Wednesday, May 28, 2014

"THE JOY OF DISCO" (2012) (youtube)

 



WATCH IT ON youtube

  (I love how it's summed up:
"IT WAS THE BIRTH OF A NEW DEMOCRACY")


A documentary about how a much-derided music actually changed the world. Between 1969 and 1979 disco sound tracked gay liberation, foregrounded female desire in the age of feminism and led to the birth of modern club culture as we know it today, before taking the world by storm; with contributions from Deney Terrio, Nile Rogers, Earl Young, Nicky Siano, David Mancuso, Robin Gibb, Kathy Sledge, Edmund White, Ian Schrager and Rollerena, just to name a few.

I never knew this existed; produced by the BBC.

Personally my disco experiences started in the New Jersey parties and straight bars in 1972 and peaked in the 1980's. This pop explosion just morphed later on to house music, tribal and other danceable pop music.

My first gay disco was " THE ROUND TABLE" in Midtown NYC-I was 15 years old (yay fake ID's).
It was also the first time I saw men in drag.

Of course the top NYC discos we frequented in the late 70's and 80's (and we'd later refer to them as dance clubs to sound cooler; silly us.) were: "The Gallery",  "Studio 54" , "Xenon". "Infinity", "12 WEST", "The Barefoot Boy", "Flamingo", "The Anvil", "Les Mouches", "Ice Palace 57", "the Paradise Garage"and the epitome of all dance clubs, "THE SAINT".

Other cities had comparable dance clubs: Los Angeles had "Studio One"; South Florida had "COPA", "Salvation" and "Backstreet"; Atlanta had "Backstreet" as well.

And Philadelphia brought a unique sound the world embraced. It took soul, R&B and Motown to create timeless, danceable sounds still influencing artists today.

While the Salsoul Orchestra created the hybrid of soul, Latin and disco.

Any dancer worth his self respect danced the Latin hustle-not the "Saturday Night Fever" more Anglo style. This movie & soundtrack by The Bee Gees took disco to the mainstream (as Madonna's song "Vogue" did for voguing; another established underground phenom-watch "Paris is Burning" to explore its genesis).

(And screw the backlash of "DISCO SUCKS" in July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago--most of the music THEY were listening to REALLY SUCKED...it was pure homophobia & racism..hate at its most vile !)

DISCO LIVES!

A seminal work into this musical, transformative phenomenon is:

My Life in the Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin'



Tuesday, May 27, 2014

VINTAGE SALE (on EBAY)--awesome one-of-a-kind pieces...

SHOP--SHOP---SHOP...



   

CHECK OUT THESE VINTAGE CLOTHES ON EBAY
--momsanz is the ebay name:
CLICK THE DESIGNER (men's clothing)
  ----------Jean Paul Gaultier  (suit jacket/shoes)
 -----------Donna Karan (vest)
------------Prada (glasses,sandals)
------------G-STAR & X-RAY (jeans)
------------Two leather jackets
------------Vintage jersey/polyester shirts (long & short sleeves)
------------Bill Tornade suit
------------Joe Jackson shoes

TELL YOUR FRIENDS--THANK YOU...

Also have a VESPA HITCH (IRON HAULER w/ CHAINS--never used)...

THANK YOU FOR BROWSING, BIDDING & SHOPPING...



Sunday, May 25, 2014

1. ADAM BRAUN......2."THE NORMAL HEART"


 ...........................



The handsome & brilliant Adam Braun is inspiring.
 He was on "KATIE" last week and set forth a message of hope and selflessness from which we can all learn.
Instead of taking the easy path-which his pedigree could have allowed-he took the one less traveled.

(His brother is Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun. He is an American talent manager and businessman. He owns two record labels: School Boy Records[ and Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG).
 RBMG is a joint venture with R&B performer Usher
The most prominent artist Braun represents is Justin Bieber.
For School Boy Records, his represented acts include Psy, Carly Rae Jepsen .)

 I only mention this because Scooter has been able to help his brother by using his clients-especially Beiber and Sophia Bush-to help the "PENCILS OF PROMISE" movement.

To date he has been able to open 200 schools & they are growing almost daily.

ROCK ON !

Recently married, Braun has been very public promoting same sex equality as well.

He states:
"Seven weeks ago, on the greatest night of my entire life, I asked the woman I love with every ounce of my being to marry me.

The next morning the gravity of it all began to hit me, and I just couldn’t stop smiling. It seemed like everyone around us wanted to celebrate our love for one another. And as happy as I was, strangely, I found myself thinking about gay rights.

