Tom Cruise returns as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in this thrilling first look at MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION.
The new flick finds Hunt’s highly effective but destructive Impossible Mission Force (IMF) disbanded by vengeful Washington bureaucrats such as the CIA chief (played by Alec Baldwin). But Hunt pulls his team together (Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and newcomer Rebecca Ferguson) to battle the shadowy force known as “The Syndicate” and its elusive leader (Sean Harris).
In USA Today’s interview, director Christopher McQuarrie said, “We knew anything we did was going to be compared with the Burj. But it’s not like you could wait for someone to build an even taller building. We keep pushing the envelope.”
The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise has earned more than $2 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.
The new film is produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.
From Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, and Bad Robot, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION opens in theaters and IMAX on July 31, 2015.
Emmerich’s original 1996 film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The score was composed by David Arnold and was the highest-grossing movie that year.
Filming on INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 begins in May and the sequel is scheduled to be released on June 24, 2016 from 20th Century Fox.
As you wait for the sequel, watch Bill Paxton give his rousing and now infamous “We will not go quietly into the night, we will not vanish without a fight” speech.
These seven words have come to exemplify the very heart of the Fast & Furious franchise, both for the faithful team of characters on screen and the band of actors, filmmakers and crew who have grown as tight as any bloodline over the course of seven movies together. At its outset, 15 years ago, no one could have foreseen that the destiny of this story about a team of street racers in East L.A. would transform into one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time.
Now, FURIOUS 7 arrives as the crowning achievement in this ongoing saga—the best, biggest and most fulfilling Fast & Furious movie yet. For every person in the Fast & Furious family—those on screen, those behind the camera and those who count themselves among its vast and varied fans around the world: This one is special.
FURIOUS 7 stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Jordana Brewster surprised a packed house at the screening of the film in Los Angeles.
With family firmly rooted at its core, the Fast & Furious series has evolved into a touchstone for moviegoers following these compelling characters, whose journeys continue to unlock and reveal surprising emotional depth. It has escalated into a phenomenon that has taken the street-racing outlaws to pull off nearly impossible feats in far-flung locales from Japan, Mexico and the Dominican Republic to Brazil, the Canary Islands and Great Britain.
Now, with FURIOUS 7, this crew heads across the globe for one last ride together in their most gravity-defying and emotional adventure to date.
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Jordana Brewster return to form a furious team of seven family members united in purpose. They are joined by Fast fan favorites Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black, as well new additions to the ensemble including Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Djimon Hounsou, Ronda Rousey and Tony Jaa.
FURIOUS 7 is written by Chris Morgan and directed by James Wan. The score is from composer Brian Tyler. Get the soundtrack HERE.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Universal Pictures unveiled the luxury Fast & Furious 777 airliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Actor/producer Vin Diesel was on hand as Etihad Airways Flight 171 arrived from Abu Dhabi to kick off the global junket and world premiere of FURIOUS 7.
The film arrives in theaters on April 3.
Representing a welcome first for the franchise, the Fast & Furious 777 will fly the direct route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles, which Etihad Airways opened in June 2014. The airline is also a sponsor of the FURIOUS 7 world premiere, which takes place in Los Angeles on April 1.
As the United Arab Emirates offered an opportunity to inject striking elements and locales into the series’ mythology, Abu Dhabi became a key location for the Furious 7 production. Over the course of two weeks in April 2014, the team lensed in areas outside Abu Dhabi in the Liwa Desert, as well as in the city center at such locations as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace hotel, the Yas Marina F1 race circuit and the Etihad Towers. Considering Abu Dhabi’s striking skyline—one accentuated with stunning architectural achievements—aerial shots of the skyscrapers were mandatory.
“When we began filming The Fast and the Furious in 2000, if you told me that we would one day have our logo on a wide-body jet, I would have said you were crazy,” said producer Neal H. Moritz, who has shepherded all seven films in the series. “We are so honored that Etihad has partnered with us to support this very personal film, and we thank the people of the United Arab Emirates for all the kindness and graciousness they showed throughout production.”
The Fast & Furious decal will remain on the plane for the next four to six months.
The film is rated PG 13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language.
On Wednesday, 20th Century Fox, along with author John Green, director Jake Schreier, and actress Halston Sage, premiered the trailer of their new movie PAPER TOWNS for excited, lucky fans in New York City.
This morning, the studio released the first trailer for their upcoming drama.
