"Power" is Top "Dog" at 13th Annual Dorian Film Awards

And the 2021 Dorian Film Awards Go To...

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Film

Best Director: Jane Campion

Best Screenplay: Jane Campion

 

FLEE

Best LGBT Film

 Best Documentary

Best LGBT Documentary

Best Animated Film

 

DRIVE MY CAR

Best Non-English Language Film

 

 PASSING

Best Unsung Film

 

SPENCER

Best Film Performance: Kristen Stewart

 

WEST SIDE STORY

Best Supporting Film Performance: Ariana DeBose

 

DUNE

Most Visually Striking Film

 

TICK, TICK... BOOM!

Best Film Music

HOUSE OF GUCCI

Campiest Flick

WILDE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD and

FILM TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Pedro Almodóvar

 

"WE'RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!" RISING STAR AWARD

Ariana DeBose

 

 TIMELESS STAR AWARD

Rita Moreno

 

Presented by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, the 13th Annual Dorian Awards honor the year's best in film. GALECA is comprised of over 200 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally entertainment journalists in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, including myself and Movie Dearest contributor Chris Carpenter.

Congratulations to all of this year's winners!

 

Short Cuts 2022, Part 2: Oscar's Live Action Short Film Nominees

For the 17th year, ShortsTV presents this year's Academy Award nominated animated, live action and documentary short films at a theater near you (watch the trailer here). In the second of three parts, Movie Dearest takes a look at this year's five nominees for Best Live Action Short Film.

This year's international slate includes several previous nominees and even a couple of winners. Trauma, largely to the disenfranchised, is the unifying theme of these five shorts, with the first three in particular featuring intense, disturbing imagery, so be forewarned.

And the nominees are...

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, Maria Brendle & Nadine Lüchinger (Switzerland, 38 min.), trailer.

The title refers to the practice of "bride kidnapping" that still takes place in Kyrgyzstan today. When Sezim defies her rural family and moves to the capitol city of Bishkek, she falls victim to this barbaric act and struggles to escape her enslavement by a man she doesn't even know. Truly an important subject to shed light on, but unfortunately the film undercuts its urgency by squeezing the entire narrative into the short form format.

Oscar Connection: 1932 (90 years ago!) was the first year Oscars were awarded to short films, and one of those first winners was Hal Roach, of Swiss decent like the nominees here, for the Laurel & Hardy classic The Music Box.

MD Rating: 6/10

The Dress (a.k.a. Sukienka), Tadeusz Łysiak & Maciej Ślesicki (Poland, 30 min.), trailer.

Julia (Anna Dzieduszycka) leads a lonely life as a motel maid aching to break free from the cruel constraints society has placed on her as a little person. When a friendly trucker asks her out, she has four days to find the titular garment for her big date. Dzieduszycka gives a stunning, lived-in performance that is equally defiant and heartbreaking, impelling the viewer to share Julia's darkest moments all the way through to an ambiguous denouement.

Oscar Connection: Maciej Ślesicki was previously nominated in 2013 for his heartbreaking documentary short Our Curse.

MD Rating: 7/10

The Long Goodbye, Aneil Karia & Riz Ahmed (UK/Netherlands, 13 min.), trailer.

An average day unfolds in the home of a large British Pakistani family until, without warning, the household is besieged by masked gunmen and all are thrust violently into an unspeakable nightmare. Billed as it is as a "companion film" to Riz Ahmed's hip hop album of the same name, this is most definitely not a music video; what it is is disorientating and confusing (has something like this actually happened??), before suddenly veering into... performance art, with Ahmed's character spouting a postmortem, pseudo-rap monologue directly to the camera. What was presumably intended as wake up call to the possibility of an encroaching race war instead comes off as pretentious self-aggrandizement.

Oscar Connection: Riz Ahmed was a Best Actor nominee last year for Sound of Metal.

MD Rating: 5/10

On My Mind, Martin Strange-Hansen & Kim Magnusson (Denmark, 18 min.), trailer.

A man walks into a bar and wants to sing an Elvis song on the karaoke machine... What sounds like the start of a joke actually turns out to be the only one of this year's nominees that offers some sort of happy... OK, bittersweet... ending. Although the set up is a tad contrived and the obstacles thrown in the path of our hero couldn't be more innocuous, this low budget effort manages to make it all worthwhile in, literally, its last seconds.

Oscar Connection: Martin Strange-Hansen won this category for 2002's This Charming Man, while Kim Magnusson has won twice before, for 1998's Election Night and 2013's Helium.

MD Rating: 6/10

Please Hold, K.D. Dávila & Levin Menekse (US, 19 min.), trailer.

