For LGBT movie fans a quartet of movies—Burlesque, Howl, I Love You Phillip Morris and Black Swan—are among the most eagerly anticipated of the season's last quarter. Deep breath my fellow film fanatics. They'll be here before you know it—along with a batch of other movies ( and film related special events ) that sound intriguing as well. Those and other upcoming highlights include:
September
Valley of the Dolls: Neely O'Hara herself—Patty Duke, star of this 1967 Mt. Everest of camp classic—will appear in person for this latest presentation from Camp Midnight at the Music Box. Yours truly will emcee ( as my alter ego, Dick O'Day ) , aided by David Cerda and the Handbag Productions Players, and will conduct the Q&A with the legendary Oscar winner following the movie. The one-night-only event will partially benefit the Queer Film Society. Sept. 24
You Again: This is yet another Disney rom-com, but this one has several generations of female stars: Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Chenoweth, Kristin Bell, Odette Yustman and, most promising, the red-hot Octogenarians Betty White and Cloris Leachman. Sept. 24
Jack Goes Boating: Philip Seymour Hoffman—who played a gay drag queen opposite Robert DeNiro in Flawless and won an Oscar portraying legendary writer Truman Capote in Capote—stars in and directs this film based on a screenplay adaptation about a shy limo driver's budding romance. Sept. 24
October
Howl: Oscar-winning directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman ( who won for their queer-themed documentaries ) branch out with this artistic biopic of groundbreaking gay poet Allen Ginsberg, who caused a literary sensation with the publication of his epic poem "Howl" in 1955. Actor/writer/director James Franco, a queer-audience fave, stars. Executive produced by Gus Van Sant. Oct. 1
Chicago International Film Festival: The city's hotly anticipated international film festival has introduced local audiences to a wide array of essential films—almost all in their Chicago premieres—for decades. The fest's "Outrageous" series spotlights the best in international LGBT cinema. Expect a plethora of celebrities to walk the red carpet as well during the 46th annual edition. Oct. 7-21
Psycho: Alfred Hitchcock's masterful, groundbreaking thriller—a cultural signpost on many levels—celebrates 50 years of terrorizing audiences by returning to theaters. Anthony Perkins plays the sexually confused title characters whose thwarted desires lead to murder. Oct. 8 at the Music Box
Jackass 3-D: Johnny Knoxville and his fellow pranksters are back with another edition of their jaw-dropping, don't-try-this-at-home series of daredevil stunts—many with a homoerotic bent. Oct. 15
Conviction: Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank ( Boys Don't Cry; Million Dollar Baby ) tries to claim box-office gold again following the lackluster reception to her Amelia Earhart biopic last fall with this fact-based story of a woman who goes to extraordinary lengths to prove that her imprisoned brother did not commit the murder for which he's been convicted. Oct. 22
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest: The third and final film adaptation from the late Swedish mystery writer Daniel Alfredson once again finds Swedish actress Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander, the bisexual goth girl with the dragon tattoo on her back, in league with investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Oct. 29
November
Reeling Film Festival: The annual edition of Chicago's gay and lesbian film festival ( the country's second-oldest ) returns with yet another jam-packed line-up of LGBT-themed films from every genre. Nov. 4-13
127 Hours: James Franco stars in director Danny Boyle's sobering follow-up to his award-winning crowd-pleaser Slumdog Millionaire. This new movie is a based on the true story of a stranded rock climber forced to make some terrifying decisions in order to survive in the wilderness. Nov. 5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 1: Daniel Radcliffe and company return in this penultimate chapter of the epic fantasy series. The war of the wizards is on. Will the openly gay Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore return in spirit to help out? Nov. 19
Burlesque: Pop sensation Christina Aguilera makes her screen debut in the starring role in what looks like a PG musical version of Showgirls, but the real excitement here is the return of Cher to the big screen after a lengthy absence. Openly gay actor Alan Cumming is also in the cast and out director Steven Antin is at the helm. Nov. 24
December
I Love You Phillip Morris: Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star as gay lovers in this fact-based black comedy that is finally, finally going to see the light of day. At last Roadside Attractions is bringing it to theatres—reportedly in time for Oscar consideration. Dec. 3
Black Swan: Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in this tale of competing ballerinas ( seriously! ) in director Darren Aronofsky's dark thriller. The lesbian undertone of the film and a passionate kiss between Portman and Kunis are already garnering lots of Internet buzz. Dec. 3
The Tempest: Highbrow queens will strongly anticipate this one. Director Julie Taymor ( Frida ) brings her creative eye to an adaptation of Shakespeare—starting with a gender switch from male to female with Helen Mirren in the starring role. Dec. 15
Little Fockers: The third edition of this comedy franchise finds everyone from star Ben Stiller to Barbra Streisand ( as Stiller's mom ) returning for another round. Dec. 22
Bran Nu Dae, from co-writer-director Rachel Perkins, is a charming coming-of-age tale about Willie ( Rocky McKenzie ) , an Aborigine teenager waffling between entering the priesthood and pursuing his first, budding romance with the feisty Rosie ( Jessica Mauboy ) . Set in the outback in 1969, Willie has just fallen hard for Rosie when it comes time to return to a severe, structured life at the divinity school back in the big city. A seemingly benign German priest, Father Benedictus ( played with typical finesse by Geoffrey Rush ) , runs the school with an iron hand.
Willie, a once-promising candidate for the priesthood, now finds his attention focused 24/7 on the girl and the promise of love he left behind. After a run-in with Father Benedictus, he runs away, determined to get back home. On the journey home he's joined by a freespirited vagabond and a hippie couple espousing free love, who give Willie a ride in their VW bus. Along the way, they memorably encounter a sexed up roadside cafe owner ( played by Magda Szubanski, the memorable wife of Farmer Hoggett in the Babe movies ) and perform a series of winning musical numbers. Slight but winning, in the familiar manner of Welcome to Woop Woop ( though not nearly so eccentric or sexy ) , the movie is best described as Australia meets Bollywood—a rather winning combo. It's running exclusively at Pipers Alley.
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter website.
