A review of Platonic, a lushly intimate new web series on Youtube August 12th.
Web Series Review: PLATONIC ★★★★
Discourage U. – Film Review: I Used To Go Here ★★★½
The late and legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael once famously stated, “Hollywood is the only place where you can die of encouragement”. I thought of this as I watched the opening scene to filmmaker Kris Rey’s charmingly sly I Used To Go Here. Gillian Jacobs stars as Kate Conklin, a first time author... Continue Reading →
Dress To Kill – The Queer Rearview: In Fabric ★★★★
Owing as much to the Italian giallo films of the 60s and 70s such as Suspiria as it does to Stanley Kubrick at his most arch with A Clockwork Orange, Peter Strickland’s In Fabric blazes out of the gates as one of the loopiest, most gorgeously shot thrillers I’ve seen in ages. Although set in... Continue Reading →
Film Review: She Dies Tomorrow ★★★★½
In the first few minutes of She Dies Tomorrow, we are shown a glimpse through a doorway of a man with his back to us, peering in on him as he spirals out of control. "Oh my God, it's over," he mutters to himself. "It's fucking over." As he paces, he becomes more and more... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Helmut Newtown: The Bad and The Beautiful ★★★★
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful opens with the image of a naked female model, smoking in front of a giant billboard of the Marlboro Man. The clash of brash female sexuality, hyper masculinity and the male gaze sets the stage for a fascinating look at the legacy of one of fashion’s most influential... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Yes, God, Yes ★★★★
Between Lady Bird, Pen15, and now Yes, God, Yes, we've officially reached the point where nostalgic coming-of-age media is nostalgic for the time period where I came of age: the early 2000s. I've spent my life watching movies and TV shows that were nostalgic for a time before I was born, learning how to decode... Continue Reading →
TV Review: Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia ★★★1/2
At the core of this three-part documentary series, Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia, are previously unheard FBI surveillance recordings and enlightening, often riveting interviews with the operatives who planted the bugs in homes, cars and restaurants and monitored the audio for incriminating evidence. There are some lavish, high production value visuals, including sweeping... Continue Reading →
Mime Kampf – Film Review: Resistance ★★★
Existing in some No Man’s Land between Life Is Beautiful and Defiance, writer/director Jonathan Jakubowicz's Resistance tells the true story of the most famous mime in history, Marcel Marceau. Rather than focusing on how he slid his hands along invisible walls or held non-existent umbrellas, we experience his talents at the start of Hitler’s occupation... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado ★★★1/2
The stars aligned on Friday night, ahead of the July 8th Netflix release of Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch's Mucho Mucho Amor, as drag queen Alexis Mateo channeled the spirit of the astrologer and Latinx icon Walter Mercado for Snatch Game of Love on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5. And he did a beautiful... Continue Reading →
Immortal Combat – Film Review: The Old Guard ★★★★
Everyone knows it's impolite to ask a woman her age, but in the case of Andromache the Scythian, better known as Andy (Charlize Theron), the reason that she won't reveal hers might just be that she’s lost count of her birthdays. After all Andy has been alive for several millennia. She's the head of an... Continue Reading →