In the (maybe) not-too-distant future, a young man is arrested and finds himself trapped in a criminal justice system that is completely automated, manifested by a cutesy cartoon anthropomorphic "scales of justice" as his public defender. We've all been stuck on the phone screaming "connect me to a real person!", so the scenario here is very relatable. Yet, despite its rich satirical possibilities, the story stalls and the humor quickly loses its bite.

Oscar Connection: Please Hold is thematically similar to last year's Live Action Short Film winner, Two Distant Strangers. Both take a sharp look, with a tinge of black comedy, at systemic racial issues through the lens of a heightened alternate reality.

MD Rating: 6/10

Coming soon: Reviews of the Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject.

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

Short Cuts 2022, Part 1: Oscar's Animated Short Film Nominees

For the 17th year, ShortsTV presents this year's Academy Award nominated animated, live action and documentary short films at a theater near you (watch the trailer here). In the first of three parts, Movie Dearest takes a look at this year's five nominees for Best Animated Short Film.

Believe it or not, the one unifying aspect of most of this year's toon finalists is... gratuitous nudity! Save for the kiddie-friendly Robin Robin, the other four feature everything from a quick glimpse of a bare bottom to a full-on sex scene. With that in mind, it's not surprising that Disney and Pixar have sat this year out, although two frequent contenders, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Aardman Animations, are back in the race.

And the nominees are...

Affairs of the Art, Joanna Quinn & Les Mills (UK/Canada, 16 min.), trailer.

Meet Beryl, British housewife and aspiring artiste, who relates the eccentricities and obsessions of her odd family, particularly her older sister Bev, who as a girl had several fixations, including pet taxidermy, death and Vladimir Lenin. This riotous NFB outing (also a BAFTA nominee) goes very old school with its hand drawn (on paper!) animation, which gives it a frenetically flowing look perfectly suited to its endearingly off-the-wall characters.

Oscar Connection: This is director Joanna Quinn's second Oscar nomination, following 1997's Famous Fred.

MD Rating: 7/10

Bestia (a.k.a. Beast), Hugo Covarrubias & Tevo Díaz (Chile, 16 min.), trailer.

Íngrid loves her dog. No, she really loves her dog. And if that isn't disturbing enough, as a member of the secret police during the Chilean military dictatorship, Íngrid also uses her pet to sexually torture women. Needless to say, this is a disquieting morality tale (inspired by real events) to watch unfold, and the use of stop motion animation (with its human characters depicted with glossy, porcelain-like faces) may have made it possible to tell but no less unpleasant.

Oscar Connection: Also an Annie Award nominee this year, Bestia is Chile's second nomination in this category, following 2015's Bear Story, which won the country its first Oscar.

MD Rating: 4/10

Boxballet (a.k.a. Boksbalet), Anton Dyakov (Russia, 15 min.), trailer.

In this offbeat twist on the age old "beauty and the beast" story, a hulking boxer meets and becomes smitten with a lithe ballerina, but their disparate, solitary lives may not lead to a happily ever after. With its simple 2D animation calling to mind a comic strip in motion, this odd couple romance doesn't really bring anything new to the table but you'll end up rooting for the big palooka anyway.

Oscar Connection: Naturally, the boxer has posters from the Rocky movies on the walls in his apartment.

MD Rating: 6/10

Robin Robin, Daniel Ojari & Mikey Please (UK, 32 min.), trailer.

Easily the most traditional of the batch this year, this Aardman (via Netflix) Christmas treat centers on a plucky robin named, uh, Robin, who was raised by mice and is eager to prove herself as a, well, mouse. The inspirational underdog arc that follows is, well, not very inspired, but the vocal presence of Richard E. Grant (as a hoarding magpie) and Gillian Anderson (as the villainous – surprise! – cat) add a bit of salt to this sugary stop motion confection.

Oscar Connection: This is Aardman Animations' eighth nomination in this category. Three of their shorts have won: Creature Comforts (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995).

MD Rating: 6/10

The Windshield Wiper, Alberto Mielgo & Leo Sanchez (USA/Spain, 15 min.), trailer.

The words "what is love", overheard at a crowded café, are the springboard for this kaleidoscopic trip through contemporary humanity, with all its missed connections and "could have beens". Highly stylized figures inhabit this shiny, CGI landscape, yet as mesmerizing as it is one can't escape the nagging feeling that they've seen this exact same scenario, our modern "swipe right" society under the microscope, played out several times before already.

Oscar Connection: Writer/director Alberto Mielgo was a visual consultant on the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

MD Rating: 7/10

Coming soon: Reviews of the Oscar nominees for Best Live Action Short Film and Best Documentary Short Subject.

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

Reverend's Interview: Open Your Eyes with "Coded"

Many have never heard his name but our community owes a debt to artist J.C. Leyendecker. Born in 1874, Joseph Christian Leyendecker was a German-American illustrator considered one of the preeminent American illustrators of the early 20th century. He way also openly gay to a degree unheard of at the time.