Over the past decade of my life many of those I’ve become closest to have been in love with members of the same sex. Some hid this for years, others came out. I never thought of their sexuality as their most identifying factor. I realized that those who are gay cannot experience what I’d experienced the night before in many parts of our nation. And suddenly, the gay marriage debate became personal..."

(read the complete article: http://adambraun.com/how-getting-engaged-changed-my-views-on-gay-marriage)

ROCK ON AGAIN & THANK YOU ADAM !
__________________________________________________________________________

 HBO movie "THE NORMAL HEART" (2014)

 Mark Ruffalo was brilliant !!!  He was fearless in his acting & took chances few would.  Yes, it made me relive unwanted memories and I even accepted a lot of its poetic license; the message was clear, the screenplay was average. At one point it seemed every gay Broadway actor made an appearance. Julia Roberts was great too. Overall, it was a stellar cast.
If Michael Douglas got all those accolades for the campy "Behind the Candelabra", Ruffalo better get as many, if not more.

Because I was around at the beginning of this pandemic disease it really hit home but I feel many people will find it to be another "disease of the week TV movie".
After years of this script/play being passed around Hollywood (even Barbra Streisand wanted to do it) I was hoping for something meatier & more substantial. 
In other words, a more universal appeal. Obviously the LGBTQ community will clearly latch on to all the events, especially if you were around in the 1980s gay scene.

Like "Philadelphia", (which I hated), I'm  glad this was made & shown on HBO where more people in the general public will get to see it, not only the LGBTQ community, but I wish someone else would have constructed it. Where "Philadelphia" mostly ignored the social support system Tom Hank's character has, in "The Normal Heart" they should have focused-and dramatized more- how the straight world of politicians/media, etc. wasn't doing enough. The frivolous white party in Fire Island lent little to what could have been an opportunity to showcase the numerous fund raisers other parties had; and continue to have. Also, why doesn't the film end with Kramer/Weeks/Ruffalo starting ACT-UP instead of him basically with his tail between his legs in a hospital room. Murphy could have gotten some tips from Roger Spottiswoode in " And the Band Played On" (1993).
  Ron Howard who possesses a better way of telling a human interest story would have been a better candidate than Ryan Murphy as well.  Gus Van Sant who so beautifully directed "MILK" would have made "The Normal Heart" have more heart too.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

"TOWELHEAD" & OTHER "WTF" FILMS


 Towelhead (2007) Poster




I JUST ADDED A NEW FILM TO MY "WTF" WAS THAT FILM COLLECTION.

I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS FILM EXCEPT IT HAD THE HOT AARON ECKHART IN IT & IT WAS A HUMAN INTERST STORY; I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE SO TWISTED.

GLAD I SAW IT ALTHOUGH IT MADE ME UNEASY AT TIMES...

"TOWELHEAD" (2007 DIRECTED BY ALAN BALL)

Not for the faint of heart.
It's a bit "LOLITA" 2.0.
I was not expecting this to be so sexual-- (this is from a semi-autobiographical book of the same name by ALICIA ERIAN)
I suppose I should have had a clue knowing this is the same director of "SIX FEET UNDER", "TRUE BLOOD" AND "AMERICAN BEAUTY"

The actors are great, except the overacting of  (he's Ball's lover & is in many of Ball's projects/good looking man though).

 PAVEL-8-2 reviews it best (although, unlike PAVEL, I do believe the main character, Jasira, knows the power of seduction; however, he describes it well:

"I can see why many reviewers hate this movie. It's cringe-worthy to watch the sexual awakening of a pubescent teen, when her parents and other important adults are childishly self-centered, in contrast to her own childlike innocence, honesty and vulnerability. That contrast and that cringe are what make it real and relevant. An unnerving part of the story is that the protagonist is never a victim..."


Other films I recommend if you're into the head game, off-beat types are:

1.         "HARD CANDY"
Before "Juno" Ellen Page gives a riveting performance in this nail-biting "Misery" type movie.

2.          "TO DIE FOR"
For my money it is Nicole Kidman's best performance ever. A young Joaquin Phoenix is in it too.

3./4./5. Three Lee Daniels' films:

3.         "THE PAPERBOY"
Again Nicole Kidman is unrecognizably magnificent. John Cusack is sick & Zak Efron adorable. This movie is INTENSE!

4.          "SHADOWBOXER"
 When an assassin is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decides to carry out one final killing, assisted by her lover and stepson, Mikey.  Nuf said !
 
  5.        "THE WOODSMAN" Kevin Bacon gives a harrowing performance.

Of course there's "Precious" -by Daniels too- bet you've seen this one. It's his most popular except for his misstep with "The Butler" last year ( it was so safe it was kinda of yawn for me).

So if you want chick flicks stay away from these but if you want your  mind f___ked  then by all means check them out. 

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU...