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New York Times
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Tiny Love Stories: ‘He Watched My Father's Feet'
Young, Hungover and at Home With Each Other The summer before 9/11, we were in Brooklyn — broke, sunstruck, hating our jobs, dreaming big, both aspiring artists. Most nights ended with fried chicken at an East Village gay bar. That's what led to this photo, taken after an all-nighter, on a bench in Tompkins Square Park. Josh, my gay best friend, gave me safety, humor and the kind of platonic queer love I didn't yet know how to name. We've lived through abuse, heartbreak, a studio fire, family deaths and cross-country moves — and we still talk daily. People don't say it enough: A gay bestie can save your life. — William J. O'Brien Owen and the Dragon I met my husband, Owen, at a party. We were both wearing St. George and the Dragon medallions — and took this to be a sign. Owen was brilliant but self-absorbed. I worked hard but was self-lacerating. Once, Owen joked: If he died in a car accident, I'd respond, 'It's my fault.' But if I died the same way, he'd reply, 'Who's Carole?' We both laughed; it was slightly true. We split after seven years. Recently, Owen died. I was moved to be included in his will. Owen hadn't forgotten me, and I knew his death was not my fault. — Carole Levin Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
ABC News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Thailand punches above its weight in film creativity and cross-border appeal. Here's why
A Useful Ghost, an internationally acclaimed new film from Thailand, features a woman who dies from dust pollution and returns to posses her husband's vacuum cleaner to protect him from suffering the same fate. It's a sly commentary about power inequality, queer love, and pollution. Written and directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, the indy film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Thai film to win a Critics' Week grand prize, or Grand Prix. The award recognises early filmmakers. A Useful Ghost was Boonbunchachoke's debut feature and the first "proper film shoot" he had been on. Judges described the film as bold, free and unclassifiable, "a first feature that plays with genres, bends the rules, and offers a vision that is both intimate and universal." It's just the latest in a slew of Thai drams turning heads abroad as the industry builds on its reputation for distinctiveness and creativity. Last year, humorous tear-jerker How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies set a new Thai record for international box office takings. Mad Unicorn — a series about a start-up courier service — reached fourth on Netflix's weekly top 10 for non-English series last month. Other successful productions included Master of the House and Ready, Set, Love, and Hunger, both on Netflix. According to audience analytics firm Media Asia Partners (MPA), Thai content among South-East Asian nations had the most cross-border appeal in Asia. The "travelability" of Thai content (how much of it was consumed overseas vs domestically) was even catching up to Japan, the agency found. So, what is it about Thai cinema that's pulling audiences from around the globe? Thai people loved a good drama, A Useful Ghost writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke told the ABC. He said they measured a film's success by how emotive it was, driving creators to make dramatic and emotionally rich films. "Thai film is like Thai food — the flavour needs to be strong," he said. "Culturally authentic" hyperlocal elements in film also resonated with audiences, said Mary Ainslie, an associate professor in film and media studies at the University of Nottingham. Besides seeing representations of local identity, these depictions appealed to foreign audiences because that knowledge made them "cultural insiders", she said. "That's about constructing yourself as a very cosmopolitan person, and that's very attractive." Being over-the-top is not limited to drama series or movies. Advertising is often where film directors cut their teeth before producing feature films and Thai commercials have a reputation for being "consistently" creative and unconventional, said Paul Nagy, the chief creative officer at VML Asia Pacific. Mr Nagy judged the film adverts at the 2024 Cannes Lions awards when Thailand won nine awards from 210 entries — the second highest win-to-entry ratio in the Asia-Pacific. "One of the major takeaways for me last