Where It's At

the flicks that i liked in the order that i saw them...

• Loving Annabelle, dir Katherine Brooks 2005 USA
  
  in the tradition of lesbian schoolgirl films this well-acted and well produced movie didnt knock me off my feet but it did make me feel funny down there so i cant not recommend it. for the record the investigator really, really liked it.

• George Michael: A Different Story, dir Southan Morris 2005 UK
  
  the title - need i say more? as documentaries go this one was just ok, but i cannot and will not ever get enough of george michael. anybody remember the video for Club Tropicana? wet hairy guy in a speedo. thats all i have to say.

• Boy I Am, dirs Sam Feder & Julie Hollar 2006 USA
  
  like a lot of people, i have questions about female-to-male transsexuals. questions about transmen and the feelings of guilt that accompany my questions about transmen. this documentary doesnt answer any of my questions but does a great job of reminding me that im not alone with all my concerns and bad feelings and questions. there's a host of interviewees who are all articulate and up to the task of engaging in what has been a hard and necessary conversation for the queer community to have. if you can catch it at a festival here's an opportunity to headucate yourself and scam cute girls at the same time.

• 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous, dir Stewart Main 2005 New Zealand
  
  what happens in the middle-of-nowhere NZ when the queer fat kid is confronted with his feelings about the freaky new outcast who moves to town? what happens is twisted and true in this tale about adolescent angst and awakening. despite its peppy title this dark and broody film is so well acted and honestly scripted im shocked the director was able to find this kind of talent from such young actors anywhere in the world let alone sparsely populated new zealand. fucking brilliant.
  

• Time to Leave, dir François Ozon 2005 France
  
  if, like me, you are already a fan of french director Ozon then you will probably see this despite my recommendation. if not, you will be under my spell and you will go search out this film and you will like it because i said so. and because its beautiful. i wont say anything about the plot except that i cried. twice. as a side note, the director was at the screening to receive an award and answer questions. he's surprisingly young but not surprisingly sexy and slightly aloof. like the protagonist in this film i wanted to both slap and kiss him... how perfectly french.

• Strangers With Candy, dir Paul Dinello 2004 USA
  
  yes, theres a whole movie! and its exactly like now-cancelled series. of course i pissed myself and left embarrassing stains on the theater seat. oops! What Would Jerri Do?
  

• Oublier Cheyenne, dir Valérie Minetto 2006 France
  
  hands down my favorite film of the festival and possibly of the year. i can only describe it as complex, fresh, relevant, sexy, and clever. what could easily have amounted to dry, heavy-handed moralizing was treated with artful originality and provocation... that its written and directed by a woman is a mere bonus. if you see only one sub-titled film this season, this should be it.
  

• Pour une nuit: One night stand, dir Emilie Jouvet 2006 France
  
  uhm... its porn. not erotica, not soft-core, its dyke fucking porn and its french - FRENCH, people! ok, this is just great on so many levels...
  
  1st - im not a fan of dyke porn. ive never gotten off, or even moist by lesbians banging in a porn and let me tell you i was feeling more than a bit funny in my seat. i didnt leave any stains though. the girls were mostly yummy and totally unscripted. sexy sexy hot hot.
  
  2nd - it was actually well-directed. cool music, experimental effects. sexy sexy hot hot .
  
  3rd - it included transmen - yes the same transmen i have questions about. one thing im not questioning is their sexy sexy hot hotness.
  
  the one major flaw: almost all of the couples were crazy quiet. so much so that my investigator found it distracting and couldnt get into it as a result. i also took immediate notice of their lack of fucksounds which normally would put me off but i was so excited about the rest of it that i just made up my own 'oui, oui, oui, n'arrete pas, O MON DIEU OUUUIIIII!' in my head to go along and i was, uh, satisfied.
  

• A Love to Hide, dir Christian Faure 2005 France
  
  set in german occupied paris, a complicated and tragic tale unfolds around two lovers who risk everything to hide their jewish friend. its a moving story dealing with gay persecution during the nazi era. the acting, script, and period detail are all top quality. i cried. twice.

right, so go get your popcorn and milkduds and take in the big gay cinema... be well!