#the vito russo test

[thedanceronthestreets]

I genuinely don't think straight people can even begin to grasp how upsetting the homophobia in the ted lasso fandom is starting to become. It's coming from all sides: casual viewers i speak to in real life who laugh in my face when i mention the possibility of any of the main characters being queer ("there's more than enough gay stuff with colin being there", "you're making the keeley stuff up she's obviously straight cause she's with roy"), people on the internet saying "who even is this colin guy?" after him being on the show for 3 seasons or "baz doesn't need to be gay as well, stop making everybody gay". And this is about the show that's all about be true to yourself! Be curious not judgemental! Be kind! This show managed to curate that kind of audience. It all just feels so fucking impossible sometimes.

[letamreviews]

Mini Review - The Blackening (2023)

i really like it (high tier?) 🤔

Quite a Black-ass funny-ass horror, but much more of an interesting Black movie than a horror. Like, the main horror is in the racist murderer at a cabin in the woods. Like,... I'm not even gonna explain that. You either get it or you don't. Which brings me to the main thing I wanna say. This really is for Black people. I wouldn't recommend it for people who aren't in some way "Black" (biracials, getcha ass in here).

I'm serious when I say this isn't for Euros. Like, y'all really shouldn't* watch this unless you were out of the blue invited by Black people or are yourself very involved with Blackness in some way. (whatever dafuq that means) Should full-on Euros who have no actual exposure to Blackness see this movie? Absolutely not. Everything's dangerous in the wrong hands, and some of y'all asses are gonna do the absolute wrong shit with this. Intentionally or not.

*Pre-Edit: I heard a room of Black people (including some cast members) completely disagree with me in Way Up With Angela Yee’s video (timestamped).

Now that I'm done talking to the non-Blacks, let's get on with it.

for the African Descended

Y'all, this some shit. God damn. So glad I just happened to see this in a small theatre filled to a third with mostly Afros. Got to enjoy the reactions almost as much as the movie. Is it great, though? As a Black movie, yeah. As a horror movie, nah. As a Black horror, yep. As a Black comedy horror, hell yeah. And to be real, I don't think non-Black reviews/opinions/criticisms should even be taken into account for this one. Like, I read 7 recent reviews on Letterboxd before getting to Darryl Buckhanan's and seeing all the convincing I needed. This ain't for everybody. And I'm glad it ain't. Let ma ass be. Real talk,... how many o'y'all would'a failed that shit? 💀

Real talk, I didn't trust this movie to not be for Euros because of the director (Tim Story). Here me out! Of his 23 movies listed on Letterboxd, I've only seen five: Barbershop (2002), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Think Like a Man (2012) (they just had to put Rihana’s abuser in this 🙄), and this one. While I enjoyed all of the other four, I 1) haven't seen his other Black-casted works and 2) strongly suspected Shaft (2019) of being made for Euros everytime I saw its preview in theatres. Never bothered to confirm that suspicion, but I don't feel the need to. Fortunately, that review convinced me of this one and I saw it yesterday.

Side Notes:

Would not recommend watching 3Peat Presents: The Blackening - Uncensored before the movie if you're already interested. If you ain't, then go ahead and ask yourself if you want a feature length film inspired by this 4 minute Comedy Central skit. (the answer is yes)

Already saw it and interested in hearing some of the cast and crew talk about it? Here ya go:

‘The Blackening’ Cast on How a Comedy Short Turned Into the Feature Film | TIFF 2022 - The Hollywood Reporter

list of Critqal's mini interviews with the cast

THE BLACKENING Hilarious Cast Interview | Grace Byers, Antoinette Robertson and Sinqua Walls - Jake's Takes

The Blackening "World Premiere" | Cast Q&A TIFF 2022 - Antoinette Robertson

We Can't All Die First! Dishin' All Things, Horror & Comedy with The Blackening Movie Cast! - Dish Nation

The Blackening Interviews: Dewayne Perkins, Jermaine Fowler, Tim Story & More - JoBlo Celebrity Interviews

The Blackening Cast and Writers on Subverting Horror Tropes and Cracking Up on Set | TIFF 2022 - Collider Interviews

The Blackening Cast Talks Chemistry Between Cast Members, Horror Movies + More - Way Up With Angela Yee

The Cast Of 'The Blackening' Speaks On Creating A Horror Film From The Black Perspective + More - Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM

Waitin' for my favorite Afro streamers to talk about The Blackening. fuckers better come on

Happy Juneteenth, mofos

Pre-Edit: I realized while listening to interviews and doing my Crew Data that this movie probably won't fully succeed unless Euros watch it too. That’s the business side of it. I’m speaking on more of a personal matter in comparison. meh 🤷🏿‍♂️ Shortly after typing the above, I heard a room of Black people (including some cast members) completely disagree with me in Way Up With Angela Yee’s video (timestamped).

