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Bay Area Reporter

Tomatometer-approved publication.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) Brian Bromberger ... mesmerizing as we watch Seyfried immerse herself totally in Lee, we marvel at the film’s entrancing audaciousness, even if its incongruities, lack of insight, and emotional chilliness prevent it from becoming the masterpiece it might’ve been.
Posted Jan 27, 2026  Edit critic review
A-
The Plague (2025) Gregg Shapiro By the stunning conclusion, you may find yourself gasping for air after a dive into the deep end, with the revelation that the plague may well be teenage boys.
Posted Jan 27, 2026  Edit critic review
The Choral (2025) Brian Bromberger It’s watchable yet instantly forgettable after it ends.
Posted Jan 20, 2026  Edit critic review
The Sure Thing (1985) Steve Warren The script by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Robert is full of lines that would never come out of real people's mouths, but should be savored in real people's minds.
Posted Jan 07, 2026  Edit critic review
A-
Sorry, Baby (2025) Gregg Shapiro Make no mistake, the primary reason for watching “Sorry, Baby,” is Eva Victor...
Posted Jan 05, 2026  Edit critic review
B+
I Wish You All the Best (2024) Gregg Shapiro Propelled by strong performances, including Fogelmanis’ authentic embodiment of the lead character, “I Wish You All the Best” is a welcome addition to the canon of LGBTQ+ cinema.
Posted Jan 02, 2026  Edit critic review
Hook (1991) Warren Sonbert Hook is absolutely killed by a nonstop, gushy, lushy, warbling heavenly choirs-filled music track by John Williams. This one would have embarrassed even Max Steiner in his heyday with its soporific over-indulgence.
Posted Dec 19, 2025  Edit critic review
Christine (1983) Michael Lasky Carpenter steers the film towards palpable characterization, witty use of 50's rock, and some wonderful dialogue.
Posted Dec 17, 2025  Edit critic review
The Christmas Writer (2025) Laura Moreno The Christmas Writer delivers a lovely dose of yuletide bliss. Grab your coziest blanket and prepare to emerge ready to believe again in the magic of Christmas.
Posted Dec 15, 2025  Edit critic review
True Lies (1994) Daniel Mangin What really makes True Lies fun, though, is Cameron’s devil-may-care direction - one minute it’s an action film, the next it’s being as gleefully surreal as a Bunuel or Tati picture.
Posted Dec 10, 2025  Edit critic review
The Abyss (1989) Ron Larsen Overblown, overlong, overwrought, and over the edge, The Abyss is the Titanic of oceanic adventures.
Posted Dec 09, 2025  Edit critic review
C+
Sallywood (2024) Gregg Shapiro The best parts of “Sallywood” involve the sweet intergenerational friendship between Zack and Sally.
Posted Dec 08, 2025  Edit critic review
100 Nights of Hero (2025) Laura Moreno Julia Jackman has created what no doubt will soon become a Christmas classic. Like any good fairytale, this 90-minute journey feels timeless, as if from a dream.
Posted Dec 08, 2025  Edit critic review
Wicked: For Good (2025) Brian Bromberger Instead, it’s an average mishmash held together by the pizazz of Erivo/Grande.
Posted Dec 02, 2025  Edit critic review
Frankenstein (2025) David-Elijah Nahmod Frankenstein is a tale that may have been told too many times, with dozens of films inspired by Shelley’s novel having been made. Yet del Toro has done what so many have considered impossible; he’s made this overly familiar tale seem fresh.
Posted Nov 18, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
I Was Born This Way (2025) Gregg Shapiro It's impossible to overstate the significant contributions that Carl Bean made to multiple communities, including LGBTQ, Black, HIV/AIDS, activist, and faith.
Posted Nov 14, 2025  Edit critic review
Hedda (2025) Brian Bromberger It’s wildly inventive but too clever for its own good. Yet the thrilling moments make it worthwhile even if the whole isn’t greater than the sum of its parts.
Posted Nov 11, 2025  Edit critic review
Blue Moon (2025) Brian Bromberger It’s a penetrating and at times flawed elegiac triumph, which might induce ecstasy in musical theater buffs.
Posted Oct 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Boys Go to Jupiter (2024) David-Elijah Nahmod It’s not a great film, but it’s not a bad film either. See it if you’re in the mood for something different, just don’t expect all of it to make sense.
Posted Oct 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Dracula (1979) Michael Lasky Dracula is an exceptionally long-winded enterprise which has been overproduced and overacted. None of the charms of the stage play remain, and even the ostensibly sexiness of Frank Langella's Dracula has dried up.
Posted Oct 23, 2025  Edit critic review
Queens of the Dead (2025) David-Elijah Nahmod This low budget film is well made and moves at a fast pace.
Posted Oct 22, 2025  Edit critic review
B
Caught Stealing (2025) Gregg Shapiro Just a few years after Austin Butler became a household name in Baz Luhrmann’s meh “Elvis,” he’s finally been given a lead role in a movie worthy of his gifts.
Posted Oct 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) Brian Bromberger Even with these flaws, the film is well worth watching, particularly for the acting.
Posted Oct 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Desert Hearts (1985) Steve Warren If you’ve been thirsting for a good lesbian love story, Desert Hearts is a real oasis. It may just reach in and put a string of lights around (your) heart.
