Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.
The Revelation: Totally Under Control
Directors Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger combined their talents to assemble this documentary film, conceived by Gibney at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to wonder, even after viewing the film, if they knew what they were getting themselves into.
For that matter, we also have to wonder if Gibney, Harutyunyan & Hillinger had anticipated that the response to COVID-19 from the White House would have been so bad. Totally Under Control provides a play-by-play in the unfolding of the pandemic, denoting each new development with the response by the Trump Administration. That includes the repeated denials by Trump and his deputies that the pandemic was “a hoax,” and “going away.” Typing out those words right now fills us with tense anger: more than 300,000 Americans have died from this disease. That Trump, enabled by Mitch McConnell (who has publicly lied and denied the existence of a pandemic response team established under Obama) and the Republican party was able to show such criminal dereliction of duty will forever rank as one of the lowest moments in American history. Given that American history already includes slavery, racism, the AIDS epidemic, subjugation of women and a host of other nasty moments, that says something.
But we digress. Totally Under Control goes a long way to clarifying some of the motives behind the Administration response (the words “free market” keep popping up like a rash), and underlines some of the jaw-dropping ironies as well, including Trump’s touring of an N-95 mask factory while not wearing a mask. Ditto the White House’s two pandemic response teams: one marginalized group led by an apathetic Mike Pence, and one headed by Jared Kushner who, the film suggests, may have purposely stymied the response to help certain business interests. Shocking, bewildering and infuriating, Totally Under Control is a film that encapsulates so much of 202. It’s also one of the best films of 2020.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Streams on Hulu.
Roy Ajax
The chances of this documentary being truthful and unbiased is absolutely zero.
Chrisk
Yes it’s totally unfair to expose them by their own words. In any case, will just plug our ears and shout fake news. Right Roy?
Roy Ajax
Chrisk
Most documentaries are biased anyway, but it seems like this one went out to prove their point, rather than investigate it. So there will be words taken out of context, actions without analysis of the cause/effect… etc etc. Michael Moore is one of the worst because he manipulates what you see.
[email protected]
Really, I just watched it and found it to be very well documented, What part was biased?
Hdtex
Roy Ajax…..COVIDIOT
Heywood Jablowme
Roy Ajax is busy trying to be first in line to get the vaccine for the China virus that’s a hoax but is very bad, not that he ever wore a mask for it but the China virus is from China and is bad. And it probably has something to do with Hunter Biden, many people are saying it.
Bengali
What does Trump’s ( | ) taste like, Roy?
ptseti
You know what the problem is with the 70 million + of your Trumpeters…You actually truly and honestly believe your own nonsense and y’all eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here’s an idea- take your head out of Trump’s derriere. Its a better view outside !!!
AxelDC
Glad you are so open minded about this. You haven’t even watched the documentary but you’ve already labeled it “fake news”.
nebskram
if most of the docs you watch are biased maybe u should find a new source for ur docs
but bless ur heart anyway
nebskram
if most of the docs you watch are biased maybe u should find a new source for ur docs
but bless ur heart anyway
nm4047
So I’ll jumped to the same conclusion as you and assume you haven’t watched it to make your ‘comment’
Annaronimo
This is events over the past year, Roy. Surely you can remember back that far that he actually did say these things? Just because you don’t like how it looks when you watch it all together without the benefit of Trump telling you to ignore what you heard before, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
cuteguy
Roy Ajax is a pathetic narcissist who lacks empathy and like his maker, the one leaving Jan 20, cannot understand the basic fundamentals of simple grammar. Go back to your trailer Roy, or I’m guessing your Mom’s basement
pes
And you have drunk way too much orange Koolaid.
GayEGO
You must be a Trumpster who listens to his fake news. Science is where the facts are, religion used to believe the world is flat, science proved it was round. Science proved LGTBQs are part of normal civilization in 1970. Religion has been very very slow to accept that fact.
Kangol2
The filmmakers will have to update this documentary because the effects of Don the Con’s catastrophic incompetence and malevolence in dealing with this pandemic continues and will well into the new year and beyond.
The world now knows from those Bob Woodward audiotapes that Don the Con knew very early how deadly this virus was, and yet because of his psychopathy, pathological narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, and utter foolishness he repeatedly failed to warn or level with Americans. In fact, he lied to us over and over. “It’ll end by Easter,” “It’s going to disappear,” “We’re rounding the corner,” and on and on.
As a result we have 331,900 dead from Covid-19 and counting. And those are just the reported deaths; early on in the pandemic people in NYC, New Jersey and elsewhere were dying in their homes of Covid-19 but could not get tested. Florida allegedly suppressed the death counts before the election, and on and on.
This catastrophe is but one of the many debacles (the shattered economy, the destroyed relations with allies, the weakening of US leadership across the globe, the empowering of Vladimir Putin and, ironically, China, etc.) that Don the Con Drumpf and the GOP should have to answer for, though as with George W. Bush, they will probably find a way to escape any real penalties.
cjay 69
This is fake news. These claims are disputed and no factual evidence to back These claims up. That’s what I’m gonna start putting under all fake news articles. That’s what all of you do when we say crap like this. On Twitter Facebook and all you’re platforms. If you don’t believe what y’all says this we are banned
felixthegato
hehe, except that the interviewees in this doc have the receipts….and you don’t
… ='(
AxelDC
You’ve been banned for spreading falsehoods and lies that are literally killing thousands every day. You should be banned from Queerty as well.
nebskram
plenty of dead so that evidence
nm4047
you’re correct, 300K+ and still counting is insufficient evidence. The umpa lumpa you seem to support will be remembered for nothing other than be responsible for the death of so many innocent (including a good percentage of his supporter base [hope they followed his request and didn’t vote prior to the elections]).
