Reverend's Reviews: Back to the Future?

44 years ago, Reverend was an innocent yet nubile 14-year-old who was nonetheless following the movie industry closely as a budding young filmmaker. I was reading rumblings in mainstream newspapers and magazines — remember those? — about Caligula, a historical epic inspired by the life of the notoriously vicious Roman emperor.

Caligula, initially released in the US in 1980, was the most expensive independent film in cinema history at the time but had a tumultuous journey to the screen. Written by the esteemed Gore Vidal and headed by the then-stellar cast of Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole and Sir John Gielgud, it was meant to be an epic showcase of the generation's finest talent while addressing the corrupting influence of power amid the rampant sexuality of the Roman court. However, producer Bob Guccione — who at the time also published the 18+ Penthouse magazine — seized control of the negative and randomly inserted graphic scenes of unsimulated sex and gratuitous violence. The cast and film team disavowed what had become a blatant desecration of Vidal's themes. Vidal himself successfully sued to have his name removed from the project. Extensive coverage of such behind-the-scenes notoriety had an unexpected effect: the film became an international box office success.

Jump ahead to 2024 and enter Caligula: The Ultimate Cut. A complete reconstruction of one of cinema’s most lavish-yet-notorious productions, it is being released by Drafthouse Films in select US theaters beginning today prior to a 4K Ultra High-Definition home video release. This new presentation made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, introducing both new generations of movie audiences and classic filmgoers. Its significant reconstruction uses alternate takes and camera angles, and features — for the first time ever — the complete film narrative.

This new release aligns more closely to Vidal's original script, especially with the addition of a prologue that illustrates one of Vidal's missing scenes created by noted graphic artist Dave McKean. Nearly 100 hours of footage was discovered by the film's dedicated reconstructionist, Thomas Negovan. It showcases underrated performances from the film’s cast and fully realizes McDowell's complex, charismatic Caligula. McDowell himself has recently stated he is happy to have his full performance in the film finally available. The new edition also resurrects eventual Oscar winner Mirren's more layered character arc, which now cements the film's final hour.

All in all, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut adds about 30 minutes to the original, unedited version's run time of 2 ½ hours. It retains much of the graphic sex and violence of the prior edition while eliminating its more "ejaculatory" moments. Thankfully, there is even more gay/poly content in the new version, which would no doubt please the outspokenly gay Vidal. Danilo Donati's minimalist costumes but extravagant sets are even more stunning in 4K.

Alas, the continuing deficit to Caligula in its various iterations is that the title character remains almost inexcusably evil. While The Ultimate Cut provides a bit more backstory in its first 30 minutes as to why Caligula turns out the way he does, he remains blissfully unrepentant in the end. But, for all its excesses, perhaps that's why this woebegone epic remains resonant today. What are Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Maduro and Xi Jinping but modern-day Caligulas, eager to retain power no matter what the human cost?

Upon a recent re-viewing, Reverend was struck by how Francis Ford Coppola's 1986 fantasy Peggy Sue Got Married has grown in thematic significance. The film was conceived and/or perceived as the antithesis to 1985's Steven Spielberg-produced Back to the Future. Coppola's take on time travel —thoughtfully scripted by Jerry Leichtling and Arlene Sarner — was more feminist, more philosophical, less dependent on visual effects and, ultimately, more divisive than its blockbuster predecessor.

An Oscar-nominated, then-superstar Kathleen Turner headlines as the titular character, who finds herself mysteriously transported from middle-age to her senior year of high school 30 years earlier. She is subsequently presented with the unique opportunity to re-evaluate her life choices, including her troubled marriage to high-school sweetheart Charlie (an oft-criticized but endurably offbeat performance by Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage). In addition to Cage, Helen Hunt, Joan Allen, Catherine Hicks, and some guy named Jim Carrey make significant early-career appearances in the film. Veteran actors Barbara Harris, Leon Ames, Maureen O'Sullivan and John Carradine are also on hand.

Perhaps because I'm celebrating my 57th birthday but remembering when I first watched Peggy Sue Got Married at the theater in which I served as an assistant manager back in 1986, the movie was even more resonant this time around. I also became unexpectedly emotional with the appearances of Peggy Sue's mother and maternal grandmother in the film, since my own mother and maternal grandmother have both passed away in more recent years.

