My movie genres

I have compiled a list, using the categories provided by Netflix (except Cult Movies, which doesn't get its own separate category from Netflix, but does from me), of my preferences regarding the various film genres and subgenres, listing those that I like. I list each genre followed by (after the :) the subgenres of that genre that I enjoy.

Action & adventure: Blaxploitation, Martial Arts (especially classic Kung Fu movies), Westerns (rarely)

Animation & Anime: For Grownups, Horror, Fantasy. I admit I struggle with this genre, knowing it's all the rage, now, but I'm very finicky when it comes to animated films.

Children & Family: not so much

Classics: I love old movies from the black & white era. Also Classic Sci-Fi/Fantasy movies (like Invasion of the Body Snatchers), and Film Noir.

Comedy: British Humor, Cult Comedy, Black Comedy or Horror-Comedy, Slapstick, Satire/Mockumentaries, Stand-Up

Cult - Probably my favorite genre in general, with a sidenote for Asian Cult, Cult Classics (like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) and Cult Horror

Documentaries: Historical, Biographical, Indie, PBS/Science & Nature (can't get enough of the nature docs), Political (sometimes)

Drama : Depends

Faith & Spirituality : Difficult

Gay & Lesbian : Maybe it's time for it to stop being its own separate genre?

Horror: tied with "cult" as my favorite genre, especially B Movie Horror, Creature Features/Monsters, Cult Horror, Foreign Horror, Horror Classics (House of Hammer, e.g.), Satanic Stories, Slashers, and Vampires/Zombies (although the new mainstream "teen horror" genrre, like "Twilight," leaves me cold...or maybe just old)

Indie - it's a mixed bag, but I do enjoy good experimental and art house films

Musicals - questioning

Romance - gotta be dark, quirky or queer

SciFi/Fantasy - love this genre in general, with special emphasis on Alien, Classic, SciFi Horror, and JAPANESE MONSTER MOVIES of the Godzilla variety

Special Interest - Art & Design, Dance, Food & Wine, Theater Arts, Mind & Body

Sports & Fitness - not so much. Ice-skating, when Johnny Weir is involved.

Television - hit and miss, but yes, I'm not a Teeveetotaler

Thriller - NO.

Ben wins Emmy / Happy Thanksgiving!

Congratulations to Ben Whishaw on winning the International Emmy two nights ago for best actor for his recurring role on British TV series Criminal Justice! (Julie Walters won best actress.) There's little doubt this guy has a bright future ahead of him. He missed the awards ceremony because he's currently appearing on stage in Mike Bartlett's play "Cock" at London's Royal Court. (Production photo above shows Ben with co-star Katherine Parkinson.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, one and all. Don't eat too much, or you'll get super fat and no one will love you.

xo

glam aka Tony

I Love You Man! or: Evolutions in the Homosocial Continuum.

Check out this Craigslist ad. I love that we live in a time when straight guys can post ads on Craigslist seeking each other out strictly for friendship and "normal guy stuff." (And I liked the movie "I Love You Man," too. Where was Andy Samberg's character when I was in high school? Or more to the point: where was Andy Samberg when I was in high school?)

If I may momentarily delve into the jargon of feminist/queer theory academia, I would say that "I Love You Man," unlike a yucky little dud like "I Now Prounounce You Chuck and Larry," indicates that we as a society may be healing the schizophrenic break in what Eve Sedgwick refers to as the "homosocial continuum" that has been caused in the past by homophobia. (Note homoSOCIAL. Not "homosexual.") What that means in plain English: due to our puritanical heritage, we've had a double standard in this country where women being affectionate and intimate friends can lead into women being "more than friends" without any major backlash or outcry, while the same is not true of men. This doesn't mean that the homoerotic subtext of "I Love You Man" invalidates its heterosexual plotline. It just means that maybe we're reaching a point of maturity and acceptance where the POSSIBILITY of men being "more than friends" isn't something we have to automatically regard with revulsion or distaste.

I'm proud of us. We're growing up. FINALLY.

Christmas Fever!

I walked past Macy's on my way to work and DAMN it's amazing looking, all garlands and wreaths and magic, it called to me, whispered with a voice like powdered sugar, I want to sleep in their bedroom department and spend all day soaking in Christmas splendor! And never return to the real world again!

And after Xmas I'll just turn into a little ceramic figurine of myself and stay that way until the holidays roll around again next year, and so on forever...

