Updated my Favorite Director’s list. Five directors added including Greta Gerwig, Andrew Haigh, Marlon Riggs, Billy Wilder, and William Wyler. Click here or on the image below to see the full list.
The late, great documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs.
Archive for the ‘Directors – Rikki Beadle Blair’ Category
Favorite Director’s Updated
March 27, 2024Reel Charlie Speaks – Episode 17: Metrosexuality (2001)
October 22, 2023
Welcome. You’re listening to Reel Charlie Speaks, an LGBTQ podcast spin-off of the film and television review blog, Reel Charlie looking at movies and TV from a gay male perspective since 2009.
I’m your host, Philip Bahr.
Each month I select a classic queer film, television series, or creator. I talk about how the subject spoke to me when I first discovered it years ago, and how its stood the test of time. Spoilers ahead.
In episode 17 I explore the Rikki Beadle Blair film, Metrosexuality (2001).
Listen to the podcast at Spotify for Podcasters or find it on your favorite podcast platform.
David Eye’s Birthday 2023
August 14, 2023
Today would have been my friend David Eye’s 63rd birthday. Today is his first birthday since his death in January. My post about David’s death broke my blog with 970 views. There are others with more, but they have been around a lot longer and are not as personal as David’s. It makes sense. He had a ton of friends and family and loved every one of us. I am still deeply affected by his death. Is it because I’m older and closer to my own final act? Is it because many of us went through the horror of the AIDS crisis and lost so many people, but we went through it young, angry and passionate about living fully? Now people seem to quietly slip away. Now that we are so honored to have lived this long. The longer I live, the more it hurts. The more I experience death and loss, the more I ache when another person leaves before me. This year I lost David, our dog Daisy, and Dennis’s sister Rosemary. That’s enough 2023. So I’m racking my brain trying to remember films David loved. Here are two we shared together over the years:
I turned David on to Metrosexuality, a turn of the century short series from the U.K. and the genius mind of Rikki Beadle Blair. David wasn’t shy about sharing his love for beautiful black men. There are men, women, and non-binary people of all colors, shapes, and sizes in Rikki’s magical world. David and I laughed so hard watching Metrosexuality together. But I think we also both found a world we wanted to inhabit and create in this technicolor dream show. Streaming? It’s only available streaming in Great Britain and Ireland. Otherwise, I have two DVD copies if you ever want to borrow one.
Next up is Rafiki, an amazing young lesbian love story from Kenya which premiered at NewFest 2018 in NYC. David, our dear friend Mark, and I were in awe of this heartfelt, important film. David couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved Rafiki.
Do you remember important people in your life who’ve left this world, and connect movies with them? David: I still cry and sometimes even swear at you for leaving us so quickly and way too early. But you left on such a high note. May we all hold on to that beautiful thought. Love you my friend.
Reel Charlie’s 100 Favorite Films
November 16, 2020
A favorite films list is something I’ve been toying with since starting this blog. I started out with my original list of favorites. Over the past decade, I added and subtracted via Reel Charlie posts. Obviously, it was excruciatingly difficult to whittle this list down to 100 titles. I’ll publish an honorable mention list in a separate post of the films that almost made it. In the end, my criteria: select only feature films, no documentaries. That list will come later. And no stand-up comedy or performance. Also, for my own sanity, I limited the list only to films I instantly remember details – performances, lines, sets, costumes, make-up, etc. In other words, there are many films I remember loving, but can’t remember any details. My list below of 100 favorite films I remember vividly.
So in alphabetical order, here are Reel Charlie’s 100 Favorite Films. Many titles link to Reel Charlie reviews. Here we go.
9 to 5 – classic female-focused comedy. Tomlin, Fonda, & Parton. Enough said.
120 battements par minute [BPM (Beats Per Minute)] – French feature film about ACT UP (AIDS activism) Paris during the 90’s.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – Oscar for Best Costume. Perfection comes in 3s.
Avant que j’oublie (Before I Forget)
– a 58 year-old French HIV+ former male prostitute who has refused to take the new HIV meds in 2000, a character never seen before in film.
Beautiful Thing – my favorite coming out film. Sweet, sensitive, innocent, and hilarious with a Mama Cass soundtrack.
Best in Show – Christopher Guest mockumentary dog show brilliance.
The Best Years of Our Lives – Hollywood digs deep with 3 men returning from WWII.
Big Business – Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin times 2.
Brother to Brother – NYC black, gay man learns about the Harlem Renaissance. Breakout film for Anthony Mackie.