Coppola helmed this more cost-efficient production following his big-budget flops One From the Heart and The Cotton Club. I dare say it is one of his very best films, right up there after The Godfathers and Apocalypse Now. It has even gotten better with age. You owe it to yourself to watch or re-watch Peggy Sue Got Married asap.

Reverend's Ratings:
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut- B-
Peggy Sue Got Married- A-

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Oscars, 2019: America, America

Franky and Jimmy

Movie Dearest wraps up 2019 in Film with a new review round-up of this year's Oscar nominees, all set in the good ol' U.S. of A.:

The Irishman (now streaming on Netflix):
A Martin Scorsese epic gangster biopic starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci? No, this is no Goodfellas, but an epically overlong slog through the violent life of labor racketeer/"house painter" (mob-speak for hit-man) Frank Sheeran. The use of digital technology to "de-age" its stars through the years mostly works, and likely looks better on the home screen where most will probably watch it as an unofficial "mini-series". Despite crackerjack performances from Pesci and Al Pacino (in his least "Al Pacino-y" performance in a while) as ill-fated Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, The Irishman is never as Good as the fellas. (6/10)

American Factory (now streaming on Netflix):
A sequel of sorts to directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert's other Oscar nominated doc, the 2009 short The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, this first film from the Obama's Higher Ground Productions focuses on that same Ohio plant after it is bought by a Chinese billionaire and converted into a glass factory, staffed by both American and Chinese workers. The "fly-on-the-wall" style candidly captures the varied culture clashes and setbacks between the local working class and their Asian co-workers, bringing into sharp relief the fact that the metaphorical chasm that separates the East from the West is still as vast as ever. (7/10)

Breakthrough (now streaming on HBO):
This amazingly true story — about a St. Louis teenager who, through his mother's unwavering faith, miraculously survives a plunge into an icy lake — was pretty much ignored until its Oscar nod for yet another Diane Warren end credit ballad. Don't let its "Christian drama" designation cloud your judgement though, as its refreshingly even-handed with its religious overtones, plus it features a surprising host of (mostly TV) talent in its cast, including This Is Us' Chrissy Metz and, as a skinny jeans-wearing "hip" pastor, Topher Grace. Although its "inspirational" plot is awfully familiar, this marks a solid feature debut for director Roxann Dawson (of Star Trek: Voyager fame). (6/10)

Ford v Ferrari (available on Blu-ray and DVD February 11):
Matt Damon and Christian Bale (actually using his own accent) headline this crowd-pleasing dramatization of the public feud between the two automotive super-powers of its title that came to a head at the '24 Hours of Le Mans' endurance race in 1966. On the surface this may seem like the butchest movie ever, a period Fast and the Furious, but director James Mangold and his stars (along with some standout supporting turns from Tracy Letts as a blustering Henry Ford II and Jon Bernthal as a shockingly sexy young Lee Iacocca) ground it; it's more "average Joe against the system" than "us (as in U.S.) against them". Naturally, kinetic racing footage abounds. (7/10)

Richard Jewell (coming soon to Blu-ray and DVD):
Clint Eastwood continues his unofficial series of "American hero" biopics (see also American Sniper, Sully, etc.) with the story of the security guard who discovered a bomb during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The hailing of the hero is short-lived though when the press reports that the FBI fingered him as the prime suspect; cue the media circus. It's almost laughable how broadly Eastwood paints his antagonists; fed Jon Hamm might as well be twirling an oily mustache, and Olivia Wilde's femme fatale journalist is just plain embarrassing. The film is saved by a truly outstanding performance from Paul Walter Hauser as the wrongly accused Jewell. (6/10)

Bombshell (in theaters now):
Retelling the events that led up to the ouster of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes after his sexual harassment of newscasters Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson and others came to light, this docudrama hits the screen just three years after the events it depicts, yet it feels oddly dated in this post-"#MeToo" age. Much has been made about the cast's transformations into the real people they portray but I found Charlize Theron's distinctly deeper voice as Kelly, Nicole Kidman's prosthetic chin as Carlson and pretty much everything they stuck on John Lithgow as Ailes distracting and counterproductive to telling a story that boils down to "appearance shouldn't define you". (6/10)

Reviews by Kirby Holt, Movie Dearest creator, editor and head writer.

Oscars, 2019: Where To Watch

 

The nominations for the 92nd Oscars were announced yesterday, and when looking over the list you realize that you've got a lot of catching up to do before the big night. But where can you see all of the nominated movies? Sure, some are still in theaters, but why go out when you can just settle in for the night in front of your TV and binge watch all the nominees?

