Great Moments in Screen Kissing: "Love, Simon"

We asked Team Experience to share favourite screen kisses this week. Here's Dancin' Dan...

Love, Simon isn't the first film to be made about LGBTQ teens. There's Beautiful Thing, But I'm a Cheerleader, Camp, Edge of Seventeen (not the Hailee Steinfeld one), Get Real... the list goes on and on. It certainly won't be the last film to be made about LGBTQ teens, either. But it is the first one produced and distributed in wide release by a major Hollywood studio. Because of that, yes, there is an air of polished mediocrity and safety to the whole enterprise. And yet, it's hard to deny the film's effectiveness.

I don't know if, when I was a teenager, I would have had the courage to buy a ticket to see Love, Simon by myself. I do know, however, that if I had, it would have made my teenage years that much better...

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Links: Hollywood covers, Superbowl ads, Liam Neeson troubles

A big collection of provocative links for you since we haven't had a hot second to look around the web lately...

I had this cover on my wall for at least a couple of years.

This Week's Must Read
• Vanity Fair an oral history of the very first "Hollywood Cover." Love love love this. Especially that you get a full spectrum of non-prudish feeling about the lingerie. Yes, yes, it was sexist and a double standard that the women were like this and the next year the men were fully clothed. On the other hand, can we stop being so sex-negative about people looking sexy or showing skin? It seems we're over correcting of late and everyone is always shaming people for enjoying the sight of human bodies. There is nothing inherently demeaning about being naked or dressing in sexy clothing... unless you don't want to be doing it ! There would be nothing wrong with having a group of men on a magazine cover like this if they were also willing. Linda Fiorentino reveals she volunteered to go topless and Sarah Jessica Parker considered the shoot empowering. Of course not everyone was as comfortable. Sandra Bullock says...

I knew I did not want to be in my underwear. I was like ‘Dear God, give me the longest thing that’s left.’ My little outfit was really tight, it was like one long Spanx. I was a rebel from the ankles down.

Haha. I had forgotten that she was the only one who was barefoot. But even she recalls the day with some fondness, adding... 

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"Where are my lesbians?"

(A question fit for any occasion.)

Kevin Hart and a Crisis of Oscar's Own Making

by Nathaniel R

If you don't have anything nice to say... don't say anything? No, no, but we must. The Film Experience has been uncharacteristically mum about the will they or won't they, would he and does he still, why'd she say that, and who next D-R-A-M-A  surrounding the 'Kevin Hart no not Kevin Hart but maybe NO not Kevin Hart again' Hosting duties of the 91st Academy Awards.

A quick heavily editorialized summary and some Oscar hand-wringing.

Chapter 1. December 4th. Kevin Hart hired to host.

Chapter 2. December 5th. LGBTQ people and their allies complained about his extremely obvious homophobia as evident in unfunny jokes about gay people or gayness including a threat of physical violence if he caught his son playing with dolls...

Homophobia and misogyny are bosom buddies, you know.

Chapter 3. December 6th. Kevin Hart is asked to apologize and refuses to...

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Trip a Little Link Fantastic

Links and news bits collected for you

• And the Runner Up Is... I guest starred on this podcast episode about the 1978 Oscars: Coming Home vs. The Deer Hunter
• Cinematic Corner Sati has been counting down the days... or drooling down the days for Jason Momoa as Aquaman so here's her spoiler-filled review
• Variety what's behind the uptick in the US box office this past year?
• The Advocate counts down the 15 best LGBT tv shows of the year: Pose, One Day at a Time, and Schitts Creek more
• Vanity Fair Why you should root for Aquaman's box office success
• Vanity Fair Kevin Spacey's bizarre holiday video reprising his House of Cards character
• Deadline why did Welcome to Marwen bomb at the box office?
• Gay Body Blog [NSFW] counts down the best naked scenes of the past year or so. 
• /Film interesting thought experiment. Would Green Lantern (2011) have been well received had it premiered in 2006 or 2016 due to the changing nature of the superhero genre.

Today's Video
Behind the scenes of "Trip a Little Light Fantastic"

Do y'all think Mary Poppins Returns will manage two best song nominations? I think they're only going to get one but if this one gets nominated we'll get Lin-Manuel Miranda performing at the Oscars which would be sweet. 

Finally...
Redbox released their list of most rented titles of 2018. Apparently El Paso Texas is the busiest city for redbox rentals (who knew?) and Dwayne Johnson is the biggest overall draw. Ready for it? 

1. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
2. Rampage
3. Daddy's Home 2
4. Game Night
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

I mean where's A Fantastic Woman or We the Animals? I kid I kid. Americans just aren't adventurous in their movie tastes, whether they're going to the movies or watching them at home. In both scenarios they want big muscles, big explosions, big laughs, and big CGI beasties. That covers most of it.