I WANT YOUR SEX (2026)

Written by Karley Sciortino and Gregg Araki



Directed by Gregg Araki



Where & When: AMC The Americana at Brand 18, Glendale, CA. July 31, 2026 4:30 PM



After he completed college with studies in cinematic arts, LA native, Gregg Araki was ready to tackle a career as a filmmaker. Pulling together about five thousand dollars, Araki made his feature film debut in 1987, "Three Bewildered People in the Night", a black & white drama involving a straight couple and their gay, male friend. Winning a Critics' Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival for this film, Araki collected some more money to make his next low-budget feature two years later, "The Long Weekend (O' Despair)" which featured a gay, lesbian and straight couple all spending a weekend together, winning an award from the LA Film Critics Association.

Araki's next movie would arrive in 1992 with a slightly larger budget and a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Lazily described by some as a "gay Thelma & Louise", "The Living End" is a road-trip adventure involving two HIV-positive male lovers on the run after stealing and leaving a trail of dead bodies. Boldly political, disturbingly violent and driven by a post-punk soundtrack, "The Living End" became a critical and box-office success while also one of the early films that helped spark the New Queer Cinema movement which had included other provocative films by Todd Haynes, Isaac Julien and Derek Jarman. Araki would go on to make more, challenging cinema like his Teenage Apocalypse trilogy: "Totally F***ed Up", "The Doom Generation" and "Nowhere", "Mysterious Skin" and the stoner comedy, "Smiley Face". But following "White Bird in a Blizzard", his little seen 2014 adaptation of Laura Kasischke's novel that featured an all-star cast, Araki has been missing from movie screens.

That has now been rectified with Araki's return to the big screen with "I Want Your Sex", a colorfully stimulating, sex comedy that sees the director back in fine form. There's some BDSM kink tossed in along with erotic thrills, queer undertones and a possible murder which together creates an intriguingly twisted, dark edged farce.

When we first meet Elliott (Cooper Hoffman), bloodied and wearing lingerie, he sees a naked female body face down in a pool. This is his boss, Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), a provocative visual artist and we are taken back several months ago when Elliott first went in to apply for a job as one of her studio assistants who help assemble her sexually charged art. Unfocused and a bit disheveled, he doesn't really seem like a good fit for this position yet Erika seems intrigued and hires Elliott on the spot.

But she has more nefarious plans for the young Elliott that is not exactly work related. After inquiring if he has a girlfriend (which he does, played by pop star, Charli XCX, who is far more interested in studying than having sex with him), Erika promptly initiates a purely sexual relationship with him. Hesitant at first, Elliott soon gives in to his urges but he discovers that Erika has something more extreme in mind. She enjoys being dominant during their erotic encounters and guides Elliott into a deeply submissive position, pushing him to do things he never would have imagined.

Never motivated by commercial appeal or the potential of huge box-office, Araki hasn't changed much since his early days of guerilla filmmaking, continuing to make scrappy movies on his terms that are queer in spirit and style. He was inspired to make "I Want Your Sex" (working on the script with Karley Sciortino for about a decade) after learning that Gen Z was having less sex than previous generations. Shocked by this news, Araki set about to create this film less to be critical but more to provoke conversation about this subject. As Erika says to Elliott, "Making a mistake is what being young is all about.", encouraging him to enjoy his youth by having bad love affairs, getting sloppy drunk or just being reckless. And trust me, there will be plenty of time later in life to be safe and cautious.

Much like his father, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, the twenty-three year old Hoffman displays an easy, natural screen presence with a performance filled with charm, nuance and depth. Since his debut as the lead in family friend, Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza", Hoffman has been giving nepo babies a good name while revealing the potential to have an promising career ahead of him.

Wilde is having a particularly good year. After the letdown of "Don't Worry, Darling", her second feature as a director, she recently received glowing raves for her direction and performance in the comedy-drama, "The Invite" and will appear as an actor in Tony Gilroy's upcoming drama, "Behemoth!" that will reach theaters in December. As Erika, Wilde is fearless, unconcerned about being likeable or appealing while perfectly capturing the wild, narcissistic nature of this overindulgent artist.

The rest of the impressive cast includes Chase Sui Wonders as Apple, Elliott's platonic roommate, getting drawn into the kinky games when Erika demands that he quickly find a third for a three-way. Daveed Diggs appears as the harried business manager who gracelessly informs Elliott, frustrated by his interruption of the work flow, that he's hardly the first of Erika's assistants she has spent time with after hours. Mason Gooding delivers the sass as Zap, Elliott's gay co-worker and Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho show-up, playing against type, as the hard-nosed detectives trying to get answers from Elliott on his relationship to Erica and what could have happened to her.

Kinky and uninhibited, "I Want Your Sex" might be power driven by unconventional carnal desires yet doesn't really have much of a honest erotic charge. And while the mystery at the heart of the film winds up being a bit too tidy and improbable to be satisfying, Araki is still able to keep his depraved version of a rom-com a hilariously enjoyable watch.

COMING SOON

If you take a look at the picture above, that is Tom Cruise. Yes, the same handsome, big screen action superstar who you know and love from the "Top Gun" and "Mission: Impossible" movies. And he appears ready to challenge himself once again as an actor in the upcoming black comedy, "Digger" which he teams up with Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon, who wants to be viewed as the savior for humanity before an impending disaster that he's responsible for causing destroys the entire planet. With echoes of Stanley Kubrick's wild political satire, "Dr. Strangelove", "Digger" looks like the perfect showcase to remind audiences that he is quite capable as a character actor in a comedic role. Cruise is surrounded by an impressive cast that includes John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sandra Hüller.

"Digger" is due in US theaters on October 2, 2026

MADDIE'S SECRET (2026)

Written & Directed by John Early



Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. July 14, 2026 4:20 PM



"Maddie's Secret" tells the story of a woman living in Los Angeles who seems to have a good life: a loving husband, a close friend and contentment at her job. But Maddie secretly dreams of becoming a professional chef. An opportunity comes her way but the pressures from this success reopens the door to an even darker secret that she had been suppressing, creating chaos and despair for Maddie and her loved ones. 

Loosely inspired by a 1980's television-movie-of-the-week, writer and director, John Early has put an amusing queercentric spin on this melodramatic parody for his feature film debut. Early also plays Maddie as an actual woman in the film: not trans or non-binary. Make of this what you will but I believe he took on this role less as a political statement and more about an opportunity to play a fascinating character.

Maddie (Early) and her best friend, Deena (Kate Berlant) work as dishwashers for Gourmaybe, a video test kitchen program. And while the haughty Emily (Claudia O'Doherty) might be the star of the show, Maddie would love to have a chance to be in front of the camera as a cook. After Maddie's husband, Jake (Eric Rahill) films his wife preparing one of her best vegetarian meals, he posts the clip online despite her protests. The next day, the video blows up, going viral and her crass boss, Zack (Conner O'Malley) quickly makes her an on-camera personality on the program.

