Queer Review: Cruising (1980)

Cruising
Director: William Friedkin
Writer: William Friedkin. Based upon the novel by Gerald Walker.
Cast: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Overview
Originally protested by queer activists at the time of its release, Cruising wears it's homophobia blatantly on its leather sleeves. I believe people in general are sometimes too easily offended, but Cruising earns all of the animosity and criticism that has been directed at it over the years thanks to its blatant bigotry.

Synopsis
Straight cop Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is tapped to go undercover by the police chief (Paul Sorvino) to investigate a disturbing series of murders of gay men. Once undercover, he must learn to adopt to what is him a strange culture, while being separated from his girlfriend (Karen Allen).

The Queering
There is a certain kinship that Cruising shares with the pre-stonewall film The Detective. Both feature police officers performing homicide investigations into the murders of gay men and have villains who are the self loathing type of queer whose crimes are motivated by that repression. Both are also extremely problematic in their portrayal of gay characters. However, while The Detective can be excused as it was clearly attempting a sympathetic portrayal for the gay lifestyle and for its time period.

Cruising, however, represents a clear regression. Even taking the two time periods out of the equation, Cruising's portrayal of gay men is much more homophobic than what audiences were exposed to in The Detective. The ending itself is of particular concern, with its evocation of the gay recruiting myth and the suggestion that Steve Burns had become that which he had been fighting. Look into the abyss and the abyss looks back into you but what is the real abyss here? The amoral black hole created by the serial killers murderous rampage or his sexual orientation? The film does not make it clear and its ambiguous attitude is what dooms it.

From an aesthetic point of view, there is nothing particularly wrong with this film. There is also nothing that particularly stands out either. The plot is your standard serial killer being pursued by determined police, with the gay cruising angle thrown in simply to add some spice. There also also some nice cinematography featuring the grittier areas of NYC at night and a particularly beautiful shot with the sun setting as Burns enters his girlfriend's apartment.

The scenes of Al Pacino cruising in gay bars, looking for the killer are somewhat effective in there portrayal of gay leather bars. The filmmakers apparently took the time and effort to shot in actual gay bars and recruited the customers before filming took place to act as extras.

The lone upside to Cruising's release was that the protests it generated prompted Hollywood to reconsider its portrayals of gay characters. Seen in this light, it could be argued that many of the pro-gay films made and released in the 80's (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Victor/Victoria, My Beautiful Laundrette) owe their existence and success to Cruising.

Recommendation
Not for anyone really, other than those who wish to see the film that helped change Hollywood by providing an example of what not to do. The one star is only for the reforms that Cruising inspired, not for the film itself.

The Rating

Trailer


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Setting the Record Queer: Sylvia Rivera and Other Myths of Stonewall

As many may already know, June is "Gay Pride Month" or "LGBTQIA Pride Month" or whatever queer term is in vogue at the time. President Obama has of course officially declared June "LGBTQ Pride Month". The reason for June being pride month is that the Stonewall Riots occurred on June 28th, 1969. They took place at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar that was raided by the police, resulting in those being targeted by the raid to fight back. Sylvia Rivera is the individual sometimes credited with throwing the first blow.

Over the years, the image of the Stonewall Riots has gradually grown to become the cornerstone event in the gay civil rights movement. It is almost literally "the" event that everyone credits as starting the path of queer liberation.

Originally, I had intended to do a straightforward article on the Stonewall Riots, but a couple of historical details I came across recently made me rethink that. First off, it almost goes without saying that Stonewall was not the beginning of the queer rights movement. It was not even the first violent queer uprising. There are two events that pre-date the Stonewall Uprising. One is the Dewey Lunch Counter Sit In and the other is the Compton Cafeteria Riot.

The Dewey Lunch Counter Sit In took place in May 1965, more than four years before the Stonewall Riots. More importantly, it featured primarily trans African American protesters. The Compton Cafeteria Riots took place at a Compton Cafeteria located in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco and that riot too primarily featured transgendered/transvestite participants.

