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Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.

Josh Brolin

LGBT Movies for Harvey Milk Day

05/21/2016

May 22nd is Harvey Milk Day an occasion celebrated by thousands of members of the Equality Movement around the world on Harvey’s birthday. In the spirit of the occasion consider holding a movie night with some of the following films.

Gay USA (1978) Directed by Arthur Bressan Jr. who was mostly known for his gay porn but who also wrote and directed Buddies the first feature film about the AIDS epidemic, Gay USA focused on the burgeoning gay rights movement of the 70’s just at the time it faced its first organized backlash courtesy of Anita Bryant and her campaign to repeal anti-discrimination policies in Dade County.

Milk  (2008) This incredible biopic directed by Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting) detailing the last years of Harvey’s life including his move to San Francisco, his rise as a community activist and politician, and his untimely death by assassination is quite simply a masterpiece. Sean Penn in the titular role deservedly got most of the attention for his extraordinary performance but he was bolstered by a stellar supporting crew including James Franco as Milk’s longtime lover Scott, Allison Pill as Harvey Milk’s campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, and a chilling turn by Josh Brolin as murderer Dan White. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for Sean Penn as well as being nominated for six more Oscars.

Stonewall Uprising (2010)  This excellent documentary (not to be confused with the widely panned 2015 film Stonewall)  was directed by married filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilobroner, tells the story of the massive police raid of Stonewall in June 1969, where to the cops surprise the patrons fought back, thus kicking off the gay rights movement as we know it.  The movie features eyewitness accounts of the incident including NYPD deputy inspector Seymour Pine and activist Martha Shelley, as well as archived film of the subsequent riots. It originally aired on PBS.

How to Survive a Plague (2012)  This directorial debut by journalist David France chronicles the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the efforts of the activist founders of ACT UP and TAG to lobby the government for effective medical research and treatment. It features interviews with Larry Kramer, Garance Franke-Ruta, Spencer Cox and more. It was awarded Best Documentary by the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Boston Society of Film Critics, as well as a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Documentary and a Peabody.

Pride (2014)  Directed by Matthew Warchus (Simpatico) Pride, tells the true story of how in the summer of 1984, gay rights activists partnered with miners during their lengthy strike reasoning after all that they were both victims under the Thatcher administration.  Pride is a remarkably sly and witty look at issues of intersectionality that dominate the Left to this day. The all star cast features, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Andrew Scott, and more.  The sequence where Dominic West discos on top of tables alone justifies Pride which is both hysterically funny and inspiring at the same time.

To learn more go to the website for about Harvey Milk Day. 

Top photo:  A bust of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in the U.S., is posted outside his former legislative chamber in San Francisco. Bigstock photo. 

Star-Studded Hail, Caesar! Dazzles 

02/05/2016

Responsible for such modern classics as Fargo and The Big Lebowski, Joel and Ethan Coen need little introduction. With a handful of Oscars and over a dozen highly-praised works behind them, the Coen brothers are well-versed in crafting thoughtful, multi-layered entertainment. Sure to please Coen fans and film buffs alike is their latest endeavor, Hail, Caesar!, which premieres this weekend.

Opening in a confessional booth, Hail, Caesar! follows movie studio fixer, Eddie Mannix, over the course of a day as he navigates through problems on-set and off.  On this specific day, Mannix finds himself preoccupied with tracking down film star Baird Whitlock, who has been kidnapped by a group called The Future. Mannix must round up the $100,000 ransom demanded from Whitlock’s kidnappers, all the while keeping tabloid journalists at bay, appeasing irksome actors and directors, and struggling to hide his smoking habit from his wife.

JoshMannix is played by the versatile Josh Brolin, who shines here as the well-intentioned studio exec with too much on his plate. Most of the film is dominated by Brolin, who pulls off his character with aplomb.  Playing the rather daft Baird Whitlock is George Clooney, who spends much of the movie in wide-eyed bewilderment.  Despite Clooney’s decent acting chops, it’s grating to see so much screen time devoted to one of Hollywood’s most overexposed actors.

ScarlettIt would have been far more gratifying to see more of the sweetly charming Hobie Doyle, played by Beautiful Creatures actor Alden Ehrenreich, or the hilarious director Laurence Laurentz, played by the affable Ralph Fiennes. Channing Tatum—who can’t seem to abandon his dancing roots, even here—is perfect as Burt Gurney, as is Tilda Swinton, who plays twin columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker. Other notable, but brief, appearances include Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, and Jonah Hill.

In addition to an excellent cast, Hail, Caesar! features stellar cinematography. With much humor and flair, Hail, Caesar! pays homage to Hollywood’s golden era, relying on the movie-within-a-movie format to recall the glitz and glamour of yesteryear. Indeed, the movie touches on film noir, and has many tightly choreographed, colorful scenes that are reminiscent of classic musicals. Though the movie-within-a-movie adds a lot of visual impact and interest, it does feel like the overall plotline gets a bit muddled as a result, which isn’t helped by the multiple storylines happening throughout the film.

ChanningAn amalgamation of quirk and slapstick, Hail, Caesar! also feels like esoteric comedy at times. There are plenty of laughs to be had, yet some audiences might find themselves alienated from the humor. Though the Coen brothers manage to pull it off, some of the plotlines are also admittedly absurd.  Though ambitious, the movie veers away from the mainstream perhaps too much to be embraced by broader audiences. Ultimately, however, Hail, Caesar! offers mild, light-hearted entertainment that is a refreshing reprieve from the perfunctory noise and excess offered by standard big-budget pictures currently in cinemas.

Hail, Caesar! opens nationwide on Friday, February 5, 2016.

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