year was just how incredibly creative and joyful the work coming out of Thailand was," he said. He said the Western world often followed formulaic narratives in storytelling, whereas Thai creators threw out the rule book and leaned into what felt most interesting. "They don't feel the same kind of constraints as the rest of the world in the same way to tone things down," Mr Nagy said. This made it fertile ground for creative story telling as nothing was too over-the-top he said. He cited as an example a government road-safety advertisement where a motorcyclist's brain came out the back of his head the faster he went, a metaphor for him losing control. "If you're learning your film trade in the advertising industry in Thailand you're unconstrained. "That's why they do such exciting film work when they leave the advertising industry." He said with how sophisticated AI has become at creating traditional advertisements, the rest of the world needed to quickly learn from what Thailand was doing to remain competitive. "We are moving into an era where average is going to be invisible and that's one thing the Thais never are … and that's their starting point." Much of the latest wave in Thai cinemas was the result of a rapid modernisation and an increasingly affluent middle class, said Dr Ainslie. Thailand has the eighth-fastest broadband internet in the world and 91 per cent of its population is connected to the internet, according to the Digital 2025 report by Meltwater and We Are Social. The global average is 68 per cent. Dr Ainslie said modernity was no longer limited to large cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai because the provincial rural population was now affluent, middle-class who were "globally savvy", well-connected, and had travelled overseas. Thai directors were also being trained abroad and returning home and studios had started conglomerating into oligopolies creating an ecosystem of cinema and production companies, she said. Thailand is recognised by international film producers as an attractive filming destination because of its scenery, affordability, and labour force with mature production and English-language skills, aspects the Thai government is capitalising on. This has created even more opportunities for Thai crew to work alongside international productions to hone their craft to an even higher standard, Booncunchachoke said. Last year, 491 foreign films like Jurassic World and shows like White Lotus were shot in Thailand which generated THB 6.58 billion ($309.8 million) for the economy. Along with Pad Thai, mango and sticky rice and Muay Thai, the Thailand's government has identified film as another cultural export instrumental to its influence by persuasion, or soft power. In November 2024, the prime minister met with executives from Netflix, HBO, Disney, and the Motion Picture Association, The government also announced increases in cash rebates of up to 30 per cent for eligible foreign productions if they employed Thai cast and crew, used designated tourist areas as film locations, and portrayed Thailand or its culture in a positive light. The Thai Film Office is part of the government's tourism department and has been integral in growing the industry, but Dr Ainslie warned the incentives biased certain productions which could also lead to a typecasting of Thailand. This could be frustrating for filmmakers wanting to make other kinds of films, she said. The lack of diverse depictions could also result in the curating a history to fit a certain state agenda. "If you construct an image, the image ultimately becomes truth, becomes a representation," Dr Ainslie said. One example was the "salacious and hedonistic" depictions of Thailand associated with sex tourism, lawlessness, and drugs seen in The Hangover Part II and The Beach. After the pandemic, young Thai people participated in widescale anti-government protests. Boonbunchachoke hoped media and cinema would follow suit in challenging the establishment, but felt that traction for freer expression had waned. Nonetheless, he noticed some commercial film studios beginning to take risks beyond their "comfort zone" of crowd-pleasers and join independent films in taking on darker and grittier topics. He has also noticed independent film houses starting to censor themselves less and becoming more creative in how they criticised the status quo. "I think nowadays [these film makers] kind of know and [are finding] new ways to speak and talk about the issue without compromising too much," he said.