Now what does all have to do with Sylvia Rivera? Sylvia Rivera was a trans woman of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan heritage. What made her famous, was the fact that she was one of the instigators of the Stonewall Riots. She worked actively during her life to promote queer rights, particularly the rights of transgendered and transsexual individuals. This activism was highly controversial though and she frequently clashed with the more mainstream gay activist groups such as the Human Rights Campaign.

According to queer critic Michael Bronski Rivera declared the following a short time before her death, "One of our main goals now is to destroy the Human Rights Campaign, because I'm tired of sitting on the back of the bumper. It's not even the back of the bus anymore — it's the back of the bumper. The bitch on wheels is back."

From reading several sources regarding Sylvia Rivera, I find myself with the image of a flaming queen, ready to set the rest of the gay rights movement on fire. Anger appear to have been the foundation of Sylvia Rivera's crusade, particularly against the marginalization of trans and people of colour within the LGBTQIA community.

Now I need to be clear here, there is a distinct history of such marginalization of anyone who is non-white and gay and lesbian within the gay and lesbian community. Sylvia Rivera herself is one such example of this marginalization. Already, her memory seems to be fading. I complimented the documentary Stonewall Uprising for it's comprehensive coverage of the riots, but I have no memory of Rivera being mentioned, in spite of the key role she played. Furthermore, I found no article on Sylvia Rivera in the book Queers in History by Keith Stern, which also fails to mention Ruth C. Ellis.

The historical narrative that places increasing emphasis on Stonewall as the one and only beginning of the gay rights movement furthers this erasure of non-white gays and lesbians by forgetting the earlier events that whose primary participants were black and/or trans. Sylvia Rivera's elimination from any historical narrative creates even more such whitewashing. I question any movement that has shown the sort of willingness to forget its own history as easily and quickly as the Queer Movement has. When forget history, we forget the very basis of our own identities.

Jessi Gan perhaps put it best in "Still at the Back of the Bus": Sylvia Rivera's Struggle (which I highly encourage others to read):

Mainstream gay politics' narrow, single identity agenda situated Rivera on its margins, and viewed her memory as both manipulative and dispensable. By contrast, Rivera's own political affinities, while fiercely resisting cooperation remained inclusive, mobile, and contextual. Her political practice, informed by a complexity situated life, built bridges between movements, prioritizing the project of justice above arbitrary political boundaries.

Further Reading:

"Still at the Back of the Bus": Sylvia Rivera's Struggle
Stonewall and Beyond: Lesbian and Gay Culture
Wikipedia Stonewall Entry
The 1965 Deweys Lunch Counter Sitins
Wikipedia Compton's Cafeteria Riot Entry
Sylvia Rivera Law Project, "Who Was Sylvia Rivera"

Queer Review: After Hours (1985)

After Hours
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Joseph Minion
Cast: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard

Overview
A fish out of water comedy - although a much darker effort than one might expect from that genre - After Hours is one of Martin Scorsese's lesser efforts. However, it still manages to offer up some solid entertainment due to a rousing final hour.

Synopsis
Mild mannered word processor (yes, that used to a profession) Paul Hackett decides on a whim to met late at night with a girl who gave him her phone number in a coffeeshop. On the cab ride to her apartment, Paul loses all of his money, and thus after he dumps her due to him fearing she may literally be scared for life, he finds himself unable to make his way home. This results in a series of increasingly over the top adventures for Paul as he tries to make his way home, which includes meeting a woman whose dress and lifestyle is stuck in the 60's and an angry mob led by a gay couple that believes Paul is responsible for a string of robberies in the area.

The Queering
My biggest problem with After Hours is the slow setup. However, once things start to come together in the second half and the disparate plot threads start to intertwine to build towards some narrative momentum, there is plenty of fun to be had here. Since this is a Martin Scorsese film the technical elements are executed perfectly. There is also some nice cinematography featuring the shadier side of New York City that probably would never show up in a commercial with the phrase "I Love NY".

