Take heart Chicagoans: The spring thaw is finally here! Film fans can expect plenty of cinematic treats to savor with the usual dose of homoerotic content—both overt and covert— amongst these highlights of upcoming titles. Unless otherwise noted, the opening date listed refers to at least a one week theatrical run.
March
Cinema Q IV—The fourth annual Cinema Q finishes up tonight at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., with a free screening at 6:30 p.m. of De-Lovely, the 2004 biopic of gay composer Cole Porter. Kevin Kline stars as the sex-crazed Cole, Ashley Judd ( gorgeous in Armani costumes ) is his mostly understanding wife Linda and a bevy of musical guest stars— Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, John Barrowman, et al.—belt out Porter's greatest hits. The film is lavish and queer-centric which in itself makes it an atypical studio movie. Cinema Q IV is copresented by the Queer Film Society, Reeling, the Legacy Project, and Affinity Community Services. Media sponsors are Windy City Times, ChicagoPride and the Reader. March 26
Noah—Director Darren Aronofsky's bigbudget retelling of the apocalyptic Biblical epic story of Noah ( Russell Crowe ), his ark, all those animals loaded up two by two, his dysfunctional family ( Jennifer Connolly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Anthony Hopkins, among them ) and all the decadent behavior that started the whole saga. March 28
APRIL
Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier— Hunky heartthrob Chris Evans returns to his role as the comic book hero, as does Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow while Anthony Mackie is a new visitor to the Marvel universe as the Falcon. April 4
Only Lovers Left Alive—LGBT faves Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddelston star as longtime vampire loves in what promises to be yet another unique film from director Jim Jarmusch. April 18
Transcendence—Johnny Depp stars in this special effects-driven sci-fi-themed movie as a scientific genius whose experiments in infusing an artificial intelligence with human emotions become the target of activists determined to stop him from succeeding. Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara and Cillian Murphy ( who played gay in Breakfast on Pluto ) co-star. April 18
Bears—No, it's not a documentary about a group of large and hairy gay men. Rather, John C. Reilly ( who would certainly qualify in that category if he were gay in real life ) narrates a nature documentary from Disney that focuses on real bears—cubs and all—fighting for survival in Alaska. April 18
Medea—Avant garde, openly gay ( and how ) Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini put his own unique stamp on this 1969 retelling of Greek tragedy with the one and only film performance by opera sensation Maria Callas in the title role—who does not sing but is nevertheless unforgettable in this rather gruesome ( no surprise there ) and gritty version of the material. The Gene Siskel Film Center is presenting a restored 35mm print. April 18-19
Sing-a-Long Grease—The Music Box brings back this annual screening of the 1978 movie musical homage to the 1950s starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and all the rest of the world's oldest high school teenagers singing and dancing all those memorable hit tunes. A festive pre-show ( costume parade, etc. ) is part of the fun. April 19
MAY
The Amazing Spider-Man 2—Peter Parker ( as essayed by Andrew Garfield ) and his lady love Emma Stone return in this first sequel to the second reboot of this hit sci-fi franchise. May 2
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return—Ozmania fans will no doubt queue up for this animated musical that features Lea Michele voicing the role of Dorothy and those of Dan Akroyd, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Belushi, Megan Hilty, Patrick Stewart, and Martin Short as her familiar Oz companions. May 9
Philadelphia—Part of its annual "Movies on Trial" series, the Music Box presents a rare matinee screening of this 1993 Jonathan Demme classic starring Tom Hanks in his Oscar-winning performance as a closeted lawyer fired by his firm when his AIDS condition is revealed. May 9
Mother's Day with Mamma Mia!— What better way to celebrate mom's day than with the Music Box Theatre's interactive screening of the 2008 movie adaptation of the jukebox musical smash? Meryl Streep stars as the mom whose daughter ( a fetching Amanda Seyfried ) is determined to find out which of her mother's three previous lovers ( Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth or Stellan Skarsgard ) is her biological father by her wedding day. It's a sun-soaked, modern-day "beach blanket" musical with all those Abba tunes, a surprising gay twist and an abundance of shots of Dominic Cooper's six pack abs. Lesbian director Phyllida Lloyd directed. My alter ego, Dick O'Day, will host the pre-show beginning at noon ( which will include a '70s costume parade and brunch option ). May 11
Godzilla—The initial trailer for this megabudget entry in the summer movie blockbuster sweepstakes helped ease fears that here was nothing much more than a variation on gay writer-director Roland Emmerich's cheesy ( but at times guilty pleasure ) 1998 version. It costars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe. May 16
X-Men: Days of Future Past—Out director Bryan Singer helms yet another addition to this sci-fi mainstay which continues to feature a batch of coded queer characters among the beloved mutants—several essayed by openly queer actors ( Ian McKellen, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin ). Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbinder co-star. May 23
The Normal Heart—After decades of false starts, Larry Kramer's searing AIDS-themed drama has finally been adapted for the movies, albeit an HBO one. With a history that includes Behind the Candelabra, Bernard and Doris, Valentine Road, Six By Sondheim and dozens of other gay-themed and -centric films, HBO has come to be a place where films that once would have been seen in movie theaters are finding their way to the Tiffany of cable networks. Kramer's epically scaled, '80s-set drama stars Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo, out actor Jim Parsons, the openly gay Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Alfred Molina and out actor Jonathan Groff ( star of HBO's queer-themed "Looking" which will be back for a second season ). Directed by the openly gay TV mogul Ryan Murphy, this is easily the most eagerly anticipated movie for the queer community this spring. HBO has already greenlit a sequel—with Kramer penning that one as well. Premieres on HBO May 25
Maleficent—It's "Sleeping Beauty" as retold from the viewpoint of the wicked queen of the title—who is portrayed by Angelina Jolie in what looks to be an inspired casting choice. May 30
On the horizon—films to watch for: The Case Against 8, Ben Cotner and Ryan White's documentary behind the scenes look at the the case to overturn Prop 8 debuts June 6. "Queer As Folk's" Randy Harrison and Michael Urie as a gay couple in the screwball comedy Such Good People has yet to announce is release date. Love Is Strange, the latest gay-themed drama from Keep the Lights On writer-director Ira Sachs, stars John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as a longtime gay couple; it was strongly reviewed at Sundance but as of Windy City Times deadlines still hadn't announced a release date. To Be Takei, a documentary portrait of actor-turned-gay activist George Takei, was also warmly received at Sundance and is also awaiting a release date—as are nearly a dozen other LGBT-themed indies that played during the fest.
