Iron Baby... and Other Babies

Have you seen this Iron Baby trailer? Kids these days. They got tech skills in diapers.



Confession: I went to see Babies last weekend while I was in Boston. My girl Amy suggested it.

Amy and me in NYC --->

We tried not to weep copiously into our popcorn bucket since we are both barren through circumstance (i.e. single or gay). Babies wasn't exactly a documentary so much as four parallel home movies without commentary other than perhaps what you're projecting on to it. I have nothing to add to the New Yorker's review which is brill. This moment David Denby singles out had us roaring:

I detected only one satirical sally: The San Francisco baby, Hattie, and her mother attend some sort of New Age group-parenting session. The mothers, raising their arms in supplication, sing a ghastly hymn to the earth, at which point Hattie heads for the door.

Boy did Hattie want out of the room! Boston audiences approved.

Our other favorite shared bit in the movie was the Japanese baby Mari's absolute hissy fit whenever she so much as looked at the pieces of a peg and hole game. So so funny... a total drama queen in training. Have any of you seen it yet? It's already one of the most successful docs ever. But maybe you'll avoid it like the plague. The Boyfriend mock screamed when the trailer played in front of a movie some months ago. Dramatically placed title cards "BABIES... ARE... COMING" will sound like a threat to the child averse.

When Amy and I exited the theater we spontaneously began quoting Holly Hunter by way of Raising Arizona.

You go right back up there and get me a toddler.
I need a baby, Hi. They got more than they can handle.
I want that baby, Hi.
[sobbing] ILOVEHIMSOMUCH

Holly Hunter is magic. The End.
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Best Description of an Actress Ever.

Last night at dinner, The Boyfriend was all excited to tell me about his latest celebrity sighting. He never knows their names just that they're famous so it's always a guessing game. 'Oh you know who... she's got blonde hair'. Uh, thanks. That really narrows it down, babe. 'Squishy face.' Hmmm...'I think she made a movie about dancing once?' Hahaha. Then it became so obvious and I shouted out her name. He was talking about __________.

Underappreciated: Tom Lenk

So another Halloween passed us by and I barely mentioned the greatest show ever (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). It's been off the air for five years but it's about the undead so I figure this justifies obsessing on it many years after its demise. After my third time chronologically through the series sometime in 2007, the Boyfriend demanded that I put the DVDs away for a good long while (even though he loves the show too). I'm a year sober now. Maybe in the spring he'll let me start from Season 1 Episode 1 again!?

Is this post filler? You'll be surprised to hear that it's not. I'm just rambling on my way to a new series recognizing underemployed/underappreciated actors in the hopes that some day some where some casting director will say 'that Nathaniel... he's so right!'. And here's where we begin.

I want to say congratulations to actor Tom Lenk who is now officially out of the closet. He's most well known if not famous for his recurring role as "Andrew" super-villain turned Scooby gang fringe-dweller on seasons 6 & 7 of Buffy. Joss Whedon was probably too much of a softie when it came to fan favorites on that departed show. He often let them take over and some overstayed their welcome (obviously Spike did --he was a great character but he made less and less narrative sense to keep around) and some would place Lenk's Andrew in that category, too. But when the show used Andrew sparingly to spike a scene with geeky amoral humor, Lenk always came through. So here's the very funny and talented Tom Lenk in two small doses, satirically embracing two icons of the gays, Britney with a great cabaret version of "Gimme More" and Madonna's "Hung Up".



Another reason to love Tom Lenk... he played "Tommy", a.k.a. 'Floyd's Boy' in the great Boogie Nights. See -- there he is!

