Out on DVD: Enroll at "Summer Heights High" and a cult classic in the making

Another mixed bag of new DVDs for queer audiences hits the stands this week, from a hilarious Australian comedy series to some gay film fest faves to a new so-bad-it's-good classic.

Read on!

One of HBO's most entertaining discoveries of late was Summer Heights High, a riotously funny show from Down Under featuring creator and star Chris Lilley playing three roles, including a bratty girl, a bully and flamboyant drama-music teacher Mr. G, one of the most singularly outspoken twits since Waiting for Guffman's Corky St. Clair.

Lilley's sense of humor is deliciously inappropriate, making Summer Heights one of TV's funniest high schools ever.

Two films that were big hits on the gay film festival circuit also premiere today. Chris & Don, A Love Story examines the intergenerational romance between legendary author Christopher Isherwood (whose famous Berlin Stories were the basis for the musical Cabaret) and acclaimed portraitist Don Bachardy. The DVD includes various interviews with the couple's friends, including Liza Minnelli, Leslie Caron, Gloria Stuart and filmmaker John Boorman.

In the last few years, it's just not a gay film fest without another Donald Strachey mystery, featuring Chad Allen as the openly gay private dick. On the Other Hand, Death, featuring Margot Kidder as an older lesbian trying to save her home from ravenous business interests, hits the New Releases shelf today.

Those lurid sex movies from the late '60s and early '70s are always fascinating to watch, if only for the costumes and furniture. Viva certainly fits the mold of the "new" liberated cinema of the era ... except for the fact that it was produced in 2007! It's a seamless and fascinating salute to the tawdry grindhouse erotic escapades of yore.

Underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu has always included queer subject matter in his edgy epics like Fame Whore (which featured a closeted tennis pro as a major character) and Mod F**k Explosion. His hilarious Terminal USA — which caused all manner of controversy when it aired on PBS — finally hits DVD this month. This portrait of a dysfunctional Asian-American family hiding all kinds of secrets (guess who's keeping his sexuality under wraps) ranks among his best work, and it's a terrific introduction to his singularly punk sense of humor for those who aren't familiar with this essential director's work.

Finally, there's Hounddog, a movie that deserves consideration as one of the most entertaining awful movies of recent years. Yes, poor young Dakota Fanning gets raped in it, but every other scene is a laugh riot, from Robin Wright Penn's ludicrous and overdone Suh-thuhn accent to the part where a major character gets struck by lightning. Rent this one, gather around friend with the right sense of humor, pour a few cocktails and have a ball.