 

Movie Dearest shows you how:

Now available on Blu-ray and DVD - click on link to purchase from Amazon:

Ad Astra  ⧫  Joker  ⧫  Judy  ⧫  The Lighthouse

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil  ⧫  Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood  ⧫  Rocketman

Coming soon to Blu-ray and DVD - click on link to pre-order from Amazon:

Pain and Glory - January 21  ⧫  Harriet, Parasite - January 28
Ford v Ferrari - February 11  ⧫  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - February 18
Knives Out - estimated February release
Bombshell, Little Women, Richard Jewell,
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - estimated March release
1917 - estimated April release

Now streaming with subscription:
For Sama, Les Misérables (availability TBA) - Amazon Prime
Breakthrough - HBO

American Factory, The Edge of Democracy, I Lost My Body, The Irishman,

Klaus, Life Overtakes Me, Marriage Story, The Two Popes - Netflix

Avengers: Endgame, Kitbull, The Lion King (available January 28),
Toy Story 4 (available February 5) - Disney+

Honeyland, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Missing Link - Hulu

Amazon Video - click on link to purchase on Amazon Video:

The Cave - available for purchase now

Jojo Rabbit - available for purchase February 4

Frozen II - available for purchase February 11

Available online:

Hair Love, In the Absence, Sister - YouTube

Brotherhood, Nefta Football Club, The Neighbors’ Window - Vimeo

Walk Run Cha-Cha - The New York Times

Dearest Reviews: Bad Boys

Up for review: the latest adventures of a pansexual mutant superhero and the scandalous escapades of a bisexual Hollywood pimp.....

Deadpool 2:
What made the original Deadpool so entertaining was that it not only tweaked the nose of every cinematic superhero convention in the book, it was also surprisingly softhearted. The sequel is back with, smartly, more of the same, although the strain of keeping that snark-to-sweet balance shows more and more despite the efforts of Ryan Reynolds and his (on- and off-screen) partners in crime (now including Josh Brolin as Cable, his second Marvel villain role of the year, and Ricky Baker himself, Julian Dennison, as a hot-headed orphan with a revenge streak). While the action becomes ever-increasingly over-the-top (at one point, our hero is literally ripped in half), most of the jokes lean heavy into Reynold's (by now overly-) familiar "ain't I a naughty boy" shtick, which, let's face it, is growing old with the star now in his 40s.
(6/10) Now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood:
Meet Scotty Bowers, former Marine and WWII vet who found his fame and fortune in post-war Hollywood as a service station attendant on Hollywood Boulevard not by pumping gas but by pumping... movie stars. A fateful meeting with Mr. Miniver himself, Walter Pidgeon, led our hero Scotty to becoming a very successful procurer (as well as practitioner) of male and/or female companionship for all sorts of Tinseltown elite, mostly of the closeted variety. Be prepared for shocking revelations about the secret sex lives of everyone from Hepburn & Tracy to none other than the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (for whom Scotty reportedly set up bisexual orgies for on a regular basis). It's all very sordid and at times crass (I admit to flinching when he offhandedly states that he "fucked Bette Davis"), and one can't help but question the veracity of such an abundance of sexual shenanigans, even when  the likes of Gore Vidal have backed him up.

Somewhere, under the rainbow

The bulk of the film, however, is devoted to recent interviews with Scotty himself, now a 95-year-old hoarder married to a woman who is still, even after the publication of his memoirs, "Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars", largely in the dark about the bulk of her husband's past (to be fair, she doesn't want to know... do you blame her?). Gay actor Stephen Fry is among the scant collection of talking heads, on hand to offer some historical context of the time when being gay could ruin careers, sprinkled among scenes of Scotty visiting his former "staff" and picking up old toilets off the side of the road. Director Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor) touches on themes of "faded glory in La La Land" but never quite develops them, and frankly, with at title like Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, one would expect far more of the latter than we end up with.
(6/10) Available on DVD November 6th.

Reviews by Kirby Holt, Movie Dearest creator, editor and head writer.

Reverend’s Reviews: Men & the Men Who Love Them

Things aren’t always black and white when it comes to men loving other men. As a result, there is a growing subgenre of short and feature films that may be marketed primarily to gay viewers but hold appeal for bisexual, bi-curious and predominantly heterosexual guys as well. Here are my takes on a few new home video releases in this vein.

