Brie Larson's well deserved win

If Cate Banchett had to lose out collecting another Best Actress Golden Globe Award for her superlative turn in "Carol", then their can be no better deserving winner than Brie Larson for her brilliant career-defining performance in "Room".  Lenny Abrahamson's stunning  movie about a young mother who has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a tiny secure garden shed with the son she has as result from being raped by her captor, is one of the most harrowing we have seen in a very long time. Sharing the screen with very young and prodigious Jacob Temblay, Miss Larson is positively electrifying.

Click here for our full review. 

The Get Down : T.V's next big smash hit.

Baz Lurhmann the award-winning filmmaker and creative genius behind such hits as "Moulin Rouge" is finally turning his hand to Television. He has teamed up with playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis ("The Motherfucker With The Hat") to create a new series for Netflix, which judging by the new trailer just released, is destined to be one of the breakout hits of 2016.

"The Get Down" is set in 1970's New York where a rag-tag crew of South Bronx teenagers are nobodies and nothings with no-one to shelter them. The city is broken down, beaten up, cash strapped and dying, and these kids at the bottom of the pile are taking the full brunt of it.  This then is the story of how out of all this gloom and despondence and just as New York was on the brink of bankruptcy, it gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco which changed both the city and the kids lives for ever.

Luhrmann, who will direct the first two and the final episodes of the 13 part series,  has cast some familiar big-named actors such as Jimmy Smits and Giancarlo Esposito.  However look out for the whole batch of new faces who are really the stars of the series such as Shameik Moore ("Dope"), Sklyan Brooks ("Southpaw"), Justice Smith ("Paper Towns") , Jaden Smith ("The Karate Kid") and the debut of a stunning new talent Herizen F. Guardiola.

Take a look at this trailer and be prepared to be blown away.  The series is scheduled to start later this year.

The Best LGBT Movies of 2015 (pt 3 : Next Year's Stars)

Like most LGBT movie critics, queerguru is privileged to see many new films that have been launched at Film Festivals throughout the year, and that (hopefully) should be surfacing in a movie theater near you or on a Streaming Platform in 2016 : here is our pick of the best of them.

11) "The David Dance" 

Late into the night he is Danger Dave, but when this chatty highly-opinionated dj turns off the mike after his gay radio show in Buffalo NY is over, he reverts back into shy Dave who is someone who has a hard time accepting himself, let alone interacting with others. When the movie opens his show has just been cancelled and he is saying goodbye to Chris his assistant, who also happens to be his soon-to-be ex-boyfriend who is moving out of the apartment they share.  It seems like there is really no hope and no life for our hero beyond the studio, but luckily for Dave (and us) all is not lost as we soon find out in this quirky and utterly charming wee tale. It's a first feature from Don Scime its writer and star.

10) "Oriented"

Brit filmmaker Jake Witzenfeld's impressive and heartwarming documentary thankfully settles down after a somewhat uneven start to become an intriguing snapshot of what life is like for gay Arabs living in a trendy suburb of Tel Aviv today.  He follows three extremely engaging best friends in their early twenties for 18 months through 2013 - 2014 when tensions between Gaza and Israel flared up yet again.

9) "Gayby Baby"

Filmmaker Maya Newell has followed her successful Australian TV series "Growing Up Gayby" with this new full length documentary that takes a look at the lives of four different children whose parents all happen to be gay.  It is evidently a subject that is dear to her heart having grown up with two mothers herself. The timing could not have been more perfect as the Australian Government are currently coming under pressure for still refusing to even tackle the whole subject of legalizing same-sex marriage, thus continuing to deny these families the legal recognition they need and deserve.  

8) "Daddy"

Actors Dan Via and Gerald McCullouch respectively wrote and directed this rather entertaining movie, adapted from their own successful stage play, about this May-December relationship with more than one twist to the plot. This very engaging wee independent drama is very much a labor of love for its principal players, and is rather a neat little gem.

7) "Better Half" 

Like most successful gay couples, Tony and Leo seem to be an unlikely pair. They have been together four years now and Leo thinks that this Christmas he should propose to Tony as he knows this is what he wants. The trouble is that Leo still has a commitment phobia which is put even more to the test the next day when Tony moots the idea of them adopting a recently abandoned premature baby. This refreshing new gay drama written and directed by first time filmmaker Michelle Clay intuitively deals with love and loss, and how we can finally see in ourselves what others have seen all along.

6) "Akron"

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Written and co-directed by newbie filmmaker and Akron native Brian O'Donnell,  this a wonderfully refreshing coming-of-age story that simply captures all the passionate excitement of two very fresh-faced wholesome kids in the glow of first love.  Full marks to O'Donnell and his co-director Sasha King for both making the boy's scenes of intimacy tastefully discreet, and secondly for ensuring that when the going got tough, even though voices got raised and heated, they avoided taking the usual cliched route of making a melodrama out of it all.

