#10 - Better than Chocolate

I should admit that I saw this movie a while ago, and wasn't very impressed. I couldn't bring myself to watch it again. No, it wasn't that terrible, but it also wasn't memorable enough for me to be okay with losing a couple hours of my day watching it.

But I will give it credit for being one of the first movies to introduce me to a whole new level of lesbian subculture. How do you ask? Well, this movie was made for lesbians. No duh right? I mean that this is indeed a lesbian movie. There are plenty of movies that would work regardless of the sex of the characters. This isn't one of those movies. The situations that happen in the movie only happen as a result of the characters being lesbian. Don't get me wrong - this isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, if you're the type of person who prefers movies where lesbian-ism isn't the main theme, then this isn't the movie for you.

This movie also isn't for you if you don't like overtly graphic/sexual material. I had a major problem with how sexual the movie was. While I don't mind sex scenes, hell a lot of people can attest to that, but I like them to be done tastefully. There is nothing tasteful about this movie. It's crude and low brow. The sex scenes are completely attractive, but they weren't erotic. The characters didn't have any real chemistry. It was all forced.

The plot in itself was a bit silly, but I could live with the plot. Wiki does a great job at summarizing the movie:

Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) has recently moved out on her own, and has started a relationship with another woman, Kim (Christina Cox). However, Maggie's mother Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother, who are forced to move into her tiny loft sublet with her, are unaware that she is a lesbian. Maggie's freedom is compromised, and she believes she must keep her blossoming affair a secret. However, the clandestine romance introduces Maggie's family to a host of new experiences, many of which are "better than chocolate."

Yes, plot alone, this movie didn't have a lot potential, but it also could have had some really great scenes. But, the bad acting and editing makes sure that this doesn't happen. Better than Chocolate does get some laughs out of you, but they come too far and few in between the rest of the movie.

This movie felt like it was a big dream from a young lesbian hitting puberty. It was raw and gritty, and did pack a few obvious laughs. It's a decent movie and has a lot of references to lesbian culture and stereotypes (it was here where I first heard the u-haul joke). Like I said before, I wouldn't see this movie more than once, but it's a couple hours well spent on a rainy afternoon.

#17 - Chasing Amy

Oh Chasing Amy. No one should be chasing anything in this movie. It's so bad. It's difficult to get through the entire movie. I had to actually take a couple breaks because I could not handle the terrible plot and subpar acting. I'm really surprised at it's popularity and critical acclaim. Because honestly, I really don't see it as anything good. A friend of mine pointed out that for its genre its a good movie. And I guess in that regard, yes it's a good stoner movie. But if you are looking at it from a critical perspective, I fail to see how it's any good.

Plot

Holden and Banky are comic book writers that meet Alyssa at a comic book convention. Holden falls for Alyssa but soon finds out that she's a lesbian. Regardless of this, he continues to fall for her, hangs out with her, and eventually confesses his feelings for her. Alyssa becomes angry at him for putting her in this unfair situation, which leads one to believe that she too had developed feelings for him. Nonetheless, they eventually starts too date. But of course, things aren't going to go picture perfect. Alyssa has to deal with the fact that she self identified as lesbian but now was dating a man. Holden had to deal with the fact that he was dating a self-identified lesbian, and had to get over his insecurities. Alyssa had gotten around, and he had to struggle with growing up and being okay with that. Banky was there as Holden's foil and distrusted Alyssa. All these things eventually add up and Alyssa and Holden struggle to maintain their relationship. I won't ruin the ending for you because that would be unfair. Of course, if you're like me and don't like the movie - you won't really care how it ends; you only be happy that it did end.

Characters:

There aren't many redeemable qualities in this movie. And the characters don't really help its case. I hated, absolutely hated Holden, Banky, and sometimes Alyssa. They were all so immature and intolerable. Their actions were inane and at times completely selfish. The only things that make the characters tolerable, the movie for that matter, are the monologues that the characters go into every now and then. These monologues were quite deep and full of emotion. Sure, this would then be followed by something nonsensical but at least for those few moments, Chasing Amy had my attention.

Pros

I must say, the acting in the movie isn't that bad. The characters were believable and there was a certain chemistry between all the characters.

