★★ Filmed in only eighteen days, Sanctuary debuted at 2022's Toronto International Film Festival. Just two actors star in the film, which probably could have been better served as a racy stage play—Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers, Death Note) is manipulative dominatrix Rebecca, whilst Christopher Abbott (Girls, Possessor) plays her wealthy client, Hal. Erotic and sexually-charged, … Continue reading Film Review: Sanctuary
SIFF 2023: Year of the Fox
★★★★ (Written by Intern, Isabella Foley) Year of the Fox is an authentic representation of what it means to be a young woman returning to a toxic and shallow hometown one has grown out of. The film follows Ivy Reid (Sarah Jeffery) coming of age, as she discovers her sexuality and deals with her adoptive … Continue reading SIFF 2023: Year of the Fox
SIFF 2023: The Mattachine Family
★★★★ Chosen family is the name of the game here, a term that queer people the world over have claimed as their own. In The Mattachine Family, writer Danny Vallentine and director/husband Andy Vallentine explore modern love, the strangeness of queer identity, fatherhood, and the true meaning of family with this charming little dramedy. As … Continue reading SIFF 2023: The Mattachine Family
Film Review: Blackberry
★★★★ Some of the best biopics are the ones about the formation of a major company. Think: The Social Network, Wolf of Wall Street, Tetris, or The Founder. To my surprise, Blackberry easily joins their ranks as a fictionalized true-story dramedy “inspired by real people and real events that took place in Waterloo, Ontario.” Based … Continue reading Film Review: Blackberry
TV Review: Bupkis
Pete Davidson appears to be a very divisive figure based merely on the women he has bedded, as well as his alleged extra-large wiener size. Both are addressed in his new Peacock series, Bupkis. The line between fact and fiction blurs, as the inspirations behind this peak into Davidson’s private life bleeds over into the … Continue reading TV Review: Bupkis
TV Review: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Rare is the prequel that adds so many layers to its subtext that it actually manages to justify existence, but there are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Regency-era romance Bridgerton gets dialed up a notch as it examines racial politics and erotically-charged emotional drama in irresistible spin-off, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Showrunner Shonda … Continue reading TV Review: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Film Review: Chevalier
★★ The not-at-all-surprising popularity of Bridgerton has seen a veritable spike in period-piece filmmaking. As with anything else, quality is often lost in the endless cycle of quantity. 2023’s Chevalier arrives with the greatest intentions in depicting the true story of one of the first known black classical composers and virtuoso violinists. Certainly, the costuming … Continue reading Film Review: Chevalier
TV Review: Love & Death
Last year, this critic personally passed on covering Hulu’s Candy, a true crime limited series featuring Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey in leading roles. Now almost exactly a year later, HBO Max drama Love & Death arrives, covering the exact same topic. What this iteration lacks in stylistic flourishes and period-piece costume and hairstyling it … Continue reading TV Review: Love & Death
Film Review: Beau is Afraid
★★★★★ Ari Aster’s film career thus far could lovingly be called divisive and polarizing; for this viewer, both Hereditary and Midsommar are among the best horror films made in the last decade. With Beau is Afraid, Aster enters his dark dramedy era in a flourish of brashness and a crescendo of emotionality. Due to the … Continue reading Film Review: Beau is Afraid
Film Review: Paint
★★ In my household, Bob Ross wasn’t just a painter on TV, but a way of life. When I was younger, my sister and I would both wile away countless hours of watching Ross calmly and splendidly paint vibrant landscapes, whilst wistfully narrating in a way only he could manage. Say what you will about … Continue reading Film Review: Paint