La Bûche (The Yule Log) – French holiday film about a chaotic family with secrets.
But I’m a Cheerleader – conversion therapy skewered for the nightmare it is.
Carol – Todd Haynes adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt. 1950’s: two women in love and all its complications and romance.
Christmas in Connecticut – Barbara Stanwick and Dennis Morgan classic holiday Hollywood. A yearly viewing event.
Cloudburst – Brenda Fricker and Olympia Dukakis as an elder lesbian couple facing discrimination from their biological family.
Clue – the board game, the cast, the hysterical buffoonery of it all.
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean – Robert Altman’s female tour de force centered around a James Dean fan club reunion.
Contact – Jodie Foster is “okay to go” in this Hollywood sci-fi classic.
Un conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) – another French holiday film, this one with Catherine Deneuve as the matriarch – lots of cigarette smoking.
Crooklyn
– Spike Lee magic. This one is my childhood.
Day After Tomorrow – Hollywood takes on climate change.
Desperately Seeking Susan – Susan Seidelman’s wacky mistaken identity movie starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.
Dick – a good comedy can feed your soul. A good comedy about two teenage girls taking down Nixon is priceless.
Donnie Darko – mystical and ethereal yet grounded 100% in the early 80’s including a kick ass soundtrack.
Drôle de Félix (Adventures of Felix) – the first HIV+ character in cinema who is not dying, depressed, or left behind.
Dolor y gloria (Pain and Glory) – Almodovar’s biographical perfect film.
Edge of Seventeen (1998) – another joyous gay male coming out film taking place in the early 80’s. Authentic. Lea Delaria.
Edward II – Derek Jarman’s take on 14th century queer British Royalty. Annie Lennox sings.
Everything Everywhere All at Once – loved this crazy ride of a movie about kindness.
Eve’s Bayou – atmospheric and complex family drama from Kasi Lemmons.
Far from Heaven – Todd Haynes homage to Douglas Sirk’s melodramas. A masterpiece.
Le fate ignoranti (His Secret Life)– Ferzan Ozpetek’s melodrama about a dead man and the wife and male lover who adored him.
Fargo – Stunning Coen Brothers mystery creating one of cinema’s most best-loved character, Marge Gunderson played by Frances McDormand.
Funny Girl – Barbra Streisand musical genius.
The Garden – Derek Jarman’s experimental film combines Christian iconography, gay male relationships, and gay political activism.
Gaudi Afternoon – Susan Seidelman’s adaptation of Barbara Wilson’s Cassandra Reilly Mysteries.
God’s Own Country – Rural Yorkshire indie film exploring the burgeoning love story between two young men.
Gods and Monsters – Adapted from Christopher Bram’s novel, Frankenstein director James Whale’s final chapter starring Ian McKellen.
Gosford Park – Robert Altman’s classic upstairs downstairs whodunnit written by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes. Glorious.
Ha-Buah (Bubble, The) – Israeli film about a forbidden love story between an Israeli man and a Palestinian man. Modern LBGLTQ take on Romeo and Juliet.
Hairspray – John Waters goes mainstream but retains his perverse take on suburban America. This is the original film.
Halloween – the original, the only, the scary.
The Heiress
– Hollywood creates movie magic with Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift.
Howards End – Merchant Ivory strike gold once again with this perfect E.M. Forster adaptation.
Hunger – British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen’s searing portrait of the 1981 Irish prison hunger strike.
I Do – pre marriage equality romantic film about a guy trying to figure out how not to get deported as he meets the love of his life.
Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) – based on the WWI truce between the Scots, French, and Americans.
Julia – semibiographical film on Lillian Hellman’s friendship with WWII war dissident Julia.
Klute – Jane Fonda’s Oscar winning performance as call girl, Bree Daniels.
Lakawanna Blues – S. Epatha Merkerson plays Nanny who runs an 1950’s upstate boarding house for the African American and Latinx community.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco – identity, black male friendship, race relations, belonging, and gentrification in modern-day San Francisco.
Legally Blonde – silly as a goose and so much feel-good fun this Reese Witherspoon classic.
Lilies – John Greyson’s adaption of a play about a play within a prison and confronting a bishop for past sins.
Little Voice – Jane Horrocks’ tour de force as the shy “Little Voice” who can sing like the masters.
Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) – German filmmaker Tom Tykwer’s 90’s techno masterpiece.
Lone Star – John Sayles Texas mystery which spans two generations and multiple communities.