Maddie achieves much of the success and popularity that she's ever wanted yet this also creates new problems for her. Cruel comments from viewers about her weight triggers the bulimia she once had under control. Maddie starts to act manically, pushing herself hard in dance classes while purging all of the food she does consume. After her husband catches her retching into a toilet, she tells him she's pregnant and Jake is thrilled since he has been wanting to start a family for sometime. And Deena starts feeling neglected by her friend with Maddie fearful in confiding to her what's actually going on.

Early has been working as an actor, stand-up and sketch comedy performer for a number of years, participating in several sketch programs and created content with Berlant. He had his own HBO musical-comedy special, "John Early: Now More Than Ever" in 2023 and released a studio album with songs from the program. With his feature film directorial debut, Early brilliantly takes on those earnest dramas that had an important message, one that is told through wacky hysteria and overheated emotions.

As Maddie, the actor dives all the way in, expressively capturing all of the fears and trauma of this tortured woman in a wild and darkly hilarious performance. After a cardiac health crisis, Maddie's eating disorder is discovered and she's checked into an inpatient treatment program. During a session with a doctor and her overbearing mother, Beverlee (played by the comedy great, Kristen Johnston), Maddie confronts her parent about how she was treated about her weight since she was a small child, revealing how she's the root cause of her complicated relationship with food.

With an open-ended conclusion and a classic freeze-frame on the face of a triumphant Maddie, "Maddie's Secret" has taken us on an amusing, emotional adventure, handling a health disorder with outrageously dark humor yet still finding some room for thoughtful candor. Early has admitted he was greatly influenced by a variety of offbeat cinema that includes the singular works by John Waters and Paul Verhoeven to create this film. Yet he stands tall with his own sense of stylish, eccentric comedy, proving to be a modern craftsman of deranged camp. Following the hilarious, "Maddie's Secret", I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what else Early has in store for us on the big screen, hopefully in the very near future.

SCARY MOVIE (2026)

Written by Marlon Wayans & Shawn Wayans & Keenen Ivory Wayans & Rick Alvarez



Directed by Michael Tiddes



Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA June 10, 2026 5:10 PM



It has been fourteen years since the last "Scary Movie", a spoof on horror films and other moments in popular culture, last appeared on the big screen. This series of comedies, originally conceived by Marlon and Shawn Wayans along with writing partners, Buddy Johnson and Phil Beauman, is filled with raunchy humor and comedic spins of popular slasher flicks. The first "Scary Move" back in 2000 was directed by their brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was the creator and host of the sketch comedy series, "In Living Color", and went on to become a box-office hit with a sequel quickly released the following year. But by the time for a third film, the Wayans brothers were forced off the film when they could not come to a salary agreement with the studio at time, Miramax. David Zucker, who was a co-creator and director of "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" films, went on to helm the next two "Scary Movie" sequels with Malcolm D. Lee directing a fifth as the box-office results diminished with each subsequent film.

"Scary Movie" is now back to offer parodies on current horror movies to modern viewers and the Wayans brothers along with stars, Anna Faris and Regina Hall have also returned for this sixth installment of the series. Filled with plenty of sight gags and wacky recreations of characters from popular scary movies, "Scary Movie" also attempts to create humor from the frightening culture wars of today. But this film never feels like it has made any real effort to evolve, remaining stuck retreading stale comedy that was barely funny in the previous era.

Our story opens with goth teenager, Tuesday Campbell (Savannah Lee Nassif) being attacked by the return of the deranged killer, Ghostface. At the hospital, her sister, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) along with her boyfriend, Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) realize that this seems similar to what happened with the girls' estranged mother, Cindy (Faris) twenty-six years ago and decide to go to her for help. Living as a recluse, Cindy is too frightened to get directly involved. Sara and Jack team up with Brad (Gregg Wayans) and Dei (Sydney Park) who happen to be the children of Brenda Meeks (Hall) to try solve who is the killer behind the mask.

As we move through this thin narrative, we are given comic send-ups of the genre movies, "Ma", "Get Out", "M3GAN", "Smile", "Longlegs", "Sinners" and there's even a brief animated sequence inspired by "KPop Demon Hunters". And much like many "Saturday Night Live" skits, these comedy bits loosely strung together throughout the film are hit-or-miss routines, filling the screen with either laugh-out-loud occasions or (more often) plodding, groan inducing moments.

Faris and Hall remain the only noteworthy performers here but these comic vets wind up having to take a backseat to the younger characters who lack presence and serious comedy chops. Others who make a reappearance from the past are Brenda's stoner brother, Shorty (Marlon Wayans), reporter, Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri) and the mentally challenged, Doofy Gilmore (Dave Sheridan) who had turned out to be the original Ghostface. And Teyana Taylor make a brief cameo in the opener playing herself in a spoof of this movie series called "Horror Movie".

Since the very beginning of this franchise, "Scary Movie" has focused far more about being clever than actually funny. The latest version wants to appeal to a new generation yet fails to take into account that the world and comedy has changed considerably since the first movie hit theaters. This "Scary Movie" feels dated, extremely lazy and way too formulaic in it's approach and delivery to succeed in its attempt to find laughs spoofing horror movies.

I LOVE BOOSTERS (2026)

Written & Directed by Boots Riley

Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA  May 26, 2026  4:10 PM

Boots Riley has finally returned with a follow-up to his cleverly absurdist comedy, "Sorry To Bother You" with "I Love Boosters", a lively comedy that pushes even more aggressively to be hilariously deranged, visually eye-popping and slyly thought provoking. Propelled by an impressive and game cast, Riley certainly wants to entertain while discretely delivering a weighty message with his latest. But "I Love Boosters" is unable to seamlessly merge these sentiments into an effective and meaningful manner.

Corvette (Keke Palmer) is the ringleader behind the Velvet Gang who are sort of like a modern-day Robin Hood and his merry men, regularly shoplifting from high-end designer shops and turning around to sell the expensive clothes to help out the common fashionistas for a far more affordable price point. Along with Mariah (Taylour Paige) and Sade (Naomi Ackie), Corvette's main focus is on a chain of stores called Metro that is run by designer, Christie Smith (Demi Moore). As an aspiring fashion designer, Corvette greatly admires Christie who views what she does as important, transformative art.

The trio get jobs at one of the Metro stores which will make it far easier to get their hands on the clothing. But before they are able to steal the store's inventory, someone else has beat them to it and emptied out the store. Using the surveillance footage, which shows the robber vacuuming up all the merchandise into a large bag, the gang are able to track down the retail thief. It turns out to be Jianhu (Poppy Liu), an employee at the Metro manufacturing plant in China. She explains that the company uses a teleporter to ship their merchandise, saving them a lot of money. But the working conditions at the factory remains miserable and dangerous, so she's using a stolen teleporter to ship the clothes back to China so the workers will have some leverage against the company.

