Gary M. Kramer

Philadelphia

Freelance Writer and Film Critic at Freelance

I'm a twin and a film critic who always has a book in his hand. I also have an opinion, and I'm not afraid to share it.

Articles

Nyle DiMarco on telling his community’s story in ‘Deaf President Now!’

2 days ago | epgn.com | Gary M. Kramer

“Deaf President Now!” marks the powerful directorial debut of out queer Deaf filmmaker Nyle DiMarco. Co-directed with Davis Guggenheim, the documentary recounts the 1988 student protests at Gallaudet University — the world’s only university designed specifically for Deaf and signing students — after the Board of Trustees appointed Elisabeth Zinzer, a hearing woman with no ties to the Deaf community, as president.
LGBTQ+ Asian American Films to Screen at CAAM Fest - San Francisco Bay Times

6 days ago | sfbaytimes.com | Gary M. Kramer

By Gary M. Kramer–CAAM Fest, May 8–11, 2025, at various Bay Area theaters, celebrates Asian American life and cinema. This year’s program showcases three features and six shorts that depict LGBTQ+ stories. Here is a rundown of what is screening. Because of You: A History of the Kilawin Kolektibo (May 10, 2:30 pm, Roxie) is a vibrant 40-minute documentary that celebrates the lesbian Filipinxs group, Kilawin Kolektibo, which first formed in 1994 in New York.
Q&A with ‘Most People Die on Sundays’ director Iair Said

2 weeks ago | gaycitynews.com | Gary M. Kramer

An engrossing mix of melancholy, social issues, and cringe comedy, “Most People Die on Sundays” opens with a scene of David (writer/director Iair Said) naked and crying on an Italian hotel room floor during a “farewell vacation” with his boyfriend. Making matters worse, David has to leave this unhappy situation for an even more unhappy one — his uncle’s funeral back in Buenos Aires.
Marco Calvani on love, loyalty and laughs in Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’

2 weeks ago | epgn.com | Gary M. Kramer

The poignant new comedy series, “The Four Seasons,” available May 1 on Netflix, was created by Philadelphian Tina Fey and based on the 1981 Alan Alda film. The story has six friends — Kate (Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Danny (out gay Philly native Colman Domingo), Claude (Marco Calvani), Nick (Steve Carrell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) — taking group vacations together every season. The sextet gets together to hang out, eat, drink and sometimes fight.
Making Magic With Queer Actor Joe Apollonio - San Francisco Bay Times

2 weeks ago | sfbaytimes.com | Gary M. Kramer

By Gary M. Kramer–In writer/director Amalia Ulman’s deadpan, shaggy dog comedy, Magic Farm, opening May 2 in the Bay Area, bisexual actor Joe Apollonio charms as Justin, a sound man for a documentary series. The producer, Jeff (Alex Wolff), mistakenly sends the team—which includes Justin as well as the show’s host Edna (Chloë Sevigny) and cinematographer Elena (Ulman)—to San Cristóbal, Argentina, when the story the crew is chasing is actually elsewhere in Latin America.
‘On Swift Horses’ showcases queer longing and risk-taking in 1950s America

3 weeks ago | epgn.com | Gary M. Kramer

The elegant, aching and tender romantic drama, “On Swift Horses” — out April 25 at area theaters — tells two parallel stories of queer desire in 1957. One involves Julius (Jacob Elordi), who gambles with cards; the other concerns his sister-in-law, Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who bets on horses. They have a palpable, unspoken bond from the minute she meets him, when he’s lying shirtless on a car outside her Kansas home at Christmastime.
"The Ugly Stepsister" rewrites "Cinderella" as a grotesque and darkly funny feminist fable

3 weeks ago | salon.com | Gary M. Kramer

“The Ugly Stepsister,” written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, takes its cue from “Cinderella,” but this inspired body horror comedy is no Disney film. This fairy tale is both Grimm and grim — and not unlike “The Substance” in the main character’s quest for beauty at any cost. Elvira (Lea Myren) dreams of marrying Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth) even before he knows who she is.
"The Ugly Stepsister" rewrites "Cinderella" as a grotesque and darkly funny feminist fable

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gary M. Kramer

“The Ugly Stepsister,” written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, takes its cue from “Cinderella,” but this inspired body horror comedy is no Disney film. This fairy tale is both Grimm and grim — and not unlike “The Substance” in the main character’s quest for beauty at any cost. Elvira (Lea Myren) dreams of marrying Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth) even before he knows who she is.
Traditions evolve in Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet”

1 month ago | epgn.com | Gary M. Kramer

Out gay writer/director Andrew Ahn’s crowd-pleasing remake of “The Wedding Banquet,” out April 18 in area theaters, is a nifty update of Ang Lee’s classic 1993 film. The new version makes some significant changes to the original. Here, Min (Han Gi-Chan) is in a 5-year relationship with Chris (Bowen Yang) when his grandmother, Ja-Young (Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung), demands that he return to Korea to take a job in the family business or lose his wealth.
Queer Films Galore at This Year’s SF International Film Festival - San Francisco Bay Times

1 month ago | sfbaytimes.com | Gary M. Kramer

By Gary M. Kramer–The 68th annual San Francisco International Film Festival, April 17–27, showcases more than 150 films and more than a dozen LGBTQ titles. The festival opens with Rebuilding starring Josh O’Connor as a rancher and closes 11 days later with Outerlands, a set in San Francisco story about Cass (non-binary Asia Kate Dillon) who finds themself unexpectedly caring for a coworker’s daughter (Ridley Asha Bateman).