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Best graphic novels of 2025 so far: ‘One of the most affecting reading experiences I've had for many years'
Checked Out by Katie Fricas (Drawn & Quarterly) is a love letter to books and bookishness, wrapped in a memoir of part-time work, queer love and the suffocating perils of writer's block. Louise is an army brat who's moved to New York to spread her wings, and finds herself working in the city's oldest private library, where she stacks shelves, plans dates and attempts to surreptitiously research a long-gestating graphic novel project about the heroism of pigeons in the first World War. Fricas's art is frenetic, matching the scuzzy, chaotic contours of early adulthood, and the bursting enthusiasm of those drawn to big-city life. Her text, too, is scratchy and blunt, as if drawn at speed, so as to better capture the natural speech of everyone around her. This is dialogue with the ring of truth, filled with nuggets of casual wit, keenly observed character moments and a pitch-perfect sense for dry non-sequiturs. Checked Out by Katie Fricas Checked Out has too many laugh-out-loud moments to count. Arriving for a date, Louise is aghast to find her partner for the evening is wearing a floppy, oversized homburg on her head. 'I think it was my dad who told me,' she tells us, deadpan, 'it's hard to get close to people in big hats.' In a book entirely stuffed with them, these are truly words to live by. Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics) is a sweetly melancholy coming-of-age memoir, of a slightly more subdued hue, telling the story of Loewinsohn's early 1990s teenage angst. Formed from exquisitely crafted vignettes from her life as a latchkey kid – TV dinners, empty house, shifting friend groups, absent parents – it's complemented with teenage diary entries and transcriptions of the actual notes passed between Loewinsohn and her classmates in high school, largely kids falling between the cracks of adults who barely notice them. They agonise over mixtapes and fret over the spurned feelings and fallings-out that populate any ascent toward teenagerdom. READ MORE We are, in a sense, passengers in the drift of Briana's hormonal fog, but there is much sweetness to be found. The absence of her parents from the text is literal, both in the sense that Briana goes through much of her life without seeing them, and that we as the reader are never shown their faces when they do occasionally appear. Raised By Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn These parental shortcomings are, however, small enough matters, and Loewinsohn's genius is for depicting quotidian dramas that never quite rise to the point of crises. This is not a plot-heavy book, nor one that comes off as cloyingly sombre or self-pitying. It's a marvel of tiny observations, of the diffidence and dislocation of youth, and the life-giving power of art and friendship. I came to No Time Like The Present by Paul Rainey (Drawn & Quarterly) as a devotee. Rainey's previous book, Why Don't You Love Me?, was my pick of the year for 2023 and, as any one of the dozens of people to whom I raved about it will attest, left a mark on me for some time afterward. His follow-up, then, had a lot to live up to, and with a respect for your time that its author would likely approve of, I'm happy to say: it has done. [ From the archive: Adventures in parenting, sun-worshipping and strange gifts Opens in new window ] No Time Like The Present begins in a near-future Milton Keynes, albeit in a universe where a great shift has taken place. Though the exact mechanics are not laboriously described, people of this present have been granted access to the future, via a series of 'junctions' through which time travellers from the future have recently begun to pass. No Time Like The Present by Paul Rainey For almost all ordinary people, actually traversing these junctions is prohibitively expensive, but those with a little know-how can access a future-enabled web portal called the 'Ultranet'. Through this, they can gain details of events yet to come or, in the case of our nerdy protagonists Cliff and Barry, settle for access to as-yet-unreleased Star Wars and Doctor Who properties. Saying much more about what follows would undermine the premise but, as with Why Don't You Love Me?, the genius of No Time Like The Present lies in its construction. A time-travel epic that barely leaves the bedsits, comic shops and community centres of Milton Keynes for its first 200 pages, and centres its drama entirely on the heartbreaking, heart-warming interpersonal relationships of people watching their lives slip away in entirely grounded, entirely familiar, ways. This is mind-bending sci-fi married to the tiny mundanities of modern life. Smart, funny, sad and sharp as a tack. Rainey had a seriously hard act to follow before he wrote this book. I'm delighted to say he now has two. Muybridge by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly) is a biography of rambling British inventor and entrepreneur, Eadweard Muybridge, from his start as a failed bookseller in 1850s New York to travels in the wild west, and his eventual place at the head of European art and science some decades later; a rise centred on the quest that would define his