Backlash On Brokeback

It’s official, ladies and gentlemen: Hollywood loves the giblets.  Now, before each of you goes traipsing along the web, frantically searching the word’s etymology, rest assured that giblet is an acronym for the more popular GLBT.  Recent award shows (The Golden Globes and the SAG awards, to name a few) swooned over and lauded films with either homosexual leads or gay-themed plot lines.  And it seems that the Academy Awards are bent on bequeathing Oscars in similar fashion. 

Indeed, films delving into the “love that dare not speak its name” (the one associated with that other Oscar) are receiving long-awaited attention from Tinseltown.  Leading the torch—no flaming homo jokes intended—is Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee’s exquisite adaptation of Annie Proulx’s haunting short story of two gay ranch hands who are lovers.  Any form of backlash against this cinematic opus is, of course, to be expected.  Christian conservatives, opting for the road less traveled, decided to negatively critique the movie rather than outwardly discourage their congregations from flocking to the theatres or ignore the film entirely.  Some heterosexual male critics acknowledged the film’s prowess even while taking flippant stabs at the intimacy of the male leads—take that recent Larry David tongue-in-cheek op-ed for the New York Times, for instance.  And who hasn’t thought of the purported parody-cum-porno that could very well arise if that first syllabic phrase is spelled a just a tad differently.

But the harshest criticism seems to have come from the queer community itself.  David Ehrenstein, perched high upon the upper echelon of the gay clerisy, condemns the film as nothing more than white elephant art, a farcical puff-piece made for the heterosexual audience that will surely eat it up (and for a Hollywood that is surely patting itself on the back for its inherent predilection for the progressive).  Even run-of-the-mill gays, on their podcasts, in the theatre and on their blogs, release their frustration at the disappointment toward the film’s tragic ending and toward the dearth of gay actors in the film: Why do most contemporary gay characters suffer such grotesque demises? Do straight actors vie for gay roles to attain acclaim?

Indeed, dear giblets, your message is clear and understood; however, to pretend that Brokeback will carry the onus of speaking for the gay community at large is simply misdirected.  The issues of which we are so painfully aware will continue to befall the industry, for even as the maelstrom of gay-chic enters the mainstream—Capote, the Dying Gaul, “Will & Grace,” “Queer as Folk,” etc.—the portal is merely ajar.  As for Brokeback, I can only attest to the way it has moved me, and countless other queers, into remembering the chilling reality of what it once felt like to look out from the closet, one foot in, one foot out, terrified of what lies beyond unbridled expression yet distressed by the emptiness of abstaining.

- Edwin Burgos, Famous International Playboy

The White Countess **1/2

Directed by: James Ivory

Written by: Kazuo Ishiguro

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave.

There is a sad weight attached to The White Countess, as with all of the grand Merchant/Ivory films; the fact that this will be the last of their collaborations only heightens this permeating feeling.

That being said, The White Countess does not stray far from the Merchant/Ivory formula, and that is not always necessarily a good thing. It feels like nearly every other literary adaptation that they have put to film, and while nobody does the tragic love story better than they do, this carbon-copy-esque approach tends to lessen the emotional impact of the story that unfolds on-screen.

Written by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (of The Remains of the Day fame, another Merchant/Ivory production), The White Countess tells the story of Jackson (Ralph Fiennes), an American Diplomat living in Shanghai who befriends Sofia (Natasha Richardson), a Russian refugee (and former Countess) who supports her family through prostitution. The weepy romance is saved solely by the fine acting of its two leads, Fiennes and Richardson, who add a depth to characters that would otherwise be completely one-dimensional caricatures. But unfortunately even their supreme combined talents are not enough to save the film from its sad but inevitable fate: that of Netflix menstrual-inspired viewings by Fiennes fans (and romance novel readers) the world over.

- Lily Percy, Editor

Caché **

Written and directed by: Michael Haneke

Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche and Maurice Bénichou

There’s nothing that I hate more than a film that doesn’t deliver. The kind of film that has potential—that you find yourself thoroughly engrossed in throughout only to find that, as the credits roll on screen, there is no resolution to be had. Anywhere.

