Yura Star!

How lovely! An opportunity to post a couple of pictures of Anora breakout star Yura Borisov! And with some helluva news, too. For a quick minute the headline for this news freaked me out -- all I saw was a THR headline with "AI" and "Luca Guadagnino" in it and I was like, "Noooooooo Luca!" I feared he was going the Natasha Lyonne route of disappointment. But no it's not that thankfully -- Luca is attaching his name to a movie called Artificial that is about the true life story of Open AI and its CEO Sam Altman, who was fired and rehired over the course of a couple tumultuous days in 2023.  So a Social Network kinda biopic sitch is what I'm getting from this. Anyway as for casting Yura isn't playing the lead Altman...

... that would be current Luca love Andrew Garfield (who's the star of his already filmed After the Hunt which is out later this year), which makes the Social Network connection feel even more on point. Yura would play "Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder who led the movement to get rid of Altman" while Timmy's A Complete Unknown co-star Monica Barbaro would play another person of interest, chief technology officer Mira Murati. THR says that Amazon is gung-ho on this project and wants it to shoot this very summer, so perhaps our skepticism about Luca's many unmade projects should be set aside on this one. We'll see. 

Cosmo Jarvis Plays the Other Man of Steel

Somehow I totally missed this news that dropped a couple of weeks back -- Variety reported that our talented boy Cosmo Jarvis is going to play Joseph Stalin in a movie called Young Stalin, directed by Georgian director Géla Babluani and based on the bestseller by author Simon Sebag Montefiore. You can see a photo of what Stalin looked like in his earlier days down below -- I'd say Cosmo's pretty good casting, especially once he slaps on that stache. Apparently Little Joe got himself into all sorts of criminal shenanigans involving bank robberies and that's what this story's about -- I don't know why they'd feel the need to draw a throughline from a life of criminality to dictatorships these days. So weird. Just coming out of nowhere, that one! (As a more pleasant aside if you'd like a couple more photos of Cosmo from the shoot seen up top, click here.)

Quote of the Day

Everybody say thank you to Interview Magazine today because they got Tony nominees Mia Farrow and Cole Escola to chat with each other and you've got to go read it right now -- I promise you it's a gay movie nerd's slice of heaven. Cole's a Classic Hollywood nerd of course and they get Mia to dish all sorts of stories from her storied Hollywood past hanging with Bette Davis, George Cukor, and in the best passage of their chat an incredibly strange and hilarious series of happenings with Joan Crawford which I must share in full...

FARROW: You’re a real movie buff. Are you seeing enough big emotions in movies these days?

ESCOLA: No, I like melodrama and high stakes that maybe don’t make sense. Silent movies, I find particularly moving right now. Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid or even Joan Crawford in Dancing Daughters.

FARROW: She’s scary. And she was scary in person as well.

ESCOLA: Oh, did you meet her?

FARROW: Yes. I more than met her. I forget what movie was shooting, probably that one with Betty Davis, the scary one. 

ESCOLA: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? 

FARROW: If that was shot at Fox, then that was what they were shooting. And for whatever reason, she started sending a whole refrigerator of Pepsi Cola for my trailer ’cause I was in a TV series called Peyton Place. I don’t particularly like Pepsi Cola, but a lot of Pepsi Cola kept coming to my trailer, more than anyone would ever want. And then she came over to see me and I got a strange vibe from her. So I’m back in New York, and she knew my mother. I hung up people’s coats for my mom when they came into the house. And I hung her coat and out falls a flask of alcohol. She grabbed it like that, and she put it in her handbag. She drank quite a lot. Then she invited me to her apartment. I thought it was a party, but I arrived, and I was the only one there. 

ESCOLA: In New York? 

FARROW: Yes. I was 17, and everything was green in her apartment. It just had very low lighting. And there were no other guests, just Ms. Crawford and me. And I just wasn’t very comfortable. 

ESCOLA: Of course. 

FARROW: So I just made up a lie that I wasn’t feeling very well and I didn’t want to give her any diseases. I think I said the word “diseases” as I walked out of the room. I was scared of Ms. Crawford.

Do we think Joan was coming on to baby Mia? I've heard many a bisexual rumor about Joan before and this feels like Joan was hot for the little girl. I laughed so hard at Mia saying "I think I said the word 'diseases' as I walked out of the room" lol. What a life. 

