Review: Amanda Kramer’s ‘PLEASE BABY PLEASE’ is the next cult midnight movie queer obsession.

When newlyweds Arthur and Suze become the object of obsession for a dangerous street gang called The Young Gents, their lives get turned upside down. Amanda Kramer‘s PLEASE BABY PLEASE puts identity and love to the test in this sexy queer musical.

Demi Moore plays upstairs neighbor Maureen. She’s a hot pink and animal print-drenched eccentric woman and the perfect influence on Suze, giving her permission to let go of her inhibitions. Karl Glusman is Teddy, a member of The Young Gents with an eye for Arthur. Glusman nails the classic greaser role, adding a relentless sensuality to his words. He is fantastic. 

Harry Melling plays Arthur with brooding intellectual turmoil, his gentleness waiting to burst at the seams with desire. Melling oozes charm and surprising elegance. It is a marvelous turn.  Andrea Riseborough is Suze. Her fiery energy explodes off the screen. Brimming with sass, dramatic flair, and pent-up rage, Riseborough dives deep into Suze’s fantasies of sadism and masculinity. They are perfect foils for one another, each hungering for something more. They are, simply put, magnificent. 

The score is brilliant, with a mix of bass plucking, bongo drums, and saxophone wails. Short bursts of choreography smartly encapsulate the mood and era. The sets are deliciously accentuated with neon-colored everyday objects, black light hues, and engulfing blues and magenta. Everything sort of glows like a live-action comic book.

The dialogue openly discusses the foolish nature of traditional gender stereotypes. It invites exploration at every level. PLEASE BABY PLEASE would make a fabulous stage production. It’s over-the-top perfection. I loved everything about this fearless, campy, one-of-a-kind film about self-discovery. 


Opens In Theaters October 28

https://www.pleasebabypleasemovie.com/


 

 

New Trailer: In ‘TO LESLIE,’ Andrea Riseburough stars as a woman desperate for a second chance. Coming to theaters and on VOD October 7th.

TO LESLIE

Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) is a West Texas single mother struggling to provide for her son (Owen Teague) when she wins the lottery and a chance at a good life. But a few short years later the money is gone and Leslie is on her own, living hard and fast at the bottom of a bottle as she runs from the world of heartbreak she left behind.

With her charm running out and with nowhere to go, Leslie is forced to return home to her former friends Nancy and Dutch (Allison Janney, Stephen Root). Unwelcome and unwanted by those she wronged, it’s a lonely motel clerk named Sweeney (Marc Maron) who takes a chance when no one else will. With his support, Leslie comes face to face with the consequences of her actions, a life of regret, and a second chance to make a good life for her and her son.


IN THEATERS AND ON VOD OCTOBER 7, 2022

STARRING Andrea Riseborough, Allison Janney, Marc Maron, Andre Royo, Owen Teague, Stephen Root, James Landry Hebert, Matt Lauria, Catfish Jean

DIRECTED BY Michael Morris

WRITTEN BY Ryan Binaco

PRODUCED BY Claude Dal Farra, Brian Keady, Kelsey Law, Ceci Cleary, Philip Waley, Jason Shuman, Eduardo Cisneros

*2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL – WORLD PREMIERE*

Run Time: 119 Minutes | Distributor: Momentum Pictures  | Rating: R


Final Girls Berlin (2022) review: ‘HERE BEFORE’ is a masterpiece in manipulating maternal instincts.

HERE BEFORE

Haunted by the death of her young daughter, a distraught woman develops an all-consuming obsession with a girl she believes is her reincarnated child.


Writer-Director Stacey Gregg‘s debut feature film is haunting and thoroughly unexpected. Entrenched in grief, Laura feels a kindred connection with the new neighbors’ daughter. When young Megan begins to say things reminiscent of the little girl Laura lost, the grey areas between life and death become more complicated. 

Niamh Dornan as Megan is stunning. What a captivating young lady. Her ability to play each beat is beyond her years. Andrea Riseborough‘s performance as Laura is extraordinary. A woman on the edge of grief and sanity, she brings every ounce of her soul to this role. The chemistry between Dornan and Riseborough is electric. There’s an ease and complexity that keeps your pulse quickened. 

Trauma and deceit are two dominant themes that run through the script. I could not have been more intrigued. Here Before is overflowing with gaslighting and cleverly written twists and turns. Utilizing memory and maternal manipulation, there is no way you’ll be able to guess how this story ends. Gregg had me second-guessing until the final frame. What an intoxicating gem for Final Girls Berlin 2022 audiences.


While features will only be screened in person, the majority of shorts will be available to watch virtually internationally — with tickets available HERE


https://www.finalgirlsberlin.com/


Michael’s Review: ‘Birdman’ or (The Unexpected Virtue of Greatness!)

birdman-movie-poster-1There are films you experience and there are films you view. Do you know the difference? A film you experience is one that you become completely immersed, that you lose yourself to the world in which you are subjected to. Experiences like Birdman do not come along everyday. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu opens his film with his main character hovering, weightless, in his underwear, deciphering the current state of his life.  It’s the only time the camera, and the audience, are given a reprieve in the film, as it is shot completely in long takes. It’s a movie in name, but a test of endurance for your mind. So come along with me now and enjoy the tale of the Birdman. Read More →