Out on DVD: July 31

Two honest-to-goodness gay films, a fun movie about straight male bonding that doesn't stoop to gay panic ... and 300.

300
This abs-and-sandals epic features more eye-candy than Wonka's factory and is a lot of fun to watch ... that is, until a mincing, unrealistic sissy villain shows up to give the straight boys someone to laugh at and slap gay viewers in the face. It's a shame that something this homoerotic couldn't show more respect for the men openly ogling its cast.

Hot Fuzz
This odd buddy comedy is turning out to be one of my favorite movies of the year. The lead guys from the similarly smart and level-headed Shaun of the Dead return as cops in a remote British village beset by a series of brutal murders. The guys obviously love one another, platonically -- but unlike other buddy comedies where the fellas freak out at the intimacy or the looming threat of being perceived as gay, these guys couldn't care less (they even fall asleep together on the couch). Refreshing, funny, and packed with wonderful character actors, it's worth a watch (or two).

Looking for Langston
This avant-garde gay 1989 film explores attitudes toward race and homosexuality in America, using acclaimed black gay poet Langston Hughes as a starting point for the discussion. Images of gay men of color are woefully rare in film, and the DVD release of this smart and resonant work is long overdue.

Whole New Thing
A hippie-homeschooled boy is sent to school for the first time at age 13 and promptly develops a crush on a male teacher, who happens to be gay but is smart enough to keep his hands off. This gay coming-of-age ("coming-of-gayge"?) Canadian film got warm reviews on the festival circuit and in limited release.