esrosedotblog

Another Stephane Rideau film today.

Teens on the road.

In France.

Probably just another teen film but it has Rideau in it as well as a gay theme.

I have seen it before and enjoyed it both times.

There is nothing here that has not been seen before except French countryside, some open gay teen life and the usual frustrated girl who loves both boys and will probably grow up to be the proverbial "fag hag". A terrible term but descriptive of a small group of women who hang out with "the gays".

I enjoyed it again and will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

Not buying it though.

Labels: gay films

This is a list of people who died in the middle of their work.

Show people, mostly. That kind of public thing.

I always dreamed of doing this but now it is too late. I quit working fifteen years ago.

I suppose now I could drop dead in the middle of a condo board meeting.

List of Entertainers That Died During Performance

There is also the euphemism: "I died out there" to indicate a bad performance.

Or conversely, "I killed" to mean that it was a great performance.

Then there is rolling in the aisles but I think that means something else than dying.

Labels: actors

Every once in a while I am watching a "new movie" and realize that I have seen it before.

In this case, it should have been labeled as a 1 or 2.

I suppose it is inevitable.

Anyway, this is a hyper violent stinker with a gay couple, whores, at the center of it.

Trouble, trouble and more trouble.

I got it because it stars an older but apparently not a wiser, Stéphane Rideau.

It is too bad but can't be helped.

Our Paradise (2011)

Ironic title.

Now that I have said all that, let me also say that Rideau is great. The gay stuff is very sexy. The couple is honestly a couple and just because they are both whores doesn't mean it doesn't work as a story.

It is a thriller and thrill it does. The pacing slows here and there but by the end it gallops.

So. Very mixed review from me.

I can't give it a 5 because I won't buy it and won't see it again. (Netflix usually shows me when I have rented something in the past, so, hmmm.)

So I am ambivalent. I sort of feel guilty for liking it here and there.

It is one of those films where I come away shaken but still feel dirty or something.

Perhaps this is the point of it. It is a French film.

Smirk here.

Labels: films, gay films

John Roberts, the supremest Supreme has been a stealth supporter of gay rights or, rather, a stealth nonsupporter of discriminatory laws.

Today was no exception.

Justice Roberts revives an old argument that could save gay marriage

Fundamentally, there lurks an issue about gender discrimination in the laws passed. It is a kind of obvious but, until now, subtle distinction.

As I get it, by banning gay marriage, say between two men, then the action discriminates against men. Limiting their rights because they are male.

A bit of a mind bender.

And very interesting.

I would like a clean cut ban but if they want to dice and slice it law by law then it is fine with me. It is just a lot of work for everyone that could be saved with a clean slate decision.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

Today's film was a documentary about design.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter (2011)

Both Charles and Ray Eames did the work but it is Charles who got a lot of the credit.

This is a moderately interesting film that sometimes teeters on the edge of over-design or TMI. But I enjoyed it and will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.

I do not worship at the church of design but I do live with a designer architect so I better watch my comments.

The Eames cannot help but be interesting as their constant self promotion almost guaranteed.

It worked. Who doesn't have or want an Eames chair or two?

Probably me. But that is another subject.

I did like the film but it could have had ten minutes lopped off at the end. There is no juice in it. They try but it is hard to reach the people behind the reputation. Perhaps that was the nature of the self promoting Eames.

Labels: documentary, film

Have I mentioned that Elizabeth Warren gives me a big fat pain in my butt?

I am tired of her yap. I am tired of her ads. I am tired of her tirades.

Sit down Lizzie and do some real work for a change. It is not easy to turn the ship and people don't want to hear this incessant nagging.

There I said it and the earth has not split open and swallowed me up.

I have been accused as being misogynistic. So be it.

It is not that she is a woman. It is that she is an incessantly negative voice. I want to see something positive.

And quit pointing your finger.

She is a member of the "professional left". Makes her money out of it and is just as big a capitalist as the rest of us.

Remember, when one finger points out, three fingers point back at me.

Labels: professional left

For all the men and women who didn't get a vote or a decision or a chance.

But took the leap anyway.

Labels: gay marriage

No movie today

I went to a condo board budget meeting instead.

We needed to review the cash situation for the remaining 6 months in our fiscal year. Some funds got slotted for other categories.

Our income is fixed with the owners fees paid per month.

In our case we are not spending as much as planned so we took a bunch of money and put it into drought amelioration measures. Take out some flowers here, replace some turf with gravel there.

We will get an OK for our recommendations at the next board meeting.

We are an "old" condo development which had/has a lot of landscaping in and around it.

All of this takes water which used to be abundant.

We must quickly change over what we can to be more drought resistant. In some instances, plants are OK if they are wisely pruned and limited in their water use.

The State has mandated a 35% cut in consumption. We have reached about 25% and need to go even further.

We have no control over residential usage. They all have their own water meters.

I saw a guy out with a hose watering his brown lawn which is not his. It is ours. People are a little nuts out here.

Labels: condo, drought

This morning I saw Rand Paul on television.

He was on Fox and Friends, a Fox right wing talk show with the "curvy couch".

I like watching this show. The people all have a sense of humor as they dispense the Fox line of news and do so with a straight face but also a kind of lightness that tells more than they might wish about how serious they are about their job. Being propaganda and all.

Anyway, Rand Paul came to the curvy couch today and I was shocked to see that he is very small.

First, the guys on Friends are average to tall. Rand came up to their chins.

He sat down on the curvy couch as near to the camera as he could to avoid the foreshortened effect he might have had at a distance.

So I came home and looked it up. Did some research.

Rand Paul And Marco Rubio: Too Short To Ever Become President?

Remember that photo of Michael Dukakis in the tank. The same fate awaits Paul if he is foolish enough to do the same.

I do not mean anything by this. It is just a way to be mean.

This article from today's NYTimes is a basic schooling in the gay rights/gay marriage debates.

Lawyers Seek Sea Change on Gay Rights at Supreme Court

It is important because the Supreme Court is going to hear the cases in four states that have passed anti-gay marriage legislation.

There are many paths which their decision might take but when examined under a cold light, as in this article, it is pretty clear that there are only several possible ways for them to approach the issue.

I do not want to go into the article's points. It is a lot better that you read it and make your own conclusions. You might be more or less optimistic than I am as a result of reading it.

My own take?

I am optimistic that they will clear away a lot of the brush on this.

The main argument against gay marriage has to do with some arcane understanding of the religious rights of people who hate gay marriage. Upside down.

It is true that my marriage to my husband John is an affront to some people. Somewhere. I never see them. They, in fact, never see me in any way that is openminded and inquisitive.

It is as though the lines have been drawn and people stand on either side with no interest in further discussion.

Guilty as charged.

I am not interested in dialog.

This is why we have a Supreme Court.

I just hope they do their job. That means to be clear and concise and definitive. Not squishy and divisive.

The issue will not go away. If not this year, next.

"The gays" are going to continue to couple to the dismay of some busybodies who cannot comprehend that the "sanctity of marriage" extends to all. Or is not sacred at all.

Underneath this all, not very deep, is the old abiding tension between church and state.

A traditional struggle.

Dueling moralities.

Labels: christist watch, gay marriage, gay rights

Today, a bit of religious biography.

Le métis de Dieu / The Jewish Cardinal (2014)

At least I think it is a true story

Converted at 14, he went up the hierarchy of the Church and made it to the top when there was a Polish Pope.

It is a very good film whether religious politics are of interest to you/me or not.

I liked it, it was a good story. Value conflicts overcome, personal courage displayed, family issues resolved.

There is not a whole lot to say. The film mercifully throttles down on the theology and makes it a human interest story.>p> Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet plays a young priest. He shows up in a lot of my favorite films lately. First seen in Love Songs as a young gay man.

Good to see, a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

If you read this blog then you probably have had a larger than normal dose of gay marriage news.

Well, too bad. That is the news that most interests me right now. Not just because I am gay and married to another gay man, good old Prop. 8.

