but my impression is that "gay" automatically takes a movie to PG-13 territory.

I just asked because, while I have nothing to back it up, I wouldn't be surprised if "gay" raised it up a notch. OTOH, the linked article said Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down got a X and that was straight sex, but since I haven't seen Bad Education I really can't compare.

ION, I'm now listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. After all the talk, i was in the mood to hear the music again.

All I have to say about Alexander is that it needed less narration and WAY more Colin Farrel making out with Jared Leto. (And by "way more," I mean "any." There are at least twelve million scenes in the film where they schmoopily gaze into each other's eyes and profess their undying love, lean in towards each other, and....hug. There is not a single Farrel/Leto kiss in the whole. damn. movie. Rosario Dawson gets a big loud sex scene, and Jared Leto doesn't even get to kiss anybody. What is this, Mr Stone, some kind of sick joke???)

In spite of the almost total lack of big gay sex, I did enjoy it, in a splashy, messy, over the top, Oliver Stone kind of way. The framed narration was clearly added way late in the game, and needed to DIEDIEDIE, and there's a point in the middle of the film where it flashes back 8 years for no particular reason (well, there is a reason, but it's taken care of in the first few seconds of the flashback, which them goes on another ten minutes in a completely unrelated direction), and after that, the movie kind of completely falls apart. But the first hour is very entertaining, and the battle sequences are stunning.

Jessica is me WRT Alexander. There was not nearly enough Colin Farrell kissing anyone, particularly the supposed "love of his life".

There are at least twelve million scenes in the film where they schmoopily gaze into each other's eyes and profess their undying love, lean in towards each other, and....hug.

This made me laugh so hard (in the movie). Apparently, Greek sex involves hugging as the height of passion.

La Bohème is NOT based on Camille.

La Boh is about a bunch of poor artists struggling to survive. The lady who eventually dies of TB is Mimi, a seamstress. The subplot is about Musetta, who sells herself for money but loves one of the poor artists.

La Dame Aux Caméllias a.k.a. La Traviata is about a wealthy and successful courtesan who is dying of TB. She falls in love with the successful bourgeois Alfred; when Alfred's father visits her and threatens to disown him, Camille leaves her lover and returns to her life of pleasure. She dies of TB in Alfred's arms.

The major things the two have in common are sex and TB. Oh, and arias.

And the feminine singular definite article.

I was just surfing reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes. My current favorite is a review of Sideways: "I didn't like it, and then I did like it."

Oh those tragically spitting-up-blood heroines! (Okay, that is what delicate coughs into hankies are for.)

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down was rated X probably because, as the title indicates, the rampant sex was of the slightly S/M, and possible-to-interpret-as-slightly-non-con, variety. Also, involving drug use.

I like to think that Almodovar is gravitating back towards his roots, which if you've ever seen Law of Desire, is basically gay soap opera, with occasional violence. Alas that he no longer has Antonio Banderas to strip naked for the camera.

I like to think that Almodovar is gravitating back towards his roots

Does this mean we'll be seeing junkie nuns again?

Gael Garcia Bernal in graphic sex scenes--Ooh Lordy, even if I wasn't a huge Almodovar fan, I would so be there.

Why is this happening?

I saw the preview of it with National Treasure.

Now I must poke my eyeballs out.