Lovely & Amazing – Nicole Holofcener’s gritty film about mothers and daughters.
Making Love – right before AIDS hit, Hollywood dared to produce a story about a closeted gay man married to a woman trying to find his way.
Maurice – Merchant Ivory adapts E.M. Foster’s novel of Edwardian gay male love. Perfection.
Metrosexuality – Rikki Beadle Blair’s amazing patchwork of style, passion, family, love and inclusivity. Major feel-good event.
Milk – Hollywood makes a Harvey Milk biopic and succeeds!
Monsoon Wedding
– Mira Nair’s gorgeous tale of two weddings from different classes in Delhi.
Moonlight – Swept the Oscars and deservedly so. Quiet, introspective film about a young black gay man at 3 stages in his life.
Muriel’s Wedding – “you’re terrible, Muriel!” Must see Toni Collette Rachel Griffiths origin acting comedy genius. ABBA soundtrack galore.
My Beautiful Laundrette – Stephen Frears tale of a young white punk and smart Paki young man who fall in love in 1980’s Britain.
Nashville – Robert Altman’s essemble cast works their magic on the 1970’s mix of music and politics.
Pariah – Dee Rees created a fascinating look at a high school girl in the Bronx who is figuring out how to fit in with her family and her lesbian friends.
Parting Glances – 1980’s indie film about a gay male couple facing a separation while a friend is dying of AIDS.
Pillow Talk – what planet is this genre from? Who cares, it’s delicious Doris Day and Rock Hudson magic.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Girls! Maggie Smith at her best and that’s saying something.
The Queen – Dogs! Helen Mirren at her best and that’s saying something.
Rafiki – Kenyan lesbian love story. Gorgeous.
The Remains of the Day – another Merchant Ivory masterpiece. Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson.
A Room with a View – Merchant Ivory costume drama gorgeousness.
Rope – Hitchcock adapts the Leopold and Loeb story for a creepy good time.
Rustin – Colman Domingo takes us on a journey into Bayard Rustin’s incredible life.
Safe – Todd Haynes’ environmental illness as AIDS analogy skewers the New Age movement, or does it?
Secrets and Lies – Mike Leigh’s incredible film melding class and race.
Serial Mom – John Waters strikes gold again with a perfect suburban mother as serial killer.
Shadow of a Doubt – Hitchcock’s scary story of a beloved uncle who may just be The Merry Widow Killer.
Shortbus – John Cameron Mitchell’s ode to post-9/11 NYC with a healthy dose of real sex.
Silkwood – based on a true story, Meryl Streep stars as Karen Silkwood with Kurt Russell and Cher.
A Star is Born (1954) – Judy Garland triumph.
A Star is Born (1976) – Barbra Streisand triumph.
The Station Agent – perfect indie film about 3 misfits. Patricia Clarkson magic.
The Sticky Fingers of Time
– amazing lesbian and bi women indie film about time travel.
Strangers on a Train – glorious Hitchcock genius with my man, Farley Granger.
Suddenly, Last Summer – adapting Tennessee Williams’ play becomes a screeching film about hidden truths and madness.
Sunshine State – John Sayles’ masterpiece ensemble film about small town Florida developers vs. the locals.
Tangerine – shot on an iPhone with two black trans leads.
Todo sobre mi madre (All About my Mother) – my favorite Almodovar film. Women supporting women traveling through life.
Victim – first time a film character ever came out as gay in a film. Historically important British film.
Victor Victoria – a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman. Preposterous. Julie Andrews and Robert Preston strike gold.
Walk on Water – Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox’s film about a Mossad agent befriending a sister and brother to track down their Nazi grandfather.
The Watermelon Woman – Cheryl Dunye’s brilliant debut film about a video store clerk researching a minor black female actress in film history.
Weekend – Andrew Haigh’s stunning indie about two young men who spend a weekend together wondering if it will become more.
What’s Up Doc? – Barbra Streisand. Ryan O’Neal. Madeline Kahn. Perfect screwball comedy.
White Christmas – the classic. Rosemary Clooney swoon.
The Wizard of Oz – the classic of all classics. Love, love, love.
You Can Count on Me – Kenneth Lonergan’s classic indie film pairing the luminous Laura Linney with Mark Ruffalo as brother and sister stumbling through life.
Zero Patience – a AIDS musical made at the height of the AIDS crisis by a gay male film director? Yes, please.
So, what do you think? What are your favorite films?
