my new plaid pants

Monday, January 13, 2025

Furry Full Moons & The Men Who Love Them

Heads-up and yoo hoo, I've got a half-day today here on this hellscape called The Internet (except for our little corner of horny safe space natch) -- I've got a pair of screenings to attend to, and yes one of them stars the fine fellow seen above. My expectations for I'll just come out and say it Wolf Man have taken a hit given the bad buzz so I did something I never do -- I watched a clip they released! Ever since David Naughton's werewolf transformation awoke something beastly in my own loins I cannot resist one, so I had to watch...

... the video of Mr. Abbott's turn in the hair-sprouting pants-shredding spotlight, and... well yeah, my expectations for this movie unfortunately remain basement-adjacent. Fingers crossed I am incorrect, or they at least see fit give us some good butt like that Kit Harington wolfman movie did. At least give us that to chew on! But in summation here is that bit of tranformation clip to keep you if not "entertained" at least distracted until I'm back tomorrow:

Colman Domingo Two Times

Eat The Night Right Up

Hey oh a new review from yours truly dropped over the weekend -- click here to read my thoughts on the French crime thriller slash family drama slash video game treatise Eat the Night and yes, yes, a thousand times yes, there is too much going on in this movie, but I still mostly liked it anyway. Obviously it doesn't hurt that the film's leading men (Erwan Kepoa Falé and Théo Cholbi) have some really hot sexual relations in the movie -- a funny factoid about them that I mention in the review is that both actors were also in Ira Sachs' film Passages! Which also had its own share of hot sexual relations and complicated characters. Mind you Eat the Night is no Passages but it's got its own thing going on that I found myself drawn to.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I know people find Michael Shannon odd, and he is, but I personally am extremely drawn to his kind of odd, so this photo of him laying in bed in the fuzziest pants I have ever seen in the new issue of Interview Magazine -- where he's interviewed by his Bikeriders co-star Austin Butler, sigh -- is to me the coziest thing to greet a week with. I wanna climb in there and spoon so hard! I haven't read the chat yet but I imagine it's mostly about The End, his end-of-times musical with Tilda Swinton and George Mackay that was one of my favorites of last year (here is my review) -- The End is available to rent at home at all the places now so I say do it! It's not the easiest sit -- especially in the year that 2025 has already been -- but I think it's really quite brilliant myself. Anyway happy Monday from me and Big Mikey!

Friday, January 10, 2025

Pic of the Day

Today has gifted us with a brand new photo of Jonathan Bailey in the next Jurassic Park -- excuse me, Jurassic World -- film, and looking at the way that shirt is hugging those shoulders and biceps of his has me thinking that Jonny is coming for Alessandro Nivola's crown as the The Hottest Dude in Jurassic Land. (Sorry fans but Chris Pratt has been nulled and voided for becoming the king of the douchebags.) I guess we will find out on July 2nd if Jonny is able to flex and woo the Velociraptors so hard that they stop rampaging with hearts in their eyes. or if he has to use those guns for sexy violence instead! (click to embiggen)

Go See This Masterpiece

That gorgeous new poster for Mike Leigh's latest masterpiece Hard Truths dropped earlier this week (via) just in time for the incredible film to drop today in theaters -- click here if you're not in NYC and wondering if it's playing near you. It is hitting several cities besides us today and a heap more next Friday so hopefully you'll get your chance. I reviewed the film in the fall at NYFF right here -- it is fully ludicrous that it's a question mark whether leading actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste will be nominated for an Oscar for the movie because her work in this film blows every other performance of the year out of the water. And there's been some terrific on-screen acting this year! But her turn here towers above the rest, and if AMPAS doesn't nominate her it will once again delegitimsize itself as a gathering of any substance or meaning whatsoever. I mean I personally decided that a long while back but that's not going to keep me from clanging the bell every time they do it again! (I also celebrate good wins -- like the character Marianne plays I am secretly not entirely vitriol. Just damaged!)

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

What a romantic! Elite actor Omar Ayuso is here to take us into the weekend looking like a 1994 boy-band star. It's like I can hear Boyz II Men's song "I'll Make Love To You" playing in my head, staring at that photo. Specifically that spoken word part. Remember when those songs would have a spoken word section in the middle? And they always gave those to the dude with the deepest nether-shaking voice. Ahhh memories. Anyway that. Happy Friday! (click to embiggen)

Thursday, January 09, 2025

And Speaking of Barry Keoghan...

... his movie with the legendary Andrea Arnold directing, the one called Bird, can now be viewed from the comfort of your couch, or your bathtub, or Jacob Elordi's bathtub even, thanks to the fine folks at Mubi. I love love loved this movie (which also stars our other boyfriend Franz Rogowski) when I saw it last fall -- here is my Pajiba review -- and you should expect to see it on my list of favorite 2024 movies whenever I get around to taking five minutes to write that thing down for y'all. It is magic. (pic via)

You Can Run But You Can't Hide From Colman

There are moments -- not often, but more than once -- where I wonder if I might Jekyll out sometimes and sneak off under the guise of a different personality to be a casting director. Some movies just have such Me Casts that I can't imagine anyone else being responsible. Maybe I have a twin I was seperated from at birth and we're communicating telepathically? Anyway that's where I am at today with the news that Colman Domingo has now joined the cast of Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man -- Colman being perfectly, exquisitely, cast as the evil game show host character that Richard Dawson played in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 (classic as far as I'm concerned) version of the movie. How great is that casting though? Colman has got Game Show Voice and Showman Swag for dayssssss. Anyway he's joining a cast that already includes Glen Powell, Katy O'Brian (our queen from Love Lies Bleeding), Lee Pace, Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, and my beloved weirdo Karl Glusman. Put this movie down my mouth please!

