Doc Corner: Sundance hit 'All Light, Everywhere'

By Glenn Dunks

For an essay film, it makes a lot of sense for All Light, Everywhere to be full of ideas. It’s been a long time since my essay writing days, but I generally think that a lot of ideas is a good place to start. But also like an essay, it could probably have used another go around the editing block. There are a lot of promising threads in Theo Anthony’s film, but the director of Rat Film can’t quite weave them together into something that transcends its (very smart in theory) concept.

In many ways, Anthony’s film comes across as a traditional documentary about the rise of technology in community policing—predominantly bodycams and surveillance drones. At least initially. This segment, the doc’s most prominent through-line, is often very interesting if maybe a little repetitive...

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Gay Best Friend: Artie in "Cruella" (2021) and All The Other 'First Gay Disney Characters'

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

How many Arties are we going to see at Halloween this year?The “Gay Best Friend” in romantic comedies used to be the de facto example of empty virtue signaling. However, like most things in the film world, Disney has decided to do it bigger and... better? This weekend, Craig Gillespie’s Cruella has touted that it features “Disney’s first openly gay character.” All gays stand on the shoulders of their forefathers, and Artie (played by John McCrea) is no exception. In fact, his claim to the title is laughable not just because of how sanitized his character is, but also because Disney has declared having their “first openly gay character” more times than the boy who cried wolf.

So how does Artie compare to the other “first openly gay characters” in the Disney universe?

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20 Appropriate Ways to Celebrate "Moulin Rouge!" for its 20th Anniversary

by Nathaniel R

Moulin Rouge! opened wide in the US twenty years ago today. We had already seen it in limited release on opening night at the historic Ziegfeld Theatre in NYC, a night we will literally never forget. It was immediately polarizing but also instantly beloved to those on its wavelength. Nicole Kidman ascended. Ewan McGregor became the ultimate dreamboat. And Jim Broadbent won the Oscar (we pretend it was for this instead of Iris...  hey, it sorta was!) The hit musical made a huge difference for Hollywood, leading to a still-going-strong resurgence of a long dormant movie genre. It also made a huge difference to this very site; The Film Experience had been taking baby steps up until then in various forms and the rise of the movie coincided with a surge in popularity for the site that effectively put us on the map. We will love this movie until our dying day. 

Here are twenty ways to celebrate Baz Luhrmann's masterpiece this week. How many will you accomplish? Report back in the comments as to how it went...

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Happy 25th to Tom Holland

Happy quarter century today to your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Tom Holland. What do you suppose the next five years of his career holds? It seems like his management is trying to capitalize on the franchise money while also squeezing in indies and voice work to diversify a bit? But while trying to do both at once perhaps they aren't being picky enough about anything. All of his recent projects (Cherry, Chaos Walking, The Devil All The Time, Spies in Disguise, Dolittle, Onward) haven't exactly been bullseyes, either with audiences or critics, and all were fast-fades. Next up: another Spider-Man and the video game adaptation Uncharted. If you were on his management team what would you be suggesting for the next five years? 

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May. It's a Wrap

Well, that went quick. And yet time also isn't moving. Somehow the Oscars were only 36 days ago! Isn't that nuts? But in case you've been in and out of this joint this month when we haven't been as prolific (we're always a bit fatigued the month after the Oscars) here are some posts you might have missed...

a dozen highlights
• Toni Collette - is one Oscar nom all it will ever be?
• Back to the movies - Lynn Lee sees Gunda as her first trip back to the cinema
• Postman Rings Four Times - a quartet of The Postman Always Rings Twice films
• Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot - one of the great child performances
• Emmy Watch: Best Comedy Series - it'll be a mostly freshman competition
• On the Globes cancellation - Hollywood hypocrisy and what it could mean going forward
• Yes No Maybe So - teasing Dear Evan Hansen, Stillwater, and more...
• A Dirty Shame - we revisited 7 John Waters movies for his 75th birthday
• Erin Brockovich's Best Lines - ten juicy lines from a classic script
• Supporting Actress Smackdown 2000 - a great conversation about Frances, Julie, Marcia, Kate, and Dame Judi Dench
• Cher in Mask - she was right to shame the Academy about her snub
• Cruella Interview - the dazzling wigs and mad makeup discussed

COMING IN JUNE
More Emmy FYCs and analysis, first Oscar predictions of the year,  In the Heights, Pixar's Luca, Ellen Burstyn in Queen Bees, the release of I Carry You With Me (finally), the Provincetown film festival, the 50th anniversary of Klute (Jane Fonda's first much-deserved Oscar win), and a celebration of the films of 1946 in the run-up to the Supporting Actress Smackdown.