Thanks California!

It is because it is one of the signal issues of our time. Prying human rights out of the biased and pathological clutches of the established religions.

It hasn't always been this way.

I grew up as a Methodist, a loose amalgam of social gospel that fit almost any congregation. Depended on the preacher. And, of course, the congregation.

I stayed with it for a long time because I played organ and the only place you could do that was in a church. Or a bar.

The Hammond Organ which I learned as a kid is/was a regular bar fixture. There is one in Palm Springs. I have played it.

But I digress.

What brings me to this subject again is this:

It’s Not Gay Marriage vs. the Church Anymore

Change is coming, has come. Of course will come. And as "they told us" being out and proud about all of it makes the bigots and jesusnuts so crazy they can't provide a cogent argument why we should not marry or have equal rights or anything else.

And this blazes the trail for a deeper fuller understanding of human rights in general. Rather than resent us, the NAACP and all those people who want the stage to themselves ought to thank us.

Well, often, gay rights collides directly with the ingrained homophobia of even the most liberal black people. Sorry. True. And sorry not to say it but sorry it is still like that. Wake up you.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

I spent a lot of time working in Cincinnati and could feel the cold clammy hand of repression.

Well, that puts it a bit strong. It just came out of my fingers.

It is basically a dreary place with a lot of river and not too distinguished buildings.

Now, the place has warmed up some.

Gay Marriage Case Caps Cincinnati’s Shift From Conservative Past

My room mate from MIT was from Cincinnati. I am not sure if he was gay when we knew one another for a year but he sure acted "that way". He could not wait to get out of there.

Those were the closet days.

Then for years I went there to work for the soap company training middle managers. I worked with a lot of them.

I can tell you that while there were no visibly limp wrists, there sure were some guys who had the look. We can tell, you know. You cannot. But we can.

Nice.

Another example of changing times.

Labels: gay rights gay history

The annual speech.

So well done.

I look forward to these every year.

Everyone gets zinged.

Labels: Barack Obama

Every good actor comes to a time when he has to do a switcheroo.

This is Johnny Depp's time.

And he is Whitey Bulger, the infamous Boston racketeer.

Bulger's story is pretty fantastic. His brother was a big politician. And a successful one. Whitey was successful too but played for the other side.

Jesus. Johnny. You are out of the heartthrob category with this one.

I cannot wait to see it.

Labels: Boston, films

Very few people liked this picture besides me and this reviewer.

Petunia (2012)

I think the reason is that it has a sourish disposition and the people are not likable in the classical romantic comedy sense.

That said, Petunia is the family name of a gang featuring a gay son, a straight just married son, a husband and assorted friends, in-laws and relatives.

It is a classic romantic comedy setting. There is a lot about keys. Opening doors. OK.

There a scene where a boyfriend (soon to be a husband at the end) is fumbling with keys to the door and the guy we like most fixes it quite easily as he does everything else that is wrong in family.

He is the gay son. The middle son. The fixer. The hero.

Ash Christian is the auteur. His second film. And I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

The nice thing here is that the film features some familiar actors who are very good at what they do and I was right with them. They became their roles and I became part of the family.

Situation comedies have to change with the times and this one is right up to date.

Labels: films, gay films

We have a small patch of new artificial grass inside our patio wall.

Some Bright Green Lawns in California Require No Water

It looks pretty good. If anything, a little too good.

I don't know if it is toxic or not. Fuck. Everything is toxic even me.

Today is the monthly condo board meeting and right there is the agenda item. Water conservation.

So far, that has meant watering from 7PM to 7AM and not a lot of that. Hoping that the grass will not die.

It looks pretty brown.

We are trying.

The developer put a lot of grass in here. It is nice. But it may be unsustainable under current conditions.

What to do?

Some people advocate installing sand and gravel, stone decorative places. But that does not solve the problem of pet peeing. Of course sand is OK for that but not with polyethylene under it. Stinksville.

That is one of the ironies, incidentally. When they put in a rock or sand/gravel piece they put black polyethylene sheeting under it to stop weeds.

We have backed ourselves into a corner but we will be able to back out. A little time, a lot of money. So far watering grass is cheaper but that will change very soon.

Let's do a rain dance.

I have written about the fact that this spring there is no snow on any of the mountains around here. None. So it is not going to come from there.

Palm Springs sits on huge aquifers which are depleting. The desert will come back sometime. Maybe sooner than we thought.

Labels: drought

I have written about Fun Home the wonderful comic strip by Alison Bechdel moving to Broadway from Off.

Bechdel herself had little to do with the musical except of course, write the original graphic novel Fun Home which I cherish.

Now an interview in depth as Alison takes in the whole NYC thing.

She has been there for awhile "helping out" and obviously glorying in the success which she has worked decades to realize.

We also get to meet her in a way that shows what she is like. Pretty good. And her feet seemed to have stayed firmly on the ground through it all.

Labels: gay life

John saw a guy in the gym using one of these masks today.

Elevation Training Mask

It can also be used to hype your training. Read the comments.

If I were still running and in my fifties I would definitely use this. Faddist that I am.

If you want to see the how it looks which is the main thing, here it is.

Why do I get the idea that this might be part of some SandM paraphernalia? I will have to check in with some of my resources on this.

I have no intention of using it so don't start writing to me about it.

Labels: fun, gym

White is the color of virgins.

Not here. This is the White Party Weekend in Palm Springs.

For a night, a weekend, white is the slutty color. Or non color.

I don't even have a link. Do it yourself.

I do not want to be mean but this event is beginning to show its age a bit.

Four days of party is a long time and it takes a champ to endure it.

In Miami, they made over-40 gays to pay a cover charge. Really.

We will not see any of it but we will hear some. The thump thump thump of the disco beat will resonate over the desert far and wide.

It is held in the convention center. It is that big.

I just mention it because it is a big boost to our economy and it is happening and I think it is a good thing. Really.

I had my days. We even tried to go to one once but chickened out. And it was in Miami! I am glad we didn't go. We got to see all the "babes" on South Beach anyway. Getting ready for the prom.

Thump thump thump. Have fun boys.

This is the outside portion in Palm Springs, daylight. Probably only half of the men who got up in time.

Labels: gay life, Party

I bet some of you didn't know of my checkered past as a church organist.

I took piano lessons when I was 8 and stayed with it even into adulthood. Lessons.

I learned to play the organ from a woman who was also the kept woman of a local hotel owner and well into her scandalous years. But she could play the piano and organ and so, in typical Methodist hypocritical head turning, she was the church organist too. Up to then she had played mostly in bars. And did some other work on the side although I am just guessing. I was just a kid.

I know my mother was worried about my working along side "that woman". But she needn't have bothered as we all now know. Anne wasn't that loose and I was not that kind of boy.

We used to play organ piano duets and then when she got her old man to take her to Europe for a grand tour it was only reasonable that I step into he her shoes (I had to learn to play the pedals, socked feet though, a cheat of most organists who learned the "wrong" way.) to take over the job. I was only sixteen. 16.

I did not lead the choir then but worked with another amateur who at least had attended music classes in college.

When I left for college, I went to a Methodist Church in Harvard Square and they had a professional paid "quartet". Hard core soloists who carried the amateurs. I got a lot by watching them in action.

Fast forward, going to move to Pennsylvania in the suburbs a preacher from a new church came to the door to drum up some membership and he found out that I played. There was a piano in the house, the only real furniture we had in there. I helped him start up a choir and became their organist.

There was even some scandal. A parishioner thought that I was messing around with his wife and went to the pastor. I was given a stern talking to. I couldn't figure out what it was all about since he spoke in euphemisms. Years later I pieced that together.

It seems that church music and sexual hanky-panky have a long tradition and, just as an aside, a lot of it is homosexually oriented. Not in this case, however. I was married and happily so. I had kids. Playing outside that fence was totally not my game although, as we know, later, my little homo past became a present tense thing and I ended up coming out in my thirties.

When we moved to Plymouth MA, I played in two churches. One, the Methodist, was rife with politics. As Methodist churches usually were. Light on the religion they were largely social organizations with all the usual bullshit. Weak pastors who were easily pushed around by pushy parishioners. Almost all menopausal women. Sorry. It is not a stereotype. Many churches run that way. Sublimation is a powerful thing.

I was not happy nor was my family who I was dragging along with me.

So, a job at the Baptist opened up and I defected. Happily. We all went for awhile. We never got dunked. The ABC was happy to recognize "sprinkling" if the communicant recanted his previous views, if any, on the baptismal font. They did have a pool though and I did play for some immersions.

Being just a bit dramatic I contemplated doing the dive for myself but realized with the help of my good friend Pastor Denny that I was just doing it for the show biz aspect.

This was at a time when I was beginning to stray to Boston. Reading those alternative newspapers with the new religion of gay liberation was calling. Before long, I was on my way into that life. No time for church music.

I have never gone back. But I remember it all quite fondly and if anyone says you can't get a lot out of religious activity then I beg to differ. Quietly.

I have a quiet faith still today. A different Higher Power perhaps. But still the same being who was there for me when I was a kid.

As it happens, recovery from alcoholism introduced me to a spiritual way of life. I had not given up on the whole business anyway. In the intervening years I went to meditation schools and learned to practice some pretty weird disciplines. I do not regret any of it although the memory of some of it makes me blush a bit.

The spiritual path is long and winding and it is sometimes hard to know where the path goes. In my experience it is better to remain open about that. It goes where it leads and it leads to its end and that ending may also be a new beginning. I surely do not know.

That, endeth our discussion for today. The thought for today is "I don't know". The best spiritual attitude that one could have. Of course that should not kill one's drive to find out.

"The spiritual life is not a theory, you have to live it."

Labels: spiritual life

He did it to himself.

Jimmy Carter: 'Losing My Religion For Equality'

This is a major turning point in the conversation between leading American patriots and their religious friends.

Carter has been a long and faithful member of the SBC / Southern Baptist Convention. Those right wing christers who frequently forget to separate church and state. Who have all the political leanings to the right and think nothing of it. To them it is dogma.

They are not to be confused with the ABC / The American Baptist Convention who can be quite liberal.

I played organ and led choir in an ABC church at one time and I can tell you they heard some new music and listened to some startling choral words. They were better than the Methodists who have now turned rightward when it came to the social gospel. My boss, a graduate of their seminary, Andover Newton, was a serious Chicago leftie. His politics. Not his pitching arm.

Those were good times.

We had some old timers in the choir and I respected their opinions. I was not averse to doing a rousing version of "The Old Rugged Cross" (I had a nifty modernized organ part and descant) and they enjoyed singing atonally and since often the words were actual scripture they got to "hear" their gospel from another direction.

The Southerners have long been a thorn in the side of American Protestant life. It is where many of the more objectionable evangelicals hail from.

This is quite a move. Earth shaking for those people.

Labels: christists, liberals

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

A lot of people think they are beautiful and act, in the world, as though they deserve some points for it.

This is sort of the theme of today's film where license to be insensitive is put in the hands of teenagers but you know they will turn out the same way as adults.

La Belle Peresonne / The Beautiful Person (2008)

A Christopher Honoré film.

His stock company of actors take different roles in this tale of high school love. All kinds. Even gay boys. And the focus on a teacher/student.

I have seen it before and it does bear the wait of a second visit. But just barely. So a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

This is fun.

Eat Up. You’ll Be Happier

I have never understood voluntary dietary restrictions. At all.

We eat everything. Sure, there are a few things that I do not like much. But I can't think of anything at the moment.

I am aware that my husband does not like some of the things I cook. (The advantage of cooking is that it gives one a preference edge) but he cleans his plate and suppresses complaint.

Sometimes I know that he grudgingly likes something he thought he did not.

We are not partial to fish. Either of us. But I know that somehow, in my body, my genes or something, that we should eat some. Occasionally. I mean the white stuff. Not salmon which of course is "red meat". Right?

I grew up laughing at food faddists. I took Food Technology in my college years. I know nutrition and its essentiality to a good life.

Now I do not disparage vegans. Vegetarians? It is a valid choice because it is possible to have a complete diet without meat. But to deny essential nutrients for some other fad approach is crazy. And self denying. And, it seems to me, masochistic.

Of course, man's lot was always to eat what was available. On the ground, in the air, under the water. We are omnivorous. Period. End of paragraph. Climax of the story.

Of course what you eat is none of my business and what I eat is none of yours. But it does make good table talk.

I would not force a guest to eat out of their comfort zone. I can do a pretty good vegan dinner. But I am willing to go only so far. There is a point where they will have to bring their own food or not eat at all.

No dairy? Not too bad. And often legit. No "gluten"? A sham and delusion perpetrated by the organic food shamans. Bring a medical certificate please.

Now, picky eating. Not a matter of dogma. Some people have not learned to eat a wide variety of food. There is a limit. But if you want to leave what I serve on your plate, fine with me. We might just finish it for you.

Incidentally I am not mean about this. When we did have dinner guests I always asked if there were any prohibitions. I never encountered a picky eater who couldn't be seduced by something cooked well. And mysteriously.

And I can turn on a dime. Once someone came and as they entered I asked if they had any blacklisted food items. Chicken? Goddam. I was about to do a breast. A fast turnaround with some fish or other was not difficult. I keep a good supply in the freezer for just such an emergency.

It is hard to discuss this. Food choices are intensely personal in America. Because we have so many choices. Most of them bad.

The key is to have healthy raw material, as few processed as possible and simple. Boxed scalloped potatoes are about as far as I want to go for convenience. I do not worry much about the chemicals in our food. Just keep them as low as possible.

OK. This is very rambly and I am not going back to edit and restructure it.

You will have to eat what is on this plate!

Labels: food

This is an interesting article.

Ted Cruz Showed Eloquence, and Limits, as Debater at Princeton

The limits to a very polished rhetorical style was his inability to use or respond to humor.

A classic case of taking himself too seriously.

Now, I know that such a thing is subject to, well, debate. But it is astonishing to watch Cruz work. He is serious. He is intent. He has a good rhythm in his speechifyin' but he is humor free. A cold fish.

Now, we have had a lot of cold fish as Presidents. But none in this day of the television bath they all must endure. Only Nixon stands out as an awkward speaker who could not be spontaneous. So, a good sign. Nixon got to be President.

Can Ted Cruz do the same?

Incidentally, I resisted the urge to call him "Teddy" in this piece. I once supported a Teddy and Cruz is no Teddy. Kennedy of course.

Labels: GOoPers

Bobby Jindal is a nasty little weasel.

It is OK for me to say that because I go to a church that hates Indian-Louisiannians.

Other than that, I am sure he is a nice guy.

Bobby Jindal: I’m Holding Firm Against Gay Marriage

Probably labeled as "colored" all his life and up from the swamps of that fetid state, Mr. Jindal is one of those people who having gotten theirs become baiters of those who have not yet arrived.

"Holding firm". Really Bobby? Do you get the double entendré of that phrase.

As hard as it is he will endure. Holding tight. Stiff resistance. Pushing through.

I somehow think that Mr. Jindal has a case of the "protesteth too much" thing. The closet cases are always the worst. Or the ones who should respond out of their own experience of being marginalized. But no. They become bullies.

Labels: gay rights, homophobia

We will miss this guy.

Sorry about that ad. But it ain't free in the big time.

Labels: gay marriage, humor

You have to admire the French.

They keep sending a gay ambassador to The Vatican.

It has the papers going nuts. Pretzel logic.

Pope Francis Meets With France's Openly Gay Nominee for Ambassador to the Vatican

The church has ended up against the mainstream and has its head up its ass almost to the end of the day.

There is a little bit of time for them to take the head out with a big pop.

The big secret that everyone knows is that the church is a hotbed and refuge for many gay men who go to seminary. Many get ordained and stay gay. Well, you are gay forever as it turns out.

The hypocrisy is astounding but they have backed themselves in a corner.

One need not go into all the ins and outs so to speak. Start with the black dresses and move on from there. I have talked with gay priests who tell some pretty sexy stories. Of course, these are not "real priests", huh?

Well, at least they are talking.

I love that the French are the ones to send "the gay" to challenge the system.

Labels: christers, homophobia, priests

Jeff L. Thigpen, the elected register of deeds in Greensboro,

whose office issues marriage licenses, describes himself as a Christian “who began to see that my faith is not an impediment to loving my neighbor.”

More and more.

Labels: gay marriage

The bond between brothers is a mystery to me.

Well, only in the sense that I was an only child.

In this film, there are two sets of brothers who end up contacting one another and, ultimately, have life happen in violent and also quiet ways.

There is also the relationship between an older and younger male sibling. The special relationship that is, for me, a mystery to experience.

I used to think that I might be gay partly because I wanted a brother. But that was my ignorance showing. I got to have a husband eventually and we are not, emphatically, brothers.

In today's film there are all these issues.

In the Arms of my Enemy (2007)

The title implies something different than the film provides which is a good thing because the "arms" turn out to be military, filial and, well, very nice as it turns out.

There is some rough stuff in this. The quality is sometimes iffy. I stayed through it and am glad that I did.

I know most of these actors from other films and they do a great job here.

I can't say a lot more without spoilers occurring.

There are some surprises. Some nice resolutions as you feel it all is not going well.

I labelled this as a "gay film" although there is no gay content. It is very interesting from a gay viewpoint however. A lot of what we feel is filial affection, I think. Especially if we were the only male child and gay in the first place.

Anyway, here it is.

A 3 out of Netflix5 as I will not see it again but I did like most of it. A good effort which does turn out to be worth the pain of the process.

Labels: films, gay films

Labels: climate change

Hackery reigns.

Gay Rights Activist Scoops Up Domain Names Of Indiana Lawmakers Who Voted For 'Religious Freedom' Bill

It's the golden rule, eh?

Do unto others as they have done to you.

Maybe that isn't the golden rule. Perhaps the golden shaft.

These fuckers are still fighting the religious wars. Boondocks. Good for them.

Some fresh air for the bigots.

Of course, they are doing god's will. Yep.

Labels: gay rights, religionists

On the lam from the flics.

Nicolas Cazalé takes off with a friendly hostage.

They head for the beach where romance ensues.

This is a road film combined with a romance combined with a chase and the kitchen sinlc. But very well done.

Everyone has to d one.

Movie straight to video and on to Netflix. It is not that great but he is.

It also has several titles.

Trop plain d'amour / L'Amour Dangereux" (2003)

It is not very good but the whole point is its star who I have more than a soft spot for.

Labels: films

Today's movie was chosen because it stars Nicolas Cazalé who I am watching now but also Stephan Ridieu whose film I saw the other day.The three slaves are three brothers each reaching out to find a sexual identity. This is a blunt way of saying what is really an undercurrent in the film.

Only one brother, the youngest, Thomas Dumerchez, finds a healthy way out of his provincial life and into a happy adulthood. Surprisingly he is the gay brother.

We get to see three separate profiles. Each brother is in each segment but only one is featured. The other two are "background" but not really.

When we get to the youngest brother, who is gay, we learn that his coming out is with a friend of an older brother who has been around for the entire film. It is a nice surprise and very sweet.

This is, in a way, a message film, but it does not come off this way at all.

I came to see one of the stars and was treated to all three and a fine film.

Labels: films, gay films

I love this headline.

No one is dominating the Republican field in CNN’s poll — except Hillary Clinton

She beats every one of them handily.

That's all. Short post.

Labels: GOoPers, Hillary Clinton

I am so happy to see the reviews for this play.

Review: ‘Fun Home’ at the Circle in the Square Theater

Alison Bechdel. Cartoonist and author of the weekly comic Dykes to Look Out For.

She wrote this book, it is a graphic novel, about her own life.

It played Off Broadway and now makes it to the big time with a review on the New York Times that would make anyone ecstatic.

And it is her story too. Bechdel's Dad was a closet homosexual. He ran a funeral home and had odd jobs to make ends meet. The book is funny and teary and full of wonderful thoughts. Not every difficult life has to be a sad one. It is a classic comedy. Tears of joy and sadness combining.

I have read her strip for years and years and now this. Wonderful. Great.

This is way early to talk about the GOPriimary.

But let's talk about it anyway.

This from a guy at the Christian Science Monitor:

Is Jeb Bush already the next Mitt Romney?

In brief, he is happy there are primary candidates because he thinks that makes for an exciting race.

So, no, Jeb is not Mitt. Right. OK.

It is informative and fun to read. All the young GOoPers.

He has some jabs for Hillary too. Her attempt to be a proletarian leader. He thinks buying a Chipotle is all a stunt and he is probably right but who knows. Who cares?

Everyone cares now. That is the fun of it. It is early but it is not early. The run is always on. It is just now going retail.

Look, here is an example. Mike fucking Huckabee. Driving the race.

Mike Huckabee Would Be a More Important Candidate Than You Might Think

It is a fascinating article. Read it and get nuggets that will make you hungry for the campaign too.

Or not. If you are a fan, then, OK. If not, be a bit lonely on this blog for a year and half or more.

Labels: Jeb Bush

Teen angst and sexual awakening is generic along all the various "preferences".

Sometimes awkward and painful.

And beautiful and heart stirring.

Such is today's film

Come Undone

with Jérémie Elkaïm and Stéphane Rideau, the beauty and pain of it all is stirring to say the least.

There is also some good shots of bodies and sex and all that we gay boys need in our films to further assure that life is full and beautiful and not repressed and shameful.

I have seen this film many times and chose it because I want to see Stéphane Rideau again. He was featured in yesterdays film as well.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, gay films

I always tried to take some time for touring on business trips.

Reclaiming the Age-Old Art of Getting Lost

Overseas or at home. Anywhere.

I would begin by walking, rarely took a rubberneck bus. I depended on finding what was there "by accident" or "coincidence" or "intuition". That is if someone asked.

I took a few tours here and there. Japan, for sure, in English as there is none there. Didn't we win the war? No.

Don't get me wrong, I would have a book or a guide of some sort. A plan is essential otherwise one wastes time.

But serendipity is a key ingredient of a good visit to a strange place. I would find things like graveyards. I once went to the Lamb house in England and there was cricket being played in a field below. So much for the Lambs.

Look them up.

Labels: travel

I had a succession of business partners until there was only one left.

Then, we sold out our interests, in serial, and the company is now run by someone else.

This is a pretty fair picture of what such a relationship is like.

Anger Management: Why the Genius Founders Turned to Couples Therapy

It is a truth and a cliché. Business partnerships are like marriage.

Yeh, with some key differences. One, no sex to vent the pressure. Two, no kids or dog or other neutral outlets. No home to project together, no 100% personal access. Well, maybe a lot of couples do not have the last one either.

The funny thing about my experience is that when the business was over and we both retired, we sort of went our separate ways. For awhile we would visit on an annual trip to the warm places but when we moved west that was the end of that.

Now, it is pretty quiet. The fact is that without the enterprise there is not a lot of common ground. Certainly none to talk about or be together on.

It is a little sad but it is a bit like children growing up. A lot of contact, then a little and finally not much.

My partner stayed with the business as a guiding hand for awhile. I just stopped cold. There is that difference.

I find myself wondering if he is reading this. Still reading the blog.

If so, or if not, I can say that the business partnership was one of the great loves of my life. It had a time and place and it endures in my heart. A little tear, stinging eye. Good stinging.

Labels: business, partnership

It is interesting how the gay marriage "issue" is playing out in the GOPrimaries.

Once again, it turns out that if you know "one of the gays" or have "one" as your relative there is a whole world of difference.

At Candidate Forum, Walker Discusses Same-Sex Marriage of a Relative

This is why it has always been and will always be about us coming out to "them", those straight people who are are relatives and parents.

Sure it is tough but the truth is always tough. We live in an age of denial. Many people do not want to face truths of any kind because we/they fear discomfort.

I am very happy for Walker to have a gay relative. I bet there are a lot more in the other families.

There are no names but I reach out and pat his relative on the back. A hearty pat!

Labels: gay marriage, homophobia

In New Hampshire it is all Hillary all of the time.

No. She is not running there. But the GOoPers are and their theme seems to be "vote for me, I hate Hillary more than them".

It is laughable. Negative campaigning is not new for the Republicans. It is their daily bread. What else can they run on? The record of George Bush? I mean the one that came second in the bushie wave.

They are a contemptible lot with nothing to say about themselves. They scramble for first dibs at the table with no experience except as naysayers and, it seems, nincompoops.

Take Rand Paul. An eye doctor who is trying on his father's big boy pants.

Ted Cruz, an empty smirking shell.

Carly Fiorina a joke this week on cable news. Even without sound I could see the stage fright in her eyes. No national leader.

Oh, I don't want to recite it.

I actually like Jeb Bush in a "nice guy" kind of way. I think he would run a gentlemanly campaign whatever that could be these days.

It might even have some interesting policy issues to bandy about with Ms. Clinton.

As for the rest of them, mostly road kill from the past. Professional politicians with the slickness sort of worn off.

There. I have had at it for today.

I miss Mitt.

If nothing else, he was a professional candidate. Every year, year without end, totally predictably boring and a bit smug. Consistency of message whether we liked it or not. We didn't.

These people. Time for the Republicans to shake the box some more.

Labels: GOoPers, GOP, Rand Paul, Republicans

The California drought is quite real.

We can feel or see the effects daily.

The first and most shocking sight are the bare mountains to the north. No snow cover. None. A wisp near the top might be snow but I am not going up there to check it out.

The other water we cannot see or detect is underground. Huge natural aquifers and settling basins for our share of Colorado River water. About 150 miles away. Huge canals built as work projects during the depression. You know, the big depression.

We are dealing with it in our condo association. But not very well.

Curtailing the watering of grass is not just a matter of cosmetics. The grass holds down the sand and the watering keeps the grass there.

Our solution is to irrigate lightly. A lot of the grass is already brown.

Speaking of which, Governor Brown wants a reduction of 25-35%. Good luck at measuring that. For those of us who started reductions long ago, this figure is basically a wipe out of water use.

I am not whining. A conversion to desert landscaping is not that hard to do. It is a little pricey, but not many people have the money to spend on it.

We offer an incentive to people who want to do the part in front of their house. Some have done this but it is a mess in my opinion. First of all, they all look like something out of a kids book. Lined up cacti and pretty gravel. River stone. The nearest river? The same fifty miles I mention above. Desert stone, shale, is not as pretty for some.

I am surprised to be a bit of a holdout. We have gone to no cactus inside our small patio. Also one whole section is going to be 12 inch and 18 inch balls made of different materials. I hope it looks good. We will be trying them out today.

I do have a cactus garden as well. It needs water. Some. In the back of the unit, another patio with very green "tropical" plants. I have done nothing with these either. Just water them more sparely.

This problem will be the subject of many condo board meetings. One citizen has already squealed to the mayor that we are watering at night. This is just wrong. So we are getting a visit from some bureaucrat at the next Board meeting.

I hate to sound bratty about this but I hate intervention by small clerks and "regulators". It is just fucking annoying. But I will be nice. And quiet. And listen. And be judicious and, well, if possible a good citizen in a bad drought.

Did I mention that as we cut the watering of grass some owners now go out and use their hose for their own piece of grass? Which is not theirs. It belongs to the HOA.

Labels: condo, drought

The last film in a foursome set.

http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/techine4film.php>Les Roseaux Sauvages / Wild Reeds 1994

Familiar themes of André Téchiné. Four young people come together one summer then depart each others lives. An French/Algerian kid who will be going back home, a young woman,an ardent communist, who is trying to decide how to relate to men, a gay boy who is on the cusp of making his life decision and a "proletarian" kid who is involved with all of them.

It is beautifully done and the cinematography is splendid.

It says in the review that it was made as a television movie but ended so well that it was scooped up for distribution as a film.

While Téchiné is sometimes though of as a gay writer director it is only because all of his films include the gay experience one way or another. In that way it is an inclusive approach. Not making the gay characters sort of "professionally" gay which sometimes occurs in well meaning features but as including them just a bit more often than the average experience and making them a critical part of social change not just that connected with gayness. In short, they are people who happen to be gay.

Like me. They have a life which encompasses their sexuality but does not depend on it.

Labels: films, gay films

Today's Téchéné film is about the mom from hell.

Ma Saison Préférée / Ny Favorite Season (1993)

in which a brother and sister reunite with their mother when she has a stroke.

As it turns out, she is OK but the family is not.

Siblings, family history, the estate. All these things hover around seemingly random conversation. Daniel Autieul and Catherine Deneuve in great performances as they dance around a life together and apart. Success seems a dim satisfaction compared to getting family stuff sorted out.

It makes me happier that I was an only child. I still am.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

And thus endeth the Téchéné fest. A good time was had by all.

Labels: films

Christie is an interesting guy.

He evidently has decided that he needs to double down on some issues to get the hard core GOoPer vote.

Chris Christie: 'I Will Crack Down And Not Permit' Legal Marijuana As President

I will not comment on the use of weed. It is not allowed in my case for "medical" reasons but I am amazed that someone running for office now in this country would put this up front.

Of course it is a law and order issue. If the law says weed is not OK then he could not say he would contradict the law.

But a forceful statement up front, sure to alienate a wide swath of people seems impolitic.

Get the right wing but lose the middle.

I just find it interesting, to say the least.

I notice that his weight loss program seems to have stalled. Just sayin'.

Labels: Christie, GOoPers

The Netflix drought led to taking out my André Téchiné discs and running them again.

Today is about a kid from the Provinces who comes to Paris and loses his way. He ends up becoming a hustler to live. And, at the same time, he makes some good friends and creates an interesting story. One cannot help but believe that it might be autobiographical.

J'Embrasse Pas / I Don't Kiss (1991).

Like the others this is slightly comic and hardly tragic although some tough stuff happens to the kid.

Rites of passage in the big city.

Manuel Blanc, the wonderful Emmanuelle Beart and Philip Noiret as the older gay man who sticks by the kid. A father figure if there ever was one.

The film has subtitles.

Labels: films, gay films

For those of us who have sat on the bench all our lives, this stuff is just a complete mystery.

Aaron Hernandez conviction: Gambling on risky players is an NFL reality

Football has always seemed brutal to me. Even when I tried to play touch as a kid. The hard tag. The grapple. The sudden fights that would flare up with kids who had a "hot temper".

Just a game? Not for these kids.

We did not have football at the tiny school I went to. MIT did not have football. I had one son who went out for it and got a shoulder injury. Maybe that was in the little league or whatever it was. I was happy it cut his career short.

I could never watch a game. But I have trouble with all the television sports. It is not in my nature to care about this activity.

I ran, I swam some, I have gone to the gym forever. But competitive sports filled me with performance anxiety. When I was a kid, gym class was a horror.

So I am not a player.

I have missed out on watching this crazy ass macho behavior up close.

So I suppose, as a bona fide sissy, I do not get to comment on something like this. But fuck that. This is just the point.

I realize that hundreds of jocks have had small and large careers without having this violent streak. OK. Gentlemen.

But it is really scary to me when grown men who are not jocks gather round and cheer on the gladiators as though they are in the pit themselves. It is just bad. Ugly.

Everyone who cheered for this guy is part of the guilt. Sorry. I cannot see it any other way.

Labels: football, sports, violence

Labels: humor

Ireland votes soon.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

I have run behind on my Netflix queue and need to fill in a bit.

So, it will be Andre´Téchiné to the rescue.

Today, Catherine Deneauve and Patrick Dewaere in Hotel Des Ameriques / Hotel America (1981) in which a tourists meets a local girl and has a touch and go relationship. Mostly go. Alienation, fear of intimacy on a cosmic scale.

There is a mild gay undercurrent in the film as various other people around the principals play the dance of the veils.

Here I am, no I am not I am over there. I am not anywhere for you. Well, yes I could be.

The French are superb at this kind of double talk and Téchiné has captured it here.

There is some gorgeous cinematography here as people come out of the dark into the scene and return again to the nether regions.

Very enjoyable.

A 5 out of Netflix5 since I obviously liked all of his work enough to see it again.

Mine had subtitles!

Labels: flms, gay films

The story of the French underground during World War II is endlessly fascinating to me.

It all occurred during my life time far away in a land torn by war and terror.

I lived quietly as a kid in Pennsylvania.

Today's film supports many viewings. This is my fourth or fifth time.

Army of Crime (2009)

What they were called by the Nazis.

This is a wonderful film and it still holds up after so many viewings.

Of course, the story is riveting. But the acting and the story line, the real people who hold the lines tight to the truth, is superbly written.

There are many fine actors in this film. Most would be well out of the memory of the war. But they are so genuine. I think because they are French and the French have not forgotten what was done to them. It is in their genetic makeup now.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films, WW II

Look what the science guys have cooked up for us.

Labels: gay couples, science

I have put Nate Silver's blog on my daily mix.

Five Thiry Eight

538 is the number of electoral votes up for grabs.

What tipped me over was the entry of Mark Rubio into the GOP race.

I am not a fan of any particular candidate this year although, for now, it has to be Hillary Clinton.

Will any Democrat have the balls to buck the Clintons? I doubt it.

They might put a few stalking horses out there to feel the heat of some electoral mojo but for the most part I think she has it if she wants it. And, a big one, if she doesn't fuck up.

Remember the Clintons have a lingering death wish. All we need is for Bill to get his fingers caught in some finger pie somewhere. Or who knows?

It is all fun anyway as I am not all that invested. For now.

Anyway, later on, Silver will have the best stats and commentary on the running(s). Indispensable for even a casual fan of the process.

Give him a try.

He is also a certified out of the closet homo so there is a brotherhood component to my fandom. A geek fairy.

Labels: election, polls

By all accounts, Hillary Clinton's first ad, two minutes long, is a masterpiece.

Who would have thought.

Read this analysis. It focuses on how she has laid a clever trap for the GOoPers.

It is important to read a lot of this piece.

Hillary Clinton’s announcement video that kicked off her 2016 presidential campaign will go down as one of the great works of political advertising and strategy in modern history. Decades from now Poli-Sci majors will be writing papers about that piece and what it meant to the 2016 election.

The candidate doesn’t even appear in the ad for the first 90 seconds. The visuals are a snapshot of very likable people, your fellow Americans, going about their daily lives. The mix of people is diverse, middle class and represent broad archetypes that will resonate with the average viewer. The characters depicted are real, approachable and totally believable. These people are your friends and your neighbors and they slip Hillary Clinton, someone who is most definitely not middle class, into this river of average Americana. Yet, for all its technical perfection, that’s not the real brilliance of the piece.

The real brilliance of this piece is that it’s inviting Republicans to stick their head in a noose. It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Republicans will respond with attack ads. By being so consistent, the GOP has made themselves predictable and this ad is calculated to capitalize on the contrast.

Instead of coming back with their own positive vision for America and actually arguing issues, Republicans will come back with attacks. That will be a strategic a blunder of monumental proportions and the announcement ad is engineered with that response in mind from the very first frame. The great thing about Republicans as an opposition is they can be counted on to shoot themselves in the foot and the extremist faction of the party, which can’t keep their mouth shut on a good day, will rise to the bait starting on Monday morning. Instead of talking about the issues, Republicans are going to spend all of next week talking about Hillary Clinton.

What the ad did is put Clinton in the midst of a crowd of Americans and makes her campaign about them. So when Republicans start attacking her, by extension, they’ll be attacking their fellow Americans.

Well, here we go!

What fun!

Labels: Election 2016, Hillary Clinton

Jerry Lester, Dagmar, Milton deLugg.

All stars or near stars of the first late night television show Broadway Open House.

I was there.

I was allowed unlimited television time. School was a walk through for me (college not so much), so I had plenty of time and freedom.

I loved this free wheeling show. It had no format. It was talk but it was also play and just plain fooling around.

Jerry Lester was an unreconstructed burlesque comedian and he was more or less uncensored. Dagmar was a statuesque blond with no discernible talent but her big juggs. In fact she was a great personality and played the dumb blond role to perfection with just a hint of a wink that let us in on her joke and that made it just fine. Wonderful.

Milton De Lugg was the bandleader and the first band leader in late night who spoke. He became part of the action. Always funny. Later, many band leaders would become minor luminaries of the late night shows but De Lugg was the first.

He was blessed with a great wit, a funny scratchy voice, a huge nose and a blatant smart ass jew-boy persona that became indelible in my memory.

De Lugg went on to other shows.

And now he is gone.

He sure lasted a long time.

Watch this. It is a fuck lot better than a lot of late teevee. DeLugg is part of the fun.

And, a good look at Dagmar! I couldn't resist.

Labels: nostalgia, obituary, television

To no one's surprise, Hillary Clinton announced today.

I think that it is a very good start. Did you see me in there? Gay couples are part of every ad now. Well, not the GOoPers but just wait.

Labels: Hillary Clinton

Translations aside, political buffoonery carries well across cultures.

In this film the title character never appears.

The French Minister (2014)

But a bunch of familiar French stars do and a delightful comedy ensues.

I had forgotten that it starred, among others, Neils Arestrup. Who I have seen being evil, innocent, guileful and, as of today, enormously funny.

It is difficult to find something wrong with this so I will admit that it is about fifteen minutes too long. But then it is French. Cut some slack.

Labels: film

I have been reading Alison Bechdel's cartoon strip for a very long time.

Some of the strips have ended up in the blog.

Now, excitement. A Broadway show! That was an off Broadway show.

Alison seems to be enjoying herself. As she should.

‘Fun Home,’ the Musical, Takes Alison Bechdel’s Life to Broadway

It is all supposed to be pretty close to real life.

"Fun Home" is the name given to her Dad's funeral home where Bechdel grew up. Her dad was also a closeted gay man. You can see the complexities of such a family. Hide and seek 24/7.

The thing about this strip is that it is wise to many things. Gay life. Social hypocrisies. Lesbians. Not much known about that. At least not in your comic section.

I am glad to see she has made the big time. Very happy. Another rung on the gay/lesbian ladder to full social recognition.

Labels: gay books, gay life, theater

The city is very peaceful this weekend.

That is because they are all at The Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival in Indio.

Fortunately they are way down there and not anywhere near up here although all our hotels are filled with Coachella guests.

I don't know much about it. It is a world that passed by me. Or I passed by it. I know about or have heard of exactly two of the acts before. And only by reputation.

I am glad they are doing it. It is good for the economy. But I can't help but think that it may not be very good for the desert.

Or, what the hell. The desert is pretty barren. It isn't as though anything was disturbed for the fest to happen. Just wildlife, the ecology and the neighbors.

Curmudgeon.

The desert is still considered a dump by some.

The evidence for that is strewn along the highways and even in the fields.

It was always thus.

Of course, I am doing my part. Grassing over a part of it and using up the water we do not have. I sit on the condo board. We will be turning off the spigots soon.

But I digress.

Let's have some music and keep the hotels going. By all means.

They chose a good time incidentally. This is the prime time of the year. Temperatures and conditions. No rain. No clouds. There will be a lot of sunburns though.

They are considering going to January but I am not sure that is a good idea. It can get cold and there are the winter rains. But they won't ask me, huh?

Labels: coachella valley, desert, music, Palm Springs

I like to dip in every once in awhile; to get a little wet in the New Wave cinema.

Today's film is Claud Chabrol's second effort. They still have not made his first available on disc, at least not on Netflix.

This one is a toughie. A let down. In the first a city mouse visited the country mouse. In this, the reverse. Both are studies of culture clash.

A country (provincial) cousin comes to live with his city cousin. A drama ensues. There is money trouble, school trouble, friend trouble. Mostly adapting. He has a confidant who, in the end, isn't consulted about the trouble the country guy is in.

And so on.

Do not expect a happy ending in this kind of endeavor.

The upper middle class must be shown as empty if not mocked, the pursuit of excellence will be thwarted.

I will give this film a 3 out of Netflix5 but that is a bit unfair as it is, in its time, very good. A breakout for Chabrol. But I would not want to see it again and the rules say that has to invalidate a 4.

I am just explaining why I didn't like the film as much as I wanted to. The one cousin is handsome and full of good deeds. But he is a loser. The other cousin is a shit. He wins. French angst.

The whole film is captured in this lengthy trailer.

Labels: films

It is not news that Russia is about as homophobic as any other place on earth other than, well, maybe there are a lot of places you can't come out.

From this, I gather that there is a long ways to go in the communist dream state.

After ‘Interns’ Star Came Out in Russia, a Mix of Fury and Shrugs

It took an American.

That will teach them.

It is a nice story. He is courageous because even his male costar is a professed homophobe.

Yet he plays a guy who has two gay fathers. Go figure. The Russkies like to play both sides against the middle these days.

I think that he is performing a public service. That his life could be in danger is not only too bad but a continuing disgrace in an ignorant world.

It is a good reminder about how far we have come and yet to go.

I do not kid myself. The good ole "land of the free" could slip back anytime. Look at the ones who are running for office.

Do you think Ted Cruz is going to let me live my life in peace? I doubt it. Seriously.

Labels: gay rights, GOoPers, homophobia, right wing bastards, Russia

I was not a child of the Sixties.

More of a middle ager that got nipped in the ass by it.

I liked a lot of the stuff and bought into it but basically could not stand the showboating and disguised hate of it all. Hate of country, hate of other classes. Just plain hate.

No one from that time who was into it would agree with me of course.

Nevertheless I do enjoy the memories of the times which did change me. Alter my view.

Today's film is a reminder of all that countercultural stuff. The good and the claptrap.

Ferlinghetti: The Rebirth of Wonder (2009)

This film does a very good job of separating the shit from the shinola.

The one very important thing about Ferlinghetti is that he founded and maintained a mainstay of a strong counter culture in the form of his wonderful City Lights Book Store. A SFO landmark.

I am not a poetry guy. I am more a "if you have something to say fucking say it" kind of guy. The elliptical and the metaphoric does not sing in my head.

But I enjoyed this film anyway because Ferlinghetti is a strong hero to a lot of people and if you scrape the nonsense off him he is a great poet and a great thinker. He is seminal.

I love that he is beat poet and a capitalist. An American contradiction. The gods laugh.

I would gladly see this again just to hear the poetry and see this guy swing. A 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: documentary, films, poetry

I am the first member of my family to go to college.

And, what is more to go to a fine college that, while not in the Ivy League, is head and shoulders above most Ivy schools.

MIT! Yeah team.

It was not difficult for me. I think there were quotas for small towns although I am sure they would deny that.

Getting in was not the first problem of being first generation. Staying was a bitch.

I had to work hard to get minimum grades but I also worked hard at working in the dining halls and to get the loans I needed to stay there. Scholarships were out of my reach after the first term.

And I got through. And I did well especially with my peers at the non-academic stuff. I ran the entire student staff of the biggest dining hall and ran a large committee that put on the one white tie dance every year.

I am not bragging, I am just saying that college, for me, was a transformation more complete than just improving my social class status. I was vaulted into the meritocracy and did very well as a result.

I am still the only member of my generation to attend college. There were several who went to business school or other two year colleges.

In the next generation there are many who went on to college and university. It was a total leap for the family into a different world.

Labels: college, life, MIT

It was inevitable, now, romantic comedies about gay weddings.

And this is a good start.

The Perfect Wedding (2012)

Two guys meet and have a good time together but one is just out of a relationship and the other seems to be in one. With the same man!

So. Complicated.

As it turns out the ex and the boy are just friends and the film takes its time to let everyone in it of that fact.

At the same time, in parallel, there is a hetero marriage in the offing and that provides a nice balance as the principals in one marriage discover there will be another one soon. And so on.

I liked it. Not enough to buy it so it is a 3 out of Netflix5.

The time has come when we do not have to own every gay film that is put out.

Oh well, maybe we need this one. Just to support the efforts of these guys' first film. A small contribution.

Labels: films, gay films

One of the most egregious acts of the right wing is their support of conversion therapy for their own transgender and gay children. So far.

Obama to Call for End to ‘Conversion’ Therapies for Gay and Transgender Youth

This should, of course, not even be necessary. It would be expected that professional standards for doctors of the mind and body would ban such practices.

But they do not.

There is a lot of basis for helping gay and lesbian and transgender teens. But not to change. Rather to have and develop a sound basis for accepting who they are and support in this crucial phase of life.

I had no reparative therapy. Mine was induced by fear and loathing of who I realized I was.

Societal conditioning already exists but in an unhealthy way.

I do not regret my life at all. I have no desire to relive it.

But had I the chance to choose as a teen I honestly do not know how I would do that.

The fact is that where and how I grew up there would be no easy path. But today, in various areas of the country there is support. And kids should have it.

There will always be closet cases either self chosen or pressured from outside. Everyone must find his or her own way. But they should not be hindered.

Labels: gay, transgender

Sometimes, places are timeless. For example? Paris.

Le joli mai / The Lovely Month of May (1966)

Weirdly almost fifty years old and still fresh.

The day of the huge demonstration for peace in Algeria.

Ironically, little about the film has to do with this. It shows the utter indifference of these events to daily life.

At the time this was a huge disconnect between the people and the government. Now, it is a curiosity.

A tragic curiosity but still a strange time.

I watched it because it was reported to be an example of fine black and white documentary art. True.

It is also profoundly human. People, people, people. Wall to wall people.

Delightful.

It is pretty clear that the daily life in Paris is independent of the rest of the world.

I will give it a 3 because I would not want to watch it again but it is a wonderful experience for one show only.

Labels: documentary

I was a grocer's son.

It wasn't a lot like the movie but I get the feel of things in a different way.

Le fils de l'épicier / The Grocer's Son (2007)

This is the third or fourth viewing. It is a best film for me.

Nicolas Cazale stars with a great cast. A son comes back to the family store when his Dad has a heart attack.

The scenery is gorgeous, the acting heart felt. The story is quite engaging even if your Dad worked in an office. I am sure. Father and son stories always catch us in the right place if they are done well. And this one is.

A 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films, films

John got a small patch of fake grass and some candy eggs. Some jelly beans.

It is really for us. That is our sum and substance of having a holiday.

Gotta have jelly beans.

We had a family walk this morning and that was nice. We have missed a few weeks because of my small ailments. Sore leg. I forget.

It was nice to be back in the routine again.

I am sure Marcus thought so too. I think.

Today's movie was the third disc of the third season of Big Bang Theory which still holds up well.

It is important that I let some time between viewings. That said, I will watch the second part of the season tomorrow.

Labels: holidays

What seemed like an inevitable glide into the GOOPer nomination is, apparently, not.

Jeb Bush as Inevitable Choice? Republicans Say Not So Fast

Here is my fast analysis.

Jebbie is not like his brother which is a good thing as far as I am concerned but is probably a bad thing as far as the ideologues and other bushemies in the Republicos.

First, he is kinda wimpy looking. Those glasses. And he has a record of somewhat "liberal" actions in his home state. Sort of.

The other thing is that George had that bad boy look, the leer, the side of the mouth grin. Jeb has none of that.

Jeb is soft. A bit tubby. A bit wimpy. Not OK with the knuckle draggers.

Jeb is the kid that the bullies would have beat up on.

Just watch.

Labels: bush. bushies, GOoPers

Today's film was a video of one of the most fascinating people of our time.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012)

This is the release date of the video. The interview took place a long time earlier just when Jobs was about to return to Apple and was still working with his small company NeXT.

So, during this interview, we know the next thing that happened. Jobs triumphantly returned to his home company. It is kind of neat that we know more than they did in the interview. Although Jobs may have had an idea of it.

He is a charismatic guy. Impossible to quit watching.

And, coming as it does on the heels of my completion of the latest Jobs biography, it has a special kick for me. Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart>

I heartily recommend the book, incidentally. I have stopped reviewing books in the blog but this one is special.

Labels: films

Marcus and I went out to pee this morning and I looked up at the sky as I always do.

There was the beginning of a lunar eclipse. The "blood moon"

I can see why it made the early people freak out. It is quite spooky when it is not expected.

It has happened fast.

I went and got John and we watched it creep to a complete wipeout which, as you know, is not really a black out. More a brown out.

It is quite something.

And to see it by accident was a particular thrill. I am not sure why I didn't know it was happening. actually. But there was that neat global cartoon showing the path of it about a week ago. I figured it would hit us in the daylight and then forgot about it.

Gee whiz! Holy kaboley!

Some of the christers think that this will be a part of the end times.

The same as the primitives.

But what do I know?

Labels: astronomy

I bailed out of this one after ten minutes.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

I don't even want to talk about it.

Child porno, violence, rape and pillage.

No butterflies.

There may be a saver in this. Like it turns out that what I was watching was all a fevered dream but I would rather not know.

It has been awhile since I have somehow gotten myself caught by something like this.

The odds were against me. Sooner or later, trash will enter the film queue.

Ashton Kutcher. What was I thinking?

I do worry about the kids that were recruited for acting in this film. Will they be scarred for life?

A rare 1 out of Netflix5. Now if I can stop it playing in my head!

Labels: films

The drought in California is a serious problem.

We can see it just around the corner.

Fortunately the condo complex has a minimum of grassy area but it is still enough to use up more than our share of water.

I suspect that the monthly meeting will have more suggestions for action including turning some areas over to sand and gravel. Desert.

It is surprising how much this costs initially.

One would think that a dump truck and a visit to the outer desert for some rocks would do the trick. But the labor to do this is intensive. Of course, the upkeep is pretty simple once the installation is complete.

That is, if you are thorough about layering black poly under the rocks. Surprises lie for those who do not. The heat and the protection provide a great place for weeds to prosper.

This is, of course, no real hardship and must be done.

The real problem here is the over 100 golf courses. They are on their way out with the grass. Some have already converted extensively to desert.

I only mention this because golf is an industry here. A huge one. A year round haven for the compulsive weekly and daily golfer. And then the ancillary businesses. Food, lodging, retail.

Life in the oasis. But it is drying up and that will have to be dealt with first.

Here is an old photo. There was no snow on the mountains this year. None.

Labels: California, drought, Palm Springs

The winds of change become a tornado.

Religion Laws Quickly Fall Into Retreat in Indiana and Arkansas

It is not necessarily because there are more people in favor, or at least not in disfavor, of gay rights and gay marriage. It is because bigotry does not work here. It does abide here but it does not work.

It runs right into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Tested in the courts over and over, it is amazing to me that the religionists in these states persist in their bias despite their own professed beliefs and, now, despite continual setbacks.

But the church is strong and it flogs its "believers' with dire sermons and pandering to people's worst instincts.

What is laughable is seeing some fat bishop from New York fulminating on MSNBC this morning. Puffed like an adder he is nearly ready to spit or split.

Celibacy is not good for the adult constitution. It leads to warts and other afflictions. But I digress.

The tide is going out for these bastards and they should just get a life and mind their own business. It would probably be a good idea for them to get laid as well but I am not in the business of minding others' affairs.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

The drug cartels have their enforcers who do their work and keep their mouths shut.

The kidnap and kill on orders from the top. Most of them are addicts themselves and operate on a basis of fear. They know, after all, very well what awaits anyone who tries to buck or get out of the system. They do the dirty work.

One who got out and lives free today is the subject of this documentary.

El Sicario, Room 164

In a one man show, no moderator, the enforcer tells his story. Grisly, at times almost unbearable. It takes some fortitude not to cut out or FF or somehow hide from the horror he describes.

He got out when he had a spiritual awakening and made a run for it.

He succeeded, I imagine, because he had seen all the people who did not. So he had learned what not to do.

What is more he got out with his family. A new name, a new place.

It is a fascinating piece of work which is nicely paced given that we are looking at one man in a lace headpiece, kind of weird choice there, in one room for the entire time. There are occasional breaks. A fast scene of a street or night lights. A small vacation from the close quarters of the main business at hand.

It is hard to say that I enjoyed this film but I did stay with it and, while I would not see it again, am glad to have been a witness to the reality of things we often see dramatized. Things that don't come close to the reality of it.

I will give this a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films

The comedians are making hay out of the new Indiana "religious freedom" law.

Labels: gay rights

I am heartened by events in Arkansas.

Arkansas Governor: My Son Asked Me To Veto 'Religious Freedom' Bill

It would be better if he had disavowed it personally but we will take what we can get.

It is ironic now that "religious freedom" has become the new code words for homophobia and gay bashing.

I don't have much truck with churches of any stripe but I leave them alone. It is up to the people who are in them to do what they wish with their beliefs. To act out their own faith.

But when that practice gets in my face, I am going to fight back.

I suppose this is one of those situations where we will just have to go to the mats again. Over and over. Bigots will bigot and hide in the folds of religious mumbo jumbo.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

I am astonished that I return to this film at least every year.

The Warriors (1979)

It has everything for me. A great plot. Neat characters, a Bronx gang, and superb direction. Walter Hill.

I never tire.

Each time I see something new and even the old stuff does not pale.

The weird thing is that I have not yet bought it. I fixed that today.

This is a 5 out of Netflix5 and I cannot explain it. I just love the film and can't get enough. Well, at a reasonable gap between viewings.

Labels: best films, films

It is our fortieth "meeting anniversary".

We met on or about April 1st, 1975.

I had placed a personal ad in one of the alternative newspapers in Boston.

There were some responses but nothing that turned out to be very interesting.

Then, sort of late in the game, came a note, then a call and then a meet up.

I met John in the great City Hall Plaza in Boston. He worked there. We were to connect at the T station on the upper end but I could see him coming across the vast expanse of brick that marks that "hallowed" place.

By the time he got to me, I was kind of speechless but we went upstairs at a bar that was right there, Peter's Plum, and had a drink.

Before we had finished, I asked him to come back to my apartment which was several blocks away. To talk.

That is how things were done in those days.

So, we went.

I was anxious to get there so we walked through the back basement door which was the first entrance we got to. The closest to the elevators.

He has never forgotten that.

Me either.

Nor what happened when we got to my studio apartment. But I will draw the blinds here and let you know that our first times together were quite special.

We dated. I tried to get away from his clutches. I wasn't ready for a "relationship" but I think that I also let him catch me.

It wasn't too long after that he was the only one for me and has been ever since.

Not that we didn't try some others here and there. But not seriously.

I hardly expected such a thing to happen. The stuff of fairy tales, the prince arriving out of nowhere with a glass slipper or something like that.

We had our hard times. We had to move through a lot early on but somehow it was never difficult. The teamwork started early.

I am so grateful for my life with John. We never set out for longevity. But here it is. A life second to none.

Labels: anniversary, life