Review: Love, Simon (UK Cert 12A)

Imagine, if you will, if John Hughes made a high school movie which had a gay love story as its primary relationship. You'd pretty much get Love, Simon, a truly beautiful and wonderful comedy-drama written by Elizabeth Berger and  Isaac Aptaker- based on the novel Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli- and directed by Greg Berlanti (The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl). 

Simon Spier is an average 17 year old. He has a warm, loving, supportive family. He has a good group of friends. And he's gay, but he's not out. When an anonymous post on a school forum appears from another closeted student who calls himself 'Blue', Simon impulsively reaches out to him and they start to e-mail each other. Simon starts to fall for 'Blue' but, when a fellow student attempts to blackmail Simon by threatening to leak the e-mails, Simon must try and preserve his secret whilst trying to find out 'Blue''s true identity. 

Where the hell was this film when I was growing up? I really could have done with such a positive representation of LGBT+ youth during my teenage years. Simon is as far from a walking stereotype as you can imagine and, whilst there is another gay teen in the film who is very camp and very obvious (his coming-out scene is a particular highlight as a group of girls have to feign surprise at his news with one going so over-the-top), he totally owns it and is comfortable in his skin. Whilst some of what Simon does in the name of trying to stop himself being outed is kinda cruel to the other people involved, it comes from a place of fear which is totally understandable. He's worried about being rejected or hated; of course, when the inevitable does happen and he is outed, that isn't an issue. 

Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) gives a wonderfully warm and empathetic central performance as Simon. Even when he's meddling in others' love lives (all to stop himself being outed), you can't help but feel for him. He really captures that uncertainty and that inner tension, and- by the end- you're really rooting for him and 'Blue' to get together so they can have their 'great love story'. It's an accomplished and very authentic performance. 

Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) is Simon's oldest friend Leah, and the rapport between her and Robinson is just lovely. It feels very real. Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse) is Abby, a relatively new member to the group, but a young woman who knows her own mind. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming) is very sweet as Nick, Simon's friend who ends up unwittingly bearing the brunt of Simon's desperate dating machinations. 

Logan Miller (The Walking Dead) has a difficult role to pull off: he's Martin, the student who blackmails Simon in order to get his help to get with Abby, but Martin is such a weaselly little dweeb that you almost feel sorry for him at the same time as utterly hating him. Martin's ultimate humiliation is almost unbearable, but he just- JUST- about redeems himself at the end. There are lovely performances by Keiynan Lonsdale (The Flash) and Joey Pollari (American Crime) as Simon's schoolfriend Bram and a local waiter called Lyle- both of whom could be 'Blue'.  

Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel are great in support as Simon's parents Emily and Jack; their individual reactions to Simon's coming out are very different, but both are emotionally affecting in their own way. There's a wonderful supporting turn by Natasha Rothwell as drama teacher Ms Albright, a strong and no-nonsense woman who gets one of the best scenes when she lays into two homophobic students in the cafeteria. The only performance which doesn't work for me is that of Tony Hale, who plays vice principal Mr Worth who is trying to be 'down with the kids' but misses by a country mile. It's excruciating, but I'm sure that's more of an issue with the script. 

There are some wonderful flights of fancy in the film- such as a scene where Simon imagines his friends coming out to their parents as straight, and a dance routine to Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)' which even Simon thinks is a bit too gay. There's also a wonderful ambiguity used throughout when it comes to the identity of 'Blue'- similar to that used in The Limehouse Golem- where, as Simon imagines different people as 'Blue', they take over the narration. 

Unashamedly romantic, funny, poignant, touching, and very authentic, Love, Simon is one of the most positive LGBT+ films I've seen in a long time. Hell, never mind the labels, it's one of the best films I've seen so far this year. Give it a go. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Love, Simon is on general release in the UK from 6th April 2018. 

Review: Call Me By Your Name (UK Cert 15)

Call Me By Your Name is a tender, poignant and sensual coming-of-age drama, directed by Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash, I Am Love) with a screenplay by James Ivory (Maurice) adapted from Andre Aciman's acclaimed 2007 novel of the same name.

Northern Italy, 1983. 17-year-old Elio Perlman stays in a villa with his parents for the summer. Elio's father, a professor of antiquities, invites a doctoral student to stay in the villa for six weeks to assist in his paperwork. This year's student is Oliver, a handsome, young Jewish man, carefree and relaxed. Elio is asked to show him around but the two don't exactly get off on the right foot. Eventually, though, as the summer progresses, a bond forms between them and they embark on a relationship. 

It's a wonderful film, a real feast for the senses, and it's anchored by a trio of incredibly strong performances. 

Timothee Chalamet is a revelation as the precocious Elio. Gawky, geeky, introverted, struggling with his feelings for Oliver (especially as he has a girlfriend at the time) and navigating the tricky waters of first love, it's a truly tremendous and incredibly real performance. As the older, more assured, Oliver, Armie Hammer is great. He's handsome, at ease with himself, where Elio may be with a few more years of life experience. One thing that is interesting is that- just as in Carol- it would have been very easy to have shown Oliver as some kind of predator. Nothing could be further from the truth; if anything, it's Elio who instigates several of the encounters and Oliver has to stop them (or not).  

The third performance which moved me greatly was that is Michael Stuhlbarg who plays Elio's father. A kind and supportive man, he has a pivotal father-son heart-to-heart towards the end of the film which gave me a lump in my throat. It's a brilliant supporting turn. There's also solid supporting turns from Amira Casar as Elio's mother Annella, and Esther Garrel as Elio's girlfriend Marzia. 

