The Ghost With Even More Most

Extremely happy to say that I enjoyed the hell out of Tim Burton's 36-years-in-the-making Beetlejuice Beetlejuice -- head on over to Pajiba now to read my review now or even better after you've gone to see the movie in the theater yourself. I hope it makes a heap of money this weekend because this is a "legacy sequel" done right. Even if I really hate the term "legacy sequel." The movie might be all over the place but that's totally true to the wacky spirit of the original -- people complained the same thing about the original and yet I have watched that movie enough times to have it memorized from start to finish. Bring on the Winona-ssaince!

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Beetlejuice (1988)

Delia: Please. They're dead. It's a little late to be neurotic.

A happy 70 to the legend Catherine O'Hara! I'm so happy 
she's showing up in the sequel. We demand more Delia, dammit.

Say My Name Say My Name

I still don't really know how to feel about a Beetlejuice sequel -- the first movie was formative for me even besides the formative goth content since it was the first movie I went to see in a movie theater without my parents; it holds a very special place in my heart and I have seen it approximately a gazzilion times. But we're getting this so we'd best prepare ourselves and this teaser poster (via) -- which is apaprently telling us the title of it is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (which is practically begging for a third film, right?) -- is a good way to start. We'll probably get a trailer or a teaser at least too soon, I would guess, even though the film itself isn't out until September 6th. It does quiet some of the darker voices in my head that Burton got everybody that matters to return -- meaning Winona and O'Hara and Keaton, oh my -- although I admit I'd love to see at least Geena Davis too. But the additions of Monica Belluci, Justin Theroux, Burn Gorman, Jenna Ortega, and Willem f'ing Dafoe are promising as well. Who knows! Tim Burton is so hit or miss or miss or miss or miss these days. Let's hope he's on his game here.

Henry From Start To Finish

We're bookending the day with Henry Cavill -- picture it, twin Henrys and you're in the middle of that sandwich! -- because the first thing we saw this morning was the trailer for his new Guy Ritchie movie and the last thing we're seeing tonight will be a press screening of Argylle, the former Superman's spy comedy from Layer Cake and Kick-ass director Matthew Vaughn. That said obviously I'm not leading with a photo of Henry in Argylle because that ahircut he's rocking in it is too dumb for words. So enjoy the above much more flattering photo of Henry. And by "flattering" obviously I mean "fuckable until our bodies disintegrate" of course. Of course! More on me on Argylle later this week -- if you haven't watched the trailer, uhhh, here it is:

5 Off My Head: Denizens of the Dead

It's the 35th anniversary of one of my lifetime favorite movies, Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. This is the first movie I was allowed to see in the theater without a parent -- I vividly remember my mom dropping me off at the theater and feeling like the biggest grown-up boy in all the land! And even more so whenever they showed Alec Baldwin from the back in those khakis...

Formative khakis! Anyway I've seen this movie more times than I could ever keep track of, and I've posted about it here on the site twice as many, so what is there left to say at this point? Well actually, I found something. This is one of Burton's richest worlds creatively (which is why it remains mind-boggling they still haven't made a sequel) and there's somebody in some small role to fawn over in nearly every frame. We all love Juno and Otho and all the well-known and quoted weirdos -- but what about the bit-parts? Here are five of my faves!

5 Fun Beetlejuice Bit Parts

The dog that kills Adam and Barbara -- Look at that sweet little face! Who'd have guessed that that sweet little face covers up the soul of a cold-blooded murderer? Well that's what the bastard (or perhaps the bitch) is. Just sauntering off as our heroes drown, not a care in the world. I bet that dog leaves a trail of corpses littered in its wake across Winter River, Connecticut. I bet that dog crashed the airplane that killed all those hot dead football players in Juno's office. That dog must be stopped!

Beryl (Adelle Lutz) -- She always makes me think of that picture on the right of a hairless cat. I don't know why. But I hope to pass this brain disease along to as many people as possible a la the curse from The Ring's videotape. 

The Devil Hookers -- I mean, obviously.

The Janitor (Simmy Bow) -- The dead janitor in the hallway of Juno's office who tells the Maitlands about the exorcized souls trapped in limbo is played by the same actor who tells Pee-wee Herman the story of "Large Marge" in Pee-wee's Big Adventure. I love that he's kind of an afterlife exposition delivery system for Tim Burton Movies. Sad / weird side-note: he died before Beetlejuice came out so playing a ghoul was his last role. 

