Doris Stokes was a Spiritualist superstar who publicly demonstrated - to the satisfaction of many thousands - that there is Life After Death, and we can contact those who have 'passed over'. At private sittings, in Spiritualist churches and in theatres and cinemas, the homely 65-year-old medium would chat away to 'the dead' as if they were next-door neighbours. Doris Stokes was not clairvoyant - she didn't see things or go into a trance. Doris was clairaudient - someone who works like a radio receiver tuning in to the other side, and picking up the voices of 'the dead' and passing their messages on to the living. Sceptics will undoubtedly accuse her of fraud, but to most of her audience, who are shattered by grief and who have failed to come to terms with bereavement by more conventional forms of religion or philosophy, Doris Stokes brings good tidings of comfort and joy, and a more solid contentment than can be found in a conventional church or through a bottle of tranquillisers.
'The Last Black Man in San Francisco' is part fiction, part documentary. Jimmie longs for the old Victorian home that he grew up in — the house that his grandfather built. However, this home is now in an overpriced, White, San Francisco neighborhood.
A pop star at Radio City Music Hall gets the opportunity to change herself to save her music career.
I hadn’t heard of it either until recently—and yet, it’s one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
This coming-of-age musical features a strong representation of LGBTQ+ individuals coming-of-age.
Have a Good Trip offers a rather balanced look at psychedelic use. While its main narrative is the stories of recreational use by celebrities, it does delve into the medical history of psychedelics and its use in psychotherapy.
Dramatic Horror!!! Wait, what?? Did you say "dramatic horror"?? IS there such a thing?? I mean, TRULY. Well, if San Francisco-based, Pakistani-born independent filmmaker Dr. Hassan Zee and this film critic have anything to say about it, there IS such a beast as experienced through the director's newest feature film set to officially debut October 4th in the City by the Bay. Folks, indie film will always be a bastion of experimentation and originality, and this film for me fits that bill.
