'Tucked' Film Review | BFI Flare Festival 2019

This drag race is a marathon, not a sprint.

Tucked, along with the queens in which it presents, exists as an anomaly in the wider drag landscape. Drag recently hit the mainstream thanks to the popularity of RuPaul's Drag Race, but that show prioritizes a very specific type of drag. Because of this, 'drag' as pop culture seemingly focuses on uplifting skinny, white performers while disregarding their equally talented counterparts. It's about time, then, that both old and black queens got the chance to step into the spotlight; Tucked offers this opportunity to both.

'Giant Little Ones' Film Review | BFI Flare Film Festival 2019

The coming of age film that defies all expectation...

As Giant Little Ones begins and the camera focuses on Frankie - our protagonist who sings along to the electro-pop sounding through his headphones - you'd be forgiven for thinking Keith Behrman's latest film would be a queer take on the coming of age tropes; boy meets boy, school drama gets in the way, break ups and make ups, etc. This was initially exciting. Not since Love, Simon has a queer film been basked in the same Hollywood glow that their hetero-normative counterparts take for granted. Sure, Giant Little Ones is itself an independent film, but writer-director Behrman makes a concerted effort to initially ground this film in this aforementioned genre.

'Vita & Virginia' Film Review | BFI Flare Film Festival 2019

Literature, Letters and Lesbians

Back in 2014 (when I originally started JG Review) I would sneakily upload blog posts in the back row of my GCSE computer lessons and hope to one day cover Film as a member of the press. While I haven't (yet) figured out a way to get paid for that, I have managed to get into film festival coverage which is, honestly, still shocking to me. Before I begin my review of Vita & Virginia, then, I want to quickly thank anyone who has ever visited and read something on this blog - your clicks and support have literally opened doors that were too heavy for me to push on my own. To any of my regular readers and supporters: because of you I'm currently covering my second Film Festival, and not for a student paper or magazine but for this blog - thank you! 

You can expect an imminent wave of reviews and features covering films highlighted in this year's BFI Flare Film Festival, an event aimed at uplifting and showcasing the latest LGBTQ+ cinema. I'm hoping to be able to exclusively interview some directors who have brought their films to the festival, but it's about time I spoke about the first I got to see here...

'Captain Marvel' Film Review

I need a hero... This review contains mild spoilers

Captain Marvel has a lot of pressure on its shoulders. For one, the movie has to lead into Avengers: Endgame, the second-half of the Infinity War saga which began last year. The film also has to introduce audiences the character of Captain Marvel; they must make her likeable enough for movie-goers to happily accept her as a replacement for Iron Man, Thor or Captain America as the Avengers franchise continues. As if this wasn't burden enough, Captain Marvel has the added pressure of being Marvel's first female led superhero film since the studio formed 10 years ago.