Written by:
Diane Anderson-Minshall
» Order
this Issue of Curve:
Vol. 15#4
So many flicks, so little time. Is your video store all played out? Are you looking for something good to curl up to on a hot summer night? Time to check Curve’s Web-only picks of DVDs we couldn't fit into the magazine in time for Pride.
FOREIGN:
Dos Tips Duros (Fox): This fast-paced Spanish crime caper offers sexy Rosa Maria Sarda as a character nicknamed “the butcher” — for good reason. She’s the most dangerous villain we’ve seen on this side of the gender divide.
http://www.foxcinemalatino.com Ghost in the Shell: Special Edition (Manga): If you haven’t seen it before, or you’re hooked on the new TV series, now’s your change to see female cybernetic government agent Major Motoko Kusanagi fight a high-tech race against time to stop a omnipresent threat.
http://www.manga.com/ghost TV ON DVD:
Too Close for Comfort: The Complete First Season (Rhino): The neighbor was gay, the daughters were hot and the cousin — who joined the show late — had a serious dyke vibe.
http://www.toocloseforcomfort.tv The Brandy Bunch: The Complete First Season (Paramount): Here’s the story of TV’s grooviest family sitcom nestled with their (subtextually) lesbian maid Alice in the most recognizable split-level suburban homes ever. Whether you longed to be Peter or do Jan and Marcia, you’ll love this flashback of TV history.
http://paramount.com/homeentertainment STUDIOS WE LOVE:
Artiztical: Gay dramas are becoming the forte of Artiztical, who has hits with the tragic comedy of Hotel Room (which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Atlantic Film Fest) and the bi druggie tale Junked. But they win our nods for releasing Intentions, a quiet lesbian drama in the Desert Hearts school of romance, which features a college prof coming out in the arms of her student.
http://www.artiztical.com Strand Releasing: Some of the best international films come from Strand and this year they’re prizewinners. From the thrilling hospital mystery Who Killed Bambi? to the riveting gay doc Hidden Fuhrer to the smash hit about a gay volleyball team in Thailand, Iron Ladies 2, nearly every Strand release is amazing. A fave? The new special collector’s edition DVD of Crush, a disturbing queer film starring Marcia Gay Harden as a car crash survivor. The new edition has commentary and interviews with director Alison Maclean and Marcia Gay Harden and a bonus short film, The Kitchen Sink. http://www.strandreleasing.com Picture This!: Call it the little studio that surprised us all. Picture is putting out some stunningly good films on DVD and in theaters like the zany Russian comedy You I Love, the dark El Mar and the coming-of-age lesbian drama Clara’s Summer (rocking festivals this summer). A favorite, though, is the mesmerizing psychological thriller Transfixed. Based on a novel by Brigitte Aubert, Transfixed follows sexy and androgynous Bo, whose friends in the trans prostitute community of Brussels become victims of a vicious killer. As Bo becomes the prime suspect, he begins to seek the real killer before he becomes the next victim. Transfixed is one of the best gay thrillers ever filmed.
http://www.picturethishomevideo.com DOCUMENTARIES:
Edgeplay (Global Media): In 1975, a group of underage teenage girls — including then-unknown rocker Joan Jett and headbanger Lita Ford — came together to form the first all-female hard rock band, the Runaways. Now, 30 years later, five members of the band (sans Jett) come together to dish on the trials and joys of being jail bait rock babes and the effect it had on their lives. Guess which band member admits to making out — A LOT — with Joan Jett? Tune in to see. Required viewing for anyone who thinks grrrl punk started in the ’90s.
http://www.edgeplaythemovie.com Girls Kissing (Vanguard): A documentary that explores the increasingly popular phenomenon of girls making out with each other offers a surprising mix of porn images, feminist interviews and right-wing protest.
http://www.vanguardcinema.com FILMS:
Blue Citrus Hearts (Media Co-Op): In Morgan Fox’s lovely, edgy, raw and bittersweet tale, two high school boys fall in love.
http://www.Mediaco-op.com Elektra (Fox): Jennifer Garner kisses a girl and Ben Affleck is nowhere to be seen. Yummy.
http://www.fox.com Mango Souffle (Water Bearer): The first gay male film from India is a surprisingly spicy look at sexuality and cultural expectations.
http://www.waterbearerfilms.com Species III (MGM): The never-seen-before version of the third installment in the post-feminist sci-fi series about alien women who kill anyone they can’t breed with. What would Freud say?
http://www.mgm.com/dvd Star Trek: First Contact (Paramount): Alice Krig, as the seductively sadistic queen of the Borg, is worth the rental alone even if you aren’t a Trekkie.
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment From the Heart: Passionate Gay Classics (First Run): The latest gay collection from the always reliable studio offers up lesbian director Rose Troche’s witty Bedrooms & Hallways, the campy, funny ghost tale To Die For and the always wonderful Steve Buscemi in the pioneering gay NYC story Parting Glances. http://www.firstrunfeatures.com The Incredibles (Pixar): Don’t think this action-packed animation is for the straight kids only. One character, Edith, seems lovingly modeled after the only lesbian to win an Oscar for costume design, Edith Head.
http://www.theincredibles.com CLEA DUVALL ALERT:
The Grudge (Sony): Not quite as good as director Takashi Shimizu’s original but dammit, it’s got Clea DuVall and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
http://www.wsonypictures.com Carnivale: The Complete First Season (HBO): Set in the dark dustbowl of 1934 amidst the queer oddities of a traveling circus, Carnivale tells the story of a conflict between good and evil. At its core is a young man (who cares) and lovely Clea DuVall as a fortune teller.
http://www.hbovideo.com COMEDY:
Kathy Griffin Allegedly (Anchor Bay): OK, sometimes red-headed comic Griffin is just a little too much, but this giddy, snarky DVD redeems her, and her tale of being groped by an alcoholic celebrity mom is worth the purchase alone.
http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com Suzanne Westenhoefer Live at the Village (Image): The latest from this blonde bombshell tackles a number of domestic issues, like the perils of sleeping with an English teacher.
http://www.image-entertainment.com |