Updated: 2/2024
Reel Charlie’s Black and LGBTQ on Film #Pride #BlackLGBTQ #QTPOC #PrideMonth2020
June 17, 2020
This Pride season Reel Charlie highlights favorite film and television that intersect African-American and LGBTQ+ identity. Click on titles for Reel Charlie reviews.
Black and LGBTQ on Film
Feature Film:
Bashment – dissects U.K. racism, gender, homophobia, the Hip-Hop and Raggamuffin music industries
Brother to Brother– Anthony Mackie’s breakout performance
Metrosexuality – all races, all genders, all sexualties, all ages, a kaleidoscope of love and family
Moonlight – Oscar finally got something right
Pariah – Dee Rees’ perfect debut film
Rafiki – young Kenyan lesbians in love.
Tangerine – Trans women of color in a film shot on an iPhone.
The Watermelon Woman – Cheryl Dunye’s indie masterpiece
Young Soul Rebels – a British film about the friendship between a gay man and a straight man in the 1970’s
Documentary:
Born in Flames
Brother Outsider
I Am Not Your Negro – James Baldwin documentary
Looking for Langston – Isaac Julian’s love story to the Harlem Renaissance
Paris is Burning – the 90’s documentary that gave a voice the ball culture
Tongues Untied – Marlon Riggs’ late 80’s doc on gay, black men
Television:
Pose: Season 1 and 2 – the television show to watch right now: 80’s/90’s ball culture NYC
The Wire – prominent lesbian and gay character
Listen, read, watch, support, and be kind.
Reel Charlie’s Favorite Directors
January 20, 2019
From the beginnings of Reel Charlie, I have always kept a list of my favorite directors. Enjoy.
Pedro Almodovar (my favorite living director)
My personal favorites are All About My Mother, (Reel Charlie’s favorite), Bad Education, Talk to Her, Volver, Broken Embraces, Live Flesh, Law of Desire, The Skin That I Live In, Julieta, and his semi-autobiographical masterpiece, Pain and Glory.
Robert Altman
Gosford Park is genius (watch it more than once!), so is Nashville, Short Cuts, Prêt-à-Porter, The Player and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a giant of American filmmaking.
Andrea Arnold
Andrea’s been an amazing breath of fresh air in the indie film world. Loved her first two films, Red Road, Fish Tank as well as her directing on Transparent and Big Little Lies.
Sean Baker
Sean started out with Tangerine, which he shot on an iPhone. He followed up with The Florida Project, and then Red Rocket.
Rikki Beadle-Blair
Rikki shot himself out of a cannon full of rainbow glitter. Seriously this man is the queer-positive, feel-good force in film making and theater. Oh how I love his work. Favorites include Metrosexuality (which I try to watch at least once a year), Fit, and Bashment.
Lisa Cholodenko
Long-time career for this wonderful director. Favorites include High Art, The Kids Are All Right, and Olive KItteridge.
Ava DuVernay
Selma gave her an international stage. She followed up going back to her roots with a documentary, 13th. Reel Charlie favorite When They See Us came out in 2019. Waiting to see Origin.
Cheryl Dunye
The Watermelon Woman is one of my favorite indie romantic comedies of all-time. Smart and full of sexy lesbian characters. Stranger Inside is more polished, darker with a major twist. Also loved Mommy is Coming, and The Owls.
Rob Epstein/Jeffrey Friedman
Documentary Oscar-winning (Common Threads: Voices from the Quilt about the AIDS Quilt) team who brought us The Times of Harvey Milk (about out politician Harvey Milk) (see also Milk), Paragraph 175 (interviews gay men who survived the Nazi concentration camps), and The Celluloid Closet (Vito Russo’s history of LGBTQ+ film).
Eytan Fox
Out gay Israeli filmmaker scorches the screen with some of my favorite films released in the past decade. Yossi & Jagger tells the story of two soldiers in love. Walk on Water is complicated and has the most truthful, moral characters I’ve seen on film in a long time. His latest film, The Bubble about gay love between an Israeli and a Palestinian is outstanding. Add Mary Lou, Cupcakes, and Yossi to this list.
Stephen Frears
My Beautiful Laundrette… is it really possible this film was made in the 1980’s? Perfect Daniel Day-Lewis and Saeed Jaffrey. Prick Up Your Ears, the life of British playwright Joe Orton. High Fidelity…I love this nerdy straight guy movie. Mrs. Henderson Presents… Judi Dench stars in this gem. Not to miss: Will Young as Bertie and of course The Queen where Helen Mirren finally gets her Oscar. What a career, what an actress, what a film. Another Frears masterpiece.
