Gay-Friendly Blu-rays (2 Viewers)

[Greg_D_R]

Deathtrap hit blu-ray last week. It came out in 1982, and I saw it in the theater at age 12. The thing that I'll never forget about it is that I saw it with my best friend at the time, (who was my best friend in the way that only 12 year old boys can be) and when Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve kissed, not only did it shock the hell out of us, my friend exclaimed "If I had a shotgun, I'd blow those two away!", which just floored me. So, the first male-male kiss I ever saw, and my first exposure to homophobia, all in one go. And, a pretty damn entertaining film I suppose in retrospect it'd fall into the Celluloid Closet era of gay stereotypes, since the gay dudes were killers, but a very fun film regardless.

 

[Mark-W]

I watched Deathtrap with lowered expectations and ended up enjoying it and being glad that I purchased it.

Deathtrap hit blu-ray last week. It came out in 1982, and I saw it in the theater at age 12. The thing that I'll never forget about it is that I saw it with my best friend at the time, (who was my best friend in the way that only 12 year old boys can be) and when Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve kissed, not only did it shock the hell out of us, my friend exclaimed "If I had a shotgun, I'd blow those two away!", which just floored me. So, the first male-male kiss I ever saw, and my first exposure to homophobia, all in one go. And, a pretty damn entertaining film I suppose in retrospect it'd fall into the Celluloid Closet era of gay stereotypes, since the gay dudes were killers, but a very fun film regardless.

 

[Jason_V]

I really appreciate all the various movie titles being thrown around this thread, and many many others. I have two lists of movies to add to my Netflix queue at all times: one is at work and one is at home. When I come across something which gets glowing reviews and I want to see, I add it to the list.

Thanks for all the knowledge and information.

 

[Mark-W]

Sticking with the ballet theme of benbess' post, there are a few titles on Blu-ray that are appropriate to mention in this tread.
I have always liked ballet, but we need to go too far down that path...
The Nutcracker composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was gay and much like anyone LGBT who lived in period of required secrecy or intolerance, there is a lot of speculation regarding how much the themes in his work relate to that unresolved conflicts in his personal life. (He had male lovers and more than one unhappy marriage.)
Ovation TV does "Battle of the Nutcrackers" at this time of year, and I started watching several years ago during a snowstorm that pretty much shutdown Portland for the better part of a week.
This also led to seeing how different ballet corps interpret Tchaikovsky's very popular if scrim-thin story, which goes MIA after the first act.
After seeing more traditional live performances The Nutcracker for many years, I enjoyed seeing different productions from Europe and Asia, though a filmed version is never going to replace seeing it live.
There are several on OvationTV I bought a few that I enjoyed that are on Blu-ray.
The Royal Ballet's 2010 production of THE NUTCRACKER:
http://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-Blu-ray-Miyako-Yoshida/dp/B003Y7AR4K/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354724293&sr=1-3&keywords=Nutcracker+Blu
This is probably my favorite. The Royal Ballet's changes Drosselmeyer into an uncle looking for his long lost nephew who was cursed & changed into the nutcracker.
Both Royal Ballet 2010 and 2001 versions have this story arc which helps the ballet end with more emotional oomph.
The Royal Ballet's 2001 production of THE NUTCRACKER with Anthony Dowell, is only available on DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-Cojocaru-Dowell-Royal-Ballet/dp/B00005S6KS/ref=sr_1_9?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354724293&sr=1-9&keywords=Nutcracker+Blu
Much the same as the 2010 version, but this one features well known ballerino Anthony Dowell.
The San Francisco Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER:
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Nutcracker-featuring-Francisco-Blu-ray/dp/B002NUYK9M/ref=sr_1_8?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354724293&sr=1-8&keywords=Nutcracker+Blu
There are other versions available including Matthew Bourne's version, American Ballet Theater's version (which was filmed many years ago and features Mikhail Baryshnikov), and versions of Russia's Mariinsky theater and Bolshoi Ballet companies.
Be aware that there appears to be several versions and different productions from the same ballet corps available on DVD and Blu-ray.
One that is a complete departure from anything traditional many folks seem to love is
Mark Morris's THE HARD NUT, which is only available on DVD.
http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Nut-Marianne-Moore/dp/B000VWX6TY/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354726725&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hard+nut
The last one I want to mention is Pacific Northwest Ballet's production, NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE,
which was choreographed by Kent Stowell with set decorations by Where the Wild Things Are author (who was gay) Maurice Sendak.
It is finally available for the first time this year as a widescreen MOD DVD and from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-Motion-Picture-Hugh-Bigney/dp/B006A8XFM6/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354827802&sr=1-1&keywords=nutcracker+the+motion+picture
While not showy, it does occasionally use film techniques to enhance the viewing experience.
Anyone who might be so inclined to check these out would probably do well to check out Ovation TV's schedule:
https://www.facebook.com/OvationTV/app_111195249044631
Another Tchaikovsky ballet available on Blu-ray, though not holiday seasoned is Matthew Bourne's re-visioned award-winning, highly-successful "Swan Lake"
(often called "The Gay Swan Lake") which you can read more about here:
http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/matthew-bournes-gay-swan-lake/Content?oid=1792524)
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake was recently released on Blu-ray
and, to my eyes, the filming of this one is an improvement over the previous version.
http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Lake-Matthew-Bourne-Blu-ray/dp/B007RP4D7W/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354722960&sr=1-3&keywords=Matthew+Bourne+Swan+Lake
The previous version, released many years ago, is still available on DVD starred Adam Cooper.
http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovskys-Swan-Lake-Adam-Cooper/dp/B003G0E2RI/ref=pd_bxgy_mov_img_z
(The DVD looked fine on my 36" 4x3 TV, but the image now seems pretty horrible on my 60" 16x9 display.)
Adam Cooper played the grown up version of Billy in Billy Elliot at the very end of that film, in Bourn'e production of Swan Lake:
http://www.amazon.com/Elliot-Blu-ray-Digital-Universals-Anniversary/dp/B0068FZ1C8/ref=sr_1_8?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354722678&sr=1-8&keywords=Jamie+Bell
Cheers!

