The Transtastic shorts program screened during Frameline on June 18, 2018, with a focus on people who are transgender and gender-nonconforming. A few prominent transgender people were front and center during the program, including actress Trace Lysette and Transparent producer Zachary Drucker. Happy Birthday, Marsha!: Written and directed by Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel, the narrative-documentary hybrid stars Tangerine’s Mya Taylor in the role of Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson. The bulk of the short takes…
"Frameline 2018: The Transtastic Shorts"Month: June 2018
It’s not that Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a lot of movie without exposition but that the film really lacks the presence of Emily Blunt. Blunt’s character, as you may recall, was forced to sign paperwork at the end of the first film. It makes perfect sense as to why her character, Kate Mercer, isn’t returning but it hurts the film. The only two women with any kind of prominence in Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay…
"Sicario: Day of the Soldado needed Emily Blunt"
Largely forgotten, The Hurricane Heist will go down in history as one of the worst films to have been released in 2018. A quick prologue introduces us to Will and Breeze Rutledge in Alabama during the height of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. They get traumatized forever by seeing their dad being killed instantly by a water tank. As the house collapses on top of them, there’s no time to mourn his loss because we cut to…
"The Hurricane Heist: One of 2018’s Worst Films"
Alone in the Game is a must-watch documentary that tells the story of the harsh realities that face LGBTQ athletes on a daily basis. When Missouri defensive end Michael Sam came out as gay, it was a game changer for not only college football but the entire sports world. When people think of football, it’s thought of as being a hyper-masculine sport. They don’t think of football players being gay. Sam’s coming out paved the…
"Frameline 2018: Alone in the Game"
The best thing that one can say about the new HBO drama, Succession, is that it is the dramatic version of Arrested Development. After that, it gets tricky. The series follows around the family of Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the CEO of Waystar Royco. As the series starts, it’s assumed that Logan Roy would be retiring from the company. After all, he’s 80 years old and can’t keep doing the job forever. He’s married to his…
"Succession: The Dramatic Arrested Development"
Izzy Gets the F Across Town may mean well but the small indie comedy tends to be a bit of a mess. Mackenzie Davis does her best to carry the film in the titular role of Izzy but it’s not enough to keep the film going. Given where she is at the start of the film, it’s as if the film is the indie version of the classic comedy, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. We go from…
"Izzy Gets the F Across Town is messy"
Tommy Avallone spoke to Solzy at the Movies ahead of the Cinepocalypse screening of The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From A Mythical Man. The film premiered at SXSW in March and will be holding the Midwest premiere on Saturday afternoon at the historic Music Box Theatre in Chicago. Thanks for joining us today. How are things treating you? Tommy Avallone: I’m doing good. It’s 10 AM here. I’m a little late starting my day but…
"Tommy Avallone talks The Bill Murray Stories"
Writer-director Marc-Antoine Lemire and actress Pascale Drevillon took the time this week to speak to Solzy at the Movies about the short film, Pre-Drink. The film will screen on Friday during the 42nd San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. Thanks for joining us and congrats on Pre-Drink being selected for Frameline. Marc-Antoine Lemire: Thank you for having us! Pascale Drevillon: Thank you, we’re very happy with the film’s success so far! Where did the idea for…
"Frameline 2018: Marc-Antoine Lemire, Pascale Drevillon talk Pre-Drink"
Three years after the Indominus Rex caused chaos, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom raises the stakes with moral questions of ethical behavior. Bookended by Dr. Ian Malcolm in what amounts to an under-five minute cameo, the film is about what to do with these animals after geneticists have brought them back to life. Leave it to Malcolm to give his piece of mind while testifying in front of a U.S. Senate committee–using dialogue that, for the…
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Raises The Stakes"
The Catcher Was A Spy is a period film that combines baseball, espionage, and war. The film plays more as a drama than a thriller. Espionage films usually mean people kicking ass, but it’s not what happens in The Catcher Was A Spy, unless you’re referring to one’s intellect. Pardon the pun but it’s a nice curveball for the genre. One should not expect to get a James Bond movie even though Bond is what…
"The Catcher Was A Spy: Baseball and Espionage"