From Mishima to Midnight in 32 Seconds

There is a lot of love about Paul Schrader's film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters -- the visuals are incredible and the score by Phillip Glass is a world-class one, and it's further proof that Paul Schrader is the gayest "straight" man on Earth -- but I've always been disappointed by it all the same because the real life writer and filmmaker and homosexual fascist Yukio Mishima was actually more fascinating and more deranged and, well, hotter (see up top), than the movie ever is. I'll always recommend Mishima's own film called Patriotism over Schrader's sort-of-biopic any day. (And Criterion has released that movie themselves.) 

But since Criterion is now upgrading their Mishima disc to 4K come June I'll go ahead and admit I cannot wait to see the new restoration -- I sort of wish they'd add Patriotism itself to the special features of this disc if they're not going to upgrade that one from DVD but I guess we can't have (anything) everything. 

That said the June release I'm the most excited about isn't that one -- it's William Friedkin's Sorceror in 4K! I've admitted before that I only saw this movie about five years ago for the first time -- I know I'm not alone in being thrown off by its title; I thought it was a fantasy movie for the longest time a la Krull or Zardoz aka some bargain basement shit from a period and genre that I'm not super interested in. But no it's a remake of Clouzot's 1953 thriller Wages of Fear (which Criterion helpfully just dropped onto 4K earlier this month) and it turns out that it ranks among Friedkin's greatest accomplishments. It's a spectacular film, tense and hypnotic and so much stranger than you're expecting it to be. It haunts me. I got to see it on a big screen last year and man alive does it play like gangbusters that way. Anyway it immediately became one of my favorite Friedkins and I wish I'd seen it earlier. (And speaking of amazing scores the one here from Tangerine Dream is The Shit.) 

And then further on in June we've got The Wiz hitting 4K -- the 1978 reworking of The Wizard of Oz with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson has always creeped me out in a not good way, but I know it's iconic to a lot of people so I'll shut up! -- and then the 1988 documentary Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser about the jazz musician, which, yeah, not a jazz person so this isn't for me either. So moving right along...

... because this is a loaded month, there's also the 1939 screwball comedy Midnight starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, and John Barrymore -- I have never seen this. Any fans? It was written by Billy Wilder so I'm sure it's crackling and it's got one of those great fake-identity screwball plots where Colbert infiltrates Parisian society pretending to be a Hungarian noblewoman. I'm sure it's fun and thankfully it's on Criterion Channel to watch right now so maybe I'll watch it this weekend to gauge my interest in a hard copy. 

Next up there's François Girard's 1993 pianist bio-pic Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould which is one that's been on my to-watch list for decades now but I've never gotten around to. 1993 was right around when I was beginning to turn into a movie dork properly so I remember hearing a lot about this one at the time, but we've never crossed paths. Its pastiche approach to its story, which tells Gould's life in 32 separate chunks that range from animation to interview -- always sounded like a treat so I'll definitely be seeking this one out at last, for sure, now that I have been re-reminded. Oh and the final June drop is Terry Gilliam's masterpiece Brazil in 4K. Certainly no slouch to end with there!

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I don't know where the tenacious sleuths on Tumblr dug up this shot from On Swift Horses, the forthcoming (out on April 25th) movie film starring Diego Calva and Jacob Elordi as forbidden lovers but this shot was not in the trailer they released a few weeks back -- I giffed all the good stuff in that one right here. Maybe a new clip's been dropped somewhere? It's too early for me to do much more digging -- I slept like hell last night and need to finish this great big coffee sitting in front of me -- so let's just enjoy that gif of the two gorgeous actors bumping tighty-whities for now. Good morning!

Sexy Spy Time

Extremely happy to have loved Steven Soderbergh's new movie, the spy thriller Black Bag starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as a pair of married spies who find themselves doubting -- or do they? -- each other's motives when there turns out to be a mole among their agency. It's a smashing good time, sexy and stylish as hell -- head on over to Pajiba to read my thoughts. And here's a bonus photo of Fassy with his ridiculously handsome co-star Regé-Jean Page because duh:

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Pride (2014)

Bromley: They called us perverts.