There is a heavy shade of irony to everything that transpires. Paul simply wants to go home in order to get to sleep before he has to work the next day but due to circumstances beyond his control, he is drawn into an increasingly bizarre world, populated by people who stay out into the wee after hours of the morning. His character arc is perfectly elliptical, represented by how he ends the movie in the same location where he began it.

If there was a message to all of this, it was lost on me. Was Scorsese trying to tell audiences that life is better when we take risks or that we should simply enjoy the journey we are on? In all honesty, I have no idea what the whole point of this was, if there even was one. I therefore believe that this was simply an effort on Scorsese's part to make something a bit different then his usual violent films. Scorsese's films - at least those that I have seen such as Taxi Driver or Shutter Island - tend to feature socially awkward men who are lost and wandering in a world clearly beyond their own comprehension. Paul fits in well with this company, but due to his lacking severe psychological issues (outside of a fear of burns thanks to a childhood incident) After Hours is a dark comedy rather than one of the searing dramas that fill the ranks of Scorsese's filmography.

Recommendation
Anyone willing to sit through the first half of After Hours, will find there is plenty of fun to be had in the second.

The Rating

Trailer


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Queer Review: As Good As It Gets (1997)

As Good As It Gets
Director: James L. Brooks
Writer: Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks.
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Shirley Knight, Jesse James

Overview
As Good As It Gets was critically lauded at the time of it's release and features some outstanding acting from it's main cast. Unfortunately there are too many elements, characters, and plot points, that are either gently recycled or outright stolen. With only a few major differences, this is a modern day version of A Christmas Carol.

Synopsis
Romance author Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is about as unpleasant and nasty an individual as one can be without being a serial killer or Hitler. When his neighbor's dog annoys him, he shoves the pup down a garbage chute. Melvin has only one restaurant that he can eat at (probably because all of the others in his neighborhood banned him) where he can only be served by Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt). Carol's son Spencer (Jesse James) is extremely ill and being a waitress, she does not have the money to ensure that he receives proper medical treatment. Meanwhile, Melvin's neighbor Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear), a gay painter/artist, is facing eviction and mounting financial problems after he was robbed and beaten by street hoodlums.

The Queering
The A Christmas Carol parallels are plenty. Melvin is a modern day Scrooge, whose change of heart comes not from ghosts of Christmas, but from dog sitting Simon's pooch while he's in the hospital. The Tiny Tim role is fulfilled by Simon and Spencer, with the former even being given a cane to use. One significant change comes from Carol filling the Bob Crotchit role, thereby providing an opportunity for a romance between her and her Scrooge like customer.

Had As Good As It Gets been made when the national healthcare bill was being debated, it would have been branded as liberal propaganda as both Carol's and Simon's problems stem from inadequate access to healthcare. While there is no political agenda being pushed, there is certainly something eerie watching how easily the characters would go away if they simply had medical insurance. Maybe someday audiences will look back on this film and be able to view the central problem as a historical artifact, or maybe not. Who knows?

Overall, As Good As It Gets is well made. There is not a weak performance to be found. Jack Nicholson in particular takes relish in delivering some of the more biting lines of dialogue offered up by screenplay. However, my favorite line is when Carol goes on a rant about wanting a normal boyfriend, her mother interrupts her with, "We all do. Unfortunately those don't exist."

The problem is that the good points are all counterbalanced by an overabundance of stereotypes and familiar tropes. I knew from the beginning the trajectory of every character arc and exactly hoe everything was going to end. Greg Kinnear's character in particular stands out, as Simon is the overly feminine gay artist type. While Kinnear's performance is otherwise fine, the only thing I was grateful for was that Simon was not an English teacher.

Recommendation
In the end, I have to say that while I did not hate Director James L. Brooks film or anything, the overly conventional plot and lack of surprises makes it a hard film to recommend. For those that do not mind a lack of originality, this may be worth seeking out. For those looking for a movie that treads new ground and pushes the proverbial envelope, look elsewhere.