5) "Winning Dad" 

This smart and incisive drama written and directed by newbie filmmaker Arthur Allen, (who also takes a starring role), plays out very well indeed.  The chemistry between the two middle-aged handsome gay men (the other is played by Jake Street) is very tight and touching, and their scenes together are emotionally charged and very passionate. It is however the bible-loving conservative father who has to run the gamut of all his emotions, who holds our attention most of the time. It is an impressive and powerful performance from Chuck Sigars a comedian and actor in this his first movie role.

4) "Front Cover" 

This second feature written and directed by Hong Kong native filmmaker Ray Yeung is a very perceptive take on the clash of two very different versions on what was once the same culture, and their opposing views on sexuality and self-expression. It's a very fresh and convincing plot, extremely well written, that has some very neat twists, that allow these two strangers to enjoy some very unexpected happiness in their touching and tender romance. The number of LGBT movies with Asian based story lines that get distributed on a global basis add up to no more than a mere handful, which is a great shame.  When they are as good as 'Front Cover', and have a 'message' that audiences will not just relate too but really enjoy too, they so deserve to be seen . 

3) "How To Win At Checkers (Every Time)"

In this refreshing coming-of-age drama from American/Korean filmmaker Josh Kim the two boys sexuality is of no real consequence to anyone at all.  With the help of his excellent young cast, Kim ensures that this tale of social inequality is told without sinking into melodrama or dragging out any of the usual cliched stereotypes. The compassionate fraternal relationship is particular touching and makes this heartbreaking story such a sheer joy to watch.

2) "Women He's Undressed"

Gillian Armstrong's captivating documentary on the Australian three-time Academy Award Winning Costume Designer the larger than life Orry-Kelly is a nothing less than a sheer gem. This flamboyant and gregarious openly gay man had a great zest for life (and especially for alcohol) and was adored by all of Hollywood's leading ladies of the day as well as several of the men, including his boyfriend of many years, Cary Grant. We persuaded the filmmakers to give us a sneak preview, and we so hope that this glorious glimpse of the old Hollywood glamour will now get to be shown in the US and other global markets.

1) "Those People"

This is one of those rare exceptional debut movies from an inspiring new filmmaker Joey Kuhn that seems to be the payback for having to sit through far too many indifferent indie films every day.  This tale of unrequited love is both tender and tough, as it is when are in your early 20's and you have been silently wrestling with it for the past 15 years.  Kuhn however has a very mature approach to treating this story that is partly based on his own life. and he ensures that we are completely engaged from the opening credits to the very end . Every year queer cinema discovers a fresh new voice that is capable of taking the medium to a higher and different plane, our feeling is that Joey Kuhn could just be one that fits this bill for 2016.

Tilda Swinton gets awfully jealous

Tilda Swinton has reunited with Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino with whom she made the sensational "I Am Love" in 2009 for one the of the most anticipated new 'hot as hell' movies that hit our screens early this summer. Swinton stars as a rock star who is recuperating on an island after throat surgery, Matthias Schoenaerts plays her younger boyfriend, Ralph Fiennes plays one of Swinton’s exes, and Dakota Johnson plays Fiennes’ daughter. Everybody seems to be either sleeping with one of the others or thinking about sleeping with one of the others. Judging by this trailer that has just been released, there is a lot of heavy drama in store for us with this one.

The Best LGBT Movies of 2015 (pt 2 : Documentaries)

2015 was another good year for queer cinema from mainstream to indie particularly for documentaries, one our favorite genres,   and here is our pick of the very best of them that we saw this year.

10) "Before The Last Curtain Falls"

The German/Canadian documentarian Thomas Wallner's very moving record of the closing night of the 'Gardenia' the famous Belgian Cabaret that had been touring Europe for the past years pries far too closely for comfort into the melancholy filled lives of the performers. They are a group of elderly, mainly overweight, transsexuals and gay men who are drag queens and have gathered together for  one final performance in the only thing that has given them any real pleasure in life.

9) "Limited Partnership".

As the dust settles down on the historic decision of SCOTUS to pave the way for same-sex marriage to be legalised for all Americans in every State some commentators still consider we achieved so much in a short time. That is probably because what is in their mind as the starting point was when the State of Massachusetts ruled that the ban on same-sex marriages was illegal in 2004. In reality the struggle for recognition actually almost 30 years before that when a gay couple managed to get married in Boulder Colorado when a feminist Court Clerk decided to issue licences.  This is their heartbreaking story.