The aptly titled Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 3 will be out February 25th on DVD courtesy of Ariztical Entertainment. Somehow, the first two volumes in this compilation series passed me by but may be familiar to some readers. Five short films are featured in this new edition, several of them hits from the 2013 gay film festival circuit. Quarters, directed by Jorge Ameer (who also compiled and "presents" the DVD), is a heartfelt story in which a groom's best man confesses his longtime love for his buddy the night before the wedding. Meanwhile, Henry Alberto's Rubber Duckie is a strange episode set in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world. Two male survivors spend aimless days clad in their underwear, with the more straight-seeming and dominant of the two playing increasingly sexual games of one-upmanship with the other. Its finale struck me as distasteful, but desperate times may indeed lead to such extreme measures.

Boy Game, from Sweden, depicts two teens struggling with the perennial question of how best to have sex with a girl. In their search for answers, they decide to practice on each other. Its a little rough around the edges in terms of filmmaking technique but this also helps to heighten the tale's authenticity. The most controversial short in the lot is Early One Summer, by British director Gary Thomas. A high school tennis coach, married to a woman, grows close to one of his male students. They go on a camping trip together during which their feelings for one another become romantic and sexual. At only 10 minutes, Thomas really doesn't have enough time to develop his story fully and the ending is too abrupt. However, it could be developed into a longer, more nuanced short or feature.

The best inclusion in Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 3 is Hong Kong's From Here to There. Director Yee Lam Wong apparently made this short as his thesis at, surprisingly, a Baptist university! It is a nicely shot, well-acted look at the years-later reunion of two men who were lovers while in high school together. The film will resonate with any of us who had feelings for our straight, adolescent best friend. All in all (with the possible exception of Rubber Duckie) this collection demands checking out.

The Passenger, now available from TLA Releasing, is the latest feature by German filmmaker Tor Iben. It follows Iben's 2011 The Visitor (a.k.a. Cibrail), in which a man unexpectedly falls for his girlfriend's gay cousin. With The Passenger, Iben takes a decidedly dark turn as he focuses on an attractive sociopath, Nick (played by Ryan Gosling doppelganger Niklas Peters, who also sports a nice tanline). Nick enjoys sexually manipulating women and men until he kills them. His latest, unfortunate quarry are an aspiring actress, Lilli (Lynne Femme), and her photographer roommate Philipp (Urs Stampfli). Philipp claims to be straight although he exclusively shoots male subjects, and he and Nick quickly establish a bromance. Whether one enjoys this film will largely depend on one's enjoyment of Nick's teasing, cat and mouse game with his new friends, but it takes nice advantage of its Berlin setting and is unquestionably well-acted and well-made.

For my money, the current expert at making initially bromantic movies that develop into something more is Argentinian writer-director Marco Berger. His previous, very good features Absent and Plan B as well as the short story compilation Sexual Tension: Volatile serve as strong evidence of this. Berger's latest, Hawaii, will be released on DVD February 18th by newbie distributor Canteen Outlaws. Plan B alum Manuel Vignau stars as Eugenio, a lonely writer housesitting for his aunt and uncle. A childhood friend, Martin (Mateo Chiarino, blessed with expressive eyes and nice hindquarters), re-enters Eugenio's life one day looking for work. It isn't long before the sexual tension starts bubbling between them and Eugenio takes in his homeless friend.

Hawaii is chock full of Berger's signature smoldering looks, crotch shots (mostly clothed) and seemingly non-sexual physical intimacy. Unfortunately, its all dragged out a little too long here at 105 minutes. The final 10 or so minutes, when the film's enigmatic title finally makes sense, are great though and the long-awaited romantic payoff is nice. Pedro Irusta's classical-infused music score is also worth listening to.

I do wish mainstream movies would take more risks in this men-loving-men regard, especially since it seems increasingly common in our society at large. Maybe Michael Keaton's character could at least have the semi-hots for Joel Kinnaman's cyborg hero in the new RoboCop!

Reverend’s Ratings:
Straight Men & the Men Who Love Them 3: B
The Passenger: B-
Hawaii: B

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reverend’s Reviews: You Are What You Eat

Fans of the stage musical La Cage aux Folles (and who isn’t?) surely recall its fabulous opening number, “We Are What We Are.” But be warned that there are no drag queens or musical numbers to be found in the new religion-tinged horror film We Are What We Are, now playing in Los Angeles and New York City, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth seeing by adventurous moviegoers with strong stomachs.