The Rating

Trailer


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Queer Review: American Beauty

American Beauty
Director: Sam Mendes
Writer: Alan Ball
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards

Overview
The critically acclaimed debut of Sam Mendes, American Beauty features the mid-life crisis of a man trapped in a stale relationship. It is also one of my favorite black comedies (after Fight Club) and also is one of the most aggressive gay propaganda films ever made.

Synopsis
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is stuck in a dead end job, while stuck in a dead end marriage where his wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening) and daughter Jane (Thora Birch) both hate him. What breaks Lester out of the catatonic state he is in is developing an infatuation for Jane's friend, Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). This disgusts Jane, who at the same time is being stalked by the boy next door Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley). Ricky's parents are nearly as dysfunctional, his dad, Col. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) is extremely paranoid and his mom, Barbara (Allison Janney) resembles the living dead. Further complicating matters is Carolyn, fed up with Lester's behaviour, starts having an affair with Buddy "The King" Kane (Peter Gallagher).

The Queering
As I said at the beginning, this movie represents of one of the most aggressive gay propaganda films ever made. All of the usual stereotypes are completely reversed. That is any of the negative traits typically associated with queer characters, are given to the heterosexual ones.

All of the character who engages in straight behavior suffer from a variety of mental health issues, such as self loathing, body image problems, depression, paranoia, or are outright catatonic. These characters are also either repressed control freaks, shallow, vain, and self obsessed, engage in Nazi idolation, engage in abnormal behaviors such as the filming of dead birds and floating garbage, promote and express bigotry, and commit adultery, and that was just a list of the legal activities.

The illegal behaviors include an attempt at statutory (or what might be statutory) rape, the dealing and abuse of illegal drugs, driving while under the influence of those drugs, obsessive stalking, blackmail and extortion of an employer, prostitution, and tax fraud. And I have not even gotten started on the numerous characters that plot, discuss, and make plans to commit homicide that actually occurs.

Furthermore, both Jane and Ricky are also subjected to various forms of psychological, verbal, and even physical abuse at the hands of their heterosexual, adulterous, and murderous parents.

Meanwhile the gay couple, Jim and Jim (Scott Bakula and Sam Robards) is cheerfully normal, well adjusted, and more than willing to give exercise tips or deliver a "welcome to the neighborhood" basket to a new neighbor.

Otherwise, this an extremely well acted, superbly directed, smartly written flick. The cinematography, particularly the use of medium and close up shots, is noteworthy. There is not a technical element that is not executed perfectly.

The late 90's gave birth to a remarkable era of cinema. The year 1999 was particularly fertile. Magnolia, Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Boys Don't Cry, The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace were all released in that year. Some critics may argue that the last film does not belong, but I would not argue that American Beauty is the equal or better of all of them.

Recommendation
Strongly recommended.

The Rating

Trailer


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Queer Review: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

My Beautiful Laundrette
Director: Stephen Frears
Writer: Hanif Kureishi
Cast: Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gordon Warnecke, Derrick Branche, Rita Wolf

Overview
Regarded as a gay classic by many critics, My Beautiful Laundrette was one of the few pro-gay films to come out of the 80's. Unfortunately, it is not one of the more impressive efforts to come out of that decade. Mediocre acting and writing, along with an awful score, causes watching My Beautiful Laundrette to be about as much fun as actually doing laundry.

Synopsis
Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is being set up by his wealthy uncle, Nassar Ali (Saeed Jaffrey), to run a laundry mat in London. To do this, Omar enlists the help of an old fling Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). To finance the operation, the two steal drugs from Omar's other uncle, Hussein (Roshan Seth), who becomes angry upon finding out about the pair's duplicity. Further complications come from Omar being betrothed to Nassar's daughter Tania (Rita Wolf) a marriage he does not want as he is really in love with Johnny.

The Queering
I really, really wanted to like My Beautiful Laundrette. In addition to presenting a gay romance, it also attempts to address issues regarding classism and racism in Thatcher era London and features a rare example of a non-white LGBTQIA character. Plus, as a nice bonus, neither of the queer characters is killed off at the end. The thing is, in order to succeed, any story will need compelling characters and some kind of interesting conflict for them to overcome. Unfortunately, My Beautiful Laundrette has neither.