Tests:

I’m gonna skip 4 crew tests and hold off on posting Crew Data for now. Here’s the test process for the other 16, though.

[yourdailyqueer]

Vito Russo (deceased)

Gender: Male 

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 11 July 1946  

RIP: 7 November 1990

Ethnicity: White - American

Occupation: Activist, film historian, writer

Note 1: GLAAD named the "Vito Russo test" after him, a set of criteria intended to analyze the representation of LGBT characters in films.

Note 2: Had HIV.

[nrhodact]

I want to make a test similar to the Vito Russo, Duvernay, and Bechdel test but for asexuals in media.

The NRHODACT Test (I'm not good at names ok and similar to how things are named after the person that created it, I'm gonna roll with it for now lol.)

Rules for an asexual character to pass as good representation

- 1 or more asexual characters must be present in the story

- Audience must know the character is asexual through the story not by information outside of it. (Writers revealing the character is ace through their social media, Livestreams, Live Q&A)

- They must be relevant to the story. (If the story can function without them, they are irrelevant)

- Their sexuality must be taken as seriously as any other sexual orientation. (No invalidation by the other characters unless said characters are meant to be in the wrong and are reprimanded for it later on. Invalidation includes characters of other sexual orientations claiming their struggles are worse than theirs, making light of their asexuality, treated as less of an adult for being asexual, if it is a show centered around LGBTQ+ characters sexualities, the asexual character should have equal attention brought to their orientation)

[godheadjones]

me being sad about riverdale and it’s queerbaiting: 😔

me being happy when i remember riverdale passes the vito russo test: 😀

[not-joeys-secret-account]

3-Feb

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

10/10

R

1975

1h 40m (100m)

English (American)

dir. Jim Sharman

Sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named 'Rocky'.

Tim Curry, Meat Loaf

Passes Vito Russo Test

I'm gay

I would say... watch it omg

[ohfugecannada]

A Diversity Litmus Tests Master Post

For the longest time, there have been countless discussions about what effect forms of popular media have on the collective opinions and attitudes of society. Namely, the role they play in perpetuating limiting and harmful stereotypes regarding gender, sexuality, race, neurodivergance, mental illness and disablity. From these discussions, there have been tools of critique developed by writers, critics and fans in the form of special tests to challenge these norms. Starting with:

The Bechdel test

One of the first and most well known of these litmus tests, The Bechdel Test (also known as the Bechdel-Wallace Test, The Bechdel Rule or the Mo Movie Measure) is a simple three (and later added four) rule test developed by and named after the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel. The test is mainly used to analyse the portrayal of women in media such as film. The rules are as follows:

The story must have two or more female characters

That have names

Who talk to each other

About something besides a man

While the idea was initially conceived in 1985, the test became more widely discussed in the 2000s. Since then a number of variant tests inspired by it have been introduced, such as:

The Mako Mori test

The Mako Mori Test was created by tumblr users @chaila and @spider-xan and named after the supporting character from the 2013 film Pacific Rim. Unlike the Bechdel Test, the Mako Mori Test was designed specifically to address the development of female characters in the narrative. The rules are as follows

The story must have at least one (preferably, non-white) female character

Who gets her own narrative arc

That is not about a supporting mans story

The shukla test

The Shukla test was named after and created by award winning writer, Nikesh Shukla, in a 2013 NewStatesmen.com article. As a response to the lack of ethnic diversity in one half mainstream film, and the often stereotypical and crude portrayals of people of colour in the other half. The rules are as follows:

The story must have two or more main characters who are people of colour

Who talk to each other

Without mentioning their race

The Vito Russo test

The Vito Russo test was developed by the U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization GLAAD, and named after the organisation’s co-founder and lgbt historian, Vito Russo. The test was created to analyse how LGBTQ characters are included within media such as film. 
In order to pass the Vito Russo test, a piece of media must follow the listed criteria:

The story must contain one or more characters who are openly and/or identifiably LGBT+

