Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta, which receives its North American premiere at the 59th New York Film Festival this weekend, is a delectable cloak-and-dagger queer period drama. Inspired by real events and based on the 1986 book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown, David Birke (Elle) and Verhoeven's... Continue Reading →
I'm not going to call Midnight Cowboy a masterpiece, that is a word that gets thrown around too much (like luxury it has lost it has lost all meaning.) Midnight Cowboy is better than that. It is a perfect film. All of the elements: the script, the direction, the casting, the costumes, the cinematography, the... Continue Reading →
As twenty year-old Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) arrives in Los Angeles from her native Sweden she's asked by a US customs agent whether the purpose of her visit is 'business or pleasure', with her momentarily delayed reply giving director Ninja Thyberg's stunning debut feature, co-written with Peter Modestij, its title. Pleasure, which expands on Thyberg's... Continue Reading →
The multi Razzie Award winning Showgirls is as fervently revered as it is reviled. It has spawned a stage musical homage, legendary interactive screenings hosted by drag queen Peaches Christ and even a book of verse. But those who love it aren't blind to its flaws, including filmmaker Jeffrey McHale whose documentary exploring the film's... Continue Reading →
The movie Showgirls is infamous. It’s burnt its way into the pop consciousness in a way that few films do. Now Showgirls-apologist Jeffrey McHale is here with You Don’t Nomi, a documentary that forces you to re-examine the film. Is it a glorious flop, a misunderstood masterpiece or something else entirely? The treatise behind You... Continue Reading →