Adapted from the bestselling novel by author John Green (“The Fault in Our Stars”), PAPER TOWNS is a coming-of-age story centering on Quentin and his enigmatic neighbor Margo, who loved mysteries so much she became one.
After taking him on an all-night adventure through their hometown, Margo suddenly disappears–leaving behind cryptic clues for Quentin to decipher. The search leads Quentin and his quick-witted friends on an exhilarating adventure that is equal parts hilarious and moving.
Ultimately, to track down Margo, Quentin must find a deeper understanding of true friendship–and true love.
Filmmaker Jake Schreier returns to the director’s chair with PAPER TOWNS. He helmed one of the best movies and true highlights of 2012, ROBOT & FRANK.
Starring Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Halston Sage, and Justice Smith, PAPER TOWNS hits theaters everywhere July 24, 2015.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Paramount Pictures will re-release its Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning film SELMA nationwide for a special encore engagement.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film will play in theaters across the U.S. beginning Friday, March 20th.
Tickets are on sale today online and at theater box offices. For a list of theaters and to purchase tickets, visit www.SelmaMovie.com
Moviegoers who purchase a ticket to see SELMA at a participating theater can receive an additional ticket free. This limited time offer is only available at participating theater box offices.
SELMA won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.
SELMA, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.
DuVernay’s SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”
The film is produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb.
DreamWorks Pictures’/Fox 2000 Pictures’ upcoming dramatic thriller directed by three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List”) and starring two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump,” “Philadelphia”), has been titled BRIDGE OF SPIES.
In addition, 12-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman (“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Saving Mr. Banks”) has been signed to score the film, as John Williams’ schedule was interrupted and he was unavailable to score the film due to a minor health issue, now corrected.
John Williams. 86th Academy Awards, The Oscar Concert
A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, BRIDGE OF SPIES tells the story of James Donovan (Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.
Screenwriters Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.
The film will be released in theaters nationwide on October 16, 2015.
Williams, whose credits include “Stars Wars: The Force Awakens” and the “Harry Potter” films, will join Spielberg on his next film, “The BFG,” beginning later this year, continuing their unprecedented collaboration which they have enjoyed for over 40 years.
Newman has scored many films for DreamWorks, including “The Help,” “Road to Perdition” and “American Beauty,” the latter two for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score.
Thomas Newman. 86th Academy Awards, The Oscar Concert
BRIDGE OF SPIES also stars three-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance (“Twelfth Night,” “Jerusalem,” “Boeing Boeing”) as Rudolf Abel, a KGB agent defended by Donovan; Scott Shepherd (“Side Effects”) as CIA operative Hoffman; Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan (“Birdman,” “Gone Baby Gone”) as James’ wife, Mary; Sebastian Koch (“A Good Day to Die Hard”) as East German lawyer Vogel; and Academy Award nominee Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H,” “The Aviator”) as Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm.
Fox 2000 Pictures co-financed BRIDGE OF SPIES with DreamWorks in association with Participant Media, and will distribute internationally. Disney will handle domestic distribution. In addition to directing, Spielberg will produce the film with Marc Platt (“Into the Woods,” “Drive”) and Kristie Macosko Krieger (“Lincoln”), with Adam Somner (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Daniel Lupi (“Her”), Jeff Skoll (“The Hundred-Foot Journey”) and Jonathan King (“Cesar Chavez”) serving as executive producers.
The screenplay is by Matt Charman (“Suite Francaise”) and three-time Academy Award winners Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (“No Country for Old Men,” “Fargo”).
“I suppose you’ve been down the long, hard road?” “Who hasn’t?”
You never know what’s brewing at Webster University’s Strange Brew cult film series. It’s always the first Wednesday evening of every month, and they always come up with some cult classic to show while enjoying some good food and great suds. The fun happens at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143).
This month, they’re brewing up some Bronson! HARD TIMES screens at Schlafly Bottleworks Wednesday, April 1st as part of Webster University’s ‘Strange Brew’ Film Series. The ‘Charles Bronson Exhibit’, a collection of movie paper, figures, models kits, toys, and other odd memorabilia will be on display that night at Schlafly.