Who are not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity

And who are tied to the plot in such a way that their removal from it would have a significant effect on the narrative

The Aila Test

The Aila Test was created by tumblr user @the-aila-test and named after the character Aila from Rhymes For Young Ghouls. The test was created to exclusively address the portrail of Indigenous/Aboriginal female characters in popular media. To pass the Aila Test, the narrative must meet these requirements:

The story must have an indigenous/aboriginal woman as the main character

Who does not fall in love with a white man

And does not end up raped and/or murdered at any point in the story

The Phyrne Fisher Test

Like the Bechdel and Mako Mori Test, The Phyrne Fisher Test is a test created to analyse the portrayal of women in film. Named after the the titular character of the detective novel series by Australian author Kerry Greenwood. The following rules are:

The story must have at least one female character

Who has a traditionally masculine job,

Does not masculinise herself for the sake of the job,

And is not sexualised in the narrative

The Tauriel Test

Yet another measure of female representation in a canon. This test was named after Tauriel, a female character in The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies. The criteria:

The story must have a female character

Who has a job/task important to the story

And is successful at it

The oracle test

Named after the DC comics chracter of the same name. The Oracle test was created to cirque the representation of physicaly disabled characters in media (for example, wheelchair users like the character Oracle) the rules:

The story must have at least one disabled character,

Who is not there to be "fixed",

Whose narrative does not revolve around the disability

And does their job while having a disability, not in spite of it

The MacGyver Test

The MacGyver Test is a media litmus test preposed by writer and artist Nikita Coulombe and social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, named after the titular character of the 1985 tv series, the MacGyver test was designed to analyse the portrayal of male protagonists in media. The rules:

The story should have a male protagonist

Who solves problems in creative, intelligent and/or non-violent ways

And never resorts to violence, or only uses violence as an absolute last resort.

The Kieren Walker Test

One of the most recent additions to this series of tests, the Kieran Walker Test was created by tumblr user @chokit-pyrus. Named after the protagonist of zombie-drama In The Flesh, by Dominic Mitchell, the test was created specifically for analysing the portrayal of mentally ill and/or neurodivergant characters. As of writing this post, the rules are as follows:

The story must have at least one plot-important character who is canonically mentally ill and/or neurodivergent,

Whose experiences of said mental illness and/or neurodivergance are mostly if not fully accurate to those of real life,

Who is not demonised by the narrative

And who doesn’t get an unhappy ending or die in the end.

[thevitorussotest]

Imagine Me & You (5/6)

The Vito Russo Test (3/3):

At least one queer character… ✔️ For sure there’s 2 who are into each other.

Who is not predominantly defined by their sexual orientation/gender… ✔️ I wouldn’t say so. They both have their flaws and their passions. But I wouldn’t argue with someone who disagrees with me.

And is tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. ✔️ Yes it’s a romantic comedy about the lesbians!

My Two Cents (2/3):

What made me cringe:

Cheating. Queer women cheating on the men they were with during their self-discovery. Especially a very serious relationship where they’re, oh I dunno, getting married. How many times do I have to list this as a trope that I hate? And how can this be that specifically replicated?

What made me happy:

“You’re a wanker, number nine!”

They’re really just so cute, and the movie gives them all of the satisfying cheesiness that a proper romantic comedy has. This is the movie where WLW get the romance they deserve. 

She owns a flower shop?? What more can a little lesbian heart ask for?

[lostmykeysie]

saturday morning affirmations

[aroaceaunt]

There is the Bechdel test, the Mako Mori test, the Sexy Lamp test, and the Vito Russo test. Is there an Ace/Aro test?

I say the Drift test.

Do 2 non-family characters develop an emotionally intimate relationship devoid of sexual or romantic intent?

Named after drift compatable from Pacific Rim. It's how 2 people shared a conscious to pilot giant robots.

[theodoravanyar]

Review: Year One

By: Nora Roberts Available on: Amazon, Audible, and Barnes and Noble.Overview: Blurb: It began, much as it did for us, with a sickness that spread quick and deadly. But rather than COVID-19, the Doom, as it is known, killed millions and awakened the magical bloodlines in some of the survivors. Now, the world is an apocalyptic hellscape with the best and worst of humanity on open display. Magic…

[feminist-elizabethan]

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Reign, "Abandoned" - Season 2, Episode 19

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Reign, “Abandoned” – Season 2, Episode 19

In Reign, “Abandoned,” French boys were taken hostage by a group of Protestants and Condé was implicated as a co-conspirator to their kidnapping.

