| Title |
Overall |
DVD |
Review |
Gay Content |
| American History X (1998) |
•••
|
•• |
I had a difficult time with the racial epithets littering this movie. It's a worthy idea and jarring for teens, I'm sure. Camerawork is inappropriately beautiful, which works against the moral, which is delivered withan advertiser's precision. The leads are perfectly cast, with Ed Norton looking uncharacteristically unrepellant, which I suppose he agreed to since his looks figure into the plot. 01/01 |
Not unlike visiting the Folsom St. Fair, both in dress and belief system |
| Amistad (1997) |
•••• |
•• |
Coming |
|
| Anna and the King (1999) |
• |
•• |
Let's see...let's take a classic racist musical and turn it into a soap opera. Can any good come of this? Jodie Foster plays the teacher cum fascist with ease, but Yun-Fat Chow is unintelligible, the kids are ugly, and the set keeps overacting. 09/01 |
Fabulous costumes |
| Bowfinger (1999) |
•• |
•••• |
Not as funny as I had hoped, but an excellent showcase of Eddie Murphy's skill. As with his plays, Steve Martin's plot is brilliant, but his script is leaden, jaded, and overly intellectual (think Dennis Miller).
10/01 |
Nada |
| Boys on the Side (1995) |
•••• |
•• |
"Feminine strength," I was told once, is the ineluctable quality that allows someone to hold it together in spite of life's trials. While Whoopi Goldberg's singing leaves something to be desired, her strength shines here. I have a weakness for tragedies that end happily, and this movie has three: unrequited love, dying young, and a sordid past. A chick flick to be sure, but guaranteed to entertain. 11/01 |
|
| The Cider House Rules (1999) |
•••• |
••• |
|
|
| Croupier (1998) |
••••
|
•• |
The story
of a writer mascarading as a croupier mascarading as a narrator.
While voiceover is often the sign of a weak script, this is
a nicely complicated story of a man in search of his true
nature. Clive Owen in the title role is smoothly ingratiating
as he spins through mind games with his girfriend, his coworkers,
and himself. And he's sexy. Kate Hardie as Bella has a more
transparent role, but is engaging as the temptress. 04/01 |
Clive Owen is a babe |
| Cube (1997) |
••••
|
•• |
A low-budget
thriller in the best possible sense. This Canadian import
manages to stay interesting without the crutch of big special
effects or an all-star cast. While the message is ultimately
silly, the story is unique, the execution flawless, and the
acting above average. 03/01 |
None |
| Dead Again (1991) |
•• |
•• |
The only reason I put up with this mystery-cum-spoof was because they shot around my old haunts in L.A. Branagh mugs and winces his way throughout, while then-wife Emma Thompson is characteristically brilliant. Derek Jacobi is freaking amazing. Taken as a mystery, it's too campy. Taken as a spoof, it's too dull. 11/01
|
Branagh's face after he kisses Andy Garcia's cheek says "I'll be the bottom" |
| Dogma (1999) |
|
|
|
|
| The Doors (1991) |
•••• |
•• |
A brilliant film about an icon, and visually way ahead of its time. While the brilliance of the characters is perhaps overplayed, the story of reckless talent and neuroses is captivating.
08/01 |
None |
| Double Jeopardy (1999) |
••• |
•• |
A nicely crafted chase movie, which avoids cliche weepiness with some surprising action sequences.
This is all about Ashley Judd's
old-Hollywood acting style (she could easily stood in for any Hitchcock blonde). Tommy Lee Jones' gruff guy character is a nice counterpoint, but it's Judd's "I been to prison but I still got class" looks that make this moderately believable. Beresford's direction is mostly absent, probably a good thing. 12/01 |
None |
| Emma (1996) |
•• |
•• |
Another strange hit. As I've said before, making a historical drama with no link to present day morality is about as daring as "war is bad." Jeremy Northam is a babe, so I'll give this one additional star.
08/01 |
None |
| Enemy
of the State (1998) |
•
|
•• |
A pretty but deeply flawed Tony Scott movie. The plot meanders, the actors don't seem to know where they are in the story, and the audience just wants someone to hurry up and shoot someone. Anyone. Surveillance is just not a compelling story device. Hackman is completely wasted here. 1/01 |
None |
| The English Patient (1996) |
••••
|
•• |
The first time I watched this film was in a cheap motel in Utah. I fell asleep during one of the scenes between the nurse and the crispy guy. One second watching, however, the sophistication and romance of the plot
is terrifying. If the moral of the interplay is "romance kills" than this
hits the mark. Unfortunately, I think the bourgeouis reading is more like "love demands loss," which puts this on the same level as a Hitchcock thriller. 10/01 |
None |
| Exotica (1994) |
•••• |
••• |
|
|
| Eyes
Wide Shut (1999) |
•••
|
•• |
Like watching ice freeze and about as sexy, Kubrick's last film lingers like a unfunny joke. If the idea is more than a paean to fidelity, it can only be as prosaic as "sex is bad." The orgy is about as sexy as sitting alone in the steamroom of the Watergarden.I had to watch a Colt movie just to return the blood flow below my navel. 01/01 |
Tom Cruise (just kidding) |
| Farewell,
My Concubine (1993) |
••••• |
• |
This is one of my great favorites. It's a lovingly told love triangle tragedy, and the acting is first-rate. It's surprising that a film that includes a gay theme and is critical of the Nationalist and Maoist revolutions was produced in mainland China. 10/00 |
A gay love triangle, but in a non-Western sense |
| Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) |
••
|
•• |
Amazing visuals as one would expect from Terry Gilliam, but basically unwatchable. Johnny Depp is either mocking the coolness factor of the 70s or just sucks. Benicio Del Toro is brilliant as always.
If you like this twaddle, you're probably three years from graduation.
10/01 |
None |
| 54 |
••
|
••
|
A movie in need of a director's cut DVD. As the story goes, 54 was previewed, the audience flipped out, and the film was butchered.
Twenty minutes of controversial footage was removed and the ending was reshot. The most notable cut for gay audiences is the kiss shared between Shane (Ryan Phillippe) and Greg (Brekin Myer), the downplaying of Shane's attraction to other men, and the absence of gay sexuality in general. What emerges is a Studio 54
that seems quaint compared to today's clubs. There's an excellent website explaining what was cut from the working version of the film.
11/01
|
There's heat between the two male leads, which was developed in the original cut |
| Flawless (1999) |
•
|
•• |
A crime against cinema. This movie manages to make a film about a drag queen befriending a cop and foiling bad guys as dull as watching toast brown, except the toaster is unplugged.
10/01 |
None |
| The
Game (1997) |
•••
|
•• |
An amusing diversion, but without a moral. Well, maybe "buy good shoes." Michael Douglas hams his way through this, but the supporting cast is very good despite this being Amex porno. 01/00 |
None |
| Glory (1991) |
|
|
|
|
| Good Will Hunting (1997) |
•••
|
•• |
A charming adaptation of the Superman story. Robin Williams
is freaking scary, which is to say he actually decided to act instead of mug.
10/01 |
None |
| Gray's Anatomy (1997) |
|
|
|
|
| The Grifters (1990) |
••••
|
•• |
A darkly funny tragedy, and the only Angelica Huston film I like. Here, she delivers, moving from terrified to confident to cunning within a scene with entrancing poise. Annette Benning is fantastic as the moll, but John Cusack was probably not the best casting choice; his boyishness gets in the way of believing his skill at deception. Oedipal theme is forced.
08/01 |
None |
| The Hurricane: Special Edition (1999) |
•••
|
•• |
A marvelous
film starring Denzel Washinton that feels more focused than
Malcolm X, which tells a similar and no less somber story
of realized talent and jealousy. Production credits are first-rate,
and Washington moves fluidly through the role. The interest
of his band of helpers who help the imprisoned boxer is largely
missing and thus distracting, but the triumph is very real
and well-deserved. 06/01 |
I assume the do-gooders are gay, but it's unclear |
| Jacob's Ladder: Special Edition (1990) |
••••
|
•• |
As with The Last Emperor, scenes were removed from this film that would have completed the story. The antidote sequence and the original ending are both enlightening and necessary. The imagery is a brilliant modern adaptation of a medieval hell, and the plot loops and splits with studied randomness—a truly under-rated work by an imaginative screenwriter and a TV commercial director. 08/01 |
None |
| Kika (1993) |
•• |
• |
Not the best Almodovar, but still ripe with cartoon plotlines and costumes.