Enhanced by the colorfully vivid production design by Christopher Glass, the delightfully gaudy costumes from Shirley Kurata and the quirky musical score by indie pop artist, Tune-Yards, "I Love Boosters" chugs along with a manic energy, continuously throwing us off balance with chaotic visuals. Riley thrillingly lets his imagination run wild by throwing in absurdist humor (with a black character able to appear as a white woman when she hold her breath), stop-motion animation and a madcap, car chase that utilizes a miniature set. But by the time we reach the third act, our story shifts even deeper into a surreal atmosphere, still with some amusing moments, that becomes more narratively convoluted and exhausting.

As a filmmaker, Riley displays a persuasive confidence, boldly and fearlessly expressing his social and political views which at this period in time could be considered very risky. The film may be filled with intellectual vigor, savvy street style and highbrow sci-fi but the characters in "Boosters" end up being not much more than sketches lacking in the fine details that would bring them properly to life.

But this doesn't mean that the actors on board are not able to shine with some dazzling performances. Palmer plays to her strengths, delivering plenty of smarts, sass and style while Moore gets to chew up the fabric as the ego-driven mastermind behind the fashion company. We also get Will Poulter as a prissy manager of a Metro store where the ladies are employed, an unrecognizable Don Cheadle playing a pyramid schemer and LaKeith Stanfield appears as the Pinky Ring Guy, a smooth taking dude who has an peculiar interest in Corvette.

Without a doubt, Riley is a true cinematic innovator, an audacious and compelling visionary eager to challenge audiences to consider stories and perspectives outside of what is continuously being spoon fed to them through all types of media. I really wanted to love "I Love Boosters". Really. But this whimsical yet fiery call for resistance ends up being a wild jumble of mind-bending thoughts and twisted ideas that unfortunately disappoints because the relentlessly outrageous style winds up overwhelming the political agenda.

COMING SOON

Boots Riley dazzled with his feature film directorial debut, "Sorry To Bother You", a sci-fi, dark comedy, back in 2018. This critically acclaimed film told the story of a struggling, young African-American telemarketer (played by LaKeith Stanfield) who adopts a "white voice" to succeed at his job but soon discovers a sinister corporate scheme and forced to choose between continuing to enjoy the high life or join in with his fellow workers that are trying to unionize.

Now Riley has finally returned with his follow-up feature, "I Love Boosters", another absurdist black comedy. The teaser trailer reveals Keke Palmer who stars as the ringleader of a gang of fashion obsessed, shoplifters who target a ruthless style maven, played by Demi Moore. The rest of the impressive cast includes Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter and Don Cheadle. 

"I Love Boosters" will make its world premiere as the opening film at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in March before reaching theaters in May.

"I Love Boosters" is due in US theaters on May 22, 2026

GOODBYE JUNE (2025)

Written by Joe Anders



Directed by Kate Winslet



Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. December 16, 2025 4:20 PM



Available to stream now on Netflix



The extraordinary British actor, Kate Winslet has delivered many outstanding screen performances in such wide-ranging films as "Heavenly Creatures", "Sense and Sensibility", "Titanic", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "The Holiday" and "The Reader" which she would win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Now she has made the move to work behind the camera with her directorial debut, "Goodbye June". This comedic drama deals with a dysfunctional family who must come together to help their ailing matriarch through her difficult time. With a rich history of playing strong-willed, complicated characters and appearing in many indie and experimental cinema, it would be expected that Winslet eagerly wanted to take us on an unconventional journey into the lives of this unstable family. But "Goodbye June" is disappointingly trite and surprisingly timid, never pushing these anxious and eccentric characters far enough to the edge to make this family's story feel essential.

One morning, June (Helen Mirren) is boiling water to make tea. Having difficulty breathing, she collapses to the floor with her son, Connor (Johnny Flynn) rushing to get his mother to the hospital. With his doddering father, Bernie (Timothy Spall) in tow, Connor has the task of contacting his three older sisters; the career-oriented mother, Julia (Winslet) who is handling work and family while her husband is out of the country for his job; Molly (Andrea Riseborough), an overwhelmed, stay-at-home mother who has her kind but scattered husband (Stephen Merchant) on hand yet he isn't much help and Helen (Toni Collette), an unmarried, new-age spiritualist guiding on a retreat out of the country. 

When they all arrive to the hospital, the doctors (Jeremy Swift, Raza Jaffrey) inform the family that June's cancer has aggressively returned and inoperable. Not given much time, the distraught family decides to make sure that June has at least one more special Christmas with her entire clan. But this holiday gathering will prove to be a challenge to pull off since Julia and Molly are barely speaking due to a long simmering tension between them. Connor begins to struggle with his life choices because of this latest crisis and Bernie is in denial to his wife's critical situation while June's health starts to rapidly decline.

Winslet decided to direct "Goodbye June" after reading the screenplay by Anders, who also happens to be her son with former husband, Sam Mendes, the acclaimed director of screen and stage. Not wanting to let this story be told by someone outside of the family, this film is based loosely on Anders' experiences coping with his maternal grandmother's ordeal with ovarian cancer. The script captures the trauma, fear and stress of an impending loss with considerate precision yet the characterizations are far too broad and uncompelling. But Winslet wisely assembled a starry cast of friends and colleagues to fill these roles, masterful talents that are more than capable of making these family members appealing and poignant, allowing for her first time in the director's chair to be slightly easier and helping to elevate the film in the process.

"Goodbye June" is a film filled with anguished emotions, watching a family trying to put aside their personal grievances towards each other in order to provide an united front in the face of tragedy. Yet the catharsis we are expecting doesn't feel well earned. When we discover what the actual conflict between the two feuding sisters is really about, the reason is far more exasperating than meaningful. And we don't know for sure that Connor had been struggling with his sexuality until literally the end of the movie although it was vaguely implied earlier during a quiet moment with his mother's nurse, aptly named Angel played by Fisayo Akinade. 

Winslet is successful in creating a warm, lighthearted yet uneasy atmosphere with "Goodbye June". But there seems like there could have been a far darker and funnier movie at play, one with a few unexpected twists that might have made this family drama come across as more impactful and less formulaic.

THE NAKED GUN (2025)

Written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva Schaffer



Directed by Akiva Schaffer



Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. August 3, 2025 5:10 PM



After David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker had incredible success with "Airplane!", their wacky spoof on aerial disaster movies back in 1980, they moved to television with a parody on police procedurals. With Leslie Nielsen (who had a long career as a dramatic actor before his gift for deadpan comedy was revealed in "Airplane!") as Detective Frank Drebin, "Police Squad!" premiered two years later but was cancelled after only six episodes. But the comedy team still had faith in the concept and transferred the idea to the big screen. Reaching theaters in 1988, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" became a huge box-office hit and spawned two equally successful sequels.

Now "The Naked Gun" has been rebooted for a continuation of the movie series directed by Akiva Schaffer, one third of the musical comedy outfit, The Lonely Island which features his childhood buddies, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. Liam Neeson, the Irish actor best known for his brooding and deadly serious performances in many popular action films, is on board to let loose and make us chuckle as the son of Frank Drebin. This version certainly has the uproarious looney spirit of the previous films and there are plenty of laughs to be found. But this "Naked Gun" feels somewhat restrained compared to the other movies, too timid to really go all the way in with jokes that some might consider too outrageous and potentially offensive.

Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson) may have single-handedly stopped a violent bank robbery while disguised as a little girl but his unorthodox methods puts him in hot water with the police chief (CCH Pounder) who reassigns him to less public duty. During an investigation of a fatal car crash involving a software engineer, Drebin decides it was a suicide. But Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), a crime novelist who is the sister of the victim, visits Drebin at the station trying to convince him that her brother was actually murdered.

This leads Drebin to Edentech, the tech company Davenport worked with and the billionaire owner, Richard Cane (Danny Huston). Connecting over the hip-hop group, the Black Eyed Peas, the two men get on well enough that Cane even gives Drebin a self-driving electric car. However, Cane is behind a secret sinister plot involving a device, P.L.O.T. (get it?) which will convert the average man back into wild, primitive state while the wealthy will be unaffected to rule over them.

What we have in between this basic plot are rapid fire jokes, comical sight gags and hilarious puns. There are moments I found myself laughing out loud, particularly during an oddball romantic interlude between Frank, Beth and an amorous snowman. But some of the jokes land with a thud and running gags (Anderson's goofy jazz scatting at a club and Drebin trapped in the racing EV that Cane uses in an attempt to kill him comes quickly to mind) go on far too long. And as the film progresses to reach the conclusion of Drebin trying to defeat Cane's plan, the pacing becomes more slack and the humor feels more forced.

Neeson and Anderson may not be fully comfortable (or skilled) with performing the broad comedy in the film yet they give it their all with exuberance and gusto. We know that what was considered funny has changed considerably since the original movie was made and there is now a much stronger desire not to offend anybody. But this film pushes just enough to create a sense of outrageously silly fun. "Naked Gun" is a very welcome return of the big-screen comedy and hopefully will spark a much needed revival of the genre.

MICKEY 17 (2025)

Written & Directed by Bong Joon Ho



Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. March 10, 2025 3:40 PM



For the follow-up to his Best Picture Oscar-winning film, "Parasite, the South Korean filmmaker, Bong Joon Ho has continued exploring social themes involving class and politics with "Mickey 17". But this dark comedy travels deep into the future and set in an English-language, new-fashioned world. Since this is an absurdist fantasy, although with a heavy critique on our current political landscape, Bong lets his imagination run wild, creating a bleak, chaotic and wacky environment that remains thoroughly entertaining.

When we first met the seventeenth "reprinted" version of Mickey (played by a game Robert Pattinson), he prepares to meet his end once again after falling in an ice cave and about to be devoured by alien creature. Explaining how he ended up in this predicament, Mickey had signed up to leave an increasingly uninhabitable Earth as crewmember for a spaceship traveling to colonize the planet, Niflheim. But he also had another reason to get off the planet quickly as he and his friend, Timo (Steven Yeun) made a bad business deal and owe some nefarious men a lot of money they are unable to pay back.

While Timo is brought on board as a crew pilot, Mickey, failing to read the fine print, signed on as an "expendable worker". What this entails is that Mickey is essentially used as a human Guinea pig to test how the body will react to the foreign pathogens found on this new planet which will help doctors create cures and vaccines. This will also lead to a lethal demise for Mickey. But he is continuously regenerated as a photocopy of himself yet with memories of his former lives still firmly intact.

Since his first feature, "플란다스의 개 (Barking Dogs Never Bite)", released over twenty-five years ago, Bong has always injected his wickedly perverse yet playfully offbeat sense of humor throughout his films. Based on the novel, "Mickey7" by Edward Ashton, Bong freely strays from that writer's narrative, exploring deeper into the cost of capitalism while keeping the tone of "Mickey 17" tense yet hilariously silly. There is a jumble of genres at play here and the clashing of sci-fi, horror and slapstick comedy isn't always effective. Yet Bong is a gifted visionary with a provocative style, managing to keep this discordant tale engaging much of the time.

The last time we saw Pattinson on screen, he was playing the grim, costumed crime-fighter in "The Batman. With "Mickey 17", the actor reveals his less-seen, comedic gifts as the sweet yet incredibly dim, slack-jawed lab rat, reminding us once again of Pattinson's impressive range as a performer. It turns out that the planet's creatures in the cave had no interest in bringing harm to Mickey, actually helping him out of the icy cavern. He manages to make it back to the space station but since it was assumed that he was a goner, a Mickey 18 has been created. Yet while this new Mickey might look the same, he is far more astute and aggressive than the previous version. Since the rule is that there cannot not be multiples of any "expendable" existing at the same time, "18" tries to kill "17" but the former Mickey manages to convince the new clone that they would be better off working together and sharing duties. And Mickey's girlfriend, Nasha (Naomi Ackie), who also happens to be one of the ship's security agents, is thrilled to enjoy the benefits of having two variants of the same man.

Even in a new ecosystem, there is always someone who wants to grab hold on to power, forcing their will and use it for their own self-serving needs while convincing the population that it's for their best interest. Here we have Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), an ego-fueled, failed politician along with his Lady Macbeth, Ylfa (Toni Collette) clinging closely as a bug in his ear to guide her less sharp husband.

Their plan involves eliminating all of the native species on the planet (with Ylfa considering their tails a delicacy to be used for special sauces she's creating), calling them "creepers" and assuming they are nothing more than brainless creatures. However Mickey is aware they are far from unintelligent, with each alien being able to communicate with each other cerebrally. The two Mickeys are discovered following 18's attempt to assassinate the fascist Marshall. As punishment, they are forced out (with bombs strapped to their bodies to make sure they comply) to collect more creatures for their tails while the creatures are swarming the space station trying to rescue two held captive.

"Mickey 17" might not be considered one of Bong's masterworks, it's far too broad and unwieldy narratively speaking. But with striking camerawork by the great Darius Khondji (who also shot Bong's 2017 sci-fi fantasy, "Okja"), captivating visual effects and impressive performances, the film succeeds in taking us on weird, wild thrilling adventure.

THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

Written & Directed by Coralie Fargeat




Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. September 20, 2024 8:15 PM



"The Substance", the sophomore feature from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, is a hyper-stylized, pitch-black feminist satire on aging and the low value placed on maturing women in society. But Fargeat pumps up her engaging film by utilizing body horror to convey the extremes that women will go through to maintain their youth and beauty. Between the blood and mayhem, the director has something quite intriguing to say. And while the message is clearly understood, it tends to get a little too muddled through all of the excessive gross-out carnage.

Demi Moore, in her first prominent starring role in some time, plays Elizabeth Sparkle, an award-winning actress in Los Angeles that has been reduced to having to appear as a host of a television fitness show called, "Sparkle Your Life". But following a taping on her fiftieth birthday, Elizabeth is informed by Harvey (Dennis Quaid), a boorish studio executive, that it's time for her to move on, making it clear he's looking for someone younger to host. Devastated by this news, a distracted Elizabeth ends up getting into a car crash. She is uninjured but while getting checked out, a young male nurse, sensing what she's going through, slips a flash drive and phone number into her pocket.

What is discreetly being offered is an experimental drug called, "The Substance" which promises to create a younger and more "perfect" version of yourself. Elizabeth initially rejects the idea but as she spends her newly free time wallowing in booze and her increasing anxiety, she decides to get her hands on this serum. After injecting herself, a fully formed, young being (played by Margaret Qualley) emerges from Elizabeth's cracked open back, leaving the host unconscious while the other is left to sew Elizabeth's body shut. This new form calls herself "Sue", enjoying her youthful body and successfully getting hired back as the host of the exercise program.

But there are strict rules that must be followed: each body can only be out for seven days before exchanging places so that their bodily fluids can recalibrate, they must feed each other intravenously; a "stabilizer" is to be withdrawn from Elizabeth's spine and injected into Sue in order to keep her balanced and most importantly, they must remember that while they are two separate bodies, they are still only one person.

Fargeat was first recognized for her 2017 debut feature film, "Revenge", about a young woman who is sexually attacked by three men and left for dead but she survives and seeks bloody retribution. While it was difficult to sit through at times, I still greatly admired the director's brutal yet razor-sharp cinematic statement. And with her follow-up, Fargeat continues to have no interest in subtlety, preferring to batter viewers severely over the head with her gruesome, surrealistic vision and unsettling themes. She is clearly inspired by fellow filmmakers who embrace the provocative and experimental (Kubrick, Cronenberg, Lynch, Haneke) and with "The Substance", Fargeat liberally borrows visual cues from some of these esteemed directors while still managing to forge ahead with her own distinctively ferocious style. The flashy camerawork by Benjamin Kracun is designed to keep you feeling unsteady, offering full-screen close-ups of eyes and mouths, darting down long narrow hallways, entering vast spare rooms and one particularly unpleasant moment of watching Quaid eating crawfish.

Moore's career took off when she became part of the ensemble of the daytime soap-opera, "General Hospital" in 1982. The following year, she moved on to movie roles, becoming a member of the Brat Pack after her appearances in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "About Last Night...". But it was Moore's tear soaked, moving turn in the 1990 supernatural romance, "Ghost" that helped make her a movie star. She became part of a Hollywood power couple when she married Bruce Willis, starred in several box-office hits and went on to become the highest paid female actor (receiving over twelve million dollars) in 1996 to appear in the movie, "Striptease". But this black comedy was a critical and box-office failure and her marriage to Willis came to an end not long after with Moore largely retreating from the spotlight. She would make the occasional film appearance over the following years, mostly in indie and arthouse fare.

With "The Substance", Moore delivers a bold and fearless performance, revealing herself completely emotionally and physically. She doesn't have much dialogue yet the actress rises to the challenge of expressing all of the anguish, fear and intense desires of Elizabeth, even through moments later in the film when she's no longer recognizable as her former self. And as her other half, Qualley is a compelling presence, a sweetly smiling, malevolent version of Elizabeth with a dark-edged soul. Elizabeth and "Sue" might share the same body however they display vastly different personality traits. While this variance might possibly be due to their age-gap yet over time this conflict leads to complications. Being young and impulsive, Sue begins to abuse the seven day rule, extending her time awake, at first just a few days and then later by weeks, which causes Elizabeth's actual body to age more rapidly.

I will admit that by the time we reach the final act, with the introduction of a third being called "Monstro Elisasue" which leads to an explosive shower of blood, gore and body parts flying in all directions from a stage onto an audience, it felt a little too much, becoming even more silly and excessive. But that's okay. This doesn't take away from "The Substance" being one of the most thrilling, adventurous and uncompromising films I've seen so far this year. I can also say with complete certainty that no US filmmaker, male or female, would have made "The Substance", at least not in a way that wasn't far more cautious and focused on appealing to the widest audience possible. Fargeat (who actually shot the film in Paris) has made a clever, biting and humorous commentary on the horrors of America's obsession with eternal youth and the emotional torture this causes, especially for women. "The Substance" is absolutely insane and twisted. Yet the film also reveals Fargeat to be a true visionary, a modern filmmaker who respects the historical artform of cinema with no interest in making films that are easily digestible and a strong desire to challenge viewers to open their minds to unexpected and outrageous possibilities.

COMING SOON

I can't believe this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the live television, comedy sketch program, "Saturday Night Live". I am old enough to remember when this show premiered and although I didn't see the first episode at the time, I did begin to watch it regularly not long after. And ever since that very first televised show, when the sketches work, they are uproariously, laugh-out loud funny. However when a skit fails to coalesce, it can be agonizingly painful to sit through. But that is exactly what's makes "SNL" so great; it's a completely wild and unpredictable comedy show.

Jason Reitman has made a new film, "Saturday Night" which highlights all the unbelievably crazy and chaotic events that led to that first broadcast on October 11, 1975, originally called "NBC's Saturday Night". Gabriel LaBelle ("The Fabelmans") plays Lorne Michaels, the Canadian-born comedy writer who creates the idea of the late show performed live in front of a studio audience with producer, Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) that they bring to the network. We witness all of the problems of getting the show ready to air that include deciding on the tone of show with his writers, wrangling his inexperienced yet talented cast of comedians dubbed "the not-ready-for-prime-time players" and convincing a skeptical NBC programing chief, David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) that the program should even make it to broadcast .

"Saturday Night" is due in US theaters on October 11, 2024

BABES (2024)

Written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz



Directed by Pamela Adlon



Where & When: Los Feliz 3, Los Angeles, CA. June 3, 2024 9:45 PM



In the movies, pregnancy has been long displayed as women being somewhat uncomfortable, wearing unflattering oversized clothing as their bellies grow while having the absurd desire for pickles and ice cream. Then the baby arrives with the mother, after some pushing and a little sweat, looking refreshed and ready to get back out in the world. But with "Babes", a comedy that marks Pamela Adlon's feature film debut as a director, we are given a more realistic (and humorous) look at the nine months involved (and after) for a woman, revealing many possible complicated mental challenges and extremely, uncomfortable physical situations that she may go through before giving birth.

Ilana Glazer (who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Rabinowitz) and Michelle Buteau play Eden and Dawn, best friends since middle school, who are out on their annual Thanksgiving tradition of an early movie, followed by a hearty meal. But Dawn is pregnant and goes into labor in the middle of their outing. Eden is with Dawn and her husband, Marty (Hasan Minhaj) as they welcome their first child. Since she's not family, Eden is sent on her way by the nurse despite returning to the hospital with a celebratory sushi dinner for them all.

On the subway ride home, Eden meets a man named Claude (Stephan James). After bonding over sushi, shared life experiences and a quirky sense of humor, they spend the rest of the evening together before ending up in bed together. Eden is surprised that Claude doesn't reply to any of her texts but assumes it was going to be nothing more than a one night stand. With Dawn suffering from postpartum and struggling with breastfeeding, Eden invites her bestie over to cheer her up with a wild night of drinks and drugs. While under a hallucinogenic state, Eden has a sense that she is pregnant and after taking several tests discovers that a baby is actually on the way. An attempt to track down Claude only leads to the sad discovery that he will be unable to help with their child. But Eden decides she wants to keep the baby and raise it as a single mother, especially since she'll have her best friend around to help her out.

