There are no words for what happened to America and to our community. But one of the best takes was Jimmy Kimmel's commentary on the day after the election. Kimmel has not let up on Donald Trump for years. And Trump has targeted him constantly— even as he was hosting the Oscars back in March — on his Truth Social account.
It was a powerful and emotional commentary. Kimmel broke down several times while he spoke, "We had a choice to vote for a career prosecutor or a career criminal and America chose the criminal."
Kimmel said, "Trump is like the emperor from 'Star Wars.' He's old, he's evil and he keeps coming back with no reasonable explanation whatsoever."
We were looking forward to what "SNL" would offer for their cold open post-election, but were disappointed. The extended "joke" was about bowing to Trump to avoid any of the blowback he's promised to journalists, media, talk show hosts and comedians who attack him. It wasn't funny. It was smart. It wasn't what we needed or wanted or hoped for.
The cold open was followed by the host, comedian Bill Burr, who delivered a monologue that was at times racist, misogynist, homophobic and just deeply unfunny.
We note all this because over its 50-year history "SNL" has served up a lot of biting satire. Throughout the Trump administration there was a lot of pushback from the show on Trump's actions, including the Muslim ban. But this was just back-to-back acceding to the toxic masculinity that propelled Trump to another victory.
Erasing the harms that will be visited on everyone — including his own voters — but specifically to women, immigrants and LGBTQ people, is lazy and just plain wrong. The gatekeepers make choices, and choosing a misogynist comic to host after this week was quite the choice.
Yellowstone
On Nov. 10, Paramount's epic series you love to hate and hate to love, "Yellowstone," began its final season with an explosive opening that will rock the Dutton family and Montana itself. It's a fitting allegory for this current political mayhem as it charts the course of the Duttons, a white Montana ranching family, and how they navigate the elites coming from California to subdivide paradise, and the Native Americans whose land they abut.
It's a fabulously written and acted show. Kelly Riley is beyond extraordinary as Beth Dutton. But it's definitely bro-heavy with lots of sweaty men in chaps riding horses in some of the most extraordinarily beautiful countryside imaginable.
Emilia Pérez
Landing on Netflix Nov. 13, see "Emilia Pérez" in all its twisty turny transy queer musical (yes, musical!) glory. This extraordinary film is so many things that you will likely want to watch more than once to discern what is happening and how.
The acting is amazing. The direction, by Jacques Audiard, is stellar. The music, featuring songs by composer Clément Ducol and singer Camille, is something we were not expecting.
"Emilia Pérez" won several prizes at the Cannes Film Festival including a history-making win for Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays Emilia Pérez, Gascón is the first openly trans actor to win a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival when she shared the Best Actress Award with her co-stars from "Emilia Pérez."
This thriller also stars Zoe Saldaña as Rita, an attorney who has been hired to help a cartel boss formerly known as Juan begin her new life she has always wanted to live as Emilia. Rita is also charged with gentling now-Emilia's wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), who flees to Switzerland with the couple's children, into understanding and coping with everything that's happened.
There's a lot to this, including comedy and a subplot about child trafficking and a whole lot of remorse by Emilia whose authentic life has made her reflect on her former life.
Close To You
Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page ("Juno," "The Umbrella Academy," "Inception") stars in this 2023 film as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years. On his journey, he confronts his relationship with his family, reunites with a first love and discovers a newfound confidence in himself.
The film is described as a "passion project" for Page who executive produced it. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and Page won an award for his performance at the Calgary International Film Festival. With Hillary Baack, Peter Outerbridge and Wendy Crewson, it's available on Netflix Nov. 16.
Cruel Intentions
The original film version of "Cruel Intentions" debuted in 1999 and was a huge hit, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"), Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair as rich high school students in New York City. The film was a younger, modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," as well as of the 1988 Stephen Frears film "Dangerous Liaisons" starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves.
"Cruel Intentions" became a cult classic, spawning a prequel in 2000 and a sequel in 2004. There was also a jukebox musical in 2015. And now "Cruel Intentions," the series starts streaming Nov. 21 on Amazon Prime.
This latest iteration is set in a Washington D.C college among rich students and follows two manipulative step siblings who are ready to do anything to maintain their status — Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess) — after a hazing incident jeopardizes their standing. They set their sights on seducing the daughter of the Vice President, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith). A sexy queer romp, whether it lives up to its progenitors is a question only the viewer can answer.
Dune: Prophecy
Season 1 is an HBO Original that starts streaming on Max Nov. 17. Set 10,000 years before the events of the recent "Dune" movies, "Dune: Prophecy" is based on the prequel novels written by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (the son of the "Dune" author Frank Herbert).
The series focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive and powerful sisterhood who undergo intense physical training and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman abilities.
Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) is a priestess in the sisterhood that will eventually evolve into the Bene Gesserit. The order both serves and subtly controls the ruling class, through their powers of persuasion and their highly attuned lie-detecting abilities. Valya's sister, Tula (Olivia Williams), helps train the younger generation of women in the sect to combat forces that threaten the future of humanity.
Soap up(date)
Lucas (Van Hansis) and Brad (Parry Shen) had some bonding time that included holding and hugging and simmering emotions in the locker room at "General Hospital" last week as the fallout continues after Sam's (Kelly Monaco) sudden death after the transplant surgery. Whether this will lead to anything remains to be seen—but Brad is going to do what he can to reconcile with his former husband.
So, for the calm before the storm, you know you really must stay tuned.
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