Doc Corner: Rebecca Huntt’s 'Beba'

By Glenn Dunks

That Beba is the work of a first-time filmmaker is both immediately impressive and also quickly apparent. There’s a maturity here that belies Rebecca Huntt’s autobiographical documentary portrait. It’s something that leaps out from its opening moments as flickering 16mm photography plays over poignant narration. “Violence is in my D.N.A.”, she says. “I carry an ancient pain that I struggle to understand.” It’s powerful stuff, but as it progresses, Huntt’s film finds itself swaying in the wind despite the really great stuff at its core.

That maturity is often balanced by selfishness that renders itself with a film that is unfocused almost as if by design. Huntt is a messy, complicated person; something that this movie impresses upon the viewer frequently. Whether it’s as a result of her family or society—most likely a strong dash of both—is something that the movie attempts to grapple with.

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Welcome to the Academy!

In the now annual tradition the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the names of the filmmakers, actors, artisans, executives, and more that they've invited to join the Academy. These 397 new members (should they accept the invites) will be able to vote on the Oscar nominations for their branch as well as Best Picture. To determine the winners later on each season, all members vote on everything (except some cases with specialty categories where the rules have been known to change from year to year)

In keeping with their drive for diversification they've released the following stats:

The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States.  

We've included the full list of invitees after the jump with a few comments...

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Stage Door: The unkillable 'Little Shop of Horrors'

'Stage Door' is our new theater column. We'll review plays and musicals and, because this is a film site, we'll end each column with related movie recommendations. - Editor 

Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon, the doo-wop chorus of Little Shop, are still a major highlight

The October 2019 Off Broadway revival of the singular scifi-horror-comedy-whatsit musical Little Shop of Horrors is still going strong at the West Side Theater in NYC. Well, minus 18 months off for the pandemic of course. The production has been through five Seymours now in its run (Jonathan Groff, Jeremy Jordan, Gideon Glick, Conrad Ricamora, and Skylar Astin) with a fifth on the way; Rob McClure takes over on July 12th so this is your last chance to see Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) in the role. Curiously its original Audrey (Emmy winner and Tony nominee Tammy Blanchard) and Orin (Tony winner Christian Borle) are still recycling their sadomasochistic relationship every night in this iteration of Skid Row.  Why can't the show keep a Seymour!?

Well, it is surely an exhausting role even if the anemia and sore fingers from feeding the bloodthirsty plant is fictional...

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Almost There: Sally Field in "Steel Magnolias"

by Cláudio Alves

As Pride Month 2022 draws to a close, the appetite for frothy camp classic entertainment remains unchanged and unlikely ever to die. Some, if not most, of the films to achieve such status aren't even tangentially queer-themed, gaining their iconic status through other means. Such is the case of Herbert Ross' film adaptation of Steel Magnolias. Written for the stage by Robert Harling, this southern dramedy is a blush and bashful delight, originally sold as the funniest movie to make you cry. Despite a famous locker room scene with plenty of hunks on display, the flick's queer fandom can be attributed to its cavalcade of divas, from fresh-faced Julia Roberts to the cantankerous marvel of Shirley MacLaine's Ouiser.

Though Roberts was the only performer to get any Academy love, she's far from the picture's acting MVP. That honor falls on Sally Field, who might have come close to a third Oscar nod for her work as M'Lynn…

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FYC Emmy Main Title Design

by Nathaniel R

The opening titles for "Voir" are gorgeous, aren't they?

The "Skip Intro" / "Skip Credits" button on various streaming services is why we can't have nice things. The art of credit sequences can really set the tone for a series and skipping it is impatient at best and rude at worst. The website "Art of the Title", which extolls the virtues of such things, is not technically shuttered (we reached out to see!) but it hasn't had any new articles in 11 months. All of which leads us to hope sincerely that Emmy voters choose well enough that at least a few people here and there are reminded of wonderful this tiny niche sidebar of entertainment can be. Emmy voters always have plenty of worthy options in this category. This year there are 162 programs vying for 7 nomination slots if we counted correctly.

Here are six programs off the top of our heads that we hope they're considering with voting ending today...

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