Josh O'Connor Thirteen Times

There are actually two more Josh O'Connor photoshoots that I am ignoring at the moment in order to share this one for the Wall Street Journal first -- so it goes when our big eared boy has a new movie coming out! The photographers and stylists (and Russell Tovey) all love Josh right now. (PS that WSJ article is paywalled so I haven't read it and I scrounged up what photos I could from other sources but this might not be everything.) And so do we, although I am very much feeling the "hey we were there years ago" vibe. But after seeing Challengers a second time this past Monday night it's clear there's no fighting it -- this is a star-making role for Josh and to my eye he walks away (struts away, really) with the whole movie. But more on Challengers later this week when I finally drop my review! For now enjoy the photos (this first batch), after the jump...

The Vampire is Capitalism

Random recommendation time! I was looking for something to watch last night from the gigantic pile of physical media sitting in front of my television and I saw Severin's Danza Macabre: Volume 2 box-set sitting there -- these sets contain gothic Italian horror films from the 1960s and 70s mainly, and that sounded like my mood to me. I landed on Corrado Farina's 1971 film They Have Changed Their Face (aka Hanno cambiato faccia) which I'd recalled sounding interesting when I bought the set; here is how Severin describes the movie:

"Though he made only two feature films, writer/director/novelist Corrado Farina (BABA YAGA) rocked the Italian horror genre with his “astounding” (Taliesin Meets The Vampires) and long out-of-print 1971 debut: A mid-level automotive company employee is summoned to the mountain villa of owner Giovanni Nosferatu (Adolfo Celi of THUNDERBALL and DANGER: DIABOLIK fame) only to discover a glossy netherworld where capitalism is the new vampirism, consumers are its unwitting victims and escape may be impossible. Giuliano Disperati (VIOLENT ROME) and Geraldine Hooper (DEEP RED) co-star in this startling reinvention of the Dracula mythos co-written by Giulio Berruti (KILLER NUN) and influenced by Farina’s earlier career as an advertising executive."

That description sort of does the movie justice, but it's way sillier and weider than you might even be picturing -- yes it's basically a re-telling of Dracula but the count is a middle-aged white-haired CEO of a company called Nosferatu that brands everything from laundry detergent to LSD (and see the video at the bottom of this post for a commercial for LSD in the movie that had me cackling). Plus the mansion's grounds are patrolled by a fleet of white European mini-sedans, and every piece of furtniture spits out advertisments through embedded speakers in the walls of the mansion whenever used. 

It is wildly and terrifically weird y'all, and that's before Farina starts inserting parodies of Bergman and Fellini movies in the last act. Anyway I don't know where this movie has been my entire life but now that it's introduced iutself to me I am obsessed, and I need to spread the gospel far and wide. What a treat! You can buy the Danza Macabre box-set at this link (volume two also includes 1964's stellar Castle of Blood with horror icon Barbara Steele; I haven't watched the other stuff on the set yet) or if that price puts you off (the set ain't cheap, even though I have found it worth every penny) you can rent THCTF on Amazon for 99 whole cents right here. Would I steer you wrong??? I haven't felt this enamored with a random old movie since the first time Messiah of Evil fell in my lap.

I mean, this movie is really something pic.twitter.com/RllBHsqMwf

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) April 24, 2024

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I can't believe that Luke Evans is managing to get his "clothing brand" mentioned here two mornings in a row but I suppose we are the target audience and all things considered I do appreciate how basic and simple he's kept it -- white tees and tighty-whities, you can't go wrong -- and oh plus that he's got Russell Tovey modeling for him pro-bono in his underpants. That last part is the actually most important part. Anyway I feel as if I have been poking fun at Russ a little too much lately (see this tweet for an example) but it's very much intended to be a loving ribbing -- because when I say that I have seen all of his public displays of Josh O'Connor crushing this week (he posted a photo of Josh on his Insta-stories and he has been liking every photo of Josh on Insta before even I get to them) it's not to call him out; it's just to say I see you, Tovey, and I understand you. Also when I think about the meeting of the Epic Ears that Russell Tovey & Josh O'Connor getting together would create -- an ear-pocalypse!!! -- I get very excited. Let's make it happen, boys!

