Tuesday 17 June 2008

Where are the Queers?


I just finished reading this article on Hollywood Reporter about how poor independent gay films are doing.
Could black Sunday have been a knife in the stomach of any film maker bringing a gay themed story to the screen?

Sure there has only been 1 major film being put into production, that being Gus Van Sants "Milk". Since that fateful day when the hopes of many a gay man or woman crashed into a wall. Sure you get the silly comedies that only a handful of people see, but nothing major.

Even gay character that seemed to litter a lot of prestige films have been scarce to say the least. Last year not one of the 5 nominated films even had a gay character in it. Perhaps gay interest film makers are playing the waiting game. Let all the homophobic old twats who hold positions of power in tinsel town pop their clogs, then things will be easier.

I still remember Ernest Borgnine saying publically he nor any of his friends would even see Brokeback, "I didn't see it and I don't care to see it ... If John Wayne were alive, he'd be rolling over in his grave."

At least we are not dealing with particularly intelligent people.

So where does this leave gay cinema? Is "Milk", Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" and "Talking Woodstock" (the new Ang Lee film about a gay man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969) all we have to look forward to? Sure Bryan Singer is doing "Mayor of Castro Street" but by that time Harvey Milk will be old news (Much like "Infamous" was for Truman Capote).
There is "I Love You Phillip Morris" with Jim Carey and Ewan McGregor, and even though Jim has more than proved his acting chops and we all know Ewan is basically family, I am very wary of the 'comedy/drama' categorization and the fact it is written by the guys responsible for "Cats and Dogs".
All I need is another "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" to send me over the edge.

In the mean time, gay men have to turn to womans films like "Sex and the City: The Movie" and even though we loved being in those ladies company, Carrie's close close gay friend Stanford Blatch was hardly to be seen.
I still hold out hope though. We are living in intolerant times, perhaps future elections will help sort out exactly what tolerance is, and that hate is not something that should ever be preached. Until then I hope for more "Brokebacks", "Bounds" and "Priscilla's"

At least we appear to be big on TV.

3 comments:

Moonraker said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RJ said...

But I wouldn't necessarily classify those as 'gay indies'. When I think 'gay indie', I think of those (pardon my language) shitty little rom coms that go straight to DVD. Now, plenty of shitty little rom coms about hetero couples are released all the time, but I'm not terribly cut up that we aren't getting more of those. What I wish we had more of were good films in which the homosexuality of a character isn't the point. 'Talking Woodstock' actually looks like it might fit that mold.

Michael Parsons said...

Not before I could read it though. No these are not really indies, but they are not big studio films either (all from Focus which is a part of Universal but still small).

I just wish we got some good parts to represent us.