Queer Films: 2005 – BALD JASON'S GAY GOTH BOY BLOG

2024 Entry #57 08-13-24 “Hellraiser: Deader” is a low budget 2005 American supernatural horror film; it was the seventh installment released in the Hellraiser series. Directed by Rick Bota, the original script was written by Neal Marshall Stevens. As with “Hellraiser: Hellseeker” (Hellraiser VI) it began as an unrelated spec script, which was subsequently rewritten (by Tim Day) as a Hellraiser film. Like “Hellraiser: Inferno” (Hellraiser V), series gay creator Clive Barker did not have any involvement in the production.

This movie barely rates a mention, but the point of me reviewing LGBTQ+ inclusive material stems from a childhood in which there was almost no representation – so childhood me (who collected horror movies, many of them low budget shlock like this one, and who was a fan of gay author Clive Barker, without knowing he was gay) would have enjoyed this movie. It’s not a happy movie and it’s not necessarily a good movie, but considering some of the Hellraiser sequels that have been spit out over the years, this one isn’t that bad. It also has several interesting concepts within it, which never quite gel, but raise some interesting questions, just the same. The film features a graphic topless girl on girl makeout scene in a bizarre, sex positive side plot – which may or may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And then there’s the human villain Winter, as played by Paul Rhys (“Food of Love”, “Saltburn”), who is revealed to be a descendant of Phillip LeMarchand, a French toymaker who was revealed to have been commissioned to make the Lament Configuration, the puzzle box which summons the Cenobites. His character is somehow able to bring people back to life with a kiss, which he demonstrates with both a woman and then a man. Some equal opportunity homoeroticism. Also, there’s some blink and you’ll miss it full frontal male nudity. So again, I’m pretty sure that little boy me would have loved this movie. But as an adult, it’s well below average. But horror fans might want to give it a go.

2024 Entry #009 01-04-24 “Capote” is a 2005 biographical drama film about gay American novelist Truman Capote directed by Bennett Miller, from a screenplay by Dan Futterman (“The Birdcage”, “Sex and the City”, “Urbania”, “Will & Grace”, “Political Animals”). The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Boogie Nights”, “Flawless”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”), Catherine Keener (“Thelma & Louise”, “Being John Malkovich”, “Adaptation”, “Modern Love”), Clifton Collins Jr. (“Light It Up”, “The Rules of Attraction”, “American Girl”, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”, “Red, White & Royal Blue”), Chris Cooper (“This Boy’s Life”, “American Beauty”, “Adaptation”) & Bob Balaban (“Midnight Cowboy”, “Three to Tango”, “Howl”).

The film primarily follows the events during the writing of Capote’s 1965 nonfiction book In Cold Blood. The film was based on Gerald Clarke’s 1988 biography Capote. It was released on September 30, 2005, coinciding with what would’ve been Capote’s 81st birthday.

The film was successful at the box office, was well reviewed and the film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Miller, Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Keener, and Best Adapted Screenplay, with Hoffman winning the Academy Award for Best Actor.

In truth, I’ve avoided this film for nearly 20 years. I was aware that the central character was famously gay, and that at least one other gay man was portrayed (Truman Capote’s partner, Jack Dunphy) and I now know that there are others mentioned (including James Baldwin), but I also knew that while the film centered on a homosexual character, that it was essentially sexless and I found this problematic. While films featuring queer sexuality were being celebrated, it seemed that only the most non-threatening portrayals were award worthy at that particular time – and this film’s Oscar win in the same year in which “Brokeback Mountain” was denied (while meeting every standard which historically had led to a Best Picture win) hurt me. Indeed, I’ve never watched the Oscars ever again, despite loving them up to that point. It still angers me. But here we are.

Although I’d never seen this before, I was familiar with a great deal of the subject matter, having seen the 2006 film about the same topic (“Infamous”) also having read a novel by Kim Powers called “Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story”. It was fascinating seeing how “Infamous” and “Capote” chose to tackle the same events with very different results. Of the two films I’d say that “Capote” hit me harder, and the final act of the film was tortuous (in a complimentary way), but that I was more entertained by “Infamous”, it was more fun.

Tag: Queer Films: 2005

Hellraiser: Deader (2005)

“Capote” (2005)