2014 Toronto Inside Out LGBT Film Festival wraps: My favourite flicks this year...

Another year, another Toronto Inside Out LGBT Film Festival draws to a close.  The festival tends to creep up on many film lovers in Toronto, so many friends of mine remarked to me this year they forgot to go see much.  Not me, of course.  Despite ongoing election campaigns pulling politicos in every direction, I still managed to see a few films.  But I also missed some good ones.

I sadly missed the Brazilian opening night film 'The Way He Looks,' which is a feature film adaptation closely based on a short film from a few years ago by the same director.  I was busy that night working on my own feature film screenplay inspired by a short film I worked on a few years ago, 'The Golden Pin' (available for viewing on YouTube, including a direct link on the right.)

But the feature version of 'The Way He Looks,' looks great based on this trailer:



I haven't heard yet if 'The Way He Looks,' has Canadian distribution, meaning it could be a while before anyone else can see it in this country.  With some luck, perhaps it'll play at TIFF later this year, or at the Brazilian Film & Television Festival of Toronto in the fall.

I also missed the fundraising screening of HBO's new TV movie 'The Normal Heart,' starring Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer.  But I'll catch that one soon through other means and will blog about it if I'm inspired by it.

Two other features I missed which I hope to catch soon are 'Last Summer', an American feature about the final days of a vibrant summer love between two small-town high school male sweethearts torn between staying together and moving on to bigger and better things, and director Ira Sachs' 'Love Is Strange,' which stars Alfred Molina and John Lithgow.

The trailer for 'Last Summer' is here:



Now for the films I did see and loved.

My favourite film was Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan's 'Tom at the Farm' (pictured above.) Based on the play by Michel Marc Bouchard, the film chronicles the story of a young gay man who journeys to his dead lover's family farm in rural Quebec, where he discovers his late lover's mother had no idea her son was gay.  But his unpredictable, volatile and sexy brother certainly did, as we soon discover.

Here is the trailer:



Dolan has been receiving accolades for years since his debut feature, 'I Killed My Mother.'  I loved that film, but thought his follow up 'Heartbeats' was disappointing.  I completely missed the three-hour 'Lawrence Anyways' as a result.  But with 'Tom at the Farm,' I have to say that I'm now a Dolan groupie (and will have to go back and watch 'Lawrence Anyways' asap.)

I also appreciated the German/Hungarian feature film 'Land of Storms,' (pictured above.) Detailing the story of a young Hungarian soccer player who gets kicked off a German team and returns home to his desolate life where he meets a sexy would-be thief, it was captivating from start to finish.  I can't say I liked the ending much, even though it nicely brought closure to the story.  But the hot images of a naked three-way in a pond at night, not to mention other nice moments of eye candy more than made up for the cliched finale. Here's a link to the film's trailer on YouTube.

I also loved the Brazilian/German film 'Praia do Futuro,' (pictured above) or 'Future Beach,' a fascinating and beautiful film about a Brazilian lifeguard who falls for the German friend of a man who dies at the beach in the north-eastern region of the country and abandons his family to go live with his new lover in Germany.  It was sexy, atmospheric, unfurling itself with an easy pace I loved.

Here's the trailer:



And finally I will say good things about the Venezuelan gem 'My Straight Son,' (pictured below.)  Though heavy on some gay film tropes like commitment-phobic lovers, gay bashers, ignorant families who come around in the end, and tough transsexuals who save the day, it broke new ground as a mainstream, Spanish-language film that may eventually find a wide audience across South America (and change a few closed minds in the process.)   About a gay photographer reunited with his teenage son while his lover struggles in hospital after a brutal attack, it was sweet, supremely well-made and contained some truly beautiful moments.  I'd highly recommend it to most.

I did catch some short films as well, including three great ones: Austin Wong's hilarious 'Gaysian', Britt Randle's clever 'Run Rabbit,' and Sonia Hong's awesome dance video, 'Waack Revolt!'.

Andrew Garfield's amazing performance in Arcade Fire's new video "We Exist"

This is astonishing!  I love both Andrew Garfield and Arcade Fire even more now!   Enjoy! 

