Film Deconstruction: Role/Play and Gay Culture in General

I don't often watch "gay movies," nor do I often read "gay media" or listen to "gay music."It's not that I have an aversion to them, they're just not my thing. Nevertheless, my boyfriend and I recently sat down and watched a movie called "Role/Play," a story about a gay rights activist and a recently outed soap opera star meeting and developing a relationship. Again, not my thing, but he wanted to watch it, so I did the good boyfriend thing and watched it with him, despite the fact that I was not the target demographic for such a film.

Not only was this true, but it turns out I'm exactly the kind of person that this movie hates.

Film Deconstruction: The Fifth Element

KORBEN, DALLAS!

Ah yes, the staple sci-fi movie in pretty much any nerd/geek/dork's film library. Filled with action, suspense, and even a bit of romance, this movie has all the makings of a pretty standard summer blockbuster. But for some reason, it's so much more than that. What is it about this movie that makes it such a huge cult favorite? Why is it so freakishly enjoyable, despite being filled with obnoxious characters and a bit of a loose plot? Let's take a look through all the layers this movie has, and see if we can figure out why it's so super-green.

Film Deconstruction: Wonderfalls

 Everyone knows at least ONE TV show that was cancelled way too soon, and would have ben great had it been given a fair chance, or more advertising, or a better time slot, or whatever. Point is, there are a lot of quality shows that just went largely underappreciated and unnoticed. Shows like Firefly, Pushing Daisies, and Dollhouse are among some of the more prominent examples, but while they are indeed great shows, it is still understandable why they didn't succeed; really odd, complex stories that don't necesarily have the happy endings that most viewers want. Great though they may be, they're still hitting an audience that mostly just doesn't want to try to follow. (Oh, and those darn rotten nasty networks, with all their "ratings" and "monetary concerns," lousy cheap bastards! Why, if my hip weren't in such a poor state, I'd give them the fist-shaking of a lifetime!)

...I'm not quite sure why I became a crotchety old man for a second there, but anyway...

But one of the shows that really grabs my atention in this regard is Wonderfalls. This is a show that manages to balance between the lines mentioned above: Kooky and oddball, but not so far as to drive away most casual TV viewers. Its sitcom set-up with a subtle overarcing story working in the background, along with a strong cast of great actors playing great characters, seems like it should have worked perfectly. But for some reason, it never caught on.

Well, to be more precise, it got brutally murdered. Lets start with a history lesson.

Film Deconstruction: Cloverfield

Welcome to my transparent attempt at being sophisticated! In this shocking and completely new series, I will be discussing various things about various movies, and probably saying things that will make film study majors suddenly burst into flame, writhing in agony as they scream to their god at how such atrocious things can exist in a true and just world.

First up, Cloverfield!