Seohero
candy soop
Fname Optional Lname
It’s certainly not fake news when there is documented proof showing them time and time again stating that the virus was not a threat, that it was under control, that it would just disappear etc. These interviews have been played how many times in the past 9 months? At this point it’s just ridiculous to hear the phrase “fake news” come out of anyone’s mouth. We’re not talking the National Enquirer here, these are news outlets from all over the globe. The only think fake is anyone stating that Trump and his lemmings don’t lie.
AxelDC
I’m already so angry and disgusted with Trump’s piss poor response that has cost 350k lives, I don’t need to watch a documentary to know how badly he screwed us over.
MISTERJETT
January 20th can’t come soon enough!!!!
voyy
trump should be hung on the White House lawn…but as we’ve heard from his mistresses he is’nt hung.
LMG
Roy Ajax is nothing more than a blowhard troll who finds any excuse to justify the incompetent and moronic behavior of Trump & Co.
RichardPeters
What are TDSers going to do the next 4 years? Reflect back on Trump’s time in office, of course. The slime of mainstream and radical media know no different, sheeple.
Thad
I find the conservative and right-wing media to be far slimier. I’ve discovered there isn’t nearly enough radical media in the USA to counter the cons.
As Trump tried so hard to undo Obama’s achievements, damages will be repaired in the next four years without the pettiness of overturning any real positive Trump achievements. Like…wait, what were they again?
trojanboy
The bastard should be force fed into a wood chipper while his vile family are forced to watch. In a civilised society this would be an acceptable outcome.
nm4047
perhaps the deniers (Fox ‘News’) needs to make the counter alternative facts ‘documentary’. Or maybe that will be the first show Trumps (unlikely) network will make that once again blames the black man for leaving him with another problem Trump needed to ‘fix’. Counting down the days til the idiot signs off his and his families pardons. Have there ever been a pardon issued for a father and son before?
ttm9
Your comments are really silly. Gays in general will be sorry they voted for Biden/Harris, the worst ticket in History. Well just as bad as OBAMANATION/Biden!!
ttm9
Just wait you crazy anti TRUMPERS, you’re going to get what you deserve with Biden the crook who never knows where he is, the difference between his wife and sister and thinks he was running for the senate!! Then there’s Kamala who will be president when Biden resigns for health reasons. She is so far left get read when she attempts to turn America SOCIALIST.!!! The majority of gays asked for this so enjoy your mistake!!
Chrisk
America already is a socialist country unless those farmers never received a bail out and you pay for your own roads.
lambchopp59
He or she states, on the “socialist” internet, home from work on the “socialist” streets and highways, contributing each paycheck to “Social” security, protected by the “socialist” police and fire departments, libraries and public “socialist” art to enjoy. Stops at the “socialist” stoplights and stop signs, directed to unknown locations by the “socialist” GPS system, and participating in “social” media platforms.
Sure, gotta fight that “socialism”.
screwtop
I’ve rarely seen such a hilarious set of comments – my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you – yeah, even Roy Ajax, the facilitator without whose “contribution” much of what followed would never have been possible!
FWIW – excluding “knowledge” = “ignorance”. I do not choose to exclude Roy Ajax’s comments, any more than I would choose to exclude everyone else’s – or, indeed, the video clip which has inspired this dialogue.
What I make of it, after I have digested it, is entirely my affair. Just as it is, for everyone else.
And nobody has any kind of sacred right to abuse someone else simply because they end up with a different viewpoint. That was the solution of the dark ages, when “witches” were drowned or, if they didn’t drown, burned at the stake.
I don’t have any opinions or viewpoints about Dumbo Tramp, or his contribution to COVID, or indeed anything else about him.
One evening, I saw him interviewed on 6:30 news, on FOX. He was so disgusting that he simply ceased to exist.
“Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there again, today. Oh, how I wish he’d go away!”
cuteguy
The Democrats have to grow a spine and put down their herbal tea and learn how to fight back. The Republicans showed who they were during the AIDS epidemic so no one should be surprised over their mishandling of this latest pandemic. If the Dems ever have complete control of the White House, Senate AND the House again, they have to seize the opportunity and not be all talk. The Dems allowed the platforms of Donald Chump, Moscow Mitch, Faux News, and even closeted Lindsay by being so weak. I may not agree with what AOC says a lot of times but at least she shows strength. We need more strength in the Democratic Party
lambchopp59
Concur, the overblown rhetoric about “far left”, “socialism” scares and especially the facepalmingly ignorant and haphazard “science denial” rhetoric have driven the Overton Window so far right that especially the uptight, stiff Trumper’s mostly won’t need caskets after they expire. We can just screw them into the ground.
Democrats need to get real about very serious steps at rescuing our ecosystem from all this corporatist profiteering nonsense and quit the “working across the isle” stagnation.
I believe a whole lot more AOC’s is precisely what is needed if the human race and much of the animal population of the earth is to have any long term survival. All the corporatist based compromises will lead to calamity the likes the earth has never seen, we have only begun to see the fires, droughts, floods, category 5 hurricanes and resultant famine that will be foremost concerns in a decade.
Oh, the tough talk from RW’ers is going to be looking all the more idiotic with time.