Old Bill (Hugo Stanger) the barber -- I bet y'all thought I would go with one of the smashed-apart weirdos that populate Juno's office right? The flat guy with the tire-tracks or the fairy woman with the slit wrists. Well nope! I feel like Old Bill deserves his moment. The way he says, "Jus... just trim it a little" always makes me laugh for some reason. He died not long after Beetlejuice came out too. A fitting note to end on!

What are your favorite Beetlejuice bits?

Getting Nailed By Michael Fassbender, Etc

Netflix dropped a trailer this morning teasing all of their 2023 slate and the only one we True Cineastes (TM) took notice of was David Fincher's The Killer starring Michael Fassbender -- even though we all just lived through Mank, even! (I kid, I kid, I thought Mank was fine.) But The Killer is more in tune with we tend to love about Fincher -- namely killin' and style and anti-hero shit. I was sold with the return of Michael Fassbender obviously, after an excruciatingly long absence off our screens, but the shot of him in the five seconds of Killer footage weilding a nail-gun in front of bookshelves seems as especially tailored to my interests as that worker's uniform is to Fassy's sleek form. 

Something something bookshelves something something getting nailed by Michael Fassbender #TheKiller pic.twitter.com/rfiRvlt21n

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) January 18, 2023

Anyway there are actually other projects of note that Netflix has coming this year -- I think The Pain Hustlers starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans and Catherine O'Hara looks good, and while the glimpses we get of A Family Affair in the trailer are really broad and wacky-seeming (that's the one starring Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron), the movie was directed by Richard LaGravenese, who blessed the world with Living Out Loud back in the day. So, you know, let's pay attention.

(See my previous post about this movie here.) Then there is Maestro, Bradley Cooper's biopic of Leonard Bernstein (see all of my previous posts on that one here), which I'm not sold on (given I fucking hated Cooper's Star is Born and all) but which will if nothing else involve Bradley and Matt Bomer kissing and possibly more. A bright side! And speaking of gay...

... there's also Rustin, the long awaited bio-pic of gay black civil rights hero Bayard Rustin starring Colman Domingo. A story extraordinarily overdue in the telling, starring one of our current best and overdue-for-his-moment actors (openly gay to boot) -- this one should be a big deal, hopefully. We love you, Colman! Bring this baby home! (In related news there's also Shirley, a bio-pic of Shirley Chisolm starring Regina King! Score! The final title from Netflix's press release (not glimsped in the trailer) that caught my eye -- "UNTITLED WES ANDERSON / ROALD DAHL FILM" with no date except 2023. Those things fall under my interests though. Anyway here's that trailer, tell me in the comments what you're looking forward to:

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Waiting For Guffman (1996)

UFO Expert: I've been coming to this circle for about five years, and measuring it. The diameter and the circumference are constantly changing, but the radius stays the same. Which brings me to the number 5. There are five letters in the word Blaine. Now, if you mix up the letters in the word Blaine, mix 'em around, eventually, you'll come up with Nebali. Nebali. The name of a planet in a galaxy way, way, way... way far away. And another thing. Once you go into that circle, the weather never changes. It is always 67 degrees with a 40% chance of rain.

Classified as a 1996 movie most of the time because it played some fests that year Christopher Guest's masterpiece of loving lo-fi thesp foolishness actually came out properly in 1997 -- January 31st 1997 to be exact, making today the film's 25th anniversary! Yes, if you do the math, that makes you old. Me too! Guffman isn't my favorite Guest comedy -- my favorite will always be Best in Show -- but it's my second fave and so full of deep belly laughs it should be classified as a tummy toner. I've done several "Life Lessons" post for the film over the years, see them here, but today I was struck by this WTF random David Cross scene, which I always forget about until it's happening. Good stuff! Do we think Chris Guest will ever reunite the team and make another one of these? (Please say yes.) 

A Little Bit Alexis

You might've seen this news yesterday -- I saw this news yesterday. But I saw it again this morning and it made me giddy all over again. So if this is your first, second, or twelfth time hearing this I don't think there are any of us who won't welcome it again and again just like the first time -- Schitt's Creek star and secret weapon Annie Murphy, who played sister Alexis who brought all the hot boys to the Rosebud Motel yard (oh is that what they're calling it these days), has joined the cast of the second season of the already-tremendous show Russian Doll. Yes I guess they confirmed Russian Doll is getting a second season, which is news to me unto itself -- I remember when that first season ended and everybody adored it we were all like, "But, uhh, how do you make more of this?" I guess that show-runner and genius Leslye Headland figured it out. Let's trust her. 

