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Reviews   -   May 05, 2024 These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.
These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.

When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 26, 2024 ✨The Case for ‘Strange Way of Life’
✨The Case for ‘Strange Way of Life’

To commemorate ‘Strange Way of Life’ now being available on Netflix, I’m bringing back my review from my old Substack, for your reading pleasure. Though this review will contain spoilers, it will not include a synopsis, so it will make the most sense only after you have seen the

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 24, 2024 Sasha Velour revealed the woman in me.
Sasha Velour revealed the woman in me.

I have had an intense time trying to wrestle with my gender. Not to be all “Black, bigger girl who talks too much”, but my experience in the world has been that I’m not lady enough to be liked, and certainly not Ladylike. I will sometimes be awarded the

by Umnia El-Neil
Trophy Case   -   Apr 19, 2024 Lesbians, In the first Person: Lesvia & Old Lesbians
Lesbians, In the first Person: Lesvia & Old Lesbians

There’s something really powerful and a little emotional about sitting in a cinema screening room surrounded by Old Lesbians, in their two’s. At BFI Flare, I found myself in such a situation, watching two stellar Documentaries, back to back. I will give each of them a moment, and

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 12, 2024 Ex Machina, Her, Predictive Filmmaking, and an odd twist.
Ex Machina, Her, Predictive Filmmaking, and an odd twist.

I’m usually thrown off at the IMAX. Too Loud, too big. Some people need that, but with me, it’s like sending an unnecessarily large voltage through very sensitive equipment. Ex Machina in IMAX is elite. What I’ve always enjoyed about the film is that a) I agree

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 05, 2024 All Of Us, Strangers.
All Of Us, Strangers.

If I admit I was delirious, walking into that Picturehouse that day, then I must concede also that it was a very, very weird day for me - the first of a week of them, all of my own doing. That morning, I had read something that I knew was

by Umnia El-Neil
Mar 24, 2024 “Slow”: Asexuality up close
“Slow”: Asexuality up close

‘Slow’ has made it from last year’s Sundance, by way of Lithuania’s Academy Award International Feature Film entry, all the way to me at this year’s BFI Flare. It is the first film I’ve ever encountered to discuss, depict, and fully paint out the very bare-bones

by Umnia El-Neil
Mar 20, 2024 Studio One Forever
Studio One Forever

Sent directly from the West Hollywood Gays that called the disco home, Studio One Forever is an incredibly detailed account of the glittering and star-studded history of the iconic venue, and the efforts to prevent its teardown. Before Studio 54, there was Studio One — a place that brought a New

by Umnia El-Neil
These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.
Reviews   -   May 05, 2024 These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.

When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This

by Umnia El-Neil
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Reviews   -   May 05, 2024 These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.
These Tashi Takes are Ass. Go watch the Film again.

When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 26, 2024 ✨The Case for ‘Strange Way of Life’
✨The Case for ‘Strange Way of Life’

To commemorate ‘Strange Way of Life’ now being available on Netflix, I’m bringing back my review from my old Substack, for your reading pleasure. Though this review will contain spoilers, it will not include a synopsis, so it will make the most sense only after you have seen the

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 24, 2024 Sasha Velour revealed the woman in me.
Sasha Velour revealed the woman in me.

I have had an intense time trying to wrestle with my gender. Not to be all “Black, bigger girl who talks too much”, but my experience in the world has been that I’m not lady enough to be liked, and certainly not Ladylike. I will sometimes be awarded the

by Umnia El-Neil
Trophy Case   -   Apr 19, 2024 Lesbians, In the first Person: Lesvia & Old Lesbians
Lesbians, In the first Person: Lesvia & Old Lesbians

There’s something really powerful and a little emotional about sitting in a cinema screening room surrounded by Old Lesbians, in their two’s. At BFI Flare, I found myself in such a situation, watching two stellar Documentaries, back to back. I will give each of them a moment, and

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 12, 2024 Ex Machina, Her, Predictive Filmmaking, and an odd twist.
Ex Machina, Her, Predictive Filmmaking, and an odd twist.

I’m usually thrown off at the IMAX. Too Loud, too big. Some people need that, but with me, it’s like sending an unnecessarily large voltage through very sensitive equipment. Ex Machina in IMAX is elite. What I’ve always enjoyed about the film is that a) I agree

by Umnia El-Neil
Reviews   -   Apr 05, 2024 All Of Us, Strangers.
All Of Us, Strangers.

If I admit I was delirious, walking into that Picturehouse that day, then I must concede also that it was a very, very weird day for me - the first of a week of them, all of my own doing. That morning, I had read something that I knew was

by Umnia El-Neil
Mar 24, 2024 “Slow”: Asexuality up close
“Slow”: Asexuality up close

‘Slow’ has made it from last year’s Sundance, by way of Lithuania’s Academy Award International Feature Film entry, all the way to me at this year’s BFI Flare. It is the first film I’ve ever encountered to discuss, depict, and fully paint out the very bare-bones

by Umnia El-Neil
Mar 20, 2024 Studio One Forever
Studio One Forever

Sent directly from the West Hollywood Gays that called the disco home, Studio One Forever is an incredibly detailed account of the glittering and star-studded history of the iconic venue, and the efforts to prevent its teardown. Before Studio 54, there was Studio One — a place that brought a New

by Umnia El-Neil
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