Drag Race RuCap: “Villains Roast”

Villains look good in red, don't you think?

NICK TAYLOR: What a maddening episode of television this was. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun with the Villains Roast. This cast continues to surprise me, for better and worse, and season 17 continues to give us sheer entertainment at a delicious pace. But the cast’s harkening to the shady charisma of OG Drag Race has now manifested some of the most unprompted fits of delusional sabotage we’ve seen in years. Arrietty and Lexi spin out hard over absolutely nothing, falling victim to their inner saboteurs at the earliest possible second, and tearing down Jewels with a petty nastiness that kept bringing me back to Phi Phi O’Hara. They overwhelm the underdog victories of Lana and Lydia, who finally and deservedly get their first stellar critiques of the season. It’s sour enough that I’m really reconsidering Lexi’s long-assumed placement in the final four. How do you feel?

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Oh honey, I have OPINIONS on these bitches…

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Demi Moore lost the Oscar but she’s still a winner

by Cláudio Alves

THE SUBSTANCE (2024) Coralie Fargeat | © MUBI

Bedecked in a silvery Armani Privé number and Chopard diamonds, Demi Moore arrived at the 97th Academy Awards like a winner. She left a winner, too, despite the lack of a little golden man complementing her crushed ice glamour. Saying such things may seem like a pity party or a way for fans to cope with their idol's losses, but it rings true here. Though she lost the Oscar, Demi Moore effectively changed the narrative of her career and forced both the industry and the public to reassess her worth as a performer, her history, her legacy. From "popcorn actress" to respected thespian, this is a reinvention of miraculous proportions and deeply deserved, too.

In many ways, these things are bigger than AMPAS' golden trophy, and may even have a bigger impact. After this season, nobody will look at The Substance star the same way ever again. At least, I won't…

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"Flow" and the Year of the Cat

by Cláudio Alves

FLOW | © Janus Films / Sideshow

As Nathaniel mentioned in his rundown of new Oscar trivia, records, and similar stats, Flow was the first film about a cat to win the Best Animated Feature Academy Award. This victory for cat people everywhere couldn't have happened to a better movie or to a more fitting cinematic year. After all, 2024 was positively full of felines on the big screen, and even some on the small. They ranged from heroic protagonists to supporting scene stealers, animated to live-action, Hollywood stars to world cinema revelations, from cute to cuter to cutest. There was even a robot kitty for those who love sci-fi. Let's look back on a year of cats…

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RuPaul’s Drag Race: “Heavens to Betsey!”

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Another week, another stellar episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17. I’m really enjoying the show this year, even though I probably preferred the overall cast performance of seasons 15 and 16. Not sure if it’s a triumph of production or editing or the queens, mediocre though some of their work may be at times. It helps that they have great chemistry and a tendency for mess that’s more akin to the series’ origins than its later years. That said, “Heavens to Betsey!” featured a high level of craft from our contenders, with only two queens flopping. Moreover, the challenge was a delight, made even better by this week’s extra special guest judge, fashion designer Betsey Johnson. She was sweet and inspiring, she got emotional and did the splits as she always does. What’s not to love?

NICK TAYLOR: The sheer quality of the guest judges has been lovely this season. It’s not an essential component, but you can feel the lack of it when it’s missing...

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Almost There: Marianne Jean-Baptiste in "Hard Truths"

by Cláudio Alves

This year's Academy Awards saw Mikey Madison's work in Anora become the 100th performance to take the Best Actress Oscar. There's much to say about this race, good and bad, and I'm currently preparing some stuff on Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres. But today, I would like to reflect on the category beyond the five women AMPAS chose to recognize. Because, in my opinion, the year's best performance bar none, as well as the film which contains it, was absent from the Oscars altogether. For the season's last Almost There, I invite you to take a trip into Mike Leigh's cinema, a world of deep character work and improvisation, collaborative writing and ensemble dynamics, tonal whiplash and social observation. Let's talk Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Hard Truths…

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