Mark: Bromley, it's time for an
important part of your education.

Hands up, in this room, if you've ever
been called a name like that.

Now, there is a long and honorable
tradition in the gay community

and it has stood us in good stead for a very long time. 

When somebody calls you a name... am I right Jonathan?

Jonathan: Dead right.

Mark: You take it and own it.

A happy 33 to George MacKay today! He's certainly come

a very long way from Pride, but I gotta go re-watch Pride.

What a wonderful movie it is. Happy day, Georgie boy!

Sam Nivola Two Times

(via)

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I'm probably seeing what I want to see but it looks to me like there's just one bed in this picture of Anora stars Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov sharing an Oscar day hotel room and since I already loved their love so much (no matter how conflicted I might be about the movie as a whole) I appreciate this brief little continuance of that. Let your minds wander...

I love their love @neon-rated.bsky.social #Anora

[image or embed]

— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) March 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Queer (2024)

Doctor Cotter: What are you so afraid of? Hmm? 

Door's already open. Can't close it now. 

All you can do is look away. But why would you?

I suppose to those of you who haven't seen Queer yet the above image of Lesley Manville might come as a shock, as it did to me when I saw the movie for the first time during NYFF last fall -- that is not the Lesley Manville we're used to seeing! But that's one reason to love it -- another being she is, as always, fantastic. (Her delivery of the moment quoted above gives us one of the most heart-rending moments in the film.) Anyway yes this makes two Queer posts in a row -- I just posted about how the 4K blu-ray of the film is being released in the UK in April -- but I only just noticed today is Manville's 69th birthday so we gotta wish her a happy one. Lesley Manville rules! 

Oh but wait -- another Queer-adjacent thing! Let's keep ourselves from posting three posts in a row by doubling up and using this opportunity to share the video for HAIM's new song "Relationships" which features actor Drew Starkey giving a sexy-ass wordless performance as "The Sexy Music Video Guy." You know the one. They all have to do the same thing in these videos. Be sexy, stare longingly at the singers, et cetera. He does it well!

A Queer Coming Home

As of this second the only place that has it for pre-order is Amazon UK and there very well might -- hell, it will -- change soon. But I am impatient. And so here, click here, and you can pre-order Luca Guadagnino's film Queer on 4K thanks to the fine folks at MUBI for a release on April 28th. This is the first and only physical media release news we've gotten for the film which was released by A24 here in the US -- we'll have to wait and see if they're going to give us a proper edition here in the States and if they do announce that then you can go cancel your Amazon orders like I plan to. For now, prepare in advance, I say! The UK disc is region-free so it'll play fine here if you have a 4K player. Anyway here is my review of the film, which ended up at #2 on my list of the movies of 2024. I love its weird ass more every time I watch it. 

Parker Posey Island Hop

The cast for In Bruges and Banshees of Inisherin writer-director Martin McDonagh's next movie is shaping up and it's a good one -- this past week Parker Posey and Steve Buscemi both joined the already-cast Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in what's being called Wild Horses Nine. Buscemi is replacing Mark Ruffalo (and I feel like that's the first and only time that sentence has been or will be uttered) and the movie will shoot on Easter Island of all places later this month. I have to admit I sort of feel like Sam Rockwell is a harbinger of doom as far as McDonagh movies go -- he starred in my two least favorite movies from the director previously. But maybe their third time together will be a charm? And Posey's presence more than makes up for anyone else. Our queen! I'm slightly curious what y'all are thinking of her work on The Whote Lotus but also hesitant to ask because just know I vehemently disagree with any complaints, of which I know many are going around. I think she's hilarious AND I think she's nailing the accent. So there!