Ivory's script captures the genuine, authentic feel of first love- slightly irrational, almost obsessive, yearning for a look, a touch, a kiss- and there's a lot that left unsaid or implied which is interesting (for instance, the words 'gay' or 'bisexual' aren't mentioned in relation to Elio or Oliver; there's no labels, it just is). Guadagnino's direction is sublime, understated, allowing the actors to deliver their performances without distraction. The cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is exquisite, bringing the vibrant Italian landscape to life in all its sun-drenched ancient glory.

The soundtrack is also particularly striking, with a mix of various classical pieces including Ravel, Bach and Satie; contemporary pop pieces, such as 'Love My Way' by The Psychadelic Furs, and several songs by Sufjan Stevens which are all beautiful, my favourite of which is 'Futile Devices' as Elio struggles to find the words to express how he feels about Oliver.    

The acting is top-notch. The script is superb. The cinematography is to die for. Raw, emotional, beautiful, bittersweet but not tragic, Call Me By Your Name is destined to be hailed as a modern classic in years to come- and rightly so. I was enthralled from start to finish.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez 

Cabaret (1972)

Currently on tour of the UK is a revival of the stage musical Cabaret, which had a big screen adaptation made in 1972. 

Based on John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am A Camera- which itself was based on the novella Goodbye To Berlin by Christopher Isherwood- and with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb (who also wrote Chicago and Kiss Of The Spider Woman), Cabaret tells the story of a vivacious young showgirl- Sally Bowles- who sings and dances at the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub in 1930s Berlin. She meets and falls in love with a young writer, but the atmosphere in the city is changing, as the Nazis begin their rise to power. The show opened on Broadway in 1966 with the London premiere happening two years later and featuring Judi Dench in the lead role as Sally Bowles. 

The film was directed by Bob Fosse and starred Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles, Michael York as Brian Roberts, and Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies (reprising his role from the original Broadway production).

Liza Minnelli with director Bob Fosse on set

There are a number of differences between the film and the stage version. In the stage version, Sally is English and the writer (Cliff) is American; in the film, the writer (Brian) is English whilst Sally is American. A major subplot featuring the sweet but ultimately doomed romance between boardinghouse landlady Fraulein Schneider and a Jewish fruit-seller Herr Schultz is removed, although there remains an element of this story in the relationship between Fritz and Natalia. The love triangle element between Sally, Brian and Max doesn't feature in the stage version at all, although subsequent productions have brought Cliff's bisexuality to greater prominence. Several of the musical numbers from the stage show have either been cut or are only heard in instrumental versions.

Sally Bowles is Liza Minnelli's Norman Bates or Ellen Ripley; this is the role that she will be forever twinned with in people's minds. And that's no bad thing. It is a truly iconic role- her introduction at the Kit Kat Klub before she sings 'Mein Herr', in bowler hat and black stockings and suspenders, is a defining moment of 70s cinema, as is her final defiant rendition of the film's title song. Sally is a complicated character; a woman who enjoys 'divine decadence', a vivacious flibbertigibbet, flirtatious, inappropriate, sensuous, yet still having a little-girl-lost quality which stops her being an over-the-top archetype. It may be a cliche but she just wants to be loved. It's an outstanding performance which still impresses, 45 years later. 

 As Sally's love interest Brian, Michael York is a wonderful counterfoil for Minnelli. Brian is quiet, studious, a little shy, like the audience a little taken aback by the force of nature that is Sally Bowles. But he impresses in the quieter moments as their fumbling relationship takes root; Brian's also one of the few people to actively speak up against the Nazis' rise and call people out on their anti-Semitism. Of course, this doesn't get him very far, but it's important to show that not everyone in Berlin was sleepwalking into the arms of the Nazis. 

As the Master of Ceremonies for the Kit Kat Klub, Joel Grey is a consummate all-rounder. From the opening notes of 'Wilkommen', he's your guide to the hedonistic world of the club and its refuge against the real world. A capering, white-faced, rouged puppet, he sings and dances as the clouds begin to gather and keeps the club together. He is never seen outside the Klub and all his musical numbers echo what is happening in the outside world- a Tyrolean hand-slapping dance number is cut between scenes of a man being beaten up, and the truly shocking 'If You Could See Her' with the gut-punch final line of 'she wouldn't look Jewish at all' (sung to a woman in a gorilla suit) comes as a group of Nazi thugs kill Natalia's dog. 

As goes the other cast members, Helmut Griem is charming as rich playboy Maximilian von Heune, with whom both Sally and Brian have a relationship, whilst Fritz Wepper and Marisa Berenson are both similarly lovely in their supporting roles of Fritz and Natalia. Fritz is passing as a Christian, although is Jewish, whilst Natalia is Jewish; their relationship is quite endearing as Fritz must decide whether to 'out' himself as Jewish in order to marry the woman he loves (no mean feat given the atmosphere of the time). 

The film's treatment of the Nazis is interesting. At the beginning, a Nazi is thrown out of the Kit Kat Klub; their rhetoric is not accepted there. However, the growing tide of the party starts to come to the fore, culminating in a scene in a beer garden where the patriotic song 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me' is sung by a young man who is revealed to be wearing a Hitler Youth uniform. As the other patrons start to join in, Brian looks uncomfortable. After this, a can-can routine at the Klub turns into a goose-step (although it's not clear whether this is mockery or not) and Brian gets beaten up after opposing Nazis in the street. At the very end of the film, a shot of the club shows men in Nazi uniforms sitting in the audience.

Visually, the film is really interesting and there's a nice contrast in both style and camera-work between the club and the real world. And also, whilst this is a musical, all of the musical numbers- bar 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'- take place in the Klub; Sally doesn't suddenly burst into song whilst in bed with Brian. Of the musical numbers, Minnelli gets the lion's share of the good ones- with 'Mein Herr', the beautifully poignant 'Maybe This Time' and the title song 'Cabaret' becoming well known. Grey doesn't get short-changed, however, with the wicked 'Two Ladies', the magnificent duet 'Money, Money' with Minnelli, and the opening number 'Wilkommen'. 

Cabaret holds the record for the most Oscars won by a film which didn't win Best Picture. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, it won eight; Minnelli and Grey won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively, and the film was also honoured for its cinematography, art direction, sound, and editing. But perhaps the biggest surprise on the night was Fosse winning Best Director (over Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather, which went on to win Best Picture). 

The film also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Film Award for Best Film, with Minnelli and Grey also winning those awards for their performances. In 1995, Cabaret was also selected by the Library of Congress as one of twenty-five films to be entered into the National Film Registry that year as a work that is 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'. It's also seen as a landmark film in LGBT cinema as it deals with themes of sexuality in an unusually frank and non-sensational (and non-judgemental) way. 

Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey with their Oscars at the 1973 ceremony

Cabaret is a musical with a difference; it's certainly no Sound Of Music. There's no happy ending here, and there's no attempt to soften or lighten some of the more dark material. It was the first musical ever to be given an X rating (although now it's a 15 certificate in the UK). So, if you think all musicals are trite and twee and everyone lives happily ever after, Cabaret gives the lie to that. Perhaps take Sally's advice and 'come to the cabaret'. It's an experience you won't forget in a hurry.

Tez

'Life is a cabaret, old chum. Come to the cabaret!'

Review: Moonlight (UK Cert 15)

A touching, tender, coming-of-age story, Moonlight tells the story of a young black man growing up in an impoverished neighbourhood in Miami.

A timid, meek boy, neglected by his drug addict mother Paula (Naomie Harris), Chiron (Alex Hibbert) finds an unlikely mentor and father figure in local drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali). Later, as a teenager, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) comes to terms with his sexuality after an emotionally charged encounter with his friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome). Ten years later, a now adult Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) and Kevin (Andre Holland) meet again as adults to discuss the past.

It's based on an unproduced play by Tarell Alvin McCraney called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue (which is also a line in the film). McCraney receives a story credit whilst director Barry Jenkins is also credited as screenwriter. The film is structured much like a three-act play with each section focusing on a different part of Chiron's life. 

The three actors playing Chiron- Hibbert, Sanders and Rhodes- all have different challenges but all three are superb. Hibbert's innocence and quietness (he hardly speaks in the first ten minutes of the film) is a lovely complement to Sanders' sensitivity and Rhodes' laconic toughness. As the teenage Chiron, Sanders probably has the most meaty part of the film (the scenes of bullying are tough to watch and the encounter between Chiron and Kevin on the beach is breathtakingly erotic without being explicit) but there's a raw honesty in all three actors which really helps the audience get behind the character.  

Ali and Harris have been the actors most recognised for their roles, and with good reason. Ali gives a real warmth to his performance as Juan. Eschewing traditional drug-dealer stereotypes, his almost paternal care for the young Chiron is touching (none more so in the scene where he teaches Chiron to swim). He's also refreshingly progressive- explaining to Chiron that a homophobic slur is 'used to make gay people feel bad', rather than reinforcing it. But at the end of the day, he is no saint and is complicit in Paula's drug use. The film does lose a certain amount of warmth after Juan's departure (he only appears in the first section). However, Janelle Monae proves that her strong supporting turn in Hidden Figures isn't a one-off as she gives a warm and nurturing performance as Juan's girlfriend Teresa (who provides security for Chiron as a child and teenager).

Harris' performance will stay with you long after the film has ended. Paula is selfish, emotionally abusive, neglectful; by rights, you should hate her. But rather than hatred, I felt a strange kind of sympathy for- or maybe empathy with- her (especially in the last third of the film, when the now adult Chiron visits her in a rehabilitation centre). She is the only actress who appears in all three sections of the film and she gives an authentic and emotionally honest performance.

Technically, it's pretty good (although some of the camera-work is a little jolty). It doesn't overdo any of the visual metaphors which is good and the film stays mostly to the right side of pretentious. The score by Nicholas Britell is also worth a mention as it's sublime.

Whilst I don't agree with the ghettoisation of film (labelling it 'a black film' or 'a gay film'; film's film and that's that as far as I'm concerned), Moonlight neatly defies easy categorisation and provides an honest and powerful experience.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: The Danish Girl (UK Cert 15)

The Danish Girl is a sensitive and moving film about one of the world's first transgender pioneers, directed with dignity and respect by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Miserables). 

In 1920s Copenhagen, artists Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) are happily married and trying for a child. When her model is unable to sit, Gerda asks Einar to pose as a woman in order for her to complete the portrait. Something is awakened within Einar and soon- with Gerda's encouragement and help- he creates a female persona, Lili. However, Einar starts to live more as Lili than himself, leading to the realisation that he is transgender and to seek a solution to help him become the person he was meant to be. 

Redmayne is brilliant as Einar/Lili, really selling the emotional confusion of a man who comes to realise he is fundamentally different. You feel for him as he begins to navigate his life and balancing his deep love for Gerda with his own desire to live an authentic life. Vikander is similarly powerful in what could have been a thankless and thinly-written role. Gerda's love for her husband is severely tested and yet she stays with him and helps to support him through his transition. One particularly powerful scene has Gerda asking Lili whether she could see her husband. 

Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts- who started his career playing brutish bruisers in Bullhead and Rust And Bone, but has recently taken a turn into period dramas (Far From The Madding Crowd, A Little Chaos)- gives a good supporting performance as Hans, a Paris art-dealer and childhood friend of Einar who helps to provide emotional support for both him and Gerda throughout. Luckily, the film resists the temptation to form a love triangle between the three characters although it does look like it might at some point. Ben Whishaw is similarly good as Henrik, a young man who falls for Lili.

The film is, thankfully, very respectful and quite matter-of-fact about Lili's transition and it isn't treated sensationally or melodramatically. The widespread ignorance of the medical community of the time- who variously seek to treat Einar for schizophrenia or mental perversion or even seek to lobotomise or institutionalise him- is terrifying but there are some sympathetic and helpful doctors. The risks of gender reassignment surgery at that time (still very much in its infancy) were great and that isn't shied away from either. 

It's a handsome looking film, so cinematographer Danny Cohen and the art and set designers should be applauded - several scenes almost look like paintings in their own right. The costume and make-up design is similarly excellent. 

The film is adapted from a 2000 novel by David Ebershoff which is a fictionalised account of Lili and Gerda's lives, not a biography. Therefore this cannot be taken as a biopic, even though the subjects of the book (and film) were real people. There has been some criticism of the film and book for whitewashing certain facts which are known about the couple, such as Gerda's sexuality and the extent of their relationship once their marriage was annulled. (The Imitation Game faced a similar level of criticism over its presentation of Alan Turing).

When I watched the film, I judged it on what it presented rather than what I found out later. On that basis, I found The Danish Girl to be emotional and powerful and, to be honest, that opinion hasn't changed in the light of what I've later discovered. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Carol (UK Cert 15)

In 1950s New York, aspiring photographer Therese Belivet works in a department store. Into her life comes Carol Aird, an older woman who is looking for a Christmas present for her daughter. After Therese returns a pair of gloves that Carol left on her desk, their relationship deepens and Therese finds herself falling for Carol.

Patricia Highsmith (The Two Faces Of January, The Talented Mr. Ripley) originally published the novel The Price Of Salt under a pseudonym in 1952. The novel was republished under her own name, and retitled Carol, in 1990. Now, director Todd Haynes (I'm Not There.,Velvet Goldmine) with Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett as the leads.  

Cate Blanchett is just superb as Carol, glamorous and positively oozing classic Hollywood elegance. She evokes memories of Lauren Bacall and Rita Hayworth throughout. Carol is divorcing from her husband Harge (Kyle Chandler) due to a previous affair she had with another female friend which has ramifications over custody of her daughter. There are several powerful scenes where Blanchett absolutely shines, none less than an emotional meeting towards the end with her lawyers. You really feel for her throughout. It's one of Blanchett's finest performances and any awards hype she gets is truly deserved.

If Blanchett evokes Bacall, the one thought going through my head was how much Rooney Mara reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Mara's performance as Therese is similarly excellent, really selling the emotional confusion as Therese comes to terms with her feelings for Carol- there's a particularly nice scene where she obliquely discusses it with her boyfriend Richard (Jake Lacy) who dismisses it as a 'crush'. What's also lovely is you can see Therese really blossom as a character, starting out as quite naive before becoming more grounded as the film goes on. Therese is in no way a supporting character, she's every bit a lead. 

The supporting cast are all good. Lacy and Chandler could easily have come off as brutish macho stereotypes but both put in strong performances as they come to terms with Therese and Carol's relationship, although actions which Harge takes throughout the course of the film undeniably put your sympathy at Carol's feet. There's also a stellar turn by Sarah Paulson (who really should be a better known actress than she is) as Abby, Carol's friend and former lover. 

Under a different director and in the hands of a lesser actress, Carol could have come across as a predatory lesbian who grooms the unworldly Therese. Thankfully, whilst Carol is the driving force behind their relationship, there's never any sense of coercion or manipulation. Their relationship is tender, tentative, initially restrained before breaking out into passion. It's real. It's rare to see a relationship between two women that is presented as honestly as it is here (especially when you consider the period setting). That's thanks in no small part to the wonderful script by Phyllis Nagy. 

The entire period detail of the film is immaculate, so massive props to the production designer, set decorators, costume, hair and make-up whose combined talents make this a sublime film to look at. 

This would work as a great companion piece to Haynes' 2002 film Far From Heaven (starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Haysbert and Dennis Quaid) which similarly took a look at relationships that would have been considered taboo. Both films have the period setting and Douglas Sirk aesthetic, yet quietly subvert them. Both features stand-out performances by their lead actresses and their supporting casts. Both films are a joy for cinephiles.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Forty years ago today saw the UK premiere of a film that is a bona fide cult classic. A film that revamped the midnight matinee. A film that has a very deep and personal meaning for me. That film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

A tribute to the sci-fi and horror B-movies of the 1940s and 1950s, the film sees newly-engaged, clean-cut, all-American couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss take a road trip to see a former tutor, only to suffer a blow-out on the way. In the pouring down rain, they trek to an old castle, home to the eccentric Dr Frank-n-Furter and his equally eccentric coterie of servants, groupies and conventionalists. It is a night Brad and Janet will remember for a very long time...

The Rocky Horror Show started life as a stage musical, written by Richard O'Brien and directed by Jim Sharman, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 19th June 1973. The original London cast included Julie Covington, Christopher Malcolm, Tim Curry, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, 'Little' Nell Campbell, Rayner Bourton and Jonathan Adams. American producer Lou Adler saw the show in the winter of 1973 and immediately purchased the U.S. theatrical rights, with the US premiere taking place at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles in 1974. The film deal followed shortly afterwards.

