Know of any gay themed movies?

[Trek234]

Hi all,

I have a friend that (along with her girl friend) are very interested in gay themed movies. They have been to block buster and hollywood video and have exhausted the amazingly great selection they have. (about 2 movies) I was hoping to recommend some to them. Plus I am going to the GSA meeting at my high school tomorrow (gay straight alliance) and you never know who might be interested.

The only movie I could think of aired on Lifetime like two years ago called "What makes a family". It was a true story about a same sex couple in florida from how they met all the way to when they went through the courts regarding child custody.

There was another that aired on Lifetime but I can not think of the name.

Anyway, could anyone recommend some good movies?

Thanks!

[neuvocat]

1. Birdcage

[PittPoliSci]

2. some hollywoods have gay interest sections.

mine didn't though. however, if you scan the new release wall, you'll find Queer as Folk. that's about the best i can tell you.

[comsymp]

3. "But I'm a Cheerleader"

All Over the Guy
Torch Song Trilogy, of course
dozens more- will add if necessary

[joeybee12]

10. Maurice, Parting Glances, Longtime Companion...

...The Opposite of Sex, Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Anything by John Waters

[comsymp]

20. Broken Hearts Club and Jeffrey

Isn't "Jeffrey" the one w/Patrick Stewart?

[FauxNewsBlues]

17. I love But I am a cheerleader

It cracks me up so much that I had to get it on DVD.

Ummm, how about the Opposite of Sex. Gay theme is central in the movie.

[comsymp]

24. And "Fried Green Tomatoes"

and of course the Xena box set ;-)

[unblock]

4. what was that kevin kline/tomselleck movie called?

"coming out", i think?

[comsymp]

5. In & Out

pretty good, imo

[unblock]

13. right, thanks!

[Wetzelbill]

6. that Bush 9/11 docudrama

[dflprincess]

7. Philadelphia

Tom Hanks

[thom1102]

8. The Big Eden was really good

gay themed, no lesbians. The Sum of Us (Russell Crowe: the early years), Jeffrey, Get Real, A Beautiful Thing. Netflix has a large gay/lesbian section.

[Mari333]

9. Priscilla Queen of the Desert

aussie film.

[comsymp]

11. And of course "To Wong Fu"

its American counterpart

[bfusco]

12. My Own Private Idaho

My Own Private Idaho with River Phoneix and Keanu Reeves.

[no_hypocrisy]

14. La Cage Aux Folles.

I recommend the original in French with English subtitles so you can enjoy the true inflection of their voices and expressions.

[joeybee12]

18. La Cage Aux Folles II and III also!

I liked those, although they weren't hits like the first one. In any case, they're all much better than The Birdcage. If you watch La Cage first, and then Birdcage, you will really, really, really be disappointed with Birdcage.

[unblock]

15. star trek v, actually all the old series star treks

kirk had the hots for spock.

go ahead, prove me wrong.

[PittPoliSci]

16. But I'm a Cheerleader

Is a really good choice.

[pasadenaboy]

19. Hedwig and the angry inch

although its more of a transgender/transexual thing, but one of my favorite movies.

[Duncan Grant]

25. If you ever have the chance to see "Hedwig..." performed live, do it!

Hedwig is great as a live show! Simply amazing - and the music is killer.

[davidinalameda]

43. absolutely hated that movie

my partner and I both left saying "huh?"

[Duncan Grant]

58. Hated the movie, too.

Oh, the movie is just painful to watch! My husband loves it and I can't understand why.

Love it live though...it's a subversive masterpiece.

[mitchum]

64. I hated it also...

I found John Cameron Mitchell to be a very nice guy, but his "masterpiece" is dreck

[shrike]

21. My Beautiful Launderette

(Early Daniel Day Lewis) and Claire of the Moon. Some bad acting in the latter, though. Gets rented a lot by guys, I guess, because of the hot lesbian scenes.

[Duncan Grant]

22. "Lilies" (1996) is a great movie...

I highly recommend it.

Also, "Orlando" is a visually great film, more artsy than narrative. And, it's not really a 'gay' movie but has more of a 'queer' sensibility. If you like Tilda Swinton (I love her) then you'll love the movie. Oh, and "Edward II" is worth a look if you're a devoted cinema freak but it is brutal (more Tilda Swinton though...in high heels).

"Edge of Seventeen" is a fun movie - a coming out story set in the early 80's (I think it's also set in Sandusky, OH but don't quite remember).

"A Beautiful Thing" is a must see. Fun soundtrack, too.

And a good recent movie is "Camp". It's about a camp for thespians (straight, gay, questioning, etc.) but it probably isn't on video yet. It's hilarious and poignant...two thumbs up! Also, a great soundtrack.

Those are a few from the top of my head...but there are so many others to choose from.

Happy viewing! :hi:

[LeftCoast]

28. Orlando is one of my favorite movies!

Visually gorgeous!

:hi:

[Aristus]

53. The angel thing at the end of 'Orlando' freaked me out, though.

What was THAT about?

