
Shadow of the Vampire✦<br />
Night and Day*<br />
The Agony and the Ecstasy*</i><br />
<br />
<b>Generally Heroic</b><br />
<u>Accurate or Exaggerated</u>:<br />
<i>Alexander<br />
J. Edgar</i><br />
<br />
<u>Straightened Out</u>:<br />
<i>Dallas Buyers Club<br />
Silkwood<br />
A Beautiful Mind<br />
Enigma<br />
<br />
Lawrence of Arabia*</i><br />
<br />
Percentages (Excluding fictionalized cases and films made during the Hays Code):<br />
<br />
Killers: 100% Accurate<br />
Criminals and Other Villains: 75% Accurate<br />
Neutral: 100% Accurate<br />
LGBTQ Activists and Pioneers: 100% Accurate<br />
Artists: 60% Accurate<br />
Generally Heroic: 33% Accurate<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
If a queer individual wants their sexuality or gender identity to be presented accurately by Hollywood, kill someone, become an LGBTQ activist or do nothing noteworthy. You also stand a pretty good chance of your sexuality and gender identity being presented accurately if you choose a non-homicidal life of crime. However, if you want to become an artist or do something influential outside the LGBTQ community, you better be prepared to play Hollywoods' heterosexualization lottery.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-5696816451608429452014-06-04T15:54:00.002-07:002014-06-04T15:54:53.681-07:00Queer Review: Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)<i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i><br />
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche<br />
Writers: Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix. Based on the book <i>Le Bleu est une couleur chaude</i> by Julie Maroh.<br />
Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou, Anne Loiret, Benoît Pilot<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
A talky French drama about two women falling in and out of love, <i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> shows the evolution of a complex and multifaceted relationship. While glacially paced, this is a movie that offers plenty of rewards for viewers with the patience to read the Bible from the beginning all the way to Job. Seriously, the lists in Genesis of who begat who take forever to get through and anyone who can make it through those parts will have no trouble with this film.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a typical, if rather introverted, French teenager. When Adèle first has sex with her boyfriend, she finds the experience unsatisfying. At a lesbian bar, she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux) and the two begin a passionate relationship. Eventually the two move in together with Adèle taking up a career as a teacher, while Emma pursues work as a fine painter. However, their domestic relationship leads to a routine that leaves Adèle lonely and Emma unsatisfied. When Adèle has an affair with one of her coworkers, Emma kicks her out. More time passes and Adèle has trouble moving on. When she receives an invitation to an art show featuring Emmas' paintings, she goes and manages to find closure to this chapter in her life.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
<i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> is filmed with explicit scenes that are designed more to develop and advance the characters than they are to titillate or arouse. Of course, as a gay man, I cannot say I can really judge how titillating they actually are. Of course, this being a character focused piece this a slow moving meditation on the nature of love and relationships. There is little effort to focus on queer or lesbian issues specifically. Adèle goes through a period where she is clearly questioning her sexuality and has to face homophobia from friends when the suspect that she is dating a woman, but this becomes a non-issue once she moves in with Emma. Futhermore, the characters never come out to anyone that the audience is made aware of. As it is, outside of a scene where Adèle marches in an anti-austerity march, the film is largely apolitical.<br />
<br />
This doesn't stop the film from raising questions about depictions of female sexuality and desire. Given that the director is a man, the male gaze is of course utilized but as far as I could tell, never subverted nor averted. However, Director Kechiche does raise questions about it. In one scene, a character comments on how men are the ones who most often depict female sexuality in spite of the fact that men cannot know what women really experience when it comes to sex. It's a philosophical question and one reflective of Platos' views of art in general. Plato, as it were, had a pet peeves was that since our world was merely a copy of his beloved Forms, then the highest thing art could aspire towards was being a second hand imitation of a copy of a copy of the "original" forms.<br />
<br />
It makes sense then, that Kechiche films <i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> in a cinema vérité style with many hand held camera shots, no voiceover, and a minimal soundtrack. <i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> tries to be real, even while it acknowledges in sometimes subtle ways that it's not. Furthermore, all we ever see of Emmas' drawings or paintings of Adèle are brief glimpses, yet there implications that the Kechiche is trying to frame Adèle through the same lens that Emma views her in. That is just as Emma paints Adèle on canvas, so too does Kechiche attempt to present Adèle through the eye of the camera.<br />
