Being at Home with Claude (1992)

This French Canadian psychological drama begins as 27 year-old gay hustler Yves (Roy Dupuis) is having sex with his lover Claude (Jean-François Pichette). During the climactic moment, he grabs a knife and cuts the throat of his partner, then flees to the streets of Montreal where he pauses only long enough to make a phone call. Yves is captured and an Inspector (Jacques Godin) badgers him in search of a conventional motive. The dialogue, delivered in gutter Canadian French, ricochets between the two. Tempers flare, old ground is covered and recovered, yet still Yves refuses to cooperate. Next he is in a judge's chamber undergoing interrogation. He freely admits the crime but refuses to explain why he did it. Nor does he explain why he is in the judge's chamber or why he called the press. There’s not much of a plot, but it has several black and white flashbacks to illustrate Yves’ story. Then suddenly the pace changes, with a flashback of the night Yves and Claude met. Starting in a gay club, it progresses to a park where a sexually confused Claude tries to pick up Yves, then they go to Claude’s apartment. The experienced Yves guides Claude gently through the process with sensitivity and tenderness . It finally resolves into a half-hour monologue by Yves explaining himself, to make them understand the reason for his crime, resulting in a startling explanation--a mixture of horror and poignancy. Based on the play by René-Daniel Dubois, this very good film was directed by Jean Beaudin. In French with English sub-titles, the title is identical in English and French.

Le Temps qui Reste (2006)

Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a cocky 31-year-old fashion photographer, finds out he is terminally ill with a metastized brain tumor and has only three months to live. Keeping his illness secret, he breaks up with his boyfriend Sasha (Christian Sengewald), antagonizes his sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau), and goes against his doctor's (Henri de Lorme) advice to give chemotherapy a chance because it only offers him a slim (less than 5%) chance of survival. Staring in the mirror, he remembers the sea and himself as a child. Cruel facing death, Romain pushes people away, knowing his good looks give him the freedom to test the people who care for him. He visits his grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau) to tell her, and on the way he chats briefly with a waitress. He looks at old photos, visits a childhood tree house, and takes pictures. Returning from his grandmother's, he stops for food and sees the waitress Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) again. She makes a request. Romain travels around with a small digital camera, capturing moments that are very different from the fashion shoots he is used to. Nearly everywhere he goes, Romain sees himself as a child (Ugo Soussan Trabelsi), as the past invades his temporary present. Wonderfully acted and intelligently written and directed by François Ozon, this is a challenging, compelling work with a great ending. In French with English sub-titles, the English title is "Time to Leave".

Fun Down There (1988)

Buddy Fields (Michael Waite), a shy young homosexual leaves his small-town home in upstate New York and moves to NYC for some "Fun down there". He settles into a hedonistic life in Greenwich Village where he aimlessly rambles through his journey of self-fulfillment with gay sex and love, but is baffled by the whole gay scene. The film is unrated due to some semi-explicit masturbation and full frontal nudity scenes. Humour is almost totally deadpan, and the brainless conversations between Buddy and his family are quite hilarious. Buddy's parent's are played by Waite's real-life parents, Harold Waite as Mr. Fields and Betty Waite as Mrs. Fields. This is a strange, unconventional, and funny gay movie made on a shoestring. It's not a slick Hollywood production. There are long takes that may try your patience, except they do set a very individual tone and style. It isn't glib, full of histrionics, loaded with messages, and does not try to shock. In short, it doesn't portray gays the usual way. The film quality and sound are mediocre at best. It may be a bit too boring and lacking in drama for some. There are scenes with no dialogue and no music, not even background sound. "Fun Down There" is a real homemade project from the days when "independent" meant something. Maybe it's not for everyone, but worth a look for those interested in the evolution of gay subject matter in films. The script was written by Michael Waite and Roger Stigliano, who also directed.