Good Taste

I am starting a new, casual dining group to meet once or twice a month at a restaurant of the group's choice for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. The objective is merely to meet some new people, eat some good food (which I can then recommend to customers at the hotel I work for), and have some stimulating conversation. I've started a Google Groups page for the club. If you're in the Bay Area and may want to join us, let me know! It's a public group, anyone can join.

My food tastes are diverse. I can enjoy everything from a dive-bar to an ultra ritzy place with sommeliers, lengthy wine lists and cloth napkins. I can honestly say I've never met a cuisine I didn't like at least a little.

Good Taste will have our first session at Le Central, San Francisco's first French bistro, founded in 1974. Former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown is known to be a big fan and to dine there regularly. Their roast chicken w/ pommes frites is supposed to be To Die For. Check them out here.

Courtney Love + Bill Clinton: Too good to be true

Check out this article from NY Mag's Culture Vulture, covering some Love-ly behavior at the 8th Annual Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. This woman's entire life is one sustained work of performance art. I love her so. And I would pay $$$ for a transcript of the conversation that took place during her breakfast with Hillary Clinton. (There's a photo of the two of them together published in Love's interesting scrapbook, "Dirty Blonde.")

Panic! At the Doctor's Office

Wonder of wonders, a BALANCED article (from HuffPost, again, now officially my preferred online hub for news and opinion) on the question of vaccines (albeit with a couple typing errors), by Bill Maher, that doesn't go to either one extreme or the other! How refreshing! Personally I find this guy far more palatable than, say, Alex Jones or other more extremist conspiracy theorists. Maher is a pretty sharp and reasonable guy, with a multifaceted perspective on various issues, and also a flair for controversy...which never hurts.

How about a vaccine for being a panicky American?

Carlin's Last Words

Tony Hendra has written a wonderful little piece on the late, great George Carlin for Huffington Post, arguing that Carlin was/is "America's Greatest Comedian." This comes as the book "Last Words" which he co-created with Carlin is about to hit the shelves. When I first saw an HBO special of Carlin's back in the early '90s it was life-changing: I'd never seen a comedian SO funny who at the same time provoked so much thought and tackled the huge cosmic issues that most people shy away from. He made me laugh til I cried, think about things more deeply and be righteously (but not self-righteously) pissed off all at the same time. (He also forever opened my eyes to what a boring, elitist "sport" golf is and to this day I can't abide it.) I will miss his raging, scorching commentary as he raced about the stage with amazing energy for an older dude (he'd already been at it for quite a while when I first saw a video of his stand-up). I have always had a special appreciation for stand-up comedians. I think performance in general is an art form I have a great deal of respect for, and comedy adds a further "plus" of respect, because I think making people laugh is not easy, and to make them laugh in a smart way, even less so. I think I would venture to say that great stand-up comedians are some of the greatest human artists. (And laughter itself so uniquely and spiritually human.)

Read Hendra's HuffPost article, buy the book, and treasure the memory of a true American original who won't be replaced any time soon.

The Butch Factor

Last night I caught a screening of a very interesting documentary at the LGBT Center, The Butch Factor, presented by Frameline. It explores the issue of masculinity - how it is constructed by society and ourselves - particularly in reference to gay men, who are really left to construct their masculinity - or lack thereof - on their own, since male homosexuality is not generally compatible with "manliness," at least in our society. (Socities in the past, like the Ancient Greeks and Romans, didn't seem to have this problem so much...) The subjects interviewed for the film - a number of whom were on hand for a Q&A afterwards - covered the masculinity spectrum from effeminate sissy and FTM transgendered to a number of brawny, hairy specimens more overtly masculine than most straight guys I know. They all articulated themselves quite well. Jack Malebranche, author of "Androphilia," appeared in an interview segment, asserting his feeling that gay culture is all about trivial shit like fashion and has no place for integrity, a sense of honor, pride in one's accomplishments - a view I still have a problem with and see as rather simplistic: I like clothing and shopping and more on the sissy end than the butch one in the masculinity spectrum I'm sure, yet I like to think of myself as a person of integrity and, dare I say, even HONOR, and I don't see any necessary conflict there. I noticed that, in contrast to Malebranche's obvious antipathy for queeny gay guys, a couple of the other very masculine, Lou Ferrigno-looking guys not only didn't express any dislike for effeminate gay guys, but even complimented them a couple times, saying they were really the tough ones, since they'd had to learn to defend themselves from an early age and "don't take shit from anybody." One of the two "sissy boys" interviewed made a very interesting point about how this very condition has resulted in him developing the BITCH side of his persona, which is unfortunately then carried over into relationships with others WITHIN the GLBT community itself - a reality I've thought about and commented on myself in the past. All in all, an excellent documentary, and I'm looking forward to the spin-offs it may produce - "The Adonis Factor," which director Christopher Hines said will deal with issues of body image, and maybe others that could take the issues touched on in "The Butch Factor" in other directions, such as adding the element of race, and also maybe a flip-side doc dealing with the (de)construction of femininity amongst lesbians. That I want to see, since I've always had a fondness for butch women.