Unfortunately, Caché is this kind of film. Every review that I read leading up to watching it threw out words such as “Hitchcockian suspense” and “terrifying,” all of which made me want to run to the theater in anticipation, but while it is indeed both of these things, the last five minutes of the film kill any semblance of admiration or good will towards Michael Haneke and his film.

I normally hate it when film critics (the holy Roger Ebert included) divulge the entire plot line of a film but in this case Caché truly warrants it (if only to save you some hard-earned cash). The film itself is about a family who finds themselves being videotaped, constantly. The tapes have a surveillance quality to them but the great mystery lies in the random and obscured positioning of the camera not to mention the identity of the person making the tapes.

Suffice to say that this great mystery, the one thing that has been driving the film, is never revealed. Instead you get an ending shot that resolves nothing and only succeeds in pissing you off. Which, after reading countless theories and reviews on the film, seems to be Haneke’s point all along. He may have his reasons, political or otherwise, but either way the result is a crap ending for a film that had the potential to be anything but.

- Lily Percy, Editor

DVD'S:

West Wing (Season One)

A good TV show is like coming home—except better. For unlike your home, which changes and shape shifts into a myriad of locations, landlords, buildings and states as time goes by, your favorite television show, the best kind of television show, is always constant, always home. That’s what “The West Wing” is to me.

With his sharp and biting sense of humor, his innate understanding and love for the English language, not to mention his seemingly unshakeable idealism, creator Aaron Sorkin fashioned a show that set out to be about The White House Staff and somehow become a show about America—what we stand for, what we hold true and what we want more than anything to believe.

Season One is a joy to watch over and over again. With episodes such as “Let Bartlett be Bartlett,” which will forever be my election night catchphrase, “Take this Sabbath Day” and “What Kind of Day has it been,” (a “Sports Night” reference there for all of you CSC fans), Season One paves the way for what will ultimately be the best—and smartest—show on television for years to come.  Jed Bartlett, Charlie Young, Leo McGarry, CJ Craig, Sam Seaborne, Josh Lyman, Donna Moss and Toby Ziegler—if these names aren't ' t engrained in your psyche then you just haven’t been doing much breathing these past 7 years.

- Lily Percy, Editor

Sam: About a week ago I accidentally slept with a prostitute.

Toby: Really?

Sam: Yes.

Toby: You accidentally slept with a prostitute.

Sam: Call girl.

Toby: Accidentally.

Sam: Yes.

Toby: I don't understand, did you trip over something?

(Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc)

Lord of War ***

Written and directed by: Andrew Niccol

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto, Shake Tukhmanyan, Jean-Pierre Nshanian, Ian Holm and Ethan Hawke.

The top five arms dealers in the world each have a seat in the UN Security Council. If that doesn’t seem like a wakeup call, then maybe its time for you to bring home the Lord of War.

Andrew Niccol is a story teller with a singular purpose—to explore and imagine a future where genetics brings an end to chance, how a show can become the reality TV that documents our lives, and the man without a country, stuck in a Terminal, waits patiently for fate to step in. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is a man with a particular talent; he makes selling arms to foreign countries look as easy as selling vacuum cleaners door to door.

His story takes off in the early 80s when he sees the opportunity to supply a local demand for guns in Little Odessa, New York. Unhappy with the small time results, Yuri sets his eyes on a new market in the Middle East, securing a middle-man position with the U.S. government. It’s here that Yuri begins to plan a very bright future for himself and his younger brother Vitaly Orlov (Jared Leto). Unfortunately, with fast money comes easy vice, and even though Yuri survives the initiation into wealth, his brother Vitaly loses the battle to cocaine. With his brother in rehab Yuri is forced to continue his arms venture alone (the cold war is now over and all of Russia is for sale).

