We may look back one day on how this film marked a turning point in how gay sexuality is treated in American film. I can imagine heated debates about how it served as a “lightening rod” for those with extreme positions on the subject, and drew condemnation from the religious right. But none of that […]
Sexual identity is now a major theme in American film, especially for young people. Last year’s Best Oscar winner, Moonlight, dealt frankly and, for the most part, trenchantly with the theme. This new film is an accomplished but minor addition to this body of work. The title rats are four young studs who hang out […]
As readers might know by now, I like to “discover” obscure film gems out there, and maybe help them find their audience. I went to see Columbus the day after it opened in New York with just that hope. But – surprise! – its audience was way ahead of me. I’d never seen a line […]
This cogent, powerful film of a Phillip Roth novel, which had its world premiere at Sundance, serves the writer particularly well. Its protagonist, Marcus, is an 18-year old Jewish boy in 1951 America, and he is as opinionated, self-righteous and resentful as the other Roth heroes I can remember – which is why they’ve always […]
From Jackie Christy: It’s hard not to appreciate the zany imagination behind THE LURE, a musical tale of teenage vampire mermaids set in 1980s Poland. The story takes place mostly in a seedy nightclub and features nightclub performers, strippers and generous helpings of nudity and gore. The performances are terrific and ground even the most […]
Our Sundance rep, Jackie Christy, who is also an entrant for short films, sent us this from the festival: “One of my favorites at Sundance is Ira Sachs’ LITTLE MEN, a restrained but deeply moving film. This seemingly simple story centers around the friendship of two teenage boys and the increasingly strained relationship between their […]
This summertime comedy from last year tries to plug-in to the “coming of age” meme that sends adults back to the time, when they were young, that will be remembered, fondly, for the feelings and experiences they think actually happened, and wish they could experience all over again, even though, at the time, they destroyed […]
