Film

Pity the Fool

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Mar 1, 2006 Paul Provenza, director of the gleefully obscene "The Aristocrats," explains why Hollywood doesn't get the joke. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

David Thomson on the Oscar Best-Film Candidates: Worthy, but Not Great

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Feb 28, 2006 The renowned film critic talks about this year's crop of small, issue-driven movies, and why "the liberal faction in Hollywood are much better at going to parties and raising money than actually making challenging films." Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

LGBTQIA+

Down to the Wire

Larry Gross / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 OK, the votes are in and now we all, or those of us who care, will have to wait till March 5 to find out whether the high water mark of the Year of the Queer in Hollywood will have been the nominations sweep by "Brokeback Mountain," Hoffman, Huffman, etc. In other words, did the Academy voters actually mark their ballots for this year's apparent favorites? Will the foxy stalwarts of cable talk shows be proved wrong again? When the Brokeback wave first broke over the industry the predictable consensus of the bloviators was that the "gay cowboy" film would bomb once it ventured outside the coastal enclaves into the heartland, but that it would clean up at that March madness of the lavender left known as the Oscars. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

TD Original

Year of the Queer: Hollywood and Homosexuality

Larry Gross / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 Truthdig's Larry Gross, a pioneer in the field of gay studies, argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. "Hollywood and much of the media may be awash in liberal self-congratulation," Gross writes, "but they--and we--are also soaking in the familiar hypocrisy of homophobia." Update: Down to the WireGross argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. Dig deeper ( 22 Min. Read )

Samuel L. Jackson to Star in Iraq War Movie

Staff / Truthdig Feb 14, 2006 The versatile 57-year-old actor will play an Army medic who struggles to resume his normal life in "Home of the Brave." | story This is one of the first big-budget films to deal with the ongoing conflict. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

LGBTQIA+

The More Things Change…

Larry Gross / Truthdig Feb 8, 2006 In 1983, Ed Asner, then president of the Screen Actors Guild, spoke to the Golden Gate Business Association, a gay and lesbian business and professional organization Asked about his advice to gay and lesbian folk not to come out of the closet in the entertainment industry, Asner replied, "Out of my own gut instinct, I [do] not consider this wise I know that within the gay acting community itself, many of the agents who are aware of the conflict, the bind, the grief that occurs with actors who cannot proclaim their sexual preference, [know] there's a lot of suffering and a desire to be open about it And these agents and actors support me to a very large extent in advising non-publicization" Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Brokeback to the Future

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2006 Check out this hilarious mash-up of "Back to the Future" and "Brokeback Mountain." | video Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Border Justice: ‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Feb 5, 2006 Tommy Lee Jones revives the western with his feature film debut about justice, redemption and relations with our neighbor to the south. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Don’t Believe the Hype

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2006 "Brokeback Mountain" may be topping the Oscar charts, but its success has just as much to say about America's homophobic tendencies as it does our homophilic ones.Check back Wednesday for a major new essay on that topic by Truthdig's Larry Gross, a pioneer in the field of gay and lesbian studies. Dig deeper

Allen’s Auteur Dilemma

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Jan 9, 2006 In "Match Point," Woody Allen abandons his quirky cosmos for beauty and treachery. Sheerly Avni explores why greatness continues to elude the self-effacing filmmaker. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

But Is It Good for the Jews?

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Dec 30, 2005 "Munich," Steven Spielberg and the perils of criticizing Israel. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

America’s Best Reviewer Lauds Controversial Film

Staff / Truthdig Dec 23, 2005 The Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan says "Munich" is a movie that demands to be seen as much for its place in the world as for whether it succeeds He calls it " the most questioning, provocative film [Spielberg's] ever made" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )