Joni Mitchell – Painting with Words and Music A+
Joni dazzles in the best of her three live albums. It helps that the show is built around “Hejira”. Of the 19 tracks, 4 are from this album.
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Category: Film Music | LA Music Scene
Steely Dan – Donald Fagen: Rated
Rated: the Dan’s seven classic albums released between 1972 and 1980. Rated: Donald’s “The Nightfly” as continuum with “Aja” and “Gaucho”.
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Under The Skin (2014) Scarlett Johansson A+
Explore the haunting world of ‘Under the Skin’ with Scarlett Johansson as an alien preying on Glasgow’s men.
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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Queer Film A+
“Ripley”, Minghella’s masterpiece, boasts Matt Damon’s best performance plus stunning turns by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jude Law.
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Grace of My Heart (1996) Queer Film- Bridget does Lesley B+
Bridget Fonda does a fabulous Lesley Gore (thinly disguised) in Alison Anders’ 1996 movie “Grace of My Heart”
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Top Hat (1935) Queer Film A+
The Best of the Astaire-Rogers movies. Cinematography: David Abel. Production Design: Carroll Clark/Van Nest Polglase. Songs: Irving Berlin.
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The Wizard of Oz (1939) Queer Film A-
Judy Garland captured everyone’s heart with that voice, vulnerable yet confident. Innocent yet knowing.
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Rebecca (1940) Queer Film. Hitchcock. A+
“Rebecca”, marked the arrival in Hollywood of the man who was, or would eventually become, the greatest director in the history of cinema.
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Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Queer Film. Minnelli’s Masterpiece. A+
A favorite of gay men since its opening in the Christmas of 1944, it stars Judy Garland in her first adult role, singing three of her best songs.
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The Uninvited (1944) Queer Film B-
The 1944 movie is still entertaining. Victor Young’s haunting theme was transformed into the song “Stella by Starlight,” with lyrics by Ned Washington.
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Laura (1944) Queer Film A+
“Laura” is one of the classic film noirs. Gene Tierney is born and Clifton Webb becomes a star in his fifties. Haunting Raksin score.
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Double Indemnity (1944) Queer Film A+
“Double Indemnity” is the best of the three great film noirs of 1944, the others being “Laura” and “The Woman in the Window”. The three leads are superb as is Wilder’s direction.
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Notorious (1946) Hitchcock A+
The term “MacGuffin” originated with writer Angus MacPhail and was popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. The MacGuffin in “Notorious” is the Uranium.
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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Queer Film A+
The best play to film adaptation of all-time, with two of the greatest performances: Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois and Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski.
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Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Queer Film A+
Wood, Dean and Mineo form a nuclear family under the shadow of Griffith Park Observatory in Nicholas Ray’s masterpiece “Rebel Without a Cause.
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Funny Face (1957) Queer Film A+
“Funny Face“, the 1957 musical romantic comedy directed by Stanley Donen, boasts Audrey Hepburn’s most charming screen performance.
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Vertigo (1958) Hitchcock A+
“Vertigo” is anchored by the unforgettable performances of Stewart and Novak, Hitchcock’s masterful direction and Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score.
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North by Northwest (1959) Queer Film. Hitchcock. A+
Eva Marie Saint gives Grace Kelly in “Rear Window” a run for her money as Hitchcock’s most elegant leading lady and the chemistry between the two leads is more palpable than in any Hollywood picture before or since.
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Psycho (1960) Queer Film. Hitchcock. A+
Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates made him immortal while, at the same, time, ending his career in Hollywood. A masterpiece.
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Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Queer Film (A)
Lawrence’s intense relationships with men, particularly Sherif Ali (Omar Sheriff), are emotionally charged. The characters’ gazes linger on each other in numerous scenes, creating a sense of tension and intimacy.
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Whatever Happened Baby Jane? (1962) Queer Film A+
Both of Hollywood’s grande dames Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are in top form with Davis getting the showier role as faded child star Baby Jane Hudson.
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My Fair Lady (1964) Queer Film. Cukor’s Late-Career Triumph A+
The couple are phonetics professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Hugh Pickering. The two actors are perfect together, practically finishing one another’s sentences
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The Fox (1967) Queer Film B+
“The Fox” does interesting things with color saturation (Bill Fraker) and the Lalo Schifrin score has entered the jazz canon.
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Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) Queer Film A+
Marlon Brando does something unique with his closeted gay character, it’s one of his truly great performances right up there with his Stanley Kowalski. Elizabeth Taylor gives one of her best, most relaxed performances in years. She was just beginning to pile on the weight at this time in her life and she uses her body fearlessly, like a weapon.
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Queer Film A+
In Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”, HAL 9000 is the psychotic gay computer abord Discovery One. HAL is in love with Dave and quickly dispatches with copilot Frank.
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Midnight Cowboy (1969) Queer Film (A)
John Schlesinger’s American debut is only X-rated movie to win Best Picture. It boasts two great performances courtesy of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffmann.
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The Music Lovers (1971) Queer Film (F)
The honeymoon sequence, set to the “1812 overture,” a delirious mix of sexual frustration and nationalistic bombast, may be for Russell freaks only!
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Death In Venice (1971) Queer Film A-
Visconti’s best idea was changing Aschenbach’s profession from a writer to a composer opening up the movie to the Mahler Adagietto .
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The Boyfriend (1971) Queer Film C+
Although not explicitly gay, the film is filled with camp theatrical energy, exaggerated male dancers, coded glances and mannerisms, a backstage world where gender roles blur, and gay actor Max Adrian as Lord Brockhurst, the wealthy, eccentric aristocrat who attends the film’s show-within-a-show, bringing his trademark queer-coded presence. The Boyfriend is unmistakably queer in tone, style, and sensibility, putting it very much in line with Russell’s other 1970s work.
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Chinatown (1974) Polanski’s Noir Masterpiece A+
Polanski captured the FEEL of LA better than anyone before or sense. Jack Nicholson gives his greatest performance as private dick J. J. ” Jake” Gittes.
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