| Title |
Overall |
DVD |
Review |
Gay Content |
| Almost Famous (2000) |
••••• |
•••• |
A fantastic dramatization about the extraordinary childhood of screenwriter and ex-Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe. While the stranger in a strange land story is fairly mundane, seeing the range of performers Crowe met and interviewed while still a teenager is remarkable. Kate Hudson is remarkable as uber fan Penny Lane, especially considering her previous lightweight roles. Billy Crudup as the lead singer with the looks is very easy to watch, although his role is rather unidimensional. Frances McDormand shows her comedic flair as Crowe's driven single mom.
01/02
|
None |
| American
Pscyho |
••• |
••• |
One of the great misunderstood films of the 90s, this is pure parody with a ax murder thrown in for kicks. It still isn't very good, but lead Patrick Bateman (with fake American accent) has the pecs and the reptilian mannerisms to make a business card comparison as aridly funny as a rhyming pun.
06/01 |
Bateman has what every queen wishes their abs, tits, and ass could be |
| Bamboozled |
•••• |
••• |
Modern
satire is rarely this affecting. The tale of a comedy writer
is a take on "The Producers" so we understand what's
coming. The remarkable moments are when the characters begin
spouting and acting out the most offensive racial slurs I've
seen on film. On purpose. The effect is disturbing and though-provoking,
but ultimately Spike Lee's message is muddied by an unnecessarily
violent and psychological finish. 06/01 |
None. |
| Before Night Falls (2000) |
|
|
Smashed plate artist cum director Julian Schnabel does a remarkable job directing this tiny story about gay Cuban writer
Javier Bardem, played here by Reinaldo Arenas (compare this to his role in Almodovar's Live Flesh).
I really wanted to hate this film, but it's beautifully crafted and acted. While the politics of persecution are overplayed, the focus on praising talent shines through clear and bright. 11/01 |
Entirely. |
| Billy
Elliott (2000) |
•••
|
••• |
Charming,
but trite. Performances are first rate from the young Billy,
who makes his acting debut with this feature. Dance sequences
are entertaining, and of course you root for the hero in the
end. Given the glum nature of the era portrayed, I'm not sure
about this film's political correctness (it's akin to marveling
about finding a shiny penny in a septic tank), but history
is never very big box office. 05/01 |
Explores butch straight cultural norms, but otherwise no. |
| Bring
It On |
•••• |
•• |
Fluffy,
but fun again. Teen drama as seen through eyes of a cheerleader
captain would seem the most gratuitous piece of shit this
side of escaped convicts on a jet, but hey it is about cheerleading.
If you've never seen a cheerleading competition, this is probably
a good start. There's blood, there's violence, there's girls
in really short skirts who jump up and down. Director's comments
in the Special Features section are rock solid film school
drivel, but hey it's only his first or second feature. 05/01 |
None. |
| Cast Away (2000) |
•••• |
••• |
A fairytale
about the artist in relation to middle-class values. I enjoy watching lead actress Juliette Binoche and director Lasse Halstrom has a lovely light touch with family dramas, but when it comes to predictable plots such as this, more diversions are needed.
10/01 |
The coconut reminds me of my last boyfriend's dinner conversation |
| The
Cell (2000) |
•••• |
••• |
Basically Silence of the Lambs, but the art is in the telling. Director Tarsem (an Art Center grad) wraps Jennifer Lopez in a fantastic computer-generated world of gold and silk and blood and rust. Costumes by Eiko are outrageous as expected, and all other tech credits are first-rate.
The DVD is packed with special features, including outtakes and two commentary tracks. 03/01 |
Fabulous costumes by Eiko. We love you Eiko! |
| Chocolat (2000) |
•• |
•• |
A fairytale
about the artist in relation to middle-class values. I enjoy watching lead actress Juliette Binoche and director Lasse Halstrom has a lovely light touch with family dramas, but when it comes to predictable plots such as this, more diversions are needed.
11/01 |
None |
| Erin
Brockovich (2000) |
•••
|
••• |
Huge
corporation taken on by do-gooder fiesty single mom. And she
WINS! Of course we know that already and so does director
Steven Soderberg, so he focuses on the challenge getting there.