[Skittles]

23. Chuck and Buck

was supposed to be purty good

[unblock]

26. taxi zum clo

very xxx rated, the story of gay life centered around bathrooms where, um,....

good movie, holds no bars, except when they're holding, uh, ... bars....

german with subtitles.

[CShine]

27. "Beautiful Thing" is one of the best I've ever seen.

It was made back in the mid-90's, if I remember correctly. It's a British flick that didn't get really big in the USA. But if you want a gay-themed flick that's really second to none, I HIGHLY recommend that you dig around and try to find "Beautiful Thing."

Or just take the easy way out and click the link.

http://www.queerattitude.com/shop/movies.php?epp=1&start=1

[no_hypocrisy]

29. Bilitis (1977) by David Hamilton

http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=3571

[JanMichael]

30. Get "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit"!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/features/oranges_are_not_the_only_fruit.shtml

It's an amazing, truly amazing, film.

You MUST see it!!!!!

[dsc]

31. You have gotten a good list

Here are some more. Urbania staring Dan Fuggleman. One of Marlow's plays (Richard III I think) was made into a movie around 10 or so years ago. That was brilliant (it is about a gay heir to the throne being plotted against and brings AIDS into the picture). Philadelphia was very good for what it was. One problem I see for the GSA is if it is a high school can you show R rated films? If you can't many of our suggestions won't work. Two final recommendations but only for a good cry The Laramie Project (HBO films) and Boys Don't Cry (Bravo this weekend).

[FloridaPat]

32. "better Than Chocolate". Nice photography. Had to stop

looking at it because it just provided TOOO much infomation about that lifestyle.

[DS1]

33. Dog Day Afternoon

according to Roger Ebert at least. I haven't seen it in years but I was reading his online reviews and he went on and on about the relationship between the bank robbers.

[dsc]

34. Here are some more

Get Real an admittedly unevenly acted film that has a heck of a good story. Gay kid falls for jock who falls for him.

Bent Holocost themed film.

Wedding Banquet A gay Chinese man gets in an arranged marriage to please his parents, the IRS, and keep a girl in the country. Hilarious. Ang Lee (Ice Storm) directed.

Priest Gay priest comes to terms with being gay.

Gods and Monsters about the last days of the man who directed Frankenstein. Brendon Fraiser starts.

Wilde about Oscar Wilde's life.

Mass Appeal (I think that is the name) Jack Lemmon plays and older popular priest a younger, more serious priest takes on the congregation. It comes to light the yougner priest has a gay past. It isn't stictly gay themed but speaks volumes on the role of religion.

[Cheswick2.0]

35. Tourch Song Trilogy

It stars the unique and wonderful Harvey Fierstein.

[dsc]

48. and a nothing short of hot Matthew Broderick

I can't believe I forgot it in my list.

[theemu]

36. My Beautiful Laundrette

It's a Stephen Frears film with Daniel Day Lewis about the relationship between a white neofascist punk and a Pakistani laundromat manager.

[Kat45]

37. Kiss Me Guido, a very funny movie. Also,

The Wedding Banquet (also funny)
The Boys in the Band (a well-known earlier gay movie)
The Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love (not sure if that's the exact title, but it's close)
There were a couple of other lesbian movies that I saw on cable, but I can't remember off-hand what they were. If I think of the titles, I'll post again.)

[binaryline]

42. The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

So sweet, so cute, so funny ;-)

[newyawker99]

44. Congrats binaryline!! 300 posts

:toast:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

38. From the Movies for Democrats Master List

A Wedding Banquet A Taiwanese immigrant has prospered in New York, but his parents back in Taiwan keep pestering him to get married. He doesn't know how to tell them that he's already in a committed relationship with an American...man. When a Chinese woman he knows is about to be deported, he decides to marry her on paper and solve both their problems. But then his parents decide to come over for the wedding, throw a huge banquet, and stay on for several weeks.

Wilde Author and playwright Oscar Wilde was extremely popular and successful in Victorian England until a disgruntled lover "outed" him, an act that ruined his life and career. Stephen Fry was born to play this role.

Chutney Popcorn A lesbian of East Indian descent volunteers to bear a child for her infertile sister.

There's a movie whose name I can't remember about an affair between two boys at an English "public school." ON EDIT: It's Maurice.

Sunday Bloody Sunday is about a love triangle, in which a man and a woman share the same lover. It caused a scandal in its day (ca. 1969) for featuring a love scene between two men.

For a retro hoot, try The Children's Hour, about two teachers (Shirley Maclaine and Audrey Hepburn) at a girls' boarding school who are accused of being lesbians by a nasty little twelve-year-old. It being 1962, the accusation can only be implied, but everyone's reaction is so hysterical that you realize that times have really change.

Maedchen in Uniform is difficult to find in a decent print, bedcause it's so old (1930), but it's the story of a sensitive, melancholy young girl who is sent to a boarding school run by proto-Nazis. One of the women teachers is young and pretty and becomes a prime crush object for all the students. The real point of the story is criticizing the growing fascist tendencies in German society, but the director was a lesbian, and it shows.

