Just Say Oui

Every year the rising of post-Winter temperatures has become synonymous to me with France -- and why wouldn't it when France has brought us so much cinematic hotness a la Louis Garrel? But in this particular instance it's actually because FLC's annual fest "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema" arrives in March, and so the association's become a subconscious one after all these years. (This year marks the fest's 30th, so it's been running the entire time I've lived in NYC.) I'm feeling hot, the air is hot, and the screens are hot with, yes, Louis Garrel & Co. The fest runs for the next 10 days and you can check the entire line-up at the link above -- Garrel is in Quentin Dupieux's new movie (he's the surrealist mastermind behind movies like Deerskin and Rubber) The Second Act...

... which also stars Léa Seydoux and Vincent Lindon and is about a group of actors trying to make a movie they have no interest in making -- things apprently, as is Dupieux's wont, get meta and more meta from there. I haven't seen that one but I have seen a couple that I recommend -- I was taken aback by how lovely I thought Koya Kamura's film Winter in Sokchu was, which is about a French artist (Roschdy Zem) staying at a small hotel in a seaside Korean village where a woman (Bella Kim) who's never met her French father works. A terrific film, sweet and sad and well worth seeking out. Kim is incredible in it.

I also saw François Ozon's latest called When Fall is Coming, which is a typically twisty little thing about personal guilt and familial relationships that get blown up in ways you won't expect. It reunites the director with his Swimming Pool actress Ludivine Sagnier for the first time since that big hit of theirs, but it's really more of a showcase for actress Hélène Vincent. Oh and of course there's a hunk on hand (played by Pierre Lottin) because Ozon never lets us down on that front. 

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Good Morning, World

Some random Chris-piration this morning.

Yes, I said Chris-piration. I don't know. 

I sure feel Chris-pired though, whatever that means. 

Chris Mason Twelve Times

It only seemed fair once I stumbled upon this photoshoot of Dune Prophecy (and Riverdale) actor Chris Mason at Behind the Blinds magaine today to share it, since we gave a lot of attention to his co-star Josh Heuston while the show was airing -- granted Josh got his world-class ass out on the show and Chris did not, (although he did get shirtless!) but we should encourage Chris. Not discourage. Come on in, Chris, the water's fine! The show has been renewed for a second season so he's got time. For now let's dip ourselves deep in this full photoshoot after the jump...

Movies Movies Get Your Hot Movies Here

There have been some very cool physical media announcements in the past day or so -- yes, even on top of Bottoms! (I will never get tired of that one.) So here, a quick rundown of the three that feel the most important to me right this second. First Radiance Films (based out of the UK) have announced a blu-ray of Luchino Visconti's first film La Terra Trema (aka The Earth Trembles but I never see it called that). I've briefly posted about this movie a couple of times but mainly just to recognize that its leading man Antonio Arcidiacono (seen above) is one of the most stunning men every put onscreen. He wasn't a trained actor -- Visconti just had eyes. And so he put him in front of a camera and had him stand there. And that's why Visconti remains a legend! In all seriousness (not that I wasn't being serious already) this is a really stunning and meditative film that captures 1940s Sicily in all its neo-realist finery and I can't wait to see an upgrade from the shitty DVD I have of this. (PS when buying Radiance titles I recommend buying from DiabolikDVD or OrbitDVD here in the US -- it takes a little extra time but you save on shipping costs.) 

The other title from Radiance I recommend is Todd Solondz's 2005 movie Palindromes, which has gotten a full 4K upgrade in time for its 20th (!!!) anniversary. We'd figured this physical media release was coming because IFC is premiering this restoration in a couple of weeks here in NYC (and you'd best believe I'm seeing it with Solondz there to talk about the movie on opening weekend!) On that note there's a good chance this will get a U.S. release (maybe from Criterion, who's released most of Solondz's other movies here) so maybe hold off? Personally speaking I'm impatient so I already bought this one -- Radiance does beautiful work so I'm sure I'll be happy with their version.    

The third physical media release I'm recommending is the double-feature set of vintage porn-ster Arthur J. Bressan Jr.’s films Juice and Daddy Dearest from the mid-80s -- you can pre-order this set right here, which is coming to us to the elite queer historians at Altered Innocence. I haven't seen either of these yet but Altered Innocence has yet to steer me wrong, and I've liked what else I've seen of Bresson's work.