Cons

So, why do I detest this film. The plot was terrible. I much rather prefer the summary than the actual movie. Because past the main points I mentioned, there isn't much else to the film. That's an issue. It's difficult to get through the movie, because nothing really seems to be happening. It progresses further into nonsense and it progresses with some annoying immature characters. I don't want to go on their journey to discovery. No thanks. Do I blame the plot being terrible on the script? Only partially. The directing was the what completely ruined the film. Then again, it's a stoner film - so we're not going for quality here folks. But still, I didn't think that I'd be throwing a couple hours out the window with nothing to show for it but a blog post and a bucket full of angry.

All in all

If you like this type of genre, you'll like this movie. If you really can't stand this types of film - then avoid Chasing Amy. It will hurt you to do otherwise.

#38 - Gray Matters

Why have I not heard anything about this movie before? Grey Matters is one of the cuter, quirkier films I've seen in a while. Although it's a low budget, silly romantic comedy it does have moments that reach beyond the usual emotional complexity of romantic comedies and for the most part - it's pretty touching.

So what's this movie about? Well, it stars Heather Graham and Tom Cavanagh as Gray and Sam Baldwin - siblings who are basically inseparable. They live together, dance together, and are often mistaken for a couple rather than siblings. Yea, their relationship is borderline creepy, but I guess that's what happens when you're both alone in the city with no hopes for a relationship right?

So anyway, the duo decide that they need to stop their incestuous ways and make a pact to look for possible partners for each other - a guy for her, and a girl for him. Let's fast forward to the point where they meet this fantastic girl that completely changes both of their lives. The rest of the movie is mostly about Gray's budding sexuality and how everyone else reacts and responds to her.

The good:

Like I said, there were a lot of touching monologues in the movie that definitely left you thinking. All of them revolved around Gray's coming out and I felt like some touched a lot of feelings that people do have when they realize that they are gay, I know I resonated with what she was saying.

Apart from the fun script and amusing acting, there are a lot of elements that make it a cute movie, and one that is a positive lesbian movie. You see Gray's awkward and seamless transition from in the closet woman to a much more confident lesbian. It's nice to see a movie like that. I also liked that, although the movie was a romantic comedy, it doesn't necessarily have you're cookie cutter ending. It does throw in some interesting twists. The movie as a whole is a bit absurd, but it does have some elements of real life. I also liked the supporting characters in the movie. They were all super supportive and super silly. They weren't just one dimensional characters either - which is great. Even though you don't see much of them, they add to the film in their own special way.

The annoying:

Now, don't get me wrong. I was annoyed by the characters a few times. Some were a bit too awkward and Gray was a bit too self-absorbed. Really, the entire movie played out like a really long episode of Will and Grace. Only in this they are siblings, and Grace is a lesbian and Will is straight. So at times, the characters are a bit too much and can get annoying, but all in all - they grow on you.

All in all

Like I said, I really don't understand why I haven't heard of this movie before. I think it's really under-appreciated, and that really shouldn't be the case. It's a good movie. Not great, but good. Sure at times it does get annoying. But overall the flaws are made up for with the story line.

It leaves you feeling great and the way that it treats the coming out experience is pretty awesome. Its funny, warm, and touching.

Movies that deal with coming out as one of the big themes of the events usually have to find a balance between being cliche and being good. Often times, they fail. Not this movie. This movie is on point.

#101 - When Night is Falling

I've had a lot of difficultly writing this review. I'm not exactly sure if this movie falls into the positive lesbian movie list. Granted, it didn't end badly, and it had a happy ending- but it did have a slightly melancholic tone throughout the entire movie. You do find yourself falling for the relationship between the two characters, even if you do question the motivation behind their actions, and the integrity of the relationship.

Regardless of that, however, I did like this film. And I really liked some of the elements it used. It definitely touched on a number of topic that are rarely touched upon in movies. One of them is the concept of religion. With the exception of The Secrets, I haven't really run inot a movie where religion, Christianity to be exact, shapes the setting, actions, and the story of movie. Christianity to be exact. The main characters, Camille Baker, is a theology professor at an extremely conservative Christian college. Through mid-fortune and chance, Camille meets Petra, a free spirited traveling circus performer. They fall for each other, and Camille has to hide her relationship, not only from her employers but also her boyfriend, I mean, fiance.

Symbolism

I guess a part of the reason that the element of Christianity resonated with me in this film was because of the insane amount of symbolism in the film. There are a lot of elements here that bring about this idea of rebirth, renewal, and sexual awakening. Sometimes, I felt like it they were too forced, but all in all - they did their purpose. I especially liked the symbols of renewal and sexual awakening. The death of your white dog, which later comes back to life? Come on.

If you're going to watch this movie, look out for the symbols and make up your own mind on their effectiveness.

Relationship

You know, I'm not too sure about how I feel about Camille and Petra's relationship. If this was real life, I wouldn't this relationship would last. At times I felt like Camille didn't really love Petra, but more used her as her "first time" "coming out of the closet" relationship. At the same time, I'm not too sure that Petra was really that invested in Camille either. Did they love each other? Sure. They did enough to prove that much was true. But, are they going to run off and live with the circus forever? Ehh. The women are too different from each other for it to ever last. But, for the purpose of the film - let's say that it does last! Because, come on - it's nice to think that the characters stop existing when the film ends...right?

Regardless of this however, I still liked their relationship. It was nice to see a movie that didn't idealize the relationship, or make it seem like it had insurmountable problems. It almost felt like this was a couple that wouldn't really last, but also wouldn't end badly. The relationship would just end when it came to a natural stop.

This movie isn't particularly memorable, but it's not bad, it's just not great either. I feel like the tone of the film makes it difficult to actually like it too much since it is dark and frustrating at times. At the end of the day, I say - go for it. It will give you somethings to think about, or analyze, in the film.

#23- D.E.B.S.

D.E.B.S. is one of those movies that despite the poor acting, somewhat unrealistic plot, and low production costs can still be called a wonderful, campy, feel good movie - with gorgeous main characters, dressed in all girls uniforms.

I wish I could do this movie justice, but somehow I feel the summary from the DEBS website would do a better job:

"Recruited by the U.S. government for their unique ability to lie, cheat and fight, Amy, Max, Janet and Dominique join an underground academy of secret agents known only as D.E.B.S. These crime fighting hotties set out to save the world and keep their lipstick perfectly applied while doing so. Now the girls must combine their skills for their most important mission- to capture vexing vixen Lucy Diamond, the deadliest criminal the world has ever known. When D.E.B.S. star player, Amy, falls for Lucy, chaos erupts and the D.E.B.S. loyalty is put to the test."

Awesome, yes? If that's not enough to reason to watch the movie. Perhaps I should go into further detail on how adorable the relationship between Lucy Diamond and Amy is. The chemistry is incredible, and the whole strong, hot lesbian villain seducing the confused school girl is pretty hot.

As for the rest of the characters, they really add to the rest of the movie. All of the colorful characters are amusing and just a smidge unrealistic, which makes their actions even funnier. From the "snap snap" black girl to the cool and a times haughty french girl, the movie is chock full of harmless stereotypes that will have you laughing.

While it is a bit unrealistic at times, its heartwarming and leaves you feeling good. But, its not all romance - the action side also leads to some blood pumping good times. There are some decent fighting scenes, and the low budget action only makes the movie even better.

Without fail, you'll have a good time watching this movie. Its a pleasant movie experience and really, how wrong can you go with Jordana Brewster?

#45 - Imagine Me and You

Ohh, Imagine Me and You. What to say about this movie? Well, I should start off by saying that this is neither the first time that I've seen this movie, nor would I think that this is it the first time that you readers have heard of this movie. It's on those movies that is usually mentioned as one of the better known, queer films,. Then again, it has Piper Perabo (Lost and Delirious) in it, so how could it not be mentioned?!

I'll start off by saying, that it's not one of my favorite movies. Time and time again, I fail to see why lesbians love this movie to pieces. I won't lie - it is a good movie, and it is heartwarming, but it's not memorable. You don't fall in love with any of the characters, you may feel for them, but honestly, this movie just feels like it tries too hard to be a good romantic comedy.

