San Antonio-based filmmaker Cedric Thomas Smith thought he wanted to be an actor when he graduated from Judson High School in 1991 and relocated to San Francisco. “I told myself I was going to move to California to be the next Tom Cruise,” said Smith, now 46. “But Will Smith beat me to it.” Along…
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ Fans the Flames of Desire
Originally published in the Orlando Weekly. We’ve heard a lot about Little Women recently, but it’s the female filmmakers behind and in front of the camera of the French romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire who really deserve the attention. Though the original title refers to a “jeune fille” (literally “young girl”), there is…
‘The Favourite’ is a Cunning, Cheeky Treat
Originally published in Cleveland Scene. There’s a moment in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ new period dramedy that perfectly encapsulates its sumptuous, irresistibly cheeky charm. Wig-wearing, rouge-splattered Parliamentary leaders are racing ribbon-adorned ducks around a tiny racetrack inside a royal palace, cheering them on with wild, honking abandon. It matters little that the “prime minister” isn’t really…
SA Film Commission Grants Include Two to Directors With LGBT-Related Films
Two of four grants bestowed on December 6 by the San Antonio Film Commission were made to local directors who have created films with LGBT-related content. Allison Herrera, Nathanial “Than” Niles, Justin A. Rodriguez, and Dave Sims all received $5000 Local Filmmaker Grants meant to assist them with production costs on their films. However, of…
Esperanza Center to Screen Documentary About Trans Filipina Murdered by American G.I.
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, the San Antonio Gender Association, and the Transgender Education Network of Texas will host the screening on November 18 of a documentary that tells the story of a transgender Filipina who was murdered in 2014 by a U.S. Marine who was on leave in the Philippines. The film, Call…
‘Boy Erased’ Exposes Harmful Effects of Gay Conversion Therapy
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…
Pride San Antonio’s QFest to Screen Over 80 Films From Around the Globe
Organizers of Pride San Antonio’s fifth annual QFest LGBT International Film Festival have released the list of films to be screened at this year’s festival, which runs from October 12 through October 15 at Brooks City Base Cinema. This year’s entries include international features and short subjects which run the gamut of genres, from documentaries…
‘Colette’ Is a Breezy Look at the Life of the French Writer
Originally published in the St. Louis Riverfront Times. With the rush of awards season still a few weeks away, the art-house-lite attractions begin to blur together into a vaguely familiar mix of modest period settings and upper-middle-class drama, set to a chamber orchestra and with just enough feminism and gender issues to seem reassuringly (yet…