Entertainment Picks for November
CINEMA: “Weekend” at the Santikos Bijou
What if you only had two days with the perfect lover, but after that you would never see each other again? For the two young men in the movie Weekend, both find themselves racing to fill in as much time together as possible. Playing now at Santiko’s Bijou, Weekend is the latest buzz in gay cinema, and it just so happens to be the Audience Award winner at SXSW. This film takes a look at two scruffy men in England humoring a relationship, even though they know it can never be. Russell (Tom Cullen) is a nearly closeted lifeguard who lives a very quiet life alone. One Friday night at a gay bar, he meets Glen (Chris New) and the two go back to Russell’s home to get hot and heavy. Glen is the total opposite of Russell and is very openly gay. Though Glen, an aspiring artist, plans to leave at the end of the weekend for America, where he'll stay for a few years. Their one-night stand gets extended into a weekend full of sexual and mental exploration.
Writer and director Andrew Haigh shows us a raw love story with all its tender and awkward moments. The film is mostly a series of conversations between the two lovers. Both actors, Cullen and New, are so natural with their dialogue that it’s hard to believe they were reciting lines. Their kisses are as sincere as their bedroom scenes. A touching moment is when Glen tells Russell to pretend that he was Russell's dad so he could come out to the father he never knew. Glen's heartfelt answer that I still love you and I'm proud of you is the acceptance that I think we all want to hear.
BLOG: “Hyperbole and a Half”
Do you fondly remember beating your friends with sticks? Ever put your best friend out of their misery... and then eat them? Probably not. But if you did, your blog would probably be as funny as Hyperbole and a Half. Allie Brosh retells her life through humor and a lot of squiggly-lined drawings. Allie is the model of the post-adolescent generation coping with adulthood. She illustrates everything, like her "simple dog” that suffers from spurts of wild behavior. And the traumatizing day she had to kill her pet trout because it was dying in a hole filled with hose water. Let's just say that ordeal ended with fish tacos. Her blog is the grown-up children's book that you can’t stop scrolling. Read it at hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com.
BOOK: “Geography Club”
Being a teenager is hard enough. Now being a gay teenager...? The novel Geography Club by Brent Hartinger was released in 2003, but its timing on bookshelves couldn’t be better than now when school bullying against gays is out of control. The story follows 16-year-old Russell Middlebrook as he tries desperately to hide his sexuality in the school locker room, while also trying to find an outlet for his pent up feelings. When a gay chatroom reveals a popular school jock to also be gay, Russell is prompted to hunt for more gay and lesbian friends at school.
They start a geography club in hopes that a name as boring as "Geography Club" will scare off nosey students so that they can hangout without fear of ridicule. But rumors start and bullies begin to torment Russell and others for being different. Geography Club is a great book for GLBT youth. The diverse young characters enrich an already grounded view on gay teen life. Teachers and parents might find room for open discussion on tolerance. This novel is a refreshing reminder that if you're young and gay, you’re not alone. Geography Club is on sale wherever books are sold.
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