Full Article Text
FALL ENTERTAINMENT
R V WS
We interrupt our usual Reviews section to
bring you a roundup of this fall's arts menu
FILM
September
Hollywoodland (Focus Features) If Brandon
Routh left you cold as Superman, how
about Ben Affleck? He plays actor George
Reeves (TV's Superman) in this look at
the star's mysterious death. Adrien
Brody, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins
costar. (Sept. 8)
The Covenant (Sony) A male The Craft?
That's our take on this story of four hot
guys with a supernatural legacy who
must fight evil. The cast looks very WB
with names that invite all sorts of jokes:
Steven Strait, Toby Hemingway, Sebast
ian Stan, Chace Crawford, and as if all
that weren't enough, Taylor Kitsch.
(Sept. 8)
The Black Dahlia (Universal) Scarlett Jo
hansson, Hilary Swank, and Mia Kirshn
er bring voluptuous oomph to this noirish
THE ADVOCATE tale based on one of Hollywood's leg
endary murders. Josh Hartnett and
Aaron Eckhart are the cops who are prob
ably putty in their hands. (Sept. 15)
The Queen (Miramax) Helen Mirren looks
spot-on as Elizabeth II in this intimate
drama about her relationship with u.K.
advocate. com prime minister Tony Blair. Stephen
Frears (Prick Up Your Ears, My Beauti
ful Laundrette) directs. (Sept. 30)
Home of Phobia (a.k.a. Freshman Orienta
tion) (Regent) Sam Huntington (Jimmy
Olsen of Superman Returns) plays a col
lege freshman who pretends to be gay in
a prank to get a hot girl to date him. Out
actress Heather Matarazzo and John
Goodman costar. (Sept.)
October
Shortbus (ThinkFilm) Writer-director John
Cameron Mitchell's heady follow-up to
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is this all
embracing, envelope-pushing comedy
about sex and love (in every possible com
bination) in the fairy-tale New York City
of our dreams. You'll never think of "The
Star-spangled Banner" in the same way
again. (Oct. 6)
Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony
Kushner (Ocean Releasi ng) Filmmaker
Freida Lee Mock has a field day with
Kushner, the endlessly voluble, fascinat
ing, argumentative, and inspiring
Pulitzer Prize-winner for Angels in ~
S e pte m b e r 1 2, 2 0 0 6 I 55
PREVIEWS
America. George C. Wolfe, Meryl Streep,
Tonya Pinkins, Maurice Sendak, and
many others make an appearance, but
Kushner is always the center of attention .
(Oct. 9)
Running With Scissors (Sony) Augusten
Burroughs's extravagantly comic tale of
growing up queer in a very strange house
hold. [See page 50] (Oct. 11)
Infamous (Warner Independent) Talk
about a tough act to follow: In the foot
steps of Capote, Infamous is also the
story of the writing of In Cold Blood.
Toby Jones plays Capote, Sandra Bul
lock is Harper Lee, and the new Bond
(Daniel Craig) is the killer Perry Smith.
In this version, Capote is said to clearly
fall in love with Perry-and who could
blame him? (Oct. 13)
Trade (Lions Gate) German director Marco
Kreuzpaintner follows his delightfully
fluffy gay romance Summer Storm with
this harrowing look at sex trafficking .
Young Jorge (Cesar Ramos) teams with a
Texas cop (Kevin Kline) to rescue his little
sister. (Oct. 13)
Marie Antoinette (Sony) Maybe she never
said "Let them eat cake," but Kirsten
Dunst as the ill-fated royal sure has
style. Manolo Blahniks fit for a queen
and great pop songs are just the start in
this boldly modern, never-dull period
piece by director Sofia Coppola. Jason
Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Asia Argento,
Marianne Faithfull, and Rip Torn have a
56 September 12, 2006 blast sparring with each other at Ver
sailles. (Oct. 20).
November
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for
Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kaza
khstan (Fox) Sacha Baron Cohen (the cre
ator of Ali G) takes his clueless reporter
Borat on a road trip throughout the
United States, never failing to miss an
opportunity for laughing at gay panic
from his Eastern European hero. Truly
silly. (Nov. 3)
Volver (Sony Classics) Pedro Almodovar is
at the top of his game in this wonderfully
satisfying story of a mother (the poised,
magnificent Penelope Cruz) who covers
up the murder of her deadbeat husband
by their daughter. Funny, moving, unex
pected-it's prime Almodovar. (Nov. 3)
Fur (Picturehouse) Nicole Kidman is report
edly magnetic and Oscar-worthy as the
famed but troubled photographer Diane
Arbus, who committed suicide in 1971.