An English-language remake of the 2010 Mexican thriller Somos Lo Que Hay, it focuses on a normal-to-all-practical-appearances family whose members just happen to be cannibals. Having lived undetected for generations in rural upstate New York, patriarch Frank Parker (Bill Sage of Precious, Boardwalk Empire and numerous Hal Hartley films), his two teenaged daughters and 5-year old son find themselves stricken by their wife and mother’s sudden death during a fierce storm. Her loss is all the more significant because it occurs on the eve of Lamb’s Day, the family’s annual weekend-long ritual that involves fasting, capturing a young woman and turning her into a climactic, celebratory stew in honor of a centuries-old survival story.

Daughters Iris (Ambyr Childers, recently seen in Gangster Squad and The Master) and Rose (ethereal up and comer Julia Garner) are increasingly and, for viewers, comfortingly troubled by their family tradition. As the eldest, Iris is assigned by Dad to prepare the Lamb’s Day meal. She and the allied Rose are reluctant to voice their resistance given their father’s fragile emotional state, yet resistant to killing the woman Frank has chained in their basement. Meanwhile, the town doctor is growing suspicious of the family after receiving Mrs. Parker’s autopsy report, which indicates unusual, cannibalism-related maladies. It doesn’t help the Parkers that the doctor’s daughter mysteriously went missing a year earlier.

Lesbian actress Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, Witness) appears as an increasingly nosy neighbor who also seems to have a romantic interest in newly widowed Frank. Let’s just say she shouldn’t get her hopes up. The adapted screenplay by Jim Mickle, who also directs, and Nick Damici (the pair previously collaborated on the very good apocalyptic vampire saga Stake Land) plays out as more of a domestic drama or police procedural than a full-blown horror movie, and this is to their credit. (I haven’t seen the Mexican version so can’t say how the two films compare.) In true horror movie tradition, some of the smartest characters in We Are What We Are (notably the doctor) do stupid things just when they shouldn’t be letting their guard down. This is a fairly minor criticism though given the otherwise mature, non-sensationalistic and even at times compassionate tenor of the film.

Also worth noting, especially from my professional religious perspective, is the historically and liturgically accurate notion that some actions or rituals considered sacred hundreds of years later are often derived from mundane, even profane origins. Some examples of this in Catholic tradition are when the priest adds water to the wine prior to consecration, which originally was done to make wine more palatable but today represents the mingling of humanity and divinity, and the solemn washing of believers’ feet in imitation of Christ’s humble but fairly simple act recounted in Scripture.

Gore hounds may be disappointed by the relative lack of graphic bloodletting for the majority of We Are What We Are’s running time but they will be rewarded in the final ten minutes, an over-the-top yet appropriate climax to this unusually thoughtful, well-done horror tale.

Also opening this Friday in select cities is the best gay-themed film I’ve yet seen this year, Out in the Dark. You can read my previous review of Michael Mayer’s award-winning, politically-complicated romance between a Palestinian student and an Israeli lawyer here. It will also be released on DVDon October 29th. Whether viewed in a theater or at home, it should not be missed.

Reverend’s Ratings:
We Are What We Are: B+
Out in the Dark: A-

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Monthly Wallpaper - June 2012: Queer Cinema

In celebration of Gay Pride month, Movie Dearest once again offers up a special calendar wallpaper for June paying tribute to some of the best in queer cinema.

The 2012 edition features such classic faves as Victor/Victoria, Ma Vie en Rose and In & Out alongside more recent Dearie Award-winners as The Kids Are All Right and Weekend (available August 21 on DVD and Blu-rayfrom the Criterion Collection).

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

Reverend's Interview: Charlie David's Kiss

Actor-writer Charlie David is well known to gay audiences thanks to his steamy turn as Toby on Dante's Cove as well as the movies A Four Letter Word and Mulligans (based on his novel). His latest feature, Judas Kiss, will be having its Southern California premiere on September 16 as the opening night selection of the Long Beach Q Film Festival. It will also be released on DVD October 25. David plays Zachary Wells, a successful, egotistical filmmaker who unexpectedly undergoes an intriguing journey both backward and forward in time during a visit to his film school alma mater. The 31-year-old star, who lives in Canada when he isn't traveling the world, recently chatted with me via e-mail in advance of his new project's Los Angeles-area debut.

