In the News: Boys Do Confess

In the News is a new Movie Dearest feature that will take a look at breaking stories wherein the reel world merges with the real world.

Marvin Nissen, one of the two men convicted of murdering Brandon Teena and two other people as depicted in the Academy Award-winning movie Boys Don't Cry, has recently changed his story of what happened fourteen years ago.

Nissen (portrayed by Brendan Sexton III as "Tom" Nissen in the film) now claims that he was the lone killer in the slayings. Nissen's previous testimony stated that it was John Lotter (played by Peter Sarsgaard) who fired the fatal shots at Teena and the others. Lotter is currently on death row in Nebraska, but with this confession, he has asked for a new trial. The Advocate has the full story here.

Hilary Swank won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Teena, whose life was also recounted in the documentary The Brandon Teena Story.

Links via Imdb.com and Advocate.com.

Film Art: An Introduction

Not exactly poster art, this new section will feature film subjects as depicted via various forms of art, from paintings to drawings to sculptures and more.

The above image is of Pan from, of course, Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's haunting adult fairy tale.

Click here to purchase Pan's Labyrinthon DVD from Amazon.com.
Link via Imbd.com.

Videodrone: An Introduction

Welcome to Videodrone, where your link to the latest trailers and funniest online videos is just a click away.

The first of these "America's Funniest Net Videos" is brought to you via QueerSighted and features familiar quotes from such favorites as 9 to 5, Tootsie and (well what do you know) Mommie Dearest.

To view the video, just surf on over to the other site. I'm generally not going to post videos directly on this site because, frankly, those YouTube boxes are ugly.

Links via QueerSighted.com and YouTube.com.

Hands Off the Merchandise: An Introduction

While preparing my Hairspray articles, I came across this USA Today article announcing a new line of Hairspray Barbies ... oops, I mean dolls (oh crap, now Mattel is going to sue me).

Anyhoo, aren't they fab? From left to right, there's Amber, Link (dreamy), Tracy (love the highlights), Edna (!), Seaweed and Penny. I'm just bummed they didn't do a Motormouth Maybelle one. Just imagine: Queen Latifah with kung-fu grip!

This news also inspired me to create a new section here at Movie Dearest to showcase unique and unusual toys, dolls, lunch boxes and other paraphernalia under the title "Hands Off the Merchandise". Fitting, huh?

Click here to buy the Hairspray dollsfrom Amazon.com.

Link via USAToday.com.

The Origin of Movie Dearest

When I first started thinking about creating this blog, I knew that I had to have a great title. After all, all great movies have great titles, right? In other words, I didn't want to be the Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever of the internet.

I knew that it would be better to have a title that was catchy, short and no-nonsense, two to three words tops (although in my research I did find that the best blog title EVER was more then that).

I also wanted the title to reflect the three main elements of the site: movies, both classic and current; gay and gay-friendly themes; and a slightly irreverent tone. I also liked the idea of tying it into a particular movie.

So what one movie encapsulates these themes (rather brilliantly, I might add)? One that is classic yet current, queer yet a little queer (the other definition).

Well, you know the answer of course: the camp-tastic Mommie Dearest, a mainstream, modern movie (1980 isn't that long ago, is it?) about one of the classic era's biggest stars (Joan Crawford, as if you need me to tell you that) that bombed on its initial release yet was embraced by gay audiences, turning it into the cult classic that it is today.

With a slight tweak to the title and some Photoshop work on the original iconic poster art, and viola! A star is born.

Links via LittleBlogToo.blogspot.com, Imdb.com and IMPAwards.com.

Group Mentality Affection

As opposed to what, "Walt Disney's Saddest Songs"?

When I was a kid, I loved to get those Disney song compilation albums, and not just for the music on them. I loved the album art with all the characters from the different movies on it, all mixed together. It was as if there was some parallel universe where, say, Baloo from The Jungle Book lived next door to Dumbo. I would listen to the records and stare at these album sleeves for hours, imagining the adventures of Peter Pan and Pinocchio, Snow White and Cinderella (cleaning, of course), all seven of the dwarfs and all one hundred and one Dalmatians, all together in their merry Disney neighborhood (no, not Celebration).

As I grew older, this "group mentality affection" (GMA for short) spread to my comic book collection, where such multi-hero super-groups as the Justice League of America and The Avengers were particular favorites.

My GMA of course applies to movies in general as well. All those film clip montages that they always show at the Oscars? You know, the ones most use for a quick potty break or a smoke outside? I can't get enough of them (Chuck Workman is a genius in my book). And I think this is one of the reasons why I love the AFI "100 Years" specials so much every year. To me they're like cinephile porn.

All of this is my roundabout way of drawing your attention to the nifty filmstrip artwork that graces this blog's header. I created it not just to make the top of each page more dynamic and professional looking, but to give readers a sense of what you'll find below it.

