By Romeo San Vicente
Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan move into 'Ideal Home'
A long time ago, in the very bad old days, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison portrayed a dismally unhappy gay couple in a wretched little movie called "Staircase" (watch on TCM some day if you dare). One problem: their characters were unhappy mostly because they were gay. A neat little trick to play on gay audiences, don't you think? Well, we've come a long way, and now we get to be unhappy for all the same reasons heterosexuals enjoy, which seems to be the plot of "An Ideal Home," the new film from queer director Andrew Fleming (who worked with Coogan before on "Hamlet 2"). The story involves Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan as a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. The situation is further complicated when Coogan's surprise grandchild shows up at their door. Wild – and somewhat jaded – guess: the adorable child reminds them what family is really about. Whatever the typical tropes may be, we love Coogan and Rudd and, so, yeah, we're in.
Guy Pearce, still flaming
More than 20 years have passed since Guy Pearce appeared on screen as a larger-than-life drag queen in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert." Now, that film's writer-director, Stephan Elliott, has recruited Pearce for another round of sexual nonconformity. Their upcoming film together, also written and directed by Elliott, is titled "Flammable Children," and it co-stars Radha Mitchell. Telling the story of three families on the beaches of Australia in the mid-1970s, the comedy explores the sexual revolution of that era and the changes it effects on everyone. There's also a 200-ton whale involved in the story, but we're not sure what role it plays or if it's a speaking part. If none of that sounds especially "Priscilla"-esque, then we have two words for you: Lizzy Gardiner. She's the Academy Award-winning costume designer responsible for the "Priscilla" outfits. You'll want to see this movie for her work, if nothing else. Cameras roll early this fall, the beginning of Australia's summer.
James Franco, Kristen Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter resurrect 'JT Leroy'
JT Leroy is back again. First there was a documentary, then another documentary, and now a narrative feature that has attracted the attention of James Franco, Kristen Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter. Who's JT Leroy, you ask? OK, you only ask if you don't read books, ever, but that's fine, no judgments here. JT Leroy was actually nobody, a staggeringly far-reaching literary hoax sensation of the early '00s, one concocted by a female author posing as a teenage literary wunderkind who identified as transgender. Novels were written, literary acclaim followed, public appearances were made by a young woman in a wig and sunglasses, celebrities lined up to sing Leroy's praises, a few even participated in the lie. And then it all came to a screeching halt when the truth was revealed. Fascinating, right? Justin Kelly, who has already directed Franco in the ex-gay biopic "I Am Michael," is at the helm of this one. It's early days yet, and no ink has met a contract, but here's hoping it all comes to pass. They just don't make cool, weird, public spectacles like that on a regular basis, especially ones where lots of celebs get pranked. We need all of them we can get.
'I Love Dick' is coming
When you're hot, you're hot, and Jill Soloway is hot. On the strength of the critical and audience love of "Transparent" (those awards don't hurt, either), Amazon has ordered a second pilot from the show's creator. It's called "I Love Dick," but it's probably not exactly what you have in mind. The comedy comes from playwright Sarah Gubbins, based on Chris Kraus' 1997 novel, set in the rural art community of Marfa in Southwest Texas, and the story revolves around an unhappily married couple who become mutually obsessed with a difficult, magnetic professor named Dick. Charting the dissolution of the marriage, it will be told from various points of view, much like Showtime's "The Affair," or, you know, "Rashomon." Pilots don't necessarily become series, but this one seems a pretty safe bet for Amazon's biggest success story. Step up your game, network TV, they're killing it out there.