Bent Movie version of a play about a gay man in Nazi Germany who is sent to a concentration camp.

I don't think that any of these have been mentioned yet.

[jcats]

39. The "Tales of the City" movies

Also good are:

Burnt Money - Spanish with English subtitles
Rules of Attraction
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss
Edward II - A Marlow play, about the only gay British monarch
Defying Gravity
Wild Reeds - French with English subtitles

Hope that helps.

[newyawker99]

45. Hi jcats!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dsc]

49. Thank you

It was Edward the II. I saw that once, loved it, and haven't been able to find it since.

[binaryline]

40. Here are some more...

When Night is Falling
All Over the Guy
Trick
Bound
French Twist

You could also look for The Celluloid Closet. That'll give you plenty of good ideas.

Enjoy!

[cosmicdot]

41. "Suddenly, Last Summer"

[Bridget Burke]

46. "Late Bloomers"

Set in the suburbs of Dallas--a married school secretary & the girls' basketball coach fall in love. Small budget, no recognizable stars at all.

Funny & sweet, with perhaps more support from the community than you might expect.

Brave Combo, Texas's Nuclear Polka band, plays at their wedding.

[Squeech]

47. The Object of My Affections

Gay man, teacher in an urban private school, forges a close relationship with a woman and has to balance that with his own romantic life. Very interesting, non-cliche, not played for laughs like Will & Grace. (Of course the real reason I like the movie is, Jennifer Aniston plays the female lead, and has never been hotter.)

I second the nominations for The Wedding Banquet and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Did Personal Best get mentioned? (The one remaining problem with the DU software is that you can't review a thread while you're replying!)

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

50. The Truth About Jane

I saw it on Lifetime. Pretty good.

[soleft]

57. That actress is really good, she's on Dead Like Me now.

[skypilot]

51. Whatever you do

...don't rent ANYTHING directed by Gregg Araki!!!

"The Living End", "The Doom Generation", "Nowhere". Avoid at all cost.

[soleft]

52. The Opposite of Sex, GIA, Chutney Popcorn,Walls Could Talk II

Kiss of the Spider Woman
Maurice
Jeffrey
The Hours
Boys on the Side
Kissing Jessica Stein
Bound
Dessert Hearts

[4_Legs_Good]

54. Before Night Falls

Is a gorgeous film about Reinaldo Arenas, a (homosexual) Cuban writer during and after the Castro rise to power. It's fantastic. It should be in any Blockbuster in the foreign section, I would guess.

You should suggest they subscribe to Netflix, they have a whole category for "Gay & Lesbian" films.

david

Kucinich 2004

Arianna YES
Recall No

[Brucey]

55. The Celluloid Closet

documents gays in cinema.

[kid shelleen]

56. Top Gun

Actually, anything with Jerry Bruckheimer's name on it.

[Malikshah]

59. Maurice

Good ole Edwardian romp...

BTW--went through the list of subject lines--didn't see it--sorry if it's been mentioned.

OH-- Steam is a new one--set in Turkey. Ok--but not the best in terms of story line.

Trick is also good-nothing to write home about but interesting to see Tori Spelling in a role that didn't make me gag.

[soleft]

60. Sparticus

[hueyfreeman]

61. True Grit...no kidding

At the end of the movie..John Wayne says "Your Husband will be burried next to you" and she give him this look like "you Dumbass"

[NashVegas]

62. "Making Love"

This was a 1982 movie that was ahead of its time.

"The Boys in the Band" was another early film.

[smirkymonkey]

63. A great one - Aimee and Jaguar...

it was out about 1 or 2 years ago - story of a Jewish free sprit and a German housewife who fall in love during WWII in Berlin.

Also, Maurice (Merchant Ivory, I think, based on E.M. Forster Novel)

[Chovexani]

65. Only one more I can think of

Everyone else already posted all the ones I know, except this really good Japanese film called Taboo. It's a period piece about a gorgeous, sexually ambiguous young man who joins a local militia. It's subtitled and usually comes on Sundance Channel during Pride Month.

One thing though, the ending is EXTREMELY Japanese...meaning if you're not used to Japanese movies you'll probably be scratching your head at the end. :) Also there are many, MANY animes with GLBT themes, there's actually entire subgenres of cartoons & comics devoted to it called yaoi & yuri. My favorites include Revolutionary Girl Utena and the classic anime that inspired it, Rose of Versailles, Fake, and of course damn near anything by the group CLAMP.

Chutney Popcorn is freaking hilarious! I love the guilt trip the Italian mom gave her daughter about leaving her pregnant girlfriend. "But it's not even mine!" Mom: "That's what they all say!" :)

[Trek234]

66. Thanks everyone!

This will make a good list!!!

[sistersofmercy]

67. I know a great movie, "La Vie en Rose." Excellent really.

[alfredo]

68. William Hurt is great in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Cabaret. Not really a gay themed movie, but is an important part of the story

[TeeYiYi]

69. This movie gets my highest recommendation . . .

TYY