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

Well here's a piping hot and totally random treat for an otherwise banal Tuesday morning -- I forgot until just now that I'd stumbled upon this vintage batch of Shōgun (among many many many other things) actor Hiroyuki Sanada photos last week, but hubba hubba am I right? I've seen a couple of these photos before but never this whole lot, and this whole lot is worth the look-see. So get to look-seeing after the jump...

Happy 20 to MNPP

I've known that the 20th anniversary of this site was coming... well for twenty years techinically! I mean this seemed unimaginable when I started barfing up random thoughts for the sum total of myself back in 2005 but over the past couple of years it began to seem real, that we'd actually make it here to 20, and here we are. And yet all that time to prepare some thoughtful and I avoided it until now, today. So the usual! It's been 20 years of this -- you thought we'd change? Why would you want us to change? Why do you hate us so much??? Aww no playful antagonism -- I love that people still come and read MNPP after 20 (good lord) years. I'd be doing it without you because I have to, I literally cannot stop. But it's awesome and weird that I don't have to go it alone on this big horrible interweb. I know websites have changed, how we consume media has changed. I've read all the articles about the concept of individual personal "blogs" being an artifact of a dusty age. And I just keep on keeping. I'm a creature of habit -- indeed over the years I've self-diagnosed myself into a bit of a psychological condition on that front, but let's not stray too far into the weeds today! This is a thank you to everybody out there who's come here for twenty minutes or twenty years. I don't know what these past two decades (good lord) would've looked like without you and I don't want to. Y'all rock. 

And while that would be a lovely sentiment to end on I must also do what I do every anniversary we've marked -- lightly recommend you pay me! We always, more than you know, appreciate a tip here and there for our work, and there always are donation links over in the right-hand column -- or just can click here and drop us a nickel. It makes us feel special! (Oh and I also added a heap of movies for sale on our eBay this past week.) I am after all a blogger for money, I'll blog what you want me to blog... a blogger for money, and any old blogging will do....

Tramell Tillman Seven Times

Not to do Hollywood's job and put people in a box but once upon a time we didn't have any big beautiful out black gay men getting mainstream roles in movies and T.V. and then came Colman Domingo and it felt like... okay we've got one, that's all we'll get. This is how we've been trained, as queer people. So to have Tramell Tillman be gifted to us so soon after Colman became a big thing? It makes us very happy. (See more Tramell that we previously posted here.) From what I've heard he's a highlight of the new Mission: Impossible movie (still haven't seen it), and he of course marched away with the second season of Severance, so we're hoping Tramell can keep bringing the heat. He sure is in these photos for Them magazine. Hit the jump for them all...

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

I Stand With Phoenicia

Although we've had our ups and downs over the years (I still don't love Darjeeling) I've turned into a fairly staunch Wes Anderson defender, and so it's not a massive surprise I liked his latest The Phoenician Scheme even while opinions seem to be fairly mixed -- read my review that dropped over the weekend right here. I do think it's a mid-tier Anderson but as I say in the review that still means more movie magic than 90% of what we see elsewhere. Also this somehow marks his first time working with Michael Cera and even people who are mixed on the movie are like, "Well they're gonna work together again." Our little Canadian weirdo steals the movie, he does. (Except when Riz Ahmed is on-screen because Riz Ahmed is on screen.)

Good Morning, World

I had to check the calendar twice to make sure it was actually Monday before I said, "Happy Monday!" -- last week's holiday schedule has discombobulated me fully -- but tis Monday, so Happy Monday and here are a pair of gifs of Jacob Elordi in the movie On Swift Horses to make it happier. Okay movie, this one -- you can read my mixed review right here. It's available to rent online in all the usual places right now and there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours than Jacob Elordi and Diego Calva having lots of sex and Will Poulter showcasing his incredible edible bum. Indeed don't be surprised if I come back to share more gifs from this movie throughout the week. Anyway, onward. It's Monday, did ya hear?

Theo James Speedo Summer Friday

(click to embiggen) While I don't want to jinx this Theo James Speedo Experience we've been enjoying for several weeks now -- see the bulk of it here -- by saying this is the last photo we'll get, it does feel as if this photo is the summation of their efforts and they saved the best for last. Last-ish. Okay Theo could start pulling the speedo down, it's true, but we won't hold our breath. (Unless we have something blocking our windpipe...) Okay! On that utterly filthy note -- I'm only popping in for a second this here Friday because that photo demanded it. Last week was a holiday weekend so maybe it wasn't totally transparent (imagine if that speedo was totally transparent... okay I'm distracted again) -- I'm now on my annual Summer Friday schedule so there won't be any (more) posting today or any other Friday between now and Labor Day. I do have a Pajiba review going up this weekend but other than that -- sayonara til Monday y'all. Savor thee speedo...

