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Entertainment
News Flash
by Jed Ryan
Wednesday,
February 6, 2002
Current
and Upcoming Gay and Gay-Friendly Movies on VHS and DVD!
(Click on the movie titles for purchasing
information)
 "ABSOLUTELY
FABULOUS" Series 4, Parts I and II
(2000, approx. 90 min each, unrated, VHS and DVD to
own)
How
popular is "Absolutely Fabulous" among gay guys?
So much so that when "Ab Fab" first came to the
U.S., gay bars from Manhattan to Fire Island were having "Ab
Fab" nights where the latest episode was broadcast to
eager fans each week. Drag queens suddenly had two new icons
to imitate, provoking one writer to observe, "Why do
drag queens imitate Edina and Patsy? The two characters already
do a great job of parodying women.on their own." Now
available are the latest episodes in the British TV series
that made "Sweetie darling!" enter the gay male
lexicon and made chain-smoking, booze, and slavery to fashion
seem chic. And now it's on video and DVD! Parts I and II have
three episodes each. Whether you're a fan of the TV show or
you've never met Patsy or Edina, now's your chance to bring
these two thoroughly un-P.C. heroines home with you! Just
have the ashtray, "nibbly things," and bottle of
bubbly handy!
 "COMMON
GROUND"
(2000, 105 min, unrated, VHS only to rent or own)
Borrowing
a similar idea from HBO's "If
These Walls Could Talk Part 2," this Showtime
movie takes three separate stories which take place in the
same town through the years-- in this case, Homer, Connecticut..
In "Common Ground," three openly gay and lesbian
playrights (Terrence McNally, Paula Vogel, and Harvey Fierstein)
show their talents in three gay-themed stories from the shameful
McCarthy era of the 1950's to the new milennium. The film
touches upon such issues as the military's anti-gay policies,
closeted gay teachers, and gay marriage. And what a cast!
Starring veteran actors like Ed Asner, Beau Bridges, and Margo
Kidder; underused talent like Eric Stolz; and a few non-TV
types like Jason Priestly and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Directed
by Donna Dietch, who also directed the lesbian classic "Desert
Hearts."
 Click
here for special Valentine's Day Special pricing of COMMON
GROUND at Wolfe Video
 "ME
AND MY SHADOWS: LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND"
(2001, 180 min, Rated PG, VHS or DVD to own)
Judy
Garland, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Cher, Barbra Streisand,
Madonna... Gay men have always had an idolatry of divas. Judy
Garland is a big gay icon, inspiring the term "friend
of Dorothy" and even being thought of as the spark which
ignited the Stonewall riots when she died in 1969. Why? No
one knows for sure, even though many people have speculated.
Many believe that her hard life (which included drug addiction,
nervous breakdowns, and a suicide attempt) as well as her
emotion-packed songs about unrequeited love (Judy was married
five times.), pain, and sacrafice really touched a nerve with
gay audiences at the time. Like the pre-liberation gays and
lesbians who suffered silently in the closet, Judy suffered
silently with her demons and failure to find love. Judy's
status as an icon may have waned with the younger gay male
generations, but no one can dismiss her talent or her place
in history. A true Renaissance woman, she conquered the areas
of TV, movies, and music. She was also a mother of three.
Judy Garland is still a favorite among drag queens. Thirty-two
years after her death, a very well-received biopic of the
legend came to the small screen. This was no ordinary run-of-the-mill
TV movie, though: Judy Davis, who plays the adult Judy, received
an Emmy. This film was based on the memories of Lorna Luft--
you know, the OTHER daughter. It doesn't shy away from
such facts as Judy's father being gay, her drug problems,
or her status as a gay icon.
Click
here for special Valentine's Day Special pricing of ME AND
MY SHADOWS: LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND at Wolfe Video
 "ZOOLANDER"
(Available March 12, Rated PG-13, 89 min., DVD to own or
rent, VHS to rent)
A
movie about male models without gay men? As unbelievable as
it may sound, it's true. Funny man and talented actor Ben
Stiller wrote, directed, and stars in this spoof of the fashion
world. He plays Derek Zoolander, an amazingly vain and amazingly
stupid dark-haired male model who gets his Calvin Kleins in
a knot when he learns of a rival model, blond, smarter "Hansel"
(played by Owen Wilson), who is becoming the latest craze
among male models. Nevertheless, the two living mannequins
put their egos aside and unite to help foil a crime. If it
sounds like a weak plot used as an excuse to poke fun at the
American fascination with fashion and "the beautiful
people," you're right. Despite the lack of gay characters,
gay men will love it... and a few eyebrows were raised in
when we meet Derek's three equally good-looking, equally dim
roomates. They sleep in the same room in VERY close
proximity, in four adjacent bunkbeds, with their names on
the beds so they don't forget whose is whose. Anyway, don't
expect to engage in an intelligent conversation about the
movie afterward. "Zoolander" also stars Stiller's
real-life girlfriend, Christine Taylor (Marcia in "The
Brady Bunch Movie") and Milla Jovovich as a no-nonsense
criminal babe with a hilariously overdone East European accent.
Blink and you'll miss a cameo by Sandra Bernhard in the audience
at a scene of a fashion show. The DVD version boasts five
deleted scenes, five extended scenes, an alternate ending,
and much more.
 "THE
TRUTH ABOUT JANE"
(Available April 9, unrated, 91 min., VHS to rent, DVD
to rent or own)
We
can poke fun at Lifetime Television for Women all we want,
but this movie, about a 15-year old girl coming out of the
closet, was critivcally acclaimed and described by TLA
Video as the "ultimate film" for P-FLAG meetings,
gay-straight alliances, and parents of adult gays and lesbians.
Originally entitled "Jane's Coming Out Party," gifted
Stockard Channing plays the mother of Jane, a young lesbian
faced with the challenge of her sexual awakening. Apparently,
Mom isn't too happy at first, but later comes around. An out-of-drag
RuPaul plays Stockard's gay best friend who offers his input
on the situation.
TRIVIA:
What other gay-themed movie did RuPaul and Stockard Channing
both appear in?
ANSWER:
Both RuPaul (a cameo, in drag!) and Stockard Channing were
in 1995's "To
Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar,"
although they share no scenes together.
Editor's
Addition
"L.I.E."
(Available May 21, 2002. NC-17, Uncut,
2001, 108 min., VHS to rent, DVD to rent or own)
L.I.E. is set in suburban Long Island, where the post-WWII
houses all look the same, and the teens have little positive
to do. Howie Blitzer (Dano) is a fifteen-year old boy whose
life is shattering around him. His mother has just died, his
dad is a corrupt building contracter who has been caught,
and he gets involved with other teens who rob houses for fun.
The leader of the four member gang is Gary (Kay) - an incredibly
sexy guy with a few erotically placed piercings and tatoos.
Howie and Gary cut school on a regular basis, hang out and
do nothing - like most of America's teens. One day when Gary
and Howie are wrestling, their faces become close and they
almost kiss. It's a moment of self-awareness for Howie, Gary
has known about his feelings for some time now. Gary hangs
out at a rest stop and turns tricks as a way to finance his
upcoming departure from the banality of suburbia - he's going
to California. Gary and Howie rob the home of Big John (Cox)
and steal John's rare guns from his basement. John knows Gary
well, because John is a pedophile - and he knows all the available
boys in the neighborhood. Gary fingers his friend Howie in
the robbery and so begins the friendship between a boy who
needs a dad, and a man who always need a new son.
Besides
this compelling story the director has given us a wild visual
journey that combines music video editing, a terrific score
and a bright color pallette. The performances are uniformly
excellent, especially that of the only seasoned actor in the
cast of unknowns Brian Cox. Cox's portrayal of Big John is
senstitive, real and unsensational. He explores the roots
of pedophilia in a non-exploitive, yet very dramatic fashion.
Although the film rating board has given the film a NC-17
there is no nudity or actual sex depicted. There are plenty
of loving shots of the boys with their shirts off, and a scene
where Big John has clearly finished having sex with his young
friend Scott, but the reason for the rating is clearly the
subject matter. Teen sexuality is still one of the most difficult
topics for Americans, Michael Cuesta has done a great job
in exploring it. (Review from TLA
Video).
"He
creates a confidential portrait of alienated yet dreamy boys
who lounge around, break into tract homes, and indulge in
a combative closeness that casually slips into the homoerotic."
-- Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment
News Flash - January 16, 2002
Entertainment
News Flash - November 5, 2001
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