9 to 5
Hysterical 80’s comedy. 3 pink collar women who make their workplace better. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are on fire

Adored: Diary of a Porn Star
Italian modern day melodrama worthy of its place alongside other films from this genre

Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Guy Pierce's abs, Terence Stamp as a post-op transsexual, amazing soundtrack and an Oscar for the costumes! Flip-flops never looked so good

Amelie
Gorgeous French romantic adventure with magical special effects. Beauty never looked so good

Amen
Costa-Garvas' eerie story of an SS Officer and a Jesuit priest who try to alert the Pope and others to the atrocities of the Nazis during WWII. Excellent performances by Ulrich Tukur and Mathieu Kassovitz

An Ideal Husband
Rupert Everett is THE Ideal Husband. Julianne Moore takes a turn as wicked. Oscar Wilde is smiling

Apt Pupil
Terrifyingly wonderful Ian McKellen as a former Nazi officer living next door to a teenager who discovers his secret

Ararat
Atom Egoyan's movie within a movie about the Armenian genocide of 1915, the Armenian painter Gorky and a trio of present day Armenian-Canadians. It's complicated, seductive and layered

Arlington Road
Really creepy and well-done suspense thriller about who’s on the other side of your backyard. With Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges. For Jeff Bridges comedy, try The Big Lebowski

The Awful Truth
Hysterical comedy starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunn

The B-52’s Time Capsule Songs for a Future Generation
A friend of mine once said if he was marooned on a desert island and could only have one band’s music, it would be The B-52’s. Enough said

Babette’s Feast
The classic film from Denmark.  It’s all about the food

The Barbarian Invasions
Quebecois director Denys Arcand revisits his characters from The Decline of the American Empire. This time they take on death in the most celebratory of ways. An absolute perfect film

Batman Returns
I’m partial to Tim Burton’s directing and eerie Gotham sets. Also, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito rule as Catwoman and Penguin. A guilty pleasure

The Beastmaster
Marc Singer in a loin cloth. A guilty pleasure

The Believer
Ryan Gosling stars in a film which really ends up being about self-hatred. A young Jewish boy hides his background and becomes a Neo-Nazi skinhead. Powerful performances

Beautiful People
Ensemble cast about people surviving and affected by war as their lives intersect. Outstanding film

Beautiful Thing
Sigh... everyone should see this film... I still get weepy over the Peppermint Foot Lotion scene.  This and Maurice are my favorite gay male films of all time

Before Night Falls
Javier Bardem is outstanding playing gay Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas

Best of Youth
Six hour Italian television drama.  Outstanding work of art

Best Years of Our Lives
Amazingly enough, this film was made right after WWII.  Brilliant stories of soldiers putting their lives back together after years in battle

Bent
Clive Owen and Lothaire Bluteau play gay concentration camp prisoners, adapted from the stage play. Ian McKellen, Mick Jaggar and Jude Law also star

Big Business
The only thing funnier than Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler in a movie is having two Lilys and two Bettes

Billy Elliot
Great drama/comedy about a boy from a working class British family who wants to become a ballet dancer

Blow Dry
Silly hairdos and lots of fun… don't let the box cover fool you, it's about the parents, Rachel Griffiths rocks!

Blue Citrus Hearts
This little indy from Memphis tells the story of two regular high schoolers, Sam and Julien on the verge of falling in love. The only difference is that these two are both boys. Excellent film for teens to get a better understanding of the regular-ness of gay love. Hip, gritty indy filmmaking with a great original local soundtrack

Boogie Nights
The straight porn industry at the beginning of the VCR revolution. Burt Reynolds comeback movie, Marky Mark becomes Mark Wahlberg. Julianne Moore plays a coke-snorting porn star. Need any more reasons?

Bowling for Columbine
Essential viewing for every American.  I actually thought it was better than Fahrenheit 9/11

Boxer Shorts
Short film compilations are often riddled with boredom. This one contains the gem Audit, a hysterical short about the IRS featuring Sally Kirkland as a lecherous lesbian

Boys Briefs 2
Has an amazing 5 out of 6 winners in this short film compilation. Don’t miss Canadian director Jeremy Podeswa’s (dir. The Five Senses) haunting short, Touch

Boys Don’t Cry
It’s hard to watch this more than once, but it should be essential viewing in middle schools. Hillary Swank won the Oscar. About a girl who is really a boy and the hatred he faces

The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel
Both excellent adaptations of the cheesy 70’s TV show. Don’t miss RuPaul’s hysterical cameos in both films

Breaking the Code
BBC TV movie starring Derek Jacobi as mathematician Alan Turing who was responsible for breaking the Enigma code and helping win WWII

Brother to Brother
Beautiful drama that explores the Harlem Renaissance with modern day gay black identity

But I’m a Cheerleader
Comedy poking fun at the "ex-gay" movement. RuPaul is wonderful

Paul Cadmus: Enfant Terrible at 80
Documentary on the life of artist Paul Cadmus

Carmen Jones
See Dorothy Dandridge shine in this Otto Preminger classic

The Celluloid Closet
Essential viewing this historical documentary about gay and lesbian portrayals in the movies

A Charlie Brown Christmas
I'm a sucker for Xmas stuff... preferably non-Jesus, but I even find Linus's bible quoting endearing

Charlie’s Angels
Great adaptation of the 70’s TV show. A guilty pleasure for sure

Charlotte Gray
Cate Blanchett stars in the title role as a British woman who travels to France during WWII to help the war effort. With Billy Crudup

Charlotte’s Web
It’s the voices that crack me up in this animated adaptation of the classic children’s book. Listen for Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde and others

Cherish
Not your mother’s romantic comedy. Don’t let the box cover fool you. This one’s a winner

Chocolat
Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp in this modern fairy tale. A feast for the eyes

Cinemania
Insane documentary of 5 NY-ers who are obsessed with going to the movies. You'll never feel bad about how many movies you've seen or want to see ever again

The Closet
The French do farce better than any other country. Daniel Auteuil stars as a straight nerd who decides to pretend he’s gay to keep his job in the condom factory

The Cockettes
Documentary based on commune performance troupe in 1970s San Francisco

Cold Comfort Farm
I’m partial to the newer version with Ian McKellen, Eileen Atkins and Kate Beckinsale

Come Undone
So French, so heartbreaking, two very sexy male leads

The Committments
Another great Irish film about the forming of a Dublin soul band. If you like Motown, this soundtrack will have you dancing

Constant Gardener
Brilliant film layered with suspense and storylines.  Overlooked at awards time unfortunately.  Need to watch it again

Contact
Jodie Foster does the search for extraterrestrial life. Love the universal "we are all connected" message of this film

The Contender
Joan Allen as a vice-presidential nominee. Essential viewing

Crash (2005)
What a surprise this film was.  Amazing performances by large ensemble cast.  Felt like a fable to me.  Brilliant

The Crucible
I was obsessed with the Salem witch trials as a child. This brings back the chills I felt back then

Cyndi Lauper: Live at Last
Goosebump producing live performance by one of the masters. This girl's fun has spawned a woman's brilliant career

Das Experiment
Based on a true story, a group of men volunteer for a psychological experiment having them play-act guards and prisoners.  German actor Moritz Bleibtreau stars in this intense flick

David Blaine Fearless
This NY-er brings a much needed breath of fresh air to the world of magic. He’s got a great monotone voice and a hot body

Day After Tomorrow
Disaster movie with an eerie feeling of truth.  A guilty pleasure

Days
From Italy comes a story about the complexities of sero-discordant gay couples (one’s HIV+, the other one’s HIV-). Excellent, realistic portrayal

Daytrippers, House of Yes and Party Girl
Three of my favorite Parker Posey films

Desperately Seeking Susan
Long before I moved to Manhattan, this movie helped define my idea of what NYC was. It holds up beautifully. Madonna at her best playing Madonna. The other decent Madonna flick is A League of their Own about a woman’s baseball team in WWII. Geena Davis, Lori Petty and Tom Hanks really star

Deux du Stade
Ever wish you were a fly on the wall at a naked male calendar photo shoot? Well, your wish has just come true. This black and white film documents the making of the yearly French Rugby players (yes, real athletes) charity calendar. Woof!

Diana Krall: Live in Paris
Gorgeous concert film from vocalist/musician Diana Krall. Her version of Bacharach/David’s The Look of Love gives me goose bumps. Turn it up

Dick
I was Arlene in 1972

Dirty War
Scary terrorist drama based in London.  Very (almost too) realistic

The Dish
Australian comedy based on actual events. It’s 1969 and a small town in the outback has the largest satellite dish in the world. Watch as they bumble through televising the first moon landing

Do I Love You?
Excellent indy drama about lesbian UK life.  Droll, hysterical and real.

