20th Mar2019

BFI FLARE: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival

by timbaros

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BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is back in its 33rd year and will take place from 21st – 31 March 2019.

It will be ten days of films and events for our community, a celebration of all things gay & lesbian & transgender that promises to offer a vibrant space for all of us who are able to attend. Flare will also be ten days of seeing people you only see during this festival – and a time to meet up and grab a drink or a cup of coffee in between screenings. It will also be a great opportunity to meet new friends and some of the filmmakers and actors.   
BFI Flare will present over 50 features, more than 80 shorts, and a wide range of special events, guest appearances, club nights and much much more. Here is a very brief summary of some of the highlights:
Flare will open with the period drama ‘Vita & Virginia,’ charting the passionate relationship between Virginia Woolf (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and aristocrat Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton).
A must-see for the gay male crowd will most definitely be ‘Mapplethorpe,’ which stars sexy Matt Smith as the legendary photographer in this no-holds-barred exploration of the controversial and one of the most feted photographers. Another one for the boys is ‘Papi Chulo’ which stars Matt Bomer as a heartbroken gay television weatherman who forms an unlikely friendship with an older straight migrant worker.
Another must see will be the closing night gala screening of ‘JT Leroy.’ Starring Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart, the film tells the story of how Savannah Knoop (adapted from her memoir) became JT Leroy – a fictional character who came true to life and bedazzled New York’s downtown scene for years.
The UK premiere of ‘Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life’ takes place during the festival and paints a portrait of one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars – Agassi – in a life of highs and lows.
Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger portray two women who fall in love in 1950’s Scotland in the film ‘Tell it to the Bees,’ while in ‘Rafiki’ two young Kenyan women attempt a relationship despite it being illegal in their country.
On the documentary front, a queer lucha libre wrestler is profiled in ‘Cassandro, The Exotico,’ while ‘Halston’ is a portrait of the American Fashion legend, complete with rare archive footage. Another legend, ‘Montgomery Clift,’ is profiled in the self-titled film in the search to discover who was the real Clift. ‘Tongues Untied’ features the work of black gay filmmaker Marlon Riggs, while in ‘Transmilitary,’ four soldiers risk dismissal to fight for transgender fights in the U.S. armed forces.
Events/debates include: Trans Creative at the Movies: a discussion that will feature transgender moments in film; At Lethal Lesbians will be a talk about how queer females are deadlier than the male species. In Operation Spanner: Then and Now – 16 men were prosecuted in the late 1980’s for their participation in consensual S&M sex sessions, will be explored in two short film and in a discussion. The Big Gay Film Quiz is back as well as the very popular Club Nights that take place in the BFI Southbank’s Benugo Bar & Kitchen – great weekend nights out to let your hair down and boogie the night way.
Also, don’t miss the The 25th anniversary screening of ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ which will take place during the festival.
Full details, and to buy tickets, please go to this link:
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17th Mar2019

Betrayal (Theatre)

by timbaros
Charlie Cox (Jerry), Zawe Ashton (Emma) and Tom Hiddleston (Robert) in 'Betrayal' directed by Jamie Lloyd. Photo credit Marc BrennerHeartthrob Tom Hiddleston shines in Jamie Lloyd’s new production of ‘Betrayal,’ now playing at the Pinter Theatre in London’s West End.
‘Betrayal’ is one of the late Harold Pinter’s more well-known works (from 1978), and it also clocks in at a snip 90 minutes, but it’s 90 minutes that’s full of drama, tension, and in this new stage version, very well acted.
In a play that goes backward and forward in time but is never confusing, Hiddleston plays Robert, a successful book publisher who is married to the beautiful Emma (Zawe Ashton, from television’s ‘Fresh Meat’, and who more than holds her own on stage). Emma, you see, has been having, for several years, an affair with Jerry (a very good and very goodlooking and sexy Charlie Cox – best known for television’s ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Daredevil’), who also happens to be Roberts’ best friend. But there is more to it than this. Jerry and Emma have had a flat for their not so secret trysts for years, and Robert has known, because Emma told him, about the affair. Meanwhile Jerry also has a wife and child. But as the plot goes back three years, to a time when Emma and Robert were very happy, to the beginning of the play when Emma announces to Jerry that her and Robert are splitting up, its one betrayal after another in a show that cleverly uses a chronology to tell the story in reverse. ‘Betrayal’ is also about a clandestine love affair, and lies told, in a show portrayed on stage by actors who are at the top of their game. And the three main cast members are always on stage, with one hovering in the background creating an eavesdropping like mood. 
Hiddleston displays a very vulnerable side of him as the spurned husband who seems to be the innocent one amongst all the betrayal. And as Robert Hiddleston, near the end of the show which is actually near the end of the middle of the show, breaks down as he learns from Emma about the affair. It’s powerful stuff by a master of the stage (Hiddleston was also very superb in 2013’s ‘Coriolanus’). Ashton is good as the woman at the centre of two men who really really want her, while Cox brings a lure of sex appeal and confidence where we can see why Robert keeps him as his best friend and why Emma is having an affair with him even though she has her own family. All in all, ‘Betrayal,’ with a set that is stripped to the bone, is dramatic and tense theatre at its best.
Betrayal must end on June 1st, 2019
For tickets, please go to:
https://www.pinteratthepinter.com
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17th Mar2019