Nicholas Alexander Chavez Six Times

If the former faux Menendez brothers Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch want to out-slut each other in rival photoshoots it's certainly fine by me -- we all win in a battle to the dick-print. NAC here is doing his part via Cosmopolitan magazine before the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot he's a part of hits theaters on July 18th. Here's that movie's trailer, which I have not watched. Is he the hot jock-boy Ryan Phillippe replacement? Will he have a locker-room scene of his own to turn an entire generation gay? Fingers crossed. For now hit the jump for this steamy little photoshoot...

Pics of the Day

Here are a pair of pleasant set photos of Michael B. Jordan and his big beautiful torso smeared with blood on the Sinners set for your enjoyment -- even though this movie's still making oodles of money in theaters it's hitting VOD next week on June 3rd, and then it drops on blu-ray etc. on July 8th. (If you haven't yet pre-order that right here.) I was hoping to see it again on IMAX but my schedule has not been participating and with Tribeca starting next week looks like that's another dead dream, oh well! Maybe they'll re-release it in autumn for awards attention; fingers crossed. (click to embiggen)

 

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

The Loveless (1981)

Vance: I'm a regular Joe. I've got an itch 

between my legs and an afternoon for a heart.

What a line. I gotta use that one. There is a small collection of Kathryn Bigelow movies on the Criterion Channel right now and although I haven't done so yet I just keep wanting to re-watch her first film the homoerotic biker flick The Loveless every single night when I get home this week. And why wouldn't I? A classic. Any fans?

Jai Courtney Six Times

With Dangerous Animals out next week and with me having now seen it (as foretold last evening when I posted some other photos of Jai Courtney looking extremely fuckable in a suit at a screening) I think y'all should expect several Jai Courtney posts to pop up in that time, if the world delivers me the content I crave to post anyway. Today these photos came from Jai himself (via), styled for the film's L.A. screening I do believe. Anyway point being...

... that the haircut Jai got in between the photos that I posted yesterday and these photos that I am posting right now is extremely hot, and this man continues to make me think alarmingly yet deliciously degrading thoughts. Ahem. Hit the jump for the rest...

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

Yes this selfie that Bad Bunny shared is a week old, but there are only so many Good Morning"s in a week y'all. And who doesn't want to click on this link to his big CK campagin photos any ol' day of any ol' week? Good thirst-day!

 

Insert Jaws Theme Here

Finally! I'm now finally off to see Dangerous Animals, the "Jai Courtney murders people with sharks while dancing in his underwear" movie directed by The Loved Ones director Sean Byrne that I've been dying to see since I first learned that it was going to be a thing. I was supposed to see it last week but the screening cruelly got canceled, all whilst other people who aren't me and therefore don't matter got to see the movie before me, in other places -- the nerve. Anyway yes, I'm off, but here to keep you company are two photos that Jai himself shared (via) from his recent screening of the movie in Cannes France, where a bunch of those people I just said don't matter did the most annoying thing possible and saw the movie before me. Buncha fuck faces! Somebody should sic a shark on their asses...

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming...

... of a ten movie 4K box-set of Wes Anderson movies! Have you ever seen anything so perfect? It's knocked the wind right out of my adjectives -- all I can exclaim is "Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!" The set drops on September 30th and you can already pre-order it at Criterion right here right now. It includes his movies (deep breath) Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenebaums, The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch -- correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe the latter two are the only ones that Criterion hasn't previously released in some form, although several of these have only been on blu-ray so the 4K is an upgrade. Checking Criterion's site right now tells me...

... they're also releasing the two previously-unreleased films outside of the set in September, as standalone discs, just in case you already have all of the others and you don't want to double-dip with a four hundred dollar box-set. You can get Isle of Dogs right here and you can get The French Dispatch right here. But back to that box-set because holy fucking hell is it beautiful! Hit the jump and I'll share the massive collection of special features... 

Which is Hotter?

Actor and MNPP fave Austin Nichols recently became a feature film director with a movie called The Salamander King that premiered at the Dallas Film Fest last month, and which stars actor and MNPP fave Justin Chatwin! Not sure where the movie will be seen next -- I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled -- but for the time being the two MNPP faves were caught hanging out together on a boat this past holiday weekend (click the photo to embiggen it) and natch we gotta present you with our poll...

online polls