Dearie Awards 2010: Man of the Year - JAMES FRANCO

Much was written in the mainstream press this past year about the seemingly inexhaustible talents of James Franco. When he wasn't studying for two Master's Degrees, publishing a book, writing poetry and saving the world from an onslaught of intelligent apes (oh, sorry, that's later this year, when he will headline the sci-fi prequel Rise of the Apes), Franco was playing one of Julia Roberts' lovers in Eat Pray Love, stalking hunky Steve Burton on General Hospital and directing a gay-themed short film (The Feast of Stephen) that appeared on the 2010 queer festival circuit.

Franco has long held viewers' attention, and gave memorable performances in both the Spider-Man trilogy and the Oscar-winning biopic Milk. The latter film, especially, sparked considerable "is he one of us?" speculation about Franco on the part of gay fans (according to recent reports, the actor is dating a woman). But Franco has also been regarded at times as laid back to a fault on screen. That perception changed dramatically in 2010, when Franco did exuberant, even joyful work in Howl and 127 Hours. In the first, Franco embodied the Beat Generation energy and protest spirit of gay poet Allen Ginsberg. In the second, the actor rivets in a largely immobile role, contemplating life as a hiker literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Next on Franco's growing list of broad achievements: co-hosting the Academy Awards ceremony with Anne Hathaway on February 27, where he will also more than likely be a nominee. Will nothing hold him down? You go, Franco! Movie Dearest salutes you.

Honorable Mentions:
The first season of Fox's hit musical-dramedy Glee introduced Chris Colfer to the world in the role of Kurt Hummel, a gay high school student who zigzags through various points of the coming out process. The untried actor-singer reportedly snagged the role shortly after stepping off the bus for his first professional audition. Colfer and Kurt have since become role models for a new generation of GLBT teens, with Colfer participating in the 2010 "It Gets Better" video campaign in the wake of a tragic number of suicides by bullied young people. I had the pleasure of being present last summer when Colfer presented his Glee co-star Jane Lynch with the Outfest Lifetime Achievement Award, and was impressed by his poise and sincerity. And can he sing! His rendition of "A House is Not a Home" this season was a standout among a number of impressive musical moments, culminating in his holiday duet on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Kurt's maybe-boyfriend, Blaine (Darren Criss). Keep up the great work!

We loved Colin Firth's performance as a gay college professor mourning the death of his longtime lover in last year's A Single Man. Duly Oscar nominated, Firth tragically (in the opinion of some of us) lost the award to Jeff Bridges. If Lady Justice is gay, she'll make sure the scale tips Firth's way this year for his acclaimed performance in The King's Speech, when he and Bridges will likely compete again in the Best Actor category. However, Firth has the edge this time around since (A) he hasn't won before and (B) he gave a simply glorious performance as stuttering, stammering King George VI. Definitely more crowd-pleasing than A Single Man, if no less significant a character study, The King's Speech explores the importance of national leadership at a time when the subject couldn't be more critical. Firth has turned in consistently great work (he was also fun in last year's St. Trinian's School for Girls), and now as a king in addition to his previous "queens."

By Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Monthly Wallpaper - June 2010: Queer Cinema

In celebration of Gay Pride month, Movie Dearest once again offers up a special calendar wallpaper for June paying tribute to some of the best in queer cinema.

The 2010 edition features such old and new GLBT favorites as Victim, Milk, The Children's Hour, Fried Green Tomatoes, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, Infamous, XXY, Aimée & Jaguar, Kiss of the Spider-Woman and Ciao.

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

Reverend’s Reviews: Best DVDs of 2009

Now that standard DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and online films are thrown at us on a daily basis, our entertainment options are more plentiful than ever. I was surprised, therefore, that it took me very little time to identify the ten best home-viewing releases of 2009. Not all of them are of specifically GLBT- interest, but I doubt many readers will quibble (at least not much) over the significance of my selections.