Especially with Annie on board! All the good things for Annie! I'm fairly certain the answer to this will be a hearty fuck yeah, especially given the awards-run that show's just concluded, but y'all feel like a really, really strong love for all of the people involved with Schitt's Creek right? I know Dan Levy & Co whittled that warm feeling down to its purest point by the show's end -- he's spoken at length about what an inclusive and loving space he was looking to create, and given everything we were going through over the past few years he was (dare I say it) filling a great big hole. But the love is real. I would throw myself in front of a bus for any one of the Schitt's actors. Even dopey Ted, for god's sake!

What am I saying -- especially dopey Ted. On that note that reminds me I have had a photo-shoot of Dustin Milligan (that's the actor who played "Ted" duh) sitting here on my computer for a bit that I haven't gotten around to posting! Now's my moment! Our moment! Take it away, Dustin, after the jump...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

After Hours (1985)

Paul: You wouldn't believe what I've been

through tonight. You just, wouldn't believe it.

Gail: Oh, I'm a ice cream vendor. Mr. Softee.

Paul: What? I... you misunderstood me.

I didn't ask what you did for a living. I said,

you wouldn't believe what I've been through tonight.

Gail: It's not boring. And I have my own

Mr. Softee truck. It's not... it's not boring.

The cast of women in After Hours is so ridiculously deep with talent that I always half forget that Catherine O'Hara is even in it, at least until she shows up in very nearly the last act and is her typically wonderful self. This role's actually not "typical" for her since she's not wearing wigs or doing voices, but you can't call her character a "normal person" by any stretch of the imagination; O'Hara injects so much easy weirdness into her line-readings you know within seconds that meeting her is yet another disaster-in-the-making for Griffin Dunne. (How is this movie STILL not on blu-ray???) Anyway this is just more proof we don't even need that O'Hara's a goddamned legend and the run of statues she's picked up over the past year or so for Schitt's Creek has been one of this period-of-time's few delights. Happy birthday, Queen Catherine !!!

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from: 

Best in Show (2000)

Scott: How tall are you?

Hotel Manager: I'm 6'4".

Stefan: I thought so. I feel

like Alan Ladd at Easter Island.

Scott: Where are you from, like

Nor... Norland? Norway?

Hotel Manager: Uh, I'm Irish-German.

Stefan: Like Robert Duvall in The Godfather. 

Scott: Bratwurst and shillelaghs. Paging Dr. Freud.

Happy 20 to Christopher Guest's greatest accomplishment, says me (and I'd know!) -- okay technically there are a couple of dates we could call its 20th anniversary, as Best in Show had its premiere on September 19th 2000, a limited release on September 29th 2000, and then went into wide release on October 20th, but I think it's possible I saw the film during its limited release here in NYC (only a couple of weeks after I'd moved here!) so I'm just gonna go with that one. If y'all want to gauge it by another date start your own blogs!

Okay I need a laugh, and I need one now.
What’s your funniest movie ever made? pic.twitter.com/KPsHbsYpT6

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) July 31, 2020

Anyway a couple of months ago I was desperate for laughs (hello, 2020) and tweeted out asking people for their favorite comedies -- I posted about this at the time, I am being redundant. (If you missed it though I recommend click on that tweet above, there are lots of fun recommendations.) But my point is the movie I ended up watching the second it was recommended was Best in Show, because it's probably my favorite straight comedy out there -- nothing makes me forget the world and just laugh myself senseless harder than the antics of these fussy dog lovers. 

This movie's so rich that every single time I watch it it's somebody new that jumps out - this time it's John Michael Higgins as that "Proud Mary" and Shih Tzu handler Scott, who's SO RECOGNIZABLE + SPOT-ON for a type of gay we've ALL met and been embarrassed by a dick joke from pic.twitter.com/SS0VD6oa2I

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) July 31, 2020

What struck me re-watching BIS for the 100th time this last time was a thing that strikes me every time I re-watch it -- that I always come out of it with a new favorite performance. And yes twas John Michael Higgins who really bit into my funny bone this last go-round. I used to have a bit of a side-eye towards this performance because him and Michael McKean are after all straight men giving really stereotypical camp gay performances... but I guess in my old age I've gotten to a place where I can just appreciate them for being funny. They are both really fucking funny. With the world the way it is sometimes you just gotta cling to funny like a life-raft. 