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The Red Shoes is a film that probably wouldn't work without its gay character Boris Lermontov. The booklet in the Criterion edition of The Red Shoes quotes director Michael Powell as saying this (page 8):
"When it came to The Red Shoes and that devil Boris Lermontov, there was no question in our minds as to who should play him, and give a performance filled with passion, integrity, and, yes, with homosexuality."
The actor they chose to play Lermontov was Anton Walbrook, who himself was gay. Lermontov is an artist, and he wants to develop the art of 'Vicky' Page (Moira Shearer). When her boyfriend and then husband Julian Craster (Marius Goring) takes her away from him, and away for the most part from ballet, there is a battle for her soul and art:
Julian: You're jealous of her.
Lermontov: Yes! I am. But in a way you'll never understand.
And that, in spite of everything, is part of what makes Lermontov a somewhat sympathetic character. He's autocratic and cruel sometimes, but he loves her talent and helps her develop and become a star. That's what he's loves in her, and what they have together. It's not something else, which would lose the sympathy of the audience.
Lermontov's broken voice at the end is heartbreaking, imho.
I've only seen this one once, but it left quite an impression. I should see it again, but I have a growing number of unwatched blu-rays at this point....

 

[Mark-W]

Amazon currently has the Blu-ray of I Love You, Phillip Morris on sale at $14.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZG980A/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00
This is not a movie about smoking.
If you have not seen this based-on-a-true-story film, I will just say I was pleasantly surprised.
Ewan McGregor and Jim Carey pull off this not-quite-a-rom-com and it is clear they really enjoyed working with each other.
[VIDEO]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPvocz96FtA[/VIDEO]

 

[Mark-W]

I live within a mile of a Fry's Electronics, which can be dangerous for an AV Nerd.
Every Friday they put a bunch of blu-ray titles on sale, often for very cheap.
Usually I breeze through, look at everything on sale with a yellow tag, and hopefully some are on my wish list.
This week Fry's had "Valentine's Day" on sale for $6.99.
Rom com? Many make me go "meh." But I saw a snippet of this one while channel surfing a few months back and thought, "Well, that was a nice touch."
So I slapped down my $6.99 and watched it over the long weekend.
I enjoyed it. It is fun.
But, make no mistake, this film earned its 54% rating at Rotten Tomatoes for a good reason.
It is full of all the same well-worn (okay thread bare), plot lines we've seen too many times in romantic comedies.
Also, any sense of reality does not make an appearance save for one snappy comment by a news reporter,
but it also had this nice little inclusive micro plot that made me smile.
(The only character that made me uniformly groan, the Jar-Jar Binks of the film, is Jessica Biel's.)
Ultimately, this movie is the equivalent of Hershey's Whoppers: light, pithy and sweet. If you go in expecting to eat a steak, you're going to leave hungry, and possibly sick.
The Blu-ray presents the film in what to my eyes is a decent enough image. And the supplements are perfectly fine and appropriate for a fluff film like this.
Like many a star-studded film, the bloopers are the best part. (Taylor Launter and Taylor Swift have a great outtake moment together.)
Is the blu-ray worth $6.99? To me, yes. Your mileage may vary.
Happy New Year!

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, for me, the one romantic coupling surprise in the movie is the only thing distinguished about the movie, and the surprise is accentuated by who the actors are who chose to do it and how well Marshall obscures their relationship until the end.

 

[Jason_V]

I am a sucker for all of these types of movies (He's Just Not That Into You, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve). I think I know which relationship Matt is referring to above and I would agree. It was one of those moments were I should have figured it out long before it was actually presented...but something in me didn't bother to engage my brain.

NYE strains the formula; it's clearly the weak link in this loose trilogy. I just didn't buy nine-tenths of it, for one reason or another.