Each individual film image is from a favorite film of mine that represents not only some particular obsession of mine (animation, gay-themed films, a young Marlon Brando's chest), but also the evolution of film from the early silent era to the modern classics of today, thus conveying that this blog will cover all of film history, not just movies from the past twenty years or so (like every other movie site out there it seems).

And yes, each frame represents a different decade, but I'll leave it to you to name the nine films represented, from left to right (i.e., from the 1920's to the 2000's) in the handy-dandy comments section below.

Link via Imdb.com.

Someone Stop This Madness!

Well, that's it for the introductions. You may be wondering out there "when is he going to stop talking about what he's going to write about and start writing?!" I know, I know, keep your pants on - except for maybe you, Mr. Craig - I'm getting there.

I actually do have a bunch of cool stories to link to and articles to post, so expect those in the next day or so. I've got a lot of catching up to do on this end, but it will all get there soon, promise.

The reason I posted these introductions was to give this blog some organization from the start and to give you an idea of what to expect from me and from Movie Dearest. Plus, down the line, when new readers click on the labels for each post, everyone will have a good starting point for each section, which will eventually form their own kind of "lists", if you will.

Which leads me to my next point. If you haven't noticed by now, I like to make lists, especially about movies. "Best, worst, most", those kind of things. One thing about lists though, especially when you're talking about movies, is that they so quickly become outdated. For example, once you make that definitive list of Bulgarian coming-of-age musical-comedies, along comes Babushka Can Tango and you have to start all over again. It is my intention that this blog will serve as a continuing "list of lists" of all the subjects I've just detailed and more.

(Yes, if more wacky ideas for sections pop into my head, they'll lead off with an introductory post just like these to keep things all nice and ordered; I'm a little anal that way ... and on that note I'll quote Kevin Walker, "No gay jokes.")

So you see, there is some method to my madness ...

In the meantime, you may want to look over to the side bar on the right side of your screen to the "Archive" section. I've grouped them in actual chronological order for now so you can start, in the immortal words of Maria von Trapp, "at the very beginning," with the very first Movie Dearest post.

Enjoy, and I'll be back soon.

Link via Wikipedia.com.

Coming Soon: An Introduction

Amy Adams in Enchanted

News on upcoming movies, TV shows and DVDs to watch for, including the always fun game of "Armchair Casting".

Link via Imdb.com.

The Latest ...: An Introduction

Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray

"The Latest ..." will bring you, well, the latest news on:

• Movies of note "in Theaters" (posts on Thursdays for the weekend's new movies).
• All the scoop on classic and current releases "on DVD" (posts on Tuesdays for the week's new releases).
• And movie-related specials, documentaries and other programs to watch "on TV", including those hard-to-find films not available on DVD (posts on Sundays for the following week).

Link via Imdb.com.

Movie Moments: An Introduction

You know it when it happens, when a movie grabs you in the gut and doesn't let go. These are those movie moments you just can't forget.

Cinematic Soapbox: An Introduction

We all have them: times when you just don't understand what the world is coming to ... especially when it comes to movies. This will be my place to vent on such topics as movie-going pet peeves, cinematic cliches, mind-boggling trends and why a movie based on a twenty-year old line of toys can be so popular.

Link via Imdb.com.

Off the Shelf: An Introduction

When I'm not watching movies, I like to read about them. Here you'll find notable film books to add to your own library.

Poster Posts: An Introduction

Gorgeous or just plain "cool", great poster art from around the world, like this stunning example from Poland of Bob Fosse's 1972 classic, Cabaret.

Link via Imdb.com.

Best of the Fests: An Introduction

Did you know that there are more gay film festivals then any other kind? We'll try to keep track of them all here, plus coverage of any films of interest showing up at other headline fests, from Sundance to Cannes.

Ride the Movies: An Introduction

Theme park rides, shows and attractions that take you into the worlds of our favorite movies and characters, from Disneyland and Walt Disney World to Universal Studios and more.

From Screen to Stage: An Introduction

So many movies make the leap from screen to stage, whether in New York, London or elsewhere. Here's where you can keep track of them all, plus movie stars on stage and the latest cast albums.

Potent Quotables: An Introduction

"Fasten your seatbelts ..." for memorable quotes from and about the movies.

Movie Music: An Introduction

At Movie Dearest, we don't just watch movies, we listen to them too. Favorite songs, scores and themes, plus the best CD soundtracks and collections to own.

Awards Watch: An Introduction

Who got (or will get) the gold with coverage of all the major film prizes, from the Oscars to the Globes and more.

And the List Goes On: An Introduction

Everyone loves a list. Peruse the latest and greatest movie-related lists to discuss or disagree with.