By Romeo San Vicente
Photos: KathClick, PR
Another ‘Beauty’ of a show from Ryan Murphy
Back in the day we had Aaron Spelling TV shows everywhere you turned — “The Love Boat,” “Dynasty,” dozens of others familiar and forgotten. Today we have Ryan Murphy. Is it on TV? Well, then, Ryan Murphy did it. And here comes another one: “Beauty,” based on “The Beauty” graphic novels by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, is headed to FX for at least 11 episodes and the cast so far lives up to the title. First casting notice corrals TV vet Ashton Kutcher, Murphy mainstay Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), Anthony Ramos (“Twisters”) and double Tony-nominee Jeremy Pope (“One Night in Miami”). The plot involves a strange kind of dystopia where beauty is transmitted sexually, as in the more you get the more attractive you become. Of course, getting exactly what one wants is often the path to misery, hence the whole dystopia thing. Intriguing premise, obviously, and it guarantees an expanding cast of hotties, another Ryan Murphy specialty. Production begins before the end of the year so you’ll be hearing about this sometime in 2025.
Jonathan Groff meets ‘A Nice Indian Boy’
The funny, sweet 2021 indie rom-com “7 Days,” from queer filmmaker-oncologist Roshan Sethi (yes, he’s also a doctor) made waves for its timely COVID-themed story of a hetero blind date turned permanent quarantine. His next film, “A Nice Indian Boy,” is just as personal but distinctly queer. It focuses on “7 Days” actor Karan Soni (“Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse”) and “Hamilton” star Jonathan Groff (both of whom are gay) as a couple who navigate Soni’s traditional South Asian family dynamics. Initially a play by Madhuri Shekar — who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Randall — this charmer of a comedy already played to warm reviews at South by Southwest and is still hopping around the film festival world. Be on the lookout for its eventual arthouse bow, most likely in 2025. In the meantime, go watch “7 Days,” and get that weird 2020 feeling again.
Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher are toxic straights in ‘Companion’
Someone’s having fun with marketing over at New Line Cinema. Coming soon is “Companion,” a psychological thriller written and directed by Drew Hancock (“My Dead Ex,” “Suburgatory”), produced by the creative team behind the jaw-droppingly wild horror film “Barbarian” and, in the cheeky words of New Line, “from the studio that brought you ‘The Notebook,” which means buckle up for something shocking delivered with a wink. What we know: the film stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”) and Jack Quaid (“The Boys”) as a couple in trouble — he’s a psychopath and she’s under his spell — and that’s all the plot we’re being given right now. And there’s queerness in here somewhere, too, because actors Lukas Gage (“White Lotus”) and Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”) are part of this cast, though we don’t know in what capacity. In other words, what we don’t know is a lot. Like, quite literally everything else that happens, a refreshing approach in a world of give-away-the-whole-movie trailers. Meanwhile, we don’t mind that the gays are supporting rather than front and center: let the straight people prove they’re OK. Look for this one as evil counterprogramming to Oscar movies in January 2025.
Fake Tegan and Sara
Ready for a little unhinged fandom? “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” is going to be the queer feel-uncomfortable documentary of the season. Lesbian sister band Tegan and Sara built up a community of fans devoted to the group’s music, their unapologetic queerness, and their honest approach to stardom… and then one anonymous person turned it upside down. In 2011, Tegan’s personal files were hacked and her identity stolen by a person who then catfished the band’s fans. The result was an upheaval of anxiety and mistrust among fans and a years-long investigation into the identity of Fake Tegan. The new documentary, from filmmaker Erin Lee Carr (“Britney vs. Spears”), told in Tegan’s voice as well as those of the fans caught up in the catfish’s scheme, is a harrowing trip through the trouble with fame, the internet, bad faith actors and obsession. And since the internet is where this all went down, it’s appropriate that the film is streaming on Hulu.
Romeo San Vicente changes his passwords regularly.