life's work: to prove, once and for all, whether all four of a horse's hooves leave the ground mid-gallop. Muybridge by Guy Delisle Delisle gets us to that point by charting, with his trademark lightness of touch, the course of one irascible man's eventful life, at a time when photography, the telegram and electricity were still brand new, and film, recorded audio and, indeed, the American west, were still being born. The many nesting connections between Muybridge's work and all these other developments are wonderfully explored, and there is scarcely a page without a scintillating factoid. In one throwaway panel, Delisle mentions that photography predates the invention of paint tubes by several decades, forcing us to reckon with the fact that Muybridge, with his bulky, expensive and temperamental equipment, was capturing his subjects with greater freedom than painters of the time. [ 'Narratively ingenious with gorgeously toothsome art and character design': The best graphic novels of 2024 Opens in new window ] Along the way, there's also deceit, death and murder, and we discover our cantankerous protagonist's work hold the seeds of everything from modern photography and film to animation techniques still used to this day. But Muybridge is, at its heart, a rip-roaring study of obsession, a triumph of biography set amid one of the most fascinating eras of scientific and artistic history. Few reads this year have given me more contemplative satisfaction than The Compleat Angler, adapted by Gareth Brookes (Self-Made Hero), a beautifully toothsome rendering of Izaak Walton's seminal book on fishing, first published in 1653. Of course, The Compleat Angler is no more solely about fishing than Jaws is solely about a shark. The Compleat Angler, adapted by Gareth Brookes In an age when the call to reject our busy, materialistic world is so common as to be a cliche, it may sound trite to call a 17th-century fishing manual timely. But we are given no other option when we encounter these themes so explicitly in its first few pages, which see Walton railing against 'money-getting-men, men that spend all their time, first in getting, and next in anxious care to keep it: men that are condemned to be rich and then always busy or discontented: for these poor-rich-men, we anglers pity them perfectly'. Much of the book's text is filled with that same wry, rambunctious energy, providing meditative paeans to the slow joys of quiet dedication, interspersed with zen-like koans about life and its many mysteries. And, yes, the rest is instructions on how to catch, and prepare, various fish. Brookes' exquisite rendering of the text, including hundreds of illustrations combining linocut printmaking and ink on bamboo paper, comprise some of the most deeply pleasing imagery you'll find in any graphic novel this year. The fish putt in and out of their four panel borders, while ink blotches mimic raindrops and air bubbles and slowly radiating ripples on glassy river streams. The Compleat Angler is, truly, a gorgeous object. It's no exaggeration to say that, barring the publisher's details on its dust jacket, every single page of this book would sit handsomely on a gallery wall. But it's also a seductive treatise on reflection – a call, one might say, to inaction, from a slower, more contented past. It's one that may not have ever existed, of course, but we could do worse than reach for it regardless. Misery of Love by Yvan Alagbé, translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith (New York Review of Books) is, occasionally, a tough read. This is true in several senses. The first being that most of the book is formed of disconnected memories playing out of order in the mind of Claire, a young woman attending her grandfather's funeral in Paris. The narrative is, thus, fragmentary. Through it several patterns emerge: ruminations on death and religion; a strained, abusive relationship with her father; and, perhaps most prominently, a passionate affair with an African man, who her family rejects on grounds of his race. Parcelled out in this way, many of this book's mysteries are not initially apparent from the bricolage of experiences, snippets of conversations, flickers of sexual encounters and replayings of personal trauma we receive. All of which swirl from page to page, greatly enhanced by Alagbé's charcoal watercolours, which give every brushstroke a spectral, haunted quality. As Misery Of Love progresses, we gain greater context for the meanings of these images, and it becomes increasingly clear that the only way, perhaps, to deliver their whole without overwhelming the reader, is to ration such memories to us piecemeal. Moreover, there is a sense that this devastating carousel of fleeting glimpses mirrors Claire's own hesitance, or refusal, to address the events, and pain, they hint toward. Eventually, Misery of Love unfurls into a story about French colonialism, doomed romance and the long-lasting impacts of familial abuse, one so adroitly conveyed that its many interconnected climaxes converge to create one of the most affecting reading experiences I've had for many years.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Did Dylan Mulvaney & Joe Locke really just hard launch? Their cozy IG post leaves fans divided