Robert Downey Jr. costars, and Steven
Shainberg (the kinky Secretary) directs,
but it's Kidman all the way. (Nov. 10)
Casino Royale (Sony) A newly imagined,
tougher, more realistic Bond? Fine, as
long as they keep the Bond girls coming
(for the ladies who like lipstick lesbians,
this time it's the waifish Eva Green) and
a new Bond (for the men who don't mind
going undercover). Daniel Craig? We'll
give him a shot. (Nov. 17)
advocate .com For Your Consideration (Warner I ndepen
dent) Another improvised comedy from
the brilliant Christopher Guest (Waiting
for Guffman, A Mighty Wind) that's sure
to be "best in show" for us, especially with
its focus on actors enjoying the Oscar
buzz. The cast is bursting with favorites
like Ricky Gervais, Parker Posey, Eugene
Levy, Jane Lynch, Catherine O'Hara,
Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, and many
more. (Nov. 17)
Bobby (MGM) Emilio Estevez finally re
turns to center stage with this Alt
manesque drama about the 22 people who
were at the Ambassador Hotel the day
Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. The
stellar cast includes Sharon Stone, Elijah
Wood, Demi Moore, Harry Belafonte, Shia
LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, and many
more. This is the tantalizing wild card of
the Oscar season. (Nov. 22)
The History Boys (Fox Searchlight) Director
Nicholas Hytner and out writer Alan Ben
nett bring the Tony-winning charmer to
the big screen. The winning cast includes
Richard Griffiths (of Harry Potter and
Withnail & I fame) in the role of a life
time, not to mention delightful lads like
Dominic Cooper, Stephen Campbell
Moore, and the especially delightful
Samuel Barnett as Posner. (Nov. 24)
3 Needles (Wolfe) Out filmmaker Thom
Fitzgerald directed this movie that con
nects three different stories-set in rural
China, a plantation in Africa, and the
Montreal porn industry-to illustrate the
face of AIDS today. Made in cooperation
with the United Nations, but with Sandra
Oh, Chloe Sevigny, and Olympia Dukakis
playing nuns, Stockard Channing as the
mother of a porn star, and Sook-Yin Lee
of Shortbus, it's sure to be more than just
noble and informative. (Dec. 1)
-Michael Giltz
THE ADVOCATE
R V WS
We interrupt our usual Reviews section to
bring you a roundup of this fall's arts menu
FILM
September
Hollywoodland (Focus Features) If Brandon
Routh left you cold as Superman, how
about Ben Affleck? He plays actor George
Reeves (TV's Superman) in this look at
the star's mysterious death. Adrien
Brody, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins
costar. (Sept. 8)
The Covenant (Sony) A male The Craft?
That's our take on this story of four hot
guys with a supernatural legacy who
must fight evil. The cast looks very WB
with names that invite all sorts of jokes:
Steven Strait, Toby Hemingway, Sebast
ian Stan, Chace Crawford, and as if all
that weren't enough, Taylor Kitsch.
(Sept. 8)
The Black Dahlia (Universal) Scarlett Jo
hansson, Hilary Swank, and Mia Kirshn
er bring voluptuous oomph to this noirish
THE ADVOCATE tale based on one of Hollywood's leg
endary murders. Josh Hartnett and
Aaron Eckhart are the cops who are prob
ably putty in their hands. (Sept. 15)
The Queen (Miramax) Helen Mirren looks
spot-on as Elizabeth II in this intimate
drama about her relationship with u.K.
advocate. com prime minister Tony Blair. Stephen
Frears (Prick Up Your Ears, My Beauti
ful Laundrette) directs. (Sept. 30)
Home of Phobia (a.k.a. Freshman Orienta
tion) (Regent) Sam Huntington (Jimmy
Olsen of Superman Returns) plays a col
lege freshman who pretends to be gay in
a prank to get a hot girl to date him. Out
actress Heather Matarazzo and John
Goodman costar. (Sept.)
October
Shortbus (ThinkFilm) Writer-director John
Cameron Mitchell's heady follow-up to
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is this all
embracing, envelope-pushing comedy
about sex and love (in every possible com
bination) in the fairy-tale New York City
of our dreams. You'll never think of "The
Star-spangled Banner" in the same way
again. (Oct. 6)
Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony
Kushner (Ocean Releasi ng) Filmmaker
Freida Lee Mock has a field day with
Kushner, the endlessly voluble, fascinat
ing, argumentative, and inspiring
Pulitzer Prize-winner for Angels in ~
S e pte m b e r 1 2, 2 0 0 6 I 55
PREVIEWS
America. George C. Wolfe, Meryl Streep,
Tonya Pinkins, Maurice Sendak, and
many others make an appearance, but
Kushner is always the center of attention .