Benjamin (Film)

by timbaros
Image 15-03-2019 at 22.06Comedian Simon Amstell has directed and written his first film – it’s called ‘Benjamin.’
He actually also could’ve called it Simon. ‘Benjamin’ follows the life of filmmaker Benjamin (played by the charming Colin Morgan). He is a frustrated, self doubting filmmaker, and is not very optimistic about his latest film – ‘no self.’ He is also not very optimistic about his love life – an ex is very angry at him for writing negatively about him in a film. Benjamin’s best friend is comedian Stephen (Joel Fry), who after ten years on the stand up scene is almost ready to throw in the towel. But one day Benjamin’s publicist/friend Billie (Jessica Raine) takes him to a chair opening party (yes, that is what it is called) where Benjamin meets the adorable French Noah (Phénix Brossard). Noah is younger than Benjamin, but over time their relationship blossoms. But as Benjamin’s insecurities about relationships, and life, get worse, will he be able to confidently promote his new film while at the same time keep up his crumbling relationship with Noah?
Anstell wrotes scenes for this film from almost every relationship he has ever been in. And lead actor Morgan can actually pass for his younger brother, while Stephen, a comedian, was perhaps modeled on Anstel’s early career. ‘Benjamin’ is a great date movie – for both gay and straight couples. It’s charming and original.’ And while it won’t change your world, it’s a great first effort from Anstell – hopefully he can continue to make more charming movies such as this.
In Cinemas and on Digital 15th March 
THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK FOR
BENJAMIN IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD
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17th Mar2019

The Twilight Zone (Theatre)

by timbaros

Daniel Crossley - The Twilight Zone - Ambassadors Theatre - (C) Marc Brenner (9958)You will travel through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Twilight Zone!

 
Yes, the Twilight Zone is where you landed, also known as the Ambassadors Theatre in Central London, where you will be taken into the unknown, places and situations that could or could not be real, people who may or may not seem who they are, it’s a show with lots of questions and very little answers.
 
Were there 6 passengers on the bus? Then why are there 7 stranded in the diner? Were there three astronauts in the ship, or just one? Why does the jukebox keep turning on and off? Where do those cigarettes mysteriously come from? Who is that little girl who supposedly lives in the building, and why is she so quiet? Is that actualy a black hole to another dimension in the daughter’s bedroom, and is this where she has disappeared into? All these questions and more make up for a night of very little suspense, drama and not a whole lot of terror.
 
The series of eight episodes, selected by the writer Anne Washburn from 156 episodes from the 1960’s television show does not transfer well to the West End stage. Turning eight 30-minute television programs into a two hour show, all interweaved with each other, makes for a bit of confusement.
 
The first half of the Twilight Zone, the television show which was created and hosted by Rod Serling, is a bit messy and lacks suspense because of the multiple story lines, butit’s the second half where the tension keeps you on the edge of your seat. Nuclear missiles are heading towards America, and neighbors are pitted against each other in order to survive, and where one already had a nuclear shelter. Everyone wants to survive so they try to break their way into the shelter, to no avail, but their true colors are revealed in their quest for survival. Intense Stuff! We are also treated to the ventriloquism of Adriana Bertola and her whisky drinking dummy, she is a genius as her dummy comes to life on stage. How does this all relate to the Twilight Zone? You will just have to buy a ticket and see for yourself.
 
To buy tickets, please go to:
 
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17th Mar2019

Girl (Film)

by timbaros
02_girl_-kris-dewitte‘Girl’ is the story of a 15-year old boy who feels like he was born in the wrong body.
In an amazing turn by newcomer Victor Polster who plays the lead Lara,  ‘Girl’ takes us on a journey of a young boy desperately wanting to rush his hormone treatment to become a girl. But Lara also has a yearning to be a ballerina, and the pressures of being born in the wrong body to be able to fulfil her dream is the challenge that Lara may or not make it through. She lives in a apartment with her taxi-driving father and much younger brother, and suffers with the usuals pressures of school, including not being able to disrobe in the locker room. But first-time director Lukas Dhont draws us into Lara’s life by focusing the entire movie on her – we see and feel her emotions, the anxiety, fear, and at times happiness about the huge change that is going to take place in her life. And Polster is just simply amazing as Lara. ‘Girl’ has won lots of awards, including the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes last year, along with an award for Best Performance for Polster. ‘Girl’ also won Best Feature Film at the London Film Festival. 
 
