Review: John Early cooks up a marvelous melodrama with “Maddie’s Secret”

by Cláudio Alves 

Women on screen are more interesting than men. This is a truth universally acknowledged by actressexuals everywhere, and, by the looks of it, John Early is an actressexual like no other. For his feature directorial debut, the openly queer comedian-turned-actor-turned-maverick-filmmaker has decided to take these passions to the next level. Rather than watch from afar, he has become one of the great actresses he’d like to see on screen. And yet, for all it plays with gender, Maddie’s Secret isn’t necessarily a trans narrative nor what one usually expects from a drag queen movie, especially one whose cast comprises so many sketch and stand-up comedians. The film’s genealogy harkens back to Old Hollywood melodrama and its queer revisionisms and reinventions by the hands of auteurs such as John Waters and Todd Haynes. Run a DNA test, and you’ll find some of Polyester in there, some Superstar, but also those moralistic “based on a true story” spectacles that filled the small screen during the TV movie heyday. 

Arriving in cinemas this week, through Magnolia Pictures, Early’s passion project is an essential Pride Month watch…

Click to read more ...

Very Gay Film/Very Straight Guy: "Princess Cyd"

For pride month, straight critic Ben Miller takes a look back at a gay film he otherwise would have never seen

What is the ideal world we would like to be living in when it comes to understanding and accepting sexuality? How about one of gentle understanding, filled with mutually beneficial grace? Stephen Cone's Princess Cyd might not be outwardly presenting an ideal world of magical realism, but it's one we can at least look to as a beacon of light.

For too long, the world of heteronormativity has actively attempted to suppress and silence the LGBTQ+ community. But, what would happen if not only did the straight world not interfere with queer lives, but actively attempted to cheer them on?

Click to read more ...

Very Gay Film/Very Straight Guy: "Bad Education"

For pride month, straight critic Ben Miller takes a look back at a gay film he otherwise would have never seen.

Much of the experience of taking in film is seeing yourself in the characters and situations. Part of why I wanted to write this series is for something exactly like this. Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education is completely foreign to me (no pun intended for the Spanish language). Every male character is either gay, transgender, or sexually fluid. If you are none of those things, how do you connect?

Click to read more ...

Very Gay Film/Very Straight Guy: “Stranger by the Lake”

For pride month, straight critic Ben Miller takes a look back at a gay film he otherwise would have never seen

When I decided to begin this series, I committed myself to not just dip my toe in. I needed to dive headfirst into the gayest possible film I could think of. It would be disingenuous to talk about something as tame or commercially viable as Brokeback Mountain, Carol, or Moonlight. This was going to be a celebration and discussion of something the straight world does not and will not seek out.

I chose correctly.

Click to read more ...

2026 Cannes Winners + Oscar Submission Speculation

by Nathaniel R

FJORD wins the coveted Palme d'Or. Will Oscars nominations follow for Cristian Mungiu, Renate Reinsve, and Sebastian Stan? ?

Will the 2026 Cannes Festival have lasting impact on this cinematic year? With the oft-reported absence of major Hollywood outings at the 79th festival, the best we might hope for (for those of us on the other side of the ocean) is a similar or muted echo to last year when the four non-English features that dominated the Cannes conversation (It Was Just An Accident, Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, Sirāt) proved to have incredible staying power, wowing audiences from their May 2025 premieres all the way through the culmination of awards season on Oscar night in March of 2026. Not all of the award-winning films from a year ago held strong the whole film year, of course; Sound of Falling, The President's Cake, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, award-winning in May, struggled to make a big impact several months later with quieter distribution and media reactions.  Now that the 2026 edition of the festival has wrapped Fjord, Fatherland, The Black Ball, Minotaur, A Man of His Time, All of a Sudden, and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, as well as all of the non-winning films will now face the broader audience endurance test as they make their way through international markets. Will we see any of the 2026 Cannes titles in the mix come Oscar season, still building large devout fanbases? Not every film that wins big at Cannes "plays" elsewhere and some which come up empty-handed on the Croisette become awards players in other contexts (like Oscar or equivalent awards in their home countries).

The winners from the 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival and some commentary after the jump... 

Click to read more ...