 

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

eXistenZ (1999)

Ted: We're both stumbling around together in this unformed

world, whose rules and objectives are largely unknown,

seemingly indecipherable or even possibly nonexistent,

always on the verge of being killed by
forces that we don't understand.

Allegra: That sounds like my game, all right. 

Ted: That sounds like a game that's
not gonna be easy to market. 

Allegra: But it's a game everybody's already playing.

David Cronenberg's eXistenZ was released 25 years ago today!

If you haven't picked up that 4K yet I recommend doing so.

PS this makes a killer double-feature with Crimes of the Future.

Kingdom Comes Home

Using Alexander Skarsgård's photo here is a bit of a cheat since his role in the third season of Lars Von Trier's series The Kingdom is minute, but I'm never above a cheat! Especially not if it allows me to stare at Alexander Skarsgård. Anyway today is a happy day for us Kingdom-heads as the entire three-season series has been given fresh life thanks to the fine folks at MUBI, who've just dropped a blu-ray box-set of all three seasons and thirteen episodes -- you can buy it at this link. The set includes not just the show (a prize beyond words in itself) but behind-the-scenes interviews, commentaries, a documentary, Danish commercials, and a companion booklet. But the show itself is plenty; I mean where else are you going to see...

... somebody give birth to a full-grown Udo Kier, I ask you? Well besides at any local gay bar on a Saturday night. In all seriousness this series is a bizarre treat from start to finish, one of LVT's greatest accomplishments. And who knows when we'll get something from LVT next? His health ain't great. (And his sanity... well that's never been the greatest.) He is supposedly working on a series of short films called Études (aka Studies) right now but we should all probably tide ourselves over with The Kingdom for now. And it goes excellent with that ginormous box-set of LVT's entire filmography that I told you about earlier today, actually!

A Peter Strickland Smorgasbord

I imagine the Venn diagram of these two circles isn't enormous but since I am smack dab in the center of it I will do the post anyway -- this one goes out to my fellow physical media obsessives who are also huge fans of the director Peter Strickland! (And I imagine if you people do exist then you've been here to this site because these are things I post about regularly.) The British company Curzon is dropping one of their legendary box-sets for Mr. Strickland this year! I have several of their boxes -- the absolutely massive one that they put out for Lars Von Trier last year blew my mind -- and they do quality work. This set will include blu-rays of all five of Strickland's feature films to date...

... meaning Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy, In Fabric, Flux Gourmet (aka my number one movie of 2022), along with his debut film Katalin Varga which will be hitting blu for the very first time and which (shh don't tell anyway) I have never seen. Gaps, I know! I have been saving it for a special moment. I suppose getting this set will count. The set will also be loaded with Strickland's music videos and short films -- one of which he made specifically for this set! And there's also a book included with writings by Strickland and his favorite actress Fatma Mohamed. (We worship her.) Anyway these sets are Region B of course so only buy them if you've got a region-free blu-ray player. The set is currently only for sale on Amazon UK at this link. They have the release date as June 24th! Anything that keeps Strickland's name out there so we can get a new movie some time soon! I'm dying here.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

Noted actor Luke Evans is on the cover of the Spanish edition of Men's Health this month and he brought his tighty-whities -- not to the cover unfortunately, but inside the magazine. And when I say "his" tighty-whtiies I do actually mean his, since he's trying to be a fashion maven now with a very gay brand that seems to make mostly underwear and speedos. Luke's specialties! Anyway I assume that's what this article is about (it's in Spanish so I have no actual idea) since he doesn't have any other projects coming out at the moment. But if it gets him modeling tighty-whities and speedos in Men's Health who am I to mind? Hit the jump for more photos...

Happy Birthday, John Waters

The king is 78 today.

