Wig (2019) Poster

(I) (2019)

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6/10
Great for Any Fan of Drag
Neon_Gold7 July 2020
I thought this movie was a great idea. Catching up with Wigstock as it was making a come back after all this time. Such a good idea.

The clips at the beginning were really great showing the drag scene in new York in the 80s. It made you want to be there you could feel the electric energy from the amazing clips.

Then it kinda starts to go of the tracks. This doc has so much going on that it spreads it's self very thin. It has the vintage clips, planing wigstock, random interviews and more and it doesn't really focus in on Wigstock which is what I wanted I guess.

However I will say it was interesting seeing how the bar scene/non drag race queens have been affected by RuPaul's Drag Race. But this was only mentioned briefly as it was fighting against everything else.

The actual Wigstock performances are only in the last 20 minutes and a lot of them are relegated to montages. I wish it had took more notes from Wigstock: The Movie. The performances are fabulous and it would have been great to see more.

Definitely watch it. It's interesting and has great performances. I would watch Wigstock: The Movie first so you can see the change in time for your self.
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6/10
Great historical use of footage, and history. Brooklyn stuff is rubbish
scotartsproduction6 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The director did an uncannily respectable job amalgamating all the Nelson Sullivan footage and bringing together a survey of the vast history that is Wigstock and NYC.

Unfortunately, the pandering to the Brooklyn PC scene fell flat, and was a turn off. I don't know why stabbing yourself with a needle full of hormones on stage without medical help (as openly admitted) is "art". It's not.

Nor do I see why this one-trick person was given so much airtime, a boring Lena Dunham parody. Finally, I cannot fathom how, if you are transitioning M to F, why parading around naked with your bits hanging out, in front of children no less, is entertaining or anywhere near appropriate.

I, for one, would have liked to lose all the Brooklyn stuff (make your own movie) and lengthen the fantastic actual Wigstock performances that were too quick cut.
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6/10
Not a fan of this genre but watched the documentary
jrneptune25 June 2019
Not a fan of this genre but watched the documentary. My wife and one daughter are fans of it. It was interesting to watch but it seem like there was some bias against Rue Paul and the claim from some that all Drag performers were of one sexual preference forced me to research further into the history of drag performers. Glad I did to be honest.

There is a lot more to its history and no doubt many might be of one sexual preference there are some performers that do it just for the fun of it. Plus Rue Paul helped blast the door open to the public about this type of entertainment.

There does seem to be a bit of a culture war going on within the community just looking at the various websites about it. Either way I hope they continue to have fun doing it and know not to take it all too seriously.
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6/10
A Hodgepodge of Drag Entertainment
pebsdad22 June 2019
Wigstock was the annual NYC drag event that ran for aprox. 20 years from the 80's to mid 2000's. Much of this doc follows many of the performers as they prepare for the 2018 revival.

The film gives much of its time following Lady Bunny, who was there in the beginning and is co-hosting the revival. It also contains vintage clips of early Wigstock events and performers. However, the film feels like a poorly edited hodgepodge of these clips without a clear focus or direction. I felt like I was watching someone's home movies at times, which I'm sure was the point but felt lost without any narration of what was going on at the time. The doc culminates in about 20 minutes (of the over 6 hour festival) filmed at the 2018 event, which was the most interesting and I wish had been the entire movie (and I wish I had been there).

I enjoyed some of the up close interviews, with a few feeling almost voyeuristic. Ultimately, though, the whole thing, from the title to the editing, feels thrown together and unimaginative (imagine that, some of the most imaginative people on this earth in a film that isn't). The hard-to-find original documentary "Wigstock" is a much better depiction of the early days of the festival.
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10/10
Great Window into Drag's Continuing Legacy
rlechuga24 June 2019
Loved the parallels between Lady Bunny and Charlene. This doc shows how drag's original focus is still alive and centers those who are continuing to create the type of drag that futhers creativity and activism. It's also really, really pretty.
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10/10
Past/present/future of Drag in NYC
eme22525 June 2019
This doc was insightful and well done. It's right up there up with my other favorite Docs about NYC communities, "Paris is Burning" and "Fetishes" from the 80's and 90's, to name a few.

This doc is also so entertaining containing such talented performers. Not sure what else people want from a doc. I was so excited for this portrait of a colorful and full of life community that keeps NY spinning and incessantly advancing performance, art, culture, and society.
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2/10
Cute doc. but missed the mark.
cophotography3 July 2019
It was a really well made documentary and it was really cool seeing all the early footage of the scene back in the day, but the documentary failed to highlight what happened after Wigstock's last festival.

a whole scene bloomed in brooklyn and another festival called Bushwig was created. WIG failed terribly in highlighting that moment in time. If your going to make a documentary THEN make a documentary and research. It's dangerous to make documentaries that are not accurate.
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10/10
Only the Talented Plus Herstory 1301
kelly-573-55730123 June 2019
Queens with real talent beyond shopping/sourcing/renting/borrowing outfits and serving face. In an Instagram/Kim K/Paris Hilton/Famous with no real talent world, every single one of these ladies turn it. This document is thoughtful and inclusive. My vote for surprise breakout star was Charlene Incarnate, probably because I'm a gulf-coaster, and our scene is dominated by pageant drag. And the herstory is so amazing and critical. I really hope that someone tackles Drag on a ken burns level (think jazz or baseball), but until then, this is one of the best nonfiction works I've seen on the evolution of modern drag. They had to make a choice on what to show in this format and around the rebirth of wigstock. I hope someone in the future does an massive scope docu series from late 1800's drag to Paris is Burning era ballroom to RuPaul's breakout to modern day.
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10/10
Exploring the history of the Wigstock festival
arborges-mitchell23 June 2019
A fun and campy documentary about the drag festival Wigstock and its founder, Lady Bunny. Many appearances by drag icons of NYC.
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10/10
more Willam. more Wigs.
daisyhomebody23 June 2019
Drag is everything. Willam was not used enough. Loved all the history. NY was lucky to have these acts.
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9/10
Not Drag Race!
greengrl-805973 July 2019
If you're looking for a closer lewk at the real world of Drag, this is for you! This isn't Drag Race; it's a fun, nostalgic doc about the drag festival, Wigstock which was started in the East Village of Manahattan in the '80's and features clips from the past, some of Drag's pioneering Queens to the 2018 resurgence of the festival. Some familiar faces from Rupaul's Drag Race but it's not focused on them.
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