★★★★ Writer/director Lauren Hadaway’s dour, waterlogged thriller The Novice is driven by Isabelle Fuhrman’s explosive performance as obsessive rower Alex. It is a tense and enthralling debut feature, brimming with harsh imagery and fully-forming Alex’s troubled character. While I expected a bigger crescendo of dramatic release at the end, this is an impeccably directed and … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: The Novice
Inside Out LGBT Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, an exclusive celebration of the best queer films from Canada and around the world, brought a unique selection of (mostly) foreign indie films rich with specificity. I had already seen a few of their selections, including the excellent Boy Meets Boy, Moffie, and Potato Dreams of America, so I was … Continue reading Inside Out LGBT Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
Ring in Pride: LGBT+ Content Worth Binging
To celebrate another year of Pride Month, I have cherry-picked 20 of the best in LGBT+ content fresh for your viewing pleasure, along with a quick reason to watch! I tried to only pick selections available for streaming, and have included where to watch when available! Films BOOKSMART HULU Comedy This lesbian comedy from Olivia … Continue reading Ring in Pride: LGBT+ Content Worth Binging
Inside Out 2021: I Carry You With Me
★★★★ I Carry You With Me blends narrative and documentary filmmaking into a beautiful examination of love across borders. It tells the true story of the love between two Mexican men: aspiring closeted chef Ivan (Armando Espitia) and high school teacher Gerardo (Christian Vazquez). When Ivan gets snubbed for a promotion to finally work in … Continue reading Inside Out 2021: I Carry You With Me
Film Review: Road Head
★★★★ Speeding down a dark road, a man and his female love interest begin to fool around. “I have an idea,” she says, before unzipping his pants and drifting downward as he drives. His eyes roll into the back of his head—the girl rises, saying “are your eyes closed?” The hilarious reaction as he tries … Continue reading Film Review: Road Head
Film Review: The Retreat
★★★★ “When I first saw your dick pic on Grindr, I never thought it would lead us here.” So says one of the opening victims of the surprisingly effective, politically charged horror thriller, The Retreat. If it’s not apparent from that quote, The Retreat specifically targets members of the LGBT community as its unsuspecting victims. … Continue reading Film Review: The Retreat
Film Review: Sequin in a Blue Room
★★★★ Sequin in a Blue Room, a searing and sexually-charged Australian thriller, is a stunning feature debut from writer/director Samuel Van Grinsven. The film hones in on a particular subset of gay hookup culture, and the Sydney setting provides specificity and unique flavor to its coming-of-age explorations. Led by a stunning turn from Conor Leach … Continue reading Film Review: Sequin in a Blue Room
OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
The 2021 OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival highlighted a wide range of fascinating indies of varying qualities. I really enjoyed taking the time to watch so many of these under-the-radar movies, many of which would've probably flown under my radar otherwise. For the movies I've already covered previously, or those awarded full coverage elsewhere, I have … Continue reading OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
OUTshine 2021: Boy Meets Boy
★★★★ Boy Meets Boy is a juicy new drama with crackling dialogue and two layered performances from Alexandros Koutsoulis and Matthew James Morrison. In both German and English, we follow passionate dancer and local courier Johannes (Koutsoulis) and free-spirit ER-doctor Harry (James) as they drift from place to place during Harry’s sole night in Berlin. … Continue reading OUTshine 2021: Boy Meets Boy
CIFF 2021 Festival Wrap-Up
I managed to catch a few movies at the virtual 45th Cleveland International Film Festival, and thought it best to do a little roundup of everything I watched. This acts as a sampling of my thoughts, especially on the films I cannot cover yet in full. I have also linked to films I already viewed … Continue reading CIFF 2021 Festival Wrap-Up