De Vierde Man (1983)

This Dutch murder mystery/horror film is about Gerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbé), a gay alcoholic writer who begins having visions warning him of impending danger. In his bedroom, a spider catches flies from its web affixed to a crucifix. He travels from Amsterdam to Vlissingen for a public lecture. His stories, he says, "lie the truth." A listener, Christine Halsslag (Renée Soutendijk), a seductive beautician, invites him to stay the night. When he sleeps with the petite Christine, he flattens her breasts with his hands and exclaims "You look like a boy in his glory, so slim, tender!" Next day, he sees a photo of her boyfriend Herman (Thom Hoffman), a plumber from Köln. He convinces her to bring Herman to town and sets out to seduce him. When Gerard flirts with Herman, he puts his hand on his thigh and says, "I could tell you stories. There's one bigwig bastard, when he throws a do all the neighbors lock their kids up behind locks so thick. Children of six or seven years old, girls and boys, no difference. Find that fun? Little boys!" He seduces the heterosexual Herman by a surprise fondling of him from behind. His visions intensify and begin to threaten his relationship with Christine, since it may be her the visions are warning against. Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to him in visions to show that he is targeted as her fourth victim. Mary says, "Anyone given a warning must listen to it." Gradually, aided by visions and nightmares, he's sure Christine is a murderer who has killed three husbands. He or Herman will be the fourth man. Gerard believes his vision of Mary and his life is spared. He passes on the warning to Herman, who ignores it, thinking that Gerard is trying to scare him off so that he can have Christine for himself. The movie ends in a bloody climax with Herman's death. Scripted by Gerard Soeteman from Gerard Reve's novel of the same name, this movie was directed by Paul Verhoeven. The English title is "The Fourth Man".

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

A narrator introduces himself as Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey, Jr.), a petty thief from NYC. He is self-aware and talks to the audience at various times through the movie. Running from the police after a botched robbery, he runs into a movie audition to escape and impresses the producers. He is brought to Hollywood and meets "Gay" Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer), a flashy homosexual private eye who has to train him for his role as a detective in a movie. Lockhart and Perry get involved in a genuine intricate murder case with many leads. At a cocktail party Lockhart meets Harlan Dexter (Corbin Bernsen), once a B-movie actor and now a very rich enterpreneur whose daughter has only recently returned from a long sojourn to Paris. Harry also meets his high school sweetheart, aspiring actress Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), a girl who never cared much for him, but now she's seeing him with new eyes. The two leave for Harry's apartment, but budding romance is squelched when Harry proceeds to have sex with Harmony's friend. Harmony, Harry, and Gay team up to solve the mystery and encounter a series of seemingly nonsensical problems. They stake out a house to take photographs for a client, but they find a corpse. From there, twists and connections abound and bodies pile up. Then they uncover the sordid truth of the case.

Many critics admire this film for its clever comedy and Downey's and Kilmer's screen chemistry and performances. Mike Russell of the Portland Oregonian wrote: "This is one of Downey's most enjoyable performances, and one of Kilmer's funniest. It's a relationship comedy wrapped in sharp talk and gunplay, a triumphant comeback for Black, and one of the year's best movies." Jeff Otto, an IGN critic, wrote that, "It takes a bunch of genres and twists them into a blender, a pop relic that still feels current...one of the best times I've had at the movies this year." The title is a reference to Pauline Kael's 1968 book, which in turn was named after a translation of an Italian poster of a James Bond movie. The screenplay was written by Shane Black who also directed.

Third Man Out (2005)

Gay detective Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) has the responsibility of protecting John Rutka (Jack Wetherall) , a controversial gay activist who outs prominent homosexual citizens. But when Strachey feels Rutka may be planning to out him, he quits the job. However, after Rutka is killed, Strachey decides to solve the murder. He asks Rutka's partner Eddie Santin (Woody Jeffreys) who the next target might have been, but Santin only knows that it might have been one of three people: Bruno Slinger (David Palffy), local children's show host Ronnie Linkletter (Sean Carey), and a mysterious third possibility identified only in Rutka's records as "Ultimate Hypocritical Asshole". Rutka finds initials for three persons who received substantial payments from Rutka: N.Z., H.G., and D.R. Through local sex worker Dik Steel (Mathew Rush), he obtains the identity of the first--Nathan Zenck (Kevin Blatch), who runs a fancy hotel, in which rooms are monitored by video cameras. Strachey confronts Zenck, who mentions that Bruno Slinger is sexually connected to Ronnie Linkletter and reveals that the second initials are undoubtedly those of Howie Glade (Richard Cox), who owns a cheap motel. The third initials remain unknown, but after interrogating Glade, Strachey finds out that Linkletter was previously involved in sexual liaisons every Wednesday night with an unknown man who was injured and possibly killed by a falling ceiling mirror weeks ago. The story goes on and on and on. Rutka is alive and reveals he has a file on Strachey, a former Sergeant in the U.S. military, who had to leave the service with an honorable discharge when his sexual orientation was revealed--at the expense of the lieutenant he was caught in bed with, who received a much more severe punishment as the scapegoat. In the end Rutka's file on Strachey is destroyed.

