May 24, 2013
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #4. Cabaret Sally: Of course, I may bring a boyfriend home occasionally, but only occasionally, because I do think that one ought to go to the man’s room if one can. I mean, it doesn’t look so much as if one expected it, does it?

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#4. Cabaret

Sally: Of course, I may bring a boyfriend home occasionally, but only occasionally, because I do think that one ought to go to the man’s room if one can. I mean, it doesn’t look so much as if one expected it, does it?

May 24, 2013 • 1 note
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #5. Brokeback Mountain Ennis: I tell ya there… there were these two old guys ranched up together, down home. Earl and Rich. And they was the joke of town, even though they were pretty tough ol’ birds. Anyway they… they found Earl dead in an irrigation ditch. Took a tire iron to ‘im. Spurred him up, drug him ‘round by his dick ‘till it pulled off. Jack: You seen this? Ennis: I wasn’t… nine years old. My daddy, he made sure me and brother seen it. Hell for all I know, he done the job.

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#5. Brokeback Mountain

Ennis: I tell ya there… there were these two old guys ranched up together, down home. Earl and Rich. And they was the joke of town, even though they were pretty tough ol’ birds. Anyway they… they found Earl dead in an irrigation ditch. Took a tire iron to ‘im. Spurred him up, drug him ‘round by his dick ‘till it pulled off.

Jack: You seen this?

Ennis: I wasn’t… nine years old. My daddy, he made sure me and brother seen it. Hell for all I know, he done the job.

May 24, 2013
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #6. Ed Wood This is by far my favorite Tim Burton movie, memorializing another one of history’s great weirdos.  Like Little Edie, Ed Wood was a grand failure on paper, but the utter uniqueness of his life should earn him the status of queer icon. Burton understands what made him great in spite of himself, and paints an endearing portrait of a crew of freaks that include not just toothless transvestite Ed Wood, but Vampira, Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, and a psychic who predicted that the world would end in 1999.  That’s a party I would go to.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#6. Ed Wood

This is by far my favorite Tim Burton movie, memorializing another one of history’s great weirdos.  Like Little Edie, Ed Wood was a grand failure on paper, but the utter uniqueness of his life should earn him the status of queer icon. Burton understands what made him great in spite of himself, and paints an endearing portrait of a crew of freaks that include not just toothless transvestite Ed Wood, but Vampira, Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, and a psychic who predicted that the world would end in 1999.  That’s a party I would go to.  

May 24, 2013 • 1 note
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #7. Grey Gardens Little Edie Bouvier Beale is one of the rare, true, unique personalities.  It’s as if all of Jackie Kennedy’s repressed emotions escaped and manifested as a person who wraps sweaters around her head.  Uniqueness isn’t really unique when it’s marketably cute; only when it’s weird.  This documentary immortalizes one of the weirdest people who ever lived, and I mean that as the highest compliment.  S-T-A-U-N-C-H.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#7. Grey Gardens

Little Edie Bouvier Beale is one of the rare, true, unique personalities.  It’s as if all of Jackie Kennedy’s repressed emotions escaped and manifested as a person who wraps sweaters around her head.  Uniqueness isn’t really unique when it’s marketably cute; only when it’s weird.  This documentary immortalizes one of the weirdest people who ever lived, and I mean that as the highest compliment.  S-T-A-U-N-C-H.  

May 24, 2013 • 2 notes
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #8. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar This movie, featuring Patrick Swayze as one of the greatest on-screen drag queens of all time, is a radical reversal of a classic Western formula, in which the good guys roll into town and get rid of the bad guys with their macho toughness and phallic gun slinging.  In Too Wong Foo, three queens save a small town through femininity rather than masculinity, helping the citizens to self-actualize by embracing the full spectrum of gendered embodiment.  Can you tell I wrote a paper about this movie for Women’s and Gender Studies?

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#8. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar

This movie, featuring Patrick Swayze as one of the greatest on-screen drag queens of all time, is a radical reversal of a classic Western formula, in which the good guys roll into town and get rid of the bad guys with their macho toughness and phallic gun slinging.  In Too Wong Foo, three queens save a small town through femininity rather than masculinity, helping the citizens to self-actualize by embracing the full spectrum of gendered embodiment.  Can you tell I wrote a paper about this movie for Women’s and Gender Studies?