REV: Judas Kiss is quite different from and more intellectual than most gay themed movies out there. What did you think when you first heard about the project or read the screenplay?

CD: I was intrigued with the idea of getting a second chance at life. I was going through a period of reflection living in South Africa for six months last year and asking myself questions about where I wanted to go next in my life, career and relationships. The characters in Judas Kiss go through similar reflections and so the screenplay certainly resonated with me.

REV: How did you approach your character in Judas Kiss and his rather unique dilemma? How is this character different from others you have played?

CD: I most often play the good guy and although the role of Zachary Wells is not necessarily the antagonist he’s certainly a manipulative guy. I think an actor can get lost in trying to create a character and so I always try to keep story as king. When everyone on the cast and crew is focused on telling the story in the best possible way, all the pieces come together naturally. I’ve never had a substance abuse problem, never had the misfortune of sexual abuse but was able to find other elements of desperation within my own psyche that allowed me to understand the role and hopefully do it justice.

REV: What has been the response of audiences at screenings so far?

CD: The audiences have overall been surprised by the film, I think. It’s definitely a different genre, a different kind of story than what we often see in LGBT film. I think that’s the best part of the film; it’s likely not what you would expect and our team is proud to be offering something unique.

REV: You've already had a pretty lengthy career in film, TV and music for a young performer. What originally led you into the performing arts?

CD: I’ve just always loved being a storyteller and when asked what I ‘do’ in life that’s the answer I give. I love sharing stories – in my writing, acting, hosting, producing, directing – it’s all the same passion with different mediums and means. I started young and spent a lot of my youth on tour buses doing musicals, then got into a band in Vegas and spent my late teens and early 20's opening for artists like Pink, Destiny’s Child, Sisqo, Rick Springfield and Snoop Dogg. I always wanted to work in film and television, though, and when those opportunities came calling I jumped at the chance. I definitely work hard; I have a lot of fun but I’m always looking forward to create opportunity. When my calendar isn’t booked at least six months in advance I have minor meltdowns until it fills up a year in advance. Then I can breathe again.

REV: You are also a published author. How do you keep all your projects and interests in balance? Are you currently partnered or in a relationship?

CD: I love writing, it’s so cathartic for me. I work out in fiction fantasies and fixations from my real life. This year I released my third book, Shadowlands in paperback, eBook and audio book. I loved the audio book experience so much I’ve started recording other authors’ work for a few publishing houses. I’m an avid reader already, so doing the recording seemed like a natural fit. Sometimes my life does seem to get a little out of control, and then I simply take a break, go do some yoga or go to the gym and come back. Even though at any given time there may be a dozen projects in various stages of creation, production or distribution, there are always both hectic and slow periods of each process. That natural ebb and flow helps keep my life in balance. I actively date and treasure the guys in my life. It may not be traditional but then again neither am I. I love the one I’m with, as the song goes, and am open and honest about that.

REV: What are you working on now, or what projects would you like to develop in the future?

CD: We are going into production on season six of (the LGBT travel series) Bump at the end of summer, which will have me globe trotting until the end of March 2012. We’ve got some great destinations this year: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany and Tahiti, to name a few! On the weeks of hiatus from the show I’m shooting a pilot for a new fashion TV show I’ll host in Toronto. I’m also excited to direct for the first time this fall. It’s a one-hour documentary for Logo on youth who are HIV positive, with subjects in different North American cities. Last year, we produced three films and they are all coming out on DVD this fall: Judas Kiss, 2 Frogs in the West and Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride. Outside of work, I’m becoming addicted to yoga, learning French, looking at the stars on a blanket in my backyard and marveling at this miraculous journey on planet Earth.

To learn more, visit Charlie's official website.
Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Reverend's Reviews: Fall Into New Releases

Summer is over and young people are back to school. A flurry of new GLBT-interest movies on home video this month, though, offers tantalizing viewing options for the fall. First out of the gate on September 1st is Finding Mr. Wright, from Nandar Entertainment. It stars the always amusing Rebekah Kochan (best known for the Eating Out series) as well as one of our favorite out actors, Matthew Montgomery, in a contemporary screwball comedy involving Hollywood politics and gay romance. Montgomery reveals an endearing, previously unseen funny side, and comedian Jason Stuart is thrown in for good measure.