Chris & Barry Go Down

My memory of the headlines from TIFF was that Bring Them Down, the movie starring Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan, was sort of indifferently received (I didn't go to TIFF last year and haven't seen the movie yet myself) -- but checking its score on Rotten Tomatoes just now I see it sits at 93% so I guess my memory was faulty. Not the first time that's happened! Anyway the movie got a trailer this week because it's hitting theaters on February 7th, and that's what I am here for. That's what we all are here for. That plus that photo above of Chris & Barry being touchy-feely natch.

I wouldn't expect much touchy-feely in the movie itself though, since it's apparently a dark dramatic thriller about feuding Irish shepherds, but who knows? Maybe it's shepherds fueding with sexy results like in God's Own Country. Fingers crossed.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Drew Starkey Three Times

One mister Luca Guadagnino has photographed the new fashion campaign for the brand Loewe -- that's the one run by designer Jonathan Anderson aka the dude who's done the costumes for the films Challengers and Queer this year -- and part of the campaign stars one mister Drew Starkey, aka the co-lead in Queer. What a bunch of odd coincidences! Anyway you can see what I think is the full campaign (which also stars Guadangino fave Taylor Russell of Bones and All) right here -- I'm really partial to the photos of all the dresses suspended in the middle of the forest! Even if they don't have a hot piece like Drew in them, the pictures are something. That Luca fellow, he's going places. Oh and there are two videos from Drew's shoot -- see an official one here and the other behind-the-scenes one here. ETA okay so I was wrong -- this campign was shot by photographer David Sims -- it's early, I must have mis-read something, I don't know. Whatever, I'm not re-writing the entire post. Here's another photo to make up for my inexplicable blunder:

Good Morning, World

I've had a few gifs of The Hobbit and Being Human actor Aidan Turner rocking the world's hottest mustache burning a hole in my Plaid Pants for a few weeks now, but I'm glad I've waited to share them (they're all from his series Rivals) because now I've got even hotter (i.e. more naked) ones! I've been taken with Aidan for some many years now (as our archives can attest) but he's one who just keeps getting better and better looking with age -- the way he looks on this show has me spinning in my office chair like a top, steam whistling out my ear-holes. At least I think those are my ear-holes? It could be any hole honestly, I can't even tell anymore. Hit the jump for seven more hole-blowing gifs...

Callum Turner Six Times

Instead of constantly refreshing my social media accounts to take in the horror that is the Los Angeles fire right now -- and here is a good rundown of places too donate to if you're doing the same and feeling helpless; I also recommend buying one of these Parks & Rec themed charity posters from Bottleneck Gallery, with the 100% of the proceeds going to the LAFD -- here are a few photos of actor Callum Turner modeling for Louis Vuitton because he's always a good distraction. Not that this matters in the scope of what's happening out there but my trip to L.A. for the Critics Choice Awards this weekend has now been officially canceled so I kinda need some Pretty Man distraction myself. The show's been rescheduled for January 26th but that's right in the middle of Sundance so it looks like I'll be missing my first ever awards show, siiigh. But like I said -- that's extremely small potatoes compared to the devastation. And if there are any L.A. readers here in the house please please please stay safe! So yes let's all hit the jump and dip our anxieties into some sweet Callum for a moment...

Very important news! Robert Eggers' brilliant new Nosferatu will be hitting physical media at some point in 2025 and if you click here you can pre-order the 4K steelbook right now! They have Christmas marked as the release date at the link but I think that's just a temporary marker that will be changed when they have the actual date although who knows -- it is a verified Christmas movie after all! Here is my review if you missed it -- this movie will feature well in my eventual "Best of 2024" lists, have no fear -- I re-watched it for I think the fifth time last night and I love it more with every viewing. And for once my tastes seem to be matching up with the mainstream because Fangoria reported today that the film just passed 100 million dollars world-wide, a first for Eggers! Huzzah! I love thinking he might get a blank check for whatever he wants to do next!

A Different Armand

I know I have mentioned poster artist Akiko Stehrenberger here on the site before -- they're responsible for some of my favorite modern movie designs (and if you want a good primer why not buy my extra copy of Akiko's book off of eBay?) including the ones for Spring Breakers, Tar, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things, among many many many others. Anyway Akiko designed the new poster for the upcoming movie Armand, seen above -- Armand stars Worst Person in the World and A Different Man star Renate Reinsve...

... as a famous actress whose kid gets into trouble at school, which leads her to get sucked into a bunch of school drama among the teachers and fellow parents. The movie is great (yes I have seen it) and Reinsve even greater -- she has this extended inappropriate laughing scene for the ages. She's such a terrific actress. Anyway the movie is shortlisted for "International Feature" at the Oscars and it hits theaters February 7th (with a broader expansion the next week) and lo, here's the trailer: