Movies Dearz

Prior to meeting Lisbeth Salander, the talented computer hacker at the center of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (scheduled to open in limited release this Friday), a man is warned: “Lisbeth is a pretty odd girl.” Glum, leather-clad, and sporting multiple piercings in addition to the skin art of the title, Lisbeth quickly proves herself not only a startling sight but a force to be reckoned with.

This bracing new film is based on the novel by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. Unpublished at the time of his death in 2004, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first in what is referred to as Larsson’s Millennium series. The first two books (the second is The Girl Who Played with Fire) have become international bestsellers and the third, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, is due out in the US later this spring.

The books have sold over 8 million copies worldwide to date. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been #1 on the Los Angeles Times paperback bestsellers list for the past two months. The film version is the highest-grossing Swedish film in history, and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at January’s Palm Springs International Film Festival.


Lisbeth Salander is the heart of the series, but she isn’t your typical literary or cinematic heroine. Despite being on probation and under a court-ordered conservator’s care following a crime she committed as a child, Lisbeth is an avenging angel who has zero tolerance for bullies, misogynists and unethical business people. She faces all three, as well as murderous Nazi sympathizers, in this initial mystery-thriller adapted from Larsson’s works.

What’s more, Lisbeth is unapologetically bisexual. She beds men and women, both on the page and on the screen. As played memorably by Noomi Rapace in the film, Lisbeth is physically strong but emotionally fragile. She’s also undeniably sexy. The character’s intellectual and moral superiority make her all the more attractive, and Rapace fully conveys Lisbeth’s complexity. Lisbeth bemoans the male domination of the Internet during a web search by asking, “Why do female names always take you to porn sites?”

In the novels and film, Lisbeth comes to the aid of a crusading financial journalist, Mikael Blomqvist (well played by Swedish superstar Michael Nyqvist). Blomqvist becomes a pariah in the wake of a fraud trial involving a powerful banker. Not only does the tycoon get off, but he also slaps Blomqvist with a libel suit. Suspended by the publication he writes for, Millennium, Blomqvist must find a way to clear his name.


He receives significant assistance from Salander, who is herself locked in a battle of wills with her vile new caretaker. At first, Salander keeps her identity a secret from Blomqvist. Good journalist that he is, though, Blomqvist soon tracks Salander down and discovers her in bed … with another woman.

Despite this, Salander and Blomqvist gradually become sexually involved. Salander is a refreshing character in terms of her refusal to be stereotyped or categorized. As she tells Blomqvist at one point, “You choose who you want to be.” Thus, Salander sums up her approach to life, including her bisexual orientation.

The pair of crusaders eventually become involved with the mysterious Vanger family, a wealthy, secretive clan that recruits Blomqvist to resolve the disappearance of one of their members in the 1960’s. While doing so, Blomqvist and Salander uncover a number of possibly-related serial killings inspired by the biblical book of Leviticus.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo weaves a dark, complex tale. While it isn’t as gruesome as the 1995 film Seven, to which it is being compared, it has enough sexual and physical violence in it to likely cause viewers to occasionally avert their eyes.

However, it is an engrossing, extremely well-made movie thanks chiefly to the lead performances, Niels Arden Oplev’s direction, Eric Kress’ cinematography and the adapted screenplay by Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel. The book’s author was reportedly very concerned about anti-democratic, right-wing extremism as well as with efforts to keep women regarded as inferior to men. Although he was only 50 when he died, the Millennium books are proving to be the embodiment of Larsson’s extensive knowledge and work against neo-Nazism and anti-feminism.

Anti-GLBT sentiment would also be of concern to Larsson. While the author is gone, his greatest creation — Lisbeth Salander — is clearly carrying the torch for an end to all forms of oppression.

UPDATE: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Great exploitation movies straddle the line between tawdry and hilarious, and the new film Bitch Slap (now on DVD) works hard to capture the tarnished magic of such classics as Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Thanks to a pitch-black sense of humor, truly gorgeous women and a wild backwards/forwards storyline, Bitch Slap is a raucous good time. And yes, it’s just as crass, offensive and sexed-up as it can be, but the fun Behind-the-Scenes documentary helps put the filmmakers’ goals in perspective.

