Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Movie Maven
Best Movies of 2003
by Gregg Shapiro
2003-12-31

This article shared 3593 times since Wed Dec 31, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Nowhere near as queer as 2002, a year in which the best movies included The Hours, Far From Heaven, Kissing Jessica Stein, Frida, The Cockettes and Chicago, the films of 2003 did have their share of people like us represented on-screen. Could you imagine Finding Nemo without Ellen DeGeneres providing the voice (and certain facial expressions) for Dory, a role she was undoubtedly born to play? What about the scene in X2, gay director Bryan Singer's X-Men sequel, in which a young man comes out to his parents as being a mutant? Did you see Will & Grace's Sean Hayes play the Jack Russell-terrier-toting, sexually ambiguous Wayne in Pieces Of April? What of the sexual tension, and innocent kiss, between the mother and daughter's best friend in Thirteen? And Sir Ian McKellen starred in two (X2 and Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King) of my top 10 choices for best movies of 2003, to boot.

1. Lost In Translation: In which Bill Murray gave the best performance of the year and the best performance of his career.

2. Finding Nemo: Nemo is Pixar's crowning achievement.

3. Dirty Pretty Things: Directed by Stephen Frears, who directed the gay film My Beautiful Laundrette nearly 20 years ago.

4 X2: An exhilarating experience that should be seen regardless of whether or not you saw the first one.

5. Pieces Of April: As an overly critical, dying mother, Patricia Clarkson once again demonstrates that she is a national treasure.

6. Thirteen: Holly Hunter in the comeback performance of the year.

7. The Magdalene Sisters: Listen to the Joni Mitchell song 'The Magdalene Laundries,' then see this movie.

8. Kill Bill, Volume 1: This hyper-violent live-action cartoon has me wringing my hands in anticipation of the next installment.

9. 21 Grams: Without Clint Eastwood's heavy-handed Mystic River direction, Sean Penn gives his weightiest performance in years. Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro are also amazing.

10. Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King: The ring is toast.

_____

11. Elephant

12. House of Sand and Fog

13. Cold Mountain

14. Something's Gotta Give

15. American Splendor

16. Shattered Glass

17. Capturing The Friedmans

18. The Cooler

19. L'Auberge Espagnole

20. Swimming Pool

21. Mystic River

Limited runs and special events:

@ Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville, (773) 381-8030: Queersploitation—monthly film series viewing and examining the treatment of homosexuality in some exploitation films of the 70s and 80s. Vampyr Lesbos—Jan.. 8; Thundercrack—Feb. 12; Satan's Children—March 11; Nightmare on ElmStreet 2—Apr. 8

@ Navy Pier IMAX Theatre, (312) 595-5MAX (5629): Santa vs. the Snowman 3D— LGBT moms, dads, aunts, uncles and others looking for a holiday movie experience that can be enjoyed by viewers young and old, need look no further than the clever and colorful Santa Vs. The Snowman. Santa (voiced by Jonathan Winters) tells the story of the Christmas that almost wasn't which involves a lonely snowman, a stolen flute, and a newfound friendship. The 3D effects are spectacular, particularly in the scenes in the elves workshop and also in the Star Wars-like battle scenes (really!). This collaboration between writer/director John Davis and the multi-talented Steve Oedekerk has the potential to become a holiday classic for all sorts of families. (B) - Dec. 31 – Jan. 4; Young Black Stallion—Dec. 31-March 18; Galapagos 3D—Jan. 16-May 20; NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D (March 13 through summer )

On DVD:

