Best Lesbian Film Reviews Page 4, lesbian movies, lesbian DVD reviews

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Page 1: Aimee & Jaguar to Clair of the Moon

Page 2: Daphine to Gia

Page 3: A Girl Thing to Looking For Cheyenne

Page 4: Lost and Delirous to Serving in Silence

Page 5: The Sex Monster to Wild SIde

Below is a list of some of the best films which deal with lesbianism. Most have been compiled by Raymond Murray, author of Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. Mr. Murray is also the founder and president of TLA Video, a wonderful company which features “hip, foreign, alternative movies;” among these are hundreds of movies featuring gay women and men. TLA has six stores and a huge Website where you can buy these great movies without the hassle of ordering from a local, sometimes homophobic, video store (see the index for more info). Thanks to Mr. Murray for giving us permission to use his great reviews. If you want more information on the films, or to purchase them, click on the movie name link below the reviews.

Aimee & Jaguar (1999, 126 min, Germany) Director: Max Farberbock Studio: Zeitgeist Starring: Maria Schrader, Juliane Kohler, Johana Wokalek, Heike Makatsch REVIEW: “Aimee & Jaguar” is a rare film. It leaves the audience weeping about the dire consequences an intense love has wrought, but exhilarated over the existence of such love. Aimee tells the true story of Lilly (Kohler) and Felice (Schrader), lovers in WWII Germany. Lilly is married to a Nazi officer away at the front and has many affairs while her husband is gone. Felice is the leading light of her circle of lesbians, in love with Ilse (Wokalek), but smitten with Lilly. Felice knows that the relationship is impossible, but she doesn't care. She's headstrong and she's met her soul mate. Felice is not only a lesbian, but Jewish as well . . . prime target for the Nazis to ship off to the camps. The story is told through flashbacks when Lilly is an old woman being brought to a retirement home where she happens to meet another of their circle from the war. More info on Aimee & Jaguar Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Aimee & Jaguar Sad story, but very important to watch. A history lesson that none of us should ever forget. ****	*Aimee & Jaguar*
All Over Me (1997, 90 min, US) Director: Alex Sichel Studio: New Line Starring:Alison Follard, Tara Subkoff, Wilson Cruz, Cole Hauser, Leisha Haley REVIEW: This independently made film wonderfully captures the growing pains of adolescence and the joy, tentativeness, and excitement of a gawky teenager’s emerging lesbian identity. Set in New York's Hell's Kitchen area, the story focuses on Claude (Alison Follard) and her best friend Ellen (Tara Subkoff). Claude feels completely alone, suffering not only from the typical neuroses of adolescence but from her unrequited love for Ellen, who is enthusiastically straight. Moody and uncommunicative, Claude eventually finds solace with a wannabe riot girl and fellow baby dyke, Lucy. This is a story about change, separation, and self-discovery that is both knowing and sensitive.. More info on All Over Me Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: All Over Me We saw it and liked it OK. **	All over Me
April's Shower (2003, 98 min, US) Studio: Here! Cast: Denise Miller, Joe Tabbanella, Maria Cina, Randall Batinkoff, Trish Doolan Director: Trish Doolan Screenwriter: Trish Doolan REVIEW: April’s Shower is a very funny, stylish romantic comedy of heterosexual marriages, lesbian passions and true love. April (Maria Cina) is getting married and has asked Alex (Trish Doolan), a chef and her former roommate, to host her bridal shower. But why is Alex sobbing a bit too wildly as she chops the onions? And when the guests start to arrive--the nosy make-up artist, Vicky; the flaming queen, Jake; Martha-Stewart-lite, Rita; April’s menopausal mother, Fran; and a host of other screwballs and oddballs--it becomes obvious that April is not the average bride-to-be. When April’s Latina friend Sophie arrives while in the midst of a fight with her lesbian artist lover Sasha, and the pizza delivery man decides to stay and chat with Jake and Alex’s brother, the party begins to unravel in earnest. The wine and food are flowing and a host of secrets, each more startling than the next, are revealed. In Trish Doolan’s well-scripted, well-acted Altman-esque tour de force, the laughs keep coming as do the gasps. The fun and frolicsome April’s Shower never ceases to surprise. More info on April's Shower	*April's Shower*
