Lizzie
Actress Chloe Sevigny's passion project Lizzie dares to imagine what went on within the walls of Lizzie Borden's house, where her father and stepmother were bludgeoned with an ax in 1892. In Sevigny's version, from gay writer Bryce Kass and directed by horror wunderkind Craig William Macneill (The Boy), the famed spinster finds love in the form of the Bordens' Irish maid, Bridget, played by Kristen Stewart. The women suffer various types of abuse at the hands of Lizzie's twisted stepfather, Andrew (Jamey Sheridan), but find solace in each other. Eventually, they consummate their love with both a sexual relationship and murder in this revenge movie for the #MeToo moment.
"This is a movie about smashing the patriarchy!" Sevigny told The Advocate about how she pitched the movie to Stewart.
If Sevigny and Stewart weren't enough, the film also stars Fear the Walking Dead's Kim Dickens and out actors Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) and Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story).
HRC National Dinner in D.C.
The Human Rights Campaign hosts its 22nd Annual National Dinner on Saturday at the Washington Convention Center in the nation's capital. The LGBTQ rights organization will honor Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway for her work to advance equality. Speakers at the event include Joe Biden, Eric Holder, Stacey Abrams, Nelson Araujo, and Danice Roem, the nation's most high-profile trans politician. For more info or to buy tickets, click here.
The First
Set in a near future that on its surface appears to be post-racial and beyond issues of gender and sexuality, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon's The First tackles space exploration and its relation to mounting problems here on earth. LisaGay Hamilton, who won hearts on The Practice back in the day, plays Col. Kayla Price, a queer woman of color and an astronaut who champions the importance of science in a planned mission to Mars that comes on the heels of one that ended in swift disaster. But despite the varied genders and races of those chosen for the mission, it's still a straight white man's world, and she finds herself butting heads with mission captain Tom Hagerty (Sean Penn).
A welcome break from the standard all-American cheering on for the space race, The First takes into consideration issues like funding the space program when environmental and social programs to help people lack money. The always-wonderful Tracie Thoms (Rent) plays Kayla's partner while Natasha McElhone (Californication, Designated Survivor) plays the wealthy Elon Musk-esque character spearheading the mission. Premieres today on Hulu.
A Garden for Black Boys
A Garden for Black Boys: Between the Stages of Soil and Stardust is a new book of poetry by W.J. Lofton that seeks to restore humanity to marginalized people. "The work that I produce focuses on the intersectionality of race, class, gender, disability, sexuality, and the experiences of Black folks," the author told The Advocate via email. And A Garden for Black Boys, inspired by the American epidemic of violence against black people, "is as much a riot song as it is a hymn calling for healing," its publisher notes on Amazon. Order it there or visit your local bookseller.
EastSiders: The Final Season
The Emmy-nominated series about a gay couple and their friends trying to stay together through drunken outbursts, double standards, and dirty deeds is looking for funding for its fourth season. If the $100,000 is raised, season 4 is set to tackle the meaning of same-sex marraige and explore long-term commitment for gay men. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.
A Simple Favor
A mommy blogger, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), goes on the hunt for her best friend, Emily (Blake Lively), after she mysteriously disappears in A Simple Favor, a new black comedy-mystery directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). New York Times critic Manohla Dargis called it "a female-friendship comedy with neo-noir ambitions," referencing Lively's character as the femme fatale, in the mode of classics like Double Indemnity, who leads Kendrick's Stephanie, who is starstruck by her glamorous friend, down the rabbit hole. A Simple Favor is about friendship, but it is also about obsession; and it might become a new obsession for fans of films like Gone Girl.
Trevor Project's 'Boy Erased' Fundraiser
Help the Trevor Project -- which seeks to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth -- and enjoy a moment of stardom. Focus Features and the creative team behind the conversion therapy drama Boy Erased are offering a chance to attend the film's premiere October 29 in Los Angeles. Just make a donation to the Trevor Project through Omaze.com, and you will be entered to win the opportunity to walk the red carpet, see the film, and meet celebrities including writer-director-actor Joel Edgerton, stars Lucas Hedges and Troye Sivan, and Garrard Conley, who wrote the memoir on which the film is based. The winner also receives airline tickets to L.A. and hotel accommodations, and can bring a friend. You get 100 entries for $10, 250 for $25, and so on. Enter here from now through October 14.
