Hail Satan and Holy Blasphemy: An Olympian Watchlist

by Cláudio Alves

Christian conservatives worldwide seem to have had their outrage activated by the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. The French Revolution pageantry has been decried as satanic, but even more religious nuts are losing their mind over a tableau starring drag queens in a pose that could remind one of Da Vinci's Last Supper. According to the ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, the image was in reference to and reverence of a painting. But it was no piece of Catholic iconography, rather The Feast of the Gods by Jan van Bijlert, a depiction of the Olympians with Bacchus in the front.

Still, even if Jolly had re-imagined the Last Supper with queer performers, why would that be an insult instead of a celebration? Appeals to religious decorum are mere smokescreens, hiding hatred and trying to give it a justification. In response to such culture war odiousness, I can think of no better response than a provocation in the form of a list – here at TFE, we are known list-o-maniacs, after all. If you yearn to be offended by blasphemous media, satanic sensations, and some glorious filth, here are thirteen flicks to scratch that itch…

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More news about Mohammad Rasoulof

by Cláudio Alves

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (2024)

Last Friday, among a torrent of festival-related news, the fate of Mohammad Rasoulof was a topic of discussion. The Iranian filmmaker has found himself in trouble with his country's law for many years now, primarily because of political outspokenness and a cinematic output that dares to question the status quo. His latest work, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, is scheduled for a Cannes premiere next week, as part of the Main Competition. Though details are scant, it's been reported as the story of a paranoid judge of the Revolutionary Court. When, in a setting of civic unrest, his gun vanishes, the man imposes oppressive rules on his family, turning the domestic space into a tyranny, his wife and daughters into quasi-prisoners…

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Celebrate Dev Patel with "Monkey Man"

by Cláudio Alves

Happy birthday, Dev Patel!

The erstwhile Skins actor turned hottest living Oscar nominee is 34 years old today and, as if to commemorate the occasion, Monkey Man just became available on PVOD. The India-set action movie is Patel's feature directorial debut, though he's more than just the guy calling the shots from the director's chair. The multi-hyphenated artist also produced and wrote the revenge flick. Oh, and he stars in it, too, doing most of his stunts, which resulted in a broken hand on the first days of shooting. Overall, it was a challenging project to bring to fruition, made more so when Netflix dropped Monkey Man in response to its political content. Thankfully, Jordan Peele came to the rescue, guaranteeing the film a theatrical release that, if nothing else, confirmed Dev Patel's promise as a bonafide movie star…

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Drag Race RuCap: “Werq the World”

Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves are following and recapping RuPaul’s Drag Race season sixteen. This week, it’s time for episode ten…

Sapphira is our Lisan al Gaib. All others are false prophets.

CLÁUDIO: It’s been quite the week to grumble about robbed queens, but enough about the Oscars. In RuPaul’s Prison Experiment, there were no such robberies. Indeed, there isn’t even an elimination to discuss since Mother Reverend Charles blessed us with a non-elimination episode. I’m not sure how I feel about that last bit, but I can’t help but cheer as Sapphira cements her claim on the crown. As we’ve discussed off-record, this chapter feels like the moment when a winner comes into their own, the place where, in retrospect, the narrative solidified and their Golden Path came to be. God Empress Cristál has risen, while both the Banana Queen and the bitchy aircraft fumble - false Kwisatz Haderachs, the two of them. Now, will you indulge my Oscar/Dune nonsense, or is it time to get serious? 

NICK: Listen, I’m used to just nodding along while people say things I can barely grasp in context, so go off diva...

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Stand strong SAG-AFTRA and WGA

by Nathaniel R

There's a lot of good reporting on the current WGA strike out there from the big budget entertainment sites. You absolutely should get caught up at Vanity Fair for instance, to catch up with what's going down. We were thrilled to learn that SAG-AFTRA has joined forces with the ongoing Writers Strike. It's brought Hollywood to a literal standstill today. Productions have halted. Furthermore no actors can promote their current or upcoming TV and movies. It's a disaster for the industry that was already struggling but strikes are supposed to be disruptive and wealth absolutely must be shared. There's no reason why CEOs and executives should consume all the spoils and leave crumbs for the writers and actors who create the stories and characters we all obsess over and spend money on.

While we the audience will feel the painful repercussions for months -- watch out for many delays in movies, tv seasons, and the hobbling of Emmy season and fall film festivals as actors will not be allowed to promote their work -- we applaud the strike...

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