Trixie (Julia Voth), Hel (Erin Cummings) and Camero (America Olivo) are ass-kicking lesbian hellcats who hatch a plan to steal a stash of jewels from a gangster. Shockingly, things do not go as planned. Of course, the fact that no one is who they seem to be has something to do with that. Writer/director Rick Jacobson shot in front of green screens for a majority of the film, which gives the film the requisite cheesy look. Jacobson and co-writer Eric Gruendemann worked on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, so it’s a welcome surprise to see Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, Renee O’Connor and Lucy Lawless in the cast. Lawless and O’Connor in particular are hysterical as a pair of repressed nuns. Like the Grindhouse films, Bitch Slap is full of over-the-top violence and sex (but no nudity) that might put off more sensitive viewers.


All three lead actresses manage to embrace the ludicrous situations and purposely cheesy dialogue. Campiness isn’t always easy for actresses (drag queens are much better equipped to handle it), but Olivo (wife of Christian Campbell from Trick), in the Tura Satana role, imbues Camero with a Gina Gershon earthiness, while matching the Showgirls star’s work in Bound. Cummings (Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Dante’s Cove), done up in sexy businesswoman drag, really captures Hel’s multiple personas. Voth, as the resident sex kitten, comes across like a sweeter Megan Fox.

Not everyone will be up for a Bitch Slap, but if you like Tarantino, kitschy dialogue and crazy over-the-top plots, not to mention a showgirl parachuting onto the Vegas Strip, do as the DVD cover instructs and assume the position.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

When he first sent a certain young girl down a certain rabbit hole 145 years ago, it is unlikely that author Lewis Carroll had any idea of the longevity of his fantastical creation known as Alice in Wonderland. From movies to stage to television to theme parks to comic books to video games, Alice and the bizarre denizens of Wonderland have endured many, many incarnations over the decades, all of varying degrees of quality and arguably none as iconic as its original literary form.

Director Tim Burton, seemingly a perfect fit for the material, has taken the latest crack at breathing new life into Carroll’s classic creations and the results are, like a lot of his work, mixed. On the one hand, his take on Alice (in theaters now) is a visual treat overflowing with his usual twisty whimsicalness and ironic sense of the absurd. But on the other hand, it has a frustrating lack of focus, characterized by his penchant to be a little too wrapped up in putting his unique imagination on display. If anything, this film’s computer generated landscapes and digitally enhanced characters (plus the added gimmick of 3-D) make this even more obvious.


Promisingly enough, Burton’s Alice is not a direct adaptation of the oft-told tale, but more of a sequel of sorts, a continuation (penned by Beauty and the Beast screenwriter Linda Woolverton) of what would happen if an older Alice returned to Wonderland. Now on the cusp of adulthood, we find our heroine (played by the lovely newcomer Mia Wasikowska) about to be married off to a rich snoot she doesn’t like, let alone love. To escape, she retreats into her childhood fantasies, namely a longtime recurring dream where she visits a fantastic land inhabited by all sorts of curiouser and curiouser beings, from mad hatters to disappearing cats to talking rabbits.

When the latter starts appearing in her reality, Alice once again follows him through the portal to Wonderland, and her adventures there begin again, as she curiously has no memory of ever being there before ...

UPDATE: Alice in Wonderland is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Alice in Wonderland at LaughingPlace.com.

Most gay men have what we might politely describe as "unique" relationships with our mothers. For some of us, dear old Mom is our biggest fan, while others of us would say Christina Crawford had it easy!

Mother, a new film by the extraordinary, Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho (whose last production was the great giant-monster-on-the-loose thriller The Host), has its own unique take on the love of a mother for her son. It opens today in LA and NYC courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Drawing inspiration from equal parts Oedipus Rex and Alfred Hitchcock, Bong weaves an engrossing murder-mystery.


Do-joon (Won Bin) is an immature young man who townspeople frequently refer to as "retarded." At the age of 27, he still lives with — and sleeps with — his doting mother (Kim Hye-ja, who gives a great, award-worthy performance). When a local high school student is murdered and Do-joon becomes the #1 suspect, his mother's protective instincts kick into high gear in an effort to prove him innocent.

There are twists, turns and revelations galore in this well-written, beautifully-shot movie. It also features a fine, suspenseful music score by Lee Byeong-woo that includes appropriate nods to Hitchcock's favorite composer, Bernard Herrmann. Mother will likely receive a gradual, national release, so watch for it. Just think twice about taking your mother to see it if it plays your town!