This made for cable TV movie is an adaptation of Richard Stevenson's book of the same name about the gay private eye, Donald Strachey. He's a detective who shares waltzes and martinis with his hubby, drives an old Toyota Tercel and can knock bad guys flat with a fast right hook. The plot is very complicated, and production values are outstanding for a TV film. Bill Buckingham and Ronnie Way composed the original music. Mark Saltzman wrote the screenplay, and Ron Oliver directed.

Defying Gravity (1997)

College student John "Griff" Griffith (Daniel Chilson) is active in his fraternity and lives in the frat house. He shares a bunk in the same room with his best friend Todd Bentley (Niklaus Lange), Mathew "Doogie" McDougal (Seabass Diamond), and his pledge Stewart "Stewy" Hanson (Matt Steveley). Another of his fraternity brothers, Pete Bradley (Don Handfield), has moved out of the house into a house he shares with other students. Griff and Pete have a secret sexual relationship, but Griff's close-knit fraternity life puts a strain on it. Griff is satisfied with the arrangement, but Pete is not. Pete wants them to date as a romantic couple, and one night he gets Griff to agree to go on a date with him. The date at a gay coffeehouse bothers Griff, who leaves. The next day Griff and his fraternity brothers are shocked to learn that Pete has been viciously attacked and is comatose in the local hospital. Griff is in a daze, ignoring his friends, classwork, and fraternity responsibilities. Eventually Griff learns that Doogie and Stewy are the culprits, and they are taken away in handcuffs by the police. Griff moves into Pete's place, who fully recovers. In the final scene, which follows during the credits, Pete is seen reading in bed with Griff. This independent gay-themed romantic drama was filmed in 13 days, mostly with a cast of first-time actors. It is John Keitel's first film as writer and director.

The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

This documentary is about the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco's first openly gay Supervisor. The film was produced after Milk's death on November 27, 1978 using interviews, documentary footage, news reports, and archival footage. Milk is posthumously credited as the lead. Other politicians including San Francisco mayor George Moscone (who was assassinated with Milk), and Moscone's successor and now United States Senator Dianne Feinstein appear in archival footage. The movie opens with Feinstein announcing to the media that Moscone and Milk had been assassinated by Dan White. The film, sometimes humorous, at times tragic, documents the rise of Milk from a neighborhood activist to becoming a symbol of gay political achievement with his successful efforts to represent San Francisco's gay community, through to his assassination at San Francisco's city hall, the city's reaction to the assassinations, and the Dan White trial and aftermath. Everything is documented with extensive news film and personal recollections. Ironically, the same election that brought Milk to the Board of City Supervisors of San Francisco also elected the man who killed him, former police officer and fireman Supervisor Dan White. His lawyers convinced the jury that White's judgment was impaired by depression and junk food, resulting in a conviction for manslaughter instead of murder--a verdict that prompted riots. Also featured in the film is then-schoolteacher Tom Ammiano, who has been a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors since 1994, and was recently elected to the California State Assembly. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in the USA.

An informative, stylish, and compelling documentary, this film on DVD looks rich and new, due to UCLA's preservation processes. In addition to the film, the DVD brings you a second disc with special features, from interviews with the film makers, to a 25th anniversary update of the Milk legacy by those who knew him best. The film won an Oscar for best documentary film in 1985, and was awarded Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, among other awards. It was directed by Rob Epstein and Richard Schmiechen, who died from AIDS several years after the completion of this film.

Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken (2006)

Paul Krantz (Daniel Bruhl) and his friend Günther Scheller (August Dieh) are high school students in Berlin who have just one thing in common: their desire to live life to the full, and die when it has reached its peak. Set in the Weimar Republic, Germany in 1927, it is the posthumous account of their suicide pact and murderous plot. Poet Paul comes from a working-class background, while Günther is a wealthy playboy. They take a weekend trip to Günther's family summerhouse, where his bohemian sister Hilde (Anna Maria Mühe) is staying. Paul is attracted to her and they share an intimate weekend before Hilde returns to the city to meet up with Hans (Thure Lindhardt), a former lover of her brother's. Meanwhile, the boys make a pact that when they no longer feel any love, they will end their lives and take with them those who have stolen their love. This sets the stage for a weekend of love, debauchery, and betrayal, as Paul and Günther throw a wild party during which true loyalties are revealed. They must decide whether to take the ultimate step in life: death. Their friends arrive and an all night party begins. Hans can't resist joining the party, although he knows Günther has never really gotten over him. High on music and Absinthe, emotions and desires mix with jealousies, and a deadly idea grows in Günther's head: if we are not loved, we must take the ones we love with us.

Based on true events (the Steglitzer Schülertragödie), director Achim von Borries tells the story well at a slow pace, and obtained good performances from an excellent cast. Daniel Bruhl's work is particularly good. The movie is presented in its original German with subtitles, and although the picture quality is very good, it's obviously a low budget art house picture. This somewhat melancholy film has the English title "Love In Thoughts".

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything (1995)

Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) and Vida Boheme Patrick Swayze) enter a "drag queen of the year" contest in NYC. They win a trip to Hollywood to take part in a bigger national drag queen contest. Before they depart, Vida persuades Noxeema to take along the inexperienced "drag princess" Chi-Chi Rodriguez (Leguizamo). They trade in their airplane tickets to buy a stylish 1967 Cadillac convertible and the three of them drive to LA. While on the road they are pulled over by homophobic and racist Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn), who tries to rape Vida. He discovers Vida is not female, and in the confrontation, Dollard is knocked unconscious. Their car breaks down and Bobby Ray (Jason London) gives them a ride, and they take refuge in a bed & breakfast owned by Carol Ann (Stockard Channing) and her abusive car repairman husband, Virgil (Arliss Howard).

The trio remain trapped in the town of Snydersville for the weekend as they wait for the replacement part for their car to arrive. While there, they are confronted by the town's small-mindedness, although none of it centers around their gender as everyone believes them to be female. Chi-Chi is nearly gang raped by a group of roughnecks, but is saved by Bobby Ray. Meanwhile, Sheriff Dollard is ridiculed by his colleagues, who believe he was beaten up by a woman. He goes in search of the drag queens with a list of places to look entitled "Places for Homos", which reads: (1) flower shops, (2) ballet schools, (3) flight attendants' lounges, (4) restaurants for brunch, and (5) antique shops. The three queens overhear Virgil giving Carol Ann a beating, so Vida beats up Virgil and throws him out of the house. The next day Virgil runs into Sherrif Dollard and they realize the newcomers are the same people Dollard has been searching for. They head back to Snydersville and Dollard insists the townspeople turn over the drag queens.

The townspeople, who now realize the true gender of their new friends, begin to protect them. One by one they step up and confront Dollard, each one claiming to be a drag queen. Dollard is humiliated and flees. The annual "Strawberry Social" event commences with everybody dressed in vibrant red outfits for the party. Shortly after, Carol Ann repairs their car and the ladies are finally able to leave Snydersville, though by now they are slightly saddened to leave behind their new friends. They eventually make it to LA where Chi-Chi, after having received many tips from Vida and Noxeema during their ordeal, wins the title of Drag Queen of the Year. The crown is presented by Julie Newmar.

The film's complete title refers to an autographed photo of Julie Newmar that the trio carries with them on their journey. Also known as, "To Wong Fu With Love from Julie Newmar", it's obviously similar to "The Adventures of Priscilla". It was written by Douglas Carter Beane and directed by Beeban Kidron.