Jonathan Roche Author

Charlie Says

These Are the Best Spring 2019 Art Films You Must See

For those whom the blockbuster doesn’t pass muster, check out our wined and refined spring movie recommendations. Charlie Says The title of Charlie Says is more ominous than...

Entertainment • Screen|

Read More

scene from El Angel

Cinema’s “El Angel”: Argentina’s Anti-Hero You Can’t Help But Love

One of the more original and etherial character portraits you’re likely to see this year, El Angel tells the short, violent and liberating story of Carlitos, a 17-year-old in...

Screen|

Read More

Peterloo scene

Spring Movie Recommendations for LGBTQ Tastes

One teenager turns against another after a fleeting homosexual encounter; a great author revels in her lost-to-history lesbian romance; and a hustler lavishes affection on others...

Entertainment • Screen|

Read More

Anna and the apocalypse

Zombie Movie Meets Musical in the Darkly Clever “Anna and the Apocalypse”

A lot of audiences missed this bit of weird holiday whimsy. But now it’s available on several streaming services. Once niche, but now mainstream, zombie films hold a special...

Screen|

Read More

Cold War scene

“Cold War”: Sumptuous Screen Visuals Depict a World War II Romance

Love is often called a battlefield, but it can also be a very long and quiet war. So it is in director Pawel Pawlikowski’s most recent film, Cold War, which follows his Oscar...

Screen|

Read More

Ghostbox Cowboy scene

“Ghostbox Cowboy”: A Scam You’ll Want to Fall For Comes to Video

A film as strange and inexplicable as its title: Texan Jimmy Van Horn (David Zellner) is something of a loser, so he bids farewell to America and heads to the booming city of...

Screen|

Read More

never look away

See an Unflinching Look at War Through a Filmmaker’s Eyes in “Never Look Away”

This film is well named, because it’s just over three hours long — yet I never looked once at the clock. That’s a testament to the strong storytelling of writer/director...

Screen|

Read More

Bisbee-17 scene

A Shameful Secret Returns to Haunt Arizona in “Bisbee ’17”

The town of Bisbee, Arizona is haunted. Author Colin Dickey describes it well in his book, Ghostland: “Cities that are haunted … seem to straddle past and present as...

Entertainment • Screen|

Read More

1985 scene

“1985”: An AIDS Victim Returns Home For One Last Goodbye

This flashback to the ‘80s is an earnest tale of a closeted man coming home for Christmas during the height of the AIDS crisis. Adrian (Cory Michael Smith – Gotham)...

Screen|

Read More

Photo of Zain from Capernaum

“Capernaum” Is a Best Foreign Language Oscar Nominee You Must See

Capernaum, nominated for a 2019 Best Foreign Language Oscar, is a surprisingly magical film – considering it revolves around abandoned children. What does Capernaum mean?...

Entertainment • Screen|

Read More

oscar picks

2019 Oscar Predictions from an LGBTQ Perspective

LGBTQ film critic Jonathan Roche predicts that, while there are many ‘prestige’ films in the running, this may be a year for popular films. Best picture COULD WIN: It’s a La...

Entertainment • Screen|

Read More

Sorry Angel scene

“Sorry Angel”: Star-Crossed Lovers Meet in a Gay French Romance

Unusual, offbeat, but often right on the money about gay romance in the ‘90s, Sorry Angel could be a love story or an anti-love story (if there is truly such a thing). It’s...

Screen|

Read More