The Monkey's Mask (2000, 91 min, US)
Director: Samantha Lang
Studio : Strand Releasing
Starring: Kelly McGillis, Susie Porter, Marton Csokas, Deborah Mailman, Abbie Cornish
REVIEW:
The Monkey's Mask is a stylish and sex-drenched lesbian murder mystery that we can all enjoy. This Sydney-set film was adapted from a novel by screenwriter Dorothy Porter. Susie Porter (of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode 2) stars as Jill, a 28-year-old private investigator who is hired by the parents to locate their missing daughter Mickey, a poetry-obsessed student. Jill jumps at the opportunity - but she soon gets sidetracked by an intense affair with Mickey’s lusty poetry lecturer, Diana (Kelly McGillis). More complications arise when Mickey’s strangled body turns up. Rather than move on from both Mickey’s case and the torrid affair with Diana, Jill becomes more involved with both. There are enough twists and turns to beguile mystery lovers, and even more flesh for those who enjoy onscreen Sapphic love. McGillis, (The Accused, Top Gun, Witness) is unabashedly sexual here and as the cute, albeit not quite Hercule Poirrot gumshoe, Porter provides a fine foil. Gorgeously composed in cinemascope, flawlessly acted, Monkey’s Mask is cinematic poetry of the highest – and sexiest - order.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
The Monkey's Mask at TLA Video OR The Monkey's Mask at Wolfe Video

The New World (2007, 92 min, France)
Director: Étienne Dhaene
Studio : Casque D'Or Films
Starring: Grégory Fitoussi, Natalia Dontcheva, Patrice Juiff, Vanessa Larré
REVIEW:
In this clever tale, the lives of a lesbian couple in Paris are disrupted when one of them accidentally announces in front of an entire karaoke club that she wants to have a baby.
Loaded with wit and charm, The New World is an innovative and playful take on the modern lesbian and gay baby boom. A happy and healthy couple, Luis and Marion live contented lives, each enjoying their successful jobs and their fast-paced nightlife. But deep inside, Luis (the stunning beauty Natalia Dontcheva) dreams (literally) about becoming a mother. When she abruptly relays this bit of information to her sexy, soft butch partner, Marion (Vanessa Larré), she doesn’t immediately warm up to the idea. But what can be so hard about having a child? Their closest friends, a quintessential lesbian couple, already have wonderful children, and Luis and Marion don’t expect their families to have a problem with their decision. Not so fast though. The motorcycle-driving butch is not 100% ready to give up her urban lifestyle, even though she keeps telling her religious mother that she’s ready for motherhood. Meanwhile, the momma-to-be unexpectedly receives some resentment from her own liberal family. Then the sperm donor now wants a more active role in raising their child. As for their friends, the perfect lesbian moms split up! Talented director Étienne Dhaene skillfully crafts a wry and heartwarming tale that breaks the old conventional idea of family, while poetically telling us that in today’s world, family is how you identify it. (French with English subtitles)

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
The New World at TLA Video

Nina's Heavenly Delights (2006, 85 min, Scotland, Great Britain)
Director: Pratibha Parmar
Studio : Here!
Starring: Adam Sinclair, Art Malik, Atta Yaqub, Francisco Bosch, Kathleen McDermott, Laura Fraser, Raad Rawi, Raji James, Rita Wolf, Ronny Jhutti, Shelley Conn, Veena Sood, Zoe Henretty
REVIEW:
Three years ago, on the eve of her arranged marriage in Scotland, Nina ran away to London in search of the life and true love that she really wanted. After her father's unexpected death, Nina must now return home to face what she has so desperately tried to avoid, and, in doing so, she uncovers two secrets: Half of her family's curry house was lost on a gambling debt, and her father qualified for the finals of the "Best of the West Curry Competition." Eager to right her wrongs, Nina enlists the luscious new co-owner, Lisa, to win the cook-off contest, but an unforeseen ingredient shakes up their preparation plans. After an exhausting yet exhilarating night in the kitchen, their sneaking glances and tender touches hit each other with the searing heat of chilies to the tongue, and a passionate connection ignites the very sensation that Nina has been yearning for. A fiery, clandestine affair begins, but Nina must choose between her traditional family values and her new-found sizzling love. Like spices in a delicious curry, director Pratibha Parmar skillfully blends a vivacious cast of characters, vibrant Bollywood-style musical numbers and clever humor in this zesty, delightful comedy.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Nina's Heavenly Delights at TLA Video OR Nina's Heavenly Delights at Wolfe Video

