Leviticus
I had reasonably high hopes for Leviticus, a queer horror film directed by Adrian Chiarella. The film takes place in a religious community in Australia. Two teen boys, Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), take a liking to each other. There's something so uncomplicated about their relationship, which involves typical things boys like to do: explore abandoned mills, play-wrestle, and, uh, make out.
After being caught out, the boys are subjected to an exorcism-like experience from a "Deliverance Healer". This ritual attaches an evil entity to each boy that appears as the person the victim most desires. So for Ryan, this entity looks identical to Naim, and to Naim it looks like Ryan. But if you interact with this entity, it will kill you. The only way to protect yourself is to never be alone, because the entity only shows up when you're by yourself.
First of all, I had so many questions about the lore here. Like, I get that the "point" is to make gay teens terrified of their own desires. But this entity FOLLOWS you. So even if you reject your desires, the thing could still fucking kill you! How does that make any spiritual sense? Don't these religious loons want gay kids to become not-gay instead of not-alive? Also, since the entity leaves you alone if you're with other people...wouldn't that just be an excuse to stay attached to the hip of the (real) object of your desire? Once Naim and Ryan confirm that each other is the "real" person, they just need to be with each other at all times and the entity can't get them. I guess that's also the "point" of the movie: these religious nuts pushed the gay teen lovers into each other's arms! How ironic and romantic! Ehh...
So the lore of the film just doesn't make sense. Also, way religion is portrayed in the film didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Granted, it's Australia, so maybe I'm just used to good, ol' American religious fundamentalism and homophobia, but the community didn't seem homophobic enough to me in Leviticus. I know that sounds like a crazy thing to say, but if you're telling me that this community is SO religious and SO homophobic that they would bring in a "Deliverance Healer" to pray away the gay, I expect the community and especially the pastor to be brimming with disgust and hate towards teen male homosexuality and...that's not what I saw in this movie. Homosexuality is treated as more of a light annoyance or bit of teen foolishness (like smoking cigarettes) than an affront to God. None of it made sense to me!
Finally, the movie is too short. It's 88 minutes long, which is not enough time to let the audience get to know Naim and Ryan. It doesn't allow us time to get to know the community. It doesn't allow us time to fully understand the stakes. Instead it's just like: these kids are gay and now bad stuff is happening. Enjoy!
I will say that the leads, Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, are excellent. There is some solid gore and the score is great. But I think Adrian Chiarella, who is a relatively new director, needs to hone his craft a bit more.
Grade: B-
***
Tuner
Tuner is a lowkey, character-driven thriller with a really interesting premise: a man with a sense of hearing so strong that it's debilitating realizes that he can crack safes by listening closely to them, thus leading him into some...er, not so legal situations.
Leo Woodall plays Niki White, a piano tuner who works under Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman). Niki used to play piano himself, but after developing hyperacusis, a sensory processing disorder which makes the sufferer extremely sensitive to loud noises, he had to give up his passion. Niki wears special earplugs all day every day and usually wears noise canceling headphones on top of that. Living in New York City can't be easy for someone who would fall to the ground in agonizing pain at the sound of a car siren.
After a situation where Harry forgets the combo to his safe, Niki researches how to break into one and learns that if you listen very closely, you can actually hear the parts of the combo lock click into place and thus crack the safe. Not long after this discovery, Niki is tuning a rich guy's piano in the evening when no one is home and he happens upon a group of guys breaking into the client's safe. Niki helps them open it, mostly to get them to leave, and the leader of this gang of criminals, Uri (Lior Raz), gives Niki his card and tells him to give him a call if he wants to make some real money.
You can probably guess where this is going. Niki isn't a bad guy, but he does need money--and for altruistic purposes. Harry is sick and doesn't have health insurance, so his medical bills are sky high. Harry is like a father to Niki, so Niki starts taking on safe-cracking jobs to pay Harry's bills.