With it's rapid fire jokes, broad characterizations and loose structure, "Babes" has far more in common with a television sitcom than a feature film. This isn't all that surprising since Glazer (co-creator/writer of "Broad City") and Adlon (co-creator/writer of "Better Things") have both spent an extensive period of their careers creating and finding great success on television. And there isn't much of a visual style to be found here with the set-ups and the camera work by Jeffrey Kim pretty much ignoring the opportunity for grander cinematic effects, preferring to remain in the narrower visual scope of the small screen.

Yet this can all be overlooked for "Babes" is laugh-out-loud funny, offering hilariously sharp observations (some very TMI) on pregnancy and motherhood that is rarely discussed in entertainment. But at it's core, "Babes" is about female friendship and the struggle to maintain that tight bond while life changes forces the relationship to shift and evolve. This is helped by Glazer and Buteau having a great chemistry that makes you believe that they have been life-long buddies, managing to remain friends even after going through puberty together.

"Babes" is absolutely enjoyable in a breezy, well-written situation comedy, sort-of-way. Yet it doesn't feel special, never rising much above anything you could watch in the comfort of your home, missing a chance to boldly make a much needed and too infrequently made big screen comedy about women for women by women.

DRIVE AWAY DOLLS (2024)

Written by Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke



Directed by Ethan Coen



Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. February 27, 2024 5:45 PM



For his first narrative feature film without his long-time collaborator (and sibling), Joel, Ethan Coen has delivered "Drive Away Dolls", a dark-edged, queer positive, road trip comedy-thriller that captures some of the style that this team of filmmaking brothers have been crafting for almost forty years. And while the film begins promising, the tone of "Dolls" shifts abruptly midway through, creating a disjointed, rough-and-tumble farce.

Set in 1999, a man named Santos (Pedro Pascal) waits nervously at a Philadelphia restaurant clutching a briefcase. Attempting to make a hasty exit, Santos is chased into an alley by a gang of intimidating thugs who forcefully remove the case from his person.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Jamie (Margaret Qualley), a charming yet horny gal from Texas, is a notorious skirt-chaser. But one person who has had enough of her womanizing and sexual inappropriateness is Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), Jamie's police officer girlfriend who kicks her out of their apartment. Jamie's friend, Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) is her polar opposite: uptight, anxious and sexually repressed. Marian plans to visit a relative in Tallahassee and Jamie, now without a home, decides to tag along. She talks Marian into getting to Florida using a drive-away service which offers free use of a car by transporting the auto to a specific location for a client. But a mix-up by the owner, Curlie (Bill Camp) has the girls in the wrong car which was supposed to have gone to a nefarious trio of criminals lead by a man named Chief (Colman Domingo).

As they travel down the freeway, Jamie makes detours to local lesbian bars, actively trying to loosen up Marian to help get her laid, where she is met with much resistance from her road buddy. Yet unbeknownst to the girls, this ruthless gang is hot on their trail. A flat tire leads Jamie and Marian to discover the briefcase and a box, which contains the most recognizable part of Santos on ice, in the car trunk.

As part of a team with his brother, Coen has been an effective cinematic storyteller, together creating their own distinctive, offbeat style of filmmaking. Now with Tricia Cooke, his partner in life and film, Coen seems to want to explore a new direction. Yet with "Drive Away Dolls" (which began with the much better and more accurate title, "Drive Away Dykes"), this team, with Cooke also serving as editor, struggle with coherence and inventiveness. The film's pacing is sluggish and as the story moves along, these plot developments come across as more baffling than intriguing.

So what exactly is inside of this briefcase? Let's just say that the contents are probably the last thing you would ever have imagined. And while I will give points for this unexpected silly gag, the real problem lies with this not making much sense in regards to the relentless pursuit of these girls nor require the amount of disturbing bloodshed and mayhem involved in the desperate retrieval of the case. From this point to the conclusion, "Drive Away Dolls" turns into a weirdly violent and strangely wacky comedy with no real connective tissue to the provocative, mildly humorous mystery in the first part of the film.

There are certainly a few laugh-out-loud moments and some engaging, cerebral conversations to be found in the film. And Qualley and Viswanathan have a great connection on screen. Yet visually and thematically, "Drive Away Dolls" comes across like of a poorly conceived imitation of a Coen Brothers movie.

COMING SOON

A new teaser trailer has just dropped for "The Fall Guy", an upcoming action-comedy that features two of this year's Oscar nominees, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. It's a modern revisit of the '80's television show starring Lee Majors about a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a veteran action choreographer working on a film when the leading man, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, mysteriously disappears. Seavers begins to investigate to find him and save the film for the director (Blunt) who also happens to be former girlfriend of Seavers and the current girlfriend of missing actor. The director David Leitch is a former stunt man turned filmmaker (behind the first "John Wick", "Atomic Blonde, "Bullet Train") and "The Fall Guy" seems like the perfect fit. And Leitch looks like he's using the irresistible charm, comedic timing and sex appeal of Gosling to the full advantage of the film.

"The Fall Guy" is due in US theaters on May 3, 2024

COMING SOON

Early next year, there will be not one but two thrillers involving lesbians on-the-run: one dark and treacherous and the other dark and wacky.

Ethan Coen, one half of the filmmaking team, the Coen Brothers, is about to release his first narrative feature film without his brother, Joel who made his own solo directorial debut with "The Tragedy of Macbeth" in 2021. "Drive-Away Dolls", co-written with his wife, Tricia Cooke, is a comedic road-trip caper. Margaret Qualley plays a young free spirit that has just ended a relationship with a girlfriend and looking for adventure. Geraldine Viswanathan is her more uptight friend who is ready to let loose. They get their wish when they take off on the road to Tallahassee. But their trip is interrupted when they end up getting mixed in with a group of menacing yet inept gangsters. Bill Camp, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon also star. "Drive-Away Dolls" (which had the more interesting working title, "Drive-Away Dykes") was supposed to have been released last fall but was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

"Drive-Away Dolls" is due in US theaters on February 23, 2024

For the follow-up to her acclaimed horror-drama, "Saint Maud", the filmmaker Rose Glass returns with "Love Lies Bleeding", a gritty thriller with a touch of sweet romance. Kristen Stewart stars as Lou, a manager at a gym who becomes infatuated with a female bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian). But their love affair leads them into the crosshairs of Lou's criminal family lead by her father, played by Ed Harris.  The film will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Fest in January before reaching theaters in March.

"Love Lies Bleeding" is due in US theaters on March 8, 2024

BOTTOMS (2023)

Written by Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott



Directed by Emma Seligman



Where & When: AMC The Grove 14, Los Angeles, CA. September 5, 2023 7:30 PM



"Bottoms" is a teenage, romantic comedy from filmmaker, Emma Seilgman that is very far removed from your standard comedy in this genre. What Seilgman's film delivers is unhinged, extremely dark and features a couple of horny, young lesbians as our unexpected protagonists in this wildly, offbeat story. And while it's not entirely successful, "Bottoms" is a teen comedy that boldly presents queerness as a natural state of being, propelled by an insane, manic energy and off-the-wall laughs.

PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) are best friends in high school who happen to be nerdy, unpopular and lesbians. They are both lusting after two of the popular cheerleaders at school who are also best friends: Josie has the hots for Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) while PJ is infatuated with Brittany (Kaia Gerber). After an incident involving an argument between Isabel and her boyfriend, Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine), the quarterback for the school's football team, a rumor spreads around that PJ and Josie spent the summer in juvenile detention and had beaten up Jeff during this quarrel. Now this didn't actually happen yet none of the participants correct this misinformation especially after the girls are called into the principal's office demanding an explanation for injuring the quarterback (who was never seriously hurt but enjoying the attention).

In order to avoid expulsion, PJ comes up with the excuse they had been practicing in order to start a self-defense club for the girls at school. This leads to a plan to actually start a fight club and after PJ points out this will be a great way for them to meet girls, a reluctant Josie agrees to the crazy idea. With teacher, Mr. G. (former football player, Marshawn Lynch) on board as an advisor, the girls begin teaching female students how to fight. But PJ is disappointed that the girls attending are not attractive enough until Isabel and Brittany show up for lessons.

Seligman first became noticed with her NYU senior-thesis short, "Shiva Baby" which was later selected for the South by Southwest film festival in 2018. The Canadian-born filmmaker later further developed this comedy about a young bisexual Jewish woman (also played by Sennott) who attends a shiva with her parents where her complicated love relationships collide into a feature length film. I will admit I was not a big fan of this film, but I certainly recognized her potential gifts as a director and admired what she accomplished in telling a rarely told story in cinema involving the "B" in the LGBTQ communities.

"Bottoms" began with Seligman and Sennott wanting to create a film that featured queer characters prominently in your standard Hollywood-style comedy. I'm sure there were several films that sparked their imagination, but the clear inspiration behind "Bottoms" seems to be "Heathers", the 1989 cult film that has gone on to become the quintessential dark teen comedy. And while they both share in gleeful, irreverent humor, quirky characters and unexpected bursts of bloody violence, "Bottoms" is not fully formed enough to become memorable in the high school comedy canon. The script by Seligman and Sennott features some emotionally grounded moments in between the weird, zany humor but the writers are just not there yet to make it work together cohesively. At times in the film, some moments are heavy-handed, the pacing is ragged, the jokes are not always sharp and the motivations behind some of the characters are wobbly. And as "Bottoms" progresses to its conclusion, the situations become far more surreal and shockingly brutal, making it feel like we have suddenly entered into another movie.

As a teen comedy, "Bottoms" feels fresh and modern by successfully challenging traditions of the genre and aggressively flipping expectations regarding gender and sexual identity. The film is further elevated by solid performances and a hilarious, edgy vibe. But with a little more work to refine some details, "Bottoms" would have easily shifted from a good to a great comedy.

PAUL REUBENS (1952 - 2023)

Paul Reubens, who is probably best known to the world for his hilarious, man-child creation, Pee Wee Herman, passed away on July 31st. He had been privately dealing with cancer for the last six years. Reubens was seventy years old. 

Born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, NY and grew-up in Sarasota, FL, Reubens got interested in entertainment early as a child after being fascinated with the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus and watching television sitcoms, leaving him with a strong desire to make people laugh. After heading to California to attend college, Reubens honed his improv skills by performing at comedy clubs and joining The Groundlings. It was during his time with this improv comedy team that he first started to develop Pee Wee Herman around 1978. These elements, a grown man still filled with adolescent wonder with a cartoon-character voice, shrunken, gray suit, little red bowtie and the name "Pee Wee" which came from a brand of harmonica, would come from various ideas and experiences from Reubens' life.

After failing to land becoming a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" in 1980, Reubens decided to start his own stage show in Los Angeles with his Pee Wee Herman character, which was forming a cult following, landing him a bit part in the stoner-comedy film, "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie". This caught the attention of HBO who offered Reubens to bring "The Pee Wee Herman Show" as a television special, expanding his character to an even wider audience. And this led to the 1985 movie, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" which gave Tim Burton, who was gaining attention at the time with his animated shorts, his first feature film as a director. This box-office hit would lead to Pee Wee Herman to be featured in a live-action children's program, "Pee Wee's Playhouse" in 1986 which had a cast that featured Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman and S. Epatha Merkerson.

After a less than successful movie sequel, "Big Top Pee-wee" in 1988 and the end of the series two years later, Reubens was suffering from burn out playing this popular character, wanting to be seen as a versatile actor. Not surprisingly, Reubens had difficulty being viewed outside of Pee Wee but he did manage to get a few roles in television ("Murphy Brown", "Ally McBeal", "30 Rock") and movies ("Batman Returns", "Blow", "Mystery Men") with plenty of character-voice parts in between.

COMING SOON

With only two films under his belt, Ari Aster has already proven to be one of the more intriguing filmmakers working today. Following the wildly offbeat horror dramas, "Hereditary" and "Midsommar", Aster is due back with "Beau is Afraid". And while the trailer seems to reveal that the writer/director has not strayed far from his comfort zone, this film also seems to move in a different direction than expected. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the title character, Beau Wassermann who is just trying to get to his mother after she unexpectedly passes away, leading to a surreal journey that has him looking back on his life, filled with disturbing imagery and dark humor. There is an impressive supporting cast that includes Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Parker Posey and Patti LuPone.

"Beau is Afraid" is due in US theaters on April 21, 2023

SHARP STICK (2022)

 

Written & Directed by Lena Dunham

Where & When: Nuart Theatre, West Los Angeles, CA.  August 3, 2022  5:20 PM

Back in 2010, Lena Dunham released "Tiny Furniture", her debut feature film she wrote and directed. This semi-autobiographical, indie dramatic-comedy gave us the first taste of her quirky, self-referential voice. Dunham spoke with caustic humor about how her generation feels unsteady trying to maneuver through this modern world as a young adult. This low-budget film, which featured her mother, Laurie Simmons, a New York artist who was the big name at the time, received plenty of critical acclaim and awards, leading Dunham to collaborate with Judd Apatow and create the HBO series, "Girls" two years later.

This urban comedy expanded upon characters and ideas from "Tiny Furniture", focused on addressing the challenges facing a group of aimless, twenty-something women. After six captivating seasons, "Girls" made Dunham a bigger name, introduced us to a future star (Adam Driver) and helped open the door to shows built around unconventional female protagonists who are deeply flawed and not necessarily likable.

Now Dunham has just made her second feature film, "Sharp Stick", an offbeat, coming-of-age story of an awkward young girl who treats her sexual awakening as if she's a determined student trying hard to get a top grade in school. There are certainly some interesting, funny ideas at play here yet they are muddled due to a narrative that falls uneasily between a strange, dark comedy and an uncomfortably creepy satire.

Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth) lives in the Hollywood area of LA with her mother, Marilyn (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a new-age, Earth mother type and her sister, Treina (Taylour Paige) who is focused on finding success through being a social media influencer. Although she's in her twenties, Sarah Jo comes across as much younger due to her sweet, Pollyanna nature. Yet underneath lurks a lustful, passionate woman with burning desires that wants to be noticed. Sarah Jo decides to set her sights on Josh (Jon Bernthal), the married, stay-at-home dad of Zach (Liam Michel Saux), the special needs child she tutors, to lose her virginity with. And while this good-natured goofball tries to resist, Josh ultimately gives in to Sarah Jo's seduction, especially after she informs him that she had a hysterectomy at fifteen.

This one-time encounter soon evolves into an actual love affair. Later, Josh introduces Sarah Jo to the world of digital pornography with her far more fascinated than aroused. But Sarah Jo is unceremoniously dumped after Josh's pregnant wife (Dunham) discovers their affair. Lost and despondent, she tries to mend her heartbreak by focusing on her favorite porn star, Vance Leroy (Scott Speedman), writing him pages of long letters seeking guidance through his sexual wisdom to help her win Josh back. Then, as a way to impress Josh, Sarah Jo makes a cute, homemade poster board listing all of the sexual acts she plans to perform with random men from A to Z, with a place to check off when completed.

Dunham has finally moved away from relying so heavily on a fictionalized version of her life in her work, moving towards characters outside of her comfort zone. But with this film, she doesn't push far enough into the absurd that feels necessary, lacking clearly defined characters and creating a false sense of female empowerment. "Sharp Stick" also doesn't have much of a cinematic scope, never feeling more than an enhanced, expanded television episode.

Froseth plays Sarah Jo as child-like and very naïve, an unbelievable trait with her growing-up in this fast-moving, modern city of Los Angeles living with her worldly mother and sister. She also comes across as a bit dim which could explain some of her behavior yet her motivations remain unclear. Dunham adds race into the story with Treina being African-American and taken in as a baby to be raised by this family due to sad circumstances. Yet there is no commentary or development from this addition with the character sidelined for much of the film, leaving a feeling that this was too much of a calculated after-thought.

"Sharp Stick" seems to be making a statement about our society's obsession with sexuality and gender politics. But Dunham's use of oddball characters, provocative comedy and feminist ideology is not clearly conceived to make this film entirely compelling or enjoyable. Yet I am glad that Dunham has returned to the big screen and that it will not be over ten years until her next feature (she has written and directed an adaptation of the children's book, "Catherine Called Birdy" for Amazon Studios due out in September). While I have not always been won over by her work, I greatly appreciate what Dunham tries to achieve, offering a bold challenge to conventional themes utilizing a commanding female perspective.

ALINE (2022)

Written by Brigitte Buc and Valérie Lemercier




Directed by Valérie Lemercier




Where & When: Laemmle NoHo 7 theatres, North Hollywood, CA. April 18, 2022 4:20 PM




The last of fourteen children in a poor yet loving French-Canadian family in Quebec, Aline Dieu has a remarkable singing ability, first displayed at the wedding of one of her brothers at the age of five. With music playing an important part of the Dieu family and recognizing that the world should hear Aline's singing, her mother and brother write a song that will showcase the amazing talent of the now-twelve year old. They manage to get a recording of this song into the hands of a well-known music manager in Canada who is moved to tears by Aline's voice, promptly deciding to devote all of his energy into helping make this young girl a star.

If this story sounds oddly familiar, well, it's intended to. The French performer, Valérie Lemercier has co-written, directed and stars in "Aline", a loving, fictionalized tribute based on the life and career of the Canadian pop superstar, Céline Dion. And the fifty-eight year old Lemercier impressively plays Dieu from a five year old to middle-age with the aid of digital effects. The film is a meticulously designed fantasy that dives into the world of a real-life singer yet surprisingly lacks a bold, imaginative spirit.

With Guy-Claude Kamar (Sylvain Marcel) now managing Aline, he takes steps to mold the shy, awkward girl into an image closer to what is expected of an international pop star. He arranges to have her teeth straightened, transforms her with a fashion make-over and begin to have her learn English. But Aline's budding career almost comes to a grinding halt when she damages her vocal cords. Her options are surgery or to not speak at all for three months with Aline wisely deciding to remain silent.

And as her music career begins to rise, Aline finds herself falling in love with Kamar who is twenty-five years older than herself. While this couple initially kept their romance secret from the public, fearing that they would not be accepting, they couldn't keep this information from her family with Aline's mother, Sylvette (Danielle Fichaud), in particular, appalled by the idea. After finally announcing to the world that they are together, fans embraced the news of their relationship (and eventually Sylvette) which was followed by the singer and her manager getting married in a lavish wedding ceremony.

Valérie Lemercier may not be well-known on this side of the Atlantic but in her native France, she is a celebrated star. She made her film debut in Louis Malle's "Milou en mai (May Fools)" in 1990 and would go on win two César Awards for Best Supporting Actress (for "Les Visiteurs" and "Fauteuils d'orchestre") before receiving the Best Actress César for her performance in "Aline" last year. Lemercier began working behind the camera in 1997 and had a big hit with her third feature as a director, "Palais royal!", a 2005 comedy based loosely on the adultery scandal involving the British royals, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Unlike that film, Lemercier handles her fact-based fictional character in "Aline" with a more delicate, respectful touch. The actress, with her expressive, pliant features, is captivating as she evolves from a small, shy child with a big voice to a powerful and confident superstar performer. As a filmmaker however, Lemercier is competent yet lacks a distinctive visual style that might have elevated this routine rags-to-riches musical love story.

There is no doubt that Lemercier is a big fan of Dion, honoring this musical icon in a unique way, but it's hard to understand what is the actual point of "Aline". The character at the center of this film is definitely not supposed to be Céline Dion. And "Aline" is not a parody. Yet Lemercier painstakingly recreates the major events in the singer's life, the clothing that she has worn and even performs several of the songs that Dion has made famous (with vocals provided by French singer, Victoria Sio who puts in the extra effort to sound like Dion). It just feels odd to do a pseudo-biography on a performer who is still very much alive and in the middle of her career that is not really intended to poke fun or offer critical evaluation. What might have made "Aline" even more intriguing is if Lemercier had played up the fantasy-comedy elements in this story even further instead of remaining so faithful to the real-life of Dion.

I can look back at "Dreamgirls" which was clearly based on the story of the Supremes yet was far enough removed from the actual hitmaking Motown girl-group (which included original songs that conveyed the emotions of these characters) that the similarities were never a real distraction. "Aline" is literally retelling Céline Dion's life story with only thinly veiled name changes and minor creative liberties to make it appear fictional. This musical-dramedy certainly has it's charms but since Lemercier had no intention to offend in any possible way, the narrative and characterizations are mostly too blandly generic to effectively thrill. I mean, if you're going to invent a movie about the life of one of the biggest pop singers on the planet, then the most shocking and scandalous event they experience should involve more than falling in love with a divorced, older man.