Summary:

Rachel is getting married to Heck. On the day of her wedding, she feels an unexplicable attraction to Luce, the female gay florist. After the wedding, she befriends Luce (invites her to dinner, etc) in the hopes of setting her up with Cooper, Heck's friend. However, sparks fly between the two ladies, and although neither of them do anything about it, you can tell that there is an attraction. The next day, she learns that Luce is gay, and is now even more interested in learning about Luce, and begins to do some "research" on lesbians on her own (cue in the hilarious scene at the movie rental place). From here, there is a lot of events that lead up to the romance between the two ladies. I won't give too much away after this, but it's definitely a journey that quite nice to watch. Although there isn't much of a sexual, physical intimacy between the two characters, you definitely get enough emotional intimacy to make up for the loss.

Relationships:

The relationship between Rachel and Luce is one of the sweeter ones that I've seen. They are adorable from the start, and the two actresses definitely had a lot of chemistry. You see why they fall in love, and every time I watch this movie, I always catch something between them that I missed the last time I saw them.

As for all of the relationships in the movie, they all are pretty realistic - as far as romantic comedies go. There are plenty of one liners between all the characters that are just friggen adorable. You are left touched, and at times also pensive.

Characters that were just too unrealistic:

The characters are charming, and completely fleshed out. You definitely understand their motivations and do feel empathy for their situations. While I don't completely agree with all of their actions, I can see why they are made - and I appreciate them for it. I'm also sure many people find the little girl adorable, I however cannot stand her. But, that's a rant for another day.

I think one of the problems with the movie is that everyone is just too friggen nice. Yes, they may be angry every now and then, but they are all together too forgiving. Heck. Really? Come on, you've just found out that your wife has fallen in love with a women, and thats all the emotion that you show? Come on. To quote Paulie "rage more." Then, let's look at Rachel's mom. You have a problem with your daughter's new attraction, but you seem to get over it within a few hours. That's pretty unrealistic, and just downright stupid on behalf of the writer.

I understand the need for a happy ending, but how about some realism, yea?

If you are in love and are watching this movie - you would definitely enjoy the affection between the characters, and the plot in general. I wouldn't recommend this as one of those movies that are going to be a fan favorite, but for a rainy saturday afternoon, this movie hits the spot. For those of you going through a break up, there is some peace to be reached after watching the movie. It's cleansing in a way.

#68 - Producing Adults

So what better way to break this blogger's rut than by reviewing a Finish queer movie from 2004. There's a better way you say? Lies!

So, what to say about this film? Well, Variety does get it right - it was entertaining, and it was also charming, but it also was dark. It is by no means a happy go lucky movie. The themes are indeed for mature audiences. The viewer grows like the characters, even if you are left pretty much frustrated by all of them.

I guess the best way to describe the film is by saying that it was like it captured a group of people in a particular moment in time. There is not a lot of exposition, but that doesn't mean that it's not hard to figure out what is going on in the film. Near the end, there isn't a lot of wrap up, just a lot of things left unsaid, and not entirely resolved for the future. However, this does not detract from the actual film itself. This in itself does make the movie charming and since there is this humane quality to the film, it also makes it easier to forgive that characters for their transgressions, which believe me - there are plenty.

Summary

The film starts off focusing on the long term relationship between Venla and Antero. She finds out that she is pregnant, but soon after miscarries, which wasn't so accidental. This however, has left Venla wanting a child. Meanwhile, that would be the last thing in Antero's mind, especially since he is focusing on his Olympic dreams. A good portion of the movie is spent with both willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that their desires are achieved. The extremes that both characters are willing to go are pretty comical, but on the hand, when one begins to think of the desperation in both of the, one is left feeling sorry for them.

One such extreme lands Venla receiving help from her co-worker, Satu. Here is where the real romance begins. The two women fall in love with each other and try to prevail despite the baggage that both of them carry.

Like I previously mentioned, the ending of the movie does a provide some kind of resolution, but nothing is completely left closed. The audience is left to assume the fate of the characters, albiet it - it is a happy fate.

Criticism

This was a good movie and I don't really have many negative things to say about it. The acting and cinematography were both really great. A small problem I had with the film was the way that men were treated by the film. For most of the movie, they were portrayed as jackasses or idiots. At the end, most do receive a reprieve, and they are shown as multi-dimensional people, but I feel like the damage had already been done.

All in all however, it was a decent movie and I would look into into it and see what you think of it.