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B
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Blue Jean
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Thatcher's terribly conservative government promoted homophobia and this film captures that anxiety-ridden time and milieu perfectly...a terrific, truly engrossing film.
Posted Mar 27, 2023
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A-
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The Wounded Man
(1983)
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Frank J. Avella
|
...a bold, edgy, nasty and wholly beguiling coming-of-age tale...A fully committed Jean-Hugues Anglade plays Henri, a confused, sexually-repressed 20-year-old who becomes obsessed with the enigmatic Jean (brooding and intense Vittorio Mezzogiorno)...
Posted Mar 27, 2023
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B-
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Big Boys
(2023)
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Frank J. Avella
|
Sherman's film is subtle and careful (sometimes too careful) but also loving and sympathetic.
Posted Mar 27, 2023
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A-
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Moving On
(2022)
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Frank J. Avella
|
Fonda underplays her role brilliantly, toeing the comedy/tragedy line while delivering an authentic portrait of a haunted woman virtually destroyed by past trauma. Fonda finds the humanity, but also the outrage, that fuels her desire for vengeance.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
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B-
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A Little White Lie
(2023)
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Frank J. Avella
|
Shannon has tremendous fun with the role of Shriver, a man with seemingly no history who has allegedly never read a book. He enters a world he finds simultaneously alienating, weirdly enticing, and strangely familiar.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
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A-
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What We Do Next
(2022)
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Frank J. Avella
|
One of the best of the early indie releases of 2023 is the riveting three-hander "What We Do Next."… The film soars because of the three actors delivering committed and courageous performance.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B-
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The Five Devils
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Adèle Exarchopoulos plays another type of lesbian in Léa Mysius bewitching thriller "The Five Devils," which unfolds in deliciously non-linear fashion and blends horror, fable, family secrets, bizarre scents, and sizzling queer romance.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B
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Body Parts
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
One of the many interviewees is Jane Fonda, whose career is representative of the repressed '50s, which birthed a more progressive '60s/'70s. Fonda discusses how she felt manipulated into filming scenes nude (by her own director husband Roger Vadim)…
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B
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Emily
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
I am a sucker for a period piece. Toss in sumptuous locales, fab camerawork, good-looking guys, a tinge of Gothic horror (look for the mask), and a wondrous, moving central performance by future gay icon Emma Mackey ("Sex Education"), and I'm hooked.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B
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The Forger
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
(Louis Hoffmann) shoulders the film as a brash and cocky survivor, seemingly unafraid to take risks. Hofmann's scenes with the extraordinary Nina Gummich as his landlady, Frau Peters, are especially riveting and Isherwood-esque.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B-
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Punch
(2022)
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Frank J. Avella
|
"Punch" is best when it focuses solely on the boys. The narrative tends to go off the rails sometimes, and a particularly gruesome plot deviation felt unnecessary. But Oosterhof and Hayes keep the viewer continuously absorbed and... hopeful.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B
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Seriously Red
(2021)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Destined to become a queer-beloved cult classic along the lines of "Priscilla" and "Muriel's Wedding," Aussie director Grace Otto's delightfully dizzy "Seriously Red" has one hell of a lead at its center. Krew Boylan…a star ready to be born.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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A-
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Of an Age
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Serbian-born Australian filmmaker Goran Stelevski ("You Won't Be Alone") has gifted the queer cinema canon with a loving, bittersweet, sublime film that combines coming-of-age with first love and tosses in a dash of road trip.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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B-
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The Persian Version
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Maryam Keshavarz's "The Persian Version" is a funny, sometimes confusing, yet oddly satisfying film.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B-
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The Pod Generation
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
…thanks to the gifted Clarke, Ejiofor, and a scene-stealing Rosalie Craig, the film soars more than not, and signals some warnings about where we are headed if we are not careful.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B-
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Little Richard: I Am Everything
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Lisa Cortés' engaging doc, "Little Richard: I Am Everything," finally places this paradoxical figure into the rock canon, where he deserves to be. His status as queer hero, however, will always be contentious.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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birth/rebirth
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
… the scares come from writers Moss and Brendan J. O'Brien, grounding the narrative in harsh reality. Reyes is terrific, and Ireland electrifies as a woman who'd rather be around the dead than the living.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B-
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Run Rabbit Run
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Reid keeps things super scary, and Snook's rich, perplexing performance keeps us on our toes right until the very frightening ending.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Theater Camp
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
The cast of amazingly talented kids are fab. Galvin is particularly hilarious as the stage manager/go-to guy. The film is a zany celebration of anyone who has ever felt different, including (and especially) queer kids.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Drift
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
A different kind of unbearable trauma is at the center of Singaporean director Anthony Chen's arresting film "Drift," starring Cynthia Erivo in an extraordinary performance as Jacqueline…
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B-
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Cat Person
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
The film ponders potent notions about perception via the male vs. female perspective, and, frighteningly, as in "Fair Play," highlights just how dangerous men can become when their egos are bruised.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Cassandro
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Bernal, in a wondrous, gloriously modulated performance, captures the character's conflicts..The film is genuinely touching, and illustrates the importance of having queer role models and how simply knowing someone is queer can change attitudes.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Rotting in the Sun
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
This biting meta queer satire on class, social media, gay life, and fucking then ambles along at a sexy pace until it takes a completely unexpected dark turn (like many films at Sundance this year), metamorphosing into something quite different.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Shayda
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Based on personal experience, Niasari's film is an absorbing, scarily real portrait of a woman who must fight for her right to be free of the bondage of the misogynist culture she escaped from.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B+
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Fair Play
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Both leads do formidable work, and Domont does a wicked job of ratcheting up the tension. Two memorable scenes are instant classics: The opening sex scene with a surprise twist, and an engagement party argument where true natures are revealed.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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When It Melts
