Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Australian actor-turned-director Joel Edgerton (The Gift) steps behind the camera for only the second time in his career with Boy Erased, a compassionate and, at times, upsetting account of a young man’s forced participation in a conversion-therapy program at the hands of his Baptist pastor father and devout…
‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ is the Best Performance of Melissa McCarthy’s Career
When she’s not trying to act like the female version of Kevin James by using physical comedy as a crutch, actress Melissa McCarthy has made some satisfying inroads as a comedian in flicks like 2015’s Spy and her Academy Award-nominated turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids. This year, unfortunately, she struck out big with The Happytime Murders…
Rami Malek Anchors ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with Oscar-Worthy Performance
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. From a cinematic standpoint, there is something deeply fulfilling about witnessing the creation of a song — from the seedling of an idea inside a musician’s head to the concept taking shape to form the perfect harmony or poetry or beat. Whether it’s in a makeshift studio in…
Music and Romance Hit Emotional High Notes in ‘A Star Is Born’
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Three-time Academy Award-nominated actor Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) makes a mostly convincing, albeit imperfect, directorial debut with A Star Is Born, the third reimagining of the film since the original version hit the silver screen more than 80 years ago. In this newest reiteration, six-time Grammy-award-winning singer Lady…
Revisionist ‘Lizzie’ a Memorable Effort but Fails to Reach Full Potential
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. While it has sustained a strong interest among American folk historians and true-crime enthusiasts for decades, the story of Lizzie Borden, a young woman suspected of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax in 1892, has never received the cinematic attention that a crime of its notoriety…
New Documentary is Fascinating Tribute to Late Fashion Designer Alexander McQueen
During a scene in the 2009 dramedy The Devil Wears Prada, an inexperienced fashion magazine assistant played by Anne Hathaway complains to her boyfriend about the pretentious nature of the fashion world. The magazine’s callous editor had berated her for an innocent, albeit clueless, remark she made about accessories. “They all act like they’re curing…
A Kid Like Jake: A Sensitive, But Safe Story About a Gender-Expansive Child and His Parents
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Alex and Greg Wheeler (Claire Danes and Jim Parsons) are like any other parents of a four-year-old child. They want their son Jake (Leo James Davis) to get a good education, have friends, be happy and express himself creatively in any way he sees fit. They come to…
‘Disobedience’ is a Mature, Lesbian Narrative Exploring Conflict Between Free Will, Religious Obligation
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. After earning an Oscar this year for his compassionate foreign-language drama A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica), Chilean director Sebastián Lelio makes his American film debut with Disobedience, a seductive and mature love story between two women with ties to an Orthodox Jewish community in London. Esti Kuperman…
Gay Teen Romance ‘Love, Simon’ Is Charming, Authentic, Emboldening
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Unless you’ve been perusing the catalog of gay teen art house cinema and stumbled across recent gems like Beach Rats or Princess Cyd, it’s safe to say the genre isn’t one that Hollywood has been in a rush to make in recent years. Even with critically acclaimed LGBTQ…
Actor Chaz Bono on Avoiding Trans Roles and Playing a Trump Supporter on ‘American Horror Story’
It was always a dream of actor Chaz Bono to star in the hit FX Network anthology American Horror Story. A fan of the series since season one debuted in 2011, Bono, transgender activist and son of singer/actress Cher and the late singer/politician Sonny Bono, wanted to take his promising acting career to the next…