If John Waters were to direct a John Hughes film, First Period would be it.
New girl Cassie ( former Chicagoan Brandon Alexander III, who scripted ) and outcast Maggie ( Dudley Beene, who produced )—drag-queen variations on the ditzy duo Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino played in Romy & Michelle—are easily the most awkward pair of girls in high school. Cassie is a fashionista not unlike Edie Beale, with an inflated sense of self ( and an appetite to match ), while Maggie is so forgettable even Cassie has trouble remembering her name. Together, they decide that the way to win the hearts of the cute boys and the popular girls is to take first place at the school talent show. But rivals Heather, Other Heather and their popular jock boyfriends Brett and Dirk ( who are just a touch, as they used to say, light in the loafers ) will stop at nothing to keep these two social nerds from staying anything other than the laughing stock of the school. It's going to take multiple makeovers, courage and maybe even a little rapping for Cassie and Maggie to beat their rivals at their own game in true '80s style.
First Period is a spot-on, campy homage to the '80s comedies of John Hughes ( Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club ), yet has some of the gross-out humor of early John Waters. The cast includes Judy Tenuta, Cassandra "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" Peterson ( playing Cassie's dim-witted mom ) and gay indie film faves Jack Plotnick, Rebekah Kochan and gorgeous Michael Turchin ( the real-life husband of Lance Bass ). Gay filmmaker Charlie Vaughn directs his cast with enthusiastic zeal and, though the movie's seams are evident in just about every scene, Alexander's tart little script as well as both his and Beene's over-the-top performances guarantee genuine laughs in every scene in the movie—a real accomplishment. The film was a queer film-festival favorite in 2013, is available on VOD and has just been released on DVD. ( The disc includes deleted scenes, an outtake musical number, an affectionate making of featurette, and director and cast commentary. ) http://www.firstperiodmovie.com/
Drag for days
Charlie Vaughn's First Period follows in the very high heels of a multitude of drag comedies in which central male characters in female dress are accepted as such by all the other characters. Some standouts include:
Pink Flamingos ( 1972 ), Female Trouble ( 1974 ), Polyester ( 1981 ), Lust in the Dust ( 1985 ) and Hairspray ( 1988 )—The 300-pound drag-queen performer Divine became an underground superstar as the muse of out director-writer John Waters starring in a series of outrageous comedies in female drag, breaking through to the mainstream with Lust in the Dust ( which Paul Bartel helmed ) and his last—the nostalgic Hairspray ( a final pairing with Waters )—just before his untimely death.
Die, Mommie, Die! ( 2003 )—Female illusionist and playwright ( Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife ) Charles Busch adapted and stars in this film version of his hit play, a parody of the Lana Turner-Anthony Quinn lurid thriller Portrait in Black and the camp classic The Big Cube about a glamorous woman suspected of murdering her aging husband by her messed up step-children. Jason Priestley, Frances Conroy, Philip Baker Hall, Stark Sands ( as the gay son ) and Natasha Lyonne ( as the vixen daughter ) co-star.
Psycho Beach Party ( 2000 ) —Charles Busch stars as a butch police detective looking to solve a series of brutal murders in this comedy horror parody of '60s muscle-beach party movies and the slasher films of Herschell Gordon Lewis. Not as funny as Die, Mommie, Die!, Busch's adaptation of his off-Broadway hit nevertheless has its share of laughs and lots of hot male and female eye candy in its plus column. Amy Adams, Lauren Ambrose, Matt Keeslar and Thomas Gibson co-star.
Girls Will Be Girls ( 2003 )—Writer-director Richard Day's hilarious black comedy focuses on a washed up B movie actress, her long suffering servant/toady and their clueless boarder, an up and coming eager beaver actress whose the daughter of the actresses former nemesis. Jack Plotnick, Coco Peru and Varla Jean Merman co-star in this outrageous cult hit which has spawned webisodes and a forthcoming sequel.
