Review: "Challengers" throbs with desire

by Cláudio Alves

American mainstream cinema has rarely felt as sexless as it does today. Even in the period between the 1934 implementation of the Hays Code and its demise, screens felt roused with desire. In some ways, the prohibition of overt sexuality supercharged movies with erotic potential, like a pot of boiling water that heats up faster once you put a lid on it. But nowadays, such qualities feel like artifacts of a bygone era. That's not to say movies suddenly lack objects of desire. Instead, as RS Benedict put it in his essay on superhero films, "everyone is beautiful and no one is horny."  But here comes Luca Guadagnino to the rescue, that lustful Italian whose films beckon a return to hedonistic cinema even when produced within Hollywood. Challengers is a prime example of that…

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot: WEST SIDE STORY (2021)

by Cláudio Alves

A beautiful shot, full of carnality and color!

Re-watching Spielberg's interpretation of the classic musical made me realize that, beyond the mournful tonalities of Rita Moreno's Valentina, the new West Side Story works mainly as a tragedy of two gang leaders, what they symbolize, and the clashing communities they represent. So, logically, my best shot would have to feature Riff and Bernardo while also showcasing the best aspects of the picture's photographic strategy. Hopefully, it'd also hide some of my personal misgivings with it, too – namely, the overabundance of glaring lens flares...

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Almost There: Mike Faist in "West Side Story"

by Cláudio Alves

While the role has been shortened compared to the 1961 Best Picture winner, Mike Faist's Riff feels exponentially more complex than Russ Tamblin's take on the same character. So much so that he became one of the standouts of West Side Story '21 and won our Almost There poll, trumping the likes of Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett. As it was the reader's choice, I'm obliged to explore the performance in an appropriate deep-dive. Though, truth be told, it's less obligation than plasure. Maybe the great surprise of the season, Mike Faist steals the musical remake from his co-stars, running away with the picture. 

From innate charisma to a cornucopia of curious acting choices, Mike Faist's Riff is worthy of gold, regardless of the Academy's indifference…

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I'll Link to That: Dune, Teen Wolf, and The Gilded Age

• Interview Kirsten Dunst interviews her Melancholia costar Alexander Skarsgárd about the demands of making his Viking period epic The Northman. Fun banter!
• Gr8ter Days takes a 40th anniversary look back at the first mainstream gay movie, Making Love
• Cartoon Brew struggles over abusively low salaries for artists in Japanese anime

Dune Part Two, The Gilded Age, Teen Wolf, Anders Danielsen Lie, Teen Wolf, and a new Luca Guadagnino project after the jump...

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Film Bitch Awards ~ Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and more are up!

With the arrival of that Top Ten List you knew this was coming. The 22nd (gulp) annual Film Bitch Awards have commenced. We'll try to get all the Oscar-adjacent nominees up before Tuesday...

Page 1 - BEST PICTURE, DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAYS, ANIMATED FEATURE
Various honors for C'mon C'mon, Flee, In the Heights, Mass, Passing, Power of the Dog, West Side Story, The Worst Person in the World (finally in theaters!), and Zola

Page 2 - BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR & BEST ACTOR
You might have deduced these first five acting nominees (Colman Domingo, Mike Faist, Troy Kotsur, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Kodi Smit McPhee) given our noisy enthusiams! The lead actors are also up. Guess who!

Page 3 - CINEMATOGRAPHY, MAKEUP 
Page 4 - ORIGINAL SONG, SOUND
Honors for Annette, Cruella, Dune, Encanto, French Dispatch, Green Knight, Tragedy of Macbeth etcetera with more to come...