Theater, Movies, Art and Literature

I watched the 1st episode of S3 of The White Lotus on HBO and looking forward to episode #2 tomorrow. Many of you actually live in Thailand, right? Is this show airing there? Is there any reaction in Thailand? Are you watching it? I love it. The music. The vibe. The scenery and culture.

From CNN (From left) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun.'Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Historical/Getty Images Val Kilmer, a movie star who throughout his career proved he was up for any task, from playing a cocky naval pilot to wearing the Batman suit, died on Tuesday, according to his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who released a statement to the New York Times and the Associated Press. He was 65. The cause of death was pneumonia, Mercedes Kilmer told the media outlets. Kilmer had recovered from a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis that required tracheotomy surgery that altered his voice. In recent years, …

From the BBC Richard Chamberlain, the actor best known for his role in the 1960s medical drama Dr Kildare and leading role in Shogun, has died aged 90, his publicist has confirmed to the BBC. Chamberlain earned the title "king of the mini-series" for his leading roles in Shogun and The Thorn Birds. He died late on Saturday night local time (10:15 GMT Sunday) in Waimanalo, Hawaii, after suffering complications from a stroke, his publicist Harlan Boll confirmed - just hours before he would have turned 91. Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain's longtime partner, called him an "amazing and loving soul" in a statement. https://www.gayguides.com/f…

On my very first visit to New York I was advised that if I had time for just one Gallery/Museum it had to be the intimate Frick Collection on East 70th Street at 5th Avenue. I went, and was enchanted. On many subsequent New York trips I have frequently revisted the Frick. It may be small but it has a stunning collection of paintings by Fragonard, Holbein, Vermeer, Turner, Rembrandt, Goya, Rubens, Monet, van Dyck and others. All beautifully displayed in what had been Henry Clay Frick's lovely home and continued after his death by his daughter Helen. The renovated home for the Collection will be open from Wednesdays till Sundays and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entr…

I'm curious. How much would you pay to see a Broadway show? A show you really wanted to see? Back in the 1980s and 1990s I took in a Broadway show almost every time I was in New York. I can't recall ever paying more than about $75 for a seat. Then came the Mel Brooks musical "The Producers". It took Broadway by storm and demand far exceeded supply. In true free market economics, the producers of the show hiked top price tickets to a whopping all time high of $500. And that was in 2001! Thankfully I saw it later in London for not much more than £60. The highest I have paid on Broadway was $150. The last time was for "Wicked", a show lots of people love but for whateve…

From The BBC How The White Lotus reveals the hidden codes of male nudity on screen Full-frontal male nudity in all three series of The White Lotus has provoked waves of reaction and comment. Why does showing a penis on screen still have the ability to shock? Episode four of The White Lotus season three, which is set in Thailand, saw the increasingly agitated millionaire dad Tim Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) sit down for breakfast in a loosely tied dressing robe. His family are unaware that Tim is wanted by the FBI for illegal financial dealings and will likely end up in prison – and that he's been popping tablets of anti-anxiety medication Lorazepam l…

Aside from Taylor Swift's concerts, it's been the hottest ticket in town. I'll say it straight out: "ABBA The Venture" is an incredible multi-million $$ spectacle as you've never seen one before. It has been running sold out in London for almost two years and could continue on - and on and on. Only the show's producers are considering taking it to other cities, principally in the USA, and there is talk that the London run will end later this year. Yes, they can transport it because the huge arena is actually purpose buit and can be dismantled and re-erected elsewhere with relative ease. After all, unlke a stage musical, it's only the 20-piece band and an army of tech…

From The Nation In early 2025, the Thai film industry made a bold statement, announcing an extensive lineup of movies set to hit theatres throughout the year. With over 100 films planned for release, this aggressive strategy—averaging around two films per week—reflected a new level of ambition within the industry. A major reason behind this surge was the decline of traditional television dramas. Many TV production companies shut down, leaving directors, producers and writers scrambling for opportunities in film and streaming platforms as their last resort. Despite the enthusiasm, the box office res…

A shout out for the excellent tv series of Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of The Jackal. I had loved the book and the much earlier movie version but I thought this tv series was superb - a very different updated remake, beautifully acted and directed, with loads of suspense and thrills. And of course it has The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) not only plonking several mouth on mouth kisses but spending a gay night with a young guy whose help he needs in one of his assassination attempts. photo: Carnaval Films Not having much success sleeping, I watched all 10 episodes on the 14 hour-long Hong Kong/London flight last weekend and was engrossed throughout.

Someone I was chatting about Jesse Eisenberg recommend the limited series "Fleishman is in Trouble". Based on the novel. Eisenberg plays a very likeable father. I began watching and enjoyed it. My kind of content. Clever, sad, funny and so on. I binge-watched all the episodes. A drama about a young couple with kids in NYC. It goes places one doesn't expect.

Flipping through youtube videos some evenings ago, I came across this wonderful version of the haunting Albinoni Adagio. It is sung by a choir named Libera which is based at one of London's churches. It seems the choirmaster enjoys taking short standard classical works and slightly rearranging them for the choir and a small group of instruments. In recent years it has become hugely popular, has a recording contract and made more than 20 CDs, and like the more famous Vienna Boys Choir Libera makes regular international tours including two to Japan. Libera has worked with many top international artists like Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Neil Diamond. It has also prov…

Youtube began recommending a lot of short films to me. Perhaps one thread might be a good idea, for anyone like me that comes across short films they enjoy, Here is one I just finished watching that was nicely done. I recommend it.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEULbwvohMb/ Has anyone seen Linda Eder perform lately? I see several appearances scheduled this winter.

Last night I just watch Hot Frosty, in which a snowman comes to life to charm a young widow. The man who stars as the erotic snowman, Dustin Milligan, is incredibly hot. He almost had me spontaneously exploding. Despite the wintery setting, the "snowman" loves the cold, so he's shirtless for half of the movie. The movie also has 88% on rotten tomatoes, but with a body like that, who cares? Interestingly, the actor who plays the hot frosty comes from one of the coldest cities on the planet, Yellowknife (NWT). In January, the mean daily MAXIMUM is -25.5C. Talk about frosty! I can't imagine what I wouldn't give to have my way with this hot 39 year-old!

Season 3 is now on Netflix. Highly recommended watch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartstopper_(TV_series) Nick and Charlie are the main characters, played by Kit Connor and Joe Locke.

This is a well done, poignant, short film with contrasting themes. It's pretty short. Worth a watch. I watched it today on Kanopy. Seems to be on Dekkoo also. A short trailer, below.

Life Like is a futuristic sci-fi kind of movie. I thought it was a decent movie, especially the eye candy, including some erotic elements. You can watch it on TubiTv and make up your mind. https://tubitv.com/movies/100026125/life-like

From BBC Actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her family has said. A legend of British stage and screen, she won two Oscars during her career - for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979. She had four other nominations, and received eight Bafta awards. Leading the tributes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Dame Maggie "was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come". In the Harry Potter films, Dame Maggie played the acerbic Professor Minerva McGonagall…

I saw this in the movie theater yesterday, and could hardly believe it was written and directed by FFC. I found the story and the dialog fairly inane. I found myself frequently looking at my watch, wondering if the movie was going to get better, and when it would end. It didn't get better. The audience seemed to laugh quite a bit. I thought it was because they found the dialog ridiculous, but quite a few clapped at the end, which surprised me. Maybe those audience members were in the movie industry? FFC apparently sunk a massive quantity of his own fortune, and even had to pay out of his own pocket to make sure the film was distributed, because otherwise no distribution c…

Caught this gym on Netflix this weekend. Deal is it's set in Madrid. There are high school students. And they are all horny. You have gay sex. You have bisexual sex. You have cuckold sex (which we all know is bi sex displaced). And the guys are some of the hottest spanish twinks in the world. If this doesn't give you a boner I'm not sure what will.

Can't wait!

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) is currently streaming on FLIX. There are other free platforms such as Kanopy and Tubi. If you are a huge Al Pacino fan like me, IMO you need to watch this film again. If you have not seen the movie then come back after you've seen it, to avoid the spoilers. ******************************************************************** When I am impressed by a movie I search for Roger Ebert's review to see if he agreed. Ebert gave Dog Day Afternoon 3.5 /4 stars. I figured he would appreciate it (RIP). The world has changed a lot since the 70's. There may be aspects of the film that go over people's heads, such as the Attica pris…

I enjoyed this ambiguously bisexual movie, though it felt a little long. I guess that the two male leads were pretty good eye candy. I don't know if this movie had an "Intimacy director,"but there were ample sex scenes. I'm curious, if there are any bi or straight men on this forum, an opinion as to whether or not Zendaya is an attractive woman. I would think she'd have to be to play this role, but it seemed to me that she had pretty small tits, and I though that in women, big tits were among the features which most attract straight and bi men. I do have some straight friends, but it would be awkward to ask, as the men are married to other women.

From The Nation Jaturon Phakdeewanit, director general of the Department of Tourism, said a world-class film crew from Hollywood is preparing to shoot the movie "Jurassic World 4" in Thailand. The filming locations will include Krabi and Trang provinces, with a shooting period of about one month, from June 13 to July 16, 2024. Furthermore, the latest report from the Thailand Film Office said the production team of "Jurassic World 4" is also interested in filming in areas of Bangkok, Phang Nga, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. It is expected that this project will generate revenue of 650 million baht for Thailand. These funds will…