Showing posts with label lesbian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lesbian. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Documentary: No Straight Lines (2023) directed by VIVIAN KLEIMAN

 


This documentary follows the start of comics made by openly gay artists to present day. I hadn't heard about it until I was told an old friend, Jennifer Camper, was in it. I also worked in a comic book store fin the 80s so I was familiar with the other artists the history they were telling. 

Kleiman does a good job with her interviews and where they go. She lets them slip away from being a strict history of gay comics to , smartly, keeping a lot of conversation about what else was going on at the time to put it all in context. There are a lot of women artists involved as well which was a pleasant surprise as I knew of more lesbian arts than gay ones in the field a the time and it was nice to see them represented  in force. I had to take a break about ⅔ through and was surprised there was no mention of Eric Orner (another old friend), his Ethan Green comic nor his graphic novel about politician Barney Frank. Seemed really good fit but who knows what got in the way. As a filmmaker myself, I realize you can't talk to everyone and some people just won't talk to you in the time you need them too. Near the very end, however,  I saw a piece of artwork that showed his characters (including Boston's the Hat Sisters) so he was represented just not highlighted. 

This is a good modern look back at the early innovators that brought gay subject matter into the comic book world.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Lemora: A Child's Tale of The Supernatural (1973)

Continuing the Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith theme, I thought I would weigh-in on a fabulous cult horror film that Cheryl starred in in the early '70s. This is a film I remember seeing on local television in Boston as a teenager in the wee hours of the morning on one of the VHF channels at the time 27, 38 or 56.

I was mesmorized by Cheryl's earnest performance as lost girl Lila Lee, and by director Richard Blackburn's truly creepy, atmospheric no-budget filmmaking.

Speaking of creepy Blackburn also tackles the role of "The Reverend" who simultaneously wants to save Lila's soul and deflower her body.

Cheryl Gilb gives a weird performance as Lemora (the lemon-fresh vampire, just kidding). The touchy-feely bloodsucker treats our woozy heroine (according to Blackburn Smith was wasted out of her gourd for the entire shoot) to a sensuous sponge bath and seemingly much more as the scene fades out.

Anyway, this is out on DVD and I highly recommend checking out "Lemora" for fans of schlocky but swell '70s horror.