Queer Beacon

The Son (2002) - No Gay Content

Excellent movie. 

This is one quiet French movie.  You will not believe how long a scene can go without a word, but Olivier Gourmet's acting is so flawless and his introspective expressions so rich that you will not miss those words.  His acting will show you that some event in his past shattered every bone in his soul.  He is bitter and he is lost.

In The Son, Olivier teaches carpentry to young men just released from juvenile correction centers.  He has some serious issues with a new apprentice, played by Morgan Marinne.

No gay content though :-(

Go rent this movie right now.

White Oleander (2002) - LightShed 6

Good movie.  All tragic but good.  The movie was so sad that I couldn't cry (I had a similar reaction to Dancer in the Dark). 

In the movie, Alison Lohman is a young girl going through foster homes after mommy Michelle Pfeiffer kills a guy out of craziness, bitchiness and jealousy.  The Pfeiffer is an artist, all full of sensibility.  Robin Wright Penn and Renee Zellweger are two of Lohman's foster moms.

The acting was very good across the board.  Lohman was the star of the movie, everybody else pretty much had cameos, even The Pfeiffer had a smaller role than I had anticipated.  She was stunning though.  Beautiful beyond belief, seriously:

Now to our gay movie review.  White Oleander did not have much gay content, but the little gay content it did have ranged from neutral to positive.  In one scene, this guy asks Lohman if she is gay.  Lohman asks why, and the kid says he thought she was gay because she did not seem to be interested in guys.  She confirms she is not interested in guys.  Cute.  Later on, she says she is not gay but she says that because she wants to kiss the guy, not because she felt the need to deny the 'accusation' or 'protect' her reputation.  That was all pretty positive, she wasn't offended because the guy thought she was a lesbian, and the guy did not look like he would have a problem if she was indeed gay.

In another scene, The Pfeiffer makes a joke about her not having much time for her art in prison because she needs to constantly "fight off sexual advances."  Light joke, pretty neutral I thought.

This post was written for the Pfeiffer blog-a-thon.  She turns 48 on April 29.  She was 44 when she shot White Oleander, can you believe it?

Check back soon for additional links honoring The Pfeiffer.

Punch Drunk Love (2002) - LightShed 6

Excellent movie.  Here, Adam Sandler is a small time businessman, bored with life.  He collects coupons, calls a porn line, and pursues Emily Watson.  Everybody is excellent.  Philip Seymour-Hoffman's cameo is brilliant.

Adam Sandler's sisters call him "gay boy," just to annoy him, I guess.  His reaction to the name calling is very natural, as though that didn't bother him, not a problem.  He does go postal for another reason.   Get out now, go rent this movie.