Leyendecker is best known for his poster, book and advertising illustrations, the trade character known as the Arrow Collar Man and his numerous covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Between 1896 and 1950, he painted more than 400 magazine covers during what is considered the Golden Age of American Illustration. No other artist, until the arrival of Norman Rockwell two decades later, was so solidly identified with one publication. Leyendecker died in 1951.

One commentator had this to say: “Unlike Rockwell’s celebration of traditional family values, Leyendecker’s two hyper-masculine, square-jawed, all-American icons of Thanksgiving — a Puritan and a football player — eye each other like two men cruising a gay nightclub with a strict and peculiar dress code.” In doing so, the artist contributed to an idealized image of gay men that endures to this day.

A new, Oscar-shortlisted documentary short film about him is now streaming on Paramount+. Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker was directed by award-winning gay filmmaker Ryan White (Ask Dr. Ruth, Serena, The Case Against 8). Out actor Neil Patrick Harris provides narration as the voice of J.C. Leyendecker. It won the grand jury prize for best short documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival as well as a special recognition from the GLAAD Media Awards.

White was himself honored by Queerty two years ago as one of “50 individuals who are leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people.” He recently chatted with me about his latest film via email.

CC: Hi Ryan! I understand you're very busy so thanks for taking the time to respond. When and how did you first learn about J.C. Leyendecker?
RW: I made a series for Apple TV+ in 2020 called Visible: Out on Television, about the history of queer representation throughout television history. It began with the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, which was the first time the word “homosexual” was ever said on television. It was in the research of that storyline that my team discovered this period that predated McCarthyism where there had been quite a bit of LGBTQ progress, especially in New York. We learned about this prominent artist of the time named J.C. Leyendecker, but his storyline didn't fit in Visible. So I always wanted to return to his story, and making a short film allowed me to do that.

CC: What spoke to you most or inspired you most about his story?
RW: All of my films have been character films. Although Leyendecker has been dead for 70 years, I see Coded as a character film as well. Even by today's standards, his artwork is very homoerotic. I was fascinated that this man was doing this subversive work 100 years ago, and I wanted to know more about him. It also felt like his legacy had been somewhat forgotten and I wanted to know why.

CC: How did your documentary come together?
RW: Short films are tough to get financed and made, but I had a great team of partners that all recognized the importance of telling Leyendecker's story. My editor Rejh Cabrera worked tirelessly to cut the film and find the right emotional tone. Danny Madden was the incredible animation director who brought the visuals alive, and my longtime composer Blake Neely brilliantly scored the film inspired by the music of the 1920's.

CC: I really liked your approach in showing how Leyendecker's life and work have influenced modern-day LGBTQ artists. How did you decide to take that approach?
RW: We always wanted to tie the past to the present in the arc of the film. Leyendecker's artwork paved the way in many ways for the more overt queer imagery we see in advertising today. So we decided to explore a couple more modern-day storylines like Subaru and trans model Jari Jones to highlight the ripple effects of Leyendecker's legacy. We also wanted the film to be somewhat of a cautionary tale that history repeats itself. We can't pat ourselves on the back and say we've reached the finish line; Leyendecker's life story is a prime example of how quickly progress can be ripped apart.

CC: While your film sadly didn't make the final nominations for this year's Academy Awards, it was a finalist in the Best Documentary Short category. How did it feel to make it that far?
RW: That's a huge honor to be shortlisted! It's hard to get buzz and attention on a short film, so the awards conversation definitely helps garner more visibility.

CC: Your documentary paints a rather rosy picture of the relationship between Leyendecker and model Charles Beach, but I've subsequently read accusations that Beach took advantage of his longtime partner. What is your response to these?
RW: I would actually say our film doesn't create a rosy — or any — portrait of their day-to-day relationship, because we don't know enough about it. We had to rely on primary sources to tell the story because it's a documentary, so it doesn't allow a lot of room for conjecture. But I'm sure a 50-year relationship has plenty of room for drama and ups-and-downs. I think that would best be explored in a scripted project though, where you have a little more leeway to write a character and fictionalize things.

CC: If Leyendecker were alive today, what do you think he would be doing or concerned about as an artist?
RW: That's a great question. He was undeniably an advertising genius, so I like to imagine he'd be working for top brands and causes.

CC: What are you working on now? Do you have any other LGBTQ-interest projects in development or on your wish list?
RW: I am making a documentary about a robot that “lived” for 15 years on Mars! As far as I know, she doesn't identify as LGBTQ (laughs). It will come out on Amazon later this year. I call my job “Career ADD”, it allows me to skip around from topics that are totally different from one another and keeps me on my toes.

Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker is now streaming on Paramount+.

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