(Written on the initial release of THE WATERMELON WOMAN 20 years ago,). The opening sequence of THE WATERMELON WOMAN gives us a sly look at the social state of American affairs. An African-America lesbian is filming a heterosexual wedding. The bride is white, the groom is black and the wedding party is oh so very civilized.… Read More »
MA VIE EN ROSE
Ludovic, the diminutive hero of MA VIE EN ROSE is as the saying goes, a little boy with a difference. When he makes a grand entrance at his parents’ housewarming party, he’s wearing his sister’s dress and his mom’s lipstick and earrings. In their bourgeois suburban enclave, this causes eyebrows to rise perceptibly.When he later announces that he will… Read More »
WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP
Years ago I developed a mad crush on Rod Taylor. He starred in the George Pal version of H.G. Wells THE TIME MACHINE and even dressed in Victorian frippery and with his best front-parlor manners, the man had a rugged hunky kind of good looks and exuded prodigious, delectable amounts of testosterone. When I saw his name… Read More »
NOWHERE
Once, as Gertrude Stein was reminiscing about her hometown of Oakland, CA, she said, and I quote, “There’s no there, there.” It’s unfortunate that she was never asked about LA, or if she was, that her response was not recorded for posterity. I shudder to think what she would have made of a place that… Read More »
LOVE! VALOR! COMPASSION
LOVE! VALOR! COMPASSION! is a romantic comedy, full of great one-liners, that, nonetheless is not shy about taking on serious subjects, such as the human heart. Forget space, this is the real final frontier. Nothing else has such an infinite capacity to delight, destroy, and surprise. The story takes place over three holiday weekends during which a… Read More »