Dolores Claiborne
Kathy Bates rocks as a woman accused of murder. Must see

Daniel Deronda
Superb costume drama from the UK starring the very sexy Hugh Dancy

Donnie Darko
Another don't let the box cover fool you… this is a perfect film

Downfall
Intense, “remember to breathe” drama based on the final days of Hitler’s life

Dress to Kill
Eddie Izzard standup. We worship at the altar of Izzard. Learn European history laughing your ass off

Dummy
Hysterical performances from Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich as a wannabe ventriloquist and punk rock singer slacking in suburban New Jersey

Dune
The David Lynch version. I never read the books, but I just love this sci-fi flick

Echo Park
Susan Dey's finest hour and a half (other than a smattering of LA Law episodes)

Edukators
German film about two young men who break into rich people’s houses and instead of robbing them, rearrange their furniture into huge heaping piles leaving a note about how their time is almost up (for their wealth).  Great cast and a superb story, especially Daniel Brühl again and Stipe Erceg (yum)

Elizabeth
Cate Blanchett is stunning in her portrayal of the Virgin Queen. This was her break-out performance and it is a must-see

End of Surburbia
Sobering documentary on the remaining oil supply in the world.  Essential viewing for all

Enlightenment Guaranteed
Two brothers search for the meaning of life. Subtly hysterical. From Germany

Europa, Europa
Outstanding film about a young German man who hides being a Jew during WWII

Existo
Fantasy musical set in the near future where art and music and creative expression are outlawed. Anarchist artists fight back. All original music. Remarkable indy

Fargo
Dark dark dark funny funny funny murder mystery. Quintessential Coen Brothers

The Five Senses
Canadian director Jeremy Podeswa gives us a very sensual look into sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch

Flawless
Phillip Seymour Hoffman nails the perfect drag queen persona in this movie that lives up to its name

Fog of War
Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris won an Oscar for this realistic portrait of Robert McNamara

Fox and his Friends
Fassbinder not only directs, but also stars in this film about a carnival worker who wins the lottery and the people who take advantage of him

Gay Games VI
Huge documentary chronicling the Sydney Gay Games in 2002.  Celebratory is an understatement

Get Real
Indy coming out film, subversive and sweet

The Gift
Suspense murder mystery. Great ensemble cast. Supernatural elements. Another amazing performance by Cate Blanchett

Gods and Monsters
Amazing cast, Ian McKellen rules

Good Bye Lenin!
Another fantastic German film, sweetened by one of the best portrayals of a mother/son relationship ever on screen

Groove
Forget Hollywood’s "Go." The best movie to give you the feel of being at a rave or in a 90’s techno club is this one. Amazing soundtrack. Cool story. Let’s dance

Harry Potter
All movies. Magical

The Heiress
Saw Cherry Jones on Broadway and then came home and rented this movie. Montgomery Clift is breathtaking and Olivia deHavilland is incredible

Hero
Zhang Yimou's gorgeous, other worldly martial arts film that reads more like a poem than like a traditional action film. Amazing special effects. Jet Li and Maggie Cheung shine. An absolute must-see

High Art
Patricia Clarkson makes me hard

I Heart Huckabees
Searing socio-comedy from David O. Russell (see Three Kings below).  Existential detectives help regular folk find their way in a world gone mad from multinational corporations

The Hours
I love complicated lives. All three lead women should’ve won a triple "Best Actress" Oscar for this film. Brilliant script, incredible ensemble cast. Haunting

Hurricane
Denzel should’ve won the Oscar for this performance of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly accused of murder. See for yourself

I Am My Own Woman
The incredibly true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a biological male who lived as a woman his entire life and managed to survive Nazi Germany and Communism. Inspirational for anyone

I’m the One That I Want
Margaret Cho’s first filmed standup show. Hysterical, thought-provoking. Her potty mouth aside, every teenager should see this (see also Notorious C.H.O. and Revolution)

In America
Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical story of moving from Ireland to New York City in the 1980's. Gorgeous

In July
Part road trip (from Hamburg to Istanbul), part romantic comedy, this German film starring Moritz Bleibtreu from Run Lola Run is so much fun

In the Mood for Love
Hong Kong, 1962… this film defines sensual

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Find out why Halle Berry (who stars in the lead role here) thanked Dorothy Dandridge in her Oscar acceptance speech. This film made me go back and watch Carmen Jones

Iron Jawed Angels
Hilary Swank and Angelica Huston star in this hip, sexy very modern telling of the women's suffrage movement

Iron Ladies
Laugh till you cry over this true story of a Taiwanese volleyball team of misfits

Island at War
3-part UK miniseries based on the true story of the Channel Islands being invaded and occupied by Nazi soldiers during WWII.  Less blood and violence and more portrayal of human interaction

Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium
Documentary about hate crimes

Julia
"Mr. Johan, Mr. Johan....", a perfect film

Juniper Tree
Bjork stars as a young rural woman who with her older sister searches for a place in the world. Indy movie with great use of Pagan/Wiccan rituals

Kathy Griffin: Allegedly
I used to hate Kathy on the TV show Suddenly Susan.  But then I got her stand-up and now I love her.  She skewers everyone

