30th Jan2020

Quezon’s Game (Film)

by timbaros
Quezon's+Game+#10It’s the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust, and there are necessary tributes and memorials being held across the world. There are also television and film tributes being shown, but if you can, please include Quezon’s Game in your schedule.
Quezon’s Game is the fascinating story of Manuel Quezon (Raymond Bagatsing), the president of the Philippines who rescued 1300 European Jews in 1938. Through many obstacles, including from the U.S. government to members of his own staff, and even his declining health, Quezon was able to get Jewish people out of Europe and obtain Visas for them for the Philippines (which at that time was a territory of the U.S.). Originally wanting to save 10,000, the 1300 were saved with the help of future U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower (David Bianco) the support of his wife Aurora (Rachel Alejandro), and the determination of several others including Jewish cigar factory owner Alex Frieder (an excellent Billy Ray Gallion). 
 
Quezon’s Game is an emotional journey of the decisions that Quezon had to make in a time when the world was waking up to the atrocities of Hitler in a least known story of WWII. Set to beautiful music, including the beautiful song ‘  ‘ with the amazing voice of Shulem Lemmer, that will leave you at the end with a lump in your throat and vivid images of the survivors, some of whom provide commentary while the credits role.
 
Quezon’s Game has won worldwide acclaim, and awards from several organizations. It’s beautiful filmed and acted, and definitely a must see. 
 
Quezon’s Game will be in UK Cinemas nationwide from 31st January 
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28th Jan2020

Four Play (Theatre)

by timbaros

82469040_2670914099688678_5029288415921700864_oThe seven (and a half) year itch rears its ugly head for one gay couple in the new play ‘Four Play’.

Now playing at the Above the Stag theatre until February 22, 2020 – Rafe (Ashley Byam) and Pete (Keeran Blessie) have been together for most of their adult lives, and unfortunately have not had much experience with anyone else. Yet they feel like their sexual relationship is starting to become mundane, lacking a bit of spark. So they enlist their frIend Michael (Declan Spaine) to spice things up. They then agree a deal among them: Michael will have sex with them separately, while Michael is not allowed to tell his boyfriend Andrew (Marc Mackinnon). But Michael does tell Andrew, and while he and Michael did have an open relationship, Andrew wonders out loud why the couple chose Michael over him.

Meanwhile, Rafe and Pete are enjoying the friends with benefits with Michael, but is temporary gratification going to save their dulling relationship? And what will become of Michael and Andrew’s relationship now that Andrew knows what is going on behind his back?

Through sharp dialogue (Jake Brunger), good acting and good directing (Matthew Iliffe), and with an excellent set (a kitchen complete with a Madonna magnet on the refrigerator), Four Play is game, set, love and match.

And at 85 minutes, it’s a winner.

Book tickets here

Category : Theatre
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28th Jan2020

Sex/Crime (Theatre)

by timbaros

Sex_Crime lead image (Matt Spike) 1There’s a sex crime taking place in Soho – it’s ‘Sex/Crime’ the dark comic queer thriller.

 Now playing until Feb. 1st, 2020 at the Soho Theatre, ‘Sex/Crime’ had its birth at the Glory bar in Dalston – a venue where shows such as this one are produced. Sex/Crime is a play that explores sex, violence, role-play, fear, drugs, but unfortunately not nudity, as both leads are sexy as hell.

It’s not one to take too seriously, though the dialogue might suggest you do. Jonny Woo and writer Alexis Gregory take us on a ride where man A (Gregory) and man B (Woo) recreate a killing of a famous gay serial killer – for pleasure – and a price, but at what price. Both actors work their damn hardest to entertain, and scare us, as they decide the boundaries of their game – a game that goes a bit too far, all packed into a generous one hour show.

Playing at the Soho Theatre (in the upstairs theatre) gives the show a bit of legitimacy, but it’s still low-brow theatre mostly meant for a small stage of a gay bar. But you can’t knock the energy and sexual chemistry of Gregory and especially sexy daddy Woo – they both alone are the price of admission.

https://sohotheatre.com/shows/sex-crime/

Category : Theatre
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28th Jan2020

The Sunset Limited (Theatre)

by timbaros

Gary-Beadle-and-Jasper-Britton-in-Sunset-Limited.-Photo-Marc-Brenner-2A middle-aged white male attempts to get on The Sunset Limited but is stopped by a middle-aged black man.

What is The Sunset Limited? It’s the name of a new play that has just opened at Soho’s fantastic Boulevard Theatre, and it’s also a euphemism for committing suicide.