Amour de Femme A.K.A.: A Woman's Love (2001, 89 min, France) Studio: Picture This! Home Video Cast: Raffaela Anderson, Anthony Delon, Hélène Fillières Director: Sylvie Verheyde REVIEW: Jeanne, 35, is a successful osteopath in Paris, offering healing to others through massage and touch. Married, with a son of seven years, Jeanne expertly and willingly goes through the motions of a happy marriage, though her faraway manner belies this suggestion of satisfaction. But something unsettled brews from within. Attending a party with her husband, she meets a professional dancer named Marie, with whom she forms an immediate bond. Recalling times when she herself used to dance, Jeanne resolves to take lessons from Marie. Through dance, she begins to reacquaint herself with her own body (even as she has cared for the bodies of others), and with the expression of inner passion, which has been lacking in her marriage. When Marie reveals her sexual attraction to Jeanne, almost immediately Jeanne realizes that she feels the same way. Then, it’s only a brief matter of time before she falls in love – shocking a close friend in whom she confides, angering her husband as his suspicions of an affair grow stronger, and overwhelming Jeanne herself with waves of passion that lift her ever higher… and carry her farther and farther away from the life she has known. In a tour-de-force of direction, Sylvie Verheyde tells the compelling story of two passionate women weighing the undeniability of their love against forces that would keep them apart. Presented with depth and subtlety, the film glimmers with its director’s considerable storytelling prowess, and especially with the raw immediacy and passion of its leading performances. Helene Fillieres, as Jeanne, is a formidable screen presence: her stormy beauty simultaneously suggesting the terror with which she at first cowers from love’s promise, then lunges at it hungrily, epitomizing Jeanne’s greatest question in life: who is this woman that I am becoming? She is aptly paired with Raffaëla Anderson (of the controversial French feature BAISE MOI), whose Marie is the very picture of courageous self-determination, whether romancing Jeanne in quiet conversation, or wildly dancing with a commanding ferocity. Though the film sidesteps easy solutions to the challenges these women face, it is exhilarating for the force and conviction with which it depicts love’s disregard for convention and timidness, in a relentless flow toward its own truth. More info on Amour de Femme	*Amour de Femme*
Antonia's Line (1995, 93 min, The Netherlands) Director: Marleen Gorris Studio: Fox Lorber Starring: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans,Veere Van Overloop REVIEW: A celebration of the love, unity, and strength of women, this touching family chronicle/fable from lesbian director Gorris centers on four generations of women. The story, set in a small Dutch village, spans decades—from the devastation of the post-war period to the present—and follows the fiercely independent-minded Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy), who returns to her childhood farmhouse to till the soil and raise a family; all without the aid of the misogynistic townsfolk, a hypocritical church, and the often violence-prone men. Antonia is aided by her lesbian daughter, a granddaughter, and great-granddaughter and a group of social rejects who flock to her. This Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film is masterful storytelling that enthralls. (Dutch with English subtitles). More info on Antoinia's Line Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Anotonia's Line Didn't see it, but heard it is very good. ?	Antonia's Line
Bar Girls (1995, 95 min, US) Director: Marita Giovanni Studio: MGM Starring: Nancy Allison Wolfe, Lisa Parker, Camile Griggs, Paula Sorge, Justine Slater REVIEW: The mating rites and the accompanying mind games of L.A. lesbians are uncovered in this knowing romantic comedy. Lauran Hoffman's script (based on her autobiographical play) centers most of the action at the West Hollywood Girl Bar where “love” comes easy and often for its denizens. Loretta (Nancy Allison Wolfe), a writer and one of the bar's bed-hopping regulars, meets and all-too-quickly falls for the self-assured Rachel (Liza D'Agnostino), a bewitching aspiring actress. Their union is threatened, More info on Bar Girls Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Bar Girls Good ol' Lesbian Movie. ***	Bar Girls
Basic Instinct (1992, 127 min, US) Director: Paul Verhoeven Studio: Artisan Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzunda, Dorothy Malone REVIEW: When it opened at theatres, this thriller was surrounded by controversy for it raised a red flag for gays, lesbians, and feminists with its shockingly “retro” stereotypes of man-hating lesbians with a “basic instinct” for murder. The film follows Michael Douglas as a burned-out cop who falls in “lust” with the prime suspect in a series of brutal ice pick murders, lasciviously portrayed by Sharon Stone. “Basic Instinct” is seen by some as the despicable leader of “the lesbian as killer” genre, and others view it as a sexy tale of a lesbian who enjoys the pleasure of other women as well as sticking ice picks into men. More info on Basic Instinct . More info on Basic Instinct Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Basic Instinct When buying tickets for this movie, a friend asked for "Two for Basic Insults." We liked it way better than that, although the Bi Woman, Psycho Killer Theme persists.. ****	Basic Instinct
Better Than Chocolate (1999, 98 min, Canada) Director: Anne Wheeler Studio: Trimark/Trimark Starring: Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Anne-Marie MacDonald, Peter Outerbridge, Marya Delver, Kevin Mundy, Tony Nappo, Jay Brazeau REVIEW: Winner of Audience Awards in the Philadelphia, London and Toronto Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals, this enjoyable tale tells of lesbian love winning against all the odds. When 19-year-old Maggie’s mother calls and says she is moving in, Maggie, who quit law school and has been sleeping on the couch at the lesbian book store, must find a sublet apartment and make it livable fast. To complicate matters, she has just met Kim, an artistic road warrior who has rolled into town and moved into both Maggie’s heart and ‘her new home. But Maggie hasn’t come out to her mother yet so it’s time to hide the sex toys and “straighten up.” Add to the picture her lovesick best friend Judy, a transsexual estranged from her family; her uptight lesbian boss; and Maggie’s randy teen brother who gets a few lessons on life, and you get an entertaining romantic comedy of errors and the frailty of the human heart. More info on Better Than Chocolate Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Better Than Chocolate GREAT HAPPY STORY that everyone should see! *****	Better than Chocolate
Bound (1996, 108 min, US) Director: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski Studio: Artisan Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano REVIEW: Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly star as neighbors who become lovers first, then partners in crime. The question in this film is who will betray whom. “Bound” is an unexpected accomplishment, stylishly shot and edge-of-your-seat tense. It is also a landmark for its depiction of its lesbian heroines. More info on Bound. More info on Bound Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Bound Liked it, although the Bad Lesbian Theme persists. ****	*Bound*
Bound and Gagged—A Love Story (1993, 96 min, US) Director: Daniel Appleby Studio: Image Starring: Elizabeth Saltarrelli, Ginger Lynn Allen, Chris Denton, Karen Allen, Chris Mulkey REVIEW: This frantic lesbian comedy is an amazingly self-assured independent feature. Cliff, a slacker loser, finds that his best friend Elizabeth, a fun-loving but irrational bisexual, is hopelessly in love with an abused woman (former porn queen Ginger Lynn Allen). Things get out of control leaving the love-lorn Elizabeth no option but to abduct her love and hit the road, roaming the Midwest in a queer Thelma and Louise fashion. More info on Bound and Gagged - A Love Story Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Bound and Gagged—A Love Story Better left unsaid. *	*Bound and Gagged*
Boys Don't Cry (1999, 116 min, US) Director: Kimberly Peirce Studio: Fox Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III, Alison Folland, Alicia Goranson, Matt McGrath REVIEW: One of the best films of 1999, this fictionalized drama focuses on the tragic real-life story of Brandon Teena, a biological woman (Teena Brandon) who decided quite early to live her life as a man—a decision he paid for with his life. Hilary Swank, in an Oscar-Winning performance, is riveting as Brandon, a sweet, but far-from-perfect 21-year-old drifter who just simply wanted to be a boy and love women. The harrowing tale follows Brandon as he befriends and moves in with a group of poor but fun-loving people. He also falls in love with Lana (Chloe Sevigny in an equally impressive performance), a tough-talking gal who finally meets a man who respects her and treats her right. But when Brandon is exposed as a woman, ignorance, fear, and homophobia drive two of her male friends to violently confront him. More info on Boys Don't Cry Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Boys Don't Cry Very, very sad and violent movie, but important to watch.. ****	*Boys Don't Cry*
