★★★ The mere notion that Ryan Murphy Productions mainstay and musical wunderkind Adam Anders was finally releasing a directorial debut made inspirational Journey to Bethlehem an instant must-see. How would this four-time Grammy nominee, who helped produce and arrange hundreds of chart-topping Glee hits, fare behind the director’s chair? I don’t consider myself an intensely … Continue reading Film Review: Journey to Bethlehem
Woodstock 2023: Slide
★★★★ Legendary animator Bill Plympton brings to life his first film since 2016’s Revengeance: the vibrant, outrageous, and endlessly entertaining musical/comedy/western, Slide. Named after its completely mute lead character and his “slide guitar,” this surreal movie overflows with ideas and mesmerizing imagery. Plympton individually animates every frame of his films himself, via his own Plymptoons … Continue reading Woodstock 2023: Slide
Fantasia 2023: Killing Romance
★★★★ What do you get when you take the quirkiness of Wes Anderson and blend it with Korean slapstick humor and a dash of love triangle? The answer comes courtesy of director Lee Won-suk and writer Park Jeong-ye collaboration, Killing Romance! Bursting with originality and fart jokes, this unconventional comedy lets loose a chaotic ostrich … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: Killing Romance
Film Review: The Little Mermaid
★★★ Love them or hate them, the live action Disney remake is here to stay. The newest, 2023’s reimagining of The Little Mermaid, seems to be one of the most divisive yet, judging by early online reactions. For me, the film was a long time coming—as a child, I would rewatch the 1989 original on … Continue reading Film Review: The Little Mermaid
Theater Review: Camelot
Camelot the musical has been around for quite some time, with the original Broadway production opening in December of 1960. In 1967, a film adaptation was made, starring Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave in the lead roles. Now, playwright Aaron Sorkin has arrived to inject playful zippiness into the dialogue. Updating a classic is always … Continue reading Theater Review: Camelot
TV Review: Up Here
Being a major sucker for a good musical, I will watch literally any one of them that comes my way. In terms of the television format, an absolute obsession over Glee, Smash, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was kind of a no-brainer. Along comes Hulu’s Up Here which, to my surprise, could easily join the pantheon of … Continue reading TV Review: Up Here
Theater Review: Lea Michele in Funny Girl
In what may be perhaps one of the most meta Broadway turns of all time, Lea Michele’s masterful debut as Fanny Brice has finally come to fruition. Michele’s Glee character Rachel Berry would eventually squander her golden opportunity by leaving Broadway in pursuit of a television pilot that flopped hard; luckily, Michele does not appear … Continue reading Theater Review: Lea Michele in Funny Girl
Film Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
★★★★★ Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been in the works for so long that I can barely fathom its release is finally imminent. Containing all the stunning beauty that only stop-motion animation can bring, this version of Pinocchio is dark, disturbing, and deeply moving. I have not felt this strongly amount a stop-motion movie since … Continue reading Film Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
NewFest 2022: Please Baby Please
★★★ I cannot stress enough how much I was really not a fan of director Amanda Kramer’s last film, Give Me Pity!, and its oddball mock-style television format. Color me surprised then that Kramer’s second movie, the fantastically bizarre Please Baby Please, is such an intriguing treat. With lead performances from Andrea Riseborough (2020’s The … Continue reading NewFest 2022: Please Baby Please
TIFF 2022: Will-o’-the-Wisp
★★★★ As unique and singular as it is explosively sexual yet weirdly heartwarming and playful, co-writer/director João Pedro Rodrigues’s Will-o’-the-Wisp is truly a delight. Having no familiarity with the works of Portuguese filmmaker Rodrigues, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Would this be one of those films that only mildly explores its queer content, … Continue reading TIFF 2022: Will-o’-the-Wisp