Movies: The Good (Gay Pride) The Bad (Teacher) and the Ugly (Cars 2)

Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake in "Bad Teacher"

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
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Don't let us speak of CARS 2. It drops the formerly good name of Pixar down in a muddy field and plays demolition derby with it. There you'll find all the tired anthropomorphic humor you could hope for  -- 'See they're just like us. See how that car is wearing a wig?! Oh, haHA *chortle*' -- and awful pandering messages for the Ugly American in everyone. "Don't bother learning about other cultures; it's their problem if you act like a fool in their country!" The multiplex is also offering up Cameron Diaz as a man eating BAD TEACHER eager to nom-nom-nom on Justin Timberlake and, in limited release, Demián Bilcher (Che) seeks a good life for his son in the noble sounding A BETTER LIFE. 

BONUS SCENE
Let's speak of happier things. Have you noticed how last century homophobia is becoming among male movie stars? All man-on-man chemistry used to come with "but I'm straight!" punch-pulling just as all interviews with straight stars in gay roles used to come with immensely repetitive heterosexual asides so that there could never be any doubt! Now, we've got movie stars like James Franco who enjoy the speculation, movie stars like Ewan McGregor who repeatedly star in gay roles or gay appeal projects (go see Beginners) and movie stars like Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy who just enjoy their hetero bromances with no hangups. Take this fun interview wherein McAvoy claims to have had sex with Fassy four times. It doesn't come with any weird I'M ONLY JOKING humor-killing so it's totally funny.

How many times has he had sex with Michael Fassbender? 

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Watch: 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

If you're like me, you've been waiting all day to see the trailer for the Matthew Vaughn-directed 'X-Men: First Class," starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and a bevy of other fine "mutants."

Well, the wait is over. Watch the trailer, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Brothers Tobey & Jake, Comrades James & Helen

NATHANIEL ROGERS 
would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION

Has anyone ever remade a film that you absolutely love? It can be odd to remove yourself from the familiar original while watching the shiny and new. Presumably not many people will have this problem with BROTHERS though I’ll admit up front that I did. This new war-at-home drama is adapted from a little seen Danish film of the same name. Natalie Portman plays Grace Cahill, a young mother and wife whose husband Sam (Tobey Maguire) has been assumed dead in Afghanistan. We know that he actually survived but Grace doesn’t and in the fog of grief discovers budding feelings for her brother-in-law Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), an ex-con, who begins to bloom when he takes over as man of the house. When Sam returns from war, with post traumatic stress problems, serious complications, tears and family drama arrive with him.

While it's heartening to see filmmakers still dealing with America during wartime (even if audiences aren’t exactly responding) and to see talented actors push themselves, the film plays a bit too histrionically to achieve the emotional force it’s going for with the family meltdown. I kept drifting back to the far superior original, which trusted the audience to watch for tiny shifts of feeling in all three of the main characters. Little earthquakes can be devastating.

Portman recently (and accurately) stated at a press conference: "I remember Jim [Sheridan] describing the Danish film as a woman's fantasy movie. Two hot guys wanting you and you love both of them." That's a reductive if enticing description but it's the picture I was hoping to see again and one you should definitely rent on DVD.

There's a lot to recommend in another new film, THE LAST STATION, not the least of which is the deflowering of James McAvoy.

MORE, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Kucinich, Friedkin, Naugle, Gyllenhaal, Lieberman, McAvoy

A second gay candidate joins race for Mayor Naugle's seat in Fort Lauderdale: "Political newcomer Earl Rynerson, owner of a tile store, joins former City Commissioner Dean Trantalis as an openly gay mayoral hopeful. Rynerson said he wants to polish the city's image, which he said was tarnished by Naugle. Naugle last summer uttered a quote that was heard across gay America: 'I use the word homosexual. Most of them aren't gay; they're unhappy.'"

Jake Gyllenhaal stumbles out in London.

Nigerian bisexual woman faces deportation from Canada, fears persecution: "She fears for her life. If she goes back with her children, she has no one there. Her family has shunned her because she is bisexual. She doesn't have any money and nowhere to go. If she's arrested [her children] will be without a mother. They'll already face extreme discrimination because they were both born out of wedlock, and in fact, Samuel has already endured a lot of harassment while growing up there."

ABBA come together for Mamma Mia premiere in Stockholm for first time in 22 years.

AUSIELLO: Producers on The New Adventures of Old Christine plan to marry off Julia Louis Dreyfus to Wanda Sykes!

The windows to Amy Winehouse's soul.

William Friedkin's The Boys in the Band to get DVD release on November 11.

Planning on picking up an iPhone 3G on Friday? Here's a map of AT&T's 3G coverage in the U.S. According to a Digg commenter, here's the code: BLUE = Full Coverage, RED/ORANGE = Decent Coverage, ORANGE = Meh Coverage, LIGHT ORANGE = Enjoy EDGE.

Church of Ireland may hold gay unions if homosexuality proven to be biologically determined: "If such comes to be shown, it will be necessary to acknowledge the full implications of that new aspect of the truth."

"Dude, look at your pants. Look at your bag. Obviously this is not your kind of place." Homophobic, or just edgy?

Details attempts to atone for past covers with James McAvoy's blue eyes.

MacBecks: Musical planned about David and Victoria Beckham...

Hagee YouTube suppression to rub off on Joe Lieberman?

East London couple turned away from wedding venue owned by Jehovah's Witness: "For the past 13 years I have been with my soul mate, I have never been discriminated against or been judged as they did to us."

Jaws: Australian town on alert after sighting of 22-foot Great White Shark in lake with outlet to the ocean.

Obama to give DNCC address at Invesco Field at Mile High. SF Chronicle on the rise of the Obamacon...

Killer of gay porn producer spilled details, sought legal advice from fellow inmate.

Honed down: Kucinich to bring single article of impeachment against George W. Bush. "Few in the House of Representatives have any intention of doing anything with the last 35 articles of impeachment Kucinich set before them last month, so the former presidential candidate appears to be lightening the load. Kucinich sent a letter to colleagues Tuesday asking them to support a single article of impeachment, to be introduced Thursday, which accuses President Bush of leading the country to war based on lies."

James McAvoy is a Wanted Man

For a number of reasons.

From the trailer for the upcoming McAvoy - Angelina Jolie assassin thriller, Wanted.