Michael Sam becomes 1st openly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL...

What a beautiful and sweet moment!  It's so very nice to share in it on TV.  Congrats to Mr. Sam!

I'm not much of a football fan, but I'll have to find a way to catch a St. Louis Rams game when Sam starts to play for them.

Prince Harry might "experiment with gay men" if his relationship doesn’t work out (which apparently it has not!)

What a lovely headline!:

Prince Harry might experiment with gay men if my relationship doesn’t work out

It certainly caught my eye, although Harry never has to try too hard to get my attention (or most gay men's). 

And of course, this story yesterday seems to confirm the handsome prince is back on the market.  Well, Harry, perhaps it's time to put those sexy words into action and give some hot dude a try? 

Here's the full Pink News story below:

Prince Harry has said he might try relationships with men if he “changes his mind” about women, while on a night out with his current girlfriend.

Harry and his girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, were taking a night out together at The Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill on Friday, when Harry was slipped the phone number of Vincenzo Ianniello.

He reportedly accepted the number happily, and promised to call Mr Ianniello if he changed his mind about dating women.
 
Mr Ianniello later tweeted about the exchange: “I gave Prince Harry my number tonight, he promised he’ll call me if he changes his mind about women. Or men. #epicwin”

Kick attention-seeking, mischief-making American bigot Peter LaBarbera out of the country, please!

It seems hatemonger Peter LaBarbera's temporary detention by Canada Customs at Regina's airport last week was quite justified, considering what the bigoted troublemaker got himself into on the University of Regina's campus today. 

LaBarbera, along with infamous hate propagandist Bill Whatcott (whose guilt promoting hatred against gays and lesbians was upheld last year by the Supreme Court of Canada), tried to force their drug-inspired hatred against LGBT people onto the University of Regina today (religion being one of several legal drugs, of course.)  They were refused the ability to set up a table to promote their illogical hatred, but they proceeded to set one up anyway.  In the end, Regina police arrested them both and charged them with mischief. 

No one has the right to enter a university campus to commit crimes or promote hatred.  No one even has a right to set up a table on a public sidewalk to promote anything without a city permit.  As Whatcott rightly should know, there are limits to freedom of expression, which doesn't include the right to distribute pamphlets which read, "Kill The Homosexuals!", as he did about ten years ago.  These two merely wanted some more attention for their pathetic cause and sadly they got it.

Whatcott is a loser who deserves to be forgotten along with his drug-inspired nonsense.

And LaBarbera has shown his contempt for Canada by engaging in this kind of behaviour so soon after last week's warning at the Regina airport.  You'd think a good Christian man might be inspired to behave himself in a foreign country after that.  But no.

Charged with mischief, LaBarbera should be put on a plane and flown back to the U.S. as soon as possible.  Good riddance, you jerk! 

Hurray for Ellen Page!

Very glad to hear this news today.  Plus she's cute.  Makes me wish I were a lesbian ;-)

"In a speech at the Time to Thrive conference Friday, actress Ellen Page came out as gay. 
“I’m here today because I am gay,” she told the audience of LGBT youth at the Bally’s 
Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

"The 26-year old star of “Juno” appears in the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

“I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission,” Page said. “I suffered for years 
because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my 
relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of 
all that pain.”

"The sponsor of the conference, Human Rights Campaign, tweeted “Congratulations 
@EllenPage for taking the steps to live openly and come out as lesbian.”

"She told the audience she felt a personal obligation and a social responsibility to be 
honest. “Maybe I can help others to have an easier time. I am tired of hiding,” she said.

Time to boycott Russia's celebration of its bigoted self

I will not be watching Russia's disgusting celebration of itself tomorrow.  The opening ceremonies for the Sochi Games will not be playing on my TV at work, nor at home on Friday night.  I can't bear to watch a celebration of Russia's history knowing full well this is a country that is actively trying to destroy its LGBT citizens with lies and religious bigotry.

