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Democrats‘Wicked’ star Cynthia Erivo joins ‘Blood and Bone’
By Romeo San Vicente ––
Queer Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo has joined a large ensemble cast for “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood’s latest, “Children of Blood and Bone.” She’ll be part of a group that includes Academy Award winner Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”) and “The Woman King” star Thuso Mbedu. Further negotiations are underway to cast Academy Award winner Regina King (“Shirley”) in the adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling novel of the same name, which is set in a fantasy kingdom in Africa and tells the story of a young woman on a quest to reclaim magic that was stolen from her people. It’s still early, a lot could change, and no word yet on shooting or release schedule just yet, so stay tuned.
‘Honey Don’t’ delivers more ‘Dolls’
If you were a fan of the cult-hit comedy “Drive Away Dolls,” the Ethan Coen-directed lesbian road movie starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, here comes another one. It’s called “Honey Don’t,” and it’s the second film in a planned trilogy of what Coen and his queer spouse/co-writer Tricia Cooke refer to as “lesbian B-movies.” Qualley returns as the cheekily-named Honey O’Donahue, a private investigator (whom we assume is a lesbian) on the trail of a cult leader played by Chris Evans. She’s also searching for a “Mystery Woman” played by Aubrey Plaza. Charlie Day and Billy Eichner co-star, as well, and their roles are just as mysterious, at least for now. You don’t have long to wait for answers, though, because “Honey” pours itself into theaters in May.
‘Monk in Pieces’ brings the queer avant-garde to Berlin
February’s Berlin International Film Festival gets a world premiere of a brand-new documentary celebrating the life and work a queer avant-garde legend: the composer Meredith Monk. “Monk in Pieces,” from co-directors Billy Shebar and David Roberts (both of the TV series “Trump Bites”), will examine the life and influence of the now-82-year-old artist, musician and composer. She’s been highly prolific if less well-known than contemporaries such as Philip Glass – though her opera “Atlas” was produced in the early ’90s, and her work has appeared in such disparate places as pieces by DJ Shadow, films by Jean-Luc Godard and on the soundtracks of movies like “The Big Lebowski.” The documentary film promises a crash course in her work, as well as interviews with people like Bjork and David Byrne. After Berlin, expect this one to appear at more festivals until a proper North American arthouse release.
‘Move Ya Body’ is here to pump up the volume
Filmmaker Elegance Bratton’s narrative feature debut, “The Inspection,” earned the director plenty of praise upon its 2022 release, but he had already established himself as a talented documentarian with “Pier Kids,” about homeless queer teenagers, and the TV docuseries “My House,” which followed queer kids in the world of ballroom. Now, with “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House,” he explores the cultural transition period between the early ’80s demise of pop music’s disco trend and the foundations of what would come to be known as house music. He follows the path with music producer Vince Lawrence from the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” back into underground clubs in Chicago where Lawrence’s production of early house hits like “On and On” and “Love Can’t Turn Around” with Jesse Saunders helped launch a new electronic music revolution that reverberates today. It just dropped at Sundance, so be on the lookout for it to make waves through the film festival world before winding up somewhere loud right in front of you.
Romeo San Vicente’s disco needs him.