One of the best things about Tuner is how naturalistic the performances feel, especially Leo Woodall as Niki and Havana Rose Liu as his love interest, Ruthie. The budding relationship, which is threatened by Niki's line of under-the-table work, feels really real and not overly cute. Ironically, one of the worst things about Tuner is how unrealistic the overall plot is, but especially a twist near the end that is almost laughable in how unlikely it is. The mix of natural dialogue and acting with the ridiculous plot elements is a bit jarring. But that said, Tuner is *very* entertaining. If you like thrillers that aren't showy or full of action and big stars, this one really is for you.
Grade: B+
***
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Happy pride! The bizarrely titled film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, while not exactly in my top 50 queer films, is a movie with a big heart and some solid laughs. The film follows three drag queens, Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze), Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes), and Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo), as they travel across the country in yellow Cadillac DeVille to participate in the "Drag Queen of America" pageant in Los Angeles.
They are waylaid in the small rural town of Syndersville after the Cadillac breaks down and are forced to spend the weekend with the residents of this podunk hamlet. While there, they bring hope to the women of the town by giving them makeovers and helping them plan for the annual Strawberry Social. They also teach the hickish young men a lesson in manners and treating ladies right. The whole movie is so wholesome (in spite of thematic elements of domestic violence and rape) and feels old-fashioned. This is a 1990s film if I've ever seen one, with an uncomplicated message about accepting people who are different than you and how friendship and love will overcome hate and violence.
I will say that it's not quite as funny or entertaining as I hoped it would be. It's a warm, soft blanket of a film and a great watch if you're feeling down and you want something pleasant and not too challenging. The performances are all delightful, but the MVP is Patrick Swayze, a handsome man who makes for a beautiful, graceful woman. RIP Patrick, you were too good for this world.
Grade: B-
***
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Another drag queen road trip movie, only this one is a little more boring and lot more depressing. Sorry!
This time, it's Anthony "Tick" Belrose (Hugo Weaving) and Adam Whitely (Guy Pearce) traveling by bus across the Australian desert to perform at a casino managed by Tick's ex-wife, Marion (Sarah Chadwick). Along for the ride is Bernadette Bassenger (Terrance Stamp), a trans woman mourning the death of her younger boyfriend.
Hijinks ensue, including the bus breaking down, homophobia/transphobia from bigots, a party with aboriginals which ends in an impromptu drag performance of "I Will Survive", secrets revealed, and life-long friends made.
Sadly, I found Priscilla to be dull and slow. Unlike To Wong Foo, in which the queens are on the right side of bitchy, the queens in Priscilla are just...bitches. Especially Guy Pearce, who is just a total cunt half the time (misgendering and badgering poor Bernadette, who did nothing to deserve it). Although there are some funny scenes, the overall vibe of Priscilla is...a drag (HAR HAR). This pride, watch something a little happier.
Grade: C+
***
Half Man (TV series)
Created and written by Richard Gadd, who achieved acclaim with his heartrending miniseries Baby Reindeer in 2024, Half Man is...a lot. The 6 episode miniseries follows Niall Kennedy (played as an adult by Jamie Bell) and Ruben Pallister (played as an adult by Richard Gadd), two men who are not blood brothers, but grow up together since their mums lived together. Where Niall is a meek lad struggling with his sexuality and hiding almost everything about himself from everyone in his life, Ruben is a domineering, violent bully. Niall and Ruben have a fucked up, codependent relationship in which Niall worships and fears Ruben and Ruben menaces and protects Niall.
On the day of Niall's wedding, Ruben shows up. He gets Niall alone in a barn to "talk". But what does Ruben want? A fight? Sex? We can't possibly guess. And from there, the show takes us back to the beginning of Ruben and Niall's traumatizing life together.
Half Man is not as good as Baby Reindeer, but Gadd partially succeeds in exploring the topic of people who can't help themselves from indulging in toxic relationships even after given multiple opportunities to move on.
Initially, the audience is primed to sympathize with Niall, a bullied kid dominated by everyone in his life: his classmates, his mum, and Ruben. But as time goes on, we see how Niall can't seem to get away from these toxic relationships even after given multiple fresh starts. We see that he is, in many ways, the architect of his own suffering. I really like this theme, which is also explored in Baby Reindeer, because this kind of nuance (essentially: victims who play a role their own victimization) seems almost taboo to explore in media. But Gadd walks this very fine line with precision and our sympathies keep moving back and forth between Niall and Ruben.
