Newspapers / Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.) / March 1, 1988, edition 1 / Page 11
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I Q-Note« PAGE 11 March 1988 CLASSIFIEDS Rates @ $5 for first thirty words: 15t per additional words. Phone 339-0679 or write Classifieds PO Box 221841 Charlotte. Blind boxes available upon request. JOB LISTING Independent Fortune 500 Company. Shaklee Corp. is looking for self-starter with excellent communication, planning and leadership skills to sell exclusive line of nutritional, personal care and household products. Initia tive more important than prior sales experi ence. Compensation includes: Generous earnings plan, incentive car program, perfor mance travel awards. For your interview, call (704) 882-1747, local from Charlotte. FOR RENT Efficiency cottage. Rural, quiet and private. Complete, with swimming pool. Nice oi^ganic vegetable garden available on a share-crop basis. Indian Trail, NC. Call (704) 882-1747. References required. COMPUTER BUFFS: Call Metrolink of Charlotte — A free Bulletin Board Service carrying GayNet and GayCom. Call (704) 553-9534. 24 hours. Member International FidoNet Association d Gay Com. SALES REPS WANTED Experienced sales representatives wanted for Q-Notes advertising. 10% commission. Call 339-0679. Or send resume to PO Box 221841 Charlotte. Vour Ad Can Run Here Circulation in Charlotte and Throughout the Carolinas! " 'q-notes '^ PO Box 221841 Charlotte, NC 28222 Phone 339-0679 ave you eva leave a church? Welcome Home to MCC Charlotte where You CAN Be Gay artd Christian Services: Sunday 11 a.m. Wednesday 7:30 p.m. 563-5810 The Best & Worst of Gay Cinema By Steven Madison Q-Notes Staff One of the most distressing aspects of gays in the films of 1987 was their lopsidedness. From England, we ^d the romantic and beautiful infatuations of “Maurice” and the stirring autobio graphical tragedy “Prick Up Your Ears.” The best America could come up with in 1987 was the unbalanced Will Patton character in “No Way Out.” That’s truly a sad commentary about what’s going on with gays in American films. Not wanting to spoil “No Way Out” for those who didn’t venture into a theater to see this well-praised (but not by me) suspense thriller, I will simply say that one of the key characters in this movie about murder and cover up in the higher echelons of the Pentagon is Gene Hackman’s extremely loyal aide, played by actor Will Patton. The movie appealed to a great many people for several reasons. Current heartthrob Kevin Costner plays the leading role of Navy commander Tom Farrell, framed by Patton for the murder of Hackman’s mistress (Sean Young). The movie does manipulate the audience in true thriller fashion with a series of chases and narrow escapes. And, in a startling shift, the film treats us to one of the best surprise endings in several years. All of these are enticing reasons to be drawn to the film, and yet it left me cold almost from the start. I’ll deal with its treatment of the gay character momen tarily, but just as distressing is the movie’s handling of its other people. The film’s few black characters are embarrassingly slow-witted. All of the senators have deep Southern accents (they are being made fools of by Hack- man as Secretary of Defense), and the few women who are involved are por trayed either as prostitutes or bitchy, passionless professionals. Will Patton’s character, though, is admittedly the most offensive. It is not giving away a major surprise to reveal that his character is homosexual (gay is hardly the correct word in his case). At one point, when another person in the film is shocked to find out about Pat ton’s sexual preference, he utters, “Well, I’m damned.” The cutting response to that: “If the Old Testament’s right, they are.” The theater audience roared at this charming remark. It was at . this point that I wanted to leave, but professional moviegoer that I am, I remained to see what other hor rors awaited. Patton’s approach to the part was to play this unbalanced person with the most absurd wide-eyed plead ing for affection imaginable. He is ob sessed with Hackman (why, one won ders?), and will do anything for him. Naturally, the road he chooses for him self makes for a truly infuriating conclu sion when he kills himself to save his boss. After the wonderfully upbeat gays that Robert Preston, Daniel Day Lewis and Frank Ripploh have enacted in the past few years, Patton’s character is a disturbin^y giant backward step toward the lonely, self-loathing gays of several decades ago. It’s not Patton’s fault, of course; he didn’t write the role or direct the movie (blame there goes to Robert Garland and Roger Donaldson). But it just gives modem audiences one more reason to be suspicious of gays and to use them as objects of scorn or pity. A gay friend of mine admitted to liking the film and Patton’s role. He insisted that Patton actually was clev erer than everyone else in the movie; he was able in the end to save his boss by diverting suspicion to himself despite our knowledge of what really happened. It was the police and Washington offi cials, he insists, who were the fools. Sorry, but that’s too easy a way to ignore the homophobia (and homosex ual ignorance) present in this movie. One may applaud the plot tricks of writer Garland, but his social conscious ness needs a large injection of human ity. 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Box 8903 Richmond, Virginia 23225 (804) 233-6899 AN EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP With a high degree of personal effort on our part, we offer gay singles the opportunity to meet compatible partners. We assure an atmosphere of discretion and we aim for the formation of honest relationships. Take a chance, call or write us today. We serve the entire state of Virginia and areas of North Carolina. Don Watkins Cassandra’s Hair Designers, Inc, 4401 Colwick Road Phone: (704) 366-4617 Charlotte, North Carolina * A* Jim Yarbrough Estate Coordinator PROFESSIONAL ESTATE PLANS, INC. ,3801 F^wcutiM-Center Or.. .Suite 225 Telephone Charlotte. North Carolina 28212 (704) 537-2.31.3 Legal Documents — Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney GAY AND LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD of Charlotte Information, Referral and Peer Crisis Counseling 6;30 - 10:30 PM Nightly
Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 1, 1988, edition 1
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