<br />
When people refer to the "male gaze", they invariably mean the "<i>straight</i> male gaze". But this raises the question: Is there a difference between the straight male gaze and the lesbian gaze and if so, what is it? Furthermore, can a difference between the two gazes be established at all without resorting to gender essentialism?<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, it is Kechiches' willingness to address this issue that sets <i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> apart. At nearly 3 hours, with little action, combined with the slowest of plots, it would seem that this would be a drag to sit through. It is a testament to those involved that <i>Blue is the Warmest Color</i> manages to be engaging from start to finish.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
For fans of dialog heavy films that focus on characters over action or plot, this would be worth crossing the most depressingly warm blue ocean in existence in order to see.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 out of 4 stars.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uKmWi_T3QWE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330431430608827222.post-72553938838527915502014-06-01T18:04:00.000-07:002014-06-01T18:04:31.959-07:00Queer Review: The Matador (2005)<i>The Matador</i><br />
Director: Richard Shepard<br />
Writer: Richard Shepard<br />
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Philip Baker Hall, Israel Tellez<br />
<br />
<b>Overview</b><br />
A fun romantic comedy between about two men falling in love, one of whom happens to be a hitman who is finds his ability to kill failing him at critical times. Also, there are random shots of a matador inserted for no apparent reason other than to justify the title.<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><br />
Aging hitman Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) is starting to lose his nerve when it comes to doing his job. He hides it well enough, but there are times, such as when he sashes through a hotel lobby wearing nothing but a tight pair of speedos, when it becomes painfully clear that he is losing his mind. Then he meets Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) and the two have a brief fling before Julian is forced back into doing his job. When Julian fails to kill a critical target, his life is put in danger from his employeers and thus he turns to Danny and his wife Bean (Hope Davis), hoping that the sparks the two shared for each other will be enough to get him out his predicament.<br />
<br />
<b>The Queering</b><br />
Most of the humor in <i>The Matador</i> is low key but generally effective. Brosnan and Kinnear display a fair amount of chemistry with each other as their characters flirt with each other in a hotel bar and bond over drinks. This is their meet cute scene. Eventually the two go on a date where Julian shows Danny the best method for killing a person. Also, it happens to be at a bullfighting tournament where we get the aforementioned shots of a matador and bull fighting. Before the two had met, Julian had been trying to deal with his issues by having empty sex with woman. It's only when he meets Danny that Julian opens up at all and is able to find any meaning to his life.<br />
<br />
The first half of the film is better than the second, which is where the pacing starts to drag. In fact, I started to wonder if the project had originally been conceived of as a stage play, given the way the latter scenes focus increasingly on dialog and character over plot. There's a lengthy sequence which is set entirely in Danny and Beans' house and has the feel of a stage production due to the way it focuses entirely on dialog and character revelations, while the plot comes to a virtual standstill. The climax is equally low key and a few plot twists simply do not work in the context of the film due to them being poorly set up.<br />
<br />
When <i>The Matador</i> was first released, it received favorable reviews but failed to find an audience. This is something of a shame although the film lacks the panache to go in for the killing blow that might have elevated it to a higher level. As it is, this is an enjoyable diversion but failed to become a classic for obvious reasons.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommendation</b><br />
It would definitely be worth getting in a fight with a bull with only a flimsy cloth as your weapon in order to see <i>The Matador</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Rating</b><br />
3 out of 4 stars.<br />
<br />
<b>Trailer</b><br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WPCLcUtfkQo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the <a href="http://queeringthecloset.blogspot.com/p/title-index.html">Title Index</a>, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470325503788056122noreply@blogger.com1