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Five gay films that deserve a sequel more than Rambo did
*Note: This post originally ran on January 28th, 2008 Recently a new Rambo movie hit theatres, the first in 20 years. We've also seen a new Rocky film arrive 16 years after the previous one, a Die Hard sequel that took 12 years to reach theatres and a fourth Indiana Jones film - 19 years after Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade - is expected to draw huge audiences in May. Seeing so many characters return after a long absence got me thinking about the various gay characters who'd I'd like to see again and gay films that deserve a sequel more than Rambo does: Parting Glances
The complicated relationship of Parting Glances is one that really leaves me wondering what happens next with Robert (John Bolger) running away to Africa to avoid the grief his partner, Michael (Robert Ganoung) will experience when Michael's ex-boyfriend Nick (Steve Buscemi) succumbs to his battle with HIV. Would Robert and Michael's relationship be able to survive Nick's death -- especially when Michael's lingering feelings for Nick was straining the relationship when he was still alive? The Lost Language of Cranes
In The Lost Language of Cranes, Philip Benjamin (Angus McFayden) came out to his parents, only to eventually learn that his father, Owen (the unbiqutous Brian Cox), was hiding in the closet, as well. At the film's end, Owen had finally come out to his wife and son, moving out of the apartment he shared with his wife for many years. Even though the David Leavitt book that inspired the movie ended there, I've always wondered where Owen and Philip's journey went next -- how a man who comes out late in life like Owen adjust to such a change? How does a young gay man handle being more mature than his father when it comes to love and relationships? Maurice
Much like, The Lost Language of Cranes, Maurice ends just as the main character has begun to accept himself as a gay man. That's the end of one journey, but the beginning of another. How did Maurice (James Wilby) navigate the homophobic atmosphere of early 20th century England? Trick
The thing I loved about Trick when it came out was that this was a romantic comedy more about the differences between its two leading men than about being gay. They spent the movie realzing that they had more in common than they expected and whenever I see Trick I find myself imagining the challenges Gabriel (Christian Campbell) and Mark (JP Pitoc) would face while dating... Gabriel was surprised to learn that Mark found Gabriel interesting as a person, but would Gabriel see more in Mark beyond a hottie who found noticed him? How would the two navigate their very different circles, would Mark pull away from his friends, finding Gabriel's circle more interesting? The Sum of Us
The Sum of Us seemed to end at a point when Jeff (Russel Crowe) was looking at a very different life, now having to take care of his father (Jack Thompson) after a stroke. It looked like he was about to start a serious relationship with Greg (John Polson) -- a man's first serious relationship while dealing with the stress of caring for a disabled father, that's enough of a story to fill another movie. Of course, that's just a start... which gay movies have you wondering what happens next? Submitted by on Mon, 2009-05-18 12:59. |
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Four Weddings and a Funeral
I've always wanted to see a sequel to Four Weddings and a Funeral based on the pictures from the credits. Perhaps a weekend in the country a la Peter's Friends in which the new partners are integrated into the existing group, some successfully and some not. I've always seen the younger brother's love interest as pushy and overprotective.
Since the gay love interest is the one character who never showed up in the movie proper (other than Prince Charles), I don't have a firm grip on his impact on the dynamic.
Trick
When I saw the Rambo
trailer I thought they were re-releasing the original movie. Then it dawned on me that Sylvester Stallone did in fact look older! I may be the only male in North America not to have seen any of the Rambo, Die Hard or Rocky movies. I have no desire to see them.
I agree that it would be great to have a follow-up to Maurice. Both the book and the movie were very good. Of course there would have to be some imagination used in the movie since the book gave no clue how their relationship was going to evolve.
I read the The Lost Language of Cranes but I don't think I ever did see the movie.
Cheers
JBE
Get Real
Get Real would be my choice. Steven was such a great kid that it would be interesting to see how he got along in life after he came out. A follow up on what happend to his jock love interest John would be interesting too.
The Sum of Us, Lost Language of Cranes and Maurice are all good choices that I can agree with.
Latter Days
I've always felt "Latter Days" deserves a sequel. How does Aaron handle his new life? Does his mom finally accept him? Being my primary two questions.
I do love the idea of a "Trick" sequel though.
please sign
Trick
Beautiful Thing
Beautiful Thing, Trick, Get Real, Latter Days
Even the sequel is Beautiful!
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
Yes, Beautiful Thing. There used to be a screenplay bouncing around on the internet, and it was actually kinda good. I would picture Jamie and Ste as a young couple who decide to adopt a child, or maybe have one with Leah. They go to an agency, where they meet up with Tony, who's turned his life around and is a social worker. Sandra is having a hard time coping with all this, but Tony reenters her life (I always felt like he got shafted in the first film) and helps talk her around. Throw in a car chase and a couple of MTV moments and you've got a sequel! No, really; I don't see why not. All the actors in Beautiful Thing were so good, and so few of them are still around (I notice Ben Daniels isn't wanting for work). All they need is a flimsy storyline to bring them back together; their onscreen chemistry and cheering fans will do the rest.