No one could touch Charles Bronson in terms of global popularity throughout the 1970’s and HARD TIMES (1975) was his best film from that decade (my favorite for cinema, the only films from the ‘70s I would personally rate above HARD TIMES are TAXI DRIVER, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and THE GODFATHER). Director Walter Hill made a remarkably earthy and entertaining film about illegal fighting in Depression-era New Orleans. HARD TIMES, whose succinct tag line read “New Orleans 1933, in those days words didn’t buy much”, perfectly exploits Bronson’s granite presence and is a concise, almost mythical celebration of men who only communicate with their fists. Bronson played Chaney, a hardened loner who hops off a boxcar in New Orleans where he tries to score some quick cash the only way he knows how – with his fists. He teams up with Speed (James Coburn), who acts as his manager, who sets up the fights, which are are all-out and bare-knuckle, held in warehouses and alleys and open by invitation to men with cash to wager.
Seemingly authentic, rather than over-choreographed, the fight scenes in HARD TIMES are expertly staged and framed by Hill, especially the film’s centerpiece; an underground match in a steel-mesh cage between Bronson and a grinning goon named ‘Skinhead’ played by Robert ‘Mr. Clean’ Tessier. HARD TIMES was the directorial debut for Hill, who had written THE GETAWAY for his friend, director Sam Peckinpah, and would go on to helm some of the smartest action films of the late ‘70s and ‘80s including THE WARRIORS, THE LONG RIDERS, 48 HOURS, and STREETS OF FIRE. Hill said in interviews that enjoyed his experience with Bronson and wanted to work with the star again. But Hill made the mistake of criticizing the performance of Bronson’s wife Jill Ireland, who had a minor role as a hooker who earns Chaney’s affection (at this point, if a producer wanted Bronson, they had to have Jill too – the couple made 15 films together!). Bronson was not thin-skinned, just protective enough of his wife that he refused to work with Hill again because of the sleight, which is too bad because the director’s economic action sensibilities are perfectly in tune with the scruffy street dignity Bronson was capable of and the pair could have made some great films together.
The HARD TIMES cast includes Strother Martin as an opium-hooked doctor, James Coburn as Speed, Chaney’s manager, Ben Johnson, Bruce Glover, and the great Nick Dimitri as Street, Chaney’s final foe. These vets all bring their A-game but it’s Bronson, whose expression never changes, that commands all the attention. Bronson’s Chaney is a man of few words and no past and it’s perhaps his most fitting role. Acclaimed in 1975, HARD TIMES is the perfect Charles Bronson movie for people who claim not to like Charles Bronson movies and even critics who had previously overlooked Bronson’s abilities were impressed.
I saw HARD TIMES in 1975 when it was new, riding my bike at 13 to the Des Peres 4 theater with some friends. In the summer of 1978 I attended wrestling camp at the University of Missouri and one night for entertainment, we were screened a 16mm print of HARD TIMES. I now have my own 16mm print of HARD TIME and also an 18-minute Super-8 condensed version of the film that I’ve shown at my monthly Super-8 Movie Madness show. It’s printed on black-and-white stock and dubbed into German, but it still gets the crowd worked upped. When the gang at the Webster University Film Series suggested I choose a film to show at their monthly ‘Strange Brew’ Cult movie series at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, I knew immediately that HARD TIMES would be my choice. It’s the film in my ‘Top Ten of All Time’ list that I have not seen on the big screen in the longest time. Don’t miss HARD TIMES when it screens at Schlafly Bottleworks Wednesday, April 1st at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143). The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed beer.
The Facebook invite for this event can be found HERE
Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ ARMS & THE DUDES, starring Oscar nominee Jonah Hill (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Moneyball”) and Miles Teller (“Whiplash”).
“The Hangover” trilogy director and Oscar nominee Todd Phillips (“Borat” screenplay) is directing the film.
Based on a true story, ARMS & THE DUDES follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a $300 million deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.
Phillips directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jason Smilovic (“Lucky Number Slevin”), and Stephen C. Chin (“Another Day in Paradise”), based on the Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson.
Todd Phillips and Bradley Cooper, under the banner of their 22nd & Green Productions, and Mark Gordon, under the banner of The Mark Gordon Company, are producing the film. The executive producers are David Siegel and Bryan Zuriff.
Filming began on location in Romania, and shooting is also being accomplished in Las Vegas, Southern California, Miami, and in Morocco.
ARMS & THE DUDES reunites Phillips with several of his collaborators from “The Hangover” trilogy, including director of photography Lawrence Sher, production designer Bill Brzeski and editor Jeff Groth. Joining the team is costume designer Michael Kaplan (“Star Trek,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness”).
The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.
Filming is in full swing for Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ CREED.
