Celebrate Pride with Larry Kramer and these other LGBT pioneers.
There are many reasons Our People celebrate Pride. One of the most compelling, of course, is to honor the achievements of those who came before us; the brave activists who fought the culture wars on so many fronts.
One of the fiercest, Larry Kramer, is the subject of a forthcoming documentary that debuts Monday, June 29, on HBO. Larry Kramer in Love & Anger is an aptly titled movie that gets behind the angry public image that Kramer has so often projected over decades of being on the frontlines of AIDS activism.
Out filmmaker Jean Carlomusto's portrait of her old friend takes in all of the man—from Kramer's intellectual, artistic upbringing to his early successes as a Hollywood screenwriter to budding gay rights pioneer to the full-fledged, polarizing activist, co-founder of ACT UP and critically hailed playwright of "The Normal Heart" and finally to the elder statesman, a lion in winter as feisty as ever as health issues wear him down. And, yes, that portrait includes gentleness, humor and glimpses into Kramer's private world. Carlomusto's illuminating film is a great addition to the ever-growing list of documentary movies about LGBT heroes. http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/larry-kramer-in-love-and-anger.html
Continue your Pride celebration at the movies with a few others ( of the many available ) focused on one of these seminal LGBT pioneers:
The Times of Harvey Milk ( 1984 ) and Milk ( 2008 )—Out filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman won the Oscar for this moving documentary look at the slain gay-rights activist/hero Harvey Milk, movingly narrated by Harvey Fierstein. In Milk, Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar for his multifaceted portrayal of the icon in Gus Van Sant's unadorned biopic masterpiece, whose script by gay activist Dustin Lance Black also won the Oscar.
Howl ( 2010 )—Friedman and Epstein moved from documentaries into narrative features with this sober, artsy look at groundbreaking gay poet and cultural icon Allen Ginsberg, memorably played by James Franco.
Tongues Untied ( 1989 )—The reputation of the late queer African-American filmmaker and activist Marlon Riggs rests on this lyrical yet fiery semi-documentary look at disenfranchised Black gay men, outcasts from two societies. It remains a seminal, shattering film experience.
Gay Pioneers ( 2004 )—Glen Holsten's insightful, inspirational look, via archival footage and interviews, includes a who's who line-up of our brave queer forebears, including Barbara Gittings. Gittings is also the subject of a new, full-length biography—the first ever—by Windy City Times Executive Editor Tracy Baim.
Details on the film: http://www.gaypioneers.com/index.cfm
Details on the book: http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Biography-of-gay-pioneer-Barbara-Gittings-out-in-time-for-Pride/51863.html
Saugatuck Cures
When Drew ( Glee's Max Adler ) discovers that his mother, Maggie ( The Young & the Restless' Judith Chapman ), is dealing with a recurrence of cancer, he's at a loss on what to do. The B&B Mom runs with Drew's help in picturesque Saugatuck—the resort town 90 minutes from Chicago that boasts a healthy gay population—is in need of a lot of work and there's no extra money to pay for it or an experimental treatment that could make all the difference to Maggie's health.
Drew's arch-conservative sister who disapproves of his gay "lifestyle" is no absolutely no help, but his wacky, straight friend Brett ( Danny Mooney ) is a different story. He gets the ball rolling with a hefty donation and also comes up with the idea of traveling to area conservative churches, posing as ex-gay ministers raising funds to convert homos to heteros. Although Drew is uneasy about the plan, the strategy works—spectacularly so for a while. Naturally, there are several bumps ( and plot complications ) along the way as the duo works against the clock in director Matt Ladensack's movie ( appropriately titled Saugatuck Cures ).
The film will have a one-week theatrical run in Chicago at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., beginning Friday, June 26, followed by a DVD/VOD release from Breaking Glass Pictures. http://www.saugatuckcuresmovie.com/
Wolfe turns 30
Wolfe Video, the world's largest distributor of LGBT cinema is celebrating 30 years this month. Founded in June of 1985 by lesbian entrepreneur Kathy Wolfe, the company has distributed hundreds of LGBT-themed movies over its history, with noteworthy titles including Big Eden, Undertow, Desert Hearts, I Am Divine, Cloudburst and the recent Swiss entry for the foreign Oscar, The Circle. Lily Tomlin—who sent congratulations to the company on its anniversary—is among the roster of talents associated with Wolfe. Other prominent out filmmakers include Donna Deitch, Charles Busch, Guinevere Turner, Jeffrey Schwarz, Javier Fuentes-Leon, Nicole Conn and Thomas Bezucha. The entire Wolfe catalogue is available online at www.WolfeOnDemand.com
Upcoming movie calendar
Highlights from films opening in Chicago, June 26 and July 3 ( or available digitally )
A Little Chaos ( 6/26 )—Kate Winslet stars in this romantic drama set in 17th-century France as a headstrong landscape artist chosen to design the main garden at Louis XIV's palace at Versailles. Alan Rickman co-stars and directs.
Saugatuck Cures ( 6/26 )—See listing details above.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger ( 6/29 )—See listing details above.
Before You Know It ( 6/30 )—P.J. Raval's 2013 documentary about a trio of gay senior citizens is both moving and eye-opening. The film, which won the Reeling Film Festival's top honor for feature documentary in 2013, premieres on the America ReFramed program on World Channel that airs locally on PBS. ( Check local listings via website link. ) http://worldchannel.org/programs/episode/arf-s3-e324-before-you-know-it/
Magic Mike XXL ( 7/1 )—It's finally here! Channing Tatum and the rest of the hunky naked strippers ( including out actor Matt Bomer ) who helped elevate Magic Mike to box-office glory with their sexy moves are back in this sequel that promises to shake the bon-bons of audience members once more. The homoerotic undertone is a given, but here's hoping that the sequel has more than a hint of queer content. Tatum and Bomer's recent surprise appearance at the LA Pride Parade certainly helped stoked interest in the gay community for the movie.
Terminator Genisys ( 7/1 )—After the less-than-spectacular reception to the last Terminator installment ( Christian Bale's on-set tantrums possibly having something to do with the movie's bland script ), here comes another attempt at rebooting the apocalyptic franchise for the big screen. ( A TV version didn't catch on either. ) The Kyle Reese character is back as well as Sarah Connor and, best of all, so is Ah-nuld. Arnold Scharzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke star.