Using his family contacts, Yuri beats out the top arms dealer in the world, Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm), to the all too important Russian military arsenal. Yuri soon finds himself on opposite sides of a war he can’t win, but for now he’s enjoying the spoils of his arms fortune. Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan) is a supermodel that has captivated Yuri all of his life; since money is no longer a problem he uses his new found status to sweep his soon to be supermodel wife off her feet. With a new wife, a baby on the way and an endless supply of money in his pocket, Yuri takes the biggest leap of his life looking to supply weapons for the future wars in Africa. Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) is the incorruptible U.S. Federal Agent that will follow Yuri’s trail around the globe, waiting for that one mistake that will bring the ‘Lord of War’ into the U.S. prison system.

But in the end Yuri knows there’s no going back home. This new war will destroy any sign of humanity left in him and eventually he will become one of the casualties of a business that’s in the business of killing. He’s just an unfortunate result of supply and demand, a ‘Lord of War’ that works in the shadows of the real Warlords. 

- Juan Marcos Percy, Importer/Exporter

BOOKS:

Crossing California and The Washington Story

Written by: Adam Langer

“Shortly after her mother died, Jill had asked her father if the family could get a dog. Charlie Wasserstrom, his brow furrowed, his nervous, guilty smile on his face, told her they had two choices; either they could get a dog or go to Disney World on a family vacation, one they had originally planned to take with Becky. Jill said she didn’t need much time to think about that; she wanted the dog. Charlie came back after work the next day with three plane tickets to Orlando, and when Jill protested, he said the tickets were nonrefundable and he guessed he’d misunderstood her and he was sorry. He told Jill that they’d discuss “the dog question” after they got back from Florida, but Charlie never brought it up again, and whenever Jill did, he looked so worried and depressed that Jill eventually stopped mentioning it.

In a way, Jill hoped that her meeting with Muley that night had been accidental, that he had no intention of bringing her the dog. That would have made Muley’s act seem so much more like destiny, something in which Jill was just beginning to believe—that on the day her father had betrayed her for the second time, Muley had emerged out of nowhere, through some act of fate, to compensate. But in neither scenario—intentional or accidental—could Jill imagine that she was not supposed to be with Muley Scott Wills forever and ever. Or at least until they graduated from high school. Or at least for a little while.”

*An excerpt from Adam Langer’s, Crossing California

As anyone who knows me can attest to, I am a big fan of the Jews. For the life of me I cannot tell you why or where exactly this fascination began (although all roads lead to my father and his Passover Seders) but it has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. And in this heady and nostalgic obsession with remembrance of all things past, Adam Langer and I are united.

With Crossing California and its sequel, The Washington Story, Langer tells the story of a community of people, all connected to one another by two simple things: Judaism and their shared Chicago West Rogers Park neighborhood. This neighborhood contains Orthodox, Reformed and Conservative Jews, and while Langer deals almost exclusively with the latter, his detailed account of the delicate intricacies at play within these three branches is wry, delightful and eye opening.

The fact that he sets his story within the span of 1979 (beginning with the Iran Hostage crisis and ending with the election of Ronald Reagan; the sequel continues through the mid 80s) and the years that follow, years that obviously both shaped Langer and this country, and the fact that he does all of this while giving us a glimpse of the inner lives of four different families, all at the same time, is a prime example of Langer’s gift as a storyteller. His voice has been compared to Philip Roth’s and it is easy to see why—they both devour and divulge the secrets of their characters (and cultures) in ways that seem impossible, and often even a little too indiscreet.

But what makes Langer’s writing uniquely his own lies in its contemporary feel. Every reference that he makes, from Elliott Gould (who he defines, in the terrifically sly “Glossary of Selected Terms” included at the end of the book, as ‘1970s actor and Semitic sex symbol’) to Al Capone to Cheap Trick to The Clash, is felt and understood and ultimately shapes the novel, allowing it to become what it Langer must have always intended it to be: the definitive coming of age tale of America (not just Jewish America) in the late 1970s.

- Lily Percy, Editor

MUSIC:

Robbie Williams: Intensive Care

The fact is, you could literally pack up a pile of shit in saran wrap, tell me that it’s Robbie Williams' shit, stamp “IMPORT” on it and I would buy it in a second. That’s how blind my love for this British entertainer is. Because of this deep and sincere LUST for all things Robbie Williams, I was torn as to whether or not I should review his new album, Intensive Care.

Because as of right now, I don’t really feel anything for it or against it. I hear lyrics such as “Here I stand victorious, the only man who made you come,” from the album’s opening track “Ghosts” and I chuckle; “Tripping” has an addictive chorus that hooks you in and never lets up and sure, “Your Gay Friend” is funny, in that wonderfully self-deprecating tongue-in-cheek English way, all of the things that I’ve come to expect from the best-selling formula that is Mr. Robbie Williams.

So why the hesitation? Because it hasn’t grown on me yet, I guess. Williams’ last album (his Greatest Hits collection withstanding) Escapology took a long time for me to really love let alone “get” so maybe “Intensive Care” will be the same. There are albums that you love the moment that you pop them into the stereo and then there are albums that grow on you with time (many of my favorite artists, Rufus Wainwright for example, have been like this). The only thing that I can be sure of as I write this is that while Intensive Care may not necessarily make my iPod playlist, I will always follow Robbie Williams, wherever he chooses to go. That’s the pact that I made oh-so-long ago, when I first heard about his breath ‘smelling of a thousand fags’ and consequently proceeded to swoon. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

- Lily Percy, Editor

Heather Headley – In My Mind

In 2002, Tony award-winning Heather Headley proved with her first record, This Is Who I Am, that she was a force to be reckoned with.  It was virtually impossible to turn on urban (adult) contemporary radio without hearing the mega-hit “I Wish I Wasn’t.”  After an absence of nearly four years, Headley picks up where she left off with the sophomore release, In My Mind. 

In My Mind is composed of mostly slow and mid-tempo ballads and features the production of Lil’ Jon, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Tony Kelly, Babyface, Shannon Sanders & Andrew Ramsey, and Warryn Campbell.  Many of these songs detail the various facets of love and relationships. These ballads range from stories of lovers who give sorry excuses for cheating (“I Didn’t Mean To”), being fed up with a lover’s games (“Wait A Minute”), breaking up (“The Letter”), the importance of making time for yourself (“Me Time”) and the difficulties of letting go even when love still remains (“In My Mind”).         

Though ballads are the focus, Headley showcases her fun-loving side on the playful, reggae tinged “How Many Ways (featuring Vybz Kartel)” and “Rain (featuring Shaggy),”  her spiritual side on “Change” and her versatility on the doo-wop inspired “Back When It Was.”

If there’s any pet peeve to be found within In My Mind, it’s that Headley may be playing it too safe.  While ballads about the typical ups and downs of love are to be expected, lackluster production is not.  Thankfully, Headley’s powerhouse vocals pack enough of an emotional punch to keep you satisfied.  Next time around, better production and more risk taking will take Headley to the musical heights she seems to be aiming for.  

~ Markell Williams, Music Critic  

SPOTLIGHT:

Spike Lee Makes Film Mo’ Better

 In 1989 a masterpiece of modern cinema was made. It didn’t win the Academy Award; that went to “Driving Miss Daisy.” It wasn’t the top film at Cannes; that was “sex, lies and videotape.” It was hardly the highest grossing movie of the year; that spot was reserved for “Batman.” It was controversial, compelling, thought provoking and honest, (which is almost a dirty word in Hollywood). Critics were torn: Some recognizing its brilliance while others condemned it, some going so far as to warn theaters that its release would incite rioting, violence. Black people attacking white people, as if to say black audiences were not smart enough to intelligently watch the film, think about it and discuss it.

            The film was “Do the Right Thing” and though it has stood the test of time as a landmark motion picture, at first it was somewhat overlooked and misunderstood by many. Not unlike its director Spike Lee, our most underrated yet one of our more brilliant directors.

