The Boys in the Band remains a undeniably important film, in the sense that it was one of the first mainstream American movies to tackle a story where homosexuality is a central element head on. For anybody who hasn’t seen The Celluloid Closet, Hollywood cinema hid gay characters or subject matter under various guises—innuendo or … Continue reading The Boys in the Band – Blu-Ray Review
Richard Fleischer is one of the more underrated old-school Hollywood directors who started out making "B-Level" noir films and eventually graduated to bigger and bigger studio films. He was hired by his dad Max's arch-rival, Walt Disney, to direct the excellent 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. That was a big step up in terms of … Continue reading The Boston Strangler – Blu-Ray Review
This week another film on gay conversion therapy comes out: Boy Erased. It's one of the most soul-crushingly earnest films you will ever see. Despite a great cast, with Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Joel Edgerton (who also directs), even a horrific male rape scene doesn't have the shock it should, because you … Continue reading The Miseducation of Cameron Post – DVD Review
Rosa Luxemburg was a noted "revolutionary socialist" and Marxist theorist who was Polish but eventually made her home in Germany. This 1986 biopic was directed by Margarethe von Trotta, who was probably the most noted female director of the "New German Cinema" from the late '60s into the early '80s. She is best known for … Continue reading Rosa Luxemberg – Blu-Ray Review
Orphée (Orpheus) is Jean Cocteau’s version of the Orpheus myth, set in post-war Paris. The lead, played by Jean Marais (who was Cocteau’s on/off lover for many years), is a well-known poet rather than a lyre player, and a deeply homoerotic motorcycle gang plays a part. He has to go into the underworld (through a … Continue reading Orphée – Blu-Ray Review