 

[Jason_V]

And I watched Save Me this afternoon with Chad Allen, Robert Gant, Judith Light and Stephen Lang. There are few movies I want to spend more time with after they're over because they tend to leave everything on the screen or I don't find the story engaging enough. Here, I think there's enough unspoken material to fill a mini-series, or at least a full two hour running time.
In particular, I wanted to actually see the process Genesis House took to introduce these gay men to Jesus and to a life away from homosexuality. There's a point in the film where Judith Light's character says its not brainwashing or conversion, but showing another path. How do any of the men-especially Chad Allen, who is so hardcore into the drug scene-get on board to change their lives? And, more importantly, at least for Allen's character, the problem isn't as much about being gay as about the drugs.
There are a number of competing plot threads here, from ailing parents to self-harm to hating oneself and drugs, romance and the like; I didn't feel like most of them were fully fleshed out. Let's figure out who these people are and what makes them tick-all of them. Let's see the friendship between Allen and Gant develop and grow. Let's figure the character of Lester out instead of making him a stereotype.
All that being said, I have a soft spot in my heart for Chad Allen and probably always will, so my long-term memory of the movie will probably be tainted by his presence.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, I thought it was an ambitious movie that didn't delve deeply enough into any of the characters or plots it was spinning. There was a lot here to hold one's attention, but I was left wanting by the end because not enough had been probed to earn that conclusion. Very good performances from everyone, and I'm sure it was made on a shoestring.

 

[Jason_V]

The director's notes indicate an 18 day shooting schedule, which is incredibly tight. There's really no indication this was such a quick shoot. It looks like any other non-action production.

 

[Mark-W]

Matt Damon and Michael Douglas in a film "too gay" for theaters.

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/soderberghs_liberace_biopic_deemed_too_gay_for_theaters/ With Soderbergh at the helm, this will be a blind buy Blu-ray for me, when released. Those of you with HBO, I would love to know what you think if you watch it.

 

[Doctorossi]

Matt Damon and Michael Douglas in a film "too gay" for theaters.

Meanwhile, what's more "gay" than theaters?

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Thanks for the heads up about the HBO Liberace movie. One more reason to keep HBO. "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower," which will be released on blu-ray February 12, is gay-friendly, at least, based on the book which I read yesterday.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by bgart13
I'd like to see PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, and all of John Waters' movies released.

John Waters' filmography deserves some kind of comprehensive set. Perhaps Criterion could strike a deal (it'd be great to have both the LD and DVD commentaries on Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble)…

 

[TravisR]

John Waters' filmography deserves some kind of comprehensive set. Perhaps Criterion could strike a deal (it'd be great to have both the LD and DVD commentaries on Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble)…

That's the best idea I've heard in a long time. I saw Pink Flamingos at a midnight show over the summer. I got a surprising level of enjoyment of hearing a crowd of people saying "I guess there's just two kinds of people, Miss Sandstone. My kind of people and assholes." along with Mink Stole. On a more odd note, I think it finally dawned on me how crazy those early Waters movies are. I don't currently have a girlfriend but if I did and I showed her Female Trouble or Desperate Living, I can't concieve of any way that that is not the end of the relationship. What normal* person could watch those movies and not think that a psychopath made them? And what kind of person likes those movies? *Normal = someone not familiar with John Waters or underground movies.

 

[Mikey1969]

I'd also re-buy these on blu although I doubt the image of most of his films would be greatly improved. Multiple Maniacs (not on DVD) would also be a great addition. There are also a lot of extras and documentaries that could be pulled together, although licencing some of it would be problematic. I'm also pretty sure Criterion wouldn't licence their commentary tracks out to another studio, unfortunately. I've loved Waters' films for years; they're wonderfully radical and refreshingly un-P.C. After seeing these, I find most modern studio comedies unwatchably boring. .

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Mikey1969
I'd also re-buy these on blu although I doubt the image of most of his films would be greatly improved. Multiple Maniacs (not on DVD) would also be a great addition. There are also a lot of extras and documentaries that could be pulled together, although licencing some of it would be problematic. I'm also pretty sure Criterion wouldn't licence their commentary tracks out to another studio, unfortunately.
I've loved Waters' films for years; they're wonderfully radical and refreshingly un-P.C. After seeing these, I find most modern studio comedies unwatchably boring. .

I assume New Line/Warner still has claims on everything it released, but I have never seen them make a deal with Criterion. The pre-Pink Flamingos stuff is likely to be a music rights nightmare; in his one-man show, he mentioned they were trying to get Maniacs out, but nothing ever came of that.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Short Cuts is a New Line title that is in print from Criterion

 

[Mark-W]

Robert Harris has chimed in on Cabaret here On a related note, Christopher and His Kind is a BBC movie truer to Isherwood's Berlin Stories and features a first rate cast is available on DVD.

Funny that the Brits mark it rated MA for "sexual references:" I guess seeing Matt Smith naked and making love to another man is a "reference."