Celebrating 10 Years of the Tired Old Queen at the Movies

Have been a fan of Steve Hayes since seeing him in "Trick" 20 years ago. (It's finally available to rent online so I just introduced Damian to it and fell in love with the film -- and Steve -- all over again!) And my affection continues to this day thanks to his adorable movie-review series, which is celebrating 10 years!

'Trick' Pics

If these photos from the first table read for the sequel to Jim Fall’s 1999 cult favorite -- featuring original leads Christian Campbell and JP Pitoc plus scene-stealers Steve Hayes, Tori Spelling, Miss Coco Peru et al. -- are any indication, we’re in for a “Trick” that’s going to be quite a treat!

More photos HERE.

UPDATE: Jan. 30, 2024

The Messenger reports:

In 2018, Fall and the cast celebrated Trick's 20th anniversary in Los Angeles, reuniting for a table read of Fall's screenplay for a potential sequel. They even filmed a musical number for a Kickstarter campaign.

Although the reading "went really well and was really fun," the project was ultimately abandoned by the original movie's producer. "It was very frustrating to put that much work into something and have it not happen," said Fall.

"I was excited to think about a sequel because it is a love story, but it's not ... They only spent one night together, and it was a pivotal night," he explained. "But, I remember saying I wasn't even sure the two of them would end up together the next day. When they went on a real date, would they really get along? I tried to answer that in the sequel. And the answer was no because, in the sequel, they meet 20 years later and then actually fall in love as adults."

The script and table read for Trick 2 are available on Fall's website.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'The Strange Love of Martha Ivers' (1946)

Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas in his film debut star Lewis Milestone’s classic noir; “The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers.” Filled with fabulous performances, an ending worthy of James M. Cain, and loaded with murder, mayhem and fabulous plot twists, it’s a trip down the dark side you won’t soon forget. 

Catch Steve and Johnny in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Red House Performing Arts Center in Syracuse, N.Y. through June 10. Tickets HERE.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'The Damned Don't Cry!' (1950)

Handsome Johnny stopped sending me Steve Hayes's wonderful film reviews, so I haven't shared one in ages. But what better way to get back into the groove than with a Joan Crawford picture?

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972)

 And you thought you've had some awful New Year's Eves?

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: The Creature Trilogy

This week, Steve Hayes reviews Universal Studio's classic horror trilogy -- "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954), "Revenge Of the Creature" (1955) and "The Creature Walks Among Us." (1956).

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Sweet Smell of Success' (1957)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews Alexander McKendrick's "Sweet Smell of Success" -- starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis -- which bombed at the box office, but later became a cult classic.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Funny Face' (1957)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "Funny Face," Stanley Donen's fashion mag extravaganza starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Notorious' (1946)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious," starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Suddenly, Last Summer' (1959)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "Suddenly, Last Summer," one of my two all-time favorite Elizabeth Taylor movies. Taylor, along with Katharine Hepburn and post-accident Montgomery Clift, starred in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's big-screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams' bizarre one-act play, which shockingly -- given its subject matter that included homosexuality, murder, cannibalism, madness, lobotomies, greed and revenge with casual references to incest, nymphomania, suicide and various Oedipal complexes -- became one of highest-grossing pictures of the year:

The Tired Old Queen has LOTS of juicy behind-the-scenes gossip on this one. In fact, I got as many chills watching him review it as I did watching the film all those years ago ...

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Flamingo Road' (1949)

This week Steve Hayes reviews "Flamingo Road," the 1949 Joan Crawford vehicle that re-teamed the star with director Michael Curtiz, who guided her to an Oscar five years earlier in "Mildred Pierce." (She even plays another waitress!)

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "Singin' in the Rain," Stanley Donen's tribute to the good old days of movie making. Done in the Technicolor splendor that was MGM in its prime, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor dance and sing their way into your heart in this film that boasts a book by Comden and Green, dancing by luscious Cyd Charisse and an hysterical Oscar-nominated performance by Jean Hagen as the silent star who can't adjust to talkies.

I have to admit that I've never seen this -- or any movie starring Debbie Reynolds -- but I did go old-school over the weekend and revisit "Postcards From the Edge" with a trip to video store. (There's one left in Chelsea -- and it's still nowhere near my apartment!) The movie isn't as funny as I remembered -- am I the only one who thought Meryl "I can do anything" Streep was horribly miscast? -- but Shirley Maclaine steals every scene she's in, which only makes me love the idea of Debbie Reynolds even more. (Did you SEE her and Carrie Fisher on Oprah the other week?!)

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Double Indemnity' (1944)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "Double Indemnity," Billy Wilder's class film noir from 1944. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck shine as illicit lovers who plot the perfect murder -- as does Edward G. Robinson, as a claims adjuster whose job is to find phony claims. With a script by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, based on the novel by James M. Cain, "Double Indemnity" was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'From Here to Eternity' (1953)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews Fred Zinnemann;s "From Here to Eternity," which won eight Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best supporting acting statues for Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Roman Holiday' (1953)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews William Wyler's 1953 classic, "Roman Holiday," which earned Audrey Hepburn an Academy Award for best actress.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Rebecca' (1940)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-winning "Rebecca."

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'San Francisco' (1936)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "San Francisco" (1936), W.S. Van Dyke's film about The great earthquake of 1906 starring Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald and Spencer Tracy.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: All That Heaven Allows' (1955)

Steve Hayes reviews Doug Sirk's "All That Heaven Allows" and Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven," which was inspired by Sirk's 1955 film about a May-December romance between Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson.

Footnote: You probably heard recently that a Broadway musical adaptation of "Far From Heaven" was in the works. (God, why?) It's been a long time since I saw the film, but I really remember being underwhelmed by it at the time, despite the fact that on paper it's exactly the kind of thing I would love. Perhaps it's time to revisit it.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'The Razor's Edge' (1946)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "The Razor's Edge," Edmund Goulding's 1946 adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham. The film stars Gene Tierney, John Payne, Clifton Webb and Anne Baxter, who took home the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Sophie MacDonald. (I loved the book and this film. Bill Murray's 1984 remake was surprisingly entertaining too, as I recall.)

Tired Old Queen at the Movies: 'Separate Tables' (1958)

This week, Steve Hayes reviews "Separate Tables" (1958), Terrance Rattigan's story of lonely people living off-season in a boarding house on the coast of England. Taken from the Broadway hit, the film stars Burt Lancaster, who also produced the film, Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven and Wendy Hiller. Niven and Hiller both won Oscars.