Boys on the Side (1995, 117 min, US) Director: Herbert Ross Studio: Warner Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore, James Remar, Matthew McConaughey, Estelle Parsons, Billy Wirth REVIEW: Whoopi Goldberg plays a lesbian who takes to the road with Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker in this life-affirming “Thelma and Louise + One” soap opera. Only problem with this free-wheeling comedy is that everyone gets laid except for our sweet Whoopi! More info on Boys on the Side. More info on Boys On The Side Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Boys on the Side Very good, but another sad movie. ****	Boys on the Side
But I'm a Cheerleader (2000, 90 min, US) Director: Jamie Babbit Studio: Universal Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Mink Stole, Bud Cort, RuPaul Charles, Cathy Moriarty, Clea DuVall REVIEW: Poor Megan (Lyonne) she may be a pretty high schooler, model student, and cheerleader who's dating the captain of the football team, but her loving parents think otherwise. You see, she's a vegetarian, she doesn't like kissing her boyfriend, and one can't ignore those Melissa Etheridge records. Afraid that their daughter will fall in with the dark forces of same-sex love, she is quickly carted off to “True Directions,” a scarily cheerful five-step de-homofication rehab camp. There she finds herself joined by a group of butch baby dykes, lipstick lesbians, and several queeny gay boys. Sapphic sparks fly when Megan locks eyes with Graham (DuVall), a tomboy beauty with no intention of going straight. More info on But I'm A Cheerleader Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: But I'm a Cheerleader Fun, fun, movie! We watch it every time it is on cable. ****	*But I'm a Cheerleader*
Celestial Clockwork (1994, 86 min, France/Venezuela) Director: Fina Torres Studio: Hallmark Starring: Ariadna Gil, Arielle Dombasle, Evelyne Didi REVIEW: In dusty Caracas, the lovely Ana suddenly comes to her senses at the altar and flees her stunned husband-to-be. She jumps aboard the next Paris-bound plane and takes up residence in a funky crash pad with her old friend Alma. Ana sets out to pursue her career as an operatic soloist, but along the way runs afoul of the immigration authorities and discovers her budding lesbianism, falling desperately in love with an attractive high-tech psychoanalyst who interviews all her patients remotely by video. This film is a highly entertaining ride with Ana on her picaresque journey to self-fulfillment. (Spanish and French with English subtitles) More info on Celestial Clockwork (Mécanicas Célestes) Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Celestial Clockwork Didn't see it, but heard it is very good. ?	*Celestial Clockwork*
The Celluloid Closet (1995, 102 min, US) Director: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman Studio: Columbia Featuring: Lily Tomlin, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley MacLaine, Tony Curtis, Tom Hanks, Gore Vidal, Quentin Crisp Inspired by the late Vito Russo's book on the depiction of homosexuality in Hollywood cinema, this documentary offers a candid mini-history of gays and lesbians onscreen. “The Celluloid Closet” takes a chronological approach to the subject, offering clips from the turn of the century through the silents, to the effeminate caricatures of the 1930s, the pitiful homosexual of the 1950s and '60s, the violently deviant homosexual of the '70s and '80s, and concluding with the squeaky clean image of recent times. While encompassing in scope, the film is simplistic; however, “The Celluloid Closet” is more than recommended. For something deeper, it is best to also read Russo's book. More info on The Celluloid Closet) More info on The Celluloid Closet Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: The Celluloid Closet Great documentary! Important for anyone in the GLBT community to watch. *****	*The Celluloid Closet*