Posted Oct 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Desert Hearts (1985) David-Elijah Nahmod [Deitch] has made a simple coming-out-of-the closet story, and has laced it with wit, humor, and intelligence.
Posted Oct 13, 2025  Edit critic review
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Steve Warren English-Pakistani Kureishi has written a perceptive, complex script about the limited opportunities in Margaret Thatcher's England, and how immigrants without too many scruples are able to move up in the pecking order.
Posted Oct 10, 2025  Edit critic review
The Celluloid Closet (1995) Robert Julian By providing the heterosexual audience with a pill they can swallow, [Epstein and Friedman] offer sophisticated gay filmgoers a history lesson that may seem rather dry.
Posted Oct 08, 2025  Edit critic review
Tron (1982) Michael Lasky Although the computer art-work is to be applauded, it in itself does not a movie make.
Posted Oct 06, 2025  Edit critic review
Fairyland (2023) David-Elijah Nahmod Fairyland is a bittersweet story of a father and daughter who loved each other deeply in spite of their differences. It’s the story of an alternative family and how they come to terms with each other.
Posted Oct 06, 2025  Edit critic review
To Sleep With Anger (1990) Karl Bruce Knapper Burnett has created a brilliant tapestry of a movie, intricately woven of multiple layers of truth and dishonesty, love and mistrust, folklore and history.
Posted Sep 25, 2025  Edit critic review
Spider-Man (2002) David Lamble Willem Dafoe gives a campy muscularity to Spider-Man’s Green Goblin arch-rival, allowing fans of a darker bent the vicarious thrill of seeing a little spider-blood shed.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
Boogie Nights (1997) Gary Mark Morris Director Anderson's problem is one that plagues many filmmakers today: technical proficiency undermined by threadbare, cliché characters.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
The History of Sound (2025) Brian Bromberger Yet with all its weaknesses, that magic undeniable undefinable aura between Mescal and O’Connor makes the film almost irresistible. But the key word here is almost.
Posted Sep 23, 2025  Edit critic review
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (2025) Jim Provenzano A moving tribute to his father Richard O’Brien’s creation, the musical that became a cult favorite in cinemas for 50 years.
Posted Sep 22, 2025  Edit critic review
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) Brian Bromberger It seems appropriate that this movie might indeed be the fond heartwarming sendoff it purports to be, content with not overstaying its welcome, to the sad sobbing resignation of its legions of devotees.
Posted Sep 15, 2025  Edit critic review
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Steve Warren The target of the satire is the music industry and This is Spinal Tap is right on target.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
Salt Water (2025) David-Elijah Nahmod Ultimately, this is a film that lingers long after the closing credits have rolled. It’s a story of an aching longing and a deep regret, and about the complicated nature of love.
Posted Sep 02, 2025  Edit critic review
5/5
Griffin in Summer (2024) Brandon Judell Nicholas Colia might well be the greatest living gay, Boston-raised director and screen writer America has ever cultivated. There’s no guarantee. After all, he’s only made one feature and several shorts. But what a feature!
Posted Aug 26, 2025  Edit critic review
Requiem for a Dream (2000) Robert Julian Here [Darren Aronofsky] delivers a tragedy on the level of Oedipus, while simultaneously providing a wonderful object lesson on the power of film. His approach is startlingly fresh and creative - as compelling as his subject is off-putting.
Posted Aug 20, 2025  Edit critic review
Return to Oz (1985) Michael Lasky Viewed without prejudice for the past, Return to Oz succeeds winningly.
Posted Aug 19, 2025  Edit critic review
Starman (1984) Michael Lasky Despite the cross-country chase motif, the films remains surprisingly bland and unexciting.
Posted Aug 19, 2025  Edit critic review
Funny Lady (1975) Donald McLean Miss Streisand is miraculous as Fanny Brice.
Posted Aug 19, 2025  Edit critic review
Shampoo (1975) Donald McLean [A] sluggish comedy.
Posted Aug 19, 2025  Edit critic review
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) Donald McLean The Great Waldo Pepper is not great but certainly good.
Posted Aug 19, 2025  Edit critic review
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Michael Lasky Return of the Living Dead is neither funny nor particularly scary.
Posted Aug 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Honey Don't! (2025) Gregg Shapiro Nevertheless, it’s worth watching for Qualley’s outstanding performance.
Posted Aug 11, 2025  Edit critic review
Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print (2025) Laura Moreno The film is both a nostalgic tribute as well as a sobering reflection on how far society still has to go.
Posted Aug 04, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) Ron Larsen This movie is a blast.
Posted Jul 24, 2025  Edit critic review
Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero (2025) David-Elijah Nahmod Maxxie is a cartoon. Yes, you read that right, it’s a feature-length animated film which offers all the glitz, glamour and fun audiences expect from a good drag show.
Posted Jul 22, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
Wicked (2024) Kyle Amato While I wish the homoeroticism of Glinda and Elphaba's friendship shone through as strongly here as it can on the stage, Ariana Grande singing "Popular" and Jonathan Bailey's shockingly gyratory dancing are plenty queer enough for gay audiences to cheer.
Posted Jul 20, 2025  Edit critic review
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