Keep the River on Your Right
Another true story, this one of Tobias Schneebaum, artist and anthropologist

Kinsey
Overlooked by the Oscars (cowards!), this film tells the truth of a great man’s life and work.  Best cameo by Lynn Redgrave near the end

Kylie: Live in Sydney
Aussie Pop Princess Kylie Minogue explodes in this theatrical concert film. Think Madonna with a better voice and a sweeter disposition

La Buche
Dysfunctional French family. My new favorite Christmas movie

Ladies in Lavender
Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Daniel Brühl: a trio of perfection in this heart-breaking gorgeous film

Lantana
Gorgeous, thought-provoking, eerie mystery from Australia… everyone who sees this loves it. More complicated lives

Last Night
Don McKellar’s incredible tale of the last night on Earth.  Sandra Oh is brilliant (when isn’t she?).  Perfect example of why I love Canadian films so much

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
Reunion movie about a group of women who played in an female big band during WWII. Judi Dench, Ian Holm (as the draft-dodging womanizer who dressed in drag), Leslie Caron, Olympia Dukakis and Cleo Laine head an all-star cast

L'auberge Espagnole
EU students do a post-grad year in Barcelona. The city, the time of life: perfect.  Best supporting lesbian character ever on film

Laughing Matters
Before Ellen and Rosie came out, these four comics spent a lifetime as out lesbian performers. Must-see documentary featuring Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, Suzanne Westenhoefer, and Karen Williams

Lawless Heart
Three men deal with the death of another man, each of whom is related in a different way to the deceased

Legally Blonde
A guilty pleasure. Love the Chihuahua, Bruiser

The Legend of Leigh Bowery
Documentary chronicling the life of designer/artist/UK club celebrity Leigh Bowery who pushed the 80's fashion envelope and helped pave the way for Boy George and other new wave artists

L.I.E.
Eerie, outstanding drama about a young teenage boy growing up on Long Island. Brian Cox is amazing as a pedophile who pursues him. Not at all exploitative

Like It Is
Romantic drama, sexy stars, happy ending

Like the Deserts Miss the Rain
Everything But the Girl's greatest hits, videos and live footage. A must-see for anyone who is a fan of this duo's music

Little Women
I prefer the Susan Sarandon/Winona Ryder version, though I am dying to see the Susan Dey/Meredith Baxter Birney TV version which only made it out on PAL format

Lovely and Amazing
Brenda Blethyn shines in this family drama about mothers and daughters, women and families.  Emily Mortimer and Catherine Keener are brilliant as well, but the real find in this film is Raven Goodwin as the young African-American adopted daughter.  See Raven in The Station Agent as well.

Maestro
Heady documentary about the birth of the club scene in NYC

Making Love
The first film to tackle “gay” without sensation, without stereotypes, without death.  Sadly this film would’ve been the first of many had it not been released as the first AIDS reports were surfacing in 1982

Malena
Gorgeous Italian landscape and gorgeous Monica Bellucci in the title role. 1940s Italy and coming of age

The Man I Love
Stéphane Giusti (see also Pourquoi Pas Mas?) turns stereotypes inside out and gives us this celebration.

Ma Vie En Rose
Outstanding drama about a young boy who is different from others

Me, Myself and I
No, not the Jim Carey movie. This one stars Rachel Griffiths (Brenda on Six Feet Under) as a woman who switches places with herself in a parallel universe. We love Rachel Griffiths. See her in My Son the Fanatic, Blow, Blow Dry, Hilary and Jackie, Divorcing Jack and Muriel’s Wedding.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
I don’t even really like Kevin Spacey all that much, but his performance is so understated and creepy it makes this movie one of my favorites. John Cusack is wonderful as usual and Jude Law looks great as the psycho white trash trick. But the real star is The Lady Chablis. Wanna see a real southern drag legend? Don’t miss this

Modesty Blaise
Who needs Austin Powers when you can see one of the originals, more Terence Stamp please!

Monsoon Wedding
Mira Nair’s drama/comedy about a modern Indian family preparing for a wedding. Great performances and the music is incredible. Mostly in English

Moulin Rouge
Nicole Kidman crushes her Mrs. Cruise persona forever. Ewan McGregor’s rendition of Elton John’s Your Song is major swoon material. Most either love or hate this Baz Luhrman musical. I call it a must-see

Mrs. Dalloway
Don’t like to read? Read the book and need more? Before you watch The Hours or after for background, don’t miss Vanessa Redgrave and Rupert Graves in the Virginia Woolf adaptation

Muriel's Wedding
Because everyone's life should have an ABBA soundtrack.  Breakout performances from Toni Collette in the title role, Rachel Griffiths and Matt Day (swoon)

