Arts & Culture :: Movies

'Vampire Cinema: The First One Hundred Years'

'Vampire Cinema: The First One Hundred Years'

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Oct 25, 2022

In his new book "Vampire Cinema: The First One Hundred Years," author and film historian Christopher Frayling recounts a century of blood-sucking cinematic (and small screen) masterpieces and camp classics.

'Please Baby Please' pleases

'Please Baby Please' pleases

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 25, 2022

With an opening that looks like what "West Side Story" might resemble had it been directed by John Waters, Amanda Kramer's campy and thought-provoking, "Please Baby Please" is a sight to behold.

'Hocus Pocus 2' - witchy sequel's fun, but fumbles

'Hocus Pocus 2' - witchy sequel's fun, but fumbles

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Oct 25, 2022

Since the plot is a virtual carbon copy of its 1993 predecessor, "Hocus Pocus 2" could be considered an unimaginative, repackaged remake, with some amusing moments.

Tina D'Elia delights in 'Overlooked Latinas'

Tina D'Elia delights in 'Overlooked Latinas'

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 11, 2022

Tina D'Elia is serving up a fizzy cocktail of sentiment, schtick and tribute at The Marsh this month. Her solo showcase, "Overlooked Latinas," pays an affectionate salute to mid-20th-century Hollywood actresses.

'Phantom Project' gets ghostly

'Phantom Project' gets ghostly

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 11, 2022

Roberto Doveris' feature film debut "Phantom Project" includes a mysterious vintage cardigan, abandoned plants, a mutt named Susan, a shapeshifting animated ghost, and Pablo, a gay, millennial, out-of-work actor.

'See How They Run' - mousetrapping murder mystery

'See How They Run' - mousetrapping murder mystery

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 4, 2022

"See How They Run," the feature-length debut by director Tom George, with a slightly derivative screenplay by Mark Chappell. It's no "Knives Out," but it's head and shoulders above either of Kenneth Branagh's unnecessary remakes.

'Bros' - Billy Eichner and Luke MacFarlane on their big gay rom-com

'Bros' - Billy Eichner and Luke MacFarlane on their big gay rom-com

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Sep 20, 2022

Promoted as the first romantic comedy from a major studio (Universal) about two gay men and the first studio film in history with an entirely LGBTQ principal cast, "Bros" finally arrives in San Francisco on September 29, after a local sneak preview.

'Potato Dreams of America' - Wes Hurley's inventive, captivating gay tale

'Potato Dreams of America' - Wes Hurley's inventive, captivating gay tale

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 20, 2022

Gay filmmaker Wes Hurley's inventive and captivating 'Potato Dreams of America,' now available on Blu-ray, is the kind of movie another Wes (Anderson) would make if he was gay.

'Albatross' - a haunting debut feature

'Albatross' - a haunting debut feature

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Sep 13, 2022

Writer/director Myles Yaksich offers up "Albatross," an impressive debut feature, a tale of secrets and repression set in the 1950s.

Missing Fassbinder: François Ozon's 'Peter Von Kant'

Missing Fassbinder: François Ozon's 'Peter Von Kant'

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Sep 13, 2022

Gay French filmmaker François Ozon has done something different with his new movie "Peter Von Kant," a gender-swap remake of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1972's "The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant."

'Girl Picture' - Gen Z romance in Finland

'Girl Picture' - Gen Z romance in Finland

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Sep 13, 2022

'Girl Picture' is truly a fun film to watch. Director Alli Haapasalo's approach seems to be to simply get out of the way and let the kids speak for themselves as they deal with coming-of-age issues.

Cinematic matters: Fall Arts films, part 2

Cinematic matters: Fall Arts films, part 2

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Sep 6, 2022

Fall films offer a variety of LGBT themes and queer-adjacent stories. As this continued list of fall offerings reveals, there are many queer artists behind the camera, even if on camera portrayals are still a mixed bag.

Screen gems: Fall Arts films to see

Screen gems: Fall Arts films to see

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Aug 30, 2022

At least judging by summer box office standards, people are returning back to theaters, especially for blockbusters involving sequels and superhero movies. Let's look at some smaller yet more LGBT-filled fare.

'They/Them' - conversion camp's a killer

'They/Them' - conversion camp's a killer

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Aug 23, 2022

Kevin Bacon, who began his film career in the 1980 classic slasher film 'Friday the 13th,' returns to that genre in 'They/Them,' a film he co-executive-produced that combines the horror of anti-gay conversion camps with the threat of a violent slasher.