Christine Baranski

Big Gay Icon:

By Martin Magee

Christine Baranski

Actress Christine Baranski has been chosen as this week’s Big Gay Icon for a number of reasons. Oh, you need to know? Ok, how about being an experienced and award winning theater and film actress, whose musical credits includer her Drama Desk Award for “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” and “Rumors” and her Golden Globe for “Cybill” and of course, her hilarious turn as the reporter in “Chicago,” a role she reprised for the movie version.

I first saw Baranski as the comic foil of the television show “Cybill.” She was, of course, the secret comic weapon on the show. Whenever she was onscreen, you had to prepare to laugh, as she was going to surprise you with her skills. She did a memorable impersonation of conservative writer and radio personality Dr. Laura on “Frasier.” That she can work well and shine in an ensemble cast without standing out in a bad way is a measure of not just her talent but her humility.

Of Polish ancestry, she is married to actor Matthew Cowles since 1983, and has two daughters. After making her broadway debut in 1980, she won Best Actress Tony four years later, and after many featured performances.

I’ve never seen her in a dramatic role, although with her kind of traditional musical theater abilities, why would you want to waste it? Her most recent movie, “Mamma Mia,” had her belting out classic ABBA. She can make a seventies pop tune not just enjoyable but a humorous and entertaining point in the movie.

She’s just joined the cast of “Ugly Betty,” and I’m expecting some great things on this show, which is a popular LGBT television show. She deserves our Big Gay Icon award for this week.

CinemaLit
at the Mechanic’s library

ABOUT CINEMALIT: Film lovers and aficionados enjoy an ongoing feast of classic American and international films at the Mechanics’ Institute. CinemaLit programs, which are presented nine months a year, were created to complement and highlight the Mechanics’ Institute Library’s vast collection of more than 2500 videos and DVDs including classics, drama, comedy, foreign films and documentaries.

The CinemaLit Film Series is open to members and the public.
Each program begins with an introduction of the movie, genre and themes by curator Michael Fox or well-known local film writers and critics such as David Thomson, Eddie Muller, Joe McBride and others. The evening concludes with a salon discussion involving the audience and speakers. Films are shown on large screen in the best available format, DVD or video.

The Mechanics’ Institute’s charming meeting room/cafe space, which seats up to eighty people, provides an intimate, informal atmosphere for film viewing, lively conversation and congenial socializing. The cafe offers light refreshments and freshly popped popcorn.

Location: Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post Street (near Market St), San Francisco

Transit: MUNI/BART- Montgomery Station

Time: Every Friday. Mechanics’ Café opens at 6:00 pm. Program begins at 6:30 pm. A salon style discussion follows the film.

Admission: Tickets available at the door. MIL members: free Public suggested donation $10. For more information and reservations: Call (415) 393-0100 or email us atrsvp@milibrary.org / Reservations are required – Limited seating.

Movie Venues in the SF Bay Area

	Artists’ Television Access 992 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 824-3890
	Balboa Theater 3630 Balboa St. at 38th San Francisco, CA 415-221-8184
	Castro Theater 415-621-6120 429 Castro St. San Francisco, CA
	Mechanics’ Institute 57 Post Street (map) San Francisco, CA  94104 Library: (415) 393-0101 Membership: (415) 393-0105
	The Paramount Theatre 2025 Broadway 510-465-6400 Oakland, California
	Red Vic Theater Red Vic Movie House 1727 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117
	The Roxie New College Film Center Roxie Theater 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA (415)-863-1087
	Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) 701 Mission Street San Francisco, 94103-3138 tel 415.978.2700 tix 415.978.2787 fax 415.978.9635

Movie Group Event: Saturday, May 23

Without giving away too many plot secrets, the news about the new retelling of the Star Trek story is that it undergoes not just a younger version of the classic cast, but a huge reboot of the story line. The fine-looking cast included Chris Pine, a blond hunk last seen in the indie film “Bottle Shock” and Zachary Quinto of the unique and original television series “Heroes,” in the role of the young Spock. Leonard Nimoy returned to the role in a surprise appearance as his older self. The sexual attraction between two of the classic characters was amped up a bit, but again in a surprising way.

The concensus of the group was that this film version was a great success. Despite being a complete revisioning of the televsion series, this counted in its favor, and the next following movies of this series are eagely awaited.