‘Girl’ is not a perfect movie. There are lots of scenes of Lara while she is in ballet practice, and we are shown Lara’s bloodied toes from the rigorous training way too many times, and the ending comes as a bit of a shock, and is quite controversial. But see ‘ Girl’ for the story (written by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens) and the amazing performance by Polster.
UK release date – 15th March
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04th Mar2019

A Private War (Film)

by timbaros

Rosamund Pike as journalist Marie Colvin in 'A Private War' copyRosamund Pike is perfect as war journalist Marie Colvin in the new film ‘A Private War.’

Pike is just so good in this film, bringing Colvin to life on the big screen, that it’s quite a shock that she has not been nominated for any of the major acting awards for this film. Sure, Olivia Colman was very good as Anne, Queen of Britian in ‘The Favourite’ while Glenn Close was memorable in ‘The Wife,’ but Pike, in my opinion, had more of a challenging role playing a woman in a man’s industry. Colvin, who was an American war journalist, worked as a foreign affairs correspondent for the British newspaper The Sunday Times. She was always determined to get the story, whether her work took her to Syria, Iraq, or Libya (where she famously interviewed Muammar Gaddafi). Even after she lost her left eye in a blast in Sri Lanka she never gave up, and the black eye patch she wore distinguished her from all of the other war journalists.
First time feature film director Matthew Heineman brilliantly brings her story to the big screen, and Pike really nails it. Along with her photographer Paul Conroy (played by British heartthrob Jamie Dornan), we see Colvin trying to get the story, while leaving the safe confines of her homely Hammersmith terrace house for the dirty and dangerous battlegrounds and war fields of the middle east. We follow her, and Conroy, avoiding bullets and missiles, putting their lives at risk.
Based on the Vanity Fair article “Marie Colvin’s Private War,” this biographical film follows Colvin to her final assignment in Homs, Syria, where she was killed during a siege, at the age of 56. Pike is just simply amazing as Colvin. 
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04th Mar2019

Follies (Theatre)

by timbaros

FOLLIES by Sondheim ; Directed by Dominic Cooke ; Designed by Vicki Mortimer ; Lighting Designer - Paule Constable, at the National Theatre, London, UK ; 2019 ; Credit : Johan Persson /

If you are a huge theatre fan, love musicals, and worship the ground Stephen Sondheim walks on, then you’ll love ‘Follies.’

Playing in its second run in two years at the National Theatre, ‘Follies’ is true and pure Sondheim. At the ripe age of 88, Sondheim currently has another hit show in the West End – the critically acclaimed and very popular ‘Company.’ But ‘Follies’ is a certain kind of musical – a musical that will perhaps only appeal to the die hard Sondheim musical theatre fan. 

‘Follies’ lusciously and lavishly tells the story of former Follies girls, in 1971, coming back to their soon to be demolished theatre for a reunion. It is a brilliant idea for a show and is executed to flawless perfection. The women range in different ages and are at various stages in their live, but they will always be Follies girl, past performers of the “Weismann’s Follies” musical revue, that played in that theatre between the World Wars. While the next day the building is going to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, the women have one last night to reminisce about their time as Follies Girls, and their younger and more glamorous selves. 

The book of the musical, by James Goldman, takes a look at these women through rose tinted glasses in a story that is all illusion, smoke and mirrors. 

And while there is no proper character development, some of the women do get to shine in a cast that appears to be dozens (40 actually). Tracie Bennett smashes the Soundheim classic ‘I’m Still Here’ while Dawn Hope passionately sings ‘Who’s That Woman.’ Janie Dee excels in ‘Could I Leave You’ and Joanna Riding drips with emotion while singing ‘Losing My Mind.’ 

Yes, ‘Follies’ is a show that showcases the ladies. And while some of the men (Peter Forbes and his younger self Harry Hepple), and Alexander Hanson, get their moments, Sondheim shows his enthusiasm, appreciation and love for the ladies. For it’s their show, it has and always will be. 

Winner of Best Musical Revival at last year’s Olivier Awards, ‘Follies’ is playing until Saturday May 11, 2019.

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