On September 13th, the 2010 festival hit Leading Ladies will make its DVD debut courtesy of Wolfe Video. While it primarily puts a lesbian spin on the 1992 Australian film Strictly Ballroom, the plot also features an overtly gay character played by cute Benji Schwimmer, season 2 winner of TV's So You Think You Can Dance. Schwimmer isn't the only connection between that series and this movie; the show's choreographer, Melanie LaPatin, staged the dances in Leading Ladies and stars as the overbearing mother of two sisters groomed for ballroom competition stardom. When one of her daughters becomes pregnant and the other falls in love with another female dancer, Mom is less than pleased.

Leading Ladies suffers initially from some forced performances and dialogue but both improve as the film moves along. There are some great dance numbers, notably one between Schwimmer and a hunky suitor and another set amongst the aisles of a grocery store, and fine photography by Peter Biagi throughout. The moral of the story -- "Let love lead" -- becomes clear early on and serves as important guidance through the difficult choices the main characters have to make.

A more unusual, less polished but very effective glimpse into love and its challenges is provided by Open. The first American film ever to win the Berlin Film Festival's prestigious "Teddy" Jury Prize, it is set for a September 20th release on DVD and streaming video by Ariztical Entertainment. A striking feature film debut (despite some amateurish performances) by writer-director Jake Yuzna, Open focuses on the travails of two atypical couples. One pair is comprised of hermaphroditic individuals given to frequent cosmetic surgery in their effort to be as similar in appearance as possible. As one observer notes of them, "They truly feel they are one entity, and they want their bodies to reflect that." When one has to travel, an androgynous acquaintance threatens to come between them.

The other couple features a young man who falls in love with a female-to-male transgender person. As they work to define their relationship and sexual interactions, the trans partner's troubled past provides challenges. When the trans character unexpectedly becomes pregnant, a whole new set of questions emerges. Open is a unique and engrossing exploration of the ever-increasing diversity in human relationships.

Finally, IFC Midnight is unveiling the provocative Autoerotic in September via Video on Demand (VOD). While there isn't much GLBT content in this anthology of four stories that expose some of the more secretive aspects of sexuality, the best segment is about a very pregnant married woman who accepts another woman's offer to help her achieve orgasm, something her loving husband hasn't been able to provide in the latter months of her pregnancy. It is simultaneously funny and erotic, mainly because it is told with considerable honesty. Both lesbian and straight women should thoroughly enjoy it.

Reverend's Ratings:
Finding Mr. Wright: B-
Leading Ladies: B
Open: B+
Autoerotic: C+

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Reverend's Preview: Disney's D23 Expo Returns to Anaheim

D23 serves as the official club for die-hard fans of all things Disney. While a bit pricey to join, D23 certainly isn’t as exclusive as Disneyland’s fabled Club 33, which reportedly has a decade-long waiting list to get in. For those unaware, the “D” in D23 stands for Disney, naturally, and “23” is a shortened form of 1923, the year Walt Disney Studios was founded in Hollywood.

The bi-annual D23 Expo, which will take place August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, will once again provide a unique opportunity for non-members to savor the history and magic behind Disney’s greatest creations. Billed as “the ultimate Disney fan experience,” the first D23 Expo was held in September of 2009. The event was well attended if on a slightly smaller scale than some expected, and featured live appearances from the likes of Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage.

I personally enjoyed several of the behind-the-scenes workshops offered and the fabulous “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” exhibit. Showcasing 80+ years of Disney history, it featured amazing props such as the Nautilus submarine model from the Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as well as costumes worn in Mary Poppins, Babes in Toyland, Tron, The Rocketeer and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. This year’s exhibit space will be twice as large as 2009 and includes Walt Disney’s personal limousine, among other new items.

Walt Disney Studios has experienced both hits and misses during the past two years. While their live-action, Tim Burton-directed version of Alice in Wonderland was a colossal global hit, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the expensive Tron: Legacy foundered. Toy Story 3 and Tangled delighted both critics and moviegoers, but The Princess and the Frog and Cars 2 weren’t as successful. Still, the Disney legacy endures among both GLBT and mainstream devotees.

A highlight of each D23 Expo is the Disney Legends ceremony, which will be held the morning of August 19. This year’s honorees will be the late Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets; Regis Philbin; Guy Williams, who stirred many a young gay man’s heart in the 1950’s-60’s as Zorro as well as star of the non-Disney TV series Lost in Space; and “Disney Princess” voice actresses Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), Paige O’Hara (Beauty and the Beast), Lea Salonga (Aladdin and Mulan) and Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog). Past recipients include Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Annette Funicello, Robin Williams and Angela Lansbury, as well as out composers Elton John (The Lion King) and the late Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast).

