Review for “King Cobra,” Brent Corrigan and James Franco

I think it’s important to mention that even though James Franco is a straight white male, he’s been associated with more “gay” projects than most openly gay actors in Hollywood. Whether or not he’s in the closet, or he doesn’t like labels, is beside the point. As far as we know he’s straight and white.

I don’t like labels either, however, gay isn’t a label. Gay is a culture. Like being black is a culture. Like being Asian is a culture. If you’re black or Asian and you deny your culture…for whatever reason…that never looks too great. It’s the same with being gay. Gay is not about sex.

Because there’s still so much shame associated with being gay (and there is), we usually understand and forgive closeted gay men. And rightly so. We understand their circumstances and we don’t force them to come out. However, if a closeted gay man pretending to be straight begins to exploit and profit from gay culture I think that’s a different thing altogether.

With that said, I finally got around to watching the movie Franco is associated with that’s titled, King Cobra. In short, it’s a film based on a true story about a mild, middle aged man with a taste for very young men who starts a gay porn production company in suburban Pennsylvania, discovers one of the most talked about gay porn stars of our time, and ultimately winds up brutally murdered. I think most people know the story already, so that’s not a spoiler.

Actually, I liked the film…as a film. I thought it was important to see for cultural reasons. I didn’t watch for entertainment this time. I wanted to see how the subject matter was treated, and how gay culture was handled. Even though it’s about gay porn, there weren’t that many sex scenes, and none were too graphic. It’s definitely not a romance. The film is strictly based on the events that transpired from the time porn producer, Bryan Kocis, discovered the film star, Brent Corrigan, to the time of Kocis’ murder. I don’t know much about the porn industry from experience so I can’t comment on that. But I didn’t see anything that was inaccurate, from a gay cultural POV. It wasn’t like Brokeback Mountain where I saw things that made me cringe.

However, there is a twist to this entire saga. And it’s been played out online since the film, King Cobra, was announced. The real life actor, Sean Paul Lockhart, who gained fame with the stage name, Brent Corrigan, in gay porn was not an active part of King Cobra. Even though he lived the entire story, he had nothing to do with the content of the film. And he’s been vocal about this. He even wrote this piece titled, Brent Corrigan: His Story, His Life…In His Own Words.

My name is Sean Paul Lockhart. Most know me as “Brent Corrigan.” You likely have never heard of me. Infamous and not famous at all, I have been referred to by many in the mainstream vein of the adult industry as “the Traci Lords of gay porn.” This is only one element of a salacious true-life tale of porn, money, murder and desperation. My past has played an integral role in my career as an adult star, producer and actor in LGBT mainstream films. In July 2016 I was made aware of a film being made about me, my shameful underage stint in porn, and the murder of Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis. Spearheading the project (as producer and star) was actor James Franco.

You can read that in its entirety here. It’s a long piece and goes into a lot more detail about the story itself, and about how Lockhart feels about his life story being told this way. He plans to write his own memoir, which he also discusses in the piece.

If you’re going to watch King Cobra, I highly suggest you read the piece written by Lockhart…the real Brent Corrigan. I think you’ll find a few things more than interesting. As a viewer with limited knowledge of the porn industry, and limited knowledge about the story, I can’t say I didn’t like King Cobra. But I can only recommend it along with the link to Corrigan’s story above.

The one thing I totally agree with most, in a broad general sense, in Corrigan’s piece is this: “we don’t need Hollywood mocking us.”

And…here are a few related links that might make you think twice.

This one is rich. I’m openly gay and I don’t think it’s cheap to say that. I’m proud of it, as well I should be.

Garrett Clayton will not discuss his sexual orientation.

Clayton — who portrays gay porn star Brent Corrigan in the new film King Cobra — said he preferred a “veil” of privacy regarding his own identity in an interview with Out magazine published online Monday.

In fact, Clayton considered discussion of his sexuality “cheap,” and he grouped it alongside topics like an actor’s diet or accessories.

And there’s this, from the same article…

Despite its subject matter, there are no out lead actors in King Cobra, which also features Christian Slater, Keegan Allen, and James Franco as players in the gay-porn industry.

Here’s one about why Franco feels the need to do all this…gay stuff…

Vague sexual identity aside, Franco told Rolling Stone in March that his interest in queer cinema was a reaction to the production of “straight, heteronormative stories ad nauseam” in everything from film to TV commercials. “I think it’s healthy to make work that disrupts and questions that, and shows alternative narratives,” he added.

…because there are no other gay artists out there.

Fabulous Las Vegas

I’ve never been to Vegas, and I’m starting to think I’ve missed something important.

Yes, there are people who have never been to Las Vegas–or at least not in a while. With the plethora of great choices, every Las Vegas first-timer needs a guide to the best and brightest. Want to try the casinos, shows, and nightlife but don’t know where to start? Just walking down Las Vegas Boulevard the first time presents a lot of opportunities for intense experiences, and the first-time visitor may not always know where to turn.

You can read more here. It looks thorough to me. This is one of the reasons why I continue to link to all the gay presses as much as possible. This article is coming from a gay cultural POV.

Another Gay Proposal Video

I like these things. I don’t care how cheesy they get. I love them and I want to see them continue. And that’s because we weren’t allowed to do this kind of thing for so long, I hope they never end.

You’re hardbitten, gritty; a real S.O.B. You don’t have time for another wedding proposal video — not one day after The Man shoves his capitalist version of love down your throat in the form of Valentine’s Day.

But then you see Gregory Gaige drop to his knee and propose to boyfriend Craig Moss at Disneyland. Watching them in their matching Mickey Mouse caps, you feel dizzy and swoony, because your creaky heart has opened yet again. For good this time?

There’s more here, with a nice photo. And this is another reason why I link mostly to gay presses. You don’t see this in the mainstream too often.