That still leaves at least one of the latter pair against Brie Larson (“Short Term 12”) in the indie film category or Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) in the token foreign-language slot, against the potential competition of perennials Judi Dench (“Philomena”), Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”), Kate Winslet (“Labor Day”) and Emma Thompson (“Saving Mr. Banks”).
Even if a couple of these don’t live up to expectations, the pickins are not as slim as most of the actresses involved.
As usual, Out on Film is the highlight of the queer fall movie season. Here are some theatrical releases to watch out for, with release dates always subject to change:
• “Four” (Sept. 13) – On the Fourth of July a closeted father (Wendell Pierce) hooks up with a young man (Emory Cohen) while his neglected daughter is out with a faded basketball star, in a drama adapted by director Joshua Sanchez from a play by Christopher Shinn.
• “Don Jon” (Sept. 27) – Nothing gay that we know of, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed and stars as a man whose obsession with Internet porn has him doing so much hand-iwork, Scarlett Johansson isn’t sure she can compete.
• Out on Film (Oct. 3-10, Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas except opening night at the Rush Center) – At 26 Atlanta’s annual LGBT film festival is older than many of its attendees! There are almost 50 film programs this year. We’ll have extensive coverage next issue but you can get advance information (and tickets) at http://www.outonfilm.org.
• “Machete Kills” (Oct. 11) – The original was a campfest and the sequel looks even hootier, with Lady Gaga joining Danny Trejo and an all-star cast. Expect more hilarious cartoon violence and an audience competition to see who can cheer loudest when (if?) villain Mel Gibson is killed.
• “Carrie” (Oct. 18) – Oh God, another remake! But with lesbian director Kimberly Peirce (“Boys Don’t Cry”) guiding Chlöe Grace Moretz, who’s kick-ass in anything, and Julianne Moore (ditto), it should be worth a look. Wear a prom dress to the premiere.
• “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (Nov. 1) – This three-hour love story spans several years in the romance of a 15-year-old lesbian (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and an older woman (Léa Seydoux). The novel it’s based on isn’t the only thing that’s graphic; numerous explicit sex scenes earned it an NC-17 rating, while the film itself swept the awards (picture, director, actresses) at Cannes this year.
• “Ender’s Game” (Nov. 1) – Most of the publicity around this sci-fi adaptation has been negative because Orson Scott Card, who wrote the 1985 novel, has been shooting off his mouth against marriage equality and generally standing to the right of the Tea Party. There have been calls to boycott the film, since Card presumably stands to make a bundle from it.
• “Thor: The Dark World” (Nov. 8) – Beefcake alert! Chris Hemsworth returns as Marvel’s muscular superhero.
• “Kill Your Darlings” (Nov. 15) – Daniel Radcliffe plays gay beat poet Allen Ginsberg (recentlyportrayed by James Franco in “Howl” and Tom Sturridge in “On the Road”) in a true-ish story of a murder that occurred during his student days at Columbia; with Dane DeHaan as a crush to possibly kill for.
• “Black Nativity” (Nov. 27) – Considering the contentious history of the LGBT community vs. African American churches, we might be nervous about this musical; but a lot has changed in the half-century-plus it’s taken to reach the screen and this is a contemporary adaptation. The original play was written by presumed-gay poet Langston Hughes and the cast includes Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. Hopefully some hallelujahs will be in order.
• “The Snow Queen” (Nov. 27) – Disney’s animated musical version of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale stars the voices of Idina Menzel in the title role and Kristen Bell as her goofy sister. Sounds like some kids will get their first taste of winter camp.
• “Dallas Buyers Club” (Dec. 6) – Matthew McConaughey lost nearly 50 pounds to play a straight, HIV-infected Texan who in 1986 used his drug-smuggling skills to import meds that weren’t yet legal in the U.S. Jared Leto co-stars as a transgendered woman.
• “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas” (Dec. 13) – Sorry Ru, but Madea is America’s favorite drag queen, even if we’re not sure about the man who created and plays her.
(PHOTO: Daniel Radcliffe plays Allen Ginsberg and Jack Huston is Jack Kerouac in ‘Kill Your Darlings,’ opening Nov. 15)