The Prom: Star-studded adaptation of an LGBTQ-themed Broadway hit bounces from laid-on-thick to thin
ReviewJim SlotekRyan Murphy, Glee, Hollywood, The Prom, Netflix adaptation of a Broadway musical, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, Jo Ellen Pellman, Ariana DeBose, Keegan-Michael Key, Same-sex prom date controversies, Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
Wander Darkly: Sienna Miller and Diego Luna in a near-death experience, and an emotional journey without a false note
By Karen Gordon
Read More
Queer Japan: Doc on Japan’s Meek Acceptance of LGBTQ Culture a Delightful Rallying Cry
But I’m A Cheerleader: Director’s Cut of Cult Comedy Still Campy If Dated on Gay Themes
Review, PreviewJim SlotekBut I'm A Cheerleader, Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Jamie Babbit, Julie Delpy, Michelle Williams, RuPaul, Movies about gay teens, Comedy, Camp classics, Cult Classic, Lesbians, Christian Gay Conversion Therapy, Bud Cort, Mink Stole
The Legend of Baron To’a: Fun Kiwi Dramedy-Slash-Throwdown Offers Blood-Free Charms
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Legend of Baron To’a, Dramedy, Comedy, Wrestling, Kiel McNaughton, indigenous films, imagineNATIVE, Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, John Tui
Billie: Doc on Jazz Great Billie Holiday Elevated by Newly Unearthed Audio Archive
Funny Boy: Canuck Oscar Contender Charts Gay Coming-of-Age Story, Sri Lankan-Style
Review, PreviewJim SlotekAva Duvernay, Deepa Mehta, CBC, Oscar contender, Funnt Boy, Gay themes, Canadian, Sri Lankan, Shyam Selvadurai, adaptation, Alice Munro, Civil War, Sri Lankan civil war
Rocks: Lovely, Affecting Drama Captures Silliness and Sorrow of Teen at a Crossroads
Review, PreviewJim SlotekRocks, TIFF 2019, Sarah Gavron, Bukky Bakray, D’angelou Osei Kissiedu, Kosar Ali, Teenage story, Coming of age, London
Black Bear: Aubrey Plaza plays with our heads in the woods, and uses her deadpan to best effect in intriguingly weird film
ReviewJim SlotekBlack Bear, Aubrey Plaza, Surreality, Lawrence Michael Levine, Ambiguity in film plots, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon, Movies set in the woods, Movies about movies, Robert Leitzell
Stardust: Imagined David Bowie Adventure Lacks Imagination and Adventure
Happiest Season: Heart-lukewarming LGBTQ themed Christmas movie is the cinematic equivalent of gifted socks
ReviewJim SlotekLGBTQ themed Christmas Movies, Happiest Season, Writer/director Clea DuVall, The Christmas House, 12 Dates of Christmas, A New York Christmas Wedding, Kristen Stewart, Dan Levy, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen, Victor Garber, Alison Brie, Mary Holland, Aubrey Plaza
Fear of Dancing: Intriguing doc about why some (like Stephen Fry) are chronically unable to get down with their bad selves
The COVID Cruise: How a repeat plague ship, The Diamond Princess, became the ultimate COVID super spreader
ReviewJim SlotekCOVID-19, Disease outbreaks on cruise ships, The Diamond Princess, Yokohama, Captain Gennaro Arma, Mike Downie and David Wells, Gay Courter, Spencer Fehrenbacher, Ya Tsan, SeaDream 1
Tales of the Uncanny: Doc on Horror Anthologies Necessarily Captures Genre’s Best and Worst
Review, PreviewJim SlotekTales of the Uncanny, David Gregory, Horror, Horror anthology, The Uncanny, Creepshow, The Theatre Bizarre, Stephen King, Roger Corman
Sweet Parents: Dour tale of young New Yorkers seeking old money to launch their careers could have worked as farce
ReviewJim SlotekSweet Parents, Sugar daddies, Lifestyles of young and ambitious New Yorkers, Leah Rudick, David Bly, Chris Roberti, Jacob Mondry, Casey Biggs, Barbara Weetman, Restauranteurs in movies
Running Wild: The Cats of Cornwall Doc Compassionately Highlights Plight of Cat Homelessness
Review, PreviewJim SlotekRunning Wild: The Cats of Cornwall, Mellissa Alepins, TVOntario, TVO documentary, Cat homelessness, Community cats, Cat rescue, Volunteers, Animal welfare, Social issues
Amadeus: The Director’s Cut Revisits Milos Forman’s Mozart Extravaganza. That’s All
Review, Preview, ViewsJim SlotekAmadeus, Mozart, Biopic, Milos Forman, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Director's Cut, Oscar winner, Drama, Twyla Tharp
Vanguard: Weak Storytelling and Wonky CGI Diminish Jackie Chan Actioner
Collective: Searing Doc Chronicles Corruption Exposed by Tragedy and the Journos Who Followed It
Review, PreviewJim SlotekCollective, TIFF 2019, Alexander Nanau, Documentary, Romanian movies, cinema verité, journalism, Fire, tragedy
Sound of Metal: A deeply affecting portrait of a drummer whose life is upturned with the loss of his hearing
By Karen Gordon
Read More
ReviewJim SlotekSound of Metal, TIFF 2018, Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Darius Marder, Q&A, Deafness, Deaf culture, Drama, Derek Cianfrance