Sharman directed and Curry, O'Brien, Quinn and Campbell reprised their stage roles as Dr Frank n Furter, Riff-Raff, Magenta and Columbia. Jonathan Adams, who played the Narrator onstage in London, was cast as Dr Everett Scott whilst Meat Loaf (who'd been part of the Roxy cast) was cast in the role of Eddie the delivery boy. Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon took the roles of Brad and Janet and Charles Gray played the Narrator.

However, the film almost had a very different look to it with Mick Jagger playing Frank, Steve Martin playing Brad and- something that would have been utterly wonderful- Vincent Price as the Narrator! 

The film was shot at Bray Studios with location shooting at Oakley Court in Berkshire, an old country house that had been used in Hammer horror films such as The Brides Of Dracula and The Plague Of The Zombies (and which is now a luxury hotel). However, at the time, Oakley Court was a bit run down, leaking and damp. In an often-repeated story, Susan Sarandon caught pneumonia whilst filming there.

The film opens with 'Science Fiction Double Feature' which name-checks everything from King Kong to The Day The Earth Stood Still, Dana Andrews to Leo G. Carroll. On stage, the song is performed by an old-style cinema usherette (usually played by the same actress who plays Magenta). For the film, it is sung by a disembodied pair of bright red lips which have become one of the film's most iconic images (inspired by the surrealist artist Man Ray). The lips belong to Patricia Quinn, but the voice is that of Richard O'Brien.

One of the things everybody knows from The Rocky Horror Show (aside from the cross-dressing) is the Time Warp. Originally added to the stage show to pad out a modest running time of 40 minutes, the Time Warp has become something done at every school disco, birthday party or wedding reception. Even if people don't know it's originally from Rocky Horror, everybody knows the dance. 

In the film, it forms a brilliant prelude to Frank's first entrance and there's something really quite joyful in seeing Charles Gray's buttoned-up Narrator become more and more enthusiastic as it goes on:


And for added strangeness, here's the late, great Christopher Lee telling us how to do The Time Warp:

 

This was the first film for several cast members, including Tim Curry and, for a time, he became defined as Frank-n-Furter, something he wasn't entirely comfortable with. Despite an impressive filmography, including things such as Legend, Clue, IT and Muppet Treasure Island, for many people he will always be Frank. 

Quinn, O'Brien, Campbell and Gray also appeared together in Shock Treatment, the 1981 sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show which features Brad and Janet (now played by Cliff de Young and Jessica Harper) as contestants on a twisted game show. 

Whilst the original cinema run of The Rocky Horror Picture Show didn't do too well, it became a classic on the midnight matinee circuit with shadow casts performing along with the film, the encouragement of callbacks and the throwing of various items (toilet roll, rice, hotdogs). The first midnight showing was held on April Fools' Day 1976 at the Waverly Theatre in New York. It is a truly indescribable feeling to be sat in a cinema with a couple of hundred people- mostly dressed up- shouting various obscenities at the screen as the film trundles on.

In 2005, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the US National Film Registry. This honour is given to films considered 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

* * *

I wrote at the start that The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a very deep and personal meaning for me. 

I first saw the film during the summer of 1995 at a time in my life when I was still figuring out who I was. Sitting in my friend's nan's front room one hot August day to watch the film is one of my abiding memories of that summer. The film was campy, frothy, funny and... dare I say it? sexy. And not just the rippling muscles of Peter Hinwood either; there is something achingly sexy about Tim Curry (maybe that's just me?) Anyway, it was a seminal moment for me. Things weren't rigid, defined in black and white. There could be shades of grey. You could be attracted to whoever you were attracted to and that was OK. You weren't wrong or broken or needing to be fixed. 

For someone with major body confidence issues and a crippling lack of self-esteem, the film and the stage show have been a real lifesaver. By going to see the show or going to a midnight matinee of the film, you enter a place where it doesn't matter what you are or what you look like; you can embrace yourself fully in whatever way that manifests itself and nobody else would criticise or belittle you for it. I'm a big lad and wouldn't ever dream of going out in just a pair of gold lame underwear but I have seen people bigger than me who have and there's been no bullying, no cat-calling, just support and friendship for those few hours. 

Ultimately, the film's central philosophy of 'don't dream it, be it' is not a bad way to live your life. However, sometimes it's easier said than done and it's something that I still struggle with. But I'm trying to live my life how I want to live it, trying to be it instead of just dreaming it. And I have this wonderfully eccentric, camp and glorious film to thank for showing me the way.

Tez


On Thursday September 17th 2015, there will be a live cinema broadcast of The Rocky Horror Show from London's Playhouse Theatre in aid of Amnesty International. David Bedella, Ben Forster and Haley Flaherty will take the roles of Frank, Brad and Janet respectively whilst Richard O'Brien, Stephen Fry, Emma Bunton and Mel Giedroyc will share the role of the Narrator. Tickets for this screening can be purchased here.

Review: The Imitation Game (UK Cert: 12A)

Alan Turing was the man responsible for breaking the Enigma code, the machine that encrypted Nazi U-boat communications during World War Two. Capable of one-hundred-and-fifty billion combinations, at the stroke of midnight each day it would swap to another setting, making Britain’s studies during the last twenty-four hours all but worthless. Before Turing’s efforts, Enigma was considered unbreakable. Morten Tyldum’s (Headhunters) The Imitation Game isn’t a watered down, try not to offend anyone, biopic. Graham Moore’s first feature-length screenplay examines what a man with a such a mind would have been like, the moral dilemmas he faced conducting top secret research, and how Turing, a national hero unbeknownst to the British public due to the Official Secrets Act, was treated once it was discovered, in 1952, that he was homosexual.

