Fringe! Interview: Alan Brown on 'Five Dances'

David here, with an interview from Private Romeo director Alan Brown on his latest film Five Dances, which opened this year's Fringe! Film Festival in London, a celebration of multiple queer films and artists.

Chip (Ryan Steele) and Theo (Reed Luplau)

‘I purposely wanted to test myself – I wanted to work in a freer environment. And it was terrifying -  purposely so!’ Alan Brown laughs as he describes the genesis of his latest feature. Five Dances received its European premiere as the opening night of the third London Fringe! Film Festival, a volunteer-run festival that has quickly grown in stature since 2011.

Five Dances is Brown’s fourth feature, following the great success of his homo-Shakespeare adaptation Private Romeo, currently available to watch instantly on Netflix. Brown slides together dance and drama as he tells the story of Chip (Ryan Steele), a young dancer who’s moved from smalltown Kansas to the bright lights of New York and joins a small dance company rehearsing Anthony’s (Luke Murphy) new choreography. [more]

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Smash: Surprise Parties & Dress Rehearsals

I promise I'm still watching Smash. Unlike America, that fictionally monolothic "America", which has been fleeing Smash in droves each week; the media has major schadenfreude with this show's ratings with headline's boasting "record lows!" each week. I'm just not as quick with my write-ups. Oddly, as the show is improving and slowly working its way back to Season 1 quality levels my drive to discuss is as wishy washy as all of the show's plotlines.

"All" should not be mistaken for "many" though. There are still but two major plots: "Bombshell" the Marilyn Monroe musical stumbles through endless landmines of the emotional, financial, artistic and public relations variety as it works its way towards opening night whilst "Hit List" the fringe musical about something or other (I've lost track -- it seems to change each week) which doesn't seem to have any obstacles that aren't solved in seconds as it races from one pivotal metamorphosis to another. It was a vague idea a handful of episodes ago, then a fringe success, and now suddenly a buzzy Off Broadway hit that's already threatening to transfer to the Great White Way.

But one thing it doesn't have is a naked Marilyn! more

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Premature Trailerulation: Tom of Finland

Thanks to reader "Txus" for alerting me to this tease for a new biopic Tom. It's an unusual teaser in that the movie isn't even filming yet and isn't eyeing release plans until 2015. It's a preemie! Are they trying to drum up financial producer's interest (?) because audience interest won't work this far in advance; you can't purchase tickets two years ahead of time.

Still, I will say that the filthy smirk on actor Olli Rahkonen's face seems like a good match for the Man in question. Tom of Finland, for those of you who need a primer on gay history, was once not the name of a clothing line, but an infamous erotic cartoonist. Tom (Touko Laksonnen) was doing his X rated thing when being gay was still criminal pretty much everywhere.

The cheeky sexy teaser and more commentary is after the jump (and not safe for work)

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Introducing... The Desiring Image

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to shill for someone else's. I am thrilled to point you in the direction of "The Desiring Image," a new book on contemporary queer cinema which is available to pre-order now. The author is my great friend / podcast mate Nick Davis and he's been working on this book for nearly as long as I've known him. In addition to covergirl Maxwell Demon (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) from Todd Haynes' hallucinatory eye candy abundance (better known as Velvet Goldmine), Nick discusses Beau Travail, The Watermelon Woman, Shortbus, and Brother to Brother. I'm dying to imbibe the queer readings of David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers and Naked Lunch. I haven't yet read the book but Nick writes beautifully and his sense of humor is rare in academic writing. I am ordering my copy right now.

[Moments Later...] Done! 

Two TV Takes: "Southland" & "Bates Motel"

As I wait anxiously for the next great TV series to arrive -- where are you? -- I thought we should talk a little about two very different shows and the axis of Concept and Execution. Mad Men gets "A"s in both but most TV shows have to struggle through by leaning on one or the other. Having a good and/or original concept can win you a lot of leeway if your execution is problematic (see: Smash) but what of the inverse? Enter... Southland now in its 4th season. On the surface and at its core Southland is just another police procedural. You've seen it before and you will see it again.

So why the hell is Southland so damn good?

"How to Be Awesome"
The answer is all in the Execution. more...

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