Toon Talk: Lions Share

On the heels of its record-making 3D theatrical re-release (which cemented its box office standing as the most successful traditional animated movie of all time), The Lion King roars back on to home video this week with its high definition debut on Disney Blu-ray. The Academy Award-winning King, along with another Disney “jewel-in-the-crown” Beauty and the Beast, also makes its 3D Blu-raythis week. And joining them for the first time on DVD shelves is the Disney Blu-ray and DVDpremieres of Disney Nature’s latest “true life adventure” documentary African Cats. Talk about “lions and cheetahs and beasts, oh my...!"

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of The Lion King: Diamond Edition Blu-ray at LaughingPlace.com.

Reverend's Reviews: Tricks & Treats on DVD

'Tis the season for all things creepy and costumed, and several gay-geared home video releases this month are hoping to cash in. Only one of them is a true horror movie, though, and it disappointingly turns out to be the weakest of the bunch.

Unhappy Birthday, out October 25 from Wolfe Video, draws inspiration from such classic chillers as The Wicker Man (the 1973 original, not the dreadful Nicolas Cage remake) and Children of the Corn but adds a gay twist. Rick (David Paisley) and Jonny (Jonathan Keane) are secret lovers who decide to surprise their girlfriend, Sadie (Christina DeVallee), with a birthday getaway to the mysterious isle of Amen. Separated from the mainland at night by the high tide, the town's inhabitants are gradually revealed to have nefarious plans for their three visitors.

Written and directed by Mark Harriett and Mike Matthews, Unhappy Birthday is stylishly shot and features nice chemistry between Paisley and Keane. Unfortunately, anyone who has seen The Wicker Man or other movies in this genre will find the plot predictable, and the bloody make-up effects look fake. Better to rent a horror classic such as The Exorcist if you want to get truly spooked this Halloween.

Meanwhile, Breaking Glass Pictures' QC Cinema is bringing out two new releases in which "tricks" play a central role. The Cost of Love(now available) is a British drama focusing on a successful hustler, Dale (Christopher Kelham), who finds himself in crisis as both his 30th birthday and his best friend's wedding draw near. Although he is able to confide in and receive support from his drag performer friend Sean (Michael Joyce, who sadly passed away shortly after filming this), Dale is drawn to increasingly dangerous sex scenes in a misguided effort to deal with his conflicted feelings. It is an engrossing, often sexy -- though occasionally disturbing -- character study.

The label's other new DVD is Rent Boys, a well-made German documentary (available today) about hustler culture past and present as situated at West Berlin's Bahnhof Zoo train station. Both frank and sympathetic, it offers considerable insight into the motivations, struggles and relationships between young male prostitutes and the men who love (or at least employ) them.

Also available today on DVD and Blu-ray is the one undisputed "treat" among this month's new releases. Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On(Image Entertainment) is the Emmy-nominated record of the brassy singer-comedian's Vegas show, which ran for nearly three years. "These are such strange and polarizing times," Midler declares to her audience at the start, "but at least we all agree on one thing: We love me!"

Midler sings her greatest hits, acknowledges her gay fans and leads her backup performers, the Staggering Harlettes and the Caesar Salad Girls, in extravagant production numbers. With a reported budget of $10 million, there is also no shortage of lavish costumes in the show. And what says "Halloween" better than that?

Reverend's Ratings:
Unhappy Birthday: C-
The Cost of Love: B-
Rent Boys: B
Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On: B+

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

Off the Shelf: Grease: Music on Film

Whether you're a T-Bird or a Pink Lady, the latest edition of Limelight Editions' Music on Film book series spotlighting the ultimate 50's musical Grease is the word. This compact tome, written by Stephen Tropiano (author of Music on Film: Cabaret and The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on Television) packs a whole lot of facts and trivia on the making of the #1 movie musical of all time into its 128 pages.

For example, did you know the Grease movie was almost an animated one directed by Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat)? Or that original casting ideas included Elvis as Danny, Ann-Margret as Sandy and Lucie Arnaz as Rizzo? Or that the film's famed Rydell High was actually three separate Los Angeles-area high school locations?  Or how infamous porn star Harry Reems came this close to playing the school's athletics coach?

A quick read, Grease: Music on Film also delves into the creation of the original stage musical, through its three Broadway productions all the way up to its recent Chicago revival that returned to the show's raunchier, R-rated roots. In addition to insights from Grease creators Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, quotes and anecdotes from the filmmakers -- including infamous producer Allan Carr, first-time feature director Randal Kleiser and members of the cast -- are also featured.

Beyond the stage and screen Greases, the book also covers its less-than-successful (but still beloved in certain circles) sequel Grease 2 as well as its presence on television, like the You're the One That I Want reality competition series that cast its last New York revival. I particularly got a kick out of the list of promotional tie-ins, like the "Grease Hustle", that were attempted around the time of the film's 1978 premiere.  Alas, they didn't include some of the various merchandise, such as the Grease Barbie line,that have sprung up over the past 30+ years.

Although scant on pictures, Grease: Music on Film will definitely be the "one that you want" for every Grease fan. Click hereto purchase the book from Amazon.com.

Monthly Wallpaper - October 2011: Werewolves

The full moon is on the rise this October as the Movie Dearest Calendar Wallpaper for the month salutes our favorite movie Werewolves.

From Lon Chaney Jr. to Benicio Del Toro, Michael Landon to Jack Nicholson, Teen Wolf to Twilight's wolf pack, the lycanthropes are on the ramapage this month as we count down the days to Halloween.

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.