Greta Gerwig
Barbie broke the glass ceiling in Hollywood for what a female director can do. My favorite Gerwig films are Barbie (surprise) and 20th Century Woman. Special mention for Gerwig’s acting turn in Frances Ha directed by her life partner Noah Baumbach and written by the two of them.
John Greyson
Lilies is unbelievable, Uncut is too hard to explain in a sound bite, Zero Patience is a musical about AIDS? Yes! And Urinal makes me see dead people.
Greyson teaches now. I continue to be in awe of his talent. He was detained for seven weeks in Egypt in 2013.) In 2014, he created the series, Murder in Passing.
Christopher Guest
Best In Show and Waiting for Guffman make me laugh out loud every time. Guest has done four projects since Best in Show. Nothing makes me laugh more than these middle two films, although Mascots was lots of fun.
Andrew Haigh
In 2011, Andrew Haigh gave us the hauntingly beautiful Weekend, becoming an instant Reel Charlie favorite. Haigh followed up with the incredible television series, Looking and then blessed us with All of Us Strangers, which has turned into Reel Charlie’s favorite film for 2024.
Todd Haynes
My favorites Poison, Safe and Far From Heaven, and Carol are brilliant. Okay, Velvet Goldmine has grown on me and become a favorite as well. But seriously a double feature of Far From Heaven and Carol would be incredible. Two modern masterpieces and signature Haynes.
Alfred Hitchcock
Strangers on a Train & Rope are two reasons I love Hitchcock. If I had been born 40 years earlier, I would’ve been Farley Granger’s stalker. Other Hitchcock favorites include Marnie,Shadow of a Doubt (Hitch’s favorite), Vertigo, North by Northwest, I Confess… there are too many to list. Also, I Confess is Monty eye candy but not a 5. Add The Birds, Rear Window, and Rebecca to the 5 out of 5 list. My favorite director of all-time.
Nicole Holofcener
Holofcener’s quirky, realistic portrayals of modern life always give me food for thought, make me laugh and keep me in awe. Favorites include Lovely and Amazing, Please Give, Enough Said, and You Hurt My Feelings. Start with Lovely and Amazing, her masterpiece.
James Ivory
Maurice, The Remains of the Day, A Room With a View (I can recite most of Maggie Smith’s lines by heart) and Howard’s End are a quartet of perfect films I watch over and over again. RIP Ismail Merchant. Still the master of period pieces and literary adaptations. So thrilled I got to see him in person for a 4K screening of Maurice in 2017. Maurice is my favorite film of all-time.
Derek Jarman
The master of 80’s/early 90’s independent Queer cinema in the U.K., Jarman was a powerful storyteller and we lost him way too soon to AIDS. He helped launch Tilda Swinton and was so in your face about gay male love stories at a time when the world hated us . Favorites include Edward II, The Angelic Conversation, The Garden, and his final masterpiece, Blue.
Spike Lee
I’m naming more than two… Crooklyn is my childhood, Malcolm X is brilliant, Summer of Sam is chilling with Adrian Brody as a punk, He Got Game exposes hypocrisy, Bamboozled will make you think, and 25th Hour: I heart NY. But his recent film, Inside Man may be his greatest yet. Hitchcock would be proud. BlackKklansman once again gave us Spike at his finest.
Mike Leigh
Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste play the most unlikely mother and daughter ever in Secrets and Lies. It’s Mike Leigh so it’s dark, moody and amazing. Watch it won’t you sweetie? Other Mike Leigh favorites include All or Nothing (Timothy Spall magic), the delicate Vera Drake and the new masterpiece, Happy-Go-Lucky, as well as Another Year and Mr. Turner.
Mira Nair
Nair gives us films to celebrate life and dissect our failings. Favorites include the stunning Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Ferzan Ozpetek
Turkish filmmaker whose movies define sensual. Start with his trilogy, Steam: The Turkish Bath, Harem Suare, and His Secret Life. Also of note is his latest (that’s available in the U.S.), Facing Windows. The past ten years brought us Saturn in Opposition and the hysterical Loose Cannons which I own. I have yet to see the television adaption/update of His Secret Life, Ignorant Angels, as well as Nuovo Olimpo.
Ventura Pons
On the edge of my seat with this man’s films… Caresses and Beloved/Friend are my personal favorites. For more of the sweet side of Pons, check out Anita Takes a Chance. An amazing foreign filmmaker who has done many, many films since his English language, Food of Love. None has released in the U.S. Pons died in 2024.