Luster: Following Jackson (Justin Herwick), a gay, blue-haired poet, skateboarding, indie record store clerk and 'zine publisher through a weekend that begins with him waking up in a pile of 'post-drugged-sex' orgy bodies, Luster isn't exactly polished, but it does shine on occasion. Sam (Shane Powers), the store owner and Jackson's best friend, is secretly in love with Jackson. So is Derek (Sean Thibodeaux), a customer. Meanwhile, Jackson lusts after his hunky sexually ambiguous cousin Jed (B. Wyatt) who is visiting from Iowa and the unattainable Billy (Jonah Blechman), whose closeted rock star boyfriend Sonny (Willie Garson) likes it rough. Chris Freeman, of Pansy Division, plays a lascivious author in L.A. for a book signing, and Susanna Melvoin and Pamela Gidley, add some female energy as a lesbian couple. The DVD edition includes commentary by the filmmakers and the director documentary Everett On Film. (C+)

Pop (IndieDVD) – Shortly before he became fabulous and famous for playing Emmett on Queer As Folk, Peter Paige teamed up with Elisa (Morgan from Sabrina The Teenage Witch) Donovan to play a 21sr century Nick (Paige) and Nora (Donovan) in this zany pop-culture-reference packed comedy set in Portland. It seems that friend and co-worker from the Oppenheimer Lab, Hugo (Michael Fetters), has absconded with the 'Fat Boy Numeral,' a code that is valuable to some shady bad guys. Pretty soon Nick, Nora, Hugo and Hugo's Martian girlfriend Five are all being surveyed and pursued by fumbling Feds and a cute pair of goons. As indie features go, this one is pretty small scale, but Paige's presence adds an air of panache and parody that makes Pop go pop. (C)

On TV:

Sundance Channel (check local listings): Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss – Jan. 1, 10, 13, 19, 23; Gods and Monsters - Jan. 1, 7, 20, 31; Princesa - Jan. 2, 14, 17, 29; By Hook or by Crook – Jan. 3, 7, 13, 22, 30; Get Real - Jan. 4, 9, 14, 24, 29; È Minha Cara/That's My Face - Jan. 5, 11, 19, 23, 26, 29; Lan Yu - Jan. 5, 13, 16, 22; Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End - Jan. 5, 18, 27; The Adventures of Sebastian Cole – Jan. 6, 16, 18, 22, 28; Priest - Jan. 6, 19, 28; The Cockettes – Jan. 9, 19, 29; Silverlake Life: The View from Here - Jan. 13, 26; 'Anatomy of a Scene: Die Mommie Die! ' – Jan. 19 8:30 pm; Trembling Before G-d - Jan. 19, 27.


This article shared 3593 times since Wed Dec 31, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29
Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...


Gay News

WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items 2024-03-29
- Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97 2024-03-22
- series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds 2024-03-21
- It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

Dorian Film Awards: 'All of Us Strangers' takes top prizes 2024-02-27
- February 26, 2024 - Los Angeles, Ca. - For its 15th Dorian Film Awards, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics fully embraced All of Us Strangers, writer-director Andrew Haigh's fantastical and tear-inducing tale of two ...


Gay News

SAG Awards honor Streisand, few LGBTQ+ actors 2024-02-25
- Queer entertainers made their mark—although not a major one—at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles. The event was live-streamed on Netflix for the first time. Indigenous and Two-Spirit actor ...


Gay News

WORLD Caribbean ruling, Pussy Riot, Russian raid, Canadian warning, anti-trans bar 2024-02-23
- The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to colonial-era anti-gay laws, Reuters reported. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish—two gay men who had pushed to decriminalize ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Kristen Stewart, Rock Hudson, Talia Keys, 'True Detective,' Marvel comic 2024-02-23
- At the Berlin Film Festival, Kristen Stewart defended her photo shoot for a Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social-media platforms, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The existence of a female body ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Elton John, Hannah Gadsby, video game, Jennifer Lopez, queer thriller 2024-02-16
Video below - Sir Elton John has sold his Atlanta home and is now auctioning off more than 900 of his personal items that were kept in the 13,500-square-foot condo, The Daily Mail noted. The massive collection includes rare ...


Gay News

GALECA announces nominees for the Dorian Film Awards 2024-02-07
--From a press release - Feb. 5, 2024 - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons, today announced the group's democratically chosen nominees for its 15th Dorian Film Awards. All of ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.