Film Festival Movie Reviews

Executive Director of PhillyGayCalendar

Gay Bed And Breakfast Of Terror
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 13 @ 9:30pm | Sat, Jul 21 @ 2:30pm |
An unusual amalgam, Gay B

Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror is funnier than a woman who is almost 40 that thinks wearing Michael Kors makes her look younger. I laughed hysterically the entire time and nothing else in the world mattered at all.
Idiot shrines to Jesus and George W, an evil mother that is trying to stop her daughter from being a lesbian by murdering lesbians, gay sex in the pool house! and a half maggot son conceived of 100 republicans… you name it and this film has got it.
Anything there is to be laughed about is in this movie. Gay, straight, lesbian, trans, even if you’re just a really confused fucked up person, you will laugh and never want the insanity to end.

Out At The Wedding
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 13 @ 7:15pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 5:00pm |
The makers of Girl Play are back at the festival with this wacky lesbian

If Will and Grace met Friends, but with a splash of Kissing Jessica Stein, you’d have Out at the Wedding. A woman engaged to a black man doesn’t want to upstage her younger sister’s wedding with the news, so she keeps it quiet. However, accidentally a rumor goes around at the wedding that the engaged woman is a lesbian. Not wanting to disappoint her now interested family she tries to be a lesbian, even hires a lesbian girlfriend. Can’t you just imagine Debra Messing acting horribly on the big screen already? More and more lies ensue; with I’ll admit some funny lines. Of course, everyone forgives everyone in the end… and the kicker? The sister that got married turns out to be the lesbian! Sure I gave it away but you weren’t going to see this snooze-fest anyway. Wait for the DVD, which I’m certain will be released in an hour or so.

Finn’s Girl
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 13 @ 5:00pm | Sat, Jul 14 @ 2:15pm |
A lesbian mother’s contentious relationship with her rebellious daughter collides with her dedication to reproductive rights and the clinic that her late partner started in this gripping tale of parental love, loss and redemption.

Want to see a kid walk up to an anti-abortionist protester and say, “Why aren’t you home with your children?” It’s worth seeing the movie for that line (that I just ruined). A weak but interested story line is played out in several predictable directions, with danger constantly looming. Don’t kill babies? Kill abortion doctors? Makes sense to some. Put an abortion doctor kid in danger? Sure why not?
This movie had me for a bit, even with the very unattractive old dykes in it, but it got very scientific, making children without sperm, something this country would NEVER let happen. This movie has a point and sadly it’s shoved so far down your throat you won’t miss it.

Curiosity Of Chance
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 4:45pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 7:15pm |
An openly gay teen is faced with high school hell in The Curiosity of Chance, a throwback to the John Hughes-styled comedies of the 1980s.

This movie swayed me in boasting a John Hughes-style comedy. However, it comes across as more of a Gotti boy reality show gone even more awry than usual.
Hunky, new, gay guy in high school gets bullied (hardly bullying in my eyes), by more hunky straight guys. What do you expect when you show up to school in a top hat?
Oh gay boy with chiseled good looks and six pack abs. I feel so bad you’re not accepted. Come talk to me when you have acne in weird places and a low self esteem.
Supporting cast roles could possibly be worth seeing this flick for, but the main plot is so unmoving. You feel zero for the characters in this film, even with the drag shows!
Oh gay boy with chiseled good looks and six pack abs. I feel so bad you’re not accepted. Come talk to me when you have acne in weird places and a low self esteem.
Miss this film. The festival summary is more interesting than the actual film itself.

Trantasia
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 2:45pm | Mon, Jul 16 @ 9:30pm |
Six drop-dead gorgeous contestants vie for the title of

A documentary you’d expect to see on LOGO or Bravo, which is where it’ll probably end up, Trantasia isn’t riveting. It’s mediocre, like a behind the scenes view of Miss America, but because these ladies are not really ladies at all, it’s much more tolerable.
You’ll either love or hate the characters, but you’ll be interested if this isn’t your ordinary run of the day information.
Flamboyant enough for a viewing, but not worth sitting in a theatre for, it’s colorful and honest. It’ll be fun to watch if for nothing more than to look and see what idiot straight men you know would fall for these chicks with dicks.

