Queer movie fans, along with the rest of the world, are awaiting the imminent arrival of The Hobbit, opening this weekend, and before the month is out there will be Les Miserables, Guilt Trip and Parental Guidancethe latter two starring a couple of our faves, Barbra and Betteas well as a flurry of other year-end award contenders. Although none of these films is queer-themed, per se (though I have my suspicions about a certain Bilbo Baggins), fear not, lots of movies and DVDs coming up will take up the slack. A few things to anticipate as the winter chill sets in:
January
Any Day Now (Jan. 4)the custody-battle drama set in the 1970s and based on a true story, with Alan Cumming (in a highly touted performance) and Garrett Dillahunt as his partnerarrives in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre the first of the year. Look for my review and Q&A with Cumming in the Jan. 2 issue of WCT.
Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins and Billy Connolly are the four retired opera singers headlining Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, Quartet (Jan. 11), which looks to be this year's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and should suffice until season three of Downton Abbey arrives later in the month.
Chris Colfer, the openly gay star of TV's Glee, stars in his screenplay for the black teen comedy Struck By Lightning (Jan. 12), about a backstabbing, blackmailing literary geek who recounts his wicked deeds from beyond the grave. It sounds like a millennial edition of Heathers, and it's from out director Brian Dannelly, who helmed the hilarious Christian teen comedy Saved! in 2004.
The fantasy-action thriller with the campy title, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Jan. 25), starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton, arrives in theaters after being held from release for almost a yearand the wait looks worth it.
The Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 17-27) has announced a number of titles with queer themes and/or directors that include Kill Your Darlings (Daniel Radcliffe as gay poet Allen Ginsburg), Interior.Leather Bar, (James Franco's reimagined version of the controversial 1980 gay thriller Cruising) and Lovelace (out directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's biopic of porn star Linda Lovelace, their follow-up to Howl).
Lots of queer-themed DVDs in January: Farewell My Queen, About Cherry (both Jan. 15), The Wise Kids, Jack & Diane, Bear City (all Jan. 18), out director Lee Daniels' The Paperboy and Ira Sachs' Keep the Lights On both arrive Jan. 22
February
More fairy-tale fantasy: A Single Man's sexy sensation Nicholas Hoult stars in Warm Bodies (Feb. 1), a zombie comedy based on the graphic novel.
The Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., is showing the Belgian gay-themed coming-of-age romantic drama North Sea Texas (Feb. 15), which was well received on the festival circuit.
The 85th Academy Awardsaka known as the gay man's national holidaywill be presented Sunday, Feb. 24, with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane hosting for the first time. MacFarlane is coming off a hit film debut, Ted (the one about the foul-mouthed teddy bear), and as the young hipster's delight, the hope that he'll bring in the coveted young demographic to increase ratings had to have been part of the decision to hire him. He's joined by longtime out producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who are also making their production debut with the show. And here's my (annual) official shout-out to the Academy to give Doris Day an honorary Oscar already.
A 40th-anniversary edition of Cabaret starring Liza Minnelli in her Oscar-winning performance arrives on Blu-ray Feb. 5, while Barbra Streisand's 1976 version of A Star Is Born is out on Blu-ray the same day.
March
More Nicholas Hoult: The young hottie stars in yet another fantasy-action thrillerthis one based on Jack & the Beanstalk titled Jack the Giant Slayer (March 1). With Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy co-starring, it certainly looks promising enough.
Yet another dark fairy tale: James Franco stars in Oz the Great and Powerful (March 8), the first of several Wizard of Oz-related films in the works. This big-budget version from director Sam Raimi (Spiderman and the Evil Dead series) co-stars Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis.
Oh no, they didn't: Oh yes, they didout director Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) takes on the challenge of creating a new film version of Stephen King's telekinetic teenager Carrie (March 15), who gets revenge on her dirty-dealing classmates at the most memorable prom of all time. Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore fill in for Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, respectively, who were both Oscar-nominated for their performances as the put-upon frog princess and her religious freak mother in Brian DePalma's masterful 1976 original.