As with the current generation of directors, Almodovar is obsessed with the connections that exist between apparent strangers. For some reason, Peter Coyote is in this film.
08/01 |
None |
| Kizuna (1998) |
• |
• |
Sometimes, Japanese culture is truly insurmountable. This is a movie about "boy love," which is fetishized like Hello Kitty by Japanese schoolgirls.
Exactly why young girls would find oral and anal sex between men "cute" is beyond me. Put together with TV-quality animation, this doesn't offer much.
10/01 |
Yes, but in a baffling Japanese way |
| The
Last of the Mohicans (1992) |
••••
|
• |
I bought
this disc because I wanted reference material for my next
Halloween costume (check out the gold embroidery on the French
officers' uniforms). Strangely, there is no director's commentary
on this disc, which is a shame. 10/00 |
None |
| Legends of the Fall (1994) |
••• |
••• |
Coming. |
|
| Limbo (1999) |
•••••
|
••• |
An actors movie, with brilliant performances by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and David Strathairn, both masters of disappearing into their roles. While the climax of the film may leave some wanting if not furious, what comes before is as graceful as a Sayles gets. 08/01 |
The lesbian B&B owners are pretty funny |
| The Limey (1999) |
|
|
|
|
| Live Flesh (1997) |
•••
|
•• |
The opening sequence is brilliant and clearly Almodovar, but the ensuing drama is a rehash of Matador. Casting is brilliant, as always, but the subplot eventually make this anyone's story. 08/01 |
The love scene between Liberto Ribal & Francesca Neri is lovely |
| Lost in Space (1998) |
•••
|
•• |
This film flies through character development at such a dizzying pace that everyone feels like a face in a reception line. Casting is poor. While the TV series had simmering Guy Williams as the sexy daddy, we get pussy
William Hurt struggling with his fatherly angst (how very 90s). Jack Johnson as the young Will is remarkable, and he and Gary Oldman easily outshine the rest of the cast.
Lacey Chabert is painfully bad as Penny, and Heather Graham is wasted. The most notable comment on the DVD audio commentary is the D.P. telling us that Mimi Rogers likes to be shot from the left because her face is uneven.
08/01 |
None |
| The Madness of King George (1994) |
••••
|
•• |
Coming |
None |
| Malcolm
X (1992) |
•••
|
• |
An interesting historical overview of Malcolm X's life, but life rarely translates well into drama, and Lee has apparently chosen not to dramatize. The scenes where X is harassed and eventually murdered by the Nation of Islam are riveting. 02/01 |
None |
| The Madness of King George (1994) |
••• |
•• |
Coming |
|
| Magnolia (1999) |
|
|
|
|
| The
Man On the Moon (1999) |
•••
|
•• |
Andy Kaufman was truly brilliant and while this film doesn't bother with explaining the creative process, his personal relationships, or his private life, it does beat you over the head with his professional career. Carry is an adequate impersonator of Kaufman, but the film's strongest suit is that the actors that surrounded him appear in the movie, which is perhaps the greatest tribute. 02/01 |
None |
| The Messenger: The STory of Joan of Arc (1999) |
••••
|
•• |
A remarkable, human story of self-deception. Supermodel cum actress Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc holds her own against costars John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway (still lovely, still freaking scary), and Dustin Hoffman. The later scenes with Hoffman and Jovovich are beautifully written and turn what could have been a flat period piece into an examination of faith and acceptance. For the boys, the battle scenes are some of the most brutal I've ever seen. 11/01 |
None |
| Miss Julie (1999) |
•••
|
• |
A play that has been filmed, but the dialog is beautiful. Acting is first rate and casting is near perfect. Peter Mullan is brilliant; his face actually changes color as his emotions shift, and they can shift within a single camera roll. Saffron Burrows has the easier role, and is quite good as well. The cute bearded Mullan looks like this guy I used to date, which made me wonder how big his dick was (this figures in the plot, so there). The one oddity is a title card which states that the events occur "North of Sweden," which I can only guess is to explain the brightness of the night sky.
11/01 |
Peter Mullan's beard |
| The Ninth Gate (1999) |
••• |
••• |
Compared to Eyes Wide Shut, which shares a similar plot and came out in the same year, this is the mark of the humanist director. Polanski is the better technician, and always chooses leading women who are lovely, smart, and powerful; Kubrick's direction is chilly, his women plastic. While the ending leaves much to be desired, the chase is captivating.