The white man (English Actor Jasper Britton), is on his daily commute (as described by the actors) when, instead of wanting to go to work, he intentionally wants to jump in front of a subway train pulling into a strangely empty NYC subway station. But he is saved by the black man (an excellent Gary Beadle) who in turn takes him to his run-down apartment to discuss his motive for wanting to commit suicide.”

So the play (written by Cormac McCarthy in 2006) takes place in the black man’s apartment (the two leads are not assigned proper names). So for the next 95 minutes we get to learn a lot about both men. The white man is a professor, an atheist, really hates his father and mother, and has very bad thoughts about all of his fellow commuters – everyday he has had these bad thoughts – and has had them for the past 20 years. The black man is an ex-con who served time for a crime we are not told, he is very religious, and is now the guardian angel to the white man, trying, very determined, to understand why he wanted to end his life. The play also tries to explore the meaning of life and especially the lives of people who have to endure a commute back and forth to work every day. But it also raises questions on the question – are we living the lives we want to lead? And when the show is over, and the black man finally lets the white man leave, what happens next, not just to him but also to the rest of us – back to our daily grind tomorrow, one that we might find depressing, depressing enough to take the Sunset Limited?

Perhaps the white man is everyman – one who is sick and tired of his commute, of the people around him, of his life and of his relationships – just plain miserable as hell.

Writer McCarthy wrote the brilliant ‘The Road’ (which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize, and which was turned into the classic 2009 film), which had themes of suicide and doom, was a brilliant piece of work. The Sunset Limited, apart from very good acting (Beadle is superb) and very good direction (Terry Johnson), is just a bit too thin to really care about the characters (white man is still a mystery to me) and what happens to them next.

The Sunset Limited is now playing at Soho’s Boulevard Theatre until February 29th.

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28th Jan2020

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Announces its 2019 DORIAN AWARDS for Film and TV

by timbaros

image001-1-2GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, comprised of 260 mainly U.S. journalists covering film and television, has named its final-round choics for 2019’s finest movies, performances and more across a host of mainstream and LGBTQ-focused categories.

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite gobbled up five wins, including Film of the Year, Director and Screenplay. Renée Zellweger took Performance of the Year—Actress for Judy), with Antonio Banderas the top choice in the Actor race. The Society’s Rising Star of the year: Florence Pugh (Little Women).

“GALECA members strive to determine the best cinematic experiences through the distinct LGBTQ lens, and this year was particularly rich in options,” said GALECA President Diane Anderson-Minshall, Editorial Director of The Advocate. “Yet when director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite practically swept our awards roster with five wins, I was not surprised. The dynamic, darkly comic drama about a poor family conniving to live the good life speaks to the times we live in, with vivid commentary on class, inequity and even climate change. Parasite is a perfect film for the Trump era.”

Among the professional LGBTQ journalists group’s trademark categories, Booksmart scored as Unsung Film of the Year, while Cats took the group’s semi-dubious, if affectionate, Campy Flick of the Year category.

With the Society’s recent move to spin off its television categories with a separate ceremony starting this August, the Dorians’ TV categories came with a somewhat truncated eligibility window of January 1 through November 1.

FX’s Pose again won TV Drama of the Year and LGBTQ TV Drama for the second year—and its star Billy Porter took another Dorian win as well—while Comedy Central’s The Other Two was named best Unsung TV Show. Amazon’s Fleabag was anointed TV Comedy of the Year, with star-creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge reigning as TV Performance of the Year—Actress and Wilde Wit of the Year.

Lady Gaga wowed GALECA’s members in a special vote as Wilde Artist of the Decade. Gaga’s duet with Bradley Cooper on “Shallow” at last year’s Oscars also counted with the group as the TV Musical Performance of the Year.

As previously announced, Olivia Wilde, the first-time director of Booksmart, will be receiving a special honor at the group’s Dorian Awards Winners Toast, which will be held brunchtime Sunday, February 2, in Los Angeles, before football fever kicks in. The invitation-only event will include a raise of the glass to Wilde, named GALECA’s Wilde Artist of the Year.

GALECA, formed in 2009, aims to generate camaraderie and solidarity in an unsettling media environment, champion constructive film and television criticism and elevate the craft of entertainment journalism. Via panels, screenings and our annual Dorian Awards, GALECA also strives to remind at-risk youth, bullies and bigots that the world looks to the Q eye for leads on great, unique movies and TV. And how would the world fare without knowing what’s campy?

GALECA is a proud core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media.  

