Category: Movie
-
“The Slumber Party Massacre” Satirizes Slasher Tropes While They Are Still Being Established
The Slumber Party Massacre wonderfully combines the suspense of its horror with its commentary on gender, creating a memorable slasher classic that began a horror trilogy entirely written and directed by women.
-
Why “The Birdcage” is Still Worth Celebrating 25 Years Later
Perhaps the most amazing and groundbreaking quality about The Birdcage is how removed it is from both illness and insensitivity. Whereas films preceding it were often somber stories about the tribulations of being gay in a conservatively straight world, Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May expose the fallacies of conservatism as traditional values are thrown into…
-
Why the #OscarsSoWhite Boycott Should Not Be Forgotten Just Yet
Even after a history changing event, the 93rd Oscars proved it always had the space for more inclusivity in its award ceremony. But it this enough to change the boycott?
-
“She’s Gotta Have It” was Ahead of the Curve in Portrayal of Female Sexuality
In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986), we follow the love life of powerful female protagonist Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and explore the relationship dynamics she has with her partners. She sees three men simultaneously: Greer Childs, (John Canada Terrell) Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), and Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks). Though an 80’s…
-
Stowaway: Netflix’s Latest Space Hit
In Stowaway, director Joe Penna narrates the story of a starship crew (Anna Kendrick as Zoe Levenson; Toni Collette as Marina Barnett; and Daniel Dae Kim as David Kim) struggling with serious technical problems on a two-year mission to Mars. During the trip, they discover aboard the presence of Michael (Shamier Anderson), a stowaway who…
-
“Bliss” is Magnetic Despite its Flaws
Bliss describes itself as “a mind-bending love story”, and it delivers. Greg (Owen Wilson) begins his journey as a very average, workaday introvert whose serendipitous misfortune leads him to Isabel (Salma Hayek). As her nomadic, rebellious spirit draws him into her “off the grid” lifestyle, she possesses and shares with him an unusual set of…
-
Why You Should Know About ‘Welcome to Chechnya’, One of 2020’s Most Thrilling Films
Documented human suffering is never easy to view or read about and is understandably triggering for many people, but it can be educational, and education is a key to change. An overwhelming amount queer people worldwide (and in my own country) have it far worse than I could imagine, and documentaries such as Welcome to…
-
Y tu Mamá También: A Profound Exploration of Mexican Society and Self-Discovery
Years before Mexican director, Alfonso Cuaron, was winning Academy Awards for movies like Gravity (2013) and Roma(2018), he directed a small, intimate film about two best friends who decide to embark on an improvised road trip to spend time with an older, attractive woman who miraculously agrees to go with them. Y tu Mamá También…
-
‘Thelma’ is a Chilling, Hauntingly Beautiful Story of Discovery
Thelma (2017) opens with a startling and chilling scene that perfectly sets the stage for the unnerving, quietly powerful, and hauntingly beautiful story that is about to unfold. A man and a young girl walk through a frozen landscape, hunting. When they stop to shoot a deer, the man, standing behind the girl so she…
-
“Imagine Me & You” is a Sweet, if Dated, Rom-Com for the Ages
Imagine Me & You tells the story of Rachel, a newlywed bride who begins to question her sexuality after meeting Luce, an out lesbian who does the floral arrangements for her wedding. As the two begin to develop a closer bond, Rachel finds herself falling for Luce while trying to figure out what this means…