Here’s a look at Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan on the set of CREED at the ‘Rocky Steps’ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Monday (March 16, 2015) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Opening on November 25, 2015, the film explores a new chapter in the “Rocky” story and stars Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone in his iconic role and Michael B. Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed.
Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.
Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.
With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title…but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?
CREED also stars Tessa Thompson (“Selma,” “Dear White People”) as Bianca, a local singer-songwriter who becomes involved with Adonis; Phylicia Rashad (Lifetime’s “Steel Magnolias”) as Mary Anne Creed, Apollo’s widow; and English pro boxer and former three-time ABA Heavyweight Champion Anthony Bellew as boxing champ “Pretty” Ricky Conlan.
Ryan Coogler directs from a screenplay he wrote with Aaron Covington, based on characters from the “Rocky” series written by Sylvester Stallone. The film is being produced by Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Sylvester Stallone and Kevin King Templeton. Joining Coogler behind the scenes are director of photography Maryse Alberti (“The Wrestler”) and costume designer Emma Potts (“127 Hours”), as well as his “Fruitvale Station” team: editors Claudia Castello and Michael P. Shawver; production designer Hannah Beachler; and composer Ludwig Göransson.
Come get your Q on, St. Louis! The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs April 19-23 at the Tivoli Theatre. The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the LGBTQ community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis (“Back on Board”) and former Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter (“Tab Hunter Confidential”). Other prominent films include the latest from avant-garde queer filmmaker Bruce la Bruce (“Gerontophilia”) and lesbian-themed films starring Geraldine Chaplin (“Sand Dollars”) and the directorial debut from HBO’s “Girls” co-star Desiree Akhavan (“Appropriate Behavior”).
The 2015 QFest St. Louis begins on Sunday, April 19, and runs through Thursday, April 23. Tickets are on sale now for all shows. Cost is $12 each or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current IDs. All screenings will be held at the Tivoli Theatre, located at 6350 Delmar Blvd. in the Delmar Loop. Advance sales are available through the Landmark Theatres website at tickets.landmarktheatres.com. Click on show time, not film title, to get to the purchase section.
For the schedule of screenings and events, including trailers and full descriptions of the films, visit Cinema St. Louis’ interactive festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest. The official QFest St. Louis page on Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/QFestSTL.
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Here’s the Q line-up:
The Year We Thought About Love Sun – Director: Ellen Brodsky– Apr 19 at 1:00pm
What happens when a diverse group of LGBTQ youth dares to be “out” onstage to reveal their lives and their loves? The film goes behind the scenes of one of the oldest queer-youth theaters in America, the Boston-based True Colors OUT Youth Theater, which transforms daily struggles into performance for social change. With wit, candor, and attitude, the cast of characters captivates audiences surprised to hear such stories in school settings. The film introduces a transgender teenager kicked out of her house, a devout Christian challenging his church’s homophobia, and a girl who prefers to wear boys’ clothing even as she models dresses on the runway. When bombs explode outside their building, the troupe becomes even more determined to share their stories of love to help heal their city.
Shown with:
Alone with People by Drew Van Steenbergen, 2014, U.S., 30 min. Andie, a closeted high-school lesbian in the Deep South, is secretly in love with all of her sister’s friends and watches “The L Word” on DVD when no one is home.
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Back on Board: Greg Louganis – 2014, U.S., 90 min. Director: Cheryl Furjanic – Sun, Apr 19 at 3:15pm
A refreshingly candid documentary film about four-time Olympic champion Greg Louganis, “Back on Board” follows the diver over the past three years, as he struggles with financial security and reunites with the sport he once dominated but was not welcomed in. The threat of losing his house during the recent financial crisis forces Louganis to re-evaluate the choices, relationships, and missed opportunities of his career. With unprecedented access, the film reveals the complicated life of an athlete whose grace, beauty, and courage sparked a worldwide fascination with diving. It chronicles Louganis’ rise from a difficult upbringing to nearly universal acclaim as the greatest diver ever and traces his path as he moves from a pioneering openly gay athlete with HIV to an overlooked sports icon. “Back on Board” is the engrossing story of an American legend as he re-emerges on the world stage to combat prejudice, promote tolerance, and return to the diving world after a long period of absence to act as a mentor to the next generation.
