Most people view Wonder Woman as just another kitschy icon, but she was actually so much more. Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Superheroines is a documentary that looks at the history of this unlikely role model—from her very first appearances in comic books to the wildly popular television show starring Lynda Carter through today. The film also considers the influence of The Bionic Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and our favorite Sapphic Warrior Princess, Xena. Don’t miss this exciting installment of PBS’ Independent Lens series on April 15.
The annual Tribeca Film Festival will be entertaining moviegoers April 17-28 at various venues throughout lower Manhattan. Founded over a decade ago by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro, this annual film festival has become a major revitalizer for the downtown economy, as well as a premiere showcase for today’s most exciting directors. This promises to be another exciting year, with documentaries about gay writer Gore Vidal and lesbian comic Moms Mabley, along with the new comedy GBF, in which a gay teen must decide whether he wants to be friends with the shallow popular girls, or stay loyal to his old buddies.
Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo diCaprio star in one of Spring’s most anticipated new movies, The Great Gatsby, based on the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald book, which is considered among the finest novels of the 20th century. Maguire plays Nick Carraway, a young man in the 1920s who becomes enthralled by the lifestyle of his glamorous neighbor, Long Island millionaire Jay Gatsby, played by diCaprio. Carey Mulligan is Daisy Buchanan, the woman by whom Gatsby is consumed. Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton and Jason Clarke round out the cast, with Baz Luhrmann directing. Look for the film in theaters everywhere May 10.
Lesbian director Katherine Brooks (perhaps best remembered for her controversial film Loving Anabelle, about a student-teacher romance) explores the vast difference between the virtual world and the real one in her latest feature, the documentary Face 2 Face. Brooks got the idea for the movie following surgery, when she realized she had 5,000 friends on Facebook, but nobody in real life to give her a hug. The movie, available for purchase starting May 14 on TLAvideo.com, chronicles her moving and illuminating cross-country journey as she attempts to meet her pals from the world of social media.
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