BOB RAFELSON (1933 - 2022)

Bob Rafelson, one of the filmmakers who helped create a cultural shift in American cinema in the 1970's, taking films from a sanitized, artificial world to a more gritty, reality-based vision, has passed away at the age of eighty-nine on July 23rd.

The New York born and raised Rafelson began his professional career in television, first working as a story editor on the series, "Play of the Week" in 1959. He soon began writing for other television programs before he decided to head West to try his luck in Hollywood. He began as an associate producer at Universal Studios for the film and television units.

Later with fellow producer, Bert Scheider, they formed a company, Raybert Productions and their first project was inspired by the incredible success of the British rock group, The Beatles and Rafelson's own experiences while playing with a band. "The Monkees" was a tv show about the wacky adventures of an American rock band, casting actors who actually had a pop music background; Micky Dolenz, Davey Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork. This comedy series became an immediate hit, featuring a non-traditional format, using fast-cut editing, interviews and documentary-styled footage which helped the show win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1967. And this fictional band became a real musical group who had several songs reach the pop charts and went out on tour. "The Monkees" ran from 1966 to 1968 and after the show ended, Rafelson made his directorial feature film debut with "Head", a trippy, musical-comedy that featured the Monkees, expanding far beyond the television show. The movie was not much of a success but it did succeed in beginning the long friendship and working collaboration between Rafelson and Jack Nicholson who co-wrote the script with him and appeared in the film.

Raybert Productions (later known as BBS productions after adding Rafelson's childhood friend, Stephen Blauner to the company) were responsible with producing some of the more notable films of the New Hollywood era, beginning with Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider" in 1969, followed by "The Last Picture Show" from Peter Bogdanovich and Rafelson's second film as a director, "Five Easy Pieces" in 1970 which helped cement Nicholson, who earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role, as a major movie star. Rafelson followed that up with "The King of Marvin Gardens" featuring Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Ellen Burstyn; and "Stay Hungry", a 1976 comedy starring Jeff Bridges and Sally Field that is really only notable today for the film acting debut of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nicholson would go on to appear in three other films with Rafelson; a 1981 remake of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" which gave Jessica Lange a star-making turn; "Man Trouble", a black comedy with Ellen Barkin and the 1996 crime-thriller, "Blood and Wine" that featured Jennifer Lopez. Rafelson's last feature film he directed was "No Good Deed" another crime drama with Samuel L. Jackson in 2002.

FIRE ISLAND (2022)

Written by Joel Kim Booster



Directed by Andrew Ahn



Available to stream now on Hulu



Fire Island, a large center isle running parallel to the South shore of Long Island, NY, has been a popular mecca for gays and lesbians since the 1960's, a summertime getaway that would offer opportunities to live and celebrate openly which couldn't always be done in the city at the time. Now we have "Fire Island", a refreshingly audacious romantic-comedy involving a group of gay friends in search of fun, sun, sex and possibly even love. It stands out with it's racially diverse, mostly Asian cast as the leads, offering a welcome change of routine usually found in gay-themed comedies. Another reason "Fire Island" is such an anomaly is that a major studio (Searchlight, now owned by Disney) is actually behind this film that makes no attempt in appealing to anyone outside of the LGBTQ communities.

Joel Kim Booster, a stand-up comedian and writer, not only stars but has written the screenplay, crafting a charming, wild romp that manages to squeeze thoughtful conversations about social and racial issues in between the silly gags and romantic entanglements that is loosely based on Jane Austen's novel of class and manners, "Pride and Prejudice". Austen might seem to be an unlikely source of inspiration yet gay men certainly have established rituals, conventions and societal rules that tends to be closely followed in a queer enclave.

Oversleeping after a night of wild escapades, Noah (Booster) barely arrives on time to meet his friends on the ferry that will whisk them off to the Fire Island Pines. Noah's friends; the colorful, Luke (Matt Rogers), the flaming, Keegan (Tomás Matos), the practical, Max (Torian Miller) and his BFF, Howie (Bowen Yang) who has moved to LA but made the trip, are all ready for a week of debaucherous fun after they arrive at the house of their "mother", Erin (a welcome but underused, Margaret Cho) when she drops some bad news on them. Due to some bad financial decisions, Erin will have to sell her house, making this their last time in the Pines together.

The boys begin their first evening at the Blue Whale when Noah sees Howie making eyes at a handsome man across the room. He forces Howie to go meet Charlie (James Scully) who is with his own small group of friends which includes Will (Conrad Ricamora), looking like he would prefer to be anywhere but this club. Determined to get his shy friend laid, Noah vows not to connect with any boy until Howie does so first. This proves to be more of challenge than expected as Noah catches the attention of a sexy young man, Dex (Zane Phillips) while grocery shopping. And Noah starts to develop a complicated attraction to the aloof Will who is sending mixed messages; first Noah overhears Will criticizing him and his friends to Charlie yet also shows concern about him getting involved with Dex, implying he shouldn't be trusted.

"Fire Island" began as a series developed by Booster for Quibi, the short-lived streaming service that burned bright in April 2020 before it was snuffed out only eight months later. Booster later expanded the project into a feature film, attaching Andrew Ahn, who made an impression with his directorial debut, "Spa Night". While there is certainly a lusty nature to the film, this comedy surprisingly largely avoids raunch (and more shockingly, nudity), preferring to focus humorously on the bonds of long friendship and support between these gay men. But their frustrations with being considered outsiders in their own community are pointedly discussed, bringing attention to classism, body image and racial stereotypes that they have to contend with.

Romantic-comedies have long been appealing to many gay men who have easily been able to put themselves into the shoes of a lovely damsel in a comedic quest in search of a handsome hunk to swept her off her feet, rescuing her from a tragic life being single. But these days, we no longer have to use our imaginations with gays, lesbians and everybody in-between are able to openly tell their stories without coded references. Warm hearted and enjoyably breezy, "Fire Island" refreshingly displays the amusing and sometimes absurd practices involving love and romance between gay men, proudly without a thought over heteronormative frame of reference.

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JAMES CAAN (1940 - 2022)

James Caan, who famously played a variety of short-tempered and volatile characters throughout his career as an actor, has passed away on July 6th at the age of eighty-two. In 1972, he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his turn as the aggressive and violent, Sonny Corleone in the Best Picture winner, "The Godfather", the first in the mob-crime saga about the Corleone family based on the book by Mario Puzo.

Born and raised in New York City, Caan attended college at Michigan State University wanting to play football but was unable to make the team. He transferred to Hofstra College back in New York where he became interested in acting, later studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre. Caan first began his professional career on the stage before getting work in television with his first job in an episode of  the police drama, "Naked City". He went on to make guest-starring appearance in the shows, "Dr; Kildare", "Route 66", "Wagon Train" and "The Untouchables". Caan's first major role in a movie was in "Redline 7000", a 1965 auto-racing drama directed by Howard Hawks. Making an impression on this director who made his name during the early Hollywood era, Hawks hired the young actor for another film, "El Dorado", a western with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum.

The first role that changed the course of his career was playing Brian Piccolo, a promising young football player in "Brian's Song", an ABC television movie-of-the-week. Caan had turned down the role several times, largely because he didn't want to do television anymore, but relented once he actually read the script. Billy Dee Williams co-starred as Gale Sayers, an African-American teammate who befriends Piccolo, forming an unlikely bond before Piccolo is stricken with terminal cancer. This moving sports drama was so popular, becoming the most watched made-for-tv-movie in 1971, that it was also released theatrically. Caan would first met Francis Ford Coppola, a fledgling filmmaker, when he cast him in a supporting role in his fourth feature film, "The Rain People" in 1969. And in 1972, Caan would reunite with Coppola for "The Godfather" which would help him become a major movie star.

