Ben Walters
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Ben:
Cheerio, Duckie: regulars look back at the LGBTQ+ club that broke the mould
After 27 years, the groundbreaking, and often notorious, Saturday night at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London ends next month → Read More
And Then We Danced review: finding a new rhythm as a gay man in Georgia
Radical choreography, queer resistance and national identity combine in Levan Akin's sophisticated and rich drama about a young performer fighting to express himself on and off the dancefloor. → Read More
The Dude is back – but is Jeff Bridges about to pull the rug from under us?
The Big Lebowski’s slacker supremo is set for a shock return. Is he the hero this era needs, or has the ultimate maverick been hired to hawk us a soft drink? → Read More
John Waters: why the auteur of outrage won't joke about the Manson murders
The film-maker who built a career on bad taste makes fun of gay political correctness – but one subject remains off-limits → Read More
Film of the week: 120 BPM is an enthralling, devastating call to action
Robin Campillo's superb story of Aids activists in the 1990s is more than just a revelatory period piece, it's a celebration of sex, dance and the invigorating value of collective resistance. → Read More
Paul Verhoeven: cinema's mischievous satirist is more vital than ever
After a childhood under Nazi occupation, the director has made a career of laying bare society’s cruelty. Revenge drama Elle is his latest message from the danger zone → Read More
Zsa Zsa Gabor: 'glorious, glamorous, glittering power' – a career in clips
The actor, socialite and exercise guru has died at the age of 99. We look back over her life and career in clips → Read More
From Christ to Lou Reed: the Edinburgh fringe shows celebrating trans life
A staging of Lou Reed’s Transformer and a revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch appear alongside androgynous aliens and a trans-accepting Jesus at this year’s fringe – but is the greater visibility creating problems for trans people? → Read More
Jurassic lark: Hollywood blockbusters retold at the Edinburgh fringe
Movies including Jurassic Park, Back to the Future and Terminator 2 will be re-imagined on a tight budget at the Edinburgh festival this summer → Read More
Closing time for gay pubs – a new victim of London’s soaring property prices
LGBT venues are being lost and with them gay and lesbian heritage, but do cultural shifts also play a part in this trend? → Read More
Closing time for gay pubs – a new victim of London’s soaring property prices
LGBT venues are being lost and with them gay and lesbian heritage, but do cultural shifts also play a part in this trend? → Read More
The Circle: why is gay cinema so fixated on the past?
Ben Walters: The new docudrama Der Kreis looks at a groundbreaking gay rights organisation facing prejudice and harassment in 1950s Switzerland. Why is LGBTQ film trying to reclaim history? → Read More
Neil Patrick Harris: the new Oscar host's 10 best performances so far
New Academy Awards compere Neil Patrick Harris has straddled film, TV and stage for 20 years. Here’s the pick of his performances so far, including highlyacclaimed hosting turns at the Tonys → Read More
The Imitation Game: the queerest thing to hit multiplexes for years?
By focusing on Alan Turing’s outsider nature as a facet of his sexuality, The Imitation Game successfully brings gay culture into the mainstream → Read More
Neil Patrick Harris on Gone Girl: ‘I was pinching myself’
Ben Walters: Now he has taken Broadway by storm in gold platforms, and landed a memorable role in David Fincher’s new thriller Gone Girl, Harris’s Doogie Howser days are long behind him → Read More
Ellen DeGeneres: The Oscars host who came out of the cold
The US talkshow host and comedian has overcome adversity to become a bona fide American superstar and a household name → Read More
Ellen DeGeneres: The star who came out of the cold
The US talkshow host and comedian has overcome adversity to become a bona fide American superstar and a household name → Read More
The Lego Movie – a toy story every adult needs to see
Playfully subversive and countercultural, the Lego Movie satirises surveillance culture and our modern-day neoliberal struggles → Read More
RoboCop: wanted for serious crimes against cinema
Ben Walters: José Padilha's remake, like 2012's Total Recall and the planned Starship Troopers reboot, don't just miss the point of Paul Verhoeven's films. They embody the very things he satirised → Read More
Jodie Foster's Golden Globes coming out: no gush, no Boo Boo, all dignity
Ben Walters: Foster's acceptance speech for receiving the lifetime achievement award was forthright and fascinatingly unconventional → Read More