film & television reviews from Philip Bahr focusing on a gay male gaze | gay film | gay movies | gay television | LGBTQ perspective | classics | indie | television reviews
The time is now! Every year for 14 years, the public library I work for hosts a One Book One Town event. Each year we invite the author to come in-person for our signature event. This year, we are hosting The House in the Cerulean Sea author TJ Klune locally at our newly renovated theater across the street from where I work. We are also creating a YouTube live event, so all of you can join in the fun! TJ’s book is remarkable. It’s the perfect book for 2022 full of fantasy, found family, and a sweet, gentle slow burn of a queer love story. Click on the link below to register for the virtual event tonight! in order to get the link to YouTube.
And surprise, I will be interviewing TJ live on stage.
Come join us near or far. And happy reading to you all!
This is the signature event of Fairfield’s One Book One Town 2022 celebration! Join us for a wonderful evening with the author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune. Registration is required.
Fairfield Public Library (CT)’s 2022 One Book One Town selected our first fantasy novel and our first LGBTQ novel. I am thrilled the committee selected TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. Before the in-person author event on March 1, we created several programs throughout the month of February in support of the main event. In partnership with our local LGBTQ organization Triangle Community Center, I will be presenting a look at the book and its place in LGBTQ Literature on Thursday, February 17, 2022. This event is virtual, so please spread the word. Click to register and receive the Zoom link.
When not blogging, my career job is Head of Adult Services for Fairfield Public Library in Fairfield, CT. Once a year we have the entire town read one book selected by a committee of library staff and community members. This program, One Book One Town (OBOT) begins its 14th year in Fairfield. I am so excited our pick this year is TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. TJ’s a prolific, award-winning author of many books. The House in the Cerulean Sea is a fantasy novel about Linus, a middle-aged man who works a dull job as a caseworker for the Department of Magical Youth. One day he is assigned the task of investigating a house by the sea where a mysterious man, Arthur cares for a group of magical, yet throwaway children. Linus’ time with Arthur and the children crack open his world and offer him the life he’s only dared to dream. The book’s themes span topics such as self-love, acceptance, and found family. There’s a beautiful, gentle, slow-burn romance that’s sure to capture your heart. I am especially thrilled that the committee selected for the first time a LGBTQ book as well as a fantasy book for OBOT.
As we prepared to announce the title this week, I had an idea. I contacted Daniel Henning who does an incredible job with the audiobook narration. I asked him if he would consider recording a one-minute introduction welcoming the town to the book using the characters’ voices. I wrote a short script. And within a week, he returned an amazing 2 minute clip. It’s so perfect and the entire library is so grateful for his contribution to OBOT.
You can get copies of TJ’s book in our library collection in print, e-book, and digital audiobook. If your public library subscribes to hoopla, you can get the audiobook right now, no waiting.
My journey with J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them proved an uneven ride. The special effects as with all the Potter films were for lack of a better word – magical. I liked that the pacing of the film was slower than most big action adventure fantasy films. But the actual story didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would. I found the characters predictable and the story dull. The final street and building exploding scenes gave most viewers what they wanted – urban destruction. For me I wanted more. Why can’t we make a smart, sensitive story about magic without all the destruction and mayhem? Why can’t we have a complicated script that pulls in the thinking adults while keeping the kids happy with lots of beautiful visual effects? Ugh! I didn’t hate Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I just didn’t love it. 3 out of 5.
I tried an episode of Syfy’s The Magicians, a sort of grad school Harry Potter series based on Lev Grossman’s novels. Haven’t read the books, but the series rips-off too many facets from Potterworld. Plus the lead actor’s 70’s hair drove me crazy. I kept wanting to cut it while simultaneously realizing he probably paid $300 for it. Full disclosure I barely made it through one episode so perhaps it gets better as the series travels forward? I’m not sticking around to find out. 2 out of 5. Next.
1997 brought the lovely indie, I Think I Do which combines two of my favorite things in the entire world – a gay male love story and the music of The Partridge Family. Yes, you heard that right. I still sang along tonight as I watched I Think I Do again after all these years. Love the cast – Alexis Arquette (pre-transition), Christian Maelen, Lauren Vélez (Oz, Dexter), Jamie Harrold, Guillermo Díaz (used to be in a lot of gay indie films, now only one word describes him – Scandal), Maddie Corman, Marianne Hagan, Tuc Watkins (Desperate Housewives), and Marni Nixon. The plot is achingly simple – a group of college friends live together in a beat-up apartment. Gay boy falls for straight boy roommate, straight boy really isn’t straight but doesn’t know that yet and punches gay boy. Drama ensues. Five years later the gang reunites for a straight couple’s wedding. Gay boy now has a good job in NYC and a handsome soap opera actor boyfriend. Straight boy is no longer straight – he’s come out but only to his stoner straight friend from college. Seriously this is a pretty standard story. And it’s all low-budget indie. And it’s peppered with wonderful Partridge Family songs. Corny, madcap Rom-Com as part of the New Queer Cinema explosion of the 90’s. Director Brian Sloan‘s I Think I Do captures a pre-Marriage Equality moment in time that is innocent and full of great pop songs from the 70’s. What’s not to love about I Think I Do? 4 out of 5.
I applaud Netflix for streaming Kink.com, a sexually explicit documentary. Especially given the general population’s (i.e. curious straight women) interest in Fifty Shades of Grey these past few years. James Franco produced the documentary about the world’s largest producer of BDSM porn – Kink.com. Cinematographer/Filmmaker Christina Voros unravels the world of bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and masochism (slave and master). There is a lot to bite off for a 90 minute documentary. Voros focuses her lens on the Kink company interviewing the founder, directors, staff, and models. Kink does all kinds of porn – sexual orientation-wise as long as it falls within the realm of BDSM. The filmmaker does an outstanding job allowing the voices of those working in the industry to share their stories and explain what it means to not only be involved in this side of sexuality personally, but professionally. How are the female models treated? Are the doms all experienced subs as well? What about consent? Can you be a feminist and still be pro-porn? Can you create scary scenarios with safe words that allow people to go to places in their mind as well as their body to experience heightened states of awareness? All of these questions and more are explored by female and male directors shooting straight scenes, a male director shooting gay scenes, and a trans male director shooting solo female scenes. The models vary from experienced to newbies. Everywhere you look there is a professionalism about this particular company that cannot be denied. And perhaps it is because of the very nature of the work they do that everyone employed at Kink.com comes at their work seriously, creatively, artistically, and safely. Kink.com is a snapshot of a particular niche in porn. It’s certainly not representative of all porn. But I couldn’t help but be impressed not only by the quality and intelligence of the film making, but the honesty and well-roundedness of the people interviewed. My only caution is this film visual shows porn being created, so there are many scenes of naked men and women, hard-on’s, pussies exposed, and hardcore in every sense of the word scenarios. So just like kink in general, if it’s not your cup of tea, move on. But for anyone interested in a good dissection of this fascinating part of human nature and the capitalists making money on it, check out the intense Kink.com. 4 out of 5.
Finally caught up with HBO’s fantasy series, Game of Thrones. Have only heard great things about this series from many people and media sources. It’s very well done. Fantastic costumes, CGI, cinematography, acting, editing. Has a real epic feel to it. I watched 2 1/2 episodes and by the middle of the second episode realized I just wasn’t feeling it. The stories aren’t grabbing me. Other than a very young female character who wants to be a swordsmen, the women’s roles are relegated to care-taker, queen, mother, or whore. Most of the men are full of bravado. Peter Dinklage is a great actor, but I’m having trouble with his highlights and new haircut. It just doesn’t fit the setting in my opinion. I’m sure I’m in the minority on this one. I didn’t hate it. I’ll give it a 3. But I didn’t love it and frankly there’s 8 other seasons of television waiting for me, so I have to be at least a tad particular about what I watch with a queue that long. Btw, that queue has been around since November. Many of those shows (Homeland, and new seasons of The Big C, The Good Wife, Treme, The Walking Dead, etc. have yet to come out on DVD). A week from Friday I’ll start watching Boardwalk Empire thanks to my niece Lauren’s loan of her DVDs. Thanks Lauren! Meanwhile I’ll try to get through a few more films this week and fall back on more True Blood (S2). I’ll leave the Thrones to others who are loving it. Enjoy.
The time is now! Every year for 14 years, the public library I work for hosts a One Book One Town event. Each year we invite the author to come in-person for our signature event. This year, we are hosting The House in the Cerulean Sea author TJ Klune locally at our newly renovated theater across the street from where I work. We are also creating a YouTube live event, so all of you can join in the fun! TJ’s book is remarkable. It’s the perfect book for 2022 full of fantasy, found family, and a sweet, gentle slow burn of a queer love story. Click on the link below to register for the virtual event tonight! in order to get the link to YouTube.
y journey with J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them proved an uneven ride. The special effects as with all the Potter films were for lack of a better word – magical. I liked that the pacing of the film was slower than most big action adventure fantasy films. But the actual story didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would. I found the characters predictable and the story dull. The final street and building exploding scenes gave most viewers what they wanted – urban destruction. For me I wanted more. Why can’t we make a smart, sensitive story about magic without all the destruction and mayhem? Why can’t we have a complicated script that pulls in the thinking adults while keeping the kids happy with lots of beautiful visual effects? Ugh! I didn’t hate Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I just didn’t love it. 3 out of 5.
I tried an episode of Syfy’s The Magicians, a sort of grad school Harry Potter series based on Lev Grossman’s novels. Haven’t read the books, but the series rips-off too many facets from Potterworld. Plus the lead actor’s 70’s hair drove me crazy. I kept wanting to cut it while simultaneously realizing he probably paid $300 for it. Full disclosure I barely made it through one episode so perhaps it gets better as the series travels forward? I’m not sticking around to find out. 2 out of 5. Next.
Reel Charlie 