The Year in Queer Movies

Small Town Gay Bar, a documentary about several bars that act as the nexus of gay life in their respective small towns, was a similarly warm and informative look at gay people finding a balance in communities that are not the most welcoming. The film, which was co-produced by straight filmmaker Kevin Smith, debuted on DVD this year and definitely merits checking out.

Also falling into the truth-telling category is the DVD release of legendary gay filmmaker and “filth elder” John Waters’ one-man show, This Filthy World. In it Waters regales the audience in-house and at home with tales from his early filmmaking career and touches upon almost every topic you can imagine, all with his trademark wit. Waters delights in trash, but his real talent is making trash delightful for others, and this DVD is a riot.

Similarly, the DVD of late gay comedian and actor Charles Nelson Reilly’s one-man show, The Life of Reilly, mined the beloved funnyman’s early days in Hollywood for comic gold, and gave an enlightening view of the life of a man who many might just know as “that Match Game guy.”

Blasts from the Past: Major DVD Releases

Since we’re on the subject of DVD, we may as well mention a few releases of note from the year. The biggest and baddest was of course the long-awaited (which isn’t meant to sound complimentary in the least) William Friedkin film Cruising, which placed Al Pacino undercover in the New York City leather community to track down a gay serial killer. Problem is, the experience of being around all that muscle and leather turns Pacino into something of a monster, and the experience of watching the leering sensationalism of a hilariously kinky (yet deadly dangerous!) gay underworld may be enough to cloud many viewers’ moods as well.

If you don’t want to have the experience of actually watching the film but want a few cocktail-party talking points, our own Steven Frank wrote a hilarious recap of the film that will give you the full experience without leaving you passed out under a pool table with lube up to your elbows.

On a lighter note, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) received a loving, extras-filled special addition DVD release this year, and nothing screams “stocking stuffer!” more loudly or with a better Australian accent.

Likewise, classic gender-bending musical Victor Victoria (1982), which starred Dame Julie Andrews as the titular (ahem!) female impersonator impersonator, was bundled with care and given a nice printing on disc. We took the opportunity to chat up the ever-lovely Lesley Ann Warren about her career-making role in the film as an obnoxious moll, and it was a pleasure revisiting what is simply one of the most progressive movie musicals ever made when it comes to gay sexuality (or alternative sexualities of any kind, really). A true class act, all around.

Looking Ahead to 2008

The most promising project on the horizon are two biopics of gay San Francisco supervisor and civil rights pioneer Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.