RuPaul's Drag Race S9E12 - Final Fourgy Four

by Chris Feil

We're almost to the finish line! This week, RuPaul's Drag Race brought the feels for an emotional runway but also at the thought of eliminating one of these queens. I don't know about you, dear readers, but I feel more affection to each of these four than any final four (maybe) ever. Everybody say "LOVE"!

Taking a clear lead from All Stars popular final rap single challenge, the queens all have to write their own verse to a remix of RuPaul's "Category Is". Between rehearsal, the girls each guested on Ru and Michelle's podcast "What's the T?" and all its ad-friendly earnestness - all that Squatty Potty and Ru didn't take a minute to talk about Squarespace? Quelle surprise!

But the real story to this final competitive episode was to spend some real quality time with each of the queens before the crowning finale - it was really about giving each queen the chance to sell themself. The runway found each queen in peak form and pulled on our heartstrings as they spoke to their child-selves about their own journey. Once again, the show proved its worth in showing all different kinds of stories within the LGBT community, the competition itself at its most and least significant with all these queens have faced. How in the hell can one of these queens be sent home?

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25 Best Films of the 21st Century Thus Far?

THERE WILL BE LIST

It seems frightfully early to be discussing this post's title. Especially in the random time of early June 2017. What possessed the New York Times to do this beyond clickbait? OOPS, it worked. We immediately clicked on the link. There's not specific criteria or info on how the list was composed. We just know Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott were involved and that they also asked a few directors and a couple of actors (very randomly Robert Pattinson and Michelle Williams) to speak up as well. The list is composed of 10 foreign language films, 2 documentaries, and 12 proposed new additions to the American canon including two Best Picture winners Moonlight  and Million Dollar Baby. You can see their full write-ups here.

Just the lists for fun after the jump, mine included as it only shares 4 titles with the New York Times...

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Black Panther Teases

Having recently returned from Disney World, where 'The Festival of the Lion King' earwormed that soundtrack into my brain again, I find myself frantically trying to rewrite "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" for Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who we last saw mourning his king and proving something of a surprise moral center to the squabbling superheroes of Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Sing it with me...

It's Hard for a Good Man To Be King 🎵"

Marvel Studios has gone and made its first movie without a white guy named Chris in the lead role (kidding) and from 112 seconds of evidence we have, they made a great decision hiring exciting young director Ryan Coogler (hot off Fruitvale Station and Creed) to direct. The movie is still an excruciating 251 days away still (February 16th, 2018) but the teaser and the poster for Marvel's sure-to-be smash hit The Black Panther have arrived after the jump...

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Best Shot: The Parent Trap (1961)

The weirdest thing happened to me this week. My life and plans were entirely thrown off when I discovered I had an identical twin in... no, no. That's what's happened to Hayley Mills. I have no such excuse other than that life has proven very complicated lately. I will. will. will. return to former blogging glory soon. Until then... please enjoy these fine articles on my favorite movie when I was a wee thing, Disney's The Parent Trap (1961)

The Entertainment Junkie
Jason Henson writes...

Running parallel to the twins' attempts to mend their broken family is an examination of why it fell apart in the first place. It's here that, for a family film, The Parent Trap entertains some complex ideas about marriage...

Film Actually
Shane Slater chose the same scene and writes...

Maureen O'Hara's Maggie is indeed the most fascinating character in "The Parent Trap"

and how's this for crazy...

Rachel Wagner chose the exact same scene (albeit a different image) to focus on in her write up. That's all three Best Shot partygoers this week. 

My dvd is faulty so I'm delayed but I will get to it because I've been eager to rewatch.

P.S. Rachel was also the sole person to bravely join me in looking back at the Wonder Woman TV show last week, so you can see her take on that as well as thoughts on the new Wonder Woman movie.

The Moustaches of 'Maurice'

by Murtada

Do you not  think that Maurice’s moustache would be the making of him?

No. It’s revolting.

This exchange about an hour into Merchant-Ivory’s 1987 classic gem Maurice, made me laugh so hard. There are so many moustaches in Maurice. It must’ve been the fashion in Edwardian England. But Hugh Grant’s Clive Durham is right, Maurice’s is revolting. But then how come later on he grows one even more revolting. In the world of Maurice, moustaches are the ultimate boner killers.

Maurice (James Wilby) and Grant’s Clive meet when they are students at Cambridge in 1909 and fall in love. Their relationship means a bit more to Maurice, he’s so smitten. And who wouldn’t be infatuated with Grant at the height of his floppy haired gorgeousness. Clive though always keeps him at an arm’s length, never succumbing to carnality. And we think that moustache is to blame.

Regrettably since this is about moustaches we can't include Rupert Graves’ Scudder. He's the real dreamboat in Maurice, partly because he keeps his upper lip clean shaven throughout the film. Check him out in the trailer or better, if you are in New York or LA, check out the gorgeous restoration that is currently playing.

How do you feel about moustaches? Has one ever deterred you?