Francis was infuriated by the kidnapping and Condé was convinced that Francis would have him killed, so in an attempt to save his life, Condé made a foolish decision and secretly married Queen Elizabeth.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

 “Abandoned”…

[neil-gaiman]

Was thrilled to hear that Good Omens S2 will pass the Bechdel Test.

-Will it also pass GLAAD’s “Vito Russo Test” for LGBTQIA+ representation?

-And the “Duvernay Test” for racial diversity?

Thanks!

Wait and see.

[chaos-machine-news]

Chaos Machine’s head of development Renee Reiff is a founding member of new LGBTQIA+ advocacy group Out in Hollywood

From Deadline:

Out In Hollywood, An Advocacy Group For LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Stories, Releases First Out Loud List Of Best Unproduced Pilot Scripts By Queer Writers

EXCLUSIVE: Ten days ago, The WGA West’s LGBTQ+ Writers Committee sent an impassioned open letter to Hollywood, urging the film and television industry to employ more queer writers, combat ongoing discrimination and bigotry and increase authentic on-screen representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

A new industry group, Out In Hollywood, has a similar goal. Founded during the pandemic by industry professionals, the organization is advocating for untold and unseen LGBTQIA+ inclusive stories, curated by proudly out studio/network executives and producers. The group’s founding board is comprised by development and current executives Ameet Shukla of One Community; Logan Kriete of Escape Artists; Maija Gustin, an independent producer; Rebecca Vail of Peacock; and Renee Reiff of Chaos Machine.

Similar to another Hollywood advocacy group, the female-focused WeForShe and its annual WriteHer list, Out In Hollywood on Wednesday launched the Out Loud List, a list of the best unproduced pilot scripts that center on stories of gay, lesbian, bisexual, pan, ace, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary or otherwise queer characters. Released to coincide with Pride Month, the idea for the Out Loud List is to become an annual initiative, with Out In Hollywood also working on panels and mentorship opportunities to roll out later this summer.

The Out Loud List was curated based on feedback from members of the queer Hollywood community who were asked to nominate the favorite script they had read over the past year that meets the criteria. The identified scripts then underwent a blind evaluation process, with the board, along with a select group of volunteers (all queer-identifying, out producers, studio, and network executives), reading each script multiple times and ranking them using metrics such as GLAAD’s Vito-Russo Test (similar to the Bechdel test). The extensive process led to the final selection of the top 10 scripts on the inaugural list, designed to elevate voices and material of quality, industry-vetted writers in different stages of their careers.

Out In Hollywood has the support WGA West’s LGBTQ+ committee. In speaking about their motivation for creating Out In Hollywood, Kriete and Reiff cited the committee’s open letter, which revealed that more than a fifth of working writers in TV were declined meetings for staffing simply because the show “already had an LGBTQ+ writer.” The duo noted that they have seen projects rejected from buyers citing the same reason, that they “already have a gay show.”

“As an industry, we need to do better, and realize that the queer community encompasses a host of diverse, intersectional stories. There is room for many of them at the same time, and there is room for many of us at the same time. We need more queer writers telling the stories of queer people,” Kriete and Reiff said. “We know that amplifying queer voices—even if just taking a general meeting—ultimately leads to better representation broadly. It leads to a more nuanced and inclusive vision of being a human, to new ways of seeing the world, and to a seat at the table.”

Here is Out In Hollywood’s inaugural Out Loud List, with brief synopsis of each script and contact information for its writer:

[not-joeys-secret-account]

27-Jan

Black Swan (2010)

10/10

R

2010

1h 49m (109m)

English (American)

dir. Darren Aronofsky

The story of Nina, a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica who zealously supports her daughter's professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy decides to replace prima ballerina Beth Macintyre for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice.

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis

Fails Vito Russo Test

Why did no one ever tell me there's lesbian sex in this film? Anyway, my dance teacher was complaining about this film the other day and it made me realize I'd never seen it so I decided to watch it. Needless to say, it's awesome. The music, the costumes, the makeup, the special effects, the star-studded cast... it doesn't get much better than this. Natalie Portman's performance of a lifetime about a performance of a lifetime. Perfect film.

I would say... R

[ohfugecannada]