By Pat Mullen The forecast for 2020 predicts the gayest Oscars yet. After Taron Egerton wowed us as Elton John in Rocketman, Renée Zellweger delivers a note-perfect performance as Judy Garland in Judy. Wager good money on the stars taking home matching Oscars for portraying these queer icons. Judy is Zellweger’s comeback. After being the “it girl” of the early 2000s with hits like Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, and Cold Mountain, Zellweger’s stock vanished. Star persona and performance blur in this portrait of an actor struggling to understand her purpose when the spotlight’s gone. Zellwege ..read more

By Josephine Cruz Despite being released from jail in April 2018 and subsequently dropping the most successful project of his career, Meek Mill isn’t free. The Philly based rapper remains trapped by a criminal justice system designed to victimize people in all of its stages, from arrest to incarceration to parole. The five-part Free Meek docuseries traces Meek’s case and career in stunning and granular detail, while at the same time highlighting the broader epidemic at hand. The interview segments range from emotional testimonies from Meek’s family; reflections from his team at Roc Nation in ..read more

by Brendan Lee Rolling Thunder Revue – Directed by Martin Scorsese It’s never been a secret that director Martin Scorsese has a specific soft-spot for music. Rolling Thunder Revue is his latest escape from big-screen Hollywood features; a documentary that immortalizes Bob Dylan’s famed cross-American tour from 1975 to 76. Named after the tour of the same name, the film is a sprawling take on the grass-roots concerts that Dylan and a rotating cast of friends — including Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and tour daddy Allen Ginsberg — paraded into small venues at a time when Ame ..read more

by Brendan Lee Echo in the Canyon – Directed by Andrew Slater Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon neighbourhood in the 60s was home to some of the most influential song-writers in music history. With Echo in the Canyon, first-time director, Andrew Slater, teams up with Jakob Dylan (son of Bob Dylan), as they both lean back and reminisce about the long-forgotten time and place, interviewing many of the people who lived it. From the Beach Boys to The Byrds and The Mamas and the Papas, the many interviewees’ memories of the time are a mix of drug-induced fogginess and romanticism that translates to all ..read more

By Pat Mullen Imagine a world without The Beatles. Imagine all the people who never heard “Let It Be,” “Penny Lane,” “A Day in the Life” or any of their songs that revolutionized music. That’s the simple premise of Yesterday, which imagines a music history without Paul, John, George, and/or Ringo. The Fab Four are wiped from the Earth when struggling artist Jack Malick (Himesh Patel) wishes for a miracle, gets struck by a bus and awakens in a world in which only he knows The Beatles’ tunes. Ka-ching, ka-ching! While the film is as familiar as a Beatles’ song, it’s as impossible to resist. Th ..read more

By Pat Mullen If Ally Campana and Jackson Maine had a smokin’ hot threesome with Susan Boyle, the star born from the passionate tryst would be Rose-Lynn Harlan. Played by an outstanding Jessie Buckley, Rose is a hot mess of an aspiring singer/ex-con from Glasgow with dreams of being a country star. She struts out of the slammer with the confidence of Johnny Cash when the film introduces her sporting cowgirl boots and a sparking house arrest anklet. She returns to her two kids, named Lyle and Wynonna after her country idols, and mother Marion (Julie Walters) who shudders when Rose resumes tal ..read more

By Pat Mullen How wonderful life is when you’re in Rocketman’s world. This dazzling Elton John biopic should go down as one of the great film musicals. Directed with inspired pizazz by Dexter Fletcher, who completed Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired, and played with fiery perfection by Taron Egerton as Sir Elton, Rocketman soars. It honours the man and his music with original, enthralling flair. Egerton performs John’s songs with gusto while capturing his unique pitch, but the rawness of his vocals gives Rocketman its edge. This is a portrait of John before he’s confidently found ..read more

by Noémie Attia For his new feature with an enticing title, Harmony Korine throws Matthew McConaughey in the saturated blue waters of southern Florida during the 95 minute acid trip comedy. Pursuing even further, after Spring Breakers, his love of neon-lit shots, Korine creates an ultra aestheticized universe, where the Floridian sun shines blue highlights on trees and people’s skin. The film takes all the time to set the feel of high colour dolce vita, in which Moondog (McConaughey), an egocentric drug addict, makes poetry in the streets, in his little boat and in his rich wife’s mansion. E ..read more

By Brendan Lee Sid and Nancy (1986) Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Sid Vicious will forever remain unrivalled, with Chloe Webb’s, Nancy, the perfect counterbalance in this tragic depiction of Sex Pistols lore. The film was directed by Alex Cox, and shot in all its filthy glory by legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins. Hardcore Logo (1996) This Canadian cult-classic, Directed by Bruce MacDonald, takes a hilarious mockumentary look at the highs and lows of life on the punk rock road. It’s mandatory viewing as a Canadian, and, like nearly all punk rock tales, the film goes out with a definitiv ..read more