AI: Fabulous Finds
By If there’s one thing I Love more than finding a good movie or great music, it’s sharing the feeling with other people. I can never get over the power of art to be able to tell a story, to speak volumes about a situation or a feeling, and to allow an understanding and appreciation of life in a way that nothing else can. Which is why I think some sharing is in order.
Weekend is a British, late 2011 film about a one-night stand that turns out to be something much more. The fact that the two main characters are gay is only one aspect of the film, but what this movie really gives you is a glimpse into the lives of two people who find what they were looking for but who just might not be ready for it yet. Possibly one of the most genuinely intelligently romantic movies I’ve seen in a while, with completely heart-rendering acting and has one of the rarest instances of a non-dudebro male friendship I’ve seen in a movie or on television. (Thanks to our reader Donna for a heads-up on this movie too!)
Tomboy is a French movie also released in 2011 about a 10-year old whose recent move to a new neighbourhood over the summer enables them to develop a new identity as a boy to all the local children, and a young romance (and complications to boot) that develops therein. The child actors in this movie are all brilliant, and I felt it was able to beautifully capture not only what it’s like to be a kid, wiling away the summer days in a daze of play, boredom and young Love, but also trying to fit in, both with a new unknown group of peers, as well as with ideas of your own identity. Watch this movie now!
MEN is JD Samson’s (of Le Tigre fame) band/performance art collective whose electropop/dance music I’ve very recently been checking out. It’s pretty catchy if you’re into that sort of thing, plus she’s right up there as an aesthetic/artistic/activist inspiration.
Do you have a movie/band/play/performance art, or any other kind of expression of art that has recently tickled your fancy and would recommend? What about it spoke to you?
The Afternoon Inqueery (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Queereka community. Look for it to appear Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 3pm ET.
Image from Hold Up films.
I at any given chance mention Halves. A Lovely Irish outfit that incorporates orchestral, electronic & the basic four piece band. They have a handful of songs that use lyrics & are mostly instrumental. I can’t listen to one song without listening to their entire discography in one go like a flowing jam. It’s one of those “You’ll know what I mean when you hear it” situations.
P.S. I witnessed that wonderful film Weekend with Bip & must second her motion. Please support it & see it.
I don’t watch a lot of movies. Mostly because it takes a lot of effort for me to empathize with people, and that effort is nearly impossible with fictional characters. Also, I tend to get frustrated if there isn’t a clear point.
That said, there’s a few movies I recommend to everyone. Terminator 2 being probably highest among them. Then there’s Sam Rockwell’s Moon, I Am Legend, the Road, The Book of Eli, 2001, The Postman, and a few others. I’m aware most of those are quite famous movies but if you haven’t watched them they’re great. I highly recommend them.
OMG how much do you LOVE Moon?! Such a great piece of cinema. Also, Kevin Spacey.
Pariah is easily the best lgbtq-related film I’ve seen recently. It’s basically a coming-of-age story about a black lesbian teenager in Brooklyn, her struggle to find a place in the world and her relationships with family and friends. It’s not often you come across *any* movie about queer women that’s this good, so it’s all the more awesome that this one’s about queer women of color. Seriously, go see it: it’s probably still in theaters in a major metropolitan area near you!
I liked Tomboy too, and I agree about the fantastic acting (and the gorgeous long introspective camera shots) though I will say the ending kind of annoyed me 😛
um, sorry- again, that was supposed to be a : P face
Tomboy was really good.
I saw Breakfast With Scot last weekend, and it was amazing. Queerness, gender, hockey, and a lovely, genuine sweetness.
I’m currently massively in love with the BBC’s modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The show is occasionally disappointing, but when it comes to featuring characters with mostly unambiguous asexuality there isn’t a massive amount of choice.
A Scandal In Belgravia pissed me off so much. Who the hell thought it was a good fucking idea to take the only person who ever beat Holmes and turn her into a damsel in distress? Honestly the “oh lol she’s a lesbian but she has a crush on Sherlock, isn’t that quaint LOOK SEE IT’S LIKE JOHN WHO IS STRAIGHT BUT ALSO HAS A CRUSH” was just hamfisted and eyeroll-worthy in comparison.
…and then there’s also the “She’s not dead, just out cold” “God knows she’s used to that” bit, which also made me incredibly angry. If you’re a dominant, and you habitually knock your sub out? You are not a professional, you are a psychopath. Knocking people out is a) dangerous, b) has long-term health consequences, and most importantly c) means that they’re unconscious and therefore can’t consent to you hurting them more OR tell you if something is wrong.
But The Reichenbach Fall was so good that it’s hard to stay mad 🙁
It is my personal position that Scandal in Belgravia did not happen as depicted. I refuse to accept it as cannon for both being just bad in an of it self, bad in how out of character both Sherlock and John behave from their established characters, and because it totally fails at being an honest adaptation of Scandal in Bohemia.
Also, in response to your question: Stephen Moffat. I’m pretty sure it’s clear by now that he just can’t handle writing women who don’t somehow orbit an important male character.