Wild Nights with Emily offers a look at poet Emily Dickinson with an approach that only writer/director Madeline Olnek can tell. Through her role in Other People and the Sundance-premiering Private Life, Saturday Night Live alumnus Molly Shannon has proven to have a wider range as an actress. Her role as Emily Dickinson proves to be no different in what may very well be one of the best lesbian comedies in years. Through Olnek’s script,…
"Frameline 2018: Wild Nights with Emily"
Comedy! Drama! Romance! Airplane! is a classic disaster spoof that has managed to survive the test of time. What is there to say about the disaster spoof that hasn’t already been said in almost 38 years since the film was released? It’s not only that there are so many zingers but so many of them have gone on to become oft-quoted classic lines! From “Surely, you can’t be serious!” to “I just want to tell…
"Airplane!: An All-Time Classic Spoof"
Upon revisiting the film for its 40th anniversary, Grease does manage to hold up to an extent. Watching the film through a contemporary lens does lead to seeing some some problematic flaws. The worldwide phenomenon was released in theaters in 1978, a few years before I was born. To date, I’ve only seen the musical a few times and decided to watch the classic in honor of the the 40th anniversary. I’m glad that I…
"Grease Celebrates 40 Years With New Box Set"
The Fabulous Allan Carr celebrates the life of the famed producer and helps cement his legacy once and for all. Allan Carr was described by those who knew him as being flamboyant. This was typically a code that he was a gay man but he never came out. While the film does discuss his sexuality and it being an open secret, it also celebrates his life. Credit to director Jeffrey Schwarz for tackling Carr’s sexuality…
"The Fabulous Allan Carr celebrates famed producer"
Filmed in black-and-white 16mm film, 1985 is an incredibly moving film from writer-director Yen Tan. After his boyfriend dies of AIDS, Adrian (Cory Michael Smith) leaves New York for his hometown in Texas during the holidays to visit with his family. He’s in the closet, which isn’t a surprise given the 1980s setting. At the time when the AIDS crisis was growing, anyone would be scared to come out to their family! By visiting with…
"Frameline 2018: 1985"
Set It Up may just be the film needed to get the romantic comedy genre going again with delightful performances from Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell that make the film so fun to watch. Aspiring sportswriter Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) aren’t the typical assistants working in a New York City skyscraper. They don’t make enough money for the hours they work. It gets worse for the two because their bosses, investment banking executive…
"Set It Up: You’re Set Up For A Good Time"
Tag is a fun summer comedy about a group of friends who get together during the month of May for a very competitive game. They’ve been playing tag since since 1983 and one player has never been tagged. Set in 2013, Hogan “Hoagie” Malloy (Ed Helms), Randy “Chilli” Cilliano (Jake Johnson), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner) have gotten together every May for the last 30 years. What makes this…
"Tag: You’re It In This Fun Summer Comedy!"
The longtime Arizona Senator and military hero, Senator John McCain, is celebrated in the HBO documentary, John McCain: For Whom The Bells Toll. I hesitate to use the word celebrated but given the senator’s cancer diagnosis, it’s a better term to use than “profile.” Family, friends, and colleagues share their thoughts on McCain’s life and work habits in his bittersweet documentary. In airing the documentary while he’s still alive, it gives the senator an opportunity…
"John McCain: For Whom The Bells Toll"
The recent documentary, Mountain, gets into a deeper explanation of why people become so adventurous in reaching the summit. Mountain is a unique documentary in that it’s an actual collaboration. Rather than a single documentary filmmaker come up with the idea to make the film, it’s one that came as a result of Australian Chamber Orchestra artistic director Richard Tognetti. Without Tognetti approaching BAFTA-nominated director Jennifer Peedom, we don’t get Mountain at all. Without Peedom, we…
"Mountain: A Captivating Documentary"
Mixing work and romance, the STEM-focused Freelancers Anonymous puts women front and center in this Chicago-set modern-day screwball comedy. Some people love their jobs while other people dread leaving for the office in the morning. For Billie (Lisa Cordileone), she is finally at the point where she is unable to keep doing it any longer. She comes to a decision while giving a presentation and walks out. The problem with making this decision is that she’s engaged…
"Frameline 2018: Freelancers Anonymous"