Baby Jane? ( 2011 )—Writer-director Billy Clift's retelling of the 1962 Bette Davis-Joan Crawford camp thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? fuses parody and homage ( down to the black and white cinematography ) and has plenty of laughs but, surprisingly, its share of poignant moments as well.
Some Like It Hot ( 1959 )—Billy Wilder's comic masterpiece is as funny and fresh now as it was over 45 years ago. A bona fide drag classic, the movie stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as musicians on the lam from gangsters in the '20s forced to take jobs in drag in an all-girl orchestra whose lead singer is none other than the luscious Marilyn Monroe.
Speaking of Divine
I Am Divine—Jeffrey Schwarz's entertaining and insightful 2013 documentary look at the all-too-brief life of drag superstar Divine—is the opening-night feature on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. for Cinema Q V, the fifth annual LGBT film series held Thursdays in May at the Chicago Cultural Center ( 78 E. Washington ).
Other films in the free series include Violette, the story of the French feminist bisexual writer Violette Leduc; Beautiful Boxer, the true story of a transgender Thai kickboxer; and the 1971 Visconti classic Death in Venice. The series is courtesy of the Queer Film Society, Chicago Filmmakers ( the presenting organization of Reeling: The Chicago LGBT International Film Festival ), the Legacy Project and the Chicago Cultural Center.
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/cinema_q.html
Dior in the house
What will happen when Belgian designer Raf Simons, formerly of the minimalist brand Jil Sander, becomes the unlikely artistic director of the legendary House of Dior ( taking over from the disgraced John Galliano ) and has only eight weeks to present his first haute couture collection? That's the question Frederic Tcheng's documentary chronicle Dior and I sets out to answer.
Unlike other fashion chronicles, this is less about the designer ( ala Valentino: The Last Emperor, Lagerfeld Confidential, etc. ) and more about the unsung women and men in the workrooms who actually create the fabulous one of a kind clothes. And what becomes increasingly clear ( and rare among high-profile designers ) as the film progresses, it's just as important to the taciturn Simons ( who is understandably under enormous pressure ) that his team be viewed as his genuine collaborators. The film plays exclusively in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre, opening Friday, April 24. Ticket purchasers will be entered in a raffle to win a $500 gift card from Blake, Chicago's exclusive haute couture clothing store ( which, no coincidence, carries Dior ). http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/features/dior-and-i
Upcoming movie calendar
Highlights from films opening in Chicago, April 24 and May 1 ( or available digitally )
Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land ( 4/23 )—Chicago Israel Week presents a free screening on Thursday, April 23, at Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., of this insider's look at gay life in Israel from gay porn producer and performer Michael Lucas. Lucas will be present for a post-screening Q&A. http://events.colum.edu/event/undressing_israel_screening_and_qa#.VTNjvfnF_JU
Dior and I ( 4/24 )—See details above.
The Water Diviner ( 4/24 )—Russell Crowe stars and makes his directorial debut with this sprawling early 20th-century epic about an Australian farmer and father ( Crowe ) who heads to Turkey to find out what really happened to his three sons who were reported missing ( and presumed dead ) in the battle of Gallipoli.
Adult Beginners ( 4/24 )—A young, narcissistic entrepreneur ( Nick Kroll ) fails big time just as his company launches and with few options, moves in with his pregnant sister, her husband and 3-year-old child and becomes their nanny. Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Joel McHale, Josh Charles and Jane Krakowski co-star.
Tangerines ( 5/1 )—From Estonia, this Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film is the haunting story of an older Estonian man ( Lembit Ulfsak ) who cares for two wounded soldiers on opposite sides of the civil war in Georgia in the 1990s. It plays exclusively at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark St., and the Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park. http://www.landmarktheatres.com/chicago/century-centre-cinema/film-info/tangerines
Marvel's Avengers: The Age of Ultron ( 5/1 )—The summer blockbuster season starts with this ultimate collection of comic-book superheroes who are back for their second outing. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson play the heroes; and James Spader is the voice of the baddie—a maniacal, Transformer-sized robot determined to rid earth of humans. Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie and Elizabeth Olsen co-star.