May 24, 2013
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #9. Funny Girl Another movie that’s not really “gay,” at least no more gay than any Barbra Streisand film intrinsically is.  But the reason why Barbra has such a huge gay audience, other than the fact that she’s just incredibly divine, is that her work so often touches on doing and being what you want in defiance of the world’s expectations.  Funny Girl is the absolute best, and the possible “A Star Is Born” brand sexism inherent in the plot is totally counteracted by the Scarlett O’Hara-esque determination and will of Barbra’s Fanny Brice.  And if that’s not the gayest sentence that’s ever been written, I don’t know what is.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#9. Funny Girl

Another movie that’s not really “gay,” at least no more gay than any Barbra Streisand film intrinsically is.  But the reason why Barbra has such a huge gay audience, other than the fact that she’s just incredibly divine, is that her work so often touches on doing and being what you want in defiance of the world’s expectations.  Funny Girl is the absolute best, and the possible “A Star Is Born” brand sexism inherent in the plot is totally counteracted by the Scarlett O’Hara-esque determination and will of Barbra’s Fanny Brice.  And if that’s not the gayest sentence that’s ever been written, I don’t know what is.  

May 24, 2013
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #10. All About Eve “I’ll admit I may have seen better days, but I’m still not to be had for the price of a cocktail like a salted peanut.”  Bette Davis is the best thing that ever happened.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#10. All About Eve

“I’ll admit I may have seen better days, but I’m still not to be had for the price of a cocktail like a salted peanut.”  Bette Davis is the best thing that ever happened.  

May 24, 2013 • 1 note
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #11. Velvet Goldmine This is another “Why aren’t you watching this right now?” movie for the Tumblr community: it’s about a fictionalized David Bowie and Iggy Pop who you get to see make out, plus Christian Bale as a gay teenage glam rock fan in bitching gold eyeliner.  Why aren’t you watching this right now? 

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#11. Velvet Goldmine

This is another “Why aren’t you watching this right now?” movie for the Tumblr community: it’s about a fictionalized David Bowie and Iggy Pop who you get to see make out, plus Christian Bale as a gay teenage glam rock fan in bitching gold eyeliner.  Why aren’t you watching this right now? 

May 24, 2013
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #12. If… This is one of the weirdest movies ever, and joins the rank of Heathers among great movies that will never be made again due to multiple scenes of teenagers shooting people at their school.  It’s a surreal black comedy about boys at a British boarding school attempting to find meaning in their constrained, hierarchy and class driven lives.  Malcolm McDowell absolutely makes it in a performance that I think is even better than A Clockwork Orange.  True story: I went to a screening of this movie last year and got to stand behind Malcolm McDowell in line to get popcorn.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#12. If…

This is one of the weirdest movies ever, and joins the rank of Heathers among great movies that will never be made again due to multiple scenes of teenagers shooting people at their school.  It’s a surreal black comedy about boys at a British boarding school attempting to find meaning in their constrained, hierarchy and class driven lives.  Malcolm McDowell absolutely makes it in a performance that I think is even better than A Clockwork Orange.  True story: I went to a screening of this movie last year and got to stand behind Malcolm McDowell in line to get popcorn.  

May 24, 2013 • 2 notes
Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck #13. Aimee and Jaguar This movie is based on a true story about a Jewish woman and the wife of a German soldier who fell in love during World War II.  Their story is tragic but incredibly romantic.  Maria Schrader is especially wonderful as Felice.  I would recommend reading the book too, which gives more information about Lily Wust’s later life.  

Queer Cinema That Doesn’t Suck

#13. Aimee and Jaguar

This movie is based on a true story about a Jewish woman and the wife of a German soldier who fell in love during World War II.  Their story is tragic but incredibly romantic.  Maria Schrader is especially wonderful as Felice.  I would recommend reading the book too, which gives more information about Lily Wust’s later life.