Leon and I watched Nuovo Olimpo on Netflix yesterday. An Italian film but you can choose the English audio which is very well done.
This is a gay love story, but a somewhat different kind of love story. It explores the various kinds and depths of love/attraction that individuals might experience and what happens when "space and time get in the way".. I won't say more than that. There is some very nice nudity, but it's not gratuitous. The three men in the film, the main characters, are almost too good looking...but well, I guess that's one reason for watching.
The story begins with two men, Pietro and Enea meeting at the cinema Nuovo Olimpo in Rome in the 70s. The cinema is a gay meeting/cruising place. Pietro and Enea begin a relationship and frequent the cinema as a rendezvous location. It happens to be in the vicinity of a major political protest against fascism and when the protest becomes violent the police raid the cinema and the two men become separated. (not exactly sure why the police target the cinema - perhaps I'll have to watch it again!)
All the characters are believable and realistic for the time period and culture. I was impressed with the fact that even the cinema's cashier, Titti, was portrayed with dignity and depth of character. I want to say more but don't want to give away too much of the story.
We just watched “Good Grief” on Netflix. Good grief! Starring Dan Levy of Schitts Creek (a TV show I found forgettable) as a gay artist whose famous writer husband died in a car accident. It takes him a whole year before reading the Christmas card his husband left him on the night he died which revealed that his husband had a boyfriend (and a luxury apartment) in Paris.
That could have been a workable story line but what the movie turned into was improbable dialogue among/between pretentious artsy characters that was often difficult to understand. I found none of the characters likable; which is to say I didn't like any of them. Ruth Negga's character could have been speaking Greek for all I got out of it.
It was like someone’s failed thesis on existentialism with privileged characters constantly experiencing angst and little if any genuine grief. It almost gave me a headache trying to follow the dialogue and plot (not sure the word “plot” is accurate). Throw in an extraneous stranger at a London bar who just happens to be from Paris...and a few other characters who appear with no rhyme or reason...and some improbable circumstances...
Too bad it was such a dud because there are so few gay or LGBTQ dramas out there.
Look, I can cry watching Magnum, P.I. But I had dry eyes during this entire movie and it was supposed to be a tear jerker, I think.
It might have been OK if it were about Charlie Brown and Lucy and Linus.
Hubby put this Dinner Time Jazz on the little Bluetooth Bose just before dinner.
We were both standing there near the speaker in the dining room when I took his hand and started to slow dance with him. We both got into it, however briefly as dinner was about ready. It was sweet.
We held each other close and danced like it was our first date.
I cannot recall the last time we danced, if ever. Before we met I would do the disco thing at Gay Bars or attend dances sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian organizations back in Connecticut. Leon and I might go to a gay club now and then, but he was never one to go out on the dance floor.
And I can't remember ever slow dancing with Leon in our 35 years together.
We need to do it more often.
I was looking for info (years on the air) for the old TV show Dharma and Greg the other day and decided to watch a couple of episodes.
This is a thoroughly delightful series. No violence, superb writing, great comedic timing, and just plain entertaining. Dharma (flower child), Greg (lawyer), Dharma's parents, Larry (old hippie), and Abby (free spirit), Greg's parents, Edward (CEO), Kitty (socialite) are the characters but they are really caricatures of themselves.
The juxtaposition of conservatives and liberals in the context of two diametrically opposed families brought together through marriage is the basis for some hilarious situations. Dharma's father, Larry, is so serious in his denigration of republicans, the wealthy, the police and the government (he's almost a right-wing liberal, if that makes any sense).
Greg's parents are so stereotypically a white privileged classist couple. Dharma and Greg are always trying to get their parents on the same page, but it is nearly impossible.
So much of the dialogue and humor is still relevant today. However, I think, we unfortunately lack the humor nowadays.
Watching more episodes is on my TO DO list. Hope you enjoy the show as much as I do. Link to full series:
We've been watching a series called "Smiley" the title of which would have had me skip on by. I think Leon chose it based on the preview.
It is a Netflix series made in Spain, set in Barcelona, (it is dubbed in English - and I think the dubbing was well done) about a gay 30-something guy who gets a "Smiley" emoji after a hookup with another guy. He feels insulted, so sends back a voicemail rant, but to the wrong number. Mr. Wrong Number then takes it from there.
There are a number of gay and lesbian characters, a wise drag queen, parents, friends, and assorted others, all of whom make for an interesting menagerie. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Queer as Folk, Tales of the City and Boys in the Band.
There is quite a bit of bantering and arguing (which may be a bit much for some viewers), but also a lot of humor in the interactions. The characters are generally likable and the English dubbing is well done with expressiveness, inflection and good timing.
The generous use of split screens is clever and lets you in on conversations that are going on between people and sometime between different people simultaneously. Very well done.
It's a fun series. We still have a few episode to watch and have been doing 2 or 3 at a sitting. Enjoy. Looks like there may be a Season 2 coming.
Odd that I cannot find a YouTube English language trailer but go here to Netflix for one (scroll down to the trailer - you may need a subscription to access it):
I was ordering a few odds and ends from Amazon this November and December, a few food/flower gifts for mom and family back east, and just stuff we need that I am too paranoid to risk getting in person, like face masks, some containers to keep the mice away from the stuff in the garage pantry, chimney brushes which were not in stock at our local hardware stores...so I took advantage of ONE MONTH FREE of Amazon Prime. (At $119 per year I will not renew as I won't make up the cost in shipping and their free movies/TV series are not worth it in my opinion.
But...here are three gay-themed entries I would recommend if anyone has Amazon Prime.
RETAKE: POPCORN
The first, Retake, Starring: Devon Graye, Tuc Watkins follows a middle age gay man who picks up hustlers on the street in San Francisco and pays them to "role play" a past lover so he could re-live a past memory.
The first hustler didn't satisfy his needs but the next one not only "gets it" but is adept at taking on a new identity and acting out his required role. The two take off to recreate a trip to the Grand Canyon. (not sure why it took so long to get there, but that was the only flaw)
The dynamics and relationship between the two men is quite artfully portrayed by Graye (Brandon/Adam) and Phillips (Jonathan). Graye delivers an often delicate balance between the his role as Brandon and his real self Adam.
I'll give this one 5*stars because as gay-themed movies go, they are mostly kind of amateurish and poorly acted. This one was not only great acting but it was certainly not a "run-of-the-mill" plot. No murders, no cops chasing criminals, no guns, no loud music. Just good acting, interesting plot development and dialogue.
AFTER FOREVER: KLEENEX
This is a series that I hope to finish before our free month expires. The episodes are short but packed with intensity.
This is about two older guys (but much younger than me and in much better shape) which is told in present-day vs flashbacks. I won't be a spoiler except to say I could only get through three episodes and had to take a break. It's a tear-jerker.
And how could I forget the new movie "UNCLE FRANK" (Popcorn) About Frank, a gay Southerner and his niece, Beth. They return to the family home with for his dad's farewell. Husband Wally follows them and the long delayed coming out at the funeral is punctuated by undercurrents of Frank's father's rejection of him which are played out and take center stage.
I've been getting back to my roots, so to speak, even though my particular roots are in Connecticut, my family roots are in the Southern regions of Italy, namely Calabria, Campania and Apulia.
So I've been watching lots of YouTube videos of Italian mamas cooking, making bread and pasta and various sauces; documentaries, news reports and music.
And I am taking a refresher course in Italian on Monday nights.
