Welcome back Outfest! Now rebranded as OutfestNext, this legendary queer film festival went through some down time in recent years, but has returned with an incredible slate of films. I’ll post several reviews starting with En El Camino (On The Road), from writer-director David Pablos (Dance Of The 41, The Chosen Ones). Blending neorealism with... Continue Reading →
Charlie: "Everyone thinks teenage relationships don't last." Nick: "I never really thought that about us." Heartwarming and healing, as well as heartwrenching at times, creator-writer Alice Oseman and director Wash Westmoreland deliver a pitch-perfect, tenderly-crafted finale to this beloved series that feels like a hug from your best friend when you need it most. Heartstopper.... Continue Reading →
I’ve lived in West Hollywood for years and the Holloway Motel sat just a few steps from me. Walking by it every day, I grew accustomed to seeing an elderly man presiding over his second floor balcony. With a little chihuahua, Sam, by his side, a laptop perched precariously on the balustrade, he served as... Continue Reading →
From the outside, Maddie Ralph (John Early) seems to have it all. She's a natural beauty with a handsome devoted husband, Jake (Eric Rahill), who cherishes and supports her, and an adoring fun-loving best friend and co-worker, Deena (Kate Berlant). With a passion for cooking and a flare for producing inspired vegetarian dishes, often involving... Continue Reading →
We’ve had our share of films about gay conversion therapy, such as the heavy dramas Boy Erased and The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, the campy But I’m A Cheerleader, and even the slasher film, They/Them, but Leviticus, the feature debut of writer-director Adrian Chiarella, finds its own lane by chillingly traversing such genres as coming... Continue Reading →
As the end of the festival draws close, I take in three features in the running for the Queer Palm, including my first documentary of Cannes 2026. A Secret Heart (CÅ“ur Secret) ★★★★Directed by Tom Fontenille / ACID (Queer Palm eligible) A delicate, intensely personal, and moving documentary, A Secret Heart (CÅ“ur Secret) follows the... Continue Reading →
After a much needed day of rest and relaxation, we come back to the fest with a stylish yet divisive genre film and a colorful, biting introspective work by a veteran auteur. With no more brisk winds to cool things off, things are heating up the in Cannes, and in the festival competition. Her Private... Continue Reading →
From an American Mafia movie to a jaunt through Paris' gay district via a high-octane sci-fi Korean action-thriller, Cannes is offering a little bit of everything today as I took in two In Competition titles and a supremely queer animated midnight selection. Paper Tiger. Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival. Paper Tiger ★★★ 1/2Directed by James... Continue Reading →
When oil spills upon a wet surface, the opposing two fluids clash and when reflected in the sunlight a radiant iridescent glow is produced. Any parking lot, truckstop, or industrial sectors of our world are filled with these subtle moments of beauty. An interaction between two forces that unveil an elegance in the most innocuous... Continue Reading →
Away from the today's film offerings—featuring soulful performances, android children, and gay long haul truckers—my self-made The Substance jacket caught the attention of its filmmaker, Coralie Fargeat, who posted a snap to Instagram that she'd been sent of me proudly sporting it as I scurried along La Croisette from one screening to the next. All... Continue Reading →