Oh and now that I'm thinking about it (it being gay porn) -- I don't think I mentioned here on the site prop-er that Vinegar Syndrome has Bruce La Bruce's two most recent works of art-porn  for sale this month -- click here for his twincest flick Saint-Narcisse (which isn't actually pornographic; just semi-obscene in theory really) and click here to buy his new movie The Visitor, a reowrking of Pasolini (Sidenote: Happy birthday, Pasolini!) that is very very pornographic indeed. Now look at all of this entertainment I have brought you! You won't have to pay attention to the nightmarish real world for literal hours!

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Good Morning, World

Well I guess we have our answer now, seen there, as to whether Marvel was going to force Charlie Cox to keep shaving his world-class man-pelt for his role on Daredevil or not! Boo! Boo! They could have easily just said it was an alternate reality or timeline when asked about the discrepancy -- they can bring back Robert Downey Jr in a totally different role but they can't do me this one favor? Boo! Boo! Okay I haven't actually watched last night's two hour premiere of Daredevil Born Again yet (mentioned yesterday) -- I will try tonight -- and I have otherwise only heard very good things about it. But I'm going into it with a very furrowed brow dammit! Below is a reminder of what we coulda shoulda had (and there are more pictures here):

Cosmo Jarvis Three Times

Big day for Cosmo-stans as not only was he featured in that Warfare clip I shared earlier but we've also got news of his next project, and it's a biggun -- he's just joined the vast cast of Chris Nolan's upcoming epic take on The Odyssey (thx Mac). No idea who he's playing in it but he's got a face for skirts and he joins the already announced (the movie is actually already filming) cast of (deep breath) Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Shiloh Fernandez, Himesh Patel, Elliott Page, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee and Corey Hawkins. We have of course been in the Cosmo-corner ever since we first saw him opposite Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth -- it took Shōgun for the rest of the world to catch up but that's fine because Shōgun is ace. And I know I should know better than to expect anything homosexual from Nolan but my god with this cast of actors and Ancient Greece as your setting... I mean we all know what Achilles and Patroclus were getting up to dammit!

Boys in Uniform

We've been keeping our eye on Alex Garland's upcoming war movie Warfare because its cast is a who's-who of do-me -- Noah Centineo and Kit Connor (seen above) plus Joseph Quinn, Henrique Zaga, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Charles Melton, Finn Bennett, and several more young actors of note. But also Alex Garland's an interesting director and we look forward to his movies even when they don't star the line-up for our filthiest dreams. Anyway the film's out in about five weeks, landing on April 11th, and we've just landed our first look at it via the below video. Watch:

The film was co-directed and co-written by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza, who's telling the story of his own experiences, so expect a real immersive verite thing -- if you can call something as gorgeous looking as the footage contained in that clip "verite" anyway. The film was shot again by Garland's Civil War DP David J. Thompson, who made combat exquisite in that film --  looks like he'll be continuing that streak. In summation after the jump are four pictures of Noah Centineo at one of the Oscars after parties this past weekend because his hair looks so so pretty y'all (what, I get distracted easily)...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Alex: You're here with a strange girl being a naughty boy.

Dan: I don't think having dinner with anybody's a crime.

Alex: Not yet.

A happy 84 to director Adrian Lyne today!

I always loved the set picture below -- so much hair!!

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Pics of the Day

The new season of Daredevil (subtiutled Reborn) is premiering on Disney+ today -- I was a big fan of the Netflix iteration mostly because it starred my boy Charlie Cox (even if he was so cruelly shorn -- no I will never shut up about it! You'll have to tear out my tongue to make me and even then I will draw little furry chest pictograms!) But it was actually, you know, a good show with a good cast besides Charlie too. So I'm looking forward to the new season for all of the above reasons. And as he's blessedly done in the past Charlie's trainer shared a couple of gym photos of Charlie to mark the occasion, and I am more than happy to help spread them far and wide. Trying to not make a dirty joke now so just cutting myself off before I go there...

Give Me Your Bottoms

And here is another update on a small post made at the end of last week -- we now have officially official word that the film Bottoms, a modern comedy classic, is indeed making its way out of the slush of streaming onto hard cold physical media -- huzzah! The fine folks at Kino are dropping it on May 27th and you can pre-order it on their site right here. It's got several special features too, which are listed at that link. If you're patient this will pop up at all of the other sites where you buy your physical media but why not suck it straight from the tap? That's what Ia lways say. Anyway here is my review of Bottoms, which I called "Tops!" because I am the greatest wordsmith since Wordsworth. 

Good Morning, World

On Thursday of last week I posted the cover image for this ICON magazine photoshoot of Jamie Dornan, and as promised therein here we are with the rest! Or what I think is the rest. Some scattered additionals might reveal themselves, as is the internet's wont, and...

