Imagine a real-life “Downtown Abby” with an English Lord who has a dark secret that is suddenly exposed and that in essence is the remarkable true story behind Lord Montagu. Beautifully filmed, relentlessly entertaining, yet another terrific example of how truth really is stranger and more compelling than fiction.
Starring: Oliver Tobias, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
Runtime: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Release: 2015
IMDb 8.2/10
Moments before his best friend’s wedding, Peter gets one last chance to rekindle mutual feelings long suppressed, but not abandoned. Sometimes the perfect reminder of first love’s passion is a simple kiss from the best man.
An important film in the history of American gay filmmaking, “A Very Natural Thing” is considered the first feature film on the gay experience made by an out gay man to receive commercial distribution. The insightful story follows a 26-year-old man, Jason, as he leaves the priesthood and moves to New York City in the hopes of finding a meaningful gay relationship.
There are plays that are legendary and roles that have become iconic, making them feel impossible to reinterpret.
The lacerating portrayal of George and his brash alcoholic wife Martha in Mike Nichols’ 1966 film by real life hard drinking, on/off couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was a work of perfect genius.
Surely this is impossible to equal? Watch and learn though. James Macdonald’s version is as close to perfection as can be and the assembly of a sublime script, a clutch of multi-award actors and a notable director have created something breath taking and rare.
Have you ever had one of those nights where you’ve had too much to drink and end up holed up with one of those bickering couples who are determined to emotionally swipe at each other? Meet George and Martha: a middle-aged failed author, college lecturer and his drunken wife, daughter of the head of the college. New to the campus are Nick and Honey. He’s a prime piece of beef, a precocious high achiever in his late twenties with a mousy wife who can’t handle her drink. It’s way after midnight and the drinks are flowing. Let the games commence.
Openly gay playwright Edward Albee was often asked about theories that the two couples in the play are based on gay men. He rubbished these claims and stated that had he wished to write about gay men then he would have done so. Whatever his intention this is a funny, painful play. Whether taken at face value as a play about relationships or as something deeper about the state of America or humanity, it’s a marathon at three hours long, but that’s worth taking part in in one and is as joyful as it is visceral. As the couples take bites out of each other the one-liners flow and the comedy morphs into something more painful and ultimately illustrates something touching and tender.
Macdonald has captured more of the comedy in the piece than in some versions and Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill are pitch perfect actors. Luke Treadway manages a fine depiction of cocky male confidence and it would be remiss of me not to mention his equally fine buttocks that he moves to strong effect. Imogen Poots is endearing as Honey. Their iconic roles and hard for an actor to make his or her own but the team manage this with aplomb.
This is theatre at its finest. Go and see it now. It’s not often something this hot comes to town.
LOGAN – Wolverine the breakout star of the X Men universe in his tenth and final appearance – pitched as the Superhero film unlike any other and boy did they deliver that.
Nutshell – A few years after the last X-men movie, and Wolverine a.k.a. Logan, is now pretty ancient doing rubbish work. Hiding in the Southern states to finance the medicine an even older Professor X who is on his last legs, as it were, across the Mexican border. They get embroiled with a young girl who needs their help and a cross country chase ensues. This is less a superhero movie and closer to a Jason Statham or Rambo, Schwarzenegger style fight movie – against the odds and it gets very dark indeed.
Running Time – 135 minutes;
Certificate – 15; yes that is right this is not kids’ entertainment and closer to a Kick Ass movie.
Tagline – ‘His Time Has Come’ and maybe others time has come too (spoilers).
THEGAYUK Factor – Hugh Jackman’s shirt is off an awful lot here and boy is the Aussie hunk looking pumped up and lean in all the right places. Loads of sweaty man on man fight action too as you always get in this genre and it could be the most masculine superhero film ever. No hetero love interest also helps it along here.
Cast – Hugh Jackman who has made Wolverine his own for 18 long years, Patrick Stewart, the hunky Boyd Holbrook, Richard E Grant old Withnail himself on villain duty and Stephen Merchant gets out of the Office and away from Ricky Gervais for a couple of hours in the Marvel universe.
Key Player – Jackman does what he always does and does it well but the real star here is Patrick Stewart. This film requires some serious acting rather than action chops and Stewart is one of the best at sucking every drop of emotion out of a scene.
Budget – $97 million which is cheap for a Marvel tentpole and it made six figures and climbing in its first week so like all superhero films the profits are going to be huge.
Best Bit – 1.50 mins; At last we get some superhero action and it is thrilling and well worth waiting for although short. Always good to see the baddies who are pretty out there here get their comeuppance in creative ways.
Worst Bit – 0.45 mins; This is a very long film (The second longest X-men to date) and it sags a bit in the middle with a drawn out casino segment, garage segment and then a farm segment all with valid individual plot points but it really stretches the movie and makes it pretty episodic.
Little Secret – This is the last film in which Hugh Jackman will play Wolverine. He has cited his age and his skin cancer as factors in him retiring from the role. The first Marvel film to not have an end credit scene and also no Stan Lee cameo. All very different.
Further Viewing –X Men, X 2, The Last Stand, Origins, First Class, Wolverine, Days Of Future Past, Deadpool & Apocalypse the entire clawed heroes canon plus everything else that starts with the Marvel or DC logo plus every 80’s man against the odds fight film.
Any Good – Make no mistake this is brutal stuff with gore a plenty and very adult themes. It is a very entertaining movie and truly thought provoking but with the exception of the last 20 minutes in no way is this a superhero movie as we have come to know them. Therefore alter your expectations accordingly to avoid disappointment and then you will love this for what it is… an out and out drama and a fitting climax to Logan Scissorhand’s story.
A re-imagining of the classic story Frankenstein is told to amazing effect in the new show simply titled ‘Frankenstein.’
In the perfect venue that is Wilton’s Music Hall, George Fletcher is a wonder as he portrays both Frankenstein and The Creature. Fletcher lives and breathes his performance for every one of the seventy minutes he is on stage. Assisted by Rowena Lennon as the chorus and as his wife Elizabeth, Fletcher gives a very physical performance where he morphs from man to grotesque monster, right before our very eyes.
Working with a bare minimum on stage, which includes two bright lamps, a chest, and a full length mirror, Fletcher as the creature learns to talk, say his name, while an audience member engages him to repeat his name, then her name. We are witness to this, Fletcher being both man and monster, and it’s a show and performance that is riveting, raw and amazing.
Wilton’s Music Hall has just undergone a £3 million programme of restoration work to ensure the infrastructure of the building is sound, but it still might look like it did when John Wilton combined the existing properties in the 1860’s to turn it into what it is today. it looks, and feels, when you walk in, liked you’ve stepped back in time. Separate drinking areas encompass the two story venue, with two bars and a kitchen that serves a small a variety of food, including pizza. But it’s the actual Music Hall where the magic happens. And Tristan Bernays adaptation of the story of Frankenstein, with direction by Eleanor Rhode, is the perfect show for this venue. Shadows, high ceilings, and elevated sound all contribute to the eerieness of the performances and subject matter. Go see it now because Fletcher, fresh from graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, is one to watch!
Frankenstein continues it’s run until March 18, 2017. To buy tickets, go to:
Taking to Twitter following her victory Jack said,
“It”s taken 21 months but today the High Court ruled that Hopkins statements to/about me were defamatory. I sued her for libel. and I won.
“To everyone who told me I couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t – I could, I would, I did.”
Commenting on Katie Hopkins’ behaviour, Jack told her fans on Twitter that the controversial talkshow host didn’t turn up to court once in the four days of the trial.
Mr Justice Warby awarded Monroe £24,000 in damages saying that Hopkins had caused “Ms Monroe real and substantial distress” and was entitled to “fair and reasonable compensation”.
At her debaucherous 40th birthday party, serial relationship-killer Jackie meets handsome and charming thirty-something River – the perfect guy, who happens to be gay. Their ensuing adventures in self-medication, late-blooming, and questionable judgment lead them to discover a raucous new kind of significant otherness.
Bored with Hollywood, three friends go on a road trip to NYC. Fate brings them to The Lion’s Den, a secluded backwoods bar. As the guys toast the end of their trip, closing time draws near and a night of horrors is about to begin.
Three young men struggle to escape the wreckage of their pasts and create new lives for themselves. Their new home is CollegeBoysLive.com, a mysterious webcam house rigged with 32 cameras, where their every move is watched by thousands of members.
