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 →
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 →
In the spirit of the landmark documentaries The Celluloid Closet and Ethnic Notions, Sam Feder’s ambitious, ground-breaking and nuanced Disclosure, which launches globally on Netflix on Friday June 19th, examines over a hundred years of trans screen representation. Covering an impressive range of frequently damaging trans portrayals and storylines, Disclosure takes in Oscar-winning movies like... Continue Reading →
Spike Lee's most recent feature film, BlacKkKlansman, which finally won the filmmaker an overdue competitive Oscar, was set in the 1970s but had a biting, traumatizing epilogue that brought the film into the present day, with Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' speech and footage of Heather Heyer's murder in Charlottesville. Reminding us that... Continue Reading →
N.B. Contains potential season 5 spoilers.I’ve just spent the past few days binging all ten episodes of the upcoming fifth season of Queer Eye, which lands on Netflix right on time for Pride month on June 5th, and I am feeling pretty amazing actually; upbeat and optimistic. It's the kind of afterglow you get when... Continue Reading →
In this general election year (VOTE!) it's only fitting that Netflix bring back their satirical comedy The Politician for a second season, launching Friday 19th June - so plan your Pride Month TV binging schedule accordingly. Oh, and come November don't forget to VOTE! The Politician Season 2. Courtesy of Netflix. Created by Ryan Murphy,... Continue Reading →
Unbreakable, they alive damn it, Kimmy Schmidt fans rejoice, after four seasons and 51 episodes, Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) is back on Netflix this Tuesday May 12th in her very own interactive special. It’s like a TV version of one of those choose your own adventure books you probably read as a kid. So get your... Continue Reading →
If, like I did, you have some reservations about watching Becoming for fear it’ll make you despondent as you recall the intelligence, grace, humility, dignity and style that Michelle Obama once brought to the White House, fear not. In fact it unexpectedly had the opposite effect, leaving me feeling inspired, hopeful and with a renewed... Continue Reading →
Alice Wu’s long-awaited second feature film as writer and director, The Half of It, which launches on Netflix Friday May 1st, has deservedly just won Tribeca’s Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature. The film opens opens with an enchanting illustration by Shape & Shadow’s Hayley Morris depicting the Greek myth that humans were originally... Continue Reading →
Everybody comes to HollywoodThey wanna make it in the neighborhoodThey like the smell of it in HollywoodHow could it hurt you when it looks so good?Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Hollywood, 2003Only time will tell the lasting industry-wide impact of today's overdue conversations around increasing diversity in entertainment, but Ryan Murphy has certainly used his not... Continue Reading →
