Gay and Lesbian Film on Video and DVD - Page 1

Edina Monsoon (Saunders), actively recuperating from her psychedelic teen years, has never met a fad she didn't like, wear or commit vast quantities of money to. Patsy Stone (Lumley), Eddie's best friend, confidante and leech, consumes drink and drugs as others breathe, and will hump anything with a pulse. They are selfish, manipulative, shameless, contemptuous and completely without any trace of redeeming value save this: they are hysterically funny. They utterly exploit family, friends, employees and indigent nations in their ceaseless quest to acquire things. Any things. Their escapades are punctuated with flashbacks to their youth, when they first became allies against a world burdened with rules, expectations and dress codes. Eddie's daughter Saffron has devised the ultimate rebellion: Utter normalcy. Eddie is also at war with her two ex-husbands and her dotty British mum, while Patsy rails at the ghost of her bohemian mother. Is their frenetic obsession for consumer products driven by the void of existential despair? Are they never satisfied because their real, unrecognized needs are spiritual, not material? Who cares? Pour yourself a glass of wine, darling, and indulge in rude, wickedly funny and extremely witty excess. Just don't look in any mirrors for a while afterwards.

Quirky tale of a male-to-female trangendered dad and his gorgeous son.
This off-beat independently produced comedy/drama set in a small New York town is a charming tale whose main fault is that it tries to tackle too much. Is it a poignant coming-of-age tale about charismatic 17-year-old Sebastian (Adrian Grenier)? Or a probing drama into the loving but strained relationship between him and his step-father? Or is it a story of the difficulties of a transgendered man-to-woman trying to cope with a rebellious stepson as well as longing for love and understanding in a back-water town? With his bedroom eyes and mischievous grin, Grenier brings intensity and depth to the familiar tale of a teen stifled by life in a small town. We watch as Sebastian is forced to deal with his loving step-dad Hank go to from a strapping dude to a willowy Henrietta (a change that sends his mother packing) all-the-while himself trying to deal with bad grades, first love and a need to explore life. The portrait of Hank/Henrietta was a difficult one to believe. As Henrietta, Clark Gregg look more like a football player in drag than a woman. But believability aside, the role is sensitive and balanced, just a little lacking in femininity.

1960s international sex symbol Terence Stamp is a transgendered marvel as the mature, demure but tough transsexual Bernadette who teams up with two transvestites on a cross-country trip through Australia's Outback in this rousingly fun cross-dressing musical comedy. Muscular Felicia (Guy Pearce), sad-sack Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and the wisecracking Bernadette leave the safe confines of Sydney in a ramshackle tour bus (named Priscilla) to travel nearly a thousand miles away to play a four-week casino engagement. Along the way, the fabulously attired threesome encounter more than their fair share of problems but through it all keep their spirits high, their feathers and sequins unruffled and their gravity-defying wigs straight (so to speak). There are moments of seriousness when homophobia, potentially violent culture clashes and regret of roads not taken confront them, but they readily conquer all in this buoyant and infectiously good-natured tale.

One of the best films of 1999, this fictionalized drama focuses on the tragic real-life story of Brandon Teena, a biological woman (Teena Brandon) who decided quite early to live her life as a man – a decision he paid for with his life. Hilary Swank, in an Oscar Winning performance, is riveting as Brandon, a sweet, but far-from-perfect 21-year-old drifter who just simply wanted to be a boy and love women – and have them love him. The harrowing tale, set in a trailer trash Nebraska town, follows Brandon as he befriends and moves in with a group of poor but fun-loving people. He also falls in love with Lana (Chloe Sevigny in an equally impressive performance), a tough-talking gal who finally meets a man who respects her and treats her right. But when Brandon is exposed as a woman, ignorance, fear and homophobia drives two of her male friends to violently confront him. Unflinching in its depiction of the working class environment and complex in its handling of all of the characters, the film humanizes a person whose only crime was to express his true sexual identity. An unforgettable film experience directed with compassion and passion by lesbian Kimberly Peirce. After watching Boys Don’t Cry, you’ll be enthralled with the true-life documentary on Brandon titled, The Brandon Teena Story.