Gadd is clearly working through some deeply personal shit in Half Man and Baby Reindeer. Both shows feel vulnerable and honest in a way you don't always see in media, but they can also be deeply uncomfortable and even offensive at times. This vulnerability worked in Baby Reindeer, but just feels nihilistic in Half Man. The series leaves you asking what the point was. We watch these two men torment and betray one another and there seems to be no meaning behind it other than "toxic masculinity is bad".
There is still something very compelling about Half Man. I wouldn't recommend it to many people, but if you're a fan of Baby Reindeer or into really intense, fucked up dramas, you could give it a spin and see what you think. Being a miniseries, it won't take up much of your time.
Grade: C+
***
The Testaments (TV series)
The Testaments, based on the book by Margaret Atwood (which I do recommend reading), is a sequel of sorts to The Handmaid's Tale. Why in god's name I wanted to subject myself to more Handmaid's Tale IP is a puzzle for my therapist to figure out. But despite the fact that the show is a very masochistic watch, I did enjoy it!
Because The Testaments focuses on the young women of Gilead, it feels more hopeful. I heard the show described as a dystopian version of Bridgerton, and that's not far off: much of the season focuses on preparing for a ball during which the Commanders will meet the latest crop of "Greens": young ladies who have gotten their period in the past year and are now ready to marry. But will they get to marry the younger, cuter Commanders who are closer to their age? HAHAHAHA! Of course not, silly! These 16 year old girls will be forced into marriage with men older than their fathers! It's the way God intended things to be!
The show follows two main girls: Agnes MacKenzie (Chase Infiniti, a very exciting up-and-coming actress), a girl born of a Handmaid and adopted by a Commander and his wife, and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a "Pearl Girl". Pearl Girls are young women who live outside of Gilead and are recruited to join Gilead's way of life. These girls are usually homeless and desperate--think of vulnerable people preyed upon by a cult. But in Daisy's case, she's actually an undercover Mayday operative sent in to spy on the young women of Gilead and report back.
Shifting between Agnes and Daisy's point of view, the girls get ready for their futures and navigate forbidden crushes, schoolyard gossip, and preparing to be sold as slaves to their 50-something year old suitors. Y'know, just girl stuff!
This is the kind of show that if you're going to watch it, you already have. Plenty of people are not interested in signing up to watch a show where a young man has his hand buzz-sawed off for the crime of masturbation in the first episode. And then there are the sickos like me who are strangely drawn to the horrifying world of Gilead.
Grade: B
***
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
This will shock you to your core, but I had never seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit it it's entirety until literally a couple days ago. I think I saw a few scenes of it as a kid and was too scared to watch the rest. Well, I finally got around to watching this stone-cold classic and, holy shit, it is so good.
I'm guessing that every single person reading this review has seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit so no need to go too deeply into the plot. This is a film noir comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant, a hard-boiled detective trying to find out, well, who framed Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer). The crime? The murder of Marvin Acme, owner of Toon Town, and a man known to play "patty-cake" with Roger's wife, Jessica.
This movie is pure delight. It's SO fucking funny and ridiculous. It's a PG movie back when PG really did mean "parental guidance" because watching it as an adult I can see how it would scare the absolute shit out of children. The mix of cartoons and live action is uncanny in the first place, but also any scenes with Judge Doom--played by the incomparable Christopher Lloyd--are truly terrifying.
I also just love film noir dialogue because there's something inherently funny about it ("The dame had legs for days and a body for nights" type stuff), and it's perfect for a PG movie because the writers can get really creative with the insults and innuendos without slipping into adult territory. If you have a kid in your life, around age 8-10, this is the perfect movie to show them to make them think you're not like other adults--you're a cool adult. Because it will feel like they're getting away with watching something they're not supposed to. Be a little bit of a bad influence. 😈
Grade: A
