This news of Abraham Quintanilla's death hit me very hard today. I’ve cried so much over this man. It's hard to explain why.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Q
Pondering ‘The Reader’ After 16 Years: Part 2
As a film, The Reader asks us to grapple with the very notion of love. What is it? What does it look like? How does it manifest? And can we know it when we see it? What happens when something clashes with our perception of love? And more importantly, what happens when something clashes with... Continue Reading →
Pondering ‘The Reader’ After 16 Years: Part 1
When I first heard about The Reader in 2008, I somehow dreamed up that it was a horror film about a psychic tarot reader. I was wrong. I’m not sure where exactly I got that idea but when I saw the film for the first time, I was glad to have been so grossly mistaken. The film... Continue Reading →
Mini Appreciation: ‘Losing Chase’
I’ve seen Losing Chase a hundred times but this past weekend I found myself in the mood to watch something familiar and comforting. And now I feel called to write a little something because… well, why not? Helen Mirren and Kyra Sedgwick are rather brilliant in this little film. Mirren plays a free spirited housewife (Chase) on the... Continue Reading →
Mini Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
It seems like people have been chattering about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for quite some time. I put off reading it because, well, I wasn’t sure I’d be into it. I’d heard here and there that the book had a certain queerness to it. Oftentimes — at least in my experience — that means there’s... Continue Reading →
Mini Book Review: All Good People Here
Say what you want about Ashley Flowers but she’s a helluva storyteller. Her debut novel All Good People Here gives readers a nice mix of drama, mystery, crime, and scandal — intrigue all around. The story itself will be familiar to anyone who’s had an ear on true crime the past few decades. Readers need only get... Continue Reading →
Happy Birthday, Donna
For a brief moment this afternoon I considered writing a lengthy tribute to Donna Summer for her 75th birthday. But the truth is that I can say what I need to say in very few words: her joy, her power, and her music saved my life when I was 12 years old. I’m not sure... Continue Reading →
‘A Star Without A Star’ is an Ode to an Unsung Hollywood Heroine
I was a little kid when 1959's Imitation of Life was released on VHS in 1992. By some stroke of luck, a copy of it landed on my family’s living room shelf. It stood out among our small but eclectic collection of VHS tapes—some combination of Disney movies, 80’s Bette Midler classics, and a well-worn... Continue Reading →
‘Olivia’ Part 5: Death by a Thousand Cuts
Each character in Olivia is grappling with a universal experience—whether it be the hope of self-discovery, the determination to move forward, or the fear of being left behind—all through the lens of queer womanhood. Overcoming the challenges of these experiences is integral to their survival, and what unfolds in the film is a series of bittersweet mistakes, difficult choices, and broken promises that add such layered nuance to this story that queer women are still drawn to it today.
Mini Appreciation: ‘Hacks’
Watching Jean Smart makes me feel warm inside. Her turn as Deborah Vance in HBO Max’s Hacks is as thrilling as it is brilliant. I mean, how often do we get to see a woman over 70 absolutely killing it on screen? And with a much younger openly queer counterpart? (Yes, Hannah Einbinder as Ava... Continue Reading →
Des Chimères 