~Saturday~ I was so caught up in devising Friday’s blog entry that when I looked at the clock at 1:23, I said, “Damn! I’ve got to leave in seven minutes!”
After a very quick shower, I headed off to Durham, where I picked up Robert at about 2:05, making it to our 2:35 film with about five minutes to spare.
Day 2 of the 14th Annual Gay & Lesbian Film Festival greeted us with the Anti-Gay God Squad, which consisted of three or so people, two of whom were holding large signs and a third who was assuring all of us, in as booming a voice as he could muster without a megaphone, that there definitely will not be any homosexuals in heaven.
Hopefully tomorrow—since it will be Sunday—said god squad will be at church where all the people who will be in heaven get together.
Lord, save me from your followers.
We saw two films today, both of which we enjoyed. The first one was Mr. Right.
 Three sparkling gay couples flutter around the chic cafes, sweaty gyms and high-priced galleries of London’s Soho and Brick Lane. They look like they have it all—including the requisite devoted female friend, Louise, who has a habit of inadvertently dating gay guys.
Harry, a TV producer with posh roots, is living with Alex, an aspiring actor/waiter who comes from a poor family. Tom, a wealthy visual artist, is playing sugar daddy to model/singer Lars. William, an antiques dealer and single dad, is dating Lawrence, a minor TV star. But cynicism, suspicion and horniness upset the peer group’s delicate balance. Feelings boil to the surface when the group gathers to meet Louise’s latest boyfriend, and only the straight newcomer appears to enjoy the most awkward dinner party ever. Screenwriter David Morris isn’t interested having his characters merely take off their shirts. He would rather show us how markers of status—money, looks, class, fame—are distractions from those things that are truly important: family, life goals and, God forbid, love. This beefcake gay rom-com debut is guided by its heart and is unexpectedly free of clichés. |
The second film, Little Ashes was very, very good.
 “It’s not too hard to see why Robert Pattinson was chosen – months before he put the gleam in 20 million Twilight fans’ eyes – to play the young Salvador Dalí in Little Ashes.” – Entertainment WeeklyLove. Art. Betrayal… Little Ashes brings to life the long-hidden, highly controversial relationship between the young Salvador Dali and the doomed poet Federico Garcia Lorca. This is a brilliant Spanish-British drama film, set against the backdrop of Spain during the 20s and 30s, as three of the era’s most creative young talents meet at university and set off on a course to change their world. Little Ashes follows a young Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson) from his beginnings living in the Residencia de Estudiantes, leading to his dynamic relationship with poet Federico Lorca and their increasing infatuation with each other. Set across a timeframe that spans the roots of fascism to the beginning of General Franco’s dictatorship, Little Ashes depicts love in a time where homosexuality was deemed immoral—a point particularly reinforced by Matthew McNulty’s portrayal of surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel, a man notorious for his contempt regarding the matter. Luis watches helplessly as the friendship between Salvador Dalí and the poet Federico García Lorca develops into an unusual love affair. |
It was pretty dead at the bar tonight, at least until about 10:00. We stopped dancing at 10:30, and we left about a half-hour later.
At home, I read several chapters of Two Little Girls in Blue, which actually took an unexpected turn, which helped put a little, well mystery, into the mystery.