In my personal order of preference, they are:

Yentl- Barbra Streisand’s much-beloved “drama with music” finally made its DVD debut in early 2009, shortly after the 25th anniversary of its 1983 theatrical premiere. Streisand stars as a young Jewish woman who disguises herself as a man so she can continue her studies of Talmud following the death of her loving, progressive father. The film is notable for being Streisand’s superior directorial debut as well as for its beautiful score by songwriting greats Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand. The disc is a must-have not only for the film itself but also for a number of great behind-the-scenes extras.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs- Walt Disney famously bet several years of his life and virtually all his assets on the first feature-length animated movie in history. Fortunately for him, it became a smash hit and instant classic. The recently released home video “diamond edition” reveals why this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story remains so enduring. This is also the first time Snow White has been available on Blu-Ray, providing the strongest visual argument yet to buy a Blu-Ray player.

The Wizard of Oz- The Judy Garland classic looks and sounds better than ever thanks to its recent, 70th anniversary DVD re-release. It, too, was also just released for the first time on Blu-Ray, making the cinematography’s “no place like home” sepia tones warmer than ever and its “merry old land of Oz” color scheme truly eye-popping. The disc is also available in a lavish box set that includes a variety of goodies.


Milk- Sean Penn masterfully, even exuberantly, re-incarnates Harvey Milk, the first openly gay US politician. As a well-deserved result, Penn won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Actor. Director Gus Van Sant made full use of his knowledge of filmmaking and GLBT history, making this important story engrossing no matter what one’s sexual orientation. The disc also features several interesting documentaries about Milk and his legacy.

Gone With the Wind- Scarlett, Rhett, Bonnie Blue, Melanie, Ashley and Mammy are all here (albeit briefly in Bonnie Blue’s case), for the first time on Blu-Ray as well as in a lovingly re-mastered standard DVD. A truly immortal film (if at times uncomfortable due to its pre-Civil War, Old South setting), GWTW is graced with vivid cinematography and performances and a classic music score.

Ready? OK!- I’ve been raving about this movie via numerous outlets for the last year-and-a-half. Now that it is available on DVD, I’m delighted to have an opportunity to rave about it all over again! The charming story of a little boy who longs to join his Catholic school’s cheer squad was a hit on the 2008 film festival circuit, and is worthy of the broader exposure it now has courtesy of home video.

Coraline- A visually amazing and emotionally haunting stop-motion animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fairy/morality tale. Not just for children, it spins a web — not unlike its spider-ish villainess (voiced by Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher) — composed of equal parts whimsy and danger. The home video version comes with 3-D glasses in hopes of replicating the superlative theatrical experience to some degree ... the bigger and more hi-def the TV, the better.


Humpday- This provocative yet sensitive exploration of male relationships narrowly missed being included among my ten best films of 2009. Two longtime, seemingly straight buddies make a bet to have sex on camera … with each other. Gay men, bisexual men, straight men, curious men and the women who love them should all see this movie (did I mention that it’s primarily a comedy?) for its bold take on sexual politics.

Up- Disney-Pixar’s most recent animated hit is a decidedly more mature work in both plot and execution. An elderly man mourning the death of his wife takes off in a helium balloon-laden house on an adventure to the one place they didn’t get to travel to together. He and a stowaway, overly-eager Boy Scout discover considerably more than they bargained for. Many critics named this one of the best films of 2009, and it could well end up in the running for Best Picture among this year’s Oscar nominees.

The Strange One- One of the more obscure movies among 2009’s video releases, this 1957 drama features Ben Gazzara and a young, dreamy George Peppard in their film debuts as cadets in a military academy. Homosexual tensions run high, and the original theatrical release was censored as a result. Thankfully, the film has been restored and is now presented uncut for the first time on DVD.

Before concluding, my TV-loving partner, Jim, would say I was remiss if I didn’t mention that 2009 also marked the long-awaited home video debuts of Lucille Ball’s later-life series Here’s Lucy and The Lucy Show,as well as the final season of Bewitched.