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1989, 165 min, GB)
Director: Beeban Kidron Studio: Fox/BBC
Starri ng: Geraldine McEwan, Charlotte Coleman
REVIEW:
Adapted for BBC-TV by Jeanette Winterson from her novel of the same name, “Oranges” chronicles the coming-of-age of a young British lesbian, Jess (Geraldine McEwanin). In her turbulent struggles with her domineering evangelist mother (Charlotte Coleman), Jess grows up to be a fiercely independent young woman.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Oranges are not the Only Fruit at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Didn't see it, but would like to do so.
?

Orlando (1993, 93 min, GB)
Director: Sally Porter Studio: Columbia
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, Quentin Crisp, Lothaire Bluteau, John Wood, Jimmy Somerville
REVIEW:
This sumptuously filmed comedy of sexual mores, attitudes, and gender-switching stars the luminous Tilda Swinton as Orlando, a bewitchingly androgynous young man in the 1600s who, through a deal made with Queen Elizabeth I (regally played by Quentin Crisp), becomes immortal. As the centuries go by, Orlando strolls through the elaborate pageant that is English history, and during his adventures for love and self-discovery, he changes sexes, yet all the while, retaining his/her independence, kind heart, and a droll sense of humor to her adventure-filled fate. Though this film is not overtly lesbian, it was adapted from Virginia Wolf’s novel of the same name which was
written for her lesbian lover.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Orlando at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Orlando
Love this Film! Not really totally lesbian, but written by a gay woman, Virginia Woolfe, for her GF and it is a powerful, beautiful, movie.
*****
Our House: A Very Real Documentary About Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents (2000, 57 min, US)
Studio: Cinema Guild
REVIEW:
A must-see for lesbian and gay parents everywhere as kids take center stage in voicing their thoughts on growing up as children of gay and lesbian parents. The film focuses on five different families ñ all of diverse incomes, races, communities (from Arizona to southern New Jersey), and household arrangements (single queer parents, lesbian mom raising her kids with her female lover, two gay men raising a family.) A fascinating, frank exploration that elicits startling comments by the children (most, but not all, supportive), the parents and even straight parents who share custody. They talk of their comfort in telling their friends and classmates, their thoughts on whether they themselves might be gay or lesbian (usually not), and even the underlying anger at being different. Directed with great sensitivity by Meema Spadola, herself the daughter of a lesbian mother.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Our House: A Very Real Documentary About Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Our House
Didn't see it, but sounds like a great documentary.
?

Pandora's Box (1928, 110 min, Germany)
Director: G.W. Pabst Studio: Kino
Starring: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner
REVIEW:
This expressionistic classic features a luminous Louise Brooks as the sexually insatiable Lulu, a prostitute who ensnares a series of men and one woman with her fetching beauty and beguiling indifference. This is the first film to present a well-developed lesbian character, Countess Geschwitz (Alice Roberts), one of the people who falls in love with the temptress.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Pandora's Box at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Pandora's Box
Didn't see it, but would love to do so.
?

Paris Was a Woman (1995, 75 min, US)
Director: Greta Schiller Studio: Zeitgeist
Starring: Sharl Benstock, Berthe, Giselle Freund, Sam Steward, Dr. Catherine Stimpson
REVIEW:
From the director of “Before Stonewall” comes this alternately interesting and scholarly documentary centering on the lives of several expatriates who lived and worked in Paris between the wars. Paris, specifically the area known as the Left Bank, became an intellectual, religious, racial, sexual, and political haven for so many artists, including Hemingway, Joyce, and Picasso. But this well-researched documentary probes past the era's “stars” and focuses on the many women and lesbians who also thrived, those being Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, publishers Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier, New Yorker columnist Janet Flanner, heiress Natalie Barney, painter Romaine Brooks, and Djuna Barnes and her lover Thelma Woods.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