My Architect
Incredibly layered documentary on the life and career of Louis Kahn helmed by his illegitimate son, Nathaniel.  Essential viewing for anyone with “father/child” issues

My Beautiful Laundrette
Is it really possible this film was made in the 80’s?  Perfect Daniel Day-Lewis and Saeed Jaffrey

My Brilliant Career
Early Judy Davis. Must-see

My House in Umbria
Maggie Smith with an excellent supporting cast survive a train crash in Italy.  Benno Fürmann: yum

My Son the Fanatic
Amazing British drama, another Rachel Griffiths gem

Mysterious Skin
Gregg Araki redeems himself adapting the Scott Heim novel of the same name.  Brutal, perfect, smart and a must-see

Nine Queens
Con artist perfection from Argentina.  Don’t you dare rent the U.S. remake

The Nomi Song
Documentary on performance artist/punk opera singer Klaus Nomi

Notorious C.H.O.
Margaret Cho continues her one-woman shows teaching how to laugh through adversity and how to believe in ourselves. Essential viewing. See also, I’m the One That I Want and Revolution

Nowhere in Africa
It's WWII and one young German family decides to flee to Kenya. Gorgeous and heartbreaking. Best flow of language in a film (from German to Swahili to English)

October Sky
Drama based on Homer Hickman’s life in the 1950’s which inspired him to work for NASA

The Official Story
Heartbreaking true story of life in Argentina during the 1980s

Pandaemonium
A little bit history, a little bit opium-enduced dream movie. Linus Roache and John Hannah star as poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End
Beautiful documentary about the wonder of life and the horror of an AIDS death

Pierre and Gilles, Love Stories
Another great documentary, this one about a talented couple... sexy, starstruck and so in love... sigh

Pillow Talk
Doris Day and Rock Hudson. What planet is this genre from? Who cares? It’s hysterical

The Pianist
Adrian Brody won the Oscar for Best Actor and rightfully so. Polanski directs this haunting portrayal of a different kind of survival in Poland during the Nazi reign. This film haunted me for weeks

Pieces of April
I really hope her shenanigans with Tom Cruise don’t eventually ruin this film for me.  Katie Holmes shines in this little indy gem about a young girl making her first Thanksgiving dinner in a tiny Lower East Side NYC apartment

Piñero
Gritty portrayal by Benjamin Bratt of the life of Latino poet/playwright/actor Miguel Piñero

A Place in the Sun
Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift... no matter who you are, you'll swoon over this one. Other Liz couplings: Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof… who do you look at? and Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in Reflections in a Golden Eye… shiver

A Place in the World
Drama about a young boy growing up in rural Argentina dealing with multinational corporations taking over his country. Authentic and heartbreaking

Pourquoi Pas Mas?
French do "coming out." Hysterical with a great ensemble cast

Prick Up Your Ears
The life of British playwright Joe Orton. Gary Oldman plays Orton. Alfred Molina and Vanessa Redgrave also star

Priest
Irish film brilliantly depicting the difficulties in the modern day Roman Catholic Church. Linus Roache is outstanding. A modern-day classic

Purple Noon
Forget the American Mr. Ripley.  See this original French gem from the 60’s

The Quiet American
Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser and Do Thi Han Yen create an incredible love triangle in late 50’s Vietnam

Razor's Edge
The original w/ Tyrone Power… who knew post WWII could be so edgy?

Relax, It’s Just Sex
Ensemble comedy about a group of friends, lesbian, straight and gay who stumble through life together. Great sex scene intercuts between a man and a woman, two women and two men making it the best example of the similarities between gay and straight

Rent
I saw the play on Broadway two times, I lived through this era in the East Village in NYC, so I have a real time affinity to this material.  I think they did a decent job with the adaptation.  Several songs make me shiver.

Revolution
Margaret Cho's newest stand-up film tackles self-esteem issues, politics, gay marriage, racism all with the usual brilliance we have come to expect from Queen Margaret. See also, I'm the One That I Want and Notorious C.H.O.

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino bumble through their high school reunion. Great supporting cast: Alan Cumming, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim and Justin Theroux. A guilty pleasure

Rosemary's Baby
For the interior shots of the Dakota

Rosenstrasse
Based on a true story, German women married to Jewish men in WWII Germany protest their spouses’ arrests

The Safety of Objects
Rose Troche's (The L Word, Go Fish and Bedrooms and Hallways) 3rd feature on alienation and understanding in the American 21st Century is told in overlapping stories of four suburban families. Beautiful performances by the ensemble cast

Saved!
Wonderful Christian school farce.  More sugar-coated than mean.  Love conquers all in the end

Saved by the Belles
English-language Quebecois film.  A simple story with a psychedelic style.  Double feature this with Metrosexuality.

Set It Off
It’s the ladies turn to get pissed off. Queen Latifah shines in this great action film. Lots of violence

Sex/Life in L.A. (original and sequel)
great documentary about gay male American commercial sex trade (porn stars, studios, parties)

Sid and Nancy
Another Gary Oldman morph. This time he does punk rock legend Sid Vicious. Chloe Webb is incredible as girlfriend Nancy Spungen

Slutty Summer
gay male indy based in NYC.  Major guilty pleasure with a lot of genuine laughs. 

Soldier's Girl
Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner gives us this heart-breaking true story of the love affair between Pfc. Barry Winchell and transsexual Calpernia Addams

Son of the Bride
from Argentina, wonderful portrayal of modern-day family dynamic

Snow White
Really smart version starring Sigourney Weaver. Its brilliance lies in the writer’s use of possible real events which helped to create the fairy tale

Stage Door
Hysterical 1937 adaptation of an Edna Thurber play about aspiring stage actresses in a NYC boarding house. Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden (brilliant!), and Ann Miller

Standing in the Shadows of Motown
If you love Motown music, you’ll freak out over this documentary

The Station Agent
Three brilliant performances from Patricia Clarkson, Peter Dinklage and Bobby Cannavale make this "the little film that DID" in 2003

Star Trek: First Contact
I’m a partial trekkie. I only like the Next Generation show and movies. This one is my personal favorite

Sticky Fingers of Time
Love indy, film noir or sci-fi? Love a great film? This low-budget from Hilary Brougher is a masterpiece

Storm of the Century
Scary TV mini series Stephen King adaptation. Guilty pleasure

Straight: A Conversion Comedy
Amazing performance piece blasting the ex-gay movement from David Schmader

The Sum of Us
Before he was The Gladiator, Russell Crowe played a masculine working class Aussie who just happens to be gay. This film is really about the relationship between Crowe’s character and his father, played by Jack Thompson, who wants his son to settle down and find a nice young man

Sweet Sixteen
Ken Loach's hard-ass tale of a 15 year-old Scottish boy preparing a home for his Mom who's scheduled for parole on his 16th birthday. The DVD version allows you to play the English subtitles which helps in the beginning with understanding the heavy working class accents

Taking Sides
well done “based on a true story” film about the interrogation of the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic by the Americans after WWII.  My boy Moritz Bleibtreau is in this so it’s partially a guilty pleasure, but it’s a really decent film as well

Tea with Mussolini
Major guilty pleasure.  Cher singing and wearing great clothes and Lily Tomlin finally playing a real dyke, not to mention Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright

Thelma and Louise
Watch it again. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis do road movie. Brilliant

Three Kings
The first Bush’s Gulf War. 4 soldiers are faced with moral dilemmas following the liberation of Kuwait.  From David O. Russell (see I Heart Huckabees above)

Three Seasons
4 stories from Vietnam. Lush, purposefully slow and visually stunning

Touch of Pink
a real surprise this gem of a film.  Kyle MacLaughlin channels (literally) Cary Grant for a gay man in this romantic comedy

The Trials of Henry Kissinger
Outstanding documentary chronicles the life of Henry Kissinger. Is he a hero or a war criminal or a little of both?

Tigerland
Vietnam era drama starring an unknown Colin Farrell as an anti-hero who makes young recruits in a post-basic training camp think about what they are about to do

Tipping the Velvet
Outstanding BBC mini-series about lesbian love in the Victorian age

U-571
WWII submarine action flick about capturing the Enigma (the German coding machine). A guilty pleasure

Undercover Brother
Hysterical spoof of the 60’s Blaxsploitation movies

Urbania
Finally an excellent gay-themed mystery... chilling!

Valley of the Dolls
This movie defines camp. It holds up after all these years. It’s too brilliant to be called a guilty pleasure

Venus Boyz
Outstanding documentary on the drag KING culture emerging in NYC and around the world. This film takes a further leap and examines everything from dressing up in men's clothing to passing to the many shades of transgender

The Victim
Dirk Bogard as a lawyer with a secret

Victor Victoria
Julie Andrews playing a woman playing a man playing a woman, any questions?

Volumen
Bjork’s early videos. Enjoy the ride

Waiting for the Moon
Cool BBC movie about the lives of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Starring Linda Bassett and Linda Hunt. Makes you wanna go back in time and meet them

Walk on Water
 It’s the follow-up film from Etyan Fox (Yossi and Jagger).  It surpasses his previous effort which was beautiful.  This one is complicated and has the most truthful, moral characters I’ve seen in a film in a long time.  Must-see

We Are Scissor Sisters (And So Are You)
The first music documentary from my favorite band out of NYC.  Jake Shears and Co. make me want to dance and fuck

What's Cooking?
Family dysfunction for Thanksgiving dinner... hysterical

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Johnny Depp and a pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio shine in this quirky drama. Need more pre-Titanic Leo? Check out This Boy’s Life with Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin

White Christmas
Memories of my childhood watching this one with my family. Rosemary Clooney glows. Need more Xmas films? Watch Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck - woof!

Who Killed Teddy Bear?
Sal Mineo stars in this odd and sensual film from 1965.  You can’t believe it was made so long ago and then you remember it was the 1960’s so it makes sense.  Raw and sexy, especially Mineo.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
An amazing documentary that is not all nature film, but part human interest as well.  A must-see

Wilde
Stephen Fry is perfection as Oscar Wilde. Jude Law oozes as his "boy toy" Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas. Look for a cameo from Orlando Bloom as a rent boy

The Wizard of Oz
You gotta own this one on DVD

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
Excellent documentary chronicling the life of the German actress/filmmaker/photographer best known for her Nazi propaganda films.  For her actual work, see Olympiad, Pts 1 & 2

Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
Larenz Tate stars as 50’s singer Frankie Lymon. Halle Berry and Lela Rochon play wife #1 and #3. Vivica A. Fox is insane as his 2^nd wife. Great music

X-Men
Any movie that pits Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as arch enemies is okay with me. Another guilty pleasure

Yossi and Jagger
This Israeli film tells the heartbreaking story of two soldiers in love. Beautiful and passionate. (see also Walk on Water)

You Can Count On Me
I love sibling relationships and I love Laura Linney (see her also in Tales of the City)

Directors:

Woody Allen
Alice, Annie Hall, Everyone Says I Love You, Hannah & Her Sisters, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery and Radio Days

Pedro Almodovar
My personal favorites are All About My Mother, Talk to Her and Law of Desire

Fenton Bailey/Randy Barbato
Documentary filmmakers. My favorites are Eyes of Tammy Faye, 101 Rent Boys Uncut and Party Monster (the documentary, not the feature)

Cheryl Dunye
The Watermelon Woman is one of my favorite indy romantic comedies. Smart and full of sexy lesbian characters. Stranger Inside is more polished, darker with a major twist. Looking forward to more films from this talented woman

Rob Epstein/Jeffrey Friedman
Documentary Oscar-winning (Common Threads: Voices from the Quilt about the AIDS Quilt) team who brought us The Times of Harvey Milk (about gay politician Harvey Milk) and Paragraph 175 (interviews gay men who survived the Nazi concentration camps). All three of these films are must-sees

John Greyson
Lilies is unbelievable, Uncut is too hard to explain in a soundbite, Zero Patience is a musical about AIDS? Yes! And Urinal makes me see dead people

Christopher Guest
Best In Show and Waiting for Guffman make me laugh out loud every time

Todd Haynes
My favorites Safe and Far From Heaven are brilliant... Julianne Moore is radiant.  Okay, Velvet Goldmine has grown on me and become a favorite as well

Alfred Hitchcock
Strangers on a Train & Rope are two reasons I love Hitchcock. If I had been born 40 years earlier, I would've been Farley Granger's stalker. Other Hitchcock favorites are Marnie, Shadow of a Doubt, Vertigo, North By Northwest, I Confess... there are too many to list

The Hughes Brothers
My personal favorites are Dead Presidents and From Hell

Ang Lee
This director's movies are as different as my moods. His style is that his movies are brilliant. I love him. Don't miss Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm, Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet, and Pushing Hands. Forgive him for The Hulk, his latest film, Brokeback Mountain is another genre perfect film and politically important as well.

Spike Lee
I’m naming more than two… Crooklyn is my childhood, Malcom X is brilliant, Summer of Sam is chilling with Adrian Brody as a punk, He Got Game exposes hypocricy, Bamboozled will make you think, and 25th Hour: I heart NY

Mike Leigh
Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste play the most unlikely mother and daughter ever in Secrets and Lies. It’s Mike Leigh so it’s dark, moody and amazing. Watch it won’t you sweetie?  Other Mike Leigh favorites include All or Nothing (Timothy Spall is the most underrated actor in the world) and of course the delicate Vera Drake

Merchant Ivory
Maurice, The Remains of the Day, A Room With a View (I can recite most of Maggie Smith's lines by heart) and Howard's End.  RIP Ismail Merchant

Ferzan Ozpeteck
Turkish filmmaker who’s movies define sensual. We have his trilogy, Steam: The Turkish Bath, Harem Suare, and His Secret Life

