Canadian artist and filmmaker Bruce LaBruce’s Saint-Narcisse closed the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days last week, where it was nominated for the festival's Queer Lion. Although LaBruce's latest feature is not playing in competition at TIFF it was part of the festival's Industry Selects lineup, and we're happy that it was. It's a gloriously bizzare,... Continue Reading →
And so, after two decades, the X-Men Cinematic Universe comes to a close with the much delayed and debated The New Mutants. It’s not the finale anyone expected, but at least the series bows out with a noble and entertaining effort. As the film begins it's odd to see an X-Men movie without the 20th... Continue Reading →
Netflix's Ratched is just what the doctor ordered: a pulpy, twisty, hugely entertaining thrill-ride with layered, complex characters matched by some nuanced, phenomenal performances. It's lavishly stylish yet emotionally potent. No wonder it's already been greenlit for a second season. Created by Evan Romansky and developed by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Ratched is inspired... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: No Ordinary Man opens in US theaters July 16th 2021. Directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt take us on a thought-provoking and emotionally potent journey as they track the life and legacy of trans masculine icon American jazz musician Billy Tipton, who enjoyed a successful career in the 1940s and 50s. When he died... Continue Reading →
You might know the name Pete Souza from from his Instagram account that has amassed over 2.3 million followers with images of Barack Obama being presidential; showing human empathy, dignity, grace and a concern for others, traits rarely, if ever, evidenced by the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Souza doesn't need to mention the... Continue Reading →
The 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) got underway today in true 2020 style with a mix of virtual and socially distanced in-person screenings, remote video Q&As, press conferences and in-depth actor and filmmaker conversations. The first film I screened, from the comfort of my own sofa in New York, saw my TIFF-at-home get off... Continue Reading →
My parents considered themselves cinephiles, but by the time they reached their 40s, they claimed they had seen every story told ever told. When I begged my father to take me to see Alien, he applied that same argument. Due to my persistence, he relented, thanking me afterwards for dragging him to see what he... Continue Reading →
New space drama Away, which launches on Netflix today Friday September 4th, feels like a show out of time. The series focuses on mankind’s first mission to Mars, with a crew of international astronauts led by an American, Commander Emma Green (Hilary Swank). In her crew are a Russian cosmonaut and engineer Misha Popov (Mark... Continue Reading →
Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer's riveting feature documentary Cured, which had its world premiere at Outfest last week, examines the fascinating chapter in queer history that saw gay liberation activists successfully overturn the US psychiatric profession's classification of homosexuality as a mental illness. Using archive photographs and video footage, recently discovered audio recordings, as well... Continue Reading →
In 1978, Gene Mulvihill, a Wall Street penny stock scammer, created New Jersey’s infamous Action Park. Featuring insanely dangerous water slides, go-carts, boats and more, which skirted regulations and safety laws, the park added many injuries and some deaths to its roster before closing in 1996. Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott’s documentary, Class Action... Continue Reading →
