Finally got around to watching all of "Everything Remains Raw" Moncell Durden's ambitious documentary on the Black roots of urban dance. Like the title, the film is very raw and unfinished, at times painfully so. There are parts of the work that have issues with. It diminishes the important role of Latinx dancers and culture…
Category: Film
Lazy Cosplay: Gaff from Blade Runner
I went to see the new film "Blade Runner 2049" at the Alamo Drafthouse last weekend. Although I knew no one else would, I wanted to dress up as one of the characters from the original "Blade Runner." But who to be? So many iconic roles: Deckard, Roy Batty, Pris, Sebastian. But when it came…
Step Up 6 is Happening… in China! (cast, release date, other details)
You thought the "Step Up" dance series was over? Nope. It's back… in Chinese! I had assumed from the lackluster box office revenues and poor reviews of "Step Up: All In" (2014) that we had seen the last of the "Step Up" film series. As friends will know, I'm a long time fan of the…
#WonderWomanYourself
I know, my Photoshop skills are OFF THE CHARTS.
May the Fourth be With You: On Fan Culture and Real World Rebellion
My friend DJ posted to his Facebook wall this excellent summation of why fan culture matters in an our current era of aspiring autocrats and empires. I got his permission to repost it here. Remember, when you're rolling your eyes at all the people posting about "May the 4th be with you", think about what that actually…
“Alive and Kicking” Mini-Review: A Love Letter to Lindy Hop
Last night, I got to see a sneak preview of the new swing dance documentary "Alive and Kicking" at the Brava Theater in San Francisco. A labor of love by director (and swing dancer) Susan Glatzer, the film "explores the culture surrounding swing dance from the emergence of the Lindy Hop to the modern…
Hidden Figures: The Liberal, Feel-good (Mostly) True Story that We All Need Right Now
Here's the thing about the new film "Hidden Figures." It's a bald-faced, liberal-agenda, Hollywood-ized, fictionalized, feel-good fly-over of a complicated and painful era in our nation's history. It has some of the most ham-fisted lines ever like, "Here we are, three Negro women in 1961 chasing a white police officer down the road…." And yet,…
My Review of “Star Wars The Force Awakens” on the “LOUD on the Set” Podcast
I was very happy to be invited to be on the podcast "LOUD on the Set" to help review the film "Star Wars the Force Awakens" along with hosts Kyle and James, along with my friends Josh, Andrea, and Patrick. We had so much to say, we had to break the podcast into two separate…
“Step Up: All In” Review: Amazing Dancing, Meh Plot, Crappy Romance
Last night, I went with some friends to catch the opening weekend of the latest in the "Step Up" dance film franchise "Step Up: All In." I've been a fan of this series since the first "Step Up" in 2006. I enjoyed "Step Up 2: The Streets," fanatically love "Step Up 3D" and was…
Which “Step Up” Movie is Best? Only YOU Can Decide!
I'm throwing a "Step Up" movie marathon this weekend, in honor of the FIFTH installment coming out soon. Can you believe there are five of these things now? Anyway, I wanted to figure out which of the four existing "Step Up" films to show at my place. Help me decide by ranking them from…