... we certainly won't be angry about it. If you can speak Spanish (or if you're not being lazy like me and feel like using a translator on the website) you can read the chat with Jamie right here. I don't really know what he's advertising -- besides his own hot ass, which fine! -- since I checked IMDb and he doesn't have any immediate projects coming out. But hot ass is plenty! We liked being reminded it's there! Hit the jump for the (maybe) full shoot...

Pics of the Day

I thought I'd said all I needed to say about last night's Oscars in my earlier post and we could move on (as I'm always so super anxious to do with awards season) -- but then I remembered that nominee Isabella Rossellini wore a blue velvet gown to honor David Lynch and I started crying again! Just a perfect tribute -- if the show itself couldn't be bothered save a five second placard in their "In Memorium" segment to honor the most important American filmmaker of the past oh let's say fifty years, then at least Isabella and her seat partner Laura Dern got to be front and center and do their own little visual tribute. Sad they couldn't get Kyle Maclachlan and Naomi Watts beside them, but every time they cut to these two it packed a wallop. The Oscars, you might recall with the righteous fury of indignation I too carry, only ever gave Lynch an Honorary Oscar, and his acceptance of it got shuffled off to a side-show. As I've said before that was my breaking point with truly giving a shit about these awards. The break that started with Brokeback officially broke then! Anyway bless these two queens for representing.

Quote of the Day

Did y'all catch MNPP fave Alessandro Nivola during last night's Oscars show? I can't remember who it was that won (maybe the songwriters?) but they were seated behind The Brutalist actor and Nivola and his wife Emily Mortimer were sitting front and central on-screen for awhile as the people got out to walk to the stage and I yelped in excited recognition. (It was very the "Leo Pointing" meme.) Anyway Esquire chatted with Nivola about his custom-made tux and The Brutalist and his crazy year yesterday before the show, but my favorite bit was when they asked him about watching his son Sam Nivola on The White Lotus right now:

"You bet I have been watching season 3. From the looks of it, I may have to start watching some of it through my fingers. But I mean, it’s just amazing watching him. He’s done so well. I think he’s so good in it, and there’s something about his character that is so gentle and mysterious and really draws you in. I can tell that it’s headed in a direction that’s going to get a little hectic soon, so I’m bracing myself for the coming episode tonight. You know, Carrie Coon was texting me and wishing me luck for the Oscars, and I was saying I might have to slip out of the Vanity Fair party tonight to catch episode 3 before rejoining the fray. But, yeah, he’s kind of being shot out of a cannon now, and I’m so happy for him."

His saying "I may have to start watching some of it through my fingers" made me lol. No kidding! We've been leaning forward ourselves during Sam's scenes with Patrck Schwarzenegger but we have the benefit of not being his father haha. But in related news I passed out right after the Oscars last night and have not watched last night's episode of The White Lotus so nobody spoil anything in the comments please! I'll watch it tonight. And now I must insist you hit the jump for a couple more photos of handsome devil Alessandro looking sharp as fuck...

Goodbye Oscars Again

Conan O'Brien was doing such a good job putting on a good Oscars show -- along with the show's producers, who embraced the gaudy nonsense that the show should embrace, but more on that in a second -- that it wasn't until its second half that I realized I didn't give a shit about any of the movies or people winning the prizes. That they held off my annual Oscar annoyance and bitterness that long is an incredible feat! There are a couple of winners -- Flow for Best Animated film, Daniel Blumberg's incredible score for The Brutalist, No Other Land for Doc, and I'm Still Here for International Film -- that make me very happy. Several others are fine. But when you're as meh as I am about every single one of the top prize winners? Keiran Culkin is the only performance of the four acting winners I really like, but I could name twenty people I'd have handed that statue to over him including three of the other people actually nominated against him (I haven't been able to bring myself to watch The Apprentice yet). And I admit I need to re-watch Anora -- I have only seen it once at NYFF in the fall -- but y'all know...

... my repeatedly-expressed feelings there. And while I quite like The Brutalist I'm of the mind (apparently very very lonely of that mind) that Brody and Jones are its weakest aspects. (And JFC Brody's speech was insufferable proof that he remains insufferable.) 

Anyway I loved the production of the show, which embraced the hokey dance numbers of the past, and which really let -- for its first half anyway -- the nominees in all the craft cateegories get their due. Until they decided things were running too long and started cutting people off -- as soon as they start doing that I start getting tense and annoyed and the entire mood shifts. And then I started noticing that I wasn't liking the winners and yadda yadda Mikey Madison beat Demi and I was done. Y'all have thoughts? 

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