You down with MSG?

In Portland when I lived on scenic N.E. 82nd Ave (that's sarcasm) there was a pho house not far from my house that I'd eat at sometimes, and I noticed I generally got a weird, unpleasant sensation starting after I'd finished a big bowl of pho, continuing for an hour or two. I thought maybe there was some unusual herb or other they used that gave me the weird feeling, but my friend who ate there with me said, "I bet they use MSG." (Vietnamese Restaurant Syndrome?) Alternately, when I worked in Glacier National Park in summer 2008 we sometimes had these virtually unidentifiable MEAT SLABS served in the employee dining room. They didn't look very good but tasted amazing, and I'd go back for seconds and thirds. The cook later told me they were so tasty because "they have tons of MSG," which according to him isn't really as bad as it's hyped up to be, but rather "just a type of flavored salt." So, what gives? Is MSG really the scourge of Asian cuisine, or not really such a big deal? From what I've read, it sounds like some people who have a special sensitivity to it should avoid it, since in that case it can lead to serious consequences, but that all in all, it's not as bad as it's made out to be. I mean, lots of Asians eat it regularly, right?

Franco at the Castro

James Franco is going to be at the Castro Theatre on Sunday, for a film screening + discussion, only $7, but I can't go 'cause of work!

Here's Johnny!

A couple weeks ago I caught a screening of "Pop Star on Ice," part of the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District. I didn't know much of anything about Johnny Weir before, other than that he is currently my mother's favorite figure skater (and "the new version of Rudy Galindo," according to her, which also signified nothing much to me, since I've never followed figure skating any more than I've followed football). But the blurb about the film piqued my interest, and the fact that it returned to the DocFest after screening for the first time LAST year seemed to indicate a fan favorite. And so it was. The theater was small, but packed, and enthusiastic, for the screening (one of only two) that I attended. There were a number of moments when we all laughed together, and I joined in the ovation at the film's end. Johnny Weir is a young athlete of great charisma. His press conference antics, youthful fearlessness and outspoken individuality do not obscure his amazing and innate talent as a skater, but only enhance and embellish it. I came away feeling - and hoping - that he could indeed one day "take the Gold." I always respond passionately to people brave enough to really communicate who they are to you without the fear and boundaries and inhibitions that most people have. It makes them vulnerable, but also uniquely lovable - because there just aren't that many of them. It's so much easier to play it safe. As far as the question of his sexuality goes: on the one hand, I do think it's a little silly for Weir to play coy about officially coming out of the closet, when a CHIMP watching "Pop Star on Ice" would think it blindingly obvious that he's gay. On the other hand - it is UP TO HIM, public figure or no, and in the times we live in, when announcing that you're gay to the press results in People Magazine covers titled YES I AM! - in other words, it amounts to a press conference and exactly the sort of "spectacle" Weir has spoken of in interviews, as something he wants to avoid - I can't blame him for not wanting his sexuality to overshadow his talent as an athlete and performer. Of course, when he does finally make the statement - if only to appease those tiresome enough to require such a statement of the obvious - I will be his loudest supporter. Let your bright light shine, baby! You are beautiful! It's true.

And you just took second place in the first day in the Grand Prix at Nagano.

Now, when will 'Pop Star On Ice" be released on DVD stateside, eh?

Not gaga for feminism

"I'm not a feminist. I hail men, I love men." So said Lady GaGa recently. I wasn't too into her before I read this quote. She strikes me as an obnoxious club kid pandering to the gay community as an easy way to build an instant support base. And reading this quote seems like a contrived way to stir up controversy, while at the same time revealing the mind of an ignorant youngster who doesn't really know what she's talking about. I realize my gender may preclude my having a relevant opinion on this subject, but is it not possible to be a feminist AND love men? In other words, to love women as well as men.

Of course it is.

Here's an interesting discussion on the topic from Bitch Magazine.