On this page: ALL MALE, ALL NUDE: JOHNSONS | MEMORY | SOUTHERN PRIDE

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By intercutting scenes from his first film, McCullouch traces Matt's journey over more than two decades. He intersperses this with a range of dancers, shot intimately to catch personal comments (plus some voyeuristic changing-room moments). These guys are articulate, even if they don't say much. At 26, Alexander is a busy child entertainer, dressing as Spider-Man or Harry Potter by day, then stripping most nights. "If you're getting really close to a lot of people, you can't let them in," explains Javi about why he won't use his real name. "People get crazy! They forget that this is a fantasy." Or as Luis says, "It's the art of seduction."

Each young man has a specific story that intriguingly feeds into his goals and passions. But their problems seem generic. Like the first film, this centres on positive attitudes, even as they unconvincingly talk about being in control of their work. And as he plans to open another Johnsons in Dallas, Matt is their papa bear, breathalysing each guy to make sure he gets home safely. But like the first film, McCullouch sidesteps the fact that drugs are clearly a problem.

themes, language, nudity

22.Aug.19

This fast-paced documentary has a home-made video quality to it, but it's also striking exploration of the experience of dancers at one of the only gay strip bars in the USA. The venue is Swinging Richards in Atlanta, and not all of the dancers are gay. Neither is the audience, which usually has women in it. Everyone chats happily with the cameras, talking about their lives and experiences, accompanied by unvarnished video of buck-naked performances, shot from the audience's perspective with very little interaction between dancer and audience. These certainly aren't airbrushed Chippendales, each with his own style and variable dancing ability. Some are remarkably acrobatic, all are adept at helicoptering. There are comments about legal issues, earning tips and, most engagingly, details of personal lives, such as Sean's struggles as a single dad of a 5-year-old son trying to start a relationship with a girlfriend. It's all so resolutely upbeat that it feels like something must be missing. Indeed, the final section is an eerie ode to a dancer who died suddenly for reasons that are never explained. This leaves the film feeling somewhat amateurish and unfinished. But it's a glimpse into a world that's rarely documented at all.

15 themes, language, nudity • 22.Aug.19

The film also explores how Alien was nothing like the other science-fiction films of its day (see Star Wars or Close Encounters), mainly because it wasn't quite sci-fi at all. Alien is a claustrophobic horror film with strong political overtones. The crew was a careful collection of classes clashing against each other. And the ship was called Nostromo, and its shuttle Narcissus, not coincidentally names used by anti-colonial novelist Joseph Conrad, whose Heart of Darkness was being filmed at the same time as Apocalypse Now.

The words and images of the filmmakers and cast members are the strongest elements in this doc. Other more analytical comments from journalists and bloggers adds some colour, but perhaps digs too deep to find meaning. A conversation with Ridley Scott is conspicuously missing, especially since he has re-entered Alien's mythology with two recent films. But his presence is strongly felt here anyway, and fans will love the material Philippe has uncovered and presented in such an engaging way.

language, violence

26.Jun.19

Ingram's approach is to let people talk, illustrated with newsreel and archival clips. This leads to an extended exploration of Katrina's aftermath, plus detailed descriptions of the groundwork required to launch a Pride event. This also allows people to speak openly about personal experiences and feelings. For example, Danielle is a trans woman who was rejected by her family and is terrified after a series of horrific murders in the region. But she has found a home as a drag performer and bartender at Just Us.

The film gets a little bogged down in detail, for example tracing the personal struggles as Lynn and Shawn try to get their events off the ground. And it mentions but kind of skips over Mississippi's so-called "religious freedom" law, which legalises discrimination. But there's a terrific sense that Pride events are being found by a younger generation that never knew the size of the community or the history that went before them. The joy on their faces is infectious.

themes, language, imagery

20.Jun.19