Queer Beacon

Must Love Dogs (2005) - LightShed 9

The movie stars Diane Lane, John Cusack (can someone please tell him he is not good looking?), and Lane’s movie family (including Canadian Christopher Plummer), all trying to get her to date after a divorce. I liked the movie a lot (I disagree – and I usually don’t -- with Ebert & Roeper, who seemed to have hated the movie).

Our gay here is Lane’s teacher friend at pre-school, Brad William Henke. I could not believe how positively the movie portrayed Henke’s character. Henke is a teacher (having gays around children is unfortunately a problem for some idiots and the movie helps counter that problem), and has a great relationship with Eric (played by Canadian Victor Webster, I was also wondering how a Henke would ever get a Webster in real life, but that’s another story). At one point Lane even says Henke is her role model for relationships. At this point I’m all “Yay!”

Late in the movie Henke and Webster show up to gay Lane out of depression, and they go do manicure. I’ll take that small stereotype anytime, especially when combined with the great portrayal of the gays. Kudos for the movie!

Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) - LightShed 9

The movie is a vehicle for Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, both excellent in their roles. In the movie Judi Dench loses her husband and tries to find fun things to do with all her inherited money. She buys a theater and gets Bob Hoskins to direct/produce musicals. Entertaining movie, very light fare (well, Bob Hoskins does go full frontal).

Our gay here is Will Young, who plays the lead in the musicals produced by Judi Dench. At one point, Judi Dench is watching some auditions with many young girls trying their luck onstage, and she asks Will Young which one appealed to him the most.  Will Young replied something like: “I have other inclinations,” and Judi Dench completed: “How delicious!” It appears she really meant she saw no problem with him being gay. Yay! I will make my parents watch the movie for that scene alone.

The grade of 9 is not higher because our gay gets no action, which is not really a big deal.  His character was not so central to the drama.

Special kudos to the movie because it appeals to an older audience, who tend to be more resistant to accepting gays.

Cake (2005) - LightShed 9

This vehicle for Heather Graham was not that good. I would not recommend it. However, the portrayal of gays is pretty good. In the movie, Heather Graham is a travel writer, who has to suddenly handle her family’s magazine empire (particularly, a bride and wedding magazine). Her love interests are both Taye Diggs and David Sutcliffe (yeah, busy girl).

Our token gay here is played by Keram Malicki-Sánchez (never saw him before), Heather Graham’s flamboyant gay assistant, who, by the end of the movie is even able to write a story on equal marriage for the magazine. Additional kudos for the movie are granted for a scene in which Heather Graham asks David Sutcliffe to dance with a tranny, and he dances with her, a sensual, close dance. Very nice. Straight guy dancing with a tranny. No problem.

Again, chick flicks rule!

Prime (2005) - LightShed 9

Seriously. Who was that Bryan Greenberg? Can your performance be any worse in your acting debut? I doubt it.  People agree with moi.  NO, I mean, no chemistry with Uma Thurman whatsoever (even though both are very hot individually). The movie tells us the story of a 37 year old woman (Thurman) who falls for a 23 year old (Greenberg). Greenberg is jewish, Thurman is not. Thurman is in therapy with Greenberg’s mom, played by Meryl Streep. After you stop trying to figure out what the hell Streep was doing in that flop, you kind of actually find the movie a little (but just a little) on the cute side.

Our gay here is played by Zak Orth (he has played small roles in several movies, including Melinda and Melinda – I really like Woody Allen and I pay attention). Our gay is Thurman’s acquaintance and had sort of a crush on Greenberg (the baby face Thurman falls for). There are nice gay remarks, like the one said by Thurman when Greenberg wonders how nice it must be to be rich, and have a great house in the Hamptons, and Thurman says only rich gays have that good taste in a house. Cliché, but I’ll take it.

I have been totally into most chick flicks. They always contain a little positive gay reference, even if small. Yay!

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - LightShed 9

The movie marks Robert Downey Junior’s return to the movies and is co-stared by Val Kilmer and his gay gut. Downey is a small time crook fleeing from police when he bumps into a different life. Something related to a movie audition that he manages to pull out. I actually liked the movie a lot. Crazy. Good crazy.

Our gay here (and not a token gay as he is a major part of the movie and plot) is played by Kilmer. Our gay is nothing less than a private dick who is hired to coach Downey’s character into acting more detective-like for a movie role. The portrayal of the gays was remarkably positive, and Kilmer did a great job into using few stereotypes while making it clear he really was gay.

The movie did not get a perfect score because the one scene where our gay would actually get some action (Kilmer kisses Downey to make the police go away and not see Downey’s criminal face) is followed by a “eww” type reaction from Downey, like he was disgusted for having been kissed by Kilmer.

But there are lots of nice scenes for the gays, especially when Kilmer calls Downey a fag-hag toward the end of the movie. Kudos!

Mean Creek (2004) - LightShed 9

Good movie.  You'll be surprised by the photography.  Here, a kid bullies a few other kids (one of the kids is played by Rory Culkin), and a revenge is sought.  Our gay content is great, the bully teases one of the kids for having two dads.  They even show the two dads.  The bully learns quite a lesson.

An Unfinished Life (2005) - LightShed 9

The movie stars J. Lo as Robert Redford’s daughter-in-law. Morgan Freeman plays a guy who was attacked by a bear and lives in a little house on Redford’s farm. Redford is all bitter because he blames Lo’s for his son’s death. Lo lives far away but finds her way back to Redford’s farm to run away from her abusive boyfriend.

Gay content was present and it was very good. Having Redford and Freeman seating opposite each other for breakfast, Lo’s daughter, played by Becca Gardner, shares that she has a lesbian teacher at school, and that it is ok for Redford and Freeman to be gay. Both guys laugh, and Freeman makes a comment about Reford’s lovely hands (earlier in the movie Redford was massaging some ointment or medicine on Freeman’s bear scars – although the little girl had not seen that). It was really well done. Gardner and Freeman have a great little dialogue; she says “everyone deserves to be loved by someone,” to which Freeman replies “You’ve got that right.” Lovely. A little girl teaching a great lesson in love and acceptance. Kudos for the movie.

I just wish Redford hadn’t asked “what’s next?” implying the question “what crazy question is this little girl going to ask next?” But I’ll take it anyway.

A History of Violence (2005) - LightShed 9

The gay content in the movie was very small but I believe it went a long way. The movie uncovers the real deal behind the past of Viggo Mortensen’s character. The movie is gory, but the violence is far from gratuitous and director Cronenberg really delivered a masterpiece. Kudos for Maria Bello’s performance (she plays Mortensen’s wife).

The gay content is delivered to us via Mortensen’s son, Ashton Holmes’ character. Holmes is being bullied in school for having succeed in a baseball move (accidentally it appears) and consequently embarrassed some bullies which were supposed to be good in sports. The bully calls Holmes a faggot, and Holmes reacts in a great way, showing that he is not bothered by it. He says something like “Yes, I am a faggot.” Really well done (although Holmes later beats up the bully in a very scary scene – that could have stayed out).

We are not told whether Holmes is gay (but he has a friend who is a girl – think fag-hag, and he had complained to his dad Mortensen that he is not good in sports – can anyone relate to that?).

It helps too that Holmes delivered such a great performance. Kudos to the movie, even if the gay content was so small (it would have gotten a perfect score otherwise).