If It Was The Same Sequel...
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
Yes, Beautiful Thing. There used to be a screenplay bouncing around on the internet, and it was actually kinda good. I would picture Jamie and Ste as a young couple who decide to adopt a child, or maybe have one with Leah. They go to an agency, where they meet up with Tony, who's turned his life around and is a social worker. Sandra is having a hard time coping with all this, but Tony reenters her life (I always felt like he got shafted in the first film) and helps talk her around. Throw in a car chase and a couple of MTV moments and you've got a sequel! No, really; I don't see why not. All the actors in Beautiful Thing were so good, and so few of them are still around (I notice Ben Daniels isn't wanting for work). All they need is a flimsy storyline to bring them back together; their onscreen chemistry and cheering fans will do the rest.
As there's been a lot of Beautiful Thing fanfic wrtten, if the sequel you're talking about was this one, I agree, it was really good:
http://www.daveant.net/btfanfic/authors/phil/NIR_Screenplay_Ver2.htm
I remember seeing this when there was a discussion about it on the BT messageboard at imdb. Unfortunately, because the thread was older and probably had no recent replies, it seemed to have been the victim of an administrative culling. This sequel was "a" sequel, like the author put in his title, but it wasn't an official (or "the") sequel written by Jonathan Harvey, who said he never intended for a sequel to ever exist.
Beautiful Thing, Big Eden, Edge of Seventeen, and Maurice would all be my votes for great gay films mandating a sequel. A French one called "Presque Rien" really needs one with its ending, but I feel that film may not have as much of an American following.
Casting call!
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
Thanks for posting this. I'll give it a read. I don't think it's the one I'm thinking of, however, as I believe that one was by a woman. Of course, it's been almost a decade since either was written, so they would both have to be updated or done with a younger cast. Maybe I'll develop my own sequel, when I get some free time. Afterelton can produce!
Beautiful Life?
Edge of 21?
Edge of Seventeen was a tough watch because it didn't shy away from the darker aspects of coming of age ... I would like to see what the main character was up to after he got his feet under him.
I'd also love to see a sequel to Parting GlancesI. I think all told it's my favorite gay film.
Parting glances
was a good film but like other films about AIDS (e.g. "Longtime Companion") and literature, a certain amount of fatigue sets in, especially if you are HIV+ like me. It gets too depressing after awhile. I never saw "Edge of Seventeen" I would need to track that one down in the video store.
Cheers
JBE
latter days!!!!!
What about 'Big Eden'?
I'd love to find out the rest of Pike Dexter's story.
Broken Hearts Club
I'm surprised!!!
No one even mentioned Shelter.
I would love to have Shelter as a sequel. It would be interesting to find out what happens after Zach and his boyfriend adopt his nephew and what their life is like.
Live Long and Prosper
It's because...
...this article was first posted in January of 2008 and Shelter wasn't released (non-festival, anyway) until March.
But I agree, I'd certainly go for an update on Zach & Shaun's family.
TRICK definitely deserves a sequel
When I saw the title of this article, that's the first movie that came to mind. I guess it's a testiment to the power of the characters created by the first film but I really wanted to know what happened because it could have gone either way.
Christian Campbell is wonderful.
I thought Big Eden had the makings of a very quirky, funny, endearing television show. I really thought it would get made into a series. I could see it so clearly. With so many different intersting characters and such strong backstories and history.
Hope someone's listening.
"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorothy Parker)
Huh?
Why is this 1.5 year old blog on the front page again? Do you really have nothing to say that you need to put an old blog up? Really? Sheesh!
Why not put up another puzzle!
Sequals
Priscilla... Queen of the Desert got to say one of my favorite films of all time. Victor/Victoria is another. Another one I loved was Jeffrey.
Maurice
Didn't Forster attempt to address this?
My copy of the novel is packed in a box somewhere right now, but I think Forster attempted to address this question in a *Terminal Note* to the novel written some time after it had been completed and included in my copy of a published edition.
Maybe someone else can elaborate, but I believe Forster writes about a dicarded epilogue wherein Maurice and Alec have been living in relative isolation from society and working as two woodcutters in the forest. (I believe Kitty sees them from the road one day??)
Personally, I don't think I'd want a sequel and prefer the happily ever after image of these two lovers simply out there, somewhere in time, ''roaming the Greenwood.''
Brokeback Mountain: Reset
Let's get really geeky here...
Jack Twist is killed by some wackjob trying to change history. Because in the late 1980s, Jack and Ennis had the ultimate cowboy adventure (Jack and Ennis Ride Again) that became legend throughout the universe and inspired many important figures in the Federation. There might not be a Federation otherwise. And certainly there wouldn't be that planet where aliens test people's character with the OK Corral shoot-out.
I'd also like to see more of the Zorro twins.
Are Johnny & Omar ...
... still running their beautiful laundrette?
Maurice
Somebody has written a sequel to Maurice i think. I haven't read the book but the blurb sounds like a continuation of Forsters work. Its called Maurice and Alec in America by Fred Carrier, its on google books.
I want a sequel to Broken Hearts Club, with the original cast of course.
In order of
In order of urgency:
-Trick
-Beautiful Thing
-Get Real
-Just a Question of Love (this one is French)
-Death in Venice (remember the main character´s male friend at the start of the movie?)
-Latter Days
-Shelter (as long as they don´t go all Birdcage on it).
-Fresa y Chocolate
ShelterI'm sure that since
Shelter
I'm sure that since Zack was a a new gayling, he would probably want to explore his gayness before really settling down with Shaun. In a Shelter fic group, we discussed that it would be interesting to see how Cody sees his family (the old one and the new extended one - with Shaun, Gabe and Tori) and how a possible break-up would affect him since he hasn't really had a stable family life in San Pedro.
Latter Days
I want to see if Aaron and his mom find a common ground after the split. I want to see how the relationship has evolved, how other characters see them -- like Ryder, the friend/singer.
Beautiful Thing
There's a fanfic that I want to be the sequel.
http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/30/makeyour.html
"trick" "Maurice" "Beautiful Thing" and "Get Real"
I am such a perv, my only thoughts regarding "trick" always revolved around what it would finally be like for the two characters to finally have sex. :) I had this whole mental seduction thing involving a gorgeous hotel suite, a bed strewn with rose petals, champagne, etc. After they make passionate love for a couple hours, THEN then go downstairs and have a great dinner and walk around the city holding hands for awhile, before retiring to make love once more and (finally!) sleep all night in each other's arms.
I agree with the above posters about "Maurice"--going off of the psychiatrist's advice, it's highly unlikely that Maurice and Scudder would've stayed in England. More likely they would've wound up in Paris or someplace in Italy.
Re: "Beautiful Thing"--I've always wondered about the end of the story; did Sandra really take the bartending job and move Jamie away from Ste? They definitely seemed like candidates to meet again in college. There was some lovely fanfiction somwhere out there that picked up the story of Stephen and John from "Get Real," and their reunion--and rekindling of their relationship--in college as well.
"Parting Glances" would've definitely lent itself to a sequel, as would "Edge of Seventeen." However, I think "Latter Days" and "Big Eden" ended exactly as they should, with their lovers blissfully content.
I'd love to see those sequels!
You included almost all of my favorite movies, I'd really love to see Big Eden II also the end was so wonderful and heart-warming - it's probably best to leave it like that. Plus My Beautfiful Laundrette and Shelter might have interesting sequels. Mind you, many sequels are just superfluous. But I'm sure I'm not the only one writing my own continuation in my head after seeing a movie - which sometimes seems to be the better solution!
Love Songs & Just A Question of Love
oh and of course Maurice, Beautiful Thing, The Sum of Us, Bedrooms & Hallways, My Beautiful Laundrette and Shelter.
Re: Love Songs. Christophe Honore did say in this interview that he hasn't ruled out a sequel to Love Songs. http://www.moviepicturefilm.com/index.php?itemid=1828
so we can hope :)
Yes yes yes to Beautiful
My must-have sequel list goes:
All Over The Guy
Great mention! Love to know if these two stayed together and if they did, were they happy?
One not to pursue: Everyone. That was a horrible horrible mistake I made when I bought the DVD.
I kinda envisage they'll
I kinda envisage they'll have fantastic make-up sex each time after those humdinger fights they so love to have. Eli and Tom might have one of those relationships that thrive on conflict! Plus - Dr Wychof (aka mom) can always get them in for feeling-wheel sessions for debriefing.
I've seen Everyone - what didn't you like about it?
Everyone
When I'm 64
This was a British one-off film shown on BBC 1 in 2004. I really wish they'd make a sequel Jim and Ray are last seen heading off to Jim's house in a taxi (at the request of Ray!!!!!!!!!)
I've written my own fanfic based on what I think happened, but they should make a legit sequel!! Maybe Ray could introduce Jim to his family as his partner and then sell his house to his daughter Caz and move into to Jim' father's place whilst they plan their trip to Botswana.
I'm really excited about this now; I wish they were making the sequel!!!!