Make That Two Cocks in a Frock on a Rock

I guess it's 90s Gay Day here at MNPP, what with me posting about the original Queer as Folk and then following it up with news that the now-30-year-old film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is getting a sequel. The original cast of Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce (I was so hot for Guy Pearce in this) and Hugo Weaving are all returning, as is director Stephan Elliott -- rumor is the plot will be about Hugo Weaving's character's son, who was 7-years-old in the original movie. So... 37-ish now. Siiiigh. Fuckin' time, man. Anyway speaking of it's been ages since I watched the original -- should give it another spin soon. And I know what we're all praying -- Oscar winner Lizzy Gardiner  (and her Amex-dress!) better be back too! And now, a treat: here is the film's iconic opening scene to cheer up this Monday afternoon: 

Quote of the Day

"I just kind of waited for someone to stop me. And I could defend it vigorously. It wasn't there to be salacious. People talk to me about “shock value,” and actually shock value is just as much a danger of people turning off as it is turning on. I powerfully believed in that rimming scene, because I needed a sexual experience that Nathan had never even imagined. There wasn’t as much porn. Nathan wouldn’t have had access to all that stuff. Even in porn magazines, you didn’t see rimming, particularly. It wasn’t as easily photographed, I suppose. I wonder what boys imagine now, now they know what goes on. Maybe you imagine fucking. But to imagine rimming? And to get a sexual thrill out of rimming? I don’t think then, at 15, that even existed in his head. So that was the point. That night with Stuart is a mind fuck. Not just a fuck. A mind fuck. He experiences something he never even knew existed. And that’s a metaphor for his whole gay experience. I genuinely believe to this day that it was important."

British GQ dropped an "Oral History" of the original Queer as Folk over the weekend -- which just turned 25 a couple of weeks ago, good grief -- and the above quote is from creator Russell T. Davies, talking about the first episode's infamous (slash legendary) "rimming scene" between Aidan Gillen and Charlie Hunnam. Oral History indeed! In all seriousness that scene was when the show got its hooks in me, and for the exact reasons Davies explicates -- I mean yes obviously we all liked watching that happen to Charlie Hunnam. (Also there are other quotes in the piece that seem to finally make it clear for once that yes, that is indeed both Aidan & Charlie in the scene, and nobody's body doubles. Huzzah!) But I saw my own experience being reflected on a screen in that show in a way I never had before. When I was 18 and having sex with my slightly older boyfriend for the first time(s) I had no idea what to do -- I hadn't had any access to gay porn in the mid-90s. I was fucking clueless. I didn't know what two men would do together; I just knew that I wanted it to happen whatever it was. So Charlie's shock and delight in that moment... let's just say I felt real seen. 

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

Well it looks like Paul Mescal was still filming The History of Sound, his gay movie with Josh O'Connor from Moffie and Living director Oliver Hermanus, in Italy over the weekend -- either that or Paul was feeling very frisky all on his own! I shared some more-dressed photos on Friday from the set -- it seems they timed the filming of these Just-Paul scenes to coincide with the ongoing Challengers press tour, which Josh has been traveling around with while wearing the goofiest fashions his stylist can throw at him. Anyway in related Oliver Hermanus news I finally started his limited-series Mary & George with Julianne Moore & Nicholas Galitzine over the weekend and I practically finished it too -- just two episodes to go. So I'm loving it obviously but I'll write more once I have finished. Okay that's all, hit the jump for a few more photos and happy Monday...

Happy Weekend

Let's all make like Dev and rest the fuck up.

How Ungentlemanly of Me

Guy Ritchie's testosterone caper The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is out in theaters today -- watch the trailer here if you missed it. Starring Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson and Henry Golding and Alex Pettyfer and Hero Fiennes Tiffin plus that lady from Ambulance the movie is basically just a beefed-up (literally -- I mean look at Alan Ritchson there) version of every men-on-a-mission war movie that Hollywood's been churning out since the 1950s at least. I suppose there are earlier examples than that but they really seemed to come into their own in the '50s, when we decided we really needed to solidify our post-WWII savoir complex. Anyway this one isn't American propoganda, given the British director and international cast -- it's sort of Winston Churchill Propoganda but really it's not anybody propoganda. It's just a goof. And as such it's fine enough, although I really think when people have been calling it "Guy Ritchie's Inglourious Basterds" they've been underselling just how thoroughly this movie is xeroxing Tarantino at times, beat for beat and character for character. Basterds actor Til Schweiger has to play the Chistoph-Waltz-ish colorful Nazi this time instead of playing the over-indulgent Nazi killer that he did previously -- it's Ritchson now who plays that part. The lady from Ambulance puts on a shiny dress for the last act a la Diane Kruger, all for the big party slash showdown. It's remixed enough to be different enough but Tarantino should still probably toss a pie at Ritchie the next time they're in the same room. Anyway yesterday I posted some photos from the movie's premiere where I also mentioned that I got violently sick from food poisoning in the middle of watching this movie so you should obviously take my opinion with a great big grain of salt! I was clearly somewhat distracted! It's a fun enough slab of muscular entertainment. Just the way Henry Cavill likes it.