Moore’s script could have been a two-hour mess, as it bounces back-and-forth across Turing’s life: The teenage years at Cambridge, bullied by the other students, and his growing awareness of his sexuality; his struggles to crack the ever-changing Enigma code; and the police investigation into Turing, suspecting that he is committing acts of “gross indecency”. You can tell the screenplay has been through numerous re-writes, there is not a single scene or piece of dialogue that feels redundant. Moore does that talented and rare thing of coming up with a fast-paced film that doesn’t scrimp on insights and observations of its lead character.

As for its lead character, Benedict Cumberbatch, you could argue, gives his best performance yet. An international star as Sherlock Holmes in the Steven Moffat/Mark Gatiss TV series, and playing the villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, this performance is less showy than his more recent film and TV work. Here he treads a fine line between arrogant egocentric and anguished vulnerability.  Tactless and dismissive of anyone without a mind anywhere close to his, Cumberbatch’s Turing displays naïve, childlike behaviour, whether it’s the blank, uncomprehending looks he gives when he watches men and women flirting, or how he curls up in a ball and cowers when threatened with violence. Turing asks, “Am I a man or a machine?” The answer, by the time The Imitation Game’s credits come up, is undoubtedly a man, but Turing needed someone or something – much like Christopher, the machine he built to break the Enigma code – to translate the thoughts and feelings going on inside him. Whether Cumberbatch wins an Oscar for his portrayal of Turing, he easily deserves a Best Actor nomination.

Keira Knightley, when given a role she can do something with, is a skilled actress. As cryptanalyst Joan Clarke, she is Turing’s interpreter; she knows him and what is going on inside his head.  Tragically, what Turing fails to realise is that Clarke agrees to marry him because she doesn’t just understand him, Turing is the only man who understands her. Compassionate, but also fiery, frustrated that she has to work in secret with Turing and his team (a woman can’t be involved in such an important, undercover project), Knightley gives a wholly credible performance as Clarke.

While The Imitation Game is nowhere near as bland and mild as Brian Percival’s The Book Thief, you get the sense that Tyldum and Moore have played around with some of the facts. It feels like the truth’s been stretched when we find out one of the code-breaking team has a brother on a civilian convoy ship, Turing having the impossible decision of whether to save the ship and risk the Nazis knowing Enigma has been compromised. The biggest offender is Turing’s sexuality being hinted at rather than shown; this is far from Brokeback Mountain with a Cambridge graduate twang. Despite Cumberbatch doing a stunning job portraying Turing’s turmoil at having to lie day-by-day, trying to fool everyone, this is down to commercial rather than artistic reasons; getting the film a 12A instead of a 15 rating.

Intelligent, unapologetically emotional, and compelling, The Imitation Game is one of the best character studies you will see in cinemas this year. Sensitively handled, this is a lesson in how important, defining moments in history should be portrayed on-screen. With all the awards buzz around the film, hopefully Hollywood will take note.

4 out of 5

Matt

Review: Pride (UK Cert: 15)

The Miner’s Strike of 1984. Members of London’s gay community realise that they have much in common with the miners: they’re both vilified by Thatcher’s government, the police and the front pages of the tabloids. The miner’s unions refuse to accept the money that the LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) have collected, so instead they travel to the mining village of Onllwyn to help the families first-hand. Reluctant to accept money from the colourfully dressed gays, the people of Onllwyn are eventually won over by LGSM’s members. At a time when Britain had never been so turbulent or divisive, two poles apart communities end up forming firm friendships and fighting each other’s battles.

Films “based on a true story” have been drowning in money over the last few years. They’re a safe bet, audiences happily paying to see real-life David and Goliath exploits. Pride is another film based on real events, but what makes it an arguably modern-day classic is how assured it is, the mix of comedy, drama and heart-breaking moments all perfectly handled.

There are some big names amongst the cast of Pride, actors immediately recognised both here and over in the US; Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Paddy Considine, all putting on spookily convincing Welsh accents. Nighy is a one-note actor, the quirky English gent, but he has always played that note amazingly well. Here, Nighy gets a bit more to do as quiet, weary committee member Cliff, who is feeling the struggle of the long fight against Thatcher. It’s not until he befriends the gays that Cliff gets his gusto back, fighting not just for his village, but his new-found comrades. Staunton is given the routine role of feisty Welsh pensioner, but she gets more than her fair share of culture clash one-liners. Considine, famous for playing morose, psychologically complex characters (Dead Man’s Shoes, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher) plays Dai, a friendly, gentle soul and one of the key players on Onllwyn’s committee. Dai is an uncomplicated man when it comes to right and wrong, Considine relishing the stirring speeches he is given, dialogue that is down-to-earth and genuine; you don’t feel like you’re being cynically forced to cheer for the underdogs.

The younger cast is equally as good as the established British actors, even if not all of them get the screen time they deserve. Ben Schnetzer, as Pride’s main character, gay activist Mark, firmly holds your attention. There’s a touch of arrogance to him, but he’s unwavering about fighting the good fight, refusing to give up. Mark’s passion and enthusiasm keeps up the pace virtually throughout Pride; it can’t fail to rub off on everyone who watches it. George MacKay is the hard-not-to-feel-for Joe, a twenty-year-old struggling with the realisation he is gay. Joining the LGSM (Joe’s parents think he’s on a college cookery course), they help him to be proud of who he is rather than keep his sexuality hidden (any remotely suspect reading material is hidden in Joe’s room), and his transformation is gradual and convincingly fleshed out. Stars of British television Dominic West (The Hour, Appropriate Adult) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Blackout) play a couple who run the book shop that acts as LGSM’s headquarters. West and Scott are polar opposites, yet that’s what makes the strong bond they have so believable. West is flamboyant, speaking his mind, and has no issues in letting everyone know he’s gay. Scott plays Gethin, a Welshman from North Wales who left for London after his family turned their backs on him when he came out. Gethin is introverted, he doesn’t dress like the rest of LGSM, and he has a temper that gets him into trouble. West and Scott couldn’t be more different, yet it’s the glances and smiles they give each other, holding hands, chatting in bed, the things that all couples do, that make them charming to watch.

Sadly, some of the young characters are thinly written. The only reason Freddie Fox’s Jeff is in the film is so the Welsh children can braid his hair. Also, the lesbians – with the exception of Faye Marsay’s Steph – feel like they’re light relief rather than fully developed characters; they’re the butt of several jokes when they decide to form their own separatist group to help the miners.

These are tiny faults in an otherwise superb script from Stephen Beresford. There are one-liners a-plenty here and not just the obvious working class miners meet the gays jokes you would expect (“The only problem we’ve got that they haven’t is Mary Whitehouse”, Mark argues, “and that’s only a matter of time.”). The trailer for Pride was misleading in that it made the film look like it was portraying the Miner’s Strike as a jolly old knees-up. Instead, Beresford refuses to shy away from just how much the strikes and pit closures crippled mining communities like Onllwyn: two or three families living under one roof because they couldn’t afford to pay bills; police seeing the miners as “little people”; the miners being literally starved back into work. Beresford also writes several scenes that highlight the spread of AIDS and the misconceptions surrounding the virus in the early eighties. In one of Pride’s most heart-breaking scenes one of the characters meets up with an ex at a nightclub. Instead of a heavy-handed monologue accompanied by an emotional score, the ex tearfully says, “I’m doing the farewell tour.” You instantly know what this means and you cannot fail to start welling up. Beresford has written dozens of scripts for theatre, which explains why the melting pot of comedy, drama and punch-to-the-gut tragedy all neatly links in, scene after scene, and why most of the characters, despite such a large cast, feel like individuals, instead of being by-the-numbers.

You could pick apart Pride if you wanted to. While the hardships of the miners is far from toned down, I thought more could have been shown, such as the police’s behaviour towards the miners (which Arthur Skargill once likened to a “Latin American state”), and the number of ghost towns and villages that were dotted around Wales after the pit closures. It’s a tough balance as Pride’s agenda is to give audiences an uplifting and feel-good film. If the script was crammed full of political idealism and activism, only a small number of cinema-goers could stomach it. Pride finds a just-about happy medium.

Very few films can manage the feat of discussing heavy subjects such as politics, activism, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, bigotry, trade unionists, and so, so much more and have you cry cheerful, emotional tears by the time the credits come up.  This is one of the many reasons why Pride is the equal of British heavyweights such as Brassed Off, The Full Monty and Billy Elliott.

4 out of 5

Matt

LGBT Movies

The Iris Prize Festival starts today in Cardiff. Now in its sixth year, the festival is a celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) film, with feature film screenings, panel sessions and it also awards the Iris Prize- a package valued at £25,000- to the best short film, allowing the winner to make their next film. I attended events for the first two Iris Prize Festivals and can heartily say they are a very worthwhile event to attend. 

To coincide with this festival, I thought I would share some of my favourite LGBT films. The first issue really is to define what an LGBT film is. One could do worse than this following definition from Wikipedia: 'films that deal with or feature significant LGBT characters or issues, and may have same-sex romance or relationships as an important plot device.'

One could argue that film is film and that is that, and that there isn't a need to ghettoise a film by labelling it 'a gay film'. Film is a universal medium that encompasses all life and lifestyles, telling stories that resonate and touch us all, whether black or white, gay or straight, young or old. Cinema is a great leveller; it brings people together to share an experience. It would be great if society to get to a point where every faction of it is so integrated and the bigotry and hatred of what's different is a distant memory and maybe then everyone can see 'a gay film' as just 'a film'. But until that happens, festivals like The Iris Prize Festival and the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival are important to showcase and celebrate the LGBT experience.

The British film Victim (1961)- starring Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Sims and Dennis Price- is the first film to use the word 'homosexual' but there have been representations of gay and lesbian people prior to this, even if they haven't always been positive: for instance, it is hinted that the killers in Rope (1948) are a homosexual couple, while there are definite hints that the obsessive Mrs Danvers' feelings for her late mistress in Rebecca (1940) are more than just those of a faithful servant. However, as the years have passed and things have improved, so have the representations. For more information about the history of LGBT cinema, I'd advise the superlative documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995).

This list is by no means exhaustive; there are plenty of other movies with LGBT characters and themes that I like and enjoy, but if I wrote about them all, we'd be here til Bonfire Night. 

Love! Valor! Compassion! (1997) is a film adaptation of Terrence McNally's play of the same name which sees a group of eight gay men spend three successive weekends together. They bicker, bond, fall in love and face some uncomfortable truths. All but one of the original Broadway cast return for the adaptation, with Jason Alexander replacing Nathan Lane as the Broadway-loving HIV-positive Buzz. Whilst all performances are universally brilliant, special mention must go to John Glover who plays dual roles as twin brothers James and John.

