Entertainment
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
On the surface, at least, Carter Smiths feature debut, The Ruins, bears resemblance to previous forays into teens on spring break horror territory -- Turistas and Hostel come to mind -- with the critical exception that Smith is one of the great young queer fashion photographers of our time. And if you saw his short film Bugcrush, youll know to drop your preconceptions at the door. Based on a short story by Toronto-based queer punk activist Scott Treleaven, Bugcrush concerns one boys obsession with another, in which the venom of a particularly revolting species of burrowing caterpillar is used to bring on an erotic ecstasy. When I read Bugcrush it truly hit me like a calling that this was the short film that I could make better than anybody else, Smith says. I started working on it in my head immediately. Bugcrush was as unlikely a film to win fans as it was to win the 2006 Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival, but it did both, landing Smith an agent in the process, and a first look at the superhot Ruins script when it became available. Smith, who began his career shooting fashion for Jane Pratts groundbreaking Sassy magazine, is a master of rich, saturated colors, and he has an eye for strong, supple images that lends itself well to making movies. Carter makes ordinary people look sexy, and celebrities feel accessible, says Pratt, who commissioned Smith to shoot Drew Barrymore for the inaugural cover of Jane. Former Abercrombie & Fitch creative director Sam Shahid concurs. Carters like a little mischievous boy, and his subjects sort of fall in love with him and his sexiness, he says. According to Smith, the secret is all in the casting: I have to on some level fall in love with whom I am shooting. Thats how it works. Having emerged in the mid 1990s to challenge the overly art-directed style of the time with an engaging simplicity (including a series of editorials for this magazine in collaboration with gay author John Rechy), Smith is now about to do the same in the formulaic world of teen horror movies. If Bugcrush is any indication, were in for a ride. [Read more about Ruins star Jonathan Tucker here.] Send a letter to the editor about this article.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
April 17 2024 11:57 AM
21 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
April 03 2024 4:01 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
14 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
April 04 2024 12:56 PM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
The 15 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2023
December 04 2023 10:32 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
On Anal Sex Day, crack up with The Bottom's Digest
April 18 2024 10:40 AM
How Todrick Hall is giving back to the community
April 17 2024 8:35 PM
Here's who 'Drag Race' fans on social media want to see win season 16
April 17 2024 5:05 PM
Andy Cohen responds to all the recent Bravo & 'Housewives' chaos as more ensues
April 17 2024 3:56 PM
Not just JoJo Siwa: 30 songs made for an artist & released by another
April 17 2024 3:16 PM
How The Pride Store celebrates National Tea Day: A tale of two brews
April 17 2024 2:14 PM
Here's why Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer' is our new twisted queer obsession
April 17 2024 12:17 PM
April 17, 2024
April 17 2024 11:50 AM
Troye Sivan & Charli XCX are teaming up for the gayest tour ever
April 17 2024 11:43 AM
Kennedy Davenport finally explains the rumored 'All Stars 3' drama with Trixie Mattel
April 16 2024 4:16 PM
Watch the queens from 'Drag Race Live' hilariously reveal Out's RuPaul cover
April 16 2024 4:10 PM
Noah Beck claps back at people who assumed he's gay for hugging a male friend
April 16 2024 4:03 PM