Hollywood Dreams
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 13 @ 9:30pm | Sat, Jul 14 @ 12:30pm |
A skewering of Hollywood phoniness, this zany comedy chronicles an Iowa farm girl’s psychotic ascent to stardom and the unwitting assistance she receives from a couple of gay men.

Holy “All About Eve” Batman! Hollywood Dreams, delicious and malicious film in the G&L Film Festival is exactly what I needed to see; a woman trying to get ahead in her profession by any means possible like any good male CEO.
Even if it means ruining a straight male’s career in the process. Though for his acting career he says he’s gay, (that guy from Showtime’s Weeds, dreamy Justin Kirk).
Margie a red headed psycho actress superstar wanna-be mess, enters into the gay Hollywood world playing innocent and naïve to achieve stardom. You really cheer her on with compassion immediately.
Is she a good actress? If you judge by her lying, she’ll be getting an Oscar. See this film. It is endearing and sweet.

Starrbooty
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 9:30pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 2:30pm |
The one and only RuPaul stars in this sex-filled, riotously funny, jaw-droppingly crude and down-n-dirty send-up of secret agent blaxploitation flicks.

RuPaul’s Starrbooty was exactly what you’d want out of a throw back type of Shaft meets Foxy Brown movie, but totally gayed up. Starrbooty (RuPaul) is a secret agent with killer fighting moves. The role is an admirable one that is extremely suited for the actor.
Not every line is funny, but all of it was funny to see. There were many gratuitous cock shots, but balanced nicely with some lesbian action and breasts. The violence is laughable with scenes that went on far too long.
Starrbooty is a pretty tasteless and tacky movie, but that’s what makes it enjoyable.

Chinese Botanist’s Daughter
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 5:00pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 12:00pm |
In the lush Chinese countryside, a pair of gorgeous 20-year-old women carry on an illicit, dangerous affair in the year’s most visually sumptuous, explicitly erotic and emotionally arresting lesbian feature.

An elegant movie with very tasteful female love, Dai Sijie’s film THE CHINESE BOTANIST’S DAUGHTERS is a complete and utter breath of fresh air.
The biggest gulp of that fresh air is actress Mylene Jampanoï. She’s half of the lesbian couple in this film, but steals this film with her striking, bountiful beauty.
The true severity of a homosexual relationship is trekked in this movie, and by its end there wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre.
From scenery to the actresses, this movie is unflawed and perfect. With a backdrop of serene vegetation in China, versus the stark attractiveness of the two main characters simply standing and kissing, it’s hard to decide which aesthetic will pull you in more. Add a brilliant and deeply touching storyline, you cannot miss with this film.

Itty Bitty Titty Committee
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 7:15pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 2:15pm |
The director of But I’m a Cheerleader gets even more outrageous with this revolutionary romantic comedy about the C

With a popular cast Itty Bitty Titty Committee is hard to pass up. If you like dyke girl power feel good type films, absolutely check this one out.
You can even get a glimpse of the sultry Clea DuVall! The sound track is kick ass boasting Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, the movie is nice and fun, but not as dangerous as I had hoped.

Socket
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 14 @ 9:30pm | Sun, Jul 15 @ 5:00pm |
Told with panache, sex and nudity, this fiery-hot erotic thriller tells the story of two men who get off on electric current and each other.

Socket, not just a clever title, is dark a little like Flatliners. Beefy guys getting off on electricity is hot for a bit, scenes are fast paced, but the idea gets old.
It’s extremely rare to find a sci-fi thriller in the gay genre; it’s surely worthy of checking out on that level. So all you guys that wanted to fuck Captain Kirk in some Star Trek Battlestar Galactica sort of fantasy, be certain to check it out.

2:37
SHOWINGS: Sun, Jul 15 @ 9:15pm | Tue, Jul 17 @ 7:15pm |
The tense hours leading up to a high school student’s tragic suicide are recounted in this controversial and stylish Australian import.

Spin the wheel to see who’s going to kill themselves. In a high school in Australia all the teens, well, they are teens. Dealing with the usual suspects and actions 2:37 doesn’t seem like as gay of a film as any others. A brother raping his sister? A jock that jerks off to male porn? A gay guy that keeps proclaiming, “I’m gay so what?” I’ve seen gayer and I’ve seen better.
The movie does suck you in as you really want to know which Punky Brester has offed themselves in the bathroom. Is it the gay jock that wants to force his girlfriend into anal sex? Or the sister who got knocked up by her nerdy rapist brother? Or the bulimic girl that “just wants to be in love?”
2:37 is interesting and comes across a great deal like the Gus Van Sant movie Elephant.

Two Sides Of The Bed
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 20 @ 5:00pm | Sat, Jul 21 @ 9:30pm |
In this wild, pan-sexual musical romp, sexual hijinks ensue between two seemingly normal straight couples when same sex attraction rears its seductive head.

Two Sides of The Bed is a Spanish movie that made me wish I was deaf and blind. It isn’t enough that the lead female characters (Raquel and Marta) in the movie had decent guys that loved them; they wanted each other as well.
A couples dinner out includes a scheduled trip to the bathroom for a quickie between the two women. But one wants more. Tense moments mixed poorly with light hearted humor, the gentlemen involved with these wanna-be dykes, start to go after each other’s wives. There is nothing funny or good about this flick.
Be warned. The scenes often break into very bad songs for no reason.

Holding Trevor
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 20 @ 5:00pm | Sun, Jul 22 @ 7:15pm |
Rosser Goodman’s intimate, crisply told independent drama tells the story of a group of friends in crisis.

Cute and nicely suited music-wise, Holding Trevor reminded me of the OC, minus the hot chicks. Drugs, sex and HIV are all tackled in some way in this film.
Boys with that just out of high school look loving music and each other; this was a very soap opera-y flick. It had long scenes with the soundtrack matching the moods and no dialogue, giving a large feel of a music video.
Magnolia did a similar thing, it didn’t work then either. Some of it’s touching, but who wants to watch people lament and pout?

One Night Stand
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 20 @ 9:30pm |
Get ready for a night of hot, filthy and kinky action as dykes, tranny bois and gender queers have lascivious sex in dark bars, velvet chairs and bathroom stalls!

Is it really that much work to get a woman off? Chock full of fisting, period sex and strap ons, if this is lesbian sex, I’m going to have to start doubting my sexuality. The sweaty, loud slurping sounding, wet seeming scenes left me dry. I had to watch between fingers because I often covered my face as if I was watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Opening with a sort of documentary with the sex players speaking about their roles, One Night Stand boasts itself a lesbian porn. My biggest nightmare? Being stuck on an airplane and this is the flight movie. An even bigger nightmare? Watching this movie with my mother.
Someone in the audience asked to no one, “Does anyone have an orgasm in this movie?”
This film seemed like a science experiment gone horridly wrong. It was like watching National Geographic but no one learned anything.
I left the movie with cramps.

Each Time I Kill
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 21 @ 10:00pm |
In the tradition of her legendary low-budget chronicles of naughty lesbian sexploits and bizarre transsexual escapades, the late exploitation queen Doris Wishman’s posthumously completed final film is a typically wicked take on the familiar tale of the ugly duckling.

I have respect for Doris Wishman’s last film Each Time I Kill, I just don’t get where it fits into the Gay and Lesbian Film festival.
Starting out with potential, the movie falls short of any expectations I had.
Geeky high schooler finds locket in a house rumored to be haunted. With the locket, if she kills people, touches their physical attribute that she desires and does a little chant, shazaam, she has that trait.
Meanwhile, she was mildly cute with blotchy skin and glasses, and seemed to be checking out girls. Next thing you know she’s blonde and reaching for men. Lesbians don’t go to bed with men last I checked.
The audience, compiled of Wishman fans, enjoyed the film. I however, did not.

533 Statements
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 21 @ 12:30pm |
In this insightful story of self-discovery, Tori Forster takes a journey across Canada, candidly interviewing diverse women about what it means to be queer.

An innocent and well executed documentary, 533 Statements by film maker Tori Foster, is a hell of a ride, literally.
Revealed through interviews on varied topics, Foster travels across Canada to discuss queer issues with women. Coming out, gay bashing, trends and stereotypes are chimed in on by queer girls with Foster’s coaxing.
There were too many road shots and the music got extremely annoying, besides that the individuals spoken to and Foster herself were interesting players in this flick. You got to know about the people involved through excellent editing and it was easy to feel not so alone by watching.
Foster made a great documentary, realer than the real world. I learned things from this movie and you will too. The more I think about the movie, and it will leave you thinking, the more I liked it.