UPDATE: Mother is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Roman Polanski has crafted a suspenseful thriller with The Ghost Writer, even if the mystery at its heart is somewhat inert. Based on a novel by Robert Harris, the film benefits from recent revelations about Britain’s involvement with CIA terrorist interrogations.

Ewan McGregor plays a professional ghostwriter (never named) who is hired to finish the autobiography of a Tony Blair-like former prime minister. Already over his head, the ghostwriter has no idea how much worse the job will get. Britain’s former golden boy, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan, in a richly layered performance), is being investigated for “war crimes,” after allegedly having permitted British citizens to be tortured by the CIA. Oh, and the previous ghostwriter was found washed up on the shore after supposedly committing suicide.


The prime minister’s compound on Martha’s Vineyard is a hotbed of intrigue, from a manuscript kept under lock and key, an overly attentive assistant (played by Kim Cattrall) and Lang’s unhappy wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams from The Sixth Sense). It doesn’t take McGregor's character long to uncover conspiracies everywhere. Outside the gates, protesters demand Lang’s head on a platter, while inside, “the ghost” wonders if he’s about to lose his head for uncovering too many secrets. He’s unable to stop digging, though, leading to some cool plot twists and a bang-up ending.

Polanski infuses the film with politics and Alexandre Desplat fills the film with a rich Bernard Hermann-like score that plays up its resemblance to Hitchcock’s best thrillers. You can’t help but notice the parallels between the exiled Lang and the exiled Polanski, both men unrepentant about the crimes they committed. Sadness and fury hang over Lang, and you wonder whether the same hang over Polanski as well.


The cast, including Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton and Eli Wallach, are all great, although casting Cattrall seems odd among all the real Brits (and her accent is just short of working). Williams, McGregor and Brosnan rule the film, and their scenes are riveting.

Strangely, the mystery of “what Lang knew when” regarding Iraqi War detainees left me cold; maybe the fact that Bush, Cheney and company were so much worse makes Lang’s actions seem too tame to care about. Nevertheless, Polanski’s film looks amazing, and it’s hard to believe that it was filmed in Germany rather than in Cape Cod and London. It’s a thriller for adults that almost works.

UPDATE: The Ghost Writer is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Though it has grown in popularity over the years and now runs for ten days each July, the Outfest Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival still can’t come close to showing every GLBT film produced each year around the world. Thankfully, we have Fusion: The Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival to supplement Outfest and provide a unique showcase of the diversity within our own community. Fusion 2010 starts today and runs through March 13.

Wilson Cruz, the prolific stage, film and television actor, will be the recipient of the 2010 Fusion Achievement Award. Cruz made television history in the 1990’s as an openly gay teenager on the acclaimed My So-Called Life. He also played the HIV+ transvestite, Angel, in Rent on Broadway.


The Latino actor’s other credits include TV’s ER, The West Wing, Noah’s Arc and Rick & Steve, the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, as well as the feature films Nixon, All Over Me, Party Monster, Coffee Date, Bam Bam and Celeste, Supernova and He’s Just Not That Into You.

Cruz will also co-star in this year’s Fusion Gala film, The People I’ve Slept With. This delightful new comedy by acclaimed gay director Quentin Lee (Drift, Ethan Mao) focuses on Angela (Karin Anna Cheung), a sex-loving woman who discovers she is unexpectedly pregnant and isn’t quite sure who the father is. In Angela’s quest to find the mystery dad, everybody has advice: her gay best friend (played by Cruz), her conservative sister (Lynn Chen), and a handsome conquest (the very attractive Archie Kao).


Also of note in the cast of The People I’ve Slept With is veteran actor James Shigeta (who has appeared in everything from Flower Drum Song to Die Hard to Mulan) as Angela’s fitness-obsessed father and the very funny Randall Park, who nearly steals the show as “Nice but Boring Guy,” one of her baby’s prospective fathers. Well-written by Koji Steven Sakai, this accomplished film is a must-see for both men and women.

According to the Fusion press release announcing Cruz as the recipient of this year’s award, “Through his activism and art, Cruz is a role model of courage and honesty who inspires those within and outside the GLBT community.” Cruz has been especially devoted to the support and encouragement of GLBT youth. The Fusion Achievement Award will be presented to Cruz during the opening remarks of the Fusion Gala this Saturday night.