These are the next stars. These are real people in the world.
-Floyd Gondoli, Boogie Nights (1997)

Anything connected to Boogie Nights is worth loving ...give or take f***in' idiot "Scotty" (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Why Modern Technology and the Internets Can Be Bad For Your Sanity

Any teenagers or early 20somethings reading will be alarmed but there was a time before all life was lived through technological gadgets: a time before camera phones, instant messaging, ipods and crackberries. Most of the time I love modern technology and the web but sometimes I think I'd be better off back in the 80s where my correspondence was over the telephone. I would sometimes have to wait hours for my parents, brothers and sister to get off the phone. In desperation I might jump on my bicycle (being careful to avoid rampaging dinosaurs or swooping pterodactyl on the road) and pedal on over to a friend's house with some excitement or another I needed to share. Bad news travelled slowly and good news too ...which is okay, more time to enjoy. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

True story. Yesterday I am perusing my favorite blogs as I am prone to do and I read this little missive on the always enjoyable My New Plaid Pants about the Final Destination franchise. I have never seen one of those movies because even thinking about horror films gives me nightmares. And as I was giggling about JA's obsession and quivering a little at the hooky concept (with which I was familiar, it being "sticky") about cheating death and the loopy ways with which it will find you anyway, my gmail beeps at me and this very image pops up.


Yes, that is exactly what it looks like.

A piece of lumber has sailed through the passenger window of a car. (I'm certain I've seen people impaled this way in movies. Was it The Descent or maybe the famous Dutch film The 4th Man?) This image arrives in my mailbox from The Boyfriend's iPhone sent from inside. this. car. Yes, while he is still shaking from his life flashing before his eyes (thankfully when one takes a cab one sits in the back seat), I am able to share in his near-death terror almost instantaneously. In the 80s I wouldn't have heard about this (let alone seen it) until hours later had it happened to a loved one. BUT since I am reading about Final Destination in 3-D mere moments before seeing this projectile photo, I spend the rest of the day, and perhaps this whole business trip of his, worried that The Grim Reaper is angry that The Boyfriend escaped its bony-hand clutches.

JA owes me! I hate iPhones, the internets and instant access to everything today. If you need me I will be available only by snail mail or by rotary phone ... just try to find one.
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Super Tuesday Top Ten

The boyfriend is obsessed with politics. I am not. Frankly, they terrify me. Mostly because the past eight years have made me into a huge pessimist: the theocrats will destroy us all!

Unlike many other people, according to the television at least, I am an atypical person: I don't get all dreamy about candidates who share my views. I'm suspicious of almost anyone who runs for office. I don't mean that in the cliché way of "all politicians are crooks" but in the way that they never fail to disappoint me. They almost always try to convince me that they're not actually politicans (as if anyone is above the fray) and that irks me to no end. You are what you are. Embrace it. Don't try to sell me a dream when I already know about reality. Just explain it to me. If you're trying to glaze my eyes over with misty hope, I'm not impressed. My eyes don't go misty unless there's a cute kitten involved or a particularly good close up of a great actress. Just tell me your plans for the nation.

But that's me. It's politics so your mileage may vary. And I don't even know if I'm making any sense. I'm very sick with the flu. So here's ten movies in no particular order that I love --these are off the top of my head and all are about politics or have political elements.

Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) -OK James Stewart is allowed to well my eyes up with optimistic tears but nobody in the real world, please. damn con artists.
Wag the Dog (1997) -the film at which I met the boyfriend. No joke
Bulworth (1998) -Warren Beatty is genius
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) -Angela Lansbury is brilliant
Doctor Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Peter Sellers is hilarious
Three Kings (1999) David O'Russell, please stop waiting so many years inbetween films. I know they're "difficult" for you. But do it for the audience. We need your unique voice.
Coming Home (1978) which I've written about here
Election (1999) Pick Flick. I know I do


And though the list wasn't in any order and was totally off the cuff, the number one will always be Nashville (1975) because there is just no movie like it. It meanders with startling precision and pinpoints with fuzzy glee and... and... and I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore (I'm sick with the flu! I think I mentioned this to u) but I just know that when I watch it I feel thrilled in that electric way I only feel when I'm watching a true masterpiece.

You may say that I ain't free.
It don't worry me

Which political movies move you?
(And please don't get sick with the flu)

What Did You Do This Weekend?

Lindsay Lohan comments on Georgia Rule's opening weekend box office:

Sorry, Linds. You got my $11 at least...