May 2010 bring you and yours many happy viewing experiences!

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Awards Watch: Grammy Nominations 2009

As far as movie music goes, the Grammys seem to like vampires, slumdogs and Michael Giacchino. The composer was nominated four times for his work on Star Trek and Up, including competing against himself for Best Score Soundtrack Album.

Below is the complete list of Grammy nominations in the categories covering film, television and stage recordings, with links to purchase the albums at Amazon.com:

Best Musical Show Album:
- Ain't Misbehavin'(30th Anniversary Cast Recording)
- Hair(New Broadway Cast)
- 9 to 5: The Musical(Original Broadway Cast)
- Shrek: The Musical(Original Broadway Cast)
- West Side Story(New Broadway Cast)

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media:
- Cadillac Records
- Inglourious Basterds
- Slumdog Millionaire
- True Blood
- Twilight

Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media:
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Milk
- Star Trek
- Up

Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media:
- "The Climb" from Hannah Montana: The Movie
- "Decode" from Twilight
- "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
- "Once in a Lifetime" from Cadillac Records
- "The Wrestler" from The Wrestler

Awards Watch: MTV Movie Award Nominations

It is a case of extremes as far as the nominations for the 18th Annual MTV Movie Awards (announced earlier today) are concerned. On one hand, we have Twilight (which was totally ignored when it came to all other 2008 film awards), scoring a field best seven nods; on the other, we have Slumdog Millionaire (which won every prize in sight, including Oscar's Best Picture), coming in a close second with six nominations. Both films are vying for the top popcorn trophy for Best Movie, alongside The Dark Knight, High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Iron Man.

Among the other notable nominees in MTV's many wacky categories (including the new "Best WTF Moment") are Heath Ledger's Joker up for Best Villain (gee, do you think he'll win?), a rematch of the Academy's Best Actress line-up (Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway, albeit for totally different films for the latter two) and two man-on-man lip locks (Milk's James Franco and Sean Penn and I Love You, Man's Thomas Lennon and Paul Rudd) in the Best Kiss race.

As with the nominations, anyone can vote for the final awards, which will be presented live on MTV May 31 (hosted by Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg). For a quick look at all the nominees, see the comments section below.

Awards Watch: GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles

GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) continued their cross-country celebration last night with the Los Angeles presentation of their GLAAD Media Awards. Not surprisingly, Milk won the top prize of the night, for Outstanding Film – Wide Release.

In the television categories, Desperate Housewives stopped Ugly Betty from a three-peat win, earning its first Media Award in the Outstanding Comedy Series category (perhaps turning Betty's transgender character into an attempted murderess wasn't such a good idea after all). Meanwhile, Brothers & Sisters picked up its third Outstanding Drama Series trophy in a row, and The New Adventures of Old Christine was honored for Outstanding Individual Episode for its gay marriage storyline.


Other honorees included gay fave Kathy Griffin, gay icon Reverend V. Gene Robinson and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, for its episode on the wedding of Ellen and Portia. Special Recognition awards were also given to The L Word and Prop 8: The Musical.

The final GLAAD Media Awards ceremony of the year will be held in San Francisco on May 9.

Reverend's Reviews: Extra Milk

Gus Van Sant's acclaimed, Oscar-winning Milk is now available on standard DVD and Blu-Rayfrom Universal Studios Home Entertainment. While the film's strengths shine through in Hi-Def, so do the film's scant — but not non-existent — weaknesses.

Chief among the deficits that become even more glaring in one's living room is the portrayal of Harvey Milk's high-strung lover, Jack Lira. While Diego Luna gives an at-times charming performance, the way Lira is presented ventures perilously close to caricature.

Among three deleted scenes included as a bonus on the Milk DVD is one (wisely cut) that shows Jack flying into yet another jealous rage. It shouldn't have been included in the bonuses either, as it reveals nothing aside from Luna's bare legs (which, it should be noted, are not unattractive).

The two other deleted scenes are more welcome. One that shouldn't have been cut from the final film is a late-night conversation between Harvey (the incomparable Sean Penn) and his lover, Scott Smith (a nice turn by James Franco). In it, Harvey reveals a recurring dream he's had wherein he is stalked by an unknown threat. He tells Scott, "I'm not going to make it to 50." This dialogue is referenced later in the film, but only now do viewers grasp the full significance of it.


The disc also features three documentaries, one about Harvey's life and impact and two about the making of the film and its re-creation of historical events and figures. These are all worth seeing and heighten one's appreciation of the filmmakers' efforts all the more.

Should you buy Milk on DVD or Blu-Ray? Absolutely! While this earnest docudrama hasn't had quite the cultural impact of, say, Brokeback Mountain, it is still an GLBT classic-in-the-making.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Awards Watch: Oscars Post Mortem and the 2008 Yearly Round Up

Now that all the (gold) dust has settled on this year's Oscars, it's time to take one last look at the movie award season just past. But before we get to our yearly round up of what movies won the most prizes overall, there's one more bit of 2008 business to attend to: how about that show the other night?

Having watched every single Academy Award ceremony since at least 1977, I have to say that this year's was by far the best. As expected, Hugh Jackman was as charming and classy a host as we have seen in a long time, and his marathon musical numbers proved to the world that he is not just Wolverine. I especially enjoyed his mega-movie musical salute (staged by Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann) with Dreamgirl Beyoncé Knowles, High School Musical cuties Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Mamma Mia! lovebirds Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper.


Further kudos go out to the ceremony's producers, Laurence Marks and Bill Condon, who took some chances with the format and succeeded in shaking things up in a positive way. From the grandiose yet intimate set to the unique presentation of the acting awards, the show finally did what it is supposed to do: celebrate the year in film (and not just those chosen few that were nominated too). Here's my vote that this dream team reunites for next year's Oscars.


All right, onto our annual look at the top award winners. As I stated last year, I have tallied up the total trophies handed out by the top 26 organizations, critics groups and industry guilds so as to get a clearer picture of what is indeed the Best Picture (et al) of the year; the results can sometimes be surprising. (Only categories with at least two wins are included.)

Picture of the Year: Slumdog Millionaire, 7 wins.
Actor of the Year: Sean Penn in Milk, 6 wins.
Actress of the Year: Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky, 5 wins.
Supporting Actor of the Year: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, 7 wins.
Supporting Actress of the Year: Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 6 wins.
Director of the Year: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire, 7 wins.
Adapted Screenplay of the Year: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire, 6 wins.
Original Screenplay of the Year: Dustin Lance Black for Milk, 3 wins.
Cinematography of the Year: Slumdog Millionaire, 5 wins.
Art Direction of the Year: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 3 wins.
Costume Design of the Year: The Duchess, 4 wins. Original Score of the Year: Slumdog Millionaire, 6 wins.
Original Song of the Year: "The Wrestler" from The Wrestler, 2 wins.
Film Editing of the Year: Slumdog Millionaire, 3 wins.
Sound Mixing & Editing of the Year: The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire, 4 wins each.
Visual Effects of the Year: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 6 wins.
Makeup Design of the Year: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2 wins.
Animated Feature of the Year: WALL-E, 9 wins.
Foreign Film of the Year: Waltz with Bashir, 2 wins.
Documentary Feature of the Year: Man on Wire, 10 wins.
New Director of the Year: Courtney Hunt for Frozen River and Steve McQueen for Hunger, 2 wins each.

The top winner was (no big surprise) Slumdog Millionaire, with wins in 7 categories, while the documentary Man on Wire won the most awards in any category, with 10 total. It is also worth noting that Kate Winslet won a total of 5 awards for her performance in The Reader, 2 for Best Actress and 3 for Best Supporting Actress.

See the comments section below for the list of the 26 groups tracked.