Sometimes, fans celebrate queer love with open arms and wholeheartedly embrace new relationships without hesitation. Other times, it leaves us scratching our heads. Over the weekend, trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney and actor Joe Locke left fans in the latter category after posting a series of photos together on their Instagram feeds and stories. On the main feed, the photos that got everyone talking were of the two sitting together, Mulvaney's arm around Locke, looking very snuggly and giving major 'you can't sit with us vibes.' The second photo showed the two playfully sticking out their tongues outside Camp Koko. Sporting Ray-Bans, the two were evidently there as part of Ray-Ban's exclusive lunch at Camp Koko, where they were part of a number of celebrities in attendance. However, the caption stating, 'First couples shoot thank you for having us at camp koko,' had everyone thinking Mulvaney and Locke used the event to announce their relationship. See on Instagram In the comments, Locke responded, 'Hard launch.' After that, Locke posted on his Instagram story—each of them wearing completely different outfits—of him and Mulvaney sporting 'New home vibes' in a tent, as they attended the Glastonbury Festival. In a roundup post of the event, Locke also proved that saying things like 'first couples shoot' isn't completely out of his wheelhouse with people he's close to. See on Instagram In his carousel, he included some photos of fellow Heartstopper star Tobie Donovan, one of which saw Locke kissing the top of Donovan's head, and the other a photo Locke reposted on his story captioned, 'Boyfriend material.' Regardless, the initial post by Mulvaney has sparked conversation. 'Are they legitimately dating or this a joke I cannot tell,' commented one user. Some were in full support of the idea, regardless of its truthfulness. 'The most iconic and gorgeous duo!!' said one user. 'Hard launch is right omg,' said someone else. Another couldn't believe this was how they found out, emphatically wishing the two congratulations. Others, however, were not so supportive. 'Why is it giving mom & her gay son?' someone asked. Many comments, which we will not share, bring up the idea of sexuality, saying that Mulvaney should be a lesbian and this relationship means Locke can no longer identify as a gay man. The latter issue, at least, has some defense to it, with one user reminding people that, 'Gay boys can be w trans women. Love is love, people. Love is love.' The flood and comments—good and bad—have resulted in new comments on the posts being limited. PRIDE has reached out for comment but didn't hear back at the time of publication. This article originally appeared on Pride: Did Dylan Mulvaney & Joe Locke really just hard launch? Their cozy IG post leaves fans divided
Geek Girl Authority
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on June 17
There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I'll help you narrow down the week's new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week I have 10 great new books to share with you, including plenty of impressive debuts. Read on! Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee In the summer of '96, best friends and secret girlfriends Hannah and Sam flee Long Beach for the promise of queer freedom in San Francisco. But when financial strain leads them into stripping – and Hannah into an escort arrangement with an older woman – their dream begins to splinter. As their bond frays and new identities emerge, Hannah must confront what she's willing to sacrifice in the search for love, selfhood and home. Girls Girls Girls is a powerful coming-of-age story that captures the complexities and beauties of young love and identity. Shoshana von Blanckensee's debut will stay with you for a long time. RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out On June 10 The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick Five travelers – including a grieving illustrator, a haunted fireman, and a little dog named PJ – journey to a mysterious treatment center in the California desert that promises relief from heartbreak through prolonged sleep. But as their secrets surface and the cost of healing grows clearer, they must each decide how far they're willing to go to forget their pain. Nikki Erlick's new book release is a speculative novel about grief, hope and the messy path to healing. The Poppy Fields has a unique premise, centering on a speculative moral dilemma and the pain of losing a loved one. The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton In a glittering empire ruled by fear, Iriset—master of magical disguise and daughter of a notorious criminal—uses her talents to help outlaws vanish. But she dreams of something greater: reshaping humanity itself. When the empire condemns her father to death, Iriset must infiltrate the palace and manipulate the imperial family from within. Yet as she earns their trust, she faces a choice between vengeance and transformation. With dazzling magic and high-stakes intrigue, The Mercy Makers is a story about revolution, identity and love. Tessa Gratton's new book release is the start to a sweeping, romantic epic fantasy trilogy. RELATED: Book Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes Gwendolyn Montgomery is a