Special sneak peeks will be provided of upcoming Disney productions such as this November’s The Muppets, the beloved characters’ first big-screen outing since 1996, and next summer’s animated adventure Brave. There will also be a special screening of 1994’s The Lion King in 3D for the first time prior to its release on Blu-ray this fall.

Each D23 Expo is partly devoted to celebrations of Disney films celebrating significant anniversaries. This year’s roster includes Dumbo (70 years old), the animated Alice in Wonderland (60 years), 101 Dalmatians (50 years) and Beauty and the Beast (20 years). Attendees are encouraged to dress in costume as their favorite Disney characters throughout the weekend.

Tickets are required for admission to the D23 Expo, and may be purchased in advance by visiting the D23 website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Reverend's Reviews: Sexually-Charged New Releases on DVD

Just when summer couldn't get much hotter, both men and women have provocative movies guaranteed to raise their temperatures out on DVD this month. For the ladies (and for men interested in good international cinema), Argentina's celebrated The Fish Child (El Niño Pez) is now available from Wolfe Video. The film, named after a traditional Guarani folk tale that figures in the plot, was an official selection at 2010's Outfest, Frameline, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals.

The romance between Lala (Inés Efron) and Guayi (Mariela Vitale Emme) has been forbidden by Lala's father, not only because Guayi is the family's maid and thus from a lower class but because both of them are women. Having essentially spent their adolescence together, Lala and Guayi are only feeling their love become more intense. Matters aren't helped when Lala is jailed for a crime in which she played part several years before. Guayi launches a risky plan to rescue Lala and take down a drug kingpin who has his eye set on Lala. Things come to a head in a violent, climactic showdown.

The Fish Child is very well acted and beautifully shot, especially during some dreamy underwater scenes. The film was made by Lucia Puenzo, who previously did the striking XXY about the plight of an intersex teenager. Her style is very observational and some may find it slow-moving, not unlike a Terrence Malick movie (The Thin Red Line, the current The Tree of Life). Also, Guayi comes across as unhealthily obsessive at times but it's all in the name of love and devotion.

Meanwhile, Blackmail Boys spins a cinematic web of young gay love, prostitution, religious hypocrisy and, yes, blackmail. The DVD will be released August 30 by TLA Releasing. It is written and directed by Bernard and Richard Shumanski, talented brothers who also made the similarly edgy, gay-themed 2009 movie Wrecked.

Sam (played by Nathan Adloff) and Aaron (Taylor Reed) have been boyfriends since they met during college four years prior. Sam has more recently moved to Chicago to attend art school but the men's relationship has continued long-distance. Art school, however, is expensive and Sam's parents have cut him off due to his homosexuality. Unable to find a job that will pay him enough for housing and tuition, Sam has turned to prostitution as what turns out to be a lucrative option.

While Sam has told Aaron about his temporary vocation, Aaron doesn't realize how uncomfortable he feels about it until he visits Sam one weekend. The situation is initially made more difficult when Aaron spies on Sam with one of his high-paying clients and recognizes the john as a fundamentalist Christian, rabidly anti-gay author/radio talk show host. When Aaron informs Sam of this, the boys hit upon the idea of blackmailing the homophobe as a means of financing Sam's education. Things don't quite go according to plan.

Blackmail Boys is obviously low-budget and the filmmaking technique is crude in spots. Adloff and Reed aren't the most professional actors but there is a nice, natural look to them and their relationship. They also display abundant nudity and sex in this relatively brief (67 minutes) movie. Most surprising, though is the participation of indie actor-director Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs, the upcoming Autoerotic). He gives a great, fully-committed performance as Sam's hypocritical (not to mention married) Christian client. Not only does Swanberg nail the inner conflict and self-loathing that many such men experience, but he is depicted in graphically sexual scenes with Sam that couldn't have been faked, as well as masturbating on camera.

There are several twists as well as some humor and social commentary in the script, and I appreciated it's unexpected ending. If you're in the mood for a sexy if imperfect morality tale that might make you question your assumptions, buy or rent Blackmail Boys today.

Reverend's Ratings:
The Fish Child: B
Blackmail Boys: B-

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.