(Oct. 9)
Running With Scissors (Sony) Augusten
Burroughs's extravagantly comic tale of
growing up queer in a very strange house
hold. [See page 50] (Oct. 11)
Infamous (Warner Independent) Talk
about a tough act to follow: In the foot
steps of Capote, Infamous is also the
story of the writing of In Cold Blood.
Toby Jones plays Capote, Sandra Bul
lock is Harper Lee, and the new Bond
(Daniel Craig) is the killer Perry Smith.
In this version, Capote is said to clearly
fall in love with Perry-and who could
blame him? (Oct. 13)
Trade (Lions Gate) German director Marco
Kreuzpaintner follows his delightfully
fluffy gay romance Summer Storm with
this harrowing look at sex trafficking .
Young Jorge (Cesar Ramos) teams with a
Texas cop (Kevin Kline) to rescue his little
sister. (Oct. 13)
Marie Antoinette (Sony) Maybe she never
said "Let them eat cake," but Kirsten
Dunst as the ill-fated royal sure has
style. Manolo Blahniks fit for a queen
and great pop songs are just the start in
this boldly modern, never-dull period
piece by director Sofia Coppola. Jason
Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Asia Argento,
Marianne Faithfull, and Rip Torn have a
56 September 12, 2006 blast sparring with each other at Ver
sailles. (Oct. 20).
November
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for
Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kaza
khstan (Fox) Sacha Baron Cohen (the cre
ator of Ali G) takes his clueless reporter
Borat on a road trip throughout the
United States, never failing to miss an
opportunity for laughing at gay panic
from his Eastern European hero. Truly
silly. (Nov. 3)
Volver (Sony Classics) Pedro Almodovar is
at the top of his game in this wonderfully
satisfying story of a mother (the poised,
magnificent Penelope Cruz) who covers
up the murder of her deadbeat husband
by their daughter. Funny, moving, unex
pected-it's prime Almodovar. (Nov. 3)
Fur (Picturehouse) Nicole Kidman is report
edly magnetic and Oscar-worthy as the
famed but troubled photographer Diane
Arbus, who committed suicide in 1971.
Robert Downey Jr. costars, and Steven
Shainberg (the kinky Secretary) directs,
but it's Kidman all the way. (Nov. 10)
Casino Royale (Sony) A newly imagined,
tougher, more realistic Bond? Fine, as
long as they keep the Bond girls coming
(for the ladies who like lipstick lesbians,
this time it's the waifish Eva Green) and
a new Bond (for the men who don't mind
going undercover). Daniel Craig? We'll
give him a shot. (Nov. 17)
advocate .com For Your Consideration (Warner I ndepen
dent) Another improvised comedy from
the brilliant Christopher Guest (Waiting
for Guffman, A Mighty Wind) that's sure
to be "best in show" for us, especially with
its focus on actors enjoying the Oscar
buzz. The cast is bursting with favorites
like Ricky Gervais, Parker Posey, Eugene
Levy, Jane Lynch, Catherine O'Hara,
Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, and many
more. (Nov. 17)
Bobby (MGM) Emilio Estevez finally re
turns to center stage with this Alt
manesque drama about the 22 people who
were at the Ambassador Hotel the day
Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. The
stellar cast includes Sharon Stone, Elijah
Wood, Demi Moore, Harry Belafonte, Shia
LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, and many
more. This is the tantalizing wild card of
the Oscar season. (Nov. 22)
The History Boys (Fox Searchlight) Director
Nicholas Hytner and out writer Alan Ben
nett bring the Tony-winning charmer to
the big screen. The winning cast includes
Richard Griffiths (of Harry Potter and
Withnail & I fame) in the role of a life
time, not to mention delightful lads like
Dominic Cooper, Stephen Campbell
Moore, and the especially delightful
Samuel Barnett as Posner. (Nov. 24)
3 Needles (Wolfe) Out filmmaker Thom
Fitzgerald directed this movie that con
nects three different stories-set in rural
China, a plantation in Africa, and the
Montreal porn industry-to illustrate the
face of AIDS today. Made in cooperation
with the United Nations, but with Sandra
Oh, Chloe Sevigny, and Olympia Dukakis
playing nuns, Stockard Channing as the
mother of a porn star, and Sook-Yin Lee
of Shortbus, it's sure to be more than just
noble and informative. (Dec. 1)
-Michael Giltz
THE ADVOCATE