Gay Best Friend: Calla Mackie in "Rachel, Rachel" (1968)

a series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope

Who wouldn't risk it all for Estelle Parsons in those Edna Mode glasses?

We’re continuing our retro streak of the Gay Best Friend series this week, though we’re moving a bit forward in time (and to the subject of a Smackdown). In our Rebel Without a Cause entry, we discussed how director Nicholas Ray, actor Sal Mineo and writer Stewart Stern all coded Plato as gay, even though the Hays Code wouldn’t let homosexuality be openly discussed on film. This week, we’re looking at another Stewart Stern script, Rachel, Rachel. That film premiered thirteen years later (1968) and with the dissolution of the code we see less of a need to rely on coding. Estelle Parsons’ gregarious teacher Calla Mackie is established as a lesbian within the film. However, it reinforces tropes in gay representation that would continue for decades later. Calla may be a burst of energy early on, but her story moves into the “sad lesbian” and “tragic gay” frameworks we’ve become all too familiar with.

Before delving into Calla, we have to set up the object of her affection, the titular Rachel (Joanne Woodward)...

Click to read more ...

"Minari" leads the Dorian Award nominees but LGBT films underperform

by Nathaniel R

The Society for LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, to which I and a few of our writers here belong, have revealed their nominations for the film year with Ammonite, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, I Carry You With Me, Supernova, and Uncle Frank up for best LGBTQ Film though only one of them (Ma Rainey) secured any other nominations. Minari leads with the overall nominations with six and Nomadland is just behind with five.

You can see all the nominations after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Sundance Review: Ailey

by Murtada Elfadl

Like Summer of Soul, Ailey tells the story of Black art through testimonials from the artists who lived through it. In this case the story of pioneering dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey. He was only 27 years old when he founded what would eventually become one of the most renowned dance companies in the world; the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater...

Click to read more ...

Sundance: "Flee" beautifully animates a family's struggle

by Eurocheese

As the first acquisition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Flee made headlines as an early success story. To anyone who attended the premiere screening, it was no surprise that the film was snapped up so quickly. Between its lovely animation and personal message, it speaks to a refugee’s journey in a heartfelt way. I shed tears at several points during the film, and based on the reactions I heard during the Q&A afterwards, we’ll be hearing much more about its emotional impact in the future.

The story begins as a conversation between two friends, one of whom (Amin) seems to be hesitating when considering marriage to his longtime boyfriend...

Click to read more ...

Film Review: "Supernova"

by Christopher James

Who wouldn’t want to see Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth in love?

The suave former Mr. Darcy would make the perfect husband for a cocktail-swirling Tucci. On paper, any movie starring these two men as lovers would be a real winner. Even though they are both straight, they've eached proven that they can realistically and empathetically play gay without leaning on stereotypes. Plus, Stanley Tucci's cookbooks (and the accompanying photo shoot) have done more for the gay community than any other straight moviestar ally. Yet, Supernova is a far cry from any delightful rom-com or charming late-in-life love story. Writer/director Harry Macqueen’s film is a much more serious and somber affair.

While both Tucci and Firth are in fine form, Supernova is more of a slog than an engrossing drama...

Click to read more ...