The only thing that could make me watch would be news coverage featuring the repeat of some disaster that strikes during the event.  A mechanical failure, hopefully, causing embarrassment to Russian hosts and the bigot himself, Vladimir Putin.

Even better would be a brave protest by some athlete who unfurls a rainbow flag, perhaps.  It would be nice if some enlightened athletes from the enlightened parts of the world don rainbow buttons or symbols that promote equality and dignity amid such utter hypocrisy.

I will tune in over the course of the next two weeks to cheer on Canadian athletes.  Those events will not be about the repulsive host country; they will be about athletes from around the world, including our own country.

I wish Canadians the best of luck as they compete.  I wish all the athletes a great games.

Sad news about Philip Seymour Hoffman...

"Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in “Capote” and created a gallery of other vivid characters...was found dead Sunday in his Greenwich Village apartment with what law enforcement officials said was a syringe in his arm. He was 46."

What a tragedy!  He was a great character actor who made his mark on cinema and will be remembered for years if not decades.  This is a real loss for everyone who loves cinema and great acting as we will now be denied more of Hoffman's immense talent.

It's sad how hard drugs can take possession of people's lives, as seems to have been the case with Hoffman.  I'm glad I've never tried anything remotely considered "hard" amongst such substances still banned by law.  And I never intend to.

A friend remarked on her Facebook page simply that "drugs are bad...don't do them."  Sure, hard, addictive drugs like heroin, cocaine and others absolutely are to be avoided.

Drugs like caffeine, sugar, alcohol, marijuana, religion, etc.?  Definitely okay in MODERATE amounts.

But I digress.   We've lost a great artist today to a very addictive and destructive drug.  Very sad indeed!

HBO's new 'Looking': Link to Full Episode on YouTube

I'm hooked!  HBO has posted the first episode of its new 30-minute gay drama, 'Looking', set in beautiful San Francisco, on YouTube. Genius marketing.  I'll be watching this one all the way to the end!  LINK TO THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE HERE!  

Putin resembles Hitler as he suggests Russia needs to "cleanse" itself of homosexuality

How horrible it must be to be LGBT in Russia these days. My heart truly goes out to all LGBT people living in Russia and their allies.

Next month's Sochi Olympics are shining a light on that country's despicable treatment of its gay people and rightly so. Ignorance about LGBT people seems to underpin the mainstream culture in Russia (as expressed by its leadership), where the lessons learned in other countries by people just as smart as Russians seem to go unheeded and unlearned.

Now Russia President Vladimir Putin is talking like Adolf Hitler by equating gays with pedophiles and saying Russia needs to “cleanse” itself of homosexuality if it wants to increase its birth rate.

This kind of thinking is horrifying.

Congrats to writer Warren Kinsella for his article today on this very subject in which he too makes the comparison between Putin's Olympics in 2014 and Hitler's Olympics in 1936. Our international failure to launch an effective boycott of Putin's games will only have dire consequences for gays in Russia. It's an ominous warning considering what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany after Hitler's Olympic success.

I hope I'm not being naive in doubting a Russian version of the Holocaust against gay people. But without a doubt, the Russian law against the presence of homosexuality in any part of public society in that country is already having violent consequences for LGBT people.

But just as insidious is the impact Russia's law will have on LGBT youth and Putin's demand that Russia "cleanse" itself of homosexuality to increase its birth rate. I guess Putin hopes that more LGBT Russian men and women will stay in the closet out of fear of violence, and embrace fake heterosexual lives that are wrong for them and for society as a whole, creating phoney marriages and lives lost in clouds of lies and hopelessness.

Putin is either ignorant or deliberately ignoring the fact that homosexuality exists as an inherent, unchangeable attribute in about the same percentage (around three to five percent) in every society, across all demographics, classes, races, etc. including in Russia. He reportedly refused to answer a question today posed by the BBC to him about whether or not he believes the truth that people are born gay.

