Hollywood (Mini Series – 2020)

Release Date: May 1, 2021

Hollywood follows the lives of aspiring stars of various races and sexual persuasions pursuing their movie making dreams in Hollywood’s Golden Age.

 

 

 

Hollywood is piece of alternate fiction featuring 7 episodes. The miniseries follows the people involved in the making of “Peg” a reimagining of the story of Peg Entwhistle, an aspiring actress who killed herself in 1932 by jumping from the top of the “H” in the Hollywood sign, as the first major motion picture to star a black actress (Laura Harrier). Jeremy Pope plays Archie Coleman, the screenwriter of “Peg” who is both black and gay. 

There is nothing negative that can be said about the acting in Hollywood. David Corenswat as aspiring actor and desperate husband, Jack Castello, gives a heartfelt performance and develops his character drastically over the course of the episodes. Joe Mantello is outstanding as studio executive Dick Samuels who desperately fights to be a good guy in a bad industry. Continue reading Hollywood (Mini Series – 2020)

Stage Mother (2020)

Release Date: August 21, 2020

A Texas Choir Mistress (Jacki Weaver) inherits a San Francisco drag club from her late son, Rickey, (Eldon Thiele) with whom she hadn’t been in touch since he came out.

 

 

I’m going to be 100% honest with this review and tell you that I equal parts loved and hated Stage Mother. A mother loses her only child with whom she was very close in his early years to a drug addiction. The audience sees him indulge in his drug of choice, go out on stage and pretty much drop dead. His mother, Maybelline, who is the epitome of fabulous is notified of her son’s death and is determined to attend the funeral, disregarding the objections of her husband (Hugh Thompson). Once in San Francisco she seeks to build bridges with the family she feels she has left which are her son’s partner and the people he valued in his life. Continue reading Stage Mother (2020)

Paris is Burning by Jennie Livingston

DVD Publication Date: February 22, 2012

 

On December 31, 2018, Hector Xtravaganza, Grandfather of the House of Xtravaganza (one of the early Latino drag families), died at the age of 60. Hector was featured in Paris is Burning and served as a consultant on the Ryan Murphy show about the New York gay ballroom scene of the 1980s. Pose.

Paris is Burning was filmed in the mid to late 1980s and chronicles the ball culture of New York City’s Black, Latino, Gay and Transgender community.

Paris is Burning follows the largely African-American Ball scene in New York City. Livingston became interested in the scene when she met a group of young gay men doing what they called “voguing” in Washington Square Park. Thinking the ball scene would make an interesting university project, the men suggested she contact the creator of the vogue moves, Will Ninja, who introduced her to the ball scene where contestants would have walk-off competitions in a variety of categories. Contestants would be scored on a number of categories including realness of drag whether it be boy drag (banjee — or passing as straight), girl drag or androgyny. In exploring the ball scene, Livingston connected with many individuals and highlighted their stories.

Continue reading Paris is Burning by Jennie Livingston

American Horror Story: Asylum

Aired: October 17, 2012 – January 23, 2013

 

American Horror Story: Asylum is set mostly in 1964, Kit Walker (Evan Peters) is accused of killing his wife (Britne Oldford) and locked up in Briarcliff Manor, an asylum that houses the criminally insane. Court-appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Oliver Threadson (Zachary Quinto) is assigned to assess Walker’s ability to stand trial. Reporter Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) requests access to the asylum as she sees exposing the mistreatment of the patients as the making of her career. Sister Jude (Jessica Lange) denies her access so Lana sneaks in and is injured. Jude initially uses the injury and then Lana’s homosexuality to keep her locked away. Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell) is using the patients to make the ultimate human beings. Dark forces are at work. In modern-day in the ruins of Briarcliff will history repeat itself?

Asylum is the second show in the American Horror Story series.

Continue reading American Horror Story: Asylum

Back to the Future (1985)

Release Date: July 3, 1985 | DVD Release Date: March 8, 2016

 

Back in the FutureMuch has been written about this classic 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson so rather than review the film, I plan to examine why it has remained popular 32 years after its initial release. Enjoy my take on Back to the Future (1985). Continue reading Back to the Future (1985)

Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

Movie Released: December 9, 2007 | DVD Release Date:October 7, 2008

 

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Trudie (Melissa Joan Hart) is having a rough holiday season. She’s struggling financially and her boyfriend dumps her just before she heads home for the holidays. Feeling the pressure to please her parents (Timothy Bottoms and Markie Post), she kidnaps David (Mario Lopez) and convinces him to play along with her plan and pose as her boyfriend Nick. Can Trudie hold it together long enough to satisfy her parents?

 

 

 

 

Continue reading Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Movie Released: December 1, 1989 | DVD Released: September 30, 2008

 

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Clark Griswold has a dream of surprising his family with a backyard pool. The only impediment to making the dream a reality is that his bonus has yet to arrive. While they wait, Clark and crew enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with cherished family and surprise visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Elf (2003)

Movie Released: November 7, 2003 | DVD Releasd: October 24, 2006

 

DVD_ElfA child slipped into Santa’s sack one Christmas Eve and was taken to the North Pole where he was adopted by an older elf (Bob Newhart). When he finds out that he is human, the elf decides to go on a quest to New York City to find his biological father, a hard-hearted Children’s publisher. Will everything work out as Buddy expects?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading Elf (2003)

Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special: The Last Christmas

DVD Release Date: February 17, 2015

 

DVD_Doctor_Who_Last_Christmas The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenny Coleman) must help scientists plagued by crab-like creatures at a North Pole Scientific Station with the help of Santa (Nick Frost) and his elves.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Doctor Who as well as the comedic characters normally played by Nick Frost. In [easyazon_link identifier=”B00QHND1BO” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Doctor Who: Last Christmas[/easyazon_link] the actor takes a darker interpretation of an iconic character.

 

 

Continue reading Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special: The Last Christmas