Anyway on another day I'd name Parker Posey, or Jennifer Coolidge, or Catherine O'Hara, as my favorite performances in the film -- just the other day on a Zoom call with some of my best friends we got to quoting Christopher Guest's speech about different kinds of nuts and laughing hysterically. It's a rich film full of perfect shit! What parts do you love? Tell me in the comments!

Thursday's Ways Not To Die

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I find it kind of funny that the game of "Hide and Seek" didn't even pop into my head once while actually watching the sleazy 1988 slasher  film Hide and Go Shriek, even though you know, it's the title of the movie, and even though as seen in this scene here that is very clearly sort of what's going on. Shawn here is trying to hook up with a girl named Melissa. She disappears, and then he sees someone wearing Melissa's negligee scampering around the shadows...
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Spoiler alert: those big hairy pecs are not Melissa's. That's this killer's M.O. though -- he separates this group of kids, kills one, put on their clothes and then uses the shadows to trick them into seeking him out. It's a good gag! I've certainly stashed it away for my eventual slashing career. Anyway this one, which doesn't work out too well for poor Shawn, goes on for a bit so let's take the rest after the jump...

Queer Kisses For Antonio & Co.

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When I posted my five favorite nominations yesterday for the Dorian Awards -- aka the annual prizes given out to movies of merit from the LGBT critic's guild GALECA, of which I am a member -- I knew the winners announcement was imminent, but it turned out to be really really imminent, showing up about half an hour after I posted that post. I'm glad I posted it beforehand though, since if I'd posted it after it might have seemed like sour grapes given nearly none of my picks ended up winning. Good things won! (Mostly.) We had plenty of love for Portrait of a Lady on Fire and I love that we gave Antonio Banderas Best Actor for Almodovar's Pain and Glory. 

And I very much like Parasite (my review), which strolled off with five prizes including Best Film and Best Director and Best Supporting Actor -- do I think Parasite is just a liiiiiittle overrated? I have said as much previously, yes. But far worse things can float to the top when it comes to consensus, and Parasite is nobody's bad movie. Anyway I'm the most happy we gave Florence Pugh an award, which was the one of my wishes that came true. Hooray for Florence! Hit the jump for the entire list of winners, and big gay congrats to them all...

Good Morning, Dustin Milligan

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It feels so strange, seeing people tweet and post breathlessly about the teaser for the final season of Schitt's Creek -- putting on my Old Man Voice (aka my voice) I remember a time when it seemed as if it was just me out here bleating that beat, when the first season aired in Canada and I, Catherine O'Hara freak that I am, downloaded it fresh as it aired there each week, getting side-eyes whenever I tried to tell people that something called Schitt's Creek was the best new everything. Point being I was right, y'all were dumb, na na na na na.

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Of course now that teaser's been out for a couple of weeks (the sixth and final season premieres in January) and while all y'all post and tweet breathlessly about it my old ass is only getting around to that now. So who won in the long run, Jason? Who won in the long run? Well to make up for my tardiness I'll share with y'all several more photos of Schitt's star Dustin Milligan, aka Ted the Vet, after the jump -- how do we think his relationship with Alexis will end? Any predictions for the season? Share those in the comments...

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Judith: Happiness is not always
the best way to be happy.

Happy 10 to my favorite movie of 2009.

(Please come back to us, Spike Jonze.)

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Quote of the Day

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"The thing that’s been a huge influence — probably somebody has done a dissertation — is the impact photographers like Bruce Weber had on our culture and on gay culture. The Living End [is] so Bruce Weber-y, in terms of male objectification. I don’t think about it when I’m writing, but that icon of the hunky straight guy, the kind of Abercrombie guy, is just part of my consciousness. That’s one thing about the show, we can subvert it or play with that stereotype. And that’s why I love the Beau character so much — I actually wrote that part with Beau in mind — because he’s so that icon but so not that icon. He’s this rugged, corn-fed all-American guy, but inside, his character is basically a needy girl. He’s the emotional one. He cries a lot. It was so fun with that character, to be able to play around with the trope of all-American masculinity.
It was very important to me to have a lot of people of color in the show and that whole Bruce Weber-y aesthetic, which is a huge influence on me, but also to be able to react to it. And so, the objectification of that symbol. But at the same time, all of the guys of color are equally objectified. The idea of questioning the whole notion of objectification, particularly queer objectification."

