Maestro: A Showcase of Ethnic Cosplay in Leonard Bernstein Biopic

The troubles for Maestro started not with the first images of ethnic cosplay but as soon as Bradley Cooper won over Jake Gyllenhaal. I wish I could take credit for coining “ethnic cosplay” as a term but no, I can’t. It was used by a colleague after the release of first-look images in 2022. In my opinion, the remarks still hold up today. The push for authentic representation in Hollywood somehow does not include Jews.…

"Maestro: A Showcase of Ethnic Cosplay in Leonard Bernstein Biopic"

Viper Club Never Reaches Full Potential

In spite of the material’s importance, it felt as if Viper Club was lacking something in getting across the film’s message. Make no mistake that it’s a bummer that Viper Club isn’t a better film than it should have been.  This is a film who tells the story of emergency room nurse Helen Sterling (Susan Sarandon).  While the Oscar winner is fine actress and does what she can with the material, her performance alone isn’t enough…

"Viper Club Never Reaches Full Potential"

Anything, starring cis male as trans woman, to debut at LA Film Festival

Anything will make its debut on Saturday during the LA Film Festival this and many of us in the trans community are not pleased about the casting of a cis actor in a transgender role. Written and directed by Timothy McNeil, the film stars John Carroll Lynch, Matt Bomer, Maura Tierney, Margot Bingham, and Micah Hauptman. Here’s where there is a major problem: cisgender actor Matt Bomer is playing a transgender woman post-transition.  There are…

"Anything, starring cis male as trans woman, to debut at LA Film Festival"