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Liz in September – Director: Fina Torres2014, Venezuela, 100 min., in Spanish with English subtitles – Sun, Apr 19 at 5:30pm
“Liz in September” — based on the classic lesbian play “Last Summer at Bluefish Cove” — chronicles the unlikely relationship between two apparent opposites. Liz has known several things since she was a child: She is gay, beauty is power, and she will never be a victim. Determined to enjoy the time she still has left on Earth, she hides her terminal disease from even her closest friends. Eva, by contrast, has succumbed to despair. After she loses her son to cancer, Eva finds that pain and guilt damage the relationship with her husband, sinking both into isolation. Alone on her vacation, Eva is left stranded on the road when her car breaks down. Ending up at Margot’s Inn, she meets Liz and her group of gay friends, and Liz makes a bet that she can seduce the straight newcomer. Against all odds, the encounter between these two women changes their lives.
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Tiger Orange – Director: Wade Gasque – 2014, U.S., 76 min. – Sun, Apr 19 at 8:00pm
Chet (co-screenwriter Mark Strano) and Todd (Frankie Valenti, aka former adult star Johnny Hazzard) are estranged gay brothers who grew up in a small town in Central California with their homophobic single father. Bad boy Todd ran off to Los Angeles and is now out and proud, but the mostly closeted Chet stayed at home, running the family hardware store and caring for their ailing father until his recent death. When a broke and homeless Todd returns to the brother he left behind, long-simmering resentments boil to the surface. As the pair confronts their differences and similarities, the film offers a poignant depiction of family dynamics and small-town life.
Shown with: Dragula – Frank Meli, 2014, U.S., 25 min.
In this charming coming-of-age musical, a high-school senior eliminates his self-esteem issues after attending a drag performance.
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Tab Hunter Confidential – Director: Jeffrey Schwarz – 2015, U.S., 90 min. – Mon, Apr 20 at 7:00pm
In the 1950s, Tab Hunter was No. 1 both at the box office and on the music charts. Hollywood’s most sought-after star and America’s boy next door, Hunter was romantically linked to such actresses as Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds, and Sophia Loren. Nothing, it seems, could damage Tab Hunter’s career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that he was secretly gay. Now, Hunter’s secret is out, and in this revelatory documentary the actor shares the whole story of a happy, healthy survivor of Hollywood’s roller coaster. In addition to Hunter’s own frank recollections, the film features a cavalcade of old and new Hollywood players — including Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Robert Wagner, Connie Stevens, John Waters, Dolores Hart, Rona Barrett, and George Takei — who talk openly about their personal experiences with the actor.
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Gerontophilia – Director: Bruce la Bruce – 2013, Canada, 75 min., in English and French with English subtitles –Mon, Apr 20 at 9:00pm
The always-provocative Bruce La Bruce (“Raspberry Reich,” “L.A. Zombie”) is back with a new romantic comedy (of sorts). Eighteen-year-old Lake has a sweet activist girlfriend but one day discovers he has an unusual attraction for the elderly. Fate conspires to land him a job at a nursing home, where he develops a tender relationship with Mr. Peabody. Finding that the patients are being overmedicated to make them easier to manage, Lake decides to wean Mr. Peabody off his medication and help him escape, resulting in a humorous and heartfelt road trip that strengthens their bond.
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Out in the Night – Director: Blair Dorosh-Walter – 2014, U.S., 75 min. – Tue, Apr 21 at 7:00pm
This jaw-dropping documentary tells the story of a group of seven young African-American lesbians who are out walking in a gay-friendly neighborhood of New York City on an August night in 2006. When an older man sexually confronts them, one of the women says that they are gay, but that only escalates the situation: The man becomes violent and threatens to “fuck them straight.” Two of the women defend the group, and another pulls a knife from her purse and swings at the man, with the entire encounter captured by nearby security cameras. Strangers jump in to defend the women, and the confrontation escalates, but as the fight comes to an end, all get up and walk away. However, the incident is far from over: 911 has been called, the man involved has been stabbed, and police swarm to the scene with their radios blasting out warning of a gang attack. Rounded up and charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder, three of the women plead guilty, but four claim their innocence. Called a “gang of killer lesbians” by the media, the defendants become known as the New Jersey 4 in activist circles.
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Queer Shorts – Program length is 95 minutes. Films are listed in alphabetical order. – Tue, Apr 21 at 9:00pm
Aban + Khorshid (Darwin Serink, 2014, U.S., 15 min.): Inspired by true events, this intimate portrait of two lovers executed for being gay provides a glimpse into the world in which they met.
Adjust-a-Dream (Jonathan Wysocki, 2014, U.S., 6 min.): On the verge of moving in together, a gay male couple find their anxieties escalating as they shop for their first mattress.
Camchat (Blake Pruitt, 2014, U.S., 11 min.): An experimental look at online sexual encounters and relationships.
I Do (Aceito) (Felipe Cabral, 2014, Brazil, 21 min., Portuguese with English subtitles): Junior prepares a big surprise to ask his boyfriend to marry him, but not everything goes as planned.
Surprise (Leslie Bumgarner, 2014, U.S., 10 min.): A mother and son confess their secrets.
Tonight It’s Me (Dominic Haxton, 2014, U.S., 13 min.): A hustler and a trans woman meet for a late-night tryst, with both getting more than what they bargained for.
You. Me. Bathroom. Sex. Now. (Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora.) (Francisco Lupini, Venezuela, 2015, 18 min., Spanish with English subtitles): When Antonio finds out that his boyfriend is cheating on him three days before Christmas, he decides to find solace amongst friends at the neighborhood dive.
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Sand Dollars – Director: Laura Amelia Guzmán & Israel Cárdenas – 2014, Dominican Republic, 80 min., English, Spanish and French with English subtitles – Wed, Apr 22 at 7:00pm
Every afternoon young Dominican Noelí goes to the beaches at Las Terrenas, where she and her boyfriend look for ways to make a living at the expense of one of the hundreds of tourists. People parade through her life, but Noelí finds a steady client in a mature French woman who looks on the island as an ideal refuge to spend her last years. Feigning to be Noelí’s brother, the boyfriend concocts a plan in which Noelí will travel to Paris with the old lady and send him money every month. Although the relationship with the Frenchwoman is initially one of convenience, Noeli’s feelings become more intense and conflicted as the departure date closes
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Seed Money: The Chuck Homes Story – Director: Michael Stabile – 2015, U.S., 70 min. – Wed, Apr 22 at 9:00pm
“Seed Money” is the story of Chuck Holmes, a San Francisco pornographer turned philanthropist. As a videographer, Holmes almost singlehandedly took gay porn from the back alleys to the mainstream with his legendary Falcon Studios, building a worldwide empire of flesh and fantasy and contributing mightily to gay pride along the way. Holmes helped shaped and create gay identity in the years after Stonewall, and became a founder of gay advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign and the LGBT Victory Fund. Later in life, however, Holmes discovered that although his money was welcome in philanthropic circles, he wasn’t.
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Appropriate Behavior – Director: Desiree Akhavan – 2014, U.S., 86 min. – Thu, Apr 23 at 7:00pm
Shirin — played by writer/director/star Desiree Akhavan, who has a recurring role on the HBO series “Girls” — is simultaneously struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, a politically correct bisexual, and a hip young Brooklynite. But she’s not quite Persian enough, not quite gay enough, not quite anything enough. She fails miserably in her attempt at all identities, and being without a cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience. After being dumped by girlfriend Maxine, Shirin faces an unimaginable fate: Trading the idyllic lesbian haven of Park Slope for a shared artist’s loft in Bushwick. Unable to let go of the memories of their excruciating highs and lows, the endearingly superficial narcissist finds herself plotting to win back her ex.
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The Way He Looks – Director: Daniel Ribeiro – 2014, Brazil, 96 min., in Portuguese with English subtitles – Thu, Apr 23 at 9:00pm
Set against the pop music of Belle and Sebastian, Daniel Ribeiro’s adorable coming-of-age tale is a funny, tender story about friendship and the complications of young love. Leo is a spirited blind teenager who’s fed up with his overprotective parents and the bullies at school. Looking to assert his independence, he decides to study abroad to the dismay of his best friend, Giovana. When the new kid in town, Gabriel, teams with Leo on a school project, new feelings blossom in him that make him reconsider his plans. Meanwhile, Giovana grows jealous of this newfound companionship, and tensions mount between her and Leo. In this family-friendly rom-com filled with pitch-perfect performances, Leo’s transformation into the person he was meant to be is infectiously heartwarming.
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Watch for more coverage of QFest St. Louishere at We Are Movie Geeks
QFest St. Louis, an official presentation of Cinema St. Louis, is sponsored by Jeffrey T. Fort, Vital VOICE, Whitaker Foundation, Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, Arts and Education Council, ACLU of Missouri, PROMO, Coffee Cartel, Just John Nightclub, Dennis Gorg, Cindy Walker, Michael Reiser, Planned Parenthood, BOOM, and Pride St. Louis