FULL LIST OF 11TH DORIAN AWARD WINNERS (noted in bold and with an asterisk)

Film of the Year

Hustlers 
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood
Pain and Glory
*Parasite 
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Director of the Year 

Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory 
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
*Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Celine Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Film Performance of the Year — Actress 

Awkwafina, The Farewell
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
*Renée Zellweger, Judy

Film Performance of the Year — Actor

*Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Taron Egerton, Rocketman

Film Performance of the Year — Supporting Actress 

Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Florence Pugh, Little Women
*Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

Film Performance of the Year — Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino, The Irishman 
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood
*Song Kang-ho, Parasite

LGBTQ Film of the Year 

Booksmart 
End of the Century 
Pain and Glory
*Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rocketman

Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Atlantics 
Pain and Glory 
*Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Farewell

Screenplay of the Year

Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
*Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won, Parasite
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rian Johnson, Knives Out

Documentary of the Year 

American Factory
Apollo 11
For Sama
*Honeyland
One Child Nation

LGBTQ Documentary of the Year 

Circus of Books 
Gay Chorus Deep South
The Gospel of Eureka
5B
*Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

Visually Striking Film of the Year ** TIE

Midsommar
1917
The Lighthouse
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Unsung Film of the Year

*Booksmart
Her Smell
Gloria Bell
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Waves

Campy Flick of the Year 

*Cats
Greta
Knives Out
Ma
Serenity

TV Drama of the Year

Chernobyl
Euphoria
*Pose
Succession
Unbelievable

TV Comedy of the Year

*Fleabag
The Other Two 
PEN15
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek

TV Performance of the Year — Actor 

Bill Hader, Barry
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
*Billy Porter, Pose 
Jeremy Strong, Succession

TV Performance of the Year — Actress 

Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Mj Rodriguez, Pose
*Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

LGBTQ TV Show of the Year 

Euphoria
The Other Two
*Pose
Schitt’s Creek
Tales of the City 

Unsung TV Show of the Year

Gentleman Jack
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
*The Other Two
PEN15
Years and Years

TV Current Affairs Show of the Year

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee 
The Rachel Maddow Show
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
*Leaving Neverland  

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28th Jan2020

& Juliet (Theatre)

by timbaros

15-2A new musical loosely, very loosely, based on the classic Romeo & Juliet is raising the roof down (not literally) at the Shaftsbury Theatre.

& Juliet is the hottest and most unique musical to hit town this year. It takes bits and pieces from Romeo & Juliet and reshapes the story line, with excellent twists along the way, to give us a modern day, very modern day, love story that is unique, timely, explosive, and lots of fun.

Based around the songs of Max Martin (you might not know his name but you sure know his songs, pop classics such as ‘Baby One More Time,’ ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ ‘Roar,’ the list goes on and on – songs that were sung by superstars such as Brittany Spears, N’Sync, Jessie J, Ed Sheehan, the list goes on and on) are reinterpreted here in & Juliet.

There is lots going on in this show, but thanks to the music and lyrics by Martin and Friends (this is what the program states) and cleverly intertwined with a book by David West Read, and excellent direction by Luke Sheppard, we get William Shakespeare (a natural Oliver Tompsett) and his love Anne Hathaway (an extremely talented Cassidy Johnson) writing the plot of the show while we watch the show (clever!).

And the show within the show has Juliet Miriam-Teak Lee newly single after the death of Romeo. She also finds out Romeo had many many lovers.

But she is still not deterred in her quest to find romance and quickly meets Francois (Tim Mahendran), the son of very rich playboy Lance (a brilliant David Badella who steals every scene he is in). Lance is very keen to have his son marry the beautiful Juliet. But Francois has never really ever been with anyone before and at the same time meets the dashing May (Arun Blair-Mangat), a man who likes the friendship of women but romance with men. So it all gets a bit complicated, especially when Romeo (Jordan Luke Gage) shows up! What a mess!

From beginning to end & Juliet is high energy throughout, thanks to a cast who work very hard in scenes that are superbly choreographed to the nth degree (Jennifer Weber). And most of the songs in the show were major hits so you find yourself humming along – it’s like welcoming a new friend back into your life. But besides the music, it’s the cast who really bring this to life. Tompsett and Janson work so well together on stage, they really complement each other. Teak-Lee as Juliet can really belt out numbers, but it’s Badella as the dashing Lance so willing to give up his son in marriage to anyone who steals the show. His French accent, his facial expressions, and also his dance moves are just all so brilliant.

Give this man an Olivier now!

Category : Theatre
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