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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Sep 10, 2011
Leonardo DiCaprio portrays J. Edgar Hoover in November. – Photo: Courtesy
“Wish Me Away,” a new documentary film about singer Chely Wright’s coming-out in the world of country music, is being shown as part of the Milwaukee Film Festival, Sept. 22-Oct. 2. For information, go to www.milwaukee-film.org. – Photo: Courtesy
After a lackluster summer of superhero-driven special f/x duds, the fall movie season appears somewhat more promising. It looks like the gay-themed “Beginners,” an early contender for best movie of 2011, has some queer competition in “Weekend,” “Toast,” “Pariah” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Sequels and remakes aside, there’s something for almost everyone on the schedule.
September
- 9 – Artsy director Steven Soderbergh promises to terrify with the scary “Contagion,” starring Kate Winslet and Matt Damon, and he succeeds.
- 16 – Sarah Jessica Parker is back in “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” something that has probably been said about actress/designer/mom/wife and gay icon SJP.
- 16 – You’ll have to see “Drive” to find out if Ryan Gosling, playing a stunt driver/getaway driver, takes off his shirt.
- 16 – The remake of the violent Dustin Hoffman classic “Straw Dogs” stars James Marsden and Kate Bosworth.
- 23 – Before he morphs into porny wolf-boy Jacob again, Taylor Lautner roars into action in John Singleton’s “Abduction.”
- 23 – The British “Weekend” is September’s sexy gay movie entry.
- 30 – Joseph Gordon Leavitt goes for Oscar gold, alongside Seth Rogen and Anjelica Huston, in the cancer flick “50/50.”
October
- 7 – Based on gay writer Nigel Slater’s foodie memoir, “Toast” stars Freddie Highmore and Helena Bonham Carter.
- 7- Ryan Gosling is back alongside George Clooney in “The Ides of March.”
- 14 – Feel free to ask why and think twice before buying tix to the unnecessary remake of “Footloose.”
- 14 – Antonio Banderas and gay filmmaker Pedro Almodovar are reunited in the director’s latest, “The Skin I Live In.”
- 28 – Ubiquitous singer-turned-actor Justin Timberlake goes sci-fi in “In Time.”
- 28 – Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence returns in “Like Crazy.”
- 28 – Johnny Depp revisits the late Hunter S. Thompson in “The Rum Diary.”
November
- 4 – Busy Banderas voices the booted but pants-less feline in “Puss in Boots.”
- 4 – Michelle Williams plays Marilyn Monroe opposite Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in “My Week With Marilyn.”
- 9 – Remember how Clint Eastwood screwed up “Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil”? It should be interesting to see how he handles the gay subject matter in the Hoover biopic “J. Edgar,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
- 18 – Openly gay filmmaker Bill Condon sinks his teeth into “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1.”
- 23 – “Hugo,” Martin Scorcese’s film adaptation of the beloved kids’ novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” has special effects and Sacha Baron Cohen.
December
- 9 – “W.E.” is Madonna’s second film as a director. Could there be a Razzie Award in her future?
- 16 – Robbed of an Oscar for her portrayal of Julia Child, Meryl Streep reunites with her “Mamma Mia!” director Phyllida Lloyd to portray British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.”
- 21 – Rooney Mara steps into the role of the bisexual titular character in the David Fincher/Hollywood remake of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
- 25 – Stephen Daldry (“The Hours,” “Billy Elliott”) directs the movie adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s post-9/11 novel “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
- TBA – Another December queer movie is Dee Rees’ Sundance Film Fest winner “Pariah,” starring Adepero Oduye as a teen lesbian.
- TBA – Roman Polanski directs the film version of the Tony Award-winning play “God of Carnage,” with a cast including out actress Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet.
