Arts & Culture :: Movies

'Hundreds of Beavers' — slapstick comedy's snowy silliness

'Hundreds of Beavers' — slapstick comedy's snowy silliness

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Feb 13, 2024

Set in the wintry Wisconsin wilderness, "Hundreds of Beavers" recalls the early silent film comedies of Buster Keaton with a hint of Wile E. Coyote. Amid its national tour, the wacky film screens at the Balboa Theatre beginning February 23.

Mostly British Filmfest at The Vogue

Mostly British Filmfest at The Vogue

  • by Joel Shepard, Jim Provenzano
  • Feb 5, 2024

For some jolly good cinema, the Mostly British Film Festival returns on February 15 to 22, at the Vogue Theatre. The 16th annual tribute to English language films from the former Commonwealth screens 26 movies, some with queer themes.

'Mean Girls' hits & misses

'Mean Girls' hits & misses

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Jan 30, 2024

The trend of adapting films into stage musicals and then movie musicals has produced hits such as "Hairspray," and misses including "The Producers." "Mean Girls" (Paramount), falls somewhere in between, although it leans closer to a miss.

'Good Grief' — Dan Levy's journey down a dark tunnel

'Good Grief' — Dan Levy's journey down a dark tunnel

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Jan 23, 2024

Dan Levy's follow-up to his smash streaming TV series "Schitt's Creek," a romantic comedy/drama about a man processing the sudden death of his husband.

'Fireworks' — true-life story packs an emotional wallop

'Fireworks' — true-life story packs an emotional wallop

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Jan 16, 2024

Giuseppe Fiorello makes his debut as a director with "Fireworks," ("Stranizza d'amuri") a bittersweet tale of young gay love in a small, homophobic town. The film is set in Sicily in the early 1980s.

'Masc' film series at BAM/PFA

'Masc' film series at BAM/PFA

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Jan 16, 2024

A new film series at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, "Masc: Trans Men, Butch Dykes, and Gender Nonconforming Heroes in Cinema," celebrates the rarely depicted masculine identities of queer and gender non-conforming trailblazers.

'American Fiction' — Cord Jefferson's performative racial hijinks

'American Fiction' — Cord Jefferson's performative racial hijinks

  • by Brian Brmberger
  • Jan 9, 2024

In Cord Jefferson's debut film "American Fiction," a Black professional is forced to reexamine his integrity as he concocts a fictional book about racial stereotypes. Is he a sellout or mocking the shibboleths that surround the politics of race?

Ten best LGBTQ movies of 2023

Ten best LGBTQ movies of 2023

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Jan 2, 2024

When it comes to looking back at LGBTQ movies (and characters) in 2023, it's reassuring to know that representation still matters, and we are, in fact, everywhere onscreen. Here is a list of some of the best.

'All of Us Strangers' — Andrew Haigh's transformational travel to the past

'All of Us Strangers' — Andrew Haigh's transformational travel to the past

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Jan 2, 2024

The new film from British auteur Andrew Haigh is not only timely, but a cause for celebration, because it examines the main character's queer identity as well as grief, loneliness, alienation, regret, abandonment, and emotional pain.

'Boy Culture: Generation X' — sequel focuses on the changing face of sex work

'Boy Culture: Generation X' — sequel focuses on the changing face of sex work

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Jan 2, 2024

In 2006 Q. Allan Brocka's film "Boy Culture" struck a nerve within the gay male community. Now, Darryl Stephens and Derek Magyar return in "Boy Culture: Generation X." Stephens discussed his experience in reviving his character and working with Brocka.

'Maestro' — Bradley Cooper's biopic of conductor Leonard Bernstein

'Maestro' — Bradley Cooper's biopic of conductor Leonard Bernstein

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Dec 26, 2023

For his second directorial effort following the success of "A Star Is Born," actor Bradley Cooper zeroes in on the larger-than-life Leonard Bernstein refracted through the prism of his tumultuous marriage, and gay affairs, in "Maestro."

'We Live Here: The Midwest' — Hulu documentary shows diverse families

'We Live Here: The Midwest' — Hulu documentary shows diverse families

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Dec 19, 2023

The title of the Hulu documentary "We Live Here: The Midwest" is a somewhat misleading misnomer. A far better name for the project, featuring interviews with LGBTQ couples, would be "We Live Here: The Rural Midwest."

Last-minute gift guide: local specialties and queer creations

Last-minute gift guide: local specialties and queer creations

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Dec 19, 2023

It's not too late to go to a local small business or jump online and order presents that will arrive in time for Christmas. Here's a selection of unique gifts that will provide memorable experiences at the table, on the town and even on your television.

'Movies That Made Me Gay' — Larry Duplechan's cinematic memoir

'Movies That Made Me Gay' — Larry Duplechan's cinematic memoir

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Dec 16, 2023

In his new book, "Movies That Made Me Gay," award-winning author Larry Duplechan writes about the movies he loves, and about a few that he didn't, combined with related life stories.