As Netflix prepares to end its DVD service, I’ve been plowing through my queue as fast as I can. These are in order of when I watched them. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: An unbearably tense 2007 Romanian movie, set in the 1980s, about a young woman trying to help her friend get an illegal abortion. From Cristian Mungiu, the director of the also-harrowing lesbian nun exorcism film Beyond the Hills. For much of its runtime it isn’t “about”... Read more
Over Easter weekend my partner persuaded me to watch The Passion of the Christ with her. I was pretty resistant; I didn’t want to watch this thing. We watched in two parts and on the small screen, which is about as much as I think I could take–I can’t imagine seeing this in theaters. But even under these diminishing circumstances, and against my will!, it was astonishing, moving, even illuminating. It worked for me, is what I’m saying. I get... Read more
Brought to you by: pneumonia! Let the Fire Burn: Fantastic, twisty and layered documentary about the deadly 1985 police siege at the MOVE radical compound in Philadelphia. Feels like every scene shifts your perspective on the scenes that came before. People who get only a few minutes of screen time emerge with vivid individuality. Basically a must-watch if you’re interested in Black American history, post-1968 city governance, or documentary craft. I watched it on Kanopy, for free with my library... Read more
Because I’m a lesbian who accepts Catholic teaching in full, I spend a fair amount of time in an ecumenical, patchworky group or movement which some call “Side B.” That term has its own whole history, I don’t love it, but it’s a shorthand for LGBT+/same-sex attracted Christians who believe sex is reserved for marriage between a man and a woman, and do not believe that our orientation is something we need to hide or try to “cure.” You can... Read more
I finally read Greg Johnson’s Still Time to Care: What We Can Learn from the Church’s Failed Attempt to Cure Homosexuality. Greg (that’s his photo on this post) is the pastor at Memorial Presbyterian Church, which has hosted Revoice a few years now and will host again this year. He’s openly gay and celibate. He’s very sweet! And a real preacher–I’ve heard him preach at Revoice, and his book follows that preachin’ cadence. His book splits neatly into two parts.... Read more
for the New Year! 1. I’ve said this before, it’s in Tenderness, but I’ve been thinking about the way that spiritual progress can make you look gayer. I do my best to obey the guidance of Mother Church in all things (lol my best is not always that good but I do try) and I’ve noticed this dynamic in my own life more than once. I’ve seen it in others’ lives too. Coming out is, for many people, a practice... Read more
Let’s start with Free Skate, a new drama from Roope Olenius. [edited to correct the release dates!] This fictional tale of an escapee from an abusive Russian training regime is doubly timely, with its limited theatrical release right in time for the US National Championships (and a European Championships without Russian or Belorusian athletes). It will be available VOD on Feb 28. Its themes are relevant to the USA as well as Russia, given the experiences of girls and women... Read more
Werewolves are visions–and sometimes illusions– And werewolves have something to hide… Sorry! Anyway, there’s no theme here, and I took forever to write these up so this is only Part One of notes on my recent movie adventures. Part Two should drop tomorrowish. My Neighbor Totoro: Early Miyazaki about a boy and a girl whose mom is in the hospital, who discover a kindly forest troll. The creepy or eerie whimsy of the troll’s world is wonderful, but unlike in Spirited... Read more
Creatures, what ho! It’s been a quiet year here in Lake Woebegone…. Some thoughts, below, on the highlights of my reading, watching, and writing. All lists are roughly from least-best to best-best i.e. the last one is the best. Previous years’ lists here. Books (nonfiction): This was a stronger year for nonfiction than for fiction, for me (at least when it came to books I’d never read before—revisits are below). I read a lot of good books, but the top... Read more
This has been a big year for my gay Catholic life, lol. I hinted at some of what has made this year so wonderful on a personal level here; on a more public level, I’ve been so grateful to be a part of Building Catholic Futures, a project to serve the next generation of queer Catholics. BCF has allowed me to spend even more time on in-depth reflection about our community’s experiences and needs. So here are a few observations–not... Read more
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