Joining us tonight for this movie were; Moderator Jeff Shelby, Jeff Kwan, myself, Eric Brizee, Francisco Salazar, Fred Ferraer, William Mize, Elliot Reed, Craig, newcomer Mario, and Philip. Wonderful to see Philip again, after he’d come to the group on a previous outing. I sat next to Mario, who works in a local law office, and had a quick but very pleasant conversaton before the start of the film. I recognized some friendly faces, and exchange greetings with Craig. Craig and I had a good laugh over a misadventure he’d had last week. Despite this, he had a sense of humor about it. Fred and I made plans to continue our conversation at dinner afterwards.

Not surprisingly, we hit Chevy’s after. We took a brief tour of the Zeum grounds and the ice rink, which I forgot was there at Yerba Buena, before we got our bearings from the iPhone and headed at last to the correct destination. The walk gave us a chance to chat about our feelings about the movie and the new approach to the story and casting. Taking a story that has some very fervent fans and remaking it fresh is dangerous, but the gamble turned out to be worth it.

I caught up again with Fred, and he described to me how his work as a web designer was both fulfilling and creative. It might sound as if coding and creating presentation on the web would not necessarily appear beautiful, but in Fred’s handling of it, it could be an powerful and original means of communicating visually. William, who sat next to me, brought us his thoughts about his home state, describing the metropolitan and cultured Nashville, and his former home in Knoxville. Philip, who’d had some medical schooling, related a funny story about his Gross Anatomy lessons in preparation for his dental degree. Having such diverse personal histories made our conversations full of surprising twists and enriched with detail. One of our group’s strengths is the different things we all bring to share.

Craig, who sat on the other chair next to me and I enjoyed his sharing photos and messages from his iPhone app. We also had a friendly discussion about recent goings-on. Craig brought a laugh to the table when he related that his daughter and he could share how attractive some actors had been in movies they’d both seen! I think a lot of us wished we’d seen more (more skin, that is) of some of the actors in Star Trek, but one who is a favorite of both Craig and I, and I suspect some others as well, Eric Bana, was covered in alien makeup effects and costuming. What a shame, if you recall how he looked in “Troy.”

The conversation went briefly somber when it was realized that next week could bring in the court decision about Prop 8. Gatherings were most definitely expected; wheter it be a celebration or a protest would rely on the outcome. Elliot, having legal knowledge, wasn’t expecting a postivive outcome, the same as many of us. Still, we all could feel comfort in sharing our thoughts about the upcoming event.

It might seem I’m closing on a sad note, but really, it is a positive one, because it seemed like we all felt confident that the future would be for all fifty states to allow marriage equality. The postive, warm feeling was what we all left with as we stood outside Chevy’s on a chilly early-summer night. We all exchanged hugs with each other before heading home for the night.

There’s lots more to look forward to in the upcoming months. The “Movies in the Park” nights are fast approaching. This free event held in an easily accessible park will be a huge community event. I’m looking forward to sharing a film under the Northern California stars.

Rent this movie: The 24th Day

By Martin Magee

The 24th Day (2004)

Director: Tony Piccirillo
Writer: Tony Piccirillo (play)

James Marsden and Scott Speedman are the lead actors in this psychological thriller. James Marsden is familiar as the character Cyclops from the three X-Men films. Scott Speedman, who is due to open the movie “Adoration” directed by Atom Etoygan is the surprise here as the soft-spoken kidnapper keeping James in his apartment while awaiting the results of an HIV test.

Sometimes it seems as if there are three eras related to the two-decades long AIDS Crisis; the beginning when the disease mysteriously killed thousands of gay men throughout the world and was then forever if unfairly associated with gay men. Then, perhaps a time when there was more knowledge of the crisis that was automatically thought to be a death sentence, followed by the pharmaceutical discoveries which led to prolonged life. This last period has, for some AIDS activists, the blessing and the curse. The new medicines have allowed people to live longer despite their debilitating side effects. Some have said that this has made the urgency to find a cure less important, and by extension, has led people to engage again in risky behavior.

Tom, played by Speedman, meets Dan (Marsden) in a bar and takes him home. While getting there and becoming settled, Dan realizes that he’s been inside Tom’s apartment before. Their conversation starts to become more and more tense until Tom reveals that they had a one night stand five years before. Dan decides to make a bolt for the door, Tom tackles him and ties him to a chair, then withdraws some of his blood to take for testing.

