Movies: Amelia Crashes, Dafoe Flashes, Pinchot Bashes

NATHANIEL ROGERS

Nathaniel Rogers would live inside a movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION

If you’re going to make a film about an aviatrix, it better soar. Mira Nair's AMELIA seems to understand this with reverent voiceovers about flight sprinkled throughout. It even begins by prepping for liftoff as we see Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) waving from her plane’s wing, about to embark on a historic flight. Unfortunately it's the historic flight, as in her last. Argh! The movie has opted for that musty old biopic framing device: Start at the famous end, jump backwards in time to see how it all began, count down with us to the famous celebrity death! When a biopic begins this way, you have to worry that it has nothing fresh to say, being closer in spirit to a Wikipedia entry than a movie.
 
From that initial take off, complete with an overzealous score that assumes every moment's a climactic one, Amelia the film zooms through Amelia the person's rise to fame as if we all know every detail and can't wait to get to that doomed flight. Though clearly in a rush to get there, it feels like it's crawling rather than flying toward its final destination. There's no window view into this woman and the storytelling discards abundant opportunities to actually show us about what it would have been like to be this hugely famous trailblazer. Shouldn’t a film about a woman who broke gender barriers in the workplace and also resisted them at home with an open marriage feel fresh or even electric in its daring?

You could blame the director but Mira Nair once made great movies like Salaam Bombay and Monsoon Wedding so that's no fun. Let's blame the actors!

MORE Amelia, plus: Willem Dafoe's penis, Montgomery Clift's eyes, Hugh Jackman's charisma, AFTER THE JUMP...

Ewan McGregor: I 'Quite Like' French Kissing Jim Carrey

Ewan McGregor was spotted greeting a man with a kiss yesterday in New York. A friendly kiss.

However, he's not opposed to the more intimate kind. The L.A. Times recently asked McGregor if he thinks America is ready for his prison romance film I Love You Phillip Morris.

Said McGregor: "It seemed to go down very well there at Sundance. It's a love story, an escape movie and a comedy, all about this man who goes to incredible lengths to be with the man he loves. I like it because it's a gay film, which is to say it's a film about two men in love, and I think that's an important element of it. But it's not a film about them being gay. They just happen to be gay. I also got to French kiss Jim Carrey a lot, and I quite like that too."

That film is due out in February.

Fantastic Man Launches Website

Fantastic Man, the Amsterdam-based men's fashion magazine, has just turned what used to be a subscription holding page, into a website. Not a lot there yet, but some potential, and a preview of their new issue featuring Ewan McGregor. Enjoy.

Ewan McGregor: 'Of Course' Phillip Morris is a Gay Movie

Ewan McGregor knocks down discussion at Sundance (perhaps to try and sell it) that I Love You Phillip Morris isn't a gay movie:

"Y'know there was a lot of talk about it at Sundance about it not being a 'gay movie.' Well, I think it is a gay movie. Of course it's a gay movie. It's about two gay men or three gay men, y'know? And a man whose relationships are with men. And although the humor isn't born out of the fact it's about gay men, it's a funny movie.  Y'know, I never wanted to be worried about the fact that it's a gay story because it is.  I hope they locked it that way. You can imagine that the people who deal with such things going, 'Oh, let's make sure people don't think it's a gay movie and y'know that won't sell.' But of course it is, and it's a good film."

The gay prison romance is set for release on Valentine's Day.

News: Daniel O'Donnell, Up, David Geffen, Twitter, Amazing Race

Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee to hear same-sex marriage bills tomorrow.

NYT profiles New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and the battle for marriage equality.

Guess who's losing their house now?

Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor prison romance I Love You Phillip Morris gets distributor, to open on Valentine's Day.

Rihanna and Lady GaGa team up for new track - listen.

Is my marriage gay?

ACLU pushes for marriage equality nationwide.

Gay adult print world suffers hit.

David Geffen wants to buy the New York Times: "Mr Geffen, a co-founder of DreamWorks SKG, made an offer in the past two months for the 19.8 per cent stake in the New York Times Company held by Harbinger Capital Partners, the activist US hedge fund controlled by Philip Falcone. His offer was rebuffed, two people familiar with its details said. One of these said the offer was made at the prevailing market price but Harbinger wanted a premium, adding that Mr Geffen remained interested in owning the company and would be 'a patient buyer'."

The official trailer for Pixar's Up, the first animated film to debut in Cannes.

AfterElton interviews gay and deaf contestant Luke and his mother Margie from The Amazing Race.

New Eating Out film is looking to discover you!

Charges dropped against man who threatened gay Connecticut lawmakers Michael Lawlor and Andrew McDonald: "A Connecticut man arrested for sending a threatening e-mail to state lawmakers has completed an anger management course and has had all charges against him dismissed. The lawyer for 26-yer-old Timothy Kane said Monday that Kane deeply regrets sending the e-mail and wishes no harm to the legislators." Background.

Duet: Leighton Meester and Cobra Starship?

A Banksy self-portrait?

ABC and Nightline to produce Twitter-fueled weekly news show.

Parents of slain Liverpool gay teen Michael Causer to receive book of condolence: "On a day that will see a rainbow flag fly above Liverpool Town Hall for the first time, Lord Mayor Cllr Steve Rotheram will present Marie and Michael Snr with the book. The flag will become multi coloured to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, celebrated each year on May 17."

NYT opinion: Obama faking left. "Four months in, the Obama administration does seem to have a plausible strategy for turning the “social issues” to liberalism’s advantage. The outline is simple: Engage on abortion, and punt on gay rights."

Tennessee marries same-sex couple: "The two have been married for more than a year but they recently found out their marriage is invalid, because both are considered men. Phillips and Rittenberry are the first same-sex marriage in Tennessee. Rittenberry, 46, and Phillips, 33, met through a hot-line service and legally wed in November 2007. Rittenberry was born a man but identifies as a woman and claims to have had sex reassignment surgery."

Jim Carrey Too Convincing at Gay Sex for U.S. Audiences?

Michael Musto has the goods on why the Jim Carrey - Ewan McGregor prison romance I Love You, Phillip Morris is having a hard time finding a distributor in the U.S. Musto talked to Lewis Tice of TLA, who has seen the film:

"The scene is not shocking in the sense that any body parts are actually revealed--both actors are nude, but the way the scene is shot, no pickle is on display. The surprising part is that the 'bottom' is this muscle, bearish type, who is on all fours, getting a really hard pounding by Carey (sic). It was mostly the tone and my perception of Carey as an actor, just because I never looked at Carey in a sexual manner and he was so dedicated to giving it to the muscle-bear and the sexual tone was authentic, it caught me off guard. I eventually got over it and I think Carey is convincingly fantastic in the film. But I think most folks are used to seeing Ewan McGregor naked and engaging in man-on-man sex, but Carey, not so much. So more power to him for going there."

I posted last week that folks are saying the film may go straight to DVD.