Some highlights from the films Caan made during the early part of his career are "Cinderella Liberty", "Freebie & The Bean", "Rollerball"; "A Bridge Too Far"; the semi-autobiographical Neil Simon romantic-comedy, "Chapter Two"; and "Funny Lady", the 1975 sequel to "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand.

By the 1980's, Caan's career had cooled due to personal issues (which included problems with substance abuse) and several movie flops (including "Thief", the 1981 Michael Mann directed thriller that has since become a cult classic) with the actor deciding to remove himself from the business for a number of years. It was Coppola who managed to lure Caan back on to the screen with his military drama, "Gardens of Stone" in 1987. And while this film didn't attract much attention at the box-office, Caan still continued with an active return to acting.

He went on to appear in "Alien Nation", "Honeymoon in Vegas"; "Dogville"; "Eraser" with Arnold Schwarzenegger; "For the Boys" with Bette Midler; "Bottle Rocket", the directorial debut of Wes Anderson. But one of his biggest successes was the Rob Reiner adaptation of Stephen King's psychological thriller, "Misery. Caan played a famous writer of a series of romance novels who ends up in an accident in a remote area and rescued by a nurse who also happens to be one of his biggest fans. But the nurse (played by Kathy Bates in her Oscar-winning role) discovers that he is writing his final book, demanding he change his mind or else. Caan also appeared in the popular 2003 Christmas comedy, "Elf" playing the biological father of Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell).

2022 OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Outfest, the Los Angeles based film festival that has been screening, promoting and preserving cinema about the LGBTQ+ communities from across the globe. Beginning as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference" at UCLA, Outfest has evolved into one of the biggest events that has continuously been dedicated in mentoring future filmmakers, encouraging diversity in the community and protecting LGBTQ films for future generations. Outfest LA 2022 will begin on July 14th, running through July 24th and will be an in-person and virtual screening event.

The Opening Night Gala at The Orpheum Theatre will be "Anything's Possible", the directorial debut of the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning performer, Billy Porter. Eva Reign plays Kelsa, a trans high-school senior who has a good life; popular in school, a supportive parent and a potential new love, Khal (Abubakr Ali). But Kelsa's best friend also has eyes on Khal, leading to messy and complicated problems for her.



The Legacy Centerpiece with be the 20th anniversary screening of "Far From Heaven", Todd Haynes's exquisitely rendered melodrama dealing with the homophobia and racial tension during the era of the 1950's. Julianne Moore stars as a housewife who discovers her husband (Dennis Quaid) romantically involved with another man, leading her to fall into a close friendship with her African-American gardener (Dennis Haysbert). Haynes, Moore and producer, Christine Vachon, will be on hand in person following the screening.



There will also be an anniversary screening of "Punks", Patrik-Ian Polk’s groundbreaking debut romantic comedy from 2000 about four queer, African-American friends in West Hollywood dealing with sex, dating and friendship. After the screening on July 16th will be a Q&A moderated by "Dear White People" creator, Justin Simien, along with Polk and cast members, Jazzmun, Vanessa Williams, and Rodney Chester.

The Closing Night Gala will be "They/Them" at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. John Logan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter, makes his directorial feature film debut with this story about a group of queer and trans teens taken deep into the woods to Whistler Camp, a place that turns out to be a conversion therapy center. Not only do they have to band together to resist this abuse but also deal a with knife-wielding intruder lurking around the camp.



Other events at Outfest include "I Have to Laugh: Comedy Night at the Ford", a lineup of live stand-up comedy featuring Margaret Cho; the Trans, Nonbinary, & Intersex Summit, now in it's 6th year, that feature programs that will showcase a multitude of experiences as a vision for the future; live readings of selected scripts from the Screenwriting Lab; and the Platinum Alchemy Party, a sexy and outrageous event held in two rooms of the historical, Catch One that will feature the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia.

For the complete listing of films, events and to purchase tickets, please click below:

2022 Outfest LA Film Festival