Tom’s character seems to be deranged, a vengeful ex-lover playing out some strange psychological drama in his own head. As we get to know Tom more through his talking with Dan, we find out his tragic secret at the center of the drama, the guilt that motivates him to keep Dan hostage. Tom seems to be withdrawn and a loner, but he is played against Dan’’s talkativeness. Dan tries to win over his freedom by getting Tom to open up, and in doing so, finds out his own culpability in the situation.

“The 24th Day” would seem to be a thriller, but the cat-and-mouse game played by each person takes on a different level the more we find out about the characters. Tom would appear to be a violent hostage-taker, deranged and dangerous, but what leads him to his actions becomes more understandable if not completely reconcilable to his gentle nature. Dan, for all of his slick playboy attitude, uses it to disguise the insecurity he feels, which he also makes up for with anonymous encounters. Their opposite nature, and what led them to each other, is at the heart of the story, which is really about personal responsibility and the consequences of ones actions on not just themselves, but others.

The movie gives away its roots as a play when it breaks from the “box” and shows flashbacks to Tom’s life as a chef and the tragedy which led him to his decisions. The play originally opened in Los Angeles, with Noah Wyle from the television show “ER” and Peter Berg, another noted actor and director. It feels like a filmed performance of live theater, as much because of the immediate emotions and action as the simple construct of a one-room enactment.

“The 24th Day” is worth renting to see these two fine actors create their characters in this film, but it is a thought-provoking movie that will stay with you, and might generate some discussions. It is playing in rotation on LOGO Network, although edited. I suggest renting it from Netflix for the unedited version. Click on the clip below for a preview:

Movie Group Event: 17 Again

Now that it’s ok to think some dirty thoughts about Zac Efron without feeling guilty, it was kind of fun to watch “17 Again,” the movie selection for Saturday, April 25. The movie is a fantasy about a man played by Matthew Perry, who, after falling into a river, suddenly finds he is the same age as he was in high school, before he became bitter and let it ruin his marriage, hold back his career, and distance himself from his children. Zac looks like he’s shaping up to be quite the handsome leading man. The only gripe I might have is that one shirtless scene wasn’t enough for me! While it wasn’t much in substance, it was a fun comedy, and better than I expected. And it only felt a bit weird to be part of a group of guys watching the movie with a mostly female audience in their teens.

After leaving the Metreon, we attempted a change of our usual dining habits by trying for a table at Buco de Beppo Restaurant on Harrison. Alas, the wait was going to be far too long. Instead of braving Denny’s, we chose to visit Chevy’s, where we got a table for our big group immediately. Joining us for both the movie and the after-movie conversaton were Jeff, group moderator, Francisco, Martin, Jon, John, Jason, David, Craig, William, Clint, and Salman. Being at Chevy’s some of us enjoyed their Margaritas, brought to us by a good-looking and attentive waiter. Clinton accurately guessed the Scottish accent our server had.

Those with iPhones demonstrated a new application that will broadcast for members who are looking for other guys to hook up with, and allow them to instant message you. That little diversion spread through the table (or at least my side of the table) as other iPhone owners downloaded and set up their phones to use it, then compared photos of the various guys who they found. Laughs were had when we saw that the person who posted wrote something like "looking to make friends" while posting a picture of themselves (supposedly) in their underwear, or mentioned their boyfriends.

I didn’t do as much table hopping as usual, since I know the names of everyone now and the ones whom I was less familar with were seated closer to me. I talked with Clinton, Salman, Craig, and Jason. We had a great time talking about the merits of Virgin Airlines, and got a tip from Clinton about Quantas. Here’s the scoop: if you’re flying Quantas and see someone attractive you’d like to be seated next to, let the reservation clerk know. They’ll most likely accomodate you, and that will make a 12 hour flight perhaps something nicer than you’d planned!

Salman, Clinton and I talked about Badlands, and its new neighbor, Toad Hall, and how they have their good points and bad. A shame that the only place currently to shake your booty is Badlands, as the Cafe is closed for remodeling. We all enjoy a beer bust at Lone Star, however, so that’s a good alternate if you’re not interested in getting stuck in the Castro for your evening entertainment.

The evening went on quite long as we not only finished dinner but lingered at the table for more conversation. Going home toward BART, we went our separate ways again. It’s been a great experience getting to know the people in the movie group. We have such a diverse group with different life experiences. It makes our conversations exciting.

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