Today, I attended a concert by Newpoli Mediterranean Pulse - Ritmi Della Terra. This contemporary group takes traditional Southern Italian music, e.g. the Tarantella, and gives it a modern flair. Despite my almost adequate knowledge of Italian, I have a hard time understanding it when the speaker is speaking fast, and an even harder time when they use any of the many dialects - of which Southern Italy has many. The music of the group Newpoli is a celebration of those many regions and dialects, and while I had a very difficult time understanding the lyrics (actually I probably only picked up a handful of words here and there) I found the sound of the language, the sound of the dialects, somewhat familiar.
The music itself has a very plaintive quality and I would call it a mix of Italy/Greece/North Africa
Here are a few YouTube videos of Newpoli.
I would caution that they may not appeal to most people's taste and I do find the female vocalists a bit shrill at times.
Much better in person.
Mediterraneo
Nun Te VutÃ
'Na voce sola
My grandparents and their contemporaries would often
revert to their first language when they got together; I recall the
cadence, the sing-song rhythm, the sometimes guttural sounds, the melody
of vowels.
I recall the many weddings of older cousins which I attended
when I was young and the fun we had pretending to dance the tarantella
when the live band finally played C'è la luna mezz'u mare, Mamma mia mi maritare.
Here's a version that will give you an idea of the various potential spouses one might marry:
We have been watching two new Netflix Original series: Special and Bonding.
Both have gay male characters who are "mentored" by strong, independent women but in totally different contexts. Both series are well-written, kind of sexy, and full of little surprises.
Both series are following what must be a new kind of format where episodes are no more than 15 minutes or so long. We ended up watching the entire series of Bonding and Special in one evening each.
Special follows a 20-something gay man with a "mild" case of cerebral palsy as he seeks independence from an overprotective mother and finds support in a no-nonsense female co-worker who pushes him into new territory.
Bonding brings together a female grad student who is a dominatrix in her spare time and a young, awkward gay guy who she hires as her "assistant" and insurance against would-be nefarious clients.
The short, 15 minute episodes are just enough to make the viewer want to see more. Light, sometimes outrageous, sometimes funny, these shows may be just what you need after watching the Evening News.
Let me begin by saying that I'm likely to be a good candidate for some kind of hearing aide soon. I've noticed a problem, especially when watching certain TV programs.
Voices range from easily understandable to impossible to decipher. Usually I get a few words, then miss the four or five words that would convey the meaning of the sentence, come-back or joke. Some womens' voices are most difficult, perhaps because of the high pitch. Increasing the volume doesn't always help.
Among the impossible to understand are Megan Mulally on Will and Grace, Melissa Rauch on Big Bang Theory, and Minnie Driver on Speechless. I'm also having trouble with Modern Family and New Amsterdam (with the irritating background music/noise). Most of the time I just give up, turn to my computer for entertainment while Leon watches the shows (which we record on TiVo so we can skip all the commercials and watch a 30-minute show in 20).
When English, Scottish, Australian or similar accents are involved, (Minnie Driver among others) it is so much more difficult to understand. (See recent review of Deep Water- a great drama but I had to have closed captions on in order to follow the story).
So last evening we watched Outlaw King on Netflix.
High marks as far as spectacular scenery, cast of thousands, period costumes, Medieval castles, ariel views of the English and Scottish countryside, and bloody battles.
Otherwise I found the story difficult to follow, 1) because it was difficult to understand the actors' speech and 2) I couldn't always figure out who were the English, who were the Scots on the side of Robert the Bruce and which ones were his rivals; or who was fighting whom.
I wondered how the Scots and the English distinguished who to impale with a sword in the chaos of battle. I also wondered how they filmed the many horses going down, hopefully without harming a single one. Unless you are a great fan of Medieval English/Scottish history, this one may not be worth spending two hours watching - not even for the few seconds of Chris Pine naked.
We got through it. Leon did not give it great reviews either.
In the total opposite direction is Kominsky Method, a Netflix series starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. It is smart, warm, funny and entertaining. Someone called it Frankie and Grace for guys.
Episode 2 is precious, especially the funeral scene.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. Recommended.