It's hard not to like the lead character, who basically says
whatever is on her mind. I like that. DVD extras are sparse,
but interesting given the talent that had to do this flick
to get funding for more interesting work. 05/01 |
None, unless you're a drag queen looking for new putdowns. |
| Gladiator (2000) |
•• |
••••• |
A silly
film, even without Steve Reeves' sweaty thighs. Misogynists
will love this movie since the female characters are peripheral,
whores, or both. The double DVD set is good, although the
extra materials are just replays of behind-the-scenes promotional
films. 11/00 |
Well duh. |
| Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001) |
••••• |
••••• |
A remarkable first movie from John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote, directed, and plays the lead. The story is about misguided sacrifices made for love, using the fairy tale of an East Berline transexual punk rocker.
The film improves on the second viewing, when you can concentrate on the drag queen-clever dialogue and recurring themese. The lyric animation segments by Emily Hubley are beautifully integrated.
A special note: the extra features include an excellent full-length documentary on the creation of the play and the film, plus audio commentary by the director and director of photography.
|
Added to the curriculum for Gay 101
The band's drummer, Michael Aranov, must have been added as gay eye candy judging from the constantly bared hairy chest and stuffed undies.
|
| Joe Gould's Secret (2000) |
• |
• |
Even though Ian Holm is one of my favorite actors, especially for character roles, I fell asleep. |
None |
| Jurassic Park III (2001) |
•• |
•• |
A silly film with an amazing plane sequence. I kept hoping they would all be eaten. 11/01 |
I was outraged by the anti-gay depiction of tyrannosaurus with faggy little hands. Butch it up or get extinct already. |
| Kikujiro (2000) |
•••• |
•• |
Coming |
Another all-male movie with a sweet sensibility |
| Moulin Rouge (2001) |
••••• |
••••• |
The best movie of 2001. I can't imagine a more perfect reincarnation of the big movie musical, with pop songs fitted into the plot with humor and skill. Nicole Kidman and Ewan Macgregor show off their untapped vocal talent admirably, and Kidman shows special aplomb dancing about in corsets and heels (drag queens, take note). John Leguizamo is once again wasted as Toulouse Latrec, and his love for Christian isn't given enough development (probably due to the PG-13 rating). You would have to be a robot not to be affected in some way by this big-budget gem. 12/01 |
|
| Nurse Betty (2000) |
•••
|
••• |
Wonderful
performances from the cast except for Greg Kinnear, who I
can't stand for some reason. Maybe it's his pec implants.
Chris Rock and Morgan Freeman are magnificent, and Renee Zellweger
holds her own as the title character. I have to mention Aaron
Eckhart as Nurse Betty's ne'erdowell hubbie; he is one of
the few actors who is willing to completely disappear into
his role, and convincingly, too. A film worth watching. 05/01 |
None |
| Requiem for a Dream: Special Edition (2000) |
•••• |
•••• |
Coming |
|
| Romeo Must Die: Special Edition (2000) |
••• |
••• |
Coming |
|
| The Scent of Green Papaya |
•••• |
• |
The cinematic equivalent of a camera focused on a tranquil pond, this is a lyrical, soothing film about the minute details of Vietnamese life. There is no real plot, but the details are lovingly filmed with the grace of a cooling breeze. A two-hour meditation on the vicissitudes of life and death and class. 06/02
|
|
| Sleepy Hollow (1999) |
•• |
•• |
Coming |
|
| Snatch (2000) |
•••••
|
••• |
Coming |
None |
| Summer of Sam (1999) |
••• |
••• |
Coming |
|
| The Tao of Steve (2000) |
•• |
••• |
Coming |
|
| Time Code (2000) |
• |
|
Coming |
|
| Tom Green Show: Endangered Feces (2000) |
•• |
••• |
I enjoy Tom Green the same way I enjoy MAD magazine. His unpaid torturing of his parents is documented and epic in scale. The only epiphany is how crass Candadian cable TV hosts can be (one actually tries to hurt Tom).
|
None |
| Unbreakable (2000) |
•••• |
••• |
A remarkable and unnerving film that has been dumbed down by test audience stupidity. Smartly directed and written, and beautifully acted by the entire cast.
The ending is startling and not as telegraphed as writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's Sixth Sense.
|
Bruce Willis |
| Vertical Limit: Special Edition (2000) |
•• |
••• |
Coming. |
None |
| What's
Cooking? (2000) |
•
|
• |
Well-intentioned crap. Sitting next to a couple wearing a gallon of pacholi made me remember why I bought my DVD player. 12/00 |
None |
| Yi Yi |
••• |
• |
Coming. |
None |
