13. Boys in the Band (1970)

What? — A group of gay men in Manhattan (where else?) gather at host Michael's (Kenneth Nelson) apartment to celebrate his close friend Harold's (Leonard Frey) birthday. The colorful palette of guests is comprised of Michael's boyfriend, an African-American buddy, a promiscuous photographer and his stiff partner, a total flamer and a special "cowboy hustler" treat offered to Harold, as his age makes it increasingly difficult for him to hook up with pretty young things.

The gang catches up, reminisces over days gone by and candidly relate experiences of life on the fringe. When an old — and presumably heterosexual — college friend of Michael's crashes the festivities, however, a few heated exchanges occur, and a bundle of nerves is unleashed. As the night progresses and countless bottles are emptied, melodramatic episodes ensue with a little coaxing from Michael, who insists they all play his nasty telephone game.

Why? — This was the first mainstream Hollywood effort to openly depict the lives of a bunch of queers and tackle sensitive issues like the threat of blackmail, internalized homophobia and male-to-male romance. The blunt tagline says it all: "It's not a musical." A bunch of self-loathing queens, in full-fledged cat-scratch mode, throw caustic jabs at one another in what escalates to an evening of unparalleled verbal virulence.

As much as some queer activists argued that Boys simply confirmed the stereotype of gay men as perpetually wretched and lashing out at others out of bitterness, the film actually stands as a testament to urban queer life in the early '70s. And while the film's tone is not that things are fine and dandy (why should they be?), the communal bond these men share is obvious, and the campy brand of humor they exercise makes for some truly memorable one-liners. Comments such as "Your lips are turning blue; you look like you've been rimming a snowman" abound in Boys.

Writer Mart Crowley later admitted in the documentary The Celluloid Closet that the script was based on his experiences of being gay in the '60s, and that all nine characters are based on parts of himself. Yes, Boys might appear dated in 2006 when lined up against fables of youthful exuberance such as Beautiful Thing, but let's keep in mind that the film was released at a time when gay desires were still an indicator of mental illness and laws prohibiting homosexual acts were still in place.

Boys ranks at No. 2 on the list of Jay Gilman, who says that "it's not a good film, but the first post-Stonewall film to hit the mainstream, inciting much discussion to this day and paving the way for more." This echoes the response of many members of the press back then, who declared the film to be a milestone in depicting gay life on-screen.

Almost Made the Cut: Gods and Monsters (Bill Condon, 1998)

James Whale, the not-so-closeted, late Hollywood director mostly remembered for horror fare like Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) is the subject of this film, which fictionalizes Whale's reclusive final days. The friendship that he (played by a fantastic Ian McKellen) builds with his suspicious, beefcake gardener (a convincing Brendan Fraser) does little to help elucidate the mystery behind Whale's suicide, but it's a touching story about unrequited fantasies and the inspirational power art can derive from life.

Next - Law of Desire

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