-- Vulture is killing it this week with their interviews, chatting with Gregg Araki today while yesterday it was Catherine O'Hara -- I had to check and see if it was Gay Pride Month or something because I feel catered to. Anyway the above is Araki talking specifically about his wonderful new show Now Apocalypse (y'all are watching, right?) but the chat goes all over his career touching on a lot of his early stuff and its spot in the New Queer Cinema movement of the time and what it was like being a young person in the 80s and 90s opposite the AIDS crisis -- s'good, go read it. (thx Mac)

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Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Schitt's Creek (2015)

Moira Rose: A heavy salad
might as well be a casserole.

A monstrously exuberant 65th birthday to the living legend Catherine O'Hara today! While I definitely often find myself suffering from "I was watching this show before any of you people!" feelings of resentment and grandeur -- and I have the receipts, since I posted about it then! -- those are feelings Moira Rose would one hundred percent understand, so it's on brand. And also everybody else catching up to me, me, me, means that maybe we can get Catherine O'Hara her deserved goddamned Emmy before the show ends!

And The Dorian Goes To...

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A-ha! I have been dying to make that gif ever since I first saw The Favourite and this seems like the perfect opportunity -- last Friday the critics guild I'm a member of, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, announced their nominations for their annual Dorian Awards, I posted them right here. Well today we've announced our esteemed winners and I think we did pretty darn great! The Favourite took our "Film of the Year" prize while Olivia Colman took Best Actress, while Can You Ever Forgive Me? took our "LGBTQ Film of the Year" award and Richard E. Grant took Best Supporting Actor from the same. 

All fine choices, and they don't stop there -- we also rallied around the great Schitt's Creek as both our "TV Comedy of the Year" and our "Unsung TV Show of the Year" prizes, AND we found room to honor Annihilation to boot! Huzzah for all that. To read all of our winners hit the jump where I'll share the whole list...

Good Morning, Schitts

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Schitt's Creek is back! Or it is in Canada, anyway. Let's just pretend that I am boarding my private plane to Toronto every Tuesday night in order to watch the show and leave it at that. Anyway the show does return to Pop TV here in the US tonight, so I may just watch it live with the rest of America (or the good part of America who watches this show, anyway) on Wednesdays and stomp down my great big carbon-footprints. Anyway normally I would edit this scene's gifs down to just the beefcake - that's actor Steve Lund playing the bisexual Jake (of course you are) there - but how do you edit out Catherine O'Hara's reaction shots? 

You don't. You don't do that. Anyway last night's episode (I mean tonight's episode!) was a lovely reminder that this is one of the funniest shows on television. And how not nominating Catherine O'Hara for all of the awards for her performance thereon is just more proof of the utter endless meaningless of awards. She is better than anyone else. Anywhere. (Laura Dern and Lisa Kudrow aren't on TV right now so I can say that without hesitation.) Okay so let's get to the beef! Schitt's has got a new bearded dude in a towel to exploit (something tells me I know Dan Levy's type at this point) so let's hit the jump for a dozen more gifs...

Wham Bam Thank You Sir

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Idris Elba's boxing show premieres in one week! One week! There was a bit of a break over the holidays but there are suddenly too many television shows on for me to keep track of - I quite liked the first episode of Tom Hardy's Taboo; I hope it leans into its goofiness though, it has the promise and the potential to. I didn't even realize that Sherlock was back on until last night and that's been going for two weeks, and tonight Schitt's Creek is back! (At least it is in Canada.) But Fighter, Idris Elba's show premieres January 17th...

... and that is where it's really at. Scan through our Idris Elba archives to see some of our previous posts on the show - I'm not going to cap the entire new trailer because it's 100% beefcake the entire time but hey there's a new trailer! 100% Beefcake! Watch:

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Pic of the Day

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Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy, Catherine O'Hara & Dan Levy being funny people while talking #schittscreek

A photo posted by Jason Adams (@jasonaadams) on Mar 14, 2016 at 7:01pm PDT

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As I told you was coming to pass, last night the 92nd Street Y here in New York hosted a screening of an episode of the wonderful show Schitt's Creek, and as you can see there the four main cast-members were all in attendance. They were a delight -- I mean Levy and O'Hara have been milking their magical chemistry for decades, bless 'em, we're all better off for it, but the two kids were just as charming. I only wish even more of the cast could've been there - the show's got a bottomless wealth of funny folks milling about - I'd have loved for Emily Hampshire (who plays motel employee Stevie) or, be still my loins, Tim Rozen (who plays bearded buff-cake Mutt), to have been there. But that's just me being greedy. I sat breathing the same air as Catherine O'Hara, fer chrissakes.
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