Ventura Pons
On the edge of my seat with this man's films… Caresses and Beloved/Friend are my personal favorites. For more of the sweet side of Pons, check out Anita Takes a Chance

John Sayles
Return of the Secacus 7 and Lianna were two of the very first indy films I saw. Sue me, I was a late bloomer. Lonestar and Sunshine State are my personal favorites. Casa de los Babys is also a gem. No one does real life better

Lars von Trier
Danish director von Trier created Dancer in the Dark, which I've only been able to watch once... "dark" is an understatement, but I play the fantasy sequences over and over again... factory workers dancing and singing with Bjork and Catherine Deneuve... does fantasy get any better than this? In 2003, he created Dogville, which I will go out on a limb and say in print: may just be my favorite film of all time. It says everything I've ever wanted to say about being a human being and living in 21st Century U.S. culture. And the guy's never even been to the U.S. See also, The Kingdom below in TV for some real freaky stuff from the master

Tom Tykwer (pronounced "Tick-ver")
German director best known for techno adventure Run Lola Run. Don’t miss his earlier film Winter Sleepers, later film The Princess and the Warrior (outragious!) and the first of a new trilogy series (written by the late Polish director, Kieslowski) Heaven starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi. Heaven is perhaps the most beautiful film I've ever seen. It's like watching a thousand different paintings

John Waters
This man is a genius and makes me laugh over and over again.  His early films are brilliant but I do prefer Polyester, Hairspray, Serial Mom and A Dirty Shame

TV:

Ab Fab
If you don’t already know about this British gem, just rent any one of the titles. Yes, comedy is subjective, but these girls make a lot of different people laugh till it hurts

Angels in America
Mike Nichols epic six hour mini-series portraying life in 1980's United States using AIDS as a metaphor based on Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize winning play. Don't ever say American television has not challenged and amazed you

As Time Goes By
Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer were once sweethearts and now reunite as a middle-aged couple bringing all the baggage of their lives with them. Warm and funny

BBC Mystery series
specifically Prime Suspect Helen Mirren is fantastic, Second Sight Clive Owen - woof and Touching Evil and Wire in the Blood with Robson Green - woof

Brideshead Revisited
Snobbish, upper-class soap opera done only the way the Brits can. Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews star as two young men who meet at Oxford in post-WWI England

Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Girls rule in this long running series that remained a cult favorite in the U.S. Smart, well-written, sassy and full of action

Da Ali G Show
Sacha Baron Cohen's three insane characters interview famous people and regular folk with hysterical results

Island at War
BBC mini-series based on the occupation of the Channel Islands by the Nazis during WWII.  Brilliant with an excellent ensemble cast

The Kingdom
Lars von Trier’s television series masterpiece from Denmark. Too bizarre to categorize. Watch it and get hooked

The L Word
It's a lesbian soap opera. It's sexy and fresh. It's full of surprises and it's really, REALLY good!

Metrosexuality
Welcome to the future. And boy is it bright! Everyone's represented in this short British comedy series that proves love really does conquers all

My So-Called Life
Claire Danes got her start in this American TV series. Great teen angst. Excellent ensemble cast

Queer As Folk
British or U.S., it doesn't matter. This one is groundbreaking! Finally a show with lots of gratuitous male nudity... love those humpy Toronto extras!

Ren and Stimpy
Cartoons for the truly twisted. A Chihuahua and a big cat brave the cruel world

Second Coming
Russell Davies' (Queer As Folk creator) amazing mini-series from the U.K. about a slacker in Manchester who realizes he is the son of God

Sex and the City
Follow the exploits of 4 of our favorite NYC girls in this HBO ½ hour sitcom. A not so guilty pleasure

Six Feet Under
The best show ever created on U.S. television. From American Beauty writer Alan Ball

So Graham Norton
Hysterical mad-cap talk show from the UK starring out and giggly Graham Norton.  The only talk show where the audience and skits are more important than the celebrities as it should be

Tales of the City, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City
All three adaptations so far. I'm a real Maupin fan, have been my entire life... the simplicity of his stories soothes me. Which character are you? Looking forward to Babycakes (book 4)

Ultraviolet
a mix of a really great BBC mystery series and Buffy.  Yes, vampires and British mysteries… a perfect combination.

The West Wing
a guilty pleasure and a pipe dream

Wit
Mike Nichols adapts yet another award-winning play, this time tackling cancer and starring Emma Thompson. Adapting plays for the screen is so difficult, yet Nichols seems to be making an effortlessly looking career out of it

Read more on any of these titles:
The Internet Movie Database

Check out where I've done most of my homework at:
Alternative Videos of Woodstock

Or buys films directly through our affiliate program at:
TLA Video

Contact:
pbahr@hvc.rr.com

updated February 2006