What you, dear reader, missed if you didn't read the blog over the weekend (maybe I should take weekends off. There's a novel idea). I investigated Lindsay's onscreen boozin' all the way back to The Parent Trap, had a couple of Takeshi Kaneshiro moments and also shared grilled cheese fantasies with StinkyLulu.

Meanwhile not on the blog... Talked to Nick Saturday morning on zeee phone about Georgia Rule and various other films (Nick enthusiastically recommends Red Road) and he asked if I had any plans.

Nathaniel: Oh going to a birthday party tonight. Tomorrow we're going to a concert. I'm so excited.
Nick: Whose concert?
Nathaniel: I can't remember but I love them.
Nick: [laughter]
Nathaniel: I'm obsessed with so many people I forget their names.

ftr...the revue concert starred Kristin Chenoweth and she was fabu --gah, that voice! (the rest of the concert: meh) The Boyfriend bought the tickets a long time ago hence my forgetfulness.

And Your Weekend... ? Share.
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For The Boyfriend on His Birthday...

His two favorite* actors to gaze at.



[* please note: The Boyfriend is from that rare anomalous breed of humans who refuse to name their favorites or make hierarchal lists of any sort. Freakish, right? These two actors are thus selected from frequency of random comments made and likelihood of his desire to see a movie in which either one of them appear. Only Tilda Swinton and Isabelle Huppert appear to be rivals of any sort to their top draw status. -the editor]

When Desktop Backgrounds Attack

This is the photo that currently serves as backdrop to my very cluttered desktop. (You can click on it to enlarge the rapture.) The Boyfriend came up to me the other night and said. "Who is that on your desktop?" So I'm all "Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Duh Velvet Goldmine... Match Point... You know. " And he says "Oh yeah, him."

[pause]

"Do you think he's prettier than me?"

And, I gotta tell you readers, I think it was a trick question. Because he hasn't spoken to me since.

Incredibly Random Star-F**king Goodness

Queerty loves The Devil Wears Prada. Re: it's box office, I love that I called that this would be a big hit and no one believed me. One reader actually told me privately 'you're crazy. Only gay men will want to see that' and I also staunchly defended its unusual trailer (just one scene) which some people hated but which totally did the trick: i.e. introduced the characters. Made you want more...
Oh No They Didn't on Keira Knightley's skeleton.
Just Jared w/ photos of God and her family. So many redheads! I'm glad she's multiplying and replenishing the earth, good talented genes and all... but I hope she starts making good movies again.
Female First on the "top gays" Sir Ian rules. Oh, and that pic above is of Gandalf marching in London pride with a guy who is rumored to be his new boyfriend (the guy to the left in the Blondie t-shirt) --if you haven't yet voted on the fav actor right now poll Ian is one of your contestants.

and just because it's the Fourth doesn't mean we can't be critical...
Cinematical on South Korea's quota drop for Hollywood films. My opinion? A very bad move on South Korea's part. The countries that survive, cinematically speaking, put quotas on these things and their citizenry is thus coaxed to see their own good stuff and Off-Hollywood cinema survives ...as it should. Cinematical also has an intriguing post on the 'anti-american accusational brouhaha over Superman Returns. I totally agree with their take.

And why am I showing this picture of Matthew Barney and Chlöe Sevigny chatting it up? Well, like the Ian pic and Keira link above it's from Oh No They Didn't. The photo is labelled something like 'the talented Chlöe Sevigny'. You know that I worship celebrities as much as the next person and enjoy the gossip blogs but crap like this bugs. When one of the most important celebrated artists in the world (and Mr. Björk to boot) is standing next to a talented indie actress, shouldn't he at least get a mention? I mean think about it. He's far more important to the art world than Sevigny is to the gossip / celebrity world. Grrrr. It's like seeing a photo of Nicole Kidman with Barack Obama on a political blog and the blog just saying "the wonderful Barack Obama" ... and ignoring that one of the world's most important movie stars happens to be standing right next to him. Ah well. At least it didn't read "...and unidentified friend."

Matthew is on my brain at any rate because my friend Astroboy (who wrote those last couple of horoscopes for y'all. This is him to the left, his beau in the middle, and yours truly to the right) just went with The Boyfriend (mine. pay attention) to this exhibit "Into Me, Out of Me" at PS 1 this past Sunday and who was actually there to see the same exhibit? Matthew Barney, Björk, and their daughter Isabella. Astroboy, who feels about Björk the way I feel about La Pfeiffer, was entirely beside himself and has not uttered a word about anything else for the past 48 hours. If my one and only with Michelle Pfeiffer in the flesh is any indication... he'll be talking about this day for years to come.

At one point The Boyfriend was standing next to Barney and Astroboy was standing right next to Björk as they all stared at the same exhibit. Oblivious to the art and the starfucking fandom, wee Isabella played with her necklace on the museum floor. My favorite part of the story is that at one point they saw Matthew Barney holding his daughter and pointing at his own installation in the show (which features him dangling in a harness --buck naked of course --it's Barney) and explaining it to her.

I love Matthew Barney & Björk. Loved them separately. Love them together. I obsess on Cremaster and even made it through Drawing Restraint 9 (pictured right) which completely terrorized my fragile psyche. So why did I stay home instead of seeing this exhibit with them? Bad decision on that particular Sunday afternoon, I'll tell you that.

Love to "The Boyfriend"

Longtime readers know "The Boyfriend" from his infrequent but oft-sarcastic blog comments (what is that about anyway?) but since today is our anniversary (8 Years. Holla!) I thought I should mention him...but in a movie related way since I think it rather icky when celebrities give too much detail about their personal romances. [Not that I'm a celebrity, but if you have to have a model for behavior, why not the gorgeous, rich, and fabulous?] Anyway, it always causes trouble when they go on and on about their romantic life so they are wise to keep their lips zipped. Brangelina...well done. The silence? Good.

The Boyfriend is a total and incurable Francophile when it comes to le cinema. His favorite movie this year --well, I knew it'd be French-language. It always is. I think it's his way of rubbing it in that he doesn't need the subtitles. If it's improbably not French like, say, 2001's Mulholland Dr...then it's still somehow connected to la France. Lynch's latest masterpiece was French financed. Canal + don'cha know?

So when I asked him what his favorite film of 2005 was recently he, hilariously true to form, says "Hmmmm. It's either Caché or Kings and Queen. Maybe Kings and Queen." Some of his other favorite cinematic things? Documentaries, Catherine Deneuve, Johnny Depp, Ingmar Bergman, Matthew Barney's Cremaster. I suspect part of his general movie-standoffishness is mere snobbery. He prefers art, Björk, and fashion. Example. He loves Brokeback Mountain --I know in my heart that he does--yet he refuses to fully admit to it because, you know, everyone else does. He doesn't care at all about "best ofs" or "awards" or "lists" of anything. How demented is that? But it's lovely that he is so patient with my full-time obsession.

xoxoxo

and now for something different

Hello kids! I [the infamous boyfriend] have finally made it back (I'm the sort of boy who gets twitchy if left outside of Manhattan for too long - and when the lovely airport folk tell me all flights returning to NYC have been cancelled, well, it's not pretty. But that's another story).
So now as I'm sitting here at my desk trying to catch up with excitement I missed during my foray into the arctic midwest, I stumble across this gem: The line-up for the 2006 Whitney Biennial has been announced!! I know you're all as excited as I am to see what kind of an exciting, chaotic mess they fill the Beuer Bunker on Madison with this year. You've probably already analyzed it and processed it into handy lists and charts. Right? Hmm.. I sense I'm losing you. Okay. How about this - there are movies! Yep, movies! Including Francesco Vezzoli's Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's 'Caligula', which was shown earlier this year at the Venice Biennale and stars Benicio del Toro, Helen Mirren, Milla Jololavich, Mr. Vidal himself (narrating), and finally, none other than America's most beloved crack-whore train wreck, Courtney Love.
Now come on, just try and tell me this doesn't make you want to forsake yet another trek to the cineplex for a nice stimulating afternoon at the art museum!