8) "Tig" 

It's not unusual for comedians to use their stand up routines as a substitute for a session with their therapists as they use their audience to unburden all their woes too. Tig Notaro however went much further than most when she went on stage to do her usual act one night in the Largo Club in L.A. and she simply blurted out to the somewhat startled packed crowd 'I have cancer!' What followed in the next hour was one unprecedented remarkable set where Tig brought everyone up to date with her extraordinary turn of events.

7) "A Sinner in Mecca"

Out gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma has followed his award -winning documentary ‘A Jihad For Love’ with an even more daring look at what it takes to renew his faith when he goes to Mecca for his sacred pilgrimage called a Hajj.  Every Muslim is expected to do this at least once in their lifetime, as it is their way of being forgiven for all their sins by Allah. The trouble is that it takes place in the fiercely conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia where homosexuality is not only forbidden, but is punishable by death.

6) "Back On Board" 

Greg Louganis is an American Hero. The sad thing is that it has taken such a long time for many people to truly acknowledge that. Despite him being a four-time US Olympic diving champion whose many records remain unbroken today, he never always got all the acclaim and rewards that other sportsmen got just because he was gay. In this new documentary that covers focuses mainly on his more recent past filmmaker Cheryl Furjanic paints an affectionate and stirring portrait of a remarkable man who has survived more his fair share of  trauma and who has come through it all with a big smile on his face.

5) "Reel In The Closet" 

Stu Maddox is a very determined gay activist and filmmaker whose passionate obsession with LGBT history has resulted in three excellent documentaries that deal with different aspects of gay communities in the past. This latest one 'Reel in the Closet' is a feature length movie that is comprised of a wealth of unseen footage  of old gay and lesbian home movies that date back to the 1930's and are backed up with some recorded news stories of the times.

4) "Dressed As A Girl"

If you are unfamiliar with the alternative drag scene in London's vibrant East End, then discovering the extraordinary performance artist Jonny Woo who had been the ringmaster of it all for the past decade, is quite an eyeopener.  In this new documentary from first time filmmaker Colin Rothbart made over six years on a minuscule budget, right from the opening titles it is hard not to be mesmerized by this dynamic larger-then-life strapping powerhouse in his provocative scantily clad glamorous costumes as he struts around the stage belting out his latest rap, or lip-syncing to some anarchic song.  Part glam rock, part new wave punk, part S & M with an excessively painted face, he defies you not to take him too seriously.

3) "Do I Sound Gay?"

When journalist David Thorpe found himself single again in his mid-forties he started to angst as to what could possible be so wrong with him that he should be dumped so unceremoniously. His immediate thought was that the problem was his voice that he had always hated was now a turn off for other men too.  This started off this glorious and brilliantly witty investigation which always touches the nerve of every gay man.

2) 'Tab Hunter Confidential"

Tab Hunter was  .... and still is at age 83 years-old ...a stunningly handsome man. When he was a teen idol in the 1950's he was the ultimate clean-cut all-American boy and seemingly butter would not melt in his mouth. Now living as an openly gay man in L.A. he opens up to Emmy Award Winning filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz and talks about his life in and out of the closet as one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars in this fascinating documentary.

1) "Larry Kramer : In Love and Anger"

For years the veteran gay activist, author and playwright Larry Kramer refused all offers from filmmakers to make a documentary on his life.  Now as he approached his 80th birthday he relented and allowed his good friend the filmmaker Jean Carlomusto unlimited access to make this compelling profile on one of the greatest LGBT figures ever but also of the activist movement that he was a major part of in the troubling AIDS decades and ever since.

Cloud Cleans Up In Style

We are really not sure why queerguru's BF bitches so much about doing housework as Daniel Campos (known as Cloud) makes it look like such fun. Cloud, one of Madonna's very talented dancers plays a mechanic who is forced to work through the night to clean his garage in the very first global campaign for the cleaning brand Cillit Bang. The 97-second video, which pays homage to the classic ’80s movie "Flashdance", whilst he makes the garage spotless. 

Old Spice for Legendary Man

Those advertising peeps over at Old Spice have always been a tad wacky with their efforts to keep one of the world's oldest men's aftershaves relevant and popular, but this time they have really excelled themselves with the creation of 'Legendary Man' who gets all his powers by a liberal sprinkling of Old Spice Dirt Destroyer.

Then when it comes to Old Spice Odor Blocker ...... well that will help Legendary Man just rocket away.

We are not sure how much Legendary Man has been splashing all over him, but we do suspect that the people who dreamed him up must have been drinking the stuff too (maybe mixed with Vodka?)