powerhouse NYC publicist with a perfect life—until a gruesome museum event awakens ghosts from her past. As the veil between worlds thins, she teams up with Fonsi Harewood, a queer Latinx psychic caught in a love triangle with his ex and a ghost, to confront the haunting truths she's long buried. Glamorous and eerie, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is The Devil Wears Prada meets Practical Magic with a spectral twist. This emotionally rich novel is Clarence A. Haynes's adult debut, making him one to watch out for. Seventhblade by Tonia Laird After the murder of her adopted son, T'Rayles, a feared warrior and daughter of the Indigenous Ibinnas, returns to the colonized city of Seventhblade. Once there, she's determined to uncover the killer. Wielding her ancestral sword and aligning with dubious allies, including an exiled immortal god, T'Rayles must battle deadly magic, political unrest and the ghosts of her past to find justice. Seventhblade is a fast-paced, anti-colonial fantasy about vengeance, power and ancestral legacy. Perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Rebecca Roanhorse, Tonia Laird's gripping debut blends fierce action and rich worldbuilding with a searing critique of settler colonialism. RELATED: Sapphics With Swords: 6 Books Featuring Queer Lady Warriors If We Survive This by Racquel Marie Six months into a rabies mutation outbreak that's turned people into violent 'rabids,' Flora Braddock Paz is still alive – despite never seeing herself as a survivor. With her mother dead and father missing, she and her brother set out for their childhood cabin in Northern California, hoping for safety and answers. But the road north is littered with danger, old wounds, and the truth that death is never far behind. The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in Racquel Marie's tense and emotional YA horror novel. If We Survive This is her first horror novel, but it's also an intense, moving character study. A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry Stolen by the fairies as a child, Sydney Carton was forced into servitude in the Faerie Realm while a changeling, Charles Darnay, took his place. Now returned to London, Sydney seeks revenge on both the fae and his double. But as he navigates magic, deception, and revolution in London and Paris, his quest for justice leads to a devastating choice beneath the guillotine's blade. H.G. Parry's new book release tells a heart-rending revenge fantasy set during the French Revolution. Whether you're a fan of A Tale of Two Cities or modern classics like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell , you'll love A Far Better Thing . RELATED: Book Review: Don't Sleep With the Dead Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman When the royal Linde siblings board a luxury train home, a deadly explosion strands them atop a volcanic caldera—and awakens Davina's unknown witch powers. As passengers begin turning up dead, suspicion falls on Davina, whose fractured memory and secret magic make her an easy target. With danger closing in, the siblings must hide the truth and unmask the killer before they're next. But on a train full of secrets, no one is safe. Emily Paxman's debut combines Murder on the Orient Express with witches and magic. Death on the Caldera is a spellbinding blend of fantasy and Golden Age crime, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo and Agatha Christie. Work Nights by Erica Peplin Jane Grabowski spends her days stifling rage behind polite emails at her NYC newspaper job. Only Madeline, a gorgeous, label-averse intern, gives her something to look forward to. As Jane carefully works her way into Madeline's life, her artist roommate pushes her toward healthier queer spaces, where Jane meets Addy, a principled musician ready for something real. Torn between Madeline's chaos and Addy's stability, Jane finds herself tangled in lies that build toward one final, life-altering decision. Emily Austen meets Jen Beagin in a lit-fic in Emily Peplin's debut lit-fic novel. Work Nights is a sharply funny and painfully relatable portrayal of petty office politics and the chaotic, queer, 20-something life in Brooklyn. RELATED: 8 LGBTQ+ Books to Keep Pride Going for the Rest of 2025 Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell Upon his birth, the future famed hero Heracles dedicates his deeds to Hera, unaware she is the goddess responsible for his suffering. After Hera's guilt leads her to send Furies to drive Heracles mad, resulting in the accidental murder of his own children. Desperate for answers, Heracles and his wife Megara set out for vengeance. But instead of slaying monsters on the quests Hera assigns to mislead him, Heracles begins healing by caring for them. As Heracles gathers followers, Hera is forced to confront her own guilt, and the consequences of the path she set him on. John Wiswell brings a humanizing level of redemption to the myths of both Heracles and Hera. Like his debut, Someone You Can Build a Nest In , Wearing the Novel is somehow both dark and endearingly sweet. You can check out these new book releases at or your local bookstore. What June 10 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR. 11 New Young Adult LGBTQ+ Books You Should Read for Pride Month
