Country music and heartbreak are natural bedfellows, but T. J. Parsell’s documentary, Invisible (originally titled Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music when it premiered at Outfest 2021), shows us just how much queer heartache has gone into this enduringly popular genre. From the women in country, folk, and blues who were never given a shot... Continue Reading →
Sundance 2022 Film Review: Sirens ★★★★
UPDATE: Screens at the 40th Anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival on Sunday, July 17th at 7pm at Harmony Gold. Rita Baghdadi's feature documentary Sirens, which world premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, is a nuanced, intimate, and upbeat portrait of Lebanon's only all-female thrash metal band, Slave to Sirens. Although it opens... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Keyboard Fantasies ★★★★
Posy Dixon's debut feature documentary Keyboard Fantasies, which opens in theatres in New York and Los Angeles today as well as VOD, is a delicate, nuanced, and life-affirming tribute to the experimental folk-jazz turned synth singer-songwriter. With an interview with the musician, Glenn Copeland, at its centre, the film paints an intimate biographical portrait focused... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Sparks “there’s element of us – artistically at least – being outsiders maybe that’s something that resonates with some members of the gay community”
BAFTA-nominated British filmmaker Edgar Wright's debut feature documentary, The Sparks Brothers, about his favourite band, Sparks, which opens in theaters Friday June 18th, offers a fascinating insight into the lives of the enigmatic bandmates and siblings, Ron and Russell Mael and their creative process, which has resulted in 25 albums over their five decade career... Continue Reading →
SXSW Online 2021 Film Review: Disintegration Loops ★★★★
As someone who has lived in Manhattan throughout the pandemic, the black and white shots of the vacant city streets and landmarks which open David Wexler's Disintegration Loops—world premiering at SXSW Online 2021—struck me as one of the most evocative works I've seen so far that captures a sense of what being here was like... Continue Reading →
SXSW Online 2021 Film Review: Charli XCX: Alone Together ★★★★
UPDATE: Charli XCX: Alone Together is on Hulu and on-demand from Friday January 28th 2022. In the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, global pop star Charli XCX announced that she would write and record an entire new album, along with creating the visuals, from self-quarantine in her home in LA, while promising... Continue Reading →
Sundance 2021 Film Review: The Sparks Brothers ★★★★
UPDATE: The Sparks Brothers is released in US theaters Friday June 18th, 2021. BAFTA-nominated British filmmaker Edgar Wright, known for his adept and creative use of music in movies like Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, has devoted several years to making his feature documentary debut about his favourite band, Sparks. Whether you're... Continue Reading →
NewFest 2020 Film Review: Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story ★★★★
Posy Dixon's debut feature documentary Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story is a delicate, nuanced and life-affirming tribute to the experimental folk-jazz turned synth singer-songwriter. With an interview with the musician, who now goes by Glenn Copeland, at its centre, the film paints an intimate biographical portrait focused on his emotional and creative journey, with... Continue Reading →