Born Again
SHOWINGS: Sun, Jul 22 @ 2:30pm |
The many conflicts and catch-22s of growing up both Christian and lesbian are explored in this brave, intimate and deeply personal narrative.

This story of a child raised in an uber religious house hold is told in a very personal manner. The candid camera shots and delicate conversation were very heart string tugging.
Something made this story different from others like it, perhaps the extreme religious devotion of the family Markie Hancock was born into.
The common struggle is told in this movie, follow the crowd or be an individual.

Nina’s Heavenly Delights
SHOWINGS: Sat, Jul 21 @ 7:00pm | Sun, Jul 22 @ 4:30pm |
In this spicy romantic comedy seasoned with Bollywood flair, an Indian daughter returns home to save her father’s Glasgow curry restaurant and discovers family secrets along the way — while hiding some of her own!

When introducing her film Pratibha Parmar mentioned that it was food porn. She warned the audience we’d be hungry from the cooking scenes.
I was hungry for substance and more of a storyline. I know I was craving some Bollywood dance style scenes, but this movie was starved of that.
The cooking was the only thing that made the trite dialogue and banal plot worth sitting through, but even with that, I wanted to leave and have dinner.
It was a stylish film, but better watched in the comforts of your own kitchen.

Spider Lilies
SHOWINGS: Sun, Jul 22 @ 12:00pm | Mon, Jul 23 @ 7:00pm |
In this 2007 Teddy Award-winner for Best Feature, two lonely young women meet in a tattoo parlor and slowly realize that they share a past connection — as well as a torrid lesbian attraction in the present.

Tattoos are always hot, and Spider Lilies certainly adds to the fire. In love, at a young age, two girls are separated by a tragedy; their stories unfold years later in a flirty and imaginative way.
The movie does lame out every now and again, but the characters are just likeable enough that anything is endurable.
There’s a naïve innocence caught in the movie, even with its torrid premise. Two long lost lovers rediscover each other in one of the most unique ways I’ve seen in a film. Praise to the writer, it’ll make you want to get a tattoo.

Times Have Been Better
SHOWINGS: Mon, Jul 16 @ 7:15pm | Sun, Jul 22 @ 12:15pm |
No matter how you say

This French coming out story is told smartly and with charm. It isn’t easy for anyone to come out and this movie doesn’t glorify it or show a boring happy ending result.
When 30 year old Jeremy (Arnaud Binard) comes out to his family they are champs to his face, but aren’t too thrilled farther down. The story is sort of predictable, but with laughs and intelligence. The mother is quite inspired by her son’s coming out, which adds to the hilarity.
I felt quite satisfied at the end of this movie.

Boy I Am
SHOWINGS: Sun, Jul 22 @ 12:15pm |
Intelligent, provocative and intimate, this documentary follows three vibrant and eloquent transitioning female-to-males while examining the viewpoints of lesbian feminists whose theories challenge gender dysphoria and body modification.

I’m a bit squeamish with transgender issues, but this film made it quite real to me and I came out of it a smarter person.
FTMS are profiled in this documentary. From breast removal surgery to taking testosterone, these individuals are interviewed and shown unabashedly.

Bubble
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 20 @ 7:15pm | Sun, Jul 22 @ 2:15pm |
One of the most extraordinary films of this year, The Bubble is the stunningly moving story of a gay romance between an Israeli and a Palestinian in Tel Aviv.

A packed theatre sat in awe of The Bubble. You’re grabbed immediately by your brain and it doesn’t let go.
Beautifully filmed, the movie starts off at the border. This intense scene leads way and births substance. How far people will go for love and what they are willing to risk is easily seen in The Bubble.

Rock Haven
SHOWINGS: Fri, Jul 20 @ 7:45pm | Sun, Jul 22 @ 2:30pm |
Sexuality and religion collide when a young man’s devout Christian faith is challenged by falling in love with another man in this romantic drama.

I can admit I hate movies like this. Kid raised with religion slammed down his throat. Kid is gay. Kid is rejected. Kid is ostracized by those that are supposed to love them.
Rock Haven doesn’t really do anything new, but it’s done ok enough. The scenes are painfully slow, but the acting is rather nice.

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