Need some relief from politics and not looking forward to all the Black Friday advertising? Try a couple of Netflix documentaries. Not ones I'd pop corn for...but be my guest and go for the popcorn if you like. Enjoy!
Packed In A Trunk - The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkenson
Sunday was a stay-indoors Netflix day: cold, wet and dreary. We decided to binge-watch an Australian 4-episode miniseries called Deep Water.
Australian Detective Tori Lustigman gets deeply involved in investigating the murder of a gay man near Bondi Beach. She and partner Nick Manning are led on a trail of evidence that goes back to a series of gay-bashing murders that took place in the 1980s and 90s that were never solved or pursued by the authorities.
Intricate threads of evidence and connections are revealed as the story evolves and the many loose ends keeps one wanting to watch and learn more. There is not only the mystery being solved, but also the many deeply emotional scars that the characters reveal during the investigation that make the story compelling. (not to mention some eye-candy) We had to watch it through to the end of the 4th episode to see how the many loose ends are finally resolved. Definitely recommended (but if you are anything like me when it come to other than American English), with this caveat:
USE YOUR CLOSED CAPTION OPTION because the Australian accent is very strong (especially that of Chief Inspector Peel). The closed caption made a world of difference as I was getting exhausted trying to translate Australian to English in my head and missing much of the dialogue. Did the rewind from the beginning after 10 minutes, with captions...much better.
After a whole day of cold, dreary rain on Sunday, we woke up to this, this morning:
Much too early in the season for snow and freezing temps in this neck of the desert. Hope I can save some of those tomatoes! * Note: I have been irritable, angry, cranky, depressed and disturbed all day today (Monday) and I think it has something to do with after-effects of watching the "Deep Water" story. The fact that gay men were (and in many cases still are) bashed and murdered for being who they are, is disturbing to the core. As Wikipedia states "The drama is based on the historical, unsolved hate murders of possibly 30 to 80 gay men in Sydney's eastern suburbs and beaches in the 1980s and '90s." A documentary was aired by Australian TV at the same time as the series.
There are way too many (or not nearly enough, depending on your point of view) cute animal videos on the web.
But here are a few from the animal race that would make better congressional members than some of the human race. Not only smart, but able to cooperate!
The new Netflix "reboot" of Queer Eye is not necessarily always for the "straight guy" (in one episode the new Fab Five make over a gay guy whose been struggling with his own internalized homophobia) but it keeps to the original format which always went beyond fashion and grooming to compassion and understanding.
I was skeptical about the show, figuring it would be all superficial and too contemporary. But because the show does stick to the original premise, the episodes are far from shallow presentations of guys being a canvass for fashionistas and pop culture. The Fab Five are truly compassionate, feeling, non-judgmental human beings who not only zero in on their subjects psychology but, in the process, reveal their own vulnerabilities, challenges and life experience.
While each is an expert in some area - design, fashion, food, grooming, culture - I am amazed that they have such a gift for focusing on the interpersonal and psychological elements of their subjects lives - and facilitating what appear to be deeply personal transformations. And they do so with respect and sensitivity.
I do have some questions, however: Who pays for all the furniture, clothing, painting, grooming and products? (One shirt probably costs more than my yearly clothing expenditure at KMart) How much of the show is scripted? How do Leon and I get a makeover from the Fab Five?
Yes, there is plenty of frivolity and silliness in each episode (we've seen 3 so far), sometimes embarrassingly so, but if the shows don't bring a tear to your eye, you may be hopelessly hard-hearted.
Call Me By Your Name (I still find the premise of the title a bit contrived)
A story of same sex attraction and dynamics between Elio, a very intelligent 17 year old and Oliver, a nearly 30? year old doctoral student who comes to Italy for a summer internship with Elio's father and lives in their Italian villa. Elio is infatuated with Oliver and wonders if Oliver even likes him. They occasionally spar intellectually and eventually share some romantic moments until Oliver must return to the States.