12/01
|
None |
| October Sky: Collector's Edition (1999) |
••••
|
•• |
Be sure
to watch the ending of this small, well-acted film about a
father's dreams and son's aspirations; it shows the real-life
counterparts of the main characters. The film is almost perfectly
cast, smartly directed, and beautifully shot. Jake Gyllenhall
gives a shining performance opposite Chris Cooper as the company
man in a West Virginia coal town. While the sentamentality
of the story is unavoidable, the story leading up to the fantasy
ending is tightly played out. This is the American Billy
Elliot. 06/01 |
None |
| Reservoir Dogs (1992) |
|
|
|
|
| Saving
Private Ryan (1998) |
••••
|
•• |
In all fairness, I generally hate Steven Spielberg's escapist cinematic doughnuts, but the first 20 minutes of this film are such an incredibly powerful anti-war movie that the road movie that follows is foregiven. Technically perfect and appropriately mundane. 01/01 |
None |
| Sleepless in Seattle (1993) |
|
|
|
|
| Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) |
••
|
•• |
Fell asleep. |
None |
| The
Spanish Prisoner (1997) |
••••
|
•• |
I don't know why I watch Mamet films, since I always end up feeling paranoid and vengeful. While the Mamet presentational rhythm often cool things down to zero, the effect is the same as a Cronenberg film, which is to say palpable. 12/00 |
None |
| Sweet Hereafter: Platinum Edition (1997) |
•••• |
•• |
|
|
| The
Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) |
••••
|
••• |
I thought at first that this was a farce about the fatuousness of the rich, but it seems to take its window-licking seriously. The film is well-constructed and acted; casting is first-rate. But if you could take a bit of Auntie Mame, a bit of Six Degrees of Separation, and a big to Room with a View, you have this paean to the problems of the American aristocracy. 11/00 |
Well, duh. |
| Tea With Mussolini (1999) |
• |
• |
Coming. |
|
| The
Thin Red Line (1998) |
••••
|
•• |
Coming |
None |
| Twilight of the Golds (1997) |
|
|
|
|
| Twin Falls Idaho (1999) |
•••
|
•• |
Coming |
None |
| Velvet Goldmine (1998) |
•••
|
•• |
Made with the same visual flair of Poison, this paean to the glam rock is perfectly cast, although the homoeroticism between the leads is downplayed to the point of being invisible. I usually despise stories about fluidity of personality and dress, but I forgive for costume dramas such as this. 11/01
|
In loads |
| The Virgin Suicides (1999) |
••
|
•• |
I had high hopes for this movie, considering the director's pedigree, but ultimately this film lacks passion. Everythings strings along in studied order, but it is as lively as a window latch. 09/01 |
None |
| What Dreams May Come (1998) |
•••
|
•• |
This is a movie where everyone dies. Everyone. Not surpisingly, it was a commercial failure. But watched on a rainy night, this affirmation of love is captivatingly lovely. The special effects can be distracting, but the twists in the third act are lovely and earned. Robin Williams isn't nearly as noxious as in Awakenings, but far from his work in Good Will Hunting. 11/01 |
None |
| White
Squall (1996) |
•••
|
• |
Pretty images of pretty, young white boys strung together with a silly plot and sometimes engaging acting. A pedophile's delight with one horrifying, haunting shot. 10/00 |
See review |
| Wild Wild West (1999) |
••
|
•• |
Fun, but special effects heavy for no particular reason. Will Smith carries this one by himself; when he's not onscreen, they might as well put up a black screen. 09/01 |
None |
| The Winslow Boy (1999) |
|
|
|
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| You've Got Mail (1998) |
|
|
|
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| Zero Effect (1998) |
•••• |
•• |
The first fifteen minutes of this film are unbearable, amateur, dull. After that, this old-fashioned detective story charges through with wit and a surprisingly interesting performance from Bill Pullman, an actor I associate with the wettest lips in Hollywood. Kim Dickens is marvelous and fierce, with vengeance always welling in her eyes. Sexy Über Daddy Ryan Oneal plods along, but salvages his performance with a tightly delivered monolog. Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller. 11/01 |
Only in the Holmes/Watson sense |
