Pictured: X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The folks at tiny Regent Releasing must be beside themselves with excitement. With Little Ashes, a period drama set in Spain, they suddenly find themselves with a movie starring Robert Pattinson, the overnight sensation from Twilight. I'm not sure how the teenage girls squealing over Pattinson will feel about his first film since he set millions of hearts aflame, but the actor's gay fans are in for a big treat. Director Paul Morrison's movie is a pleasurable, old-fashioned romance—a gay one—with a good measure of art and politics tossed in between the passion.
The film begins in Madrid in 1922 when Pattinson, as surrealist painter Salvador Dali, first walks through the doors of Madrid's School of Fine Arts. At 18, with his pageboy haircut, thigh-high boots and lacy pirate shirts, he's already an individual among individuals and the other students give him a wide berth. However, soon Dali and poet/playwright Federico Garcia Lorca ( played by Javier Beltran in his film debut ) become fast friends, with each desiring more. Morrison cannily prolongs the skittish, lovesick courtship of these two budding artistic geniuses until the duo shares a midnight swim underneath a thick, liquid moon—culminating in a sensual kiss.
The physical act of love-making, however, is too painful, both physically and emotionally, for Dali. So, even though he has constantly repeated his mantra, "No limit," to Lorca, that's exactly what he places on himself and he takes off for Paris, itching for notoriety. The film, based on Phillippa Goslett's book, suggests that Dali lacked the courage of his vision—he meant "no limit" alright—but externally, not internally.
We then move forward eight years ( in Madrid, once again ) , when Lorca has become a celebrity playwright/poet, and has a new lover. The Dali that returns to him is the poseur with the icy Gala ( Arly Jover ) , his wife, in tow, and Lorca rejects their none-too subtle attempt at a ménage à trois. It's Dali or the highway, apparently. Not long after, ignoring the political unrest that would soon erupt into a war, Lorca—who has become an emblem of democracy in Spain—is taken prisoner and executed by a band of terrorists. The film suggests that part of the reason for his execution had to do with his sexuality, so here we have another gay martyr for the history books.
Pattinson catches Dali's strange mix of insecurity and giant egotism with finesse while Beltran, as Lorca, has the fire and passion of a young Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem or Andy Garcia ( the latter who actually played the part in an earlier film version ) . Marina Gatell, as the duo's wealthy best gal pal, is fun, especially when she gets drunk and morose; Jover also registers as the creepy yet fascinating Gala.
Little Ashes follows in the path of other tragic gay period romance films. With its sumptuous cinematography ( in HD no less ) , gorgeous locations, moody story line and nicely shaded performances, fans of Maurice and the little-seen Proteus will find plenty to satisfy their tastes. Whether or not that includes squealing teenage girls remains to be seen.
* * *
Unlike the overly complicated Watchmen, the last comic book blockbuster to hit theatres, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is such a blandly predictable sci-fi blockbuster that one can focus on different parts of star Hugh Jackman's extraordinary physique—his spectacular abs, enormous biceps, perfectly proportioned ass and even his perfectly trimmed sideburns—and those of his counterparts ( especially Ryan Reynolds ) without fear of losing out on a single plot point.
The movie is mildly entertaining, pours on the special effects and tries hard—and fails—to keep the audience involved in the familiar and dumb-dumb plot that pits brother against brother and tosses Danny Huston as an evil, mad leader into the mix.
The real problem is that there is not a single flesh-and-blood character in the overproduced movie and the enormously talented Jackman, who has had to defend playing late gay icon Peter Allen on Broadway in The Boy From Oz in just about every interview he's done for the movie ( a role for which he won the Tony ) , is especially ill-served. If this is an example of the kind of run-of-the-mill schlock that Hollywood is offering Jackman, I suggest he immediately head back to Broadway for more challenging fare. Or perhaps he could produce a screen version of The Boy From Oz himself. Now that would be something to anticipate.
Film notes:
—Camp Midnight, the quarterly film series devoted to "the best of the worst" in cinema, returns Sunday, May 10, with the second annual Mother's Day screening of 1981's Mommie Dearest—the Mount Everest of Mother's Day movies. Dick O'Day ( the alter ego of yours truly ) hosts the 1:30 p.m. pre-show—which includes a contest, festive prizes and a performance by The Joans, David Cerda's Joan Crawford rock band—followed by the 2:30 p.m. "interactive" screening. Early arrivals will also get a chance to pose for photos with Joan and Christina dolled up in their matching pinafores; renowned photographer Rick Aguilar will take the photos and proceeds will benefit Handbag's upcoming production of Poseidon! A few V.I.M. ( Very Important Mother ) $20 tickets ( brunch at Blue Bayou and preferred seating at the screening ) are still available. Advance tickets and further information on all three events are at www.musicboxtheatre.com .
—Queer Cinema 101, the five week LGBT film series hosted by local gay film critics, concludes Monday, May 11, with the beloved 1982 gender-bending musical classic Victor/Victoria starring Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. The screening, hosted by Gay Chicago editor/film critic Jonathan Lewis, will be followed by a roundtable Q&A with all the gay film critics participating in the series. The series is being partly sponsored by Sidetrack and www.HannahFree.com; the trailer for the forthcoming lesbian-themed film Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, will be shown. The screening is at 7 p.m. at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre. A $5 suggested donation is requested; visit www.centeronhalsted.org or 773-472-6469 ext. 245.
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site.
