| Title |
Overall |
DVD |
Review |
Gay Content |
| A
Cry in the Dark (1988) |
•••
|
•• |
The painful
if ludicrous story of an Austrailian couple's plight after
their child is killed by a wild dog. Bad dog! Streep and Neal
really sing here, especially compared to their previous pairing
in Plenty in which both sort of stumbled. It's too
easy to conclude from this film that all Aussies are morons,
although it's similar to their depiction in Muriel's Wedding.
02/01 |
"The dingo's got my baby" is what I say when one of my friends horns in on someone I'm cruising |
| Babette's
Feast (1987) |
••••• |
•• |
One of my favorite rainy day movies, especially when I wonder if being a designer is a real profession. This small, charming film manages to explain both the aspirations of artists and the creatively inclined's struggle to rise over the perversity of business and violence. The DVD includes an inferior English -dubbed version, which should be avoided. 02/01 |
None. |
| The Big Blue: Director's Cut (1988) |
•••
|
•• |
Coming |
Gay subtext between the divers is watered down |
| Dead Again: Special Edition (1991) |
|
|
|
|
| The
Draughtsmans Contract (1982) |
••••
|
• |
Almost
everyone I know hates this film, although it remains the most
accessible of Greenaway's film-imitating-art projects (save
"26 Rooms," his documentary on British bathrooms).
This is witty and horrifying in the same way as, say, British
dental hygiene, but the camera work and design are first-rate.
Not as referential as his later films, it is nonetheless more
interesting if you know a little Greek mythology. 10/00 |
None. |
| Drugstore Cowboy: Special Edition (1989) |
|
|
|
|
| House of Games (1987) |
••••• |
• |
Lindsay
Crouse is of my favorite actresses, and this role of behavior
and trickery is perfect for her. Much like a Ballanchine ballet,
David Mamet scripts are not for everyone, The story weaves
in and out of classic cons, and how they relate to the new-age
con of psychotherapy. You might think that a first-time film
director would fall back on cliche, but this is a stylish
and idiosyncratic film, that allows Crouse to spin out of
control with perfect composure. Hand me a gold lighter someone.
10/00 |
Lindsday Crouse would make a great man |
| The
Last Emperor (1987) |
••••
|
••• |
A very
Western film filmed in China, Bertolucci's epic has the trappings
of a great film, but the differing accents are a constant
distraction from the remarkable design. I'm sure the ability
to be the first movie filmed in the Forbidden City was a coup
for Bertolucci, and he uses the ruddy walls to great if pedantic
effect. The actor who plays the teenage emperor is remarkable:
at once naive and, well, imperious. See the DVD version before
passing judgment on this film. 11/00 |
The gay character's influence isn't explored |
| Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) |
••••
|
•• |
This is a beautifully complex telling of how a lunatic Japanese author tried to turn the ideals of his novels to life. The story interweaves biography and stylized enactments of scenes from Mishima's novels, most of which focus on the author's homosexuality and his fanatic nationalism. The sets and costumes from legendary designer Eiko and the score by Philip Glass make this film, which is a rare, rare instance of a collaboration which equals more than the sum of the parts. 08/01 |
|
| Parting Glances (1986) |
•••
|
•• |
Coming |
|
| Plenty (1985) |
••••
|
• |
This film
brings together two of my favorites: David Hare and Fred Schepisi
(and the latter's usual band of collaborators). The writing
is crsp, although Streep once again displays her technique.
The dialogue in the dinner party scene is one of my favorite
sequences in any film, although I understand others' complaints
that it doesn't live up to the play's immediacy; Streep is
far too likeable here. 10/00 |
|
| Sid
& Nancy (1986) |
•••
|
• |
I loved this movie the first time I saw it, the same way that I loved Drugstore Cowboy for its depiction of being stoned. While the commentary tears apart its historical accuracy, this love story is as clear as a December day in LA. The documentary included on the disc is hilarious. 01/01 |
|
| Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) |
••••
|
• |
The movie I watch when I need to cheer up. It's frothy, it's got great music, and it's about a woman who doesn't let men rule her life. Carmen Maura is brilliant—strong, funny, vulnerable. 01/01 |
|
