A Brief History of Queer Coding in Film: Part 1
I was recently asked to put together a short primer about the history of queer coding. This is nowhere near exhaustive, and though chapters 5 and 6 are less egregiously white, it’s still a very pale overview; if you have film suggestions, additional thoughts and specifics, etc., would love to hear from you in the … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Macbeths
Justin Kurzel’s gritty, saturated, PTSD-riddled character study keeps a few stage conventions but mostly leans into its more filmic aspects, where Joel Coen’s hazy, black-and-white, machination-laden adaptation neatly splits the difference between stage and screen.
Live, Write, Repeat – on EDGE OF TOMORROW’s lead connundrum
If Edge of Tomorrow had come a decade or two earlier – say between The Colour of Money and Jerry Maguire and the first Mission: Impossible or two – Cruise may’ve been able to show other facets. But through a series of personal life and project selection choices, Cruise has created a Movie Persona who overshadows, informs, and essentially rewrites all character aspects which may be on the page.
A Tale of Two Films with Gutsy Endings
I’ve recently seen both Call My By Your Name and A Quiet Place, which I loved for very different reasons. The real clincher, though, one of the things which sticks out in both films and which I submit is unusual today, is in the final moments. Final moments in films can be clever and quotable … Continue reading
What the Oscars Are Looking For
The New York times did a write-up in response to the furor about #oscarssowhite. In breaks down every black performance which has been nominated, and what has been involved; for example, black actresses tend to have depicted homeless characters, black actors tend to have depicted abusive and/or imprisoned characters, etc. Many things are going on … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 4, Episode 01, In Memoriam
This is probably a terrible episode to start with if you’re watching the show for the first time. It’s an episode full of fakeouts, callbacks, fanservice, fanteasing, and beautiful new sets, carried entirely on the lovely shoulders of Ksenia Solo. If you’re just jumping in, you’re probably still confused. This review is not going to … Continue reading
Bond versus Bond
I was properly link-baited by this post querying ‘If Daniel Craig is Your Favorite Bond, Are You Really True Bond Fan?‘ The post – and by-and-large the commentors – cite the differences between the suave, sexy, be-gadgeted Connery, Lazenby, Moore, and Brosnan, and the more emotional, brutish Craig. One is tortured with the thought of … Continue reading
Casting, Acting, Directing
Sometimes good actors choose bad characters. Sometimes, characters are poorly conceived and poorly cast. Sometimes the storylines just aren’t redeemable. Sometimes, shows are misdirected, but manage to salvage themselves. Sometimes multiple factors go into making bad art, and you’re not exactly sure what happened. Today, we will focus on two characters who are implausibly bad. … Continue reading
Mel Killingsworth - Film and TV blog 