Dee Rees
Pariah slayed me. From the short to the feature-length film. Mandatory. Seriously. Other favorites Bessie and Mudbound.
Marlon Riggs
Powerhouse documentary filmmaker who died way too young from AIDS. Criterion made his work accessible to a new generation of film viewers with the 2021 boxed set of Marlon Riggs films released on Blu-ray. They include Ethnic Notions (1987), Affirmations (1990) and Anthem (1991), Color Adjustment (1992), Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regret) (1993), and Reel Charlie favorites, Tongues Untied (1989), and Black is… Black Ain’t (1994).
John Sayles
Return of the Secaucus 7 and Lianna were two of the very first indie films I saw. Lonestar and Sunshine State are my personal favorites. Casa de los Babys is also a gem. No one does real life better.
The great American filmmaker. I did a series at the library on Sayles back in 2017 which began with Matewan.
Tom Tykwer
Best known for the German techno adventure Run Lola Run. Other films include Winter Sleepers, The Princess and the Warrior (outrageous!) and Heaven starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi. His collaborations with the Wachowskis on Sense8 and his collaboration creating Babylon Berlin remind me of why I love his work.
John Waters
This man is a genius and makes me laugh over and over again. His early films are brilliant but I do prefer Hairspray, Serial Mom and A Dirty Shame. I can’t wait for Liarmouth.
Billy Wilder
What a breadth of films Wilder created in his lifetime. Reel Charlie favorites include Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), Some Like It Hot (1959), and The Apartment (1960),
William Wyler
Ending with one more classic 20th Century film director. Wyler’s career encompasses two of my favorite films of all-time from completely different eras: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Funny Girl (1968). In-between he created Mrs. Miniver, The Little Foxes and another perfect Reel Charlie favorite, The Heiress.
Next update: Nichols, Murphy, McCarthy, Dolan, Lonergan, and Dick?
Who are your favorites? Leave a comment.
Updated: March 2024
Metrosexuality (take ?)
January 10, 2019Watched the effervescent glitter bomb love fest, Metrosexuality over the weekend and after 18 years, boy does it hold up. To quote the protagonist, Kwame, “I’ve got two gay dads, two gay best friends, and a lesbian-sympathizer girlfriend… I’m straight mate, someone’s got to be.” Created by Rikki Beadle-Blair, click on the image below to read Reel Charlie’s updated review of this magical place I never want to leave.
KickOff (take 2) @RikkiBB
January 1, 2019
Rang in the new year last evening watching several episodes of The Wire (Season 3 – the Hamsterdam episodes) and the delightful British gay footballer (soccer) film, KickOff from master storyteller, Rikki Beadle-Blair. This is my second look at KickOff. Rikki’s themes for his plays and films always encompass inclusion and acceptance, focusing on how our similarities override our differences. He creates better worlds in his work, worlds not out of reach, worlds we can ascribe to in an attainable way. Have loved his message of hope, love and fabulousness for a long time now. If you are new to Rikki’s work, start with his technicolored soap opera, Metrosexuality which I own two copies of on DVD. Reel Charlie’s reviewed Beadle-Blair’s films released in the U.S.:
Stonewall (1995) (writer)
Metrosexuality
Fit
Bashment
KickOff
Follow Rikki on Twitter. His #LoveNinja tweets focus on making the world brighter and better starting from within. He is one of my heroes.
Happy Birthday to Me (2017)
November 16, 2017No, I’m not 2017 years old. I just feel like it some days. I’m in the air on my birthday this year. I thought it might be fun to post something like this:
If you really love me, you’ll watch a film by at least one of these directors sometime in November:
Alfred Hitchcock
Andrea Arnold
Andrew Haigh
Barbara Streisand
Cheryl Dunye
Christopher Guest
Dee Rees
Derek Jarman
Douglas Sirk
Eytan Fox
Ferzan Ozpetek
Glenn Gaylord
Gurinder Chadha
Ilene Chaiken
Ingrid Jungermann
James Ivory
Jill Soloway
John Cameron Mitchell
John Greyson
John Sayles
John Waters
Kenneth Lonergan
Lisa Cholodenko
Lisa Gornick
Lynne Ramsay
Mike Leigh
Mira Nair
Nicole Holofcener
Pedro Almodovar
Peter Paige
Rikki Beadle Blair
Robert Altman
Spike Lee
Stephen Frears
Susan Seidelman
Todd Haynes
Tom McCarthy
Ventura Pons
Xavier Dolan
It’s good to have choices.
Reel Charlie 