The ostensible hero of the story, Omar, is described as brilliant by nearly every other character yet comes across as a moron. It does not help matters either that he is played without a hint of charisma by Gordon Warnecke. Daniel Day-Lewis is so stiff, that he seems simply aloof. Worse, there is no chemistry between these two. The only actors showing any kind of chutzpah, are Saeed Jaffrey, as the sleezy uncle, and Rita Wolf playing his bored (and therefore extremely horny) daughter.

The main conflicts of the story tend veer frequently towards the lame and are always resolved too easily. The gay relationship is handled is one such example. Since nobody discovers or challenges Omar and Johnny's relationship the fact that the two are engaging in what is essentially a forbidden love (for the time and setting) becomes completely pointless. Without any major suffering or conflict for the characters to go through, there is little reason for the audience to root for them. It's like watching a baseball team score a home-run every inning while the pitcher just gently lobs the baseball over the plate.

On the technical side, the score for My Beautiful Laundrette has to be among the worst I have ever heard from a mainstream movie. There are also enough instances of choppy editing to make me wonder of the editor was forced to work in a dryer on spin cycle.

Recommendation
For those with any interest in the history of queer cinema, My Beautiful Laundrette is worth seeking out as there are worse offerings out there. However, there is too little of interest here for me to be recommending this to anyone else.

The Rating

Trailer


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Queer Review, Classic Review?: Thelma and Louise (1991)

Thelma and Louise
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Callie Khouri
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Brad Pitt

Overview
A story of two woman who go on a crime spree, Thelma and Louise contains one of the most iconic endings in movie history. At it's core, this is the story of a relationship between two repressed woman who find out what they are capable of while fleeing from their old lives.

Synopsis
Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) are two woman whose vacation plans go horribly awry . While stopping at a bar on their way out of town, they meet a handsome stranger, who Thelma spends most of the evening flirting and dancing with. When the two go outside however, he attempts to rape her, and she ends up being rescued by Louise, who ends up shooting and killing the attempted rapist. This results in Thelma and Louise running from the law, as they try to figure out how to survive in a world that is not friendly towards woman.

The Queering
I am of two minds about this movie in regards to there being a queer subtext, which I had heard about before viewing. On one hand there is clearly a strong bond between Louise and Thelma that transcends mere friendship and they even share a kiss in the closing moments of the movie. On the other hand, there is little evidence that this bond goes beyond the platonic. In other words, this is going to get both a classic review tag and queer review tag.

Thelma and Louise probably appeals most strongly to women, than it does for anyone else. That is not to say that other people could not enjoy this female empowrment romp, but that woman are more likely to appreciate what it offers. Most of the male characters are presented as jerks. Thelma's husband is a control freak who appears at any moment ready to lash out in an uncontrolled rage. In addition to the attempted rapist, there is also a truck driver who makes lewd offers to the two and a handsome young man, who seduces Thelma, only to steal all of the pair's money. In contrast, there are only two men with any decency. The Detective Hal (Harvey Keitel) who is investigating the murder and Jimmy (Michael Madsen) who is in love with Louise.

Overall, this is a well made movie and as I watch more and more of movies made more than two decades ago, I more and more find myself lamenting for a time when movies like this were able to get made. For example, it is difficult imagining the ending being used in today's filmmaking environment. The acting by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis is superb and Ridley Scott, not known for directing character driven pieces, somehow succeeds exceptionally well here.

Granted, there are plenty of formulas at work in Thelma and Louise, but they are well enough executed and with enough interesting variations, to keep it from feeling formulaic. The writing is both a curse and a weakness. While Callie Khouri successfully manages to develop two interesting and complex female leads, there are numerous small, yet noticeable, plot holes throughout. For example, how did Hal get the licence plate number for the car? And was I the only one who thought that the small army chasing down Louise and Thelma at the end was a tad over the top?

In any event, the strengths cancel out any weaknesses and I can only say that this is one damn fine motion picture.

Recommendation
Strongly recommended.

The Rating

Trailer


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