Abigail in 250 Words or Less

I don't watch movie trailers anymore and I especially don't watch horror movie trailers anymore, and yet I somehow still knew going into Abigail precisely one thing -- I knew that it is about a tween ballerina vampire. I can't imagine anyone going into this movie and not knowing at least that much. I suppose there are people recovering from comas as I type this, and perhaps the first thing they will do is stumble into a movie theather and just happen to walk into an Abigail screening -- anything is possible! And to them, I say enjoy!

For the rest of us however the exxxtremely drawn out first act of this movie is some seriously unwise plotting -- the revelation of tween ballerina vampire Abigail's tween-ballerina-vampirishness is teased for far, far, far too long, to the point of exasperation. And that milling-about languor mars the film's final act as well, when the film drops about four reasonable endings in a row. In short this movie should be half an hour shorter and it would be more fun. Because when it's fun, it's fun. Great fun. Game cast (Alisha Weir kills it), top-notch gore, and who doesn't love a dilapidated mansion full of dubious strangers plotline? Also lots of sly references to vampire movies of old like Fright Night and Near Dark for the nerds like me. There is a pretty perfect hour twirling smackdab in the middle of this movie, unfortunately smothered by one too many ruffles.

Thinking about him (what's new) pic.twitter.com/lpPMlw5iMK

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) April 18, 2024

Theo James Twenty-Eight Times

A welcome and robust photo-shoot of Theo James in Numero Netherlands magazine dropped yesterday -- I've got all the photos here but if you'd like to read what he has to say about, like,m stuff, click on over to their site. One imagines they chat about his Guy Ritchie series The Gentlemen on Netflix, which is worth chatting about! I did sure like that series. A ton of fun. That makes two successes for Mr. James in a row, what with his turn on The White Lotus -- I was beginning to worry he'd never be in anything I wanted to watch and I'd just have to stare at his loveliness from afar like I did when he showcased his perfect behind on that Sanditon show. Phew, then! I hope the viewing numbers are good for The Gentlemen -- I really want a second season of that. So go watch it! Twice, even. And also hit the jump for lots more photos...

Keanu's on a Plane

Don't ask me why I decided to use that ancient photo of Baby Keanu for this post -- it just seems to harken back to a simpler, smilier time, I suppose. I doubt he'll have opporunity to be so uncluttered and innocent in the movie he's just signed up for today -- he is going to star in the new film from The Square and Triangle of Sadness director Ruben Östlund! It's a social satire (what else) called The Entertainment System Is Down and it is about what happens on a long airplane haul flight when, you guessed it, the entertainment system goes down. Apparently Östlund has talked about this project before, as he's been working on it for awhile. It's good to see Keanu do some comedy again though -- although I suppose when it comes to Östlund you have to put "comedy" in quotes -- since it's always been a treat the few times he's played comedy. Excuse me -- "comedy."

Pics of the Day

If your privates are ringing that's because the long awaited gay movie The History of Sound starring Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal is currently filimg, right now, right this minute, in Italy, as these two photos of Mr. Mescal looking sharp as fuck on set today attest. I've been posting about this for ages, since the first whisper of it, but I only know a little bit -- it's set circa World War I and directed by Moffie and Living (and Mary & George) director Oliver Hermanus and, uhh, Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal are gay for each other in it. What the hell else do we need to know?