The Buzz Lady

Secrets of the Wing: Timothy Dalton, Mae Whitman and more on Tinker Bell's newadventure

I took flight to the Big Apple for the new DVD release of Disney’s new animated featureSecret of the Wings. The movie takes you on a journey with Tinker Bell, one of the world’s most beloved and iconic characters as she discovers she has a sister, Periwinkle.

Before even seeing the film in Disney’s private screening room on Park Avenue and 59th Street, I went on an unexpected adventure myself. I sent a text to Jessica Rossman, who splits her time there with longtime boyfriend Gordon Bethune. I thought we would be able to grab a drink; instead she invited me to sit at their table at Sotheby’s for the New York Academy of Art auction and dinner.

In Secret of the Wings, Disney once again pulls out all the stops when it comes to color and animation.

There was just one problem: I didn’t have a cocktail dress. So I literally hauled ass down the street and picked up a little black dress from Zara. After the movie, which is short and sweet at only an hour and 14 minutes long (we’ll get to more of that in a moment) I hopped a cab and headed for the event.

When I arrived the auction was still going on. In the crowd I saw Brooke Shields sitting in the third row looking stunning. Paintings were going from anywhere from $2,000 to $40,000 with the proceeds going towards art scholarships.

At dinner, I was greeted by other Houstonians including famed make-up artist Edward Sanchez. Fashion designer Cesar Galindo had canceled so I took his coveted seat. Sitting just two tables over were actress Naomi Watts and her love interest, actor Liev Schreiber. Yes, she’s even prettier in person!

Now back to why I came to NYC in the first place. In Secret of the Wings, Disney once again pulls out all the stops when it comes to color and animation. In the story, the Winter Woods remains mysterious and forbidden to Tinker Bell and the other warm fairies. When Tinker Bell sneaks over the border she finds a whole new world of adventure and she meets Periwinkle, who she later discovers is her sister.

Secrets of the Wings has lots of familiar voices, including Angelica Huston, Timothy Dalton and Mae Whitman, who is currently starring in the TV show Parenthood. Although Huston was unavailable for interviews, Dalton was more than happy to talk about lending his voice. Casually dressed in jeans and tennis shoes, his hair is longer and gray, but he still has those amazing blue eyes. It really didn’t matter what he had on with that accent, I could have just sat there and heard him talking about the weather.

It really didn’t matter what he had on with that accent, I could have just sat there and heard him talking about the weather.

Dalton was paired with the handsome young Matt Lanter who you may know from CW’s 90210. However I know his voice from Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network — remember, I have a 7 year-old-boy.

Both were charming, enjoyed being part of the Disney family and, get this, had never met before they sat down for the day’s worth of interviews at the Ritz-Carlton. They explained that’s what happens when you do animated films; you usually don’t see or meet any of the other actors.

Playing Tinker Bell is the lovely Whitman. She’s young but sophisticated in so many ways. She’s been in show business since the tender age of 3 and has starred in movies including Independence Day, One Fine Day and Hope Floats. She doesn’t watch too much TV; even though she’s on a show in fact she’s an avid reader.

Director Peggy Holmes told me she couldn’t think of any one better to play Tinker Bell. It had to be her. As you’ll see in the clips from my interviews with the actors, there's a lot to like about them and the film. But remember, you can’t see it in theaters; it’s only available on DVD and coming out this week. With the holidays right around the corner, it makes for a great stocking stuffer for girls of all ages.

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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