 

You Just Got Eye Fucked, Zane Phillips

From what I can tell this video's like a year old so I imagine it's from an awards show where Fellow Travelers was nominated (that's actor Jelani Alladin on the left side of the frame) but who cares about context -- if Jonathan Bailey looked at me the way he was caught looking at Zane Phillips there I would turn into a puddle of mush on the floor and I feel the need to have that look documented here on the site, context or no. Phew! I got the vapors!

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, Gratuitous Robert Gilbert

I feel bad, for reasons the above photo make clear, that I don't remember actor Robert Gilbert when he was apparently on Killing Eve for seven episodes -- in my semi-defense that was a show I watched all of but only sort of watched, if that makes sense. Anyway if the above photo was of him on that show I'd certainly remember him, but it's not -- it's from some series called Big Boys which is an incredibly appropriate title given the above photo is all I know of it. Anyone watched that, or remember him from Killing Eve? Anyway once that photo entered my life I dug up a few more and I have them for you after the jump, enjoy...

If Thou Canst Cuckold Him

Every day i enter the lottery for Othello tickets (sometimes twice!) and every day I lose. (Also sometimes twice.) So this post is me putting positive energy into the world. You will win Othello tickets, you will win Othello tickets, you will win Othello tickets... sigh. I've managed to see Jake every other time he's done theater but the cost of Othello tickets is out of my reach. No wonder the show is breaking box office records -- it's a thousand bucks for a decent seat. Thus endeth my whine for the day. Carry on.

Leo Woodall Five Times

As confided a couple of weeks ago I'm still watching the Apple series Prime Target since I needed something reprehensibly dumb to turn my brain off with and my god it's filling that quota -- who cares though when Leo Woodall is too adorable to turn away from? I vegged out through two more episodes last night and I can say with complete confidence that I enjoyed them ten thousand percent more than I did the episode of Severence that I watched directly after. (I saw somebody describe Severence as a show that thinks it's much smarter than it actually is and that's where I am on it. What a snooze this season has been.) Anyway with Leo on my mind I dug up this photoshoot from several weeks back (via) for us to enjoy right here after the jump...

Tales Tales & Get Sunk

My music posts always feel like solitary little islands among the beefcake and movie shit but I don't care -- if there's Radiohead or Radiohead-adjacent news I will post it dammit! And today comes word that my favorite band's front-man Thom Yorke has a new side-project getting released in May -- an album called Tall Tales that he worked on over the past several years with producer and musician Mark Pritchard. It's out on May 9th and you can pre-order yourself a physical copy at this link (or at participating record stores!) and they dropped a video of the first song called "This Conversation is Missing Your Voice" down below. I do wish Radiohead would make a new record (it's been EIGHT years since their last one!) but I tend to love everything the members put out seperately too (especially Thom and Jonny) so I'm all over this.  

But wait there's more music news today! Speaking of singers going solo -- The National front-man Matt Berninger has also dropped the pre-order for his second solo album called Get Sunk, and you can pre-order that right here. (Including a signed limited edition seen below.) I liked Matt's first solo album a lot so I too am also all over this. Perhaps you will be as well. Or not. More beefcake to come, don't worry!

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I love it when actors do the work for me -- and you can chisel that on my tombstone -- so thanks to German actor Matthias Schweighöfer for posting this new photoshoot in honor of his own 44th birthday today! Schweighöfer was a great big star in Germany before making some in-roads here in the States thanks mainly to Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead zombie action movie -- his character even got his own spin-off prequel with Army of Thieves the same year. And then he had a small role in Oppenheimer too but then well who didn't? Anyway he first caught our eye well before that, romping about in his altogether with his buddy and also MNPP fave Florian David Fritz in the movie 100 Things which I must've posted about a half billion times back circa 2018. Maybe that's how he also caught Zack Snyder's eye! Sounds about right to me. Anyway hit the jump for the birthday boy's full fine new photoshoot...