I understand the movement to reconsider the prequels, particularly as the sequel trilogy revealed itself to be rudderless and unfocused. For whatever you can say about these films, at least there's an emotional core and intimate through-line. There are some moments of beauty and quiet in The Phantom Menace…but unfortunately it's always sandwiched between goofy shit.

George Lucas's claim that the silliness in the prequels is because it's a kids' movie and that adult Star Wars fans just couldn't remember…

On our way to the IFC Center in NYC, a gentleman on the street accused my friend and me of being "godless tr*nnies". Generally I've experienced transphobia in more subtle ways: aggressive stares, mothers shielding their children…one time a dude honked, rolled down his window, and flicked a booger. But "godless tr*nny" was cartoonishly explicit. On any other night, maybe this would have rattled me a bit more. But this evening I was walking side-by-side with another trans woman, and…

The People's Joker could not have been made in a large studio setting. Not necessarily because the Joker is a transwoman, but because a studio would have forced director Vera Drew to "ease the audience into her situation" as a queer person searching for identity. The Batman universe is utilized as a tool for humor and structure: just about every popular incarnation of Batman is lovingly parodied, and the audience's understanding of these references and lore help drive the story.…