Ashleigh Sumner Solo Show (San Francisco — February 13)
You may recognize her name as the star of the hit lesbian movie, AND THEN CAME LOLA. Out Los Angeles actress Ashleigh Sumner is also an accomplished painter whose first San Francisco solo show opens this weekend at a.Muse art gallery (614 Alabama St., San Francisco). Join Sumner at a public reception on Saturday, February 13th from 7-10 pm and discover her bold abstract paintings (and try to resist the urge to pester her for an autograph). More details at:
http://www.yourmusegallery.com/
Anthony Mackie Talks To Movieline
Before he achieved his current status as one of the top talents of the year (for his amazing performance in THE HURT LOCKER), actor Anthony Mackie made his big screen debut in Rodney Evans‘ powerful feature drama, BROTHER TO BROTHER. Check out this recent Movieline interview with Mackie about the Sundance Film Festival premiere of his new film, NIGHT CATCHES US.
Read the full interview right here: Anthony Mackie: ‘Hollywood Cares More About Hobbits Than the World In Which They Live’ | Movieline.
Jennifer Phang on HALF-LIFE
Check out Ruthe Stein’s in-depth interview with HALF-LIFE director Jennifer Phang on SF360.org. Phang reflects on her acclaimed feature film, her spirituality, her early work and the realities of being a queer Asian filmmaker:
“As a queer Asian woman without a language other than English, I actually fit in nowhere. I can’t fit in with Chinese people because I can’t fully claim my Chinese identity. I can’t claim my American identity in the same way as someone who has American identities for generations and as a woman it’s hard to claim my identity in a predominantly male industry.”
via SF360: Jennifer Phang on “Half-Life” and identity.
The High School Quarterback Who Became a Lesbian
Trans lesbian filmmaker Kimberly Reed will sit down with Oprah this Thursday, February 11th to talk about her powerful documentary PRODIGAL SONS (the film explores Kimberly’s relationship with her family in Montana and her estranged adopted brother who, amazingly, is the grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth). Opening at New York’s Cinema Village on February 26th followed by March 5th openings in San Francisco, Berkeley, Seattle, and Corvalis, Oregon). Click here to find more theatrical playdates.
Or click here to get Oprah details:
The High School Quarterback Who Became a Lesbian – Oprah.com.
I Love You Phillip Morris: Trailer of the Week!
From when it screened at Cannes last year (complete with French subtitles) it’s the official trailer for the crazy new Jim Carrey/Ewan MacGregor romantic-comedy (emphasis on comedy). Look for it at theaters near you come March 26th! More details at the official I Love You Phillip Morris website.
EYES WIDE OPEN (Opens Today: Feb 5th in NYC)
indieWIRE.com’s Michael Koresky on Haim Tabakman’s EYES WIDE OPEN:
“It’s so tempting to treat “Eyes Wide Open” as the preposterous melodrama that it easily could have been, but Tabakman manages to make a well composed, unemphatic, and fleet-footed drama out of the overheated material. A more restrained portrait of unconsummated desire might have been both more authentic and compelling, but a less titillating film would have attracted little attention.”
Read the full review HERE.
QSundance: Contracorriente (Undertow) Nabs Audience Award
Breaking News from The Sundance Film Festival:
The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to CONTRACORRIENTE (UNDERTOW) written and directed by Javier Fuentes-Leõn, an unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside in which a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town’s rigid traditions.
The film was acquired earlier in the week by by Wolfe. Read more details or watch the trailer at Sundance.org!
QSundance: Focus Grabs Lesbian BROKEBACK
The big news at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City today: Variety reports that Focus Features (the folks who brought us BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and MILK) are closing a $4-5 million dollar acquisition deal today for the new Lisa Cholodenko film, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. Regular QMovieBlog readers will recall news of the film in our November 2010 LGBT Movie Preview. The film stars Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as lesbian moms whose teenage kids (played by Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska) decide they want to meet their sperm donor, Mark Ruffalo.
And we just have to share a snippet from Peter Knegt’s absolutely raving review on indieWIRE.com:
Such authentic examinations of a same-sex family don’t come around too often, and “The Kids Are All Right” has mainstream accessibility to boot. It’s this accessibility (much more present than in Cholodenko’s previous efforts—1998’s “High Art” and 2002’s “Laurel Canyon”) that should allow for the film to have no trouble finding a distributor. Whispers of a major deal came immediately after the credits rolled, and could very well go down today. But wherever “Kids” ends up, audiences should prepare for something truly special: One of the most endearing and genuine cinematic portraits of a contemporary American family, and one that just so happens to be reared by a same-sex couple.
Read the rest at indieWIRE.