Dustin Lance Black has just celebrated his 46th birthday and is celebrating with his husband, Tom Daley and son, Robbie.
In a cute photo of the family, the Milk screenwriter thanked his fans for their birthday wishes and also for their generous donations to the Center Of Black Equality.
I always look forward to the release of a Woody Allen film because I know exactly what I’m going to get. But this time, with A Rainy Day in New York, we get Woody in top form.
This release has been met with controversy as several of its stars have denounced Allen over 1992 sexual abuse allegations of one his children with Mia Farrow that resurfaced with the start of the Me Too movement near the end of 2017 after Allen had finished this film. Several of the film’s stars donated their salaries to organizations involved in the Me Too movement. Amazon, who financed the film, refused to release it, calling it unmarketable, but eventually, the distribution rights went back to Allen and he was free to release his own film.
The delay in releasing this film made 2018 a year in which no Woody Allen film was not released since 1981.
Irregardless of whether you don’t want to watch this film because of Allen, it still has the special Allen touch where he makes Manhattan a magical place where anything can happen. Well in this film, anything does happen. Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) plays Gatsby (an appropriate name), a college student in upstate New York whose girlfriend Ashleigh (Elle Fanning) gets an opportunity to interview eccentric film director Roland Pollard (Liev Scheiber), a character that could actually be Allen. Gatsby comes from a very rich family, but he also makes money from high stakes gambling, so he has lots of money for him and Ashleigh to do the finest things in Manhattan at no expense. But when Ashleigh meets Pollard, the troubled director takes a liking to her and invites her to a private screening with his producer Ted Davidoff (a very good Jude Law).
But, in true Allen form, Ashleigh’s day turns into a madcap adventure where she eventually winds up with hot and sexy star Francisco Vega (Diego Luna). While Ashleigh is busy with the stars, Gatbsy continues to wait for her and bumps into his ex-girlfriends’ little sister Chan (a dry Selena Gomez). As Gatsby waits and waits for Ashleigh, he doesn’t want his upper elite parents to find out he is in town as they are holding an exclusive party that evening and he just doesn’t want to go, plus he’s enjoying his time with Chan. While all this is taking place, rain continues to fall, because it’s a Rainy Day in New York.
Allen’s style of filmmaking hasn’t changed much – he uses the same style – and it works – especially in this film. His last few films, including 2017’s Wonder Wheel, were not his best, and A Rainy Day in New York is his best since 2013’s Blue Jasmine in which Cate Blanchett earned an Oscar for Best Actress.
A Rainy Day in New York is humorous, romantic, fun, with a plethora of famous actors ( Sukie Waterhouse, Rebecca Hall and Cherry Jones make appearances – though Gomez is the only false note in the film). Chalamet carries the film with his charming and romantic character. I will continue to look forward to future Woody Allen films – his next one is Rifkin’s Festival – shot in Spain last year and hopefully will be released later this year. I can’t wait.
A Rainy Day in New York is available on Premium On-Demand platforms from 5 June
Barebacking is anal sex without the use of condoms. It has become more and more common on dating and hookups for guys to ask for BB sex, as the availability of anti-HIV medications has risen.
You may see “Negative on PreP” on a person’s profile to indicate that they are potentially up for condomless sex.
The rise of BB could also be linked to the rise in bareback porn being filmed by studios.
After the rise of AIDs and HIV in the gay community during the 80s and 90s condomed sex was advocated by community leaders and health professionals as a way to combat the spread of HIV.
In recent years, however, with the availability of PrEP for “at-risk” communities, condom use is no longer seen, by some, as entirely necessary, particularly in the fight of ending new HIV infections.
Previously BB sex was seen as extremely risky, however, due to the invention and availability of PrEP, bareback sex is safer from becoming infected with HIV, however, BB sex can lead to other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis.