            “Do the Right Thing” was Spike Lee’s third film. His feature debut was 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” a fascinating look into the sexual activities of one young independent black woman. Like many of his films that would follow, Lee’s first picture was met with some controversy. However, made for $175,000 and grossing $8 million at the box office, “She’s Gotta Have It” became an independent film staple for the 1980s, as well as jump starting Spike Lee’s film career and opening doors for many other African-American directors, actors and crew persons.

            “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes,” exclaimed Mars Blackmon! This famous series of Nike commercials featuring Spike’s character from “She’s Gotta Have It,” alongside a young, popular basketball player for the Chicago Bulls named Michael Jordan, increased Lee’s popularity to incredible proportions.

            In 1988, Spike Lee made his second film: “School Daze,” a musical comedy that dealt largely with the light skinned versus dark skinned class system that exists within the black community. Set against the backdrop of homecoming weekend at a black College purportedly Morehouse), the film also tackles issues regarding fraternity and sorority humiliation as well as apartheid South Africa.

            In 1989’s “Do the Right Thing,” Lee tackles racism head on, with no apologies. What results is one of the most amazing movies ever made, and something that would become a Spike Lee trademark: showing the audience a situation--not manipulating them or telling them what to think but rather allowing the viewer to come up with their own conclusions, based on their own beliefs.

            In 1990, Lee would deliver his jazz opus “Mo’ Better Blues” and a year later he would make “Jungle Fever,” a study of interracial relationships and America’s crack epidemic.

            1992 would mark the year of Lee’s most ambitious undertaking, “Malcolm X” starring Denzel Washington. After meticulous research and intense passion, Lee created one of the most extraordinary biopics in the history of cinema. Despite tremendous pressure from all sides, Lee persevered to make the film he believed in. When the studio said there was no money to complete the picture, he found a way to get it done by any means necessary (this meant asking for contributions from the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Janet Jackson, Bill Cosby and others). By standing up for what he believed in, Lee afforded himself the opportunity to create a truly historic cinematic vision. (The double dolly shot of Malcolm X heading towards his fate as Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” plays is one of the most heart breaking, beautiful moments ever captured on film.)

            Over the next few years, Spike Lee would create some of the most unique, creative films of the decade. Among these films was 1996’s “Get on the Bus,” a thoughtful look at many different men on a bus trip to The Million Man March. Lee, again, allows the audience to think for themselves as he shows many different perspectives. The men on the bus all have different views on the march, as do the women they encounter along the way, as does a white Jewish bus driver. In the end, Lee doesn’t presume to tell the audience what to believe—that is for us to figure out.

            One of the finest works in Lee’s career would come in 1998 with “He Got Game.” Five years before the NBA debut of high school phenom Lebron James, “He Got Game” seems remarkably prophetic. The central theme of the piece is the corruption of pure sport, as everyone wants to exploit the talents of the film’s protagonist, teenage basketball star Jesus Shuttlesworth.

            As the new millennium began, Lee turned his eyes towards corporate America, questioning the progress we have and haven’t made. In films such as “Bamboozled” and “She Hate Me,” Lee courageously indicts an America that continues to betray its oldest and most basic promise of true freedom and equality.

            After twenty years of making movies, Spike Lee remains one of the most important filmmakers in an industry almost devoid of minority voices. Though often misunderstood and under appreciated by the mainstream audience, Spike Lee continues to make intelligent, honest films that raise the level of debate in a nation that desperately needs to WAKE UP!

            “Ya Dig?”               “Sho-Nuff”

- David Sayre, independent filmmaker/essayist

Spike Lee’s Feature Films

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

School Daze (1988)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Mo’ Better Blues (1990)

Jungle Fever (1991)    

Malcolm X (1992)

Crooklyn (1994)

Clockers (1995)

Girl 6 (1996)

Get on the Bus (1996)

4 Little Girls (1997)

He Got Game (1998)

Summer of Sam (1999)

The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)

Bamboozled (2000)

Jim Brown All American (2002)

25^th Hour (2002)

She Hate Me (2004)