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
…destined to become one of 2023's most talked about, is Veerle Baetens' provocative "When It Melts," which feels like the turkey baster cinematic love-child concoction of Lars von Trier, Michael Haneke, and Yorgos Lanthimos.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Radical
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Radical is deeply affecting and cuts to the core of just how joyous learning can be when you feel you have something to offer.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Infinity Pool
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
an ingeniously satiric narrative creation that comments on entitlement, hedonism, and horrific third-world country laws. Infinity Pool is a nasty dark comedy that provokes, but also entertains and attempts to enlighten. It also basks in its own depravity.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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The Eight Mountains
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
It could have been the Italian Brokeback Mountain…And there is a moment near the end where it appears that something quite intimate is finally about to happen. It doesn't, but that palpable bond is there and should have been explored.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B
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Fairyland
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Fairyland is a sweet, intimate relationship story told from Alisia's POV…The film is also a testament to the legacy of the far too many people lost to a disease for which there is still no cure.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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A-
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Passages
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
As with all his character creations, Rogowski dives headfirst into the mind, body, and spirit of Tomas, never courting audience sympathy but winning over our empathy with his honest fragility. He's truly mesmerizing.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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A-
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You Hurt My Feelings
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
It's bracing to have a relationship dramedy that is not centered on infidelity, but about the way we as humans are so simultaneously fragile and narcissistic.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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A
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Eileen
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
A trio of fantastic female performances dominate William Oldroyd's intoxicating film version of Ottessa Moshfegh's acclaimed novel Eileen…a stylish, period-perfect, sizzling sexy film that takes a hum dinger of a dramatic detour.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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A
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Magazine Dreams
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Majors is astounding showing us Killian's debilitating shyness, which can quickly turn to animal rage. It's an incredibly complex portrayal that commands attention in a film destined to divide. It's also bold filmmaking that makes an indelible impression.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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B-
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The Way Out
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
The sharp and violent road the film veers onto wasn't necessary, but the two lead actors make the journey worth taking.
Posted Jan 30, 2023
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B+
|
80 for Brady
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
You don't have to be a football fan or in your 80s to fully enjoy 80 for Brady for exactly what it is: A loving, warmhearted comedy that boasts four true film icons having a blast, but also etching characters with their own inner conflicts...
Posted Jan 30, 2023
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B-
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Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Perhaps one less hat worn by (Andrew) Bowser would have achieved a more glorious effort, but the film is enjoyable for what it is.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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B-
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The Stroll
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Directors Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker tell a frank, harrowing story of trans sex workers and the meat packing district in NYC (pre- and during Giuliani's reign) in the compelling, sometimes convoluted doc "The Stroll."
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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B
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KOKOMO CITY
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
No one sugar coats their journeys, nor do they concern themselves with sanitizing their stories. It's a refreshing jolt of unapologetic candor that commands attention.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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B-
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Girl
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Moody, mysterious, and mesmerizing describe Adura Onashile's debut feature, Girl, but also could be used to describe her protagonist Grace (a hypnotic Déborah Lukumuena)...
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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B-
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Mutt
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Vuk Lungulov-Klotz lovingly dissects a complicated relationship in his directorial debut, Mutt, and, along with Mehiel's modulated performance, shows us what the in-betweenness of trans life is like. Doman is deeply affecting.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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B-
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Young. Wild. Free.
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
It's been a while since my jaw dropped from a surprise twist in a film that also felt organic to the story. This was the case with Thembi L. Banks's gripping feature debut, Young. Wild. Free.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
|
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B
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Fancy Dance
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Tremblay's impressive, uncompromising work is complimented by Gladstone's committed performance.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
|
|
A-
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Kim's Video
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Redmon and Sabin are movie-adoring documentarians that don't just investigate and report, but make a difference. Kim's Video plays like an edge-of-your-seat suspense movie. It's also a cinephile's wet dream!
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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A-
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Heroic
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Zonata's style is sometimes harsh and steely, sometimes sympathetic, always captivating. Heroic is everything The Inspection should have been in terms of investigating the moral underbelly of the military, and Carbajal is a newcomer to watch.
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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A
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The Starling Girl
(2023)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
At a time when very little nuance is allowed in our culture, Parmet exquisitely manages to tell a complex story in the least judgmental manner, focusing primarily on the inner and outer world of her protagonist, perfectly embodied by Eliza Scanlen..
Posted Jan 29, 2023
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A-
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L'immensità
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Cruz delivers another breathtaking, shattering performance. She's a force, and a presence, even when she must subjugate herself.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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A-
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Jacir
(2022)
|
Frank J. Avella
|
Lorraine Bracco...jolts with a bold and brilliant performance that eschews all vanity and embraces the darker aspects of her character. In the end the film is a call for empathy and setting aside differences to end our debilitating divisiveness.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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Tár
(2022)
|
C.J. Prince
|
At its best, "Tár" is the sort of riveting and measured response to a cultural reckoning, one that acknowledges how we got to this place without ever needing to make up viewers' minds for them.
Posted Dec 20, 2022
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Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
(2022)
|
C.J. Prince
|
Did I just take a journey through Iñárritu's mind, or did I subject myself to his colonoscopy?
Posted Dec 20, 2022
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