Chained Girls (1965, 62 min, US) Director: Joseph Mawra Studio: Something Weird REVIEW: This “lost” lesbian camp documentary is a priceless cinematic gem. Attempting to be objective about the “problem” of lesbianism, the film takes us to their lairs (bars, apartments, and Greenwich Village) to show us what these sexually deviant women do. There are hilarious statistics thrown in; explanations of the different types of lesbians and acted out scenes of seduction, indoctrination, and recruitment. Mothers hold hard to your daughters! More info on The Chained Girls Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Chained Girls Didn't see it, but sounds like campy fun.. ?	*Chained Girls*
Chasing Amy (1997, 105 min, US) Director: Kevin Smith Studio: Disney Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Matt Damon REVIEW: "Chasing Amy” makes the proposition that a seemingly well-adjusted lesbian, one who states repeatedly that she is a dyed-in-the-wool dyke, needs only a penis to make her embrace heterosexuality. Ben Affleck plays a comic book artist who meets a kindred spirit (Joey Lauren Adams). After a few platonic dates, he finally breaks down and confesses his love for her. At first angry, she soon declares similar feelings and they begin a relationship. That is, until he discovers her sordid, straight past, which he can’t stop obsessing over. He then dumps her, while she tearfully pleas for forgiveness and understanding. More info on Chasing Amy! More info on Chasing Amy Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Chasing Amy We liked this one, even though it is the Boy Meets Lesbian, Boy TURNS Lesbian Into Straight? Bi? We were not sure. While this movie is very funny, it has a surprising emotional depth to it that is worth seeing. ****	*Chasing Amy*
The Children's Hour (1961, 107 min, US) Director: William Wyler Studio: Warner Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Veronica Cartwright REVIEW: Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are teachers at an all-girls' boarding school. When a vindictive little girl accuses the two of having an affair, their lives are ruined after a self-righteous community believes the unsubstantiated allegations. However, the rumor also forces MacLaine to come to terms with her closeted lesbian feelings. More info on The Children's Hour Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: The Children's Hour Sad movie with the Depressed, Oppressed, Repressed Lesbian Theme, but worth watching for the great actresses and also for a bit of history in lesbian movies. ***	*The Children's Hour*
Chutney Popcorn (1999, 90 min, US) Director: Nisha Ganatra Starring: Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra, Madhur Jaffrey REVIEW: Director, co-writer and star Nisha Ganatra explore the clash between the values of a traditional Indian family and their rebel lesbian daughter in this comedy. Reena (Ganatra) is a second generation Indian-American who rides a motorcycle, designs and photographs henna-tattoos and lives with Lisa (Jill Hennessy), her lovely, but commitment-fearing blonde American lover. Her defiant way of life and lack of proper decorum prove to be a constant annoyance to her mother (Madhur Jaffrey) as well as to Sarita, her happily married sister (also married to an American). But when Sarita is unable to conceive a child, Reena, mindful of having a chance to do something her "perfect" sister can't and to gain her mother's approval volunteers to bear the child. An inventive, charming, heartwarming dyke/family comedy. More info on Chutney Popcorn. More info on Chutney Popcorn Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Chutney Popcorn Loved this one! Fun look at young lesbians, and gives unique cultural insight into how families deal with their lesbian children. *****	*Chutney Popcorn*
Claire of the Moon (1992, 106 min, US) Director: Nicole Conn Studio: Fox Lorber Starring: Trisha Todd, Karen Trumbo, Faith McDevitt REVIEW: At an oceanside women writers' retreat in Oregon, Dr. Noel Benedict (Karen Trumbo), a brooding psychologist and lesbian author of “serious” books, finds herself rooming with her opposite—Claire (Trisha Wood), a willowy yet cynical straight blonde woman who is determinedly messy and fun-loving. Their budding relationship becomes a tense and inadvertently amusing cat-and-mouse game as they alternately try to overcome their insecurities, accept their true feelings, and pounce on each other. “Claire of the Moon” is a drama of simmering female sexual desire and equally strong denial. More info on Claire of the Moon. More info on Clair of the Moon Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review: Clair of the Moon Good ol' Lesbian Movie. ***	*Claire of the Moon*

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