Ten reasons to celebrate Pride Month with "Latin Blood"

by Cláudio Alves

LATIN BLOOD: THE BALLAD OF NEY MATOGROSSO | © Netflix

Last Thursday, Americans celebrated Juneteenth, but south of the Equator, Latin America's largest nation was in a cinephile mood. It was Brazilian Cinema Day, marking 127 years since Affonso Segreto shot what is considered the earliest cinematic depiction of Brazil in film history. A century and change after cameras first glimpsed the Guanabara Bay, the country's having a moment on the world stage. In the space of a few months, we saw such titles as I'm Still Here, The Blue Trail, and The Secret Agent win big at the Oscars, Berlinale, and Cannes. However, within Brazilian borders, other success stories have flourished, largely overlooked by international onlookers. Consider Vitória with Fernanda Montenegro delivering a staggering star turn at 95, and today's subject, the word-of-mouth box office phenomenon that is Homem com H.

Known as Latin Blood: The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso in English-language markets, the music biopic arrived on Netflix June 17th. And, since that streaming giant is doing nothing to promote it, let me enumerate ten reasons why you need to add Esmir Filho's latest to your Pride Month watchlist…

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It's a Pride Party! with "D.E.B.S."

by Nick Taylor

If you’re looking for a fun, unbelievably cute watch this Pride, you couldn’t do better than Angela Robinson’s D.E.B.S., a 2004 comedy with a clear mission statement: What if Charlie’s Angels was lesbians, with the ass-kicking superspy and her archnemesis falling head over heels for each other? An expansion of her own short film, (which you can and should watch for free on Vimeo right here!) Robinson delivers a parody built on real affection for the material it’s inverting. The knowingly cheesy visual effects carbon date this hard in the early ‘00s, yet the premise is a timeless staple of slash fiction the world over...

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Gotham Awards: Brigette-Lundy Paine in "I Saw the TV Glow"

by Nick Taylor

In an act of controversial cinema adoration, the awards-giving body that’s spent most of its thirty years structured around gender-neutral acting categories has recognized a gender-neutral performer. Brigette Lundy-Paine is nominated by the Gotham Awards for Outstanding Supporting Performance for their turn in Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow. Lundy-Paine’s Maddy is the only friend of Justice Smith’s Owen, and his guide into the world of The Pink Opaque. It’s a strange, commanding performance, an all-too-real portrait of queer dysphoria and camaraderie tested by alternate realities, shitty dads, and an evil moon. I am unbelievably thankful for this film and for Lundy-Paine's embodiment of this character, so now seems like the best time to celebrate their work. Follow me under the cut if you want to know the truth . . . .

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NYFF '24: "Viêt and Nam" finds heaven underground

by Cláudio Alves

In the darkness of the movie theater, filmmakers can conjure images the audience has never dreamed of. Sometimes, they reveal the impossible, dreams that only exist on the silver screen, that looking glass in endless molten metamorphosis. They can reflect the audience back to themselves and the world, too. Sometimes, they're the sweet secrets within your heart or fears you never even knew you had. The power of image-making cannot nor should it be underestimated. Watching Trương Minh Quý's Viêt and Nam, I felt such power, the wonder and awe. 

And it all starts underground, at the bottom of a mine. It starts somewhere where death waits, yet freedom blossoms. It's a trip down to hell that leads to paradise, temporary as it may be…

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The People's Joker Is A Woman of Her Word

by Nick Taylor

That’s right folks: It’s time. The review you’ve all been waiting for. It’s me, talking about The People’s Joker, one of the year’s best films. You’ve had over a week now to see this magnificence in your own homes, to treasure its weird earnestness barely submerged amidst so much scuzzy kitsch, to marvel at such ingenuity despite palpably limited assets, to bemoan the lack of international release or festival screenings even though this would kill at a queer film festival. My two trips to see this in a packed theater, flanked on all sides by queers who were so ready for the madness Vera Drew promised them, rank among the best crowd experiences I’ve ever had, and it’s a genuine bummer more people won’t get to experience The People’s Joker in that environment.

It’s not the release this film deserves, but being even this accessible to a wide audience is what it needs. For those wondering what The People’s Joker is, or need an extra push to check it out, follow me below the cut and learn all about it . . . . 

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