Holding Gay Pride parades, allowing gay people to exist openly in your society, and even teaching children about the importance of treating all human beings including homosexuals equally and with dignity and respect, will not turn any of those children who are not already destined to be LGBT into an LGBT person. Banning such "gay propaganda" will only further isolate the vulnerable gay Russian youth in that society and promote violence against anyone who doesn't fit in.

Treating LGBT people with equality, dignity and respect is not a Western value; it is a human value as homosexuals are present in all parts of the world, not just the West.

Sorry for the platitudes, which are obvious to most of us here in Canada. But sadly, these truths need to be repeated again and again as old world notions about sexuality continue to dominate in many parts of the world.

And heroes like the brave, gay Russian man (pictured below) who unfurled a rainbow flag today at the Olympic torch relay as it passed through his hometown of Voronezh, 910 kilometres north of Sochi, only to be arrested, need to be honoured and supported.

'My Prairie Home' documentary about transgender musician from Alberta makes it to Sundance Film Festival

I'm excited about seeing this documentary this year, the only Canadian feature to make it to the Sundance Film Festival, which opened this past week.

'My Prairie Home' follows a transgender musician named Ray from a staunch Christian family in Alberta.   Based on this CBC story on it that ran last night, it looks amazing.

NOW Magazine's movie critics simply suck! (With the exception of Norm Wilner perhaps...)

Filmmakers (including myself on occasion) struggle greatly for years to get their stories on the big screen, from writing dozens of screenplay drafts, to finding money, to shooting, to post-production, to the agonizing process of distribution.

Audiences invest as little as nothing (if illegally downloading) or perhaps $13 if going to a theatre to view them.  

There's an old saying: those who can, do, and those who can't, teach.  This could also apply to film critics: those who can, make films, and those who can't, sit on the sidelines and attack the work of those who can.   

Some publications employ film critics who are fair, open-minded and willing to judge filmmakers' labours of love with a bit of humility, free of any personal agendas.

But not NOW Magazine in Toronto, where mostly amateurish writers in most sections spew their baseless subjectivity every week.  With the exception of Norm Wilner, whose opinions are generally top notch and take into account the actual art of the films and sometimes the intentions of the filmmakers, NOW's film critics frequently let their subjective b.s. opinions, prejudices and political agendas get in the way of their thinking.  

Glenn Sumi never saw an Asian-themed gay film he wasn't prepared to massacre due to his own self hatred and subjective tastes.  

Even worse, Susan G. Cole, an otherwise delightful woman, puts her highly sensitive, left leaning/lesbian political filter on before watching anything.  She once talked down Gus Van Sant's historic epic 'Milk' simply because there weren't enough lesbian characters in it.  Yes a story about an openly gay man who surrounded himself mostly with other gay men in his pursuit of political office and authentically portrayed him as such was simply not lesbian enough for Ms. Cole.  Thus, the weak three star rating for a modern gay classic.

Of course, when films about lesbians have cropped up with zero gay male characters in sight, Cole has been more than eager to hand out five stars and gushing reviews.

Today, I read her review of the decent film 'Saving Mr. Banks' (starring Emma Thompson, pictured above playing the not-lesbian-enough lead character) and once again we don't get a fair reading of the film's artistic merits, but instead its failure to impress Cole's political agenda. 

"The older Travers is portrayed as an old lonely prune who only lightens up after she's been in Disney's orbit. I don't expect a Disney pic to highlight Travers's lesbian love life or her very serious spiritual pursuits, but this rendering is insulting," writes Cole.

See my point?  True, I don't much care for Disney's willingness to present sanitized versions of stories.  But 'Saving Mr. Banks' had its great strengths and was enjoyable.  Certainly, it was worth more than a pathetic two stars out of five. 

Oh well, as those familiar with NOW Magazine already know, one can't expect much in terms of fair, decent, objective reporting from them, either in their news section and of course in the film section.   Perhaps their music writers are qualified, but I'm not enough of a music aficionado to tell.

Most movie lovers are smart, discerning individuals.  Most of us know which reviewers and which organizations publish decent, fair, objective reviews we can trust and which ones don't.  I'm happy to remind everyone of NOW's considerable deficiencies in that department.