The traditional “Legacy Screening” at Fusion this year will be of 1967’s Portrait of Jason. The movie is noteworthy for being filmed in one wild night at New York’s Chelsea Hotel. Considered a landmark of non-fiction film,Portrait of Jason is the raw record of a confessional conversation with an African-American gay hustler recounting his life and times. The documentary’s director,Shirley Clarke, was a key figure in the American avant-garde and has been an influence on filmmakers and video artists over the last 40 years. It will be shown on Saturday.

Also being presented on Saturday will be the Fusion Shorts Programs. These series of GLBT short films will include the striking Boy Meets Boy, by director Kim-Jho Gwang-soo, as well as stories about transgender youth, a sexually conflicted jazz musician and a butch girl with a crush on a married woman. This year’s movies hail from the US, Wales, various parts of Asia and other countries.

Fusion screenings, parties and related events will take place at various locations throughout Hollywood. For more information about Fusion and to buy tickets, please visit the fest's official website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

One doesn't often hear the terms "cabaret" and "rocker" used together as a description, so I was intrigued when I saw them applied concurrently to San Francisco-based singer and musician Mark Growden. Growden's new album, the provocatively titled Saint Judas, is set for release on March 16.

Saint Judas is Growden's ninth CD, but his first full-length recording of primarily his own songs in eight years. During the interval, Growden grappled with a drug addiction that he, fortunately, overcame. Now sober for two years, the talented singer-songwriter has created a set of lyrically well-crafted tunes with titles that reflect lessons learned during his recovery, among them "Been in the Storm So Long," "Faith in My Pocket" and "Everybody Holds a Piece of the Sun." And as Growden movingly — and truthfully — declares of God's love in "The Gates/Take Me to the Water": "Every soul is welcome, be you a virgin, a whore, a sinner or a saint."


The delightfully jaunty title track sings the praises of Jesus' betrayer, which will no doubt raise hackles in conservative Christian circles if it should receive wide play. But Growden isn't writing for the holier-than-thou, thankfully. Rather, he seems to write and sing here on behalf of those who have endured persecution, either of their own making or at the hands of others. His offbeat employment of accordions, banjos, flugelhorns and coyote howls (!) only seems to reinforce Growden's musical commitment to the marginalized.

While intrigued, I was hesitant at first to listen to Saint Judas and give Growden's music a chance based on comparisons I'd read of his style to the growling and sometimes nihilistic likes of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. They actually have little in common vocally or in terms of the general optimism of Growden's lyrics here. Being released during Lent and just prior to Palm Sunday and Passover, Saint Judas can serve as a great soundtrack to one's personal, spiritual journey.


I don't know anyone in my circle of gay friends who is a fan of the late "Man in Black" Johnny Cash. That being said, there can be no denying the spiritual power of his final recordings, just released on CD under the title American VI: Ain't No Grave, by anyone — gay, straight or otherwise.

Just four months prior to his death in 2003, Cash and a small band of musicians gathered at the behest of producer Rick Rubin. Cash was mindful of his declining health and his beloved wife, June Carter, passed away unexpectedly while recording the songs included on Ain't No Grave.

Don't let the smiling picture of Cash as a child on the CD's cover deceive you: Ain't No Grave is the musical reflection of Cash's preparations for the end of his own life. His voice is weaker here, but it is suffused with conviction and a clear-eyed, even hopeful anticipation.


Most of the songs are covers, and they include heartfelt renditions of Sheryl Crow's "Redemption Day" and Kris Kristofferson's classic "For the Good Times." Cash and Co.'s performances of the traditional title hymn, "Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound" and "I Don't Hurt Anymore" are particularly satisfying. There is one song penned by Cash especially for this recording, a simple musical setting of 1 Corinthians 15:55 which asks "O Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" The CD ends on a wistful note, with the traditional Hawaiian song "Aloha Oe" serving as Cash's formal good-bye.

I wasn't a fan of Cash while he was alive, but Ain't No Grave confirms for me the man's honesty as a songwriter and soulfulness as a singer as well as his deep faith. Now I'm a believer. Better late than never, I suppose!

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.