Suffice it to say that there were changes in the location, minor changes in character and action and the elimination of Elio's obsessive self-reflection. All of which, in my opinion, improved, rather than detracted from the story.
I will not go into critiquing the actors and the screenplay and the filming and editing all of which were very good and/or well done.
But just from a subjective point of view, I enjoyed the movie so much more than the book. It seemed more realistic, more sensual, more romantic, and so much less cerebral, especially on Elio's part, than the book.
I was somewhat disappointed that the setting was in northern Italy and not along the seacoast near Naples. But the setting did work well and while in many respects very beautiful, it was not unrealistically idyllic. The setting and scenery did not upstage the story or characters.
One might find the switching between languages (English, Italian and some dialectical French with a bit of German) a bit distracting with the subtitles, but it works to convey the very natural European way of life and of interacting with others.
Both Elio and Oliver were so much more likeable in the film, whereas in the book I found Elio's incessant self-relection and rumination to be annoying, tedious and masturbatory. In the book I thought Oliver was distant, arrogant and mean toward Elio much of the time.
Here the main characters seem more real, more natural. Elio, while precocious, was not obnoxiously so. He was simpatico, and his confusion was so very adolescent. Oliver's and Elio's relationship develops more realistically and, for the gay audience I think, more satisfactorily. The actors are well cast and suited to their roles. I liked Elio's father, who was not a major character but had some great scenes.
Also, some interesting music throughout.
Bottom line: A nice movie to escape the craziness of the evening news and the real world, if you know what I mean. Recommended.
I must confess that I've been following the disaster in Washington closer than the weather related disasters in California and elsewhere... as if we need another example of climate change - it won't make a bit of difference to our new head of the Environmental Protection Agency who is intent on doing anything but protecting the environment.
And then there was the Congressional Hispanic Caucus being denied entry to a meeting with ICE - can anything out of Paul Ryan's office be more disrespectful.
Yes, I've been a news addict. Checking my blog list morning, noon and evening and sometimes in between. I refresh the browser frequently because some new development might have transpired in the past ten minutes.
Perhaps the entire administration has resigned. One can only hope.
In the midst of this nightmare, seeing a movie sounded like a good idea. Leon is working a 10-day stretch so I made a date to go to the movies with Wendy, our neighborhood admirer of gay men (she's too nice to be called a fag hag). So we went to a matinee on Saturday.
Strange that I felt as nervous as a teenager on a first date, given that I have never felt anything but comfortable with Wendy for the 16 months that we've been friends since moving here to Cochiti Lake.
But my date anxiety is beside the point.
I want to say a few words about the movie, Manchester by the Sea. Now, I am no film critic; for a slew of reviews or for a synopsis of the storyline you can Go here for that.
I've seen only two movies in an actual movie theater in the past year and a half, maybe two years. The last one was that Star Wars sequel or prequel which was not worth writing home about. Leon made me go.
But Manchester by the Sea was truly a movie that lived up to the artistic standards that make for great films.
I admit that one of the reasons I wanted to see Manchester by the Sea was because the story takes place in New England - in Massachusetts which is quintessential New England (the scenes of snow and trees and water and boats and winding country roads and congested small town traffic - such familiar scenes...pleasant perhaps, but they also reminded me that I do not miss the snow and the back-breaking shoveling and the tight narrow streets and honking horns of impatient drivers).
The filming location and setting in New England and by the sea becomes a character in its own right. And the choice of background for each scene not only contributes to the mood and impact of the scene, but conveys a realism that brings the viewer into the experience: a torn chain link fence, street-dirty snow, a fishing boat out on the water, a country road, a pub, a basement apartment, an alleyway, a cluttered bedroom.
As for the movie itself, in my view, Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler carried the film almost singlehandedly, although fine performances were delivered by the actors playing supporting roles and lesser characters (all of whom are listed here). My only critique is that Patrick seemed older, too precocious, for a 16-year-old.
The film artfully and carefully revealed the pain and anguish that Lee harbored for years following a horrific tragedy. We wonder about so many things. The script and the director and the acting all masterfully make us wonder and question: what are the pieces of the story, the past, that makes this guy so introverted, both so meek and so prone to explosive anger, so deeply sad and stoic, why he behaves in certain ways, what became of his ex-wife, his alcoholic sister-in-law, the reason why he left his hometown, his relationship with his brother and nephew. The filmmaker uses flashbacks to fill in the missing pieces - a technique that here is done so well and perfectly integrated.
The stereotypical Catholic Irish American has been portrayed in TV and film so many times that we must all be familiar with the men who are conditioned not to show any emotion that might be considered weak or feminine but who are allowed bravado and, sometimes explosive, anger. A culture where alcohol is both a social lubricant and a curse. A culture where all tragedy and loss is either repressed or dealt with stoically, or eased by a few stiff drinks.
The family in Manchester by the Sea is, I suppose, a typical/stereotypical, Irish American New England family, convincingly and realistically portrayed. A family not untouched by tragedy. As this story unfolds, the underlying emotions, despite the several characters' efforts to keep them buried, take on a life of their own. Emotions come to the surface gradually, most noticeably in Lee, but also in Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and Randi (Michelle Williams), as people and events force the characters to confront their losses.
My only regret on seeing this film was that I did not bring a box of Kleenex.
Go see Manchester by the Sea. If you're anything like me, bring Kleenex.
Lately I've been thinking about a song that was popular in 1968, Those Were The Days My Friend by Mary Hopkin.
It was played over and over on the juke box in the student center at Loyola in Rome, Italy where I spent a lot of time writing letters and poetry, drinking cappuccino and eating cornetti.
In this slide show are several photos from my memoir plus many more previously unpublished photos. Some, about which I should probably be embarrassed.
But isn't that the whole point of nostalgia? To celebrate, not so much the past, but the fact that we were there, where ever that was. That we proudly occupied a space in time and in history.
Went to New Haven last evening to see CT Gay Men's Chorus perform "I Am Harvey Milk"
I may know very little about "music appreciation" but I know what I like and what I don't like. Judging from comments overheard after the performance, I am not alone. So here is my personal "review" of last night's CGMC performance:
While the performers and musicians were very talented, they were unfortunately constrained by the pretentious musical score. I can't imagine why CGMC chose this work. From the start I was expecting, then hoping, then despairing while waiting for the fun part which never came (Friday night in the Castro was a tease that never materialized. Perhaps after intermission. What? the show is only one hour (thank god) and there is no part 2 for the fun stuff?) The storyline/timeline was all over the place. It made no sense starting with the candlelight vigil, childhood, the bullet (horrible piece), city hall, disco, here and yonder. Beyond confusing.
The music was discordant, dissonant, harsh and often painful to listen to. All the performers were in boring, drab, formal, attire. The conductor's and musicians' piercingly bright score lamps were aimed directly into the audience which made looking at the performers extremely uncomfortable. I had to actually cover my eyes with my hand, it was so bad. That, coupled with the reflection of the spotlight off of Ms. Peitler-Lederman's gown made me wish I'd brought my sunglasses.
The show was very disappointing as it was not CGMC's usual up-beat show with costumes and humor and familiar tunes.
I wish I had read about the work which was commissioned by the SanFrancisco Gay Men's Chorus - basically a funeral dirge - I might have passed up the opportunity (and even poor Harvey would have probably turned in his grave at the sound of it. Come on, a commissioned work should have been one to CELEBRATE Harvey's life and work and not be such a somber and stuffy orchestrated cacophony.)
Let me repeat that the performers were talented and excellent but unfortunately had to deliver an inferior product.I would encourage CGMC to stick to their very successful formula of productions with a variety of entertainment, great music, colorful costumes, interesting and timely characters, humorous skits. That is what we go to see and expect.