Beautiful Thing (1996) tells the story of two young lads- Ste (Scott Neal) and Jamie (Glen Berry)- who find love on a council estate in London. There's able support from Linda Henry as Jamie's fearless mum Sandra and Tameka Empson as their Mama Cass-loving friend Leah. The finale- where the two boys dance together to 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me'- will lift even the hardest of hearts.

Dismissed in some quarters as just 'that film about the gay cowboys', Brokeback Mountain (2005) is a moving, beautiful and thoughtful film about the relationship between two men that spans decades. A quartet of amazing performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as the star-crossed lovers, and Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as their respective wives, with strong direction by Ang Lee and a haunting score by Gustavo Santaolalla make this a brilliant film. It is an absolute travesty that it didn't win Best Picture at the 2006 Oscars.

The Birdcage (1996), an American remake of La Cage Aux Folles (1978), is probably the only film I've ever seen Robin Williams upstaged in. The hysterically funny Nathan Lane steals the show as Albert, the neurotic boyfriend of Williams' Armand who has to conceal the truth of his domestic arrangements when his son's fiancee Barbara brings her ultra-conservative parents to dinner. Performances are excellent all round, especially from Hank Azaria as Armand and Albert's houseboy and Dianne Wiest and Gene Hackman as Barbara's parents. 

The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994) is a technicolour extravaganza which sees three drag queens crossing the Australian desert in a beat-up old camper van. The fact that the drag queens are played by those paragons of manliness Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce adds another dimension to Stephan Elliott's fantastic debut film, full of eminently quotable dialogue and a tender heart behind the cattiness. Kudos too to Stamp who, as transsexual Bernadette, remains entirely in female attire throughout. 

It would be remiss not to mention The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). This gloriously camp confection about a strait-laced all-American couple (Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick) who get their eyes opened and horizons expanded at the secluded castle of Dr. Frank N Furter (the incredible Tim Curry), a hedonistic cross-dressing alien, is the subject of deep adulation and is a firm cult favourite. Famous for the Time Warp and the message 'don't dream it, be it', it's a whole lot of fun (even with the slightly downbeat ending).

Imagine Me & You (2005) is a bright and breezy British rom-com which features a young bride called Rachel (Piper Perabo) who falls in love with Luce, a female florist (Lena Headey)... on her wedding day. Moments of laugh-out-loud comedy sit alongside moments of great emotion- none more so that when Rachel's husband (Matthew Goode) decides to step away so that Rachel and Luce can be together.

Bound (1996) is a clever and stylish noir-ish thriller by the Wachowskis which sees Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly as lovers Corky and Violet who conspire to steal millions from the Mob and pin the blame on Violet's boyfriend Caesar (Joe Pantoliano). A sensual, gritty and powerful movie.

John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus (2006) gained some column inches on its premiere for its use of unsimulated sex. But this is far from a pornographer's wet dream; it's also a sensitive, moving and screamingly funny film which follows a dominatrix, a gay couple and a frustrated therapist as they negotiate matters of the heart and body.

In & Out (1997) is a frothy fun comedy based on a true story- when Tom Hanks inadvertently outed one of his former teachers when accepting his Oscar for Philadelphia. Here, Kevin Kline is the happily engaged teacher whose life collapses when a former student (Matt Dillon) outs him. Ambitious news-reporter Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) goes to the town to discover the truth. There's no prizes for guessing where this story leads, but warm and sympathetic performances from Kline, Selleck and Joan Cusack as Howard's confused fiancee.

The Opposite Of Sex (1998) is a wickedly black comedy starring Christina Ricci as trailer-trash Dede Truitt who causes havoc in her gay half-brother's life by seducing his boyfriend and ending up pregnant. There are sterling performances throughout by Ricci, Martin Donovan as Dede's half-brother Bill and Lisa Kudrow as a bitter friend of Bill's, a million miles from her hippy-dippy Phoebe schtick.

Sean Penn picked up his second Best Actor Oscar for his nuanced and powerful performance in Milk (2008) as titular gay activist and politician Harvey Milk who campaigned for gay rights in California in the 1970s. A lesson in recent history and essential viewing for anyone who wants to see where the gay rights movement was and where it is now.

The murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998 shocked the world and saw the phrase 'hate crime' come to the fore. The Laramie Project (2002) originally started life as a play by the Tectonic Theater Project based on interviews with the townsfolk of Laramie, Wyoming. A powerful, sometimes uncomfortable, film with an amazing ensemble cast among them Laura Linney, Peter Fonda, Clea DuVall, Steve Buscemi and Amy Madigan.

Boys Don't Cry (1999) is a hardhitting drama starring Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny and Peter Sarsgaard. Based on the life and death of Teena Brandon, a transgendered girl who lived as a male and was murdered when the truth came to light, it's rarely an easy film to watch but the performances are superb throughout (especially Swank, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her role)

Transamerica (2005) sees a bravura performance by Felicity Huffman as Bree, a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual about to have the final operation to make her biologically female. Out of the blue, Bree gets a call. When Bree was Stanley, she fathered a son- a son who need help. Masquerading as a social worker, Bree goes to New York to pick up her son Toby (Kevin Zegers), determined not to tell him the truth. But the subsequent road trip throws up a few interesting home truths...

Finally, Touch Of Pink (2004), a culture-clash, coming-out comedy-drama starring Jimi Mistry and Kristen Holden-Ried as the lovers whose relationship is tested when Mistry's devoutly Muslim mother comes to visit and who doesn't know her son is gay. It also features a stunning supporting role by Kyle MacLachlan... as the spirit of Cary Grant who acts as Mistry's confidante and advisor.

Are there any you think are worth a mention? Let me know in the comments below.

Tez