Review: Happiest Season

by Eurocheese

Yes, it’s that time. Even in this, the strangest year of most of our lives, there’s something comforting about knowing that holiday season always rolls around and we can put on our favorite holiday songs and movies to keep us company. Clea DuVall’s new film Happiest Season not only understands that we need this escape, but manages to find humor in a season that can also be high pressure and exasperating for those who don’t adore it.

Abby (Kristen Stewart) is one of these people. While her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) seems over the moon for the holiday, it’s always been a tough time for her, connected to the loss of her parents. In a romantic moment, Harper impulsively invites Abby back to meet her family for Christmas. Abby jumps on the opportunity, and doesn’t pick up on Harper’s hesitance the next day… or her nervous vibe as they head out on the trip…

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Now Streaming: Paul Bettany is "Uncle Frank"

by Christopher James

Everybody wants a happy ending. Especially with gay-themed movies, we’re so used to seeing LGBTQ+ characters go through trauma, abuse or end up killed by the time the credits roll. It’s always nice when movies about the queer experience can be positive or uplifting. However, they also have to be genuine. Uncle Frank wears its heart on its sleeve, and that works for a while. Yet, as the movie goes on, it becomes so sweet and saccharine, you just wind up with a toothache.

It’s 1969, Elizabeth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) doesn’t fit in with her South Carolina family. Her parents (Steve Zahn and Judy Greer) fade to the background in traditional gendered roles. Meanwhile, her Grandpa, Daddy Mac (Stephen Root), spews orders and hate at every turn, while Mammaw (Margo Martindale) and Aunt Butch (Lois Smith) gab in the kitchen. She feels the greatest kinship with her Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany), who seldom comes down from New York...

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Review: The Last Vermeer

By Abe Friedtanzer

I know that 2020 has felt like an eternity for a number of reasons, but how is it possible that this never-ending year has given us not one but two lackluster movies about art starring Claes Bang?

The Burnt Orange Heresy, about an art critic and a reclusive painter, was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Classics right before the pandemic hit and then rereleased in August since it barely had any time to make an impression (not that the experience of seeing it does that either). Now, Bang is back as a Dutch Jew investigating the actions of an eccentric artist accused of collaborating with the Nazis in the immediate aftermath of World War II in The Last Vermeer…

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Review: Sarah Paulson in Hulu’s "Run"

By Abe Friedtanzer

Is there any project that wouldn’t be able to write in a great part for Sarah Paulson? The Emmy-winning actress is a frequent Ryan Murphy collaborator, most recently working with him in the title role of Netflix’s Ratched, which finds a role almost tailor-made for her as a passionate nurse with subversive aims and a formidable will to achieve them. She was also very memorable as one of the few fictional characters in Mrs. America, a stoic supporter of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly who undergoes a fascinating transformation over the course of the limited series. Now, she’s back on streaming in the Hulu movie Run, a tense thriller not to be confused with HBO’s recent dark comedy effort.

Paulson stars as Diane, a woman who is devastated to learn upon giving birth that her daughter is afflicted with a number of conditions that will make her life very difficult...

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Streaming Review: "A Teacher" on FX/Hulu

by Christopher James

A Teacher is an odd little show. Hannah Fidell’s adaptation of her 2013 feature once again explores an illicit relationship between a female teacher and her male high school student. The miniseries sometimes feels like an Adrian Lyne movie by way of a 2013 indie film. It’s both muted and salacious. This makes for an odd viewing experience, given the subject matter. However, at less than 30 minutes a pop, A Teacher is still a quick and satisfying binge.

Kate Mara plays Claire, a thirtysomething English teacher in Austin, Texas. Her home life feels incredibly familiar. She has a nice, if distant, husband (Ashley Zukerman), a lovely suburban home and is in the process of trying to start a family. Still, there’s something in Claire that chafes against this life she’s built for herself. When she reads Dylan Thomas’ poem “Race against the dying of the light” to her senior AP English students, she captures the eye of Eric (Nick Robinson), a golden boy senior.

It all begins seemingly innocent enough...

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