Reel World

The Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival turns five in grand fashion

“It’s amazing how much we’ve grown,” marvels Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Director Roberto Appicciafoco. The festival he helped found is entering its fifth year, and a glance through the list of films and events for 2007 shows a schedule bursting at the seams. This is both a sign of good, organic growth and an indication that the folks behind the festival are throwing themselves one fabuloso birthday party.

“Kid Nation” on CBS

The controversial new reality series “Kid Nation” debuted on CBS last week to so-so ratings (second place in the timeslot behind FOX’s “Back to You”) and some speculation that advertisers had shunned the premiere. (The first 38 minutes of the pilot were aired commercial-free, though CBS execs insisted the second episode would have a “regular and full” commercial load.) Brushing aside the idea that the New Mexico Legislature might have delayed the passage of child labor laws in order to accommodate the show’s month-long shoot (a claim that still needs investigating), much of the “children in jeopardy” talk seems to have been in vain.

Week in Sloth

The Week in Sloth

Cute kids and quarterback sacks add up to a career killer

Wrestlin' thespian Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could have had a career in film. He's a good-looking fellow. He's charismatic. There's no glaring indication so far that he can't act. With last gen action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis collecting social security, the world needs a new slab of beef to shoot bad guys. The Rock could have been that slab. But, after a handful of mid-range actioners (Doom, Walking Tall, The Rundown), the former WWE star has jumped the shark, skipping big-budget franchise flicks and leaping directly into the sort of cutesy Disney family films that normally signal the end of an actor's career. (See Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and—shudder—Cuba Gooding, Jr. for reference). Of course, if you loved Vin Diesel (remember him?) in The Pacifier, then The Game Plan is just the thing to make you stand up and cheer.