QFBM MANIFESTO

Our final assignment for this scrapbook is to complete a manifesto. Since I have chosen to write my final paper on Judd Apatow's bromance films, I have decided that my manifesto will essentially be about queer interpretations of such films.

 

I call it the "Queer? Fine by me." Manifesto.

(QFBM can be taken as an organization of people in support of bromance-type movies)

QFBM vows to remain faithful to our love of buddy and BFF films.

QFBM vows to watch any and every movie that highlights a special "best friend love affair" relationship (not romantic, just admiration borderlining obsession). These include:

• Girl and Girl, Guy and Guy, one of each. 
• Animated or Live Action movies 
• Borderline creepy relationships or totally platonic. 

QFBM supports characters who are enthusiastic. they must possess passion about their friendships with one another.

QFBM doesn't carea about the aesthetic or the sound of the movie, as long as it glorifies the BFF duo in the film appropriately.

QFBM believes all moveis that fit this riteria will inevitably appeal to mass audiences. Who doesn't like watching friends appreciate each other? If you've got a BFF you can be sympathetic to the on-screen duo,  if you haven't a BFF you can live vicariously through them.

QFBM vows to show these films anywhere, with the ideal audience full of friend duos.

QFBM stands by all movies that concern Best Friends. Comedy or drama, innocent or not-so-innocent, pranksters or bad-asses, these duos deserve our attention and support. We vow to consider these duos in many ways - straighforward and through various other interpretations, namely, Queer. Bromance or LYLAS, homo or no-homo, all are admirable in our eyes.

queer

In thinking about Queer Theory, I can't help but bring up Cameron and Mitchell on Modern Family - while this clip is purely for entertainment purposes, it is an example of how overtly queer narratives have finally become accepted on the big, and small, screens.

In this clip, gay couple Cameron and Mitchell dress their adopted daughter up Anne-Geddes style and take pictures of her as various pop icons - Diana Ross, Olivia Newton John, Madonna - all of whom have had a gay following. This clip is a perfect conteporary analogy to the conversation we had about Doty's Judy Garland in class.

black spectatorship.

as we discussed black spectatorship, it got me wondering. I know there are clearly black movies, with Tyler Perrys being the most recent on the spectrum, and having seen Claudine in class, I can begin to understand the difference of perspective. However, I was surprised to find this website about Black movies : Black Classic Movies . it even has a database of African American movies!

Do other races have such?

White people sure don't. When googling "White Movies," this came up Stuff White People Like - Wes Anderson Movies

Latinos sure do! many results came up for that one. However, I feel this is incomparable due to their bilingual nature. Still intriguing though is the subject matter in the films that made this list.
Best Latin Films

masculinities.

okay, so initially this sounded like a really cool idea. however, it didn't turn out as cool as it sounded, unfortunately. I think the photographer chose the wrong subjects or something. while some of the photos are compelling, their explanations of their masculinity are extremely superficial.

 Chad States - Masculinity

alternative femininity.

I've been thinking a lot about alternative femininities, the way in which some women can seem uuber-feminine in a less mainstream manner (read- no "sexualizing" themselves). Initially it was difficult to think of individuals who fit this mold but in fact there are certain strong women who I find to be unique in their femininity. Lets start wiiiiittthhh....

P!NK.

I think many girls of our generation would agree that P!NK is a badass. she isn't super girly like Britney or Jessica, while she is Fierce like Beyonce, she has a more masculine vibe about her, with her notoriously short hair and totally jacked body. She sings about "Stupid Girls" and bashes guys in a totally feminist manner. As a very popular entertainer, shes definitely got her own vibe going, she has developed a different femininity than her peers.

GAGA.

I LOVE GAGA. she is a poet, musically and visually. While she does wear a lot of revealing getups (notorious for showing her legs to draw attention away from her presumably beat face at the beginning of her career), she isn't afraid to change it up with bizarre headdresses, wigs, or accessories. Her costume often outshines her face/appearance, and that is what makes her femininity unique, she uses her talent and body as art.

constructing masculinities - the man-ifesto

Came across this gem on feministing.com (Very helpful site for this class...). While feministing clearly has issues with this ad, I find it intriguing. Somewhat like the man in the gray flannel suit, or rather, opposite of such, th ad demands that a man BE something, that he DO something with himself.

male genre

the male genre is totally fascinating. I find it very interesting that the old westerns, usually "buddy films" have evolved so much especially recently. While a lot of the buddy films made today are still road films / adventure films, such as Pineapple Express and The Hangover, buddy films have pretty much grown and expanded into their own genre. There have been TONS of popular movies released within the past ten years that would belong to this genre. For example: Dude, Where's my Car?, Old School, Superbad, Step Brothers, and even one that puns on the basic idea of buddy films, I Love You, Man!. These films have become insanely popular not only with young adult men, who can presumably relate to the characters, but with older adults and women as well. Perhaps the duo dynamic is so compelling as to draw in the spectator, or they can't resis the laughs.... on that note, it is interesting to consider the fact that all of these films are comedies.

One of my favorites of these is Judd Apatow's Step Brothers. In this film, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play thirty-something men who still live with a parent. When their parents decide to remarry each other, the guys are forced to live together. Initially reluctant, they soon become obssed with each other, the best of buddies. Perhaps the fact that this is an entirely juvenile plotline yet is played out by adults is the key to Step Brothers's success. Regardless, the dynamic between the two men is so extreme that it is almost unavoidable to perceive this as a queer narrative.