Terminator: Salvation (2009)

I had a good conversation about meta-physics and science fiction genre after seeing this film with a friend. It seems to me the Terminator shares quite a bit with the Matrix. I found this Terminator a mildly intellectual exercise and one which manages to satisfy. I.e no major holes in the story, though there are obviously paradoxes. One weird thing which isn't giving anything away I don't think, is seeing your own father as a young kid. How weird would that be? (And then of course, how much weirder, as I was reminded by my buddy, later sending him off to die -- without telling him perhaps -- to make it with your Mom to have you?)

Doubt (2008)

The universal signifier of a gay boy: he wonders if he looks fat? This could have been a much shorter film it seems to me. I was able to get through it using some FFwd in about an hour without really missing anything. I read through a few reviews before writing this. They pretty much pan Streep's performance. I actually liked it. I thought it was good and had a lot of good gaffuws at how impressively and stylishly her character, despite being so one-note, actually makes progress in her investigation.

The Reader (2008)

Kate Winslet and the boy protagonist, Michael Berg, spend a lot of time naked in this film. This definitely improved Winslet's chances I think for the Oscar, and the crossover appeal. Ralph Fiennes seems a bit off here following the boy's mostly exuberant performance, else the boy had really changed in demeanor quite significantly having grown up greatly. I found exceptional and strange compassion for Winslet's character, perhaps it was a good understanding of one of her weaknesses, I guess. [Hey, the actor playing the boy is probably in his late teens, early twenties.] It was a very worthy performance.

The Living End (1992)

Made in the middle of the devastating peak of the AIDS crisis, the movie muses on the nihilistic themes of death. The death sentence leads to a road trip and love, sort of.

Louis C.K. "Chewed Up"

I watched this comedian on Comedy Central last night. He was hilarious. I thought strangely amusing (but no, not exciting) his little bit on date rape: a woman he dated who wanted him to force her to have sex with him. But he touched on a lot of topics, including what it's like being a white male (difficult to complain) and why his own kids are so annoying.

The Boys in the Band (1970)

Not to be confused with And the Band Played On. It's a play from the liberation days about gays which was Off Broadway and successful and was later made into a movie. It's actually quite a good one.

The Ecologist (magazine)

I only just found out about this British magazine which has a lot of excellent articles about saving the environment by reducing your carbon footprint, etc. As it happens, in June, the magazine is going completely online and dropping their print edition. Man that's not very convenient, but perhaps more ecological.

The Man of My Life (2007)

A story with an interesting premise which goes to the question of whether men are more compatible with other men as friends. Seems obvious probably this is true. And then goes on to the deeper question of whether they would bond rather more intimately, while it still being a platonic interest. This happens while one man is happily married and straight with kids, and the other is a swinging single gay guy. The men in the movie bond to the extent that it even disrupts the married man's sex life. This is taking it a bit far I think, but overall it held my interest. The movie is in French and has a very French tone. It is a very intellectual movie and -- being written and directed by a woman -- not macho or homophobic.

The NYTimes review provides more background and interpretation.