Last year, like so many beloved local events, Houston’s version of Comic-Con, Comicpalooza, was forced to cancel for the first time since its inception in 2008 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival was expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees and more than 600 merchants and has drawn names such as Games of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke and Marvel’s Anthony Mackie.
But, comic fans and cosplayers, unite! Comicpalooza, the event that celebrates all things pop culture has announced a heroic return on Facebook. The comic/culture romp runs May 22-23 this year — in-person, in open defiance to the pandemic.
For safety concerns, Comicpalooza promises these basic safety protocols, according to the website:
Temperature Scan upon entry, 100.4 or above will not be allowed entry
Face coverings (face coverings with vents and gaiters are not allowed)
Social distancing
Health survey
A limited number of same-day passes are available online and start at $80. This is sure to be a lift to last year’s broken-hearted fans.
“Canceling was a difficult decision made in the face of extraordinary circumstances,” said Michael Heckman, president of Comicpalooza and senior vice president of Houston First Corporation, in a statement, “but we’ve exhausted every feasible option, and given the uncertainties this is the best path forward. We are, however, turning our efforts towards next year’s Comicpalooza and creating a superior fan experience.”
Fans can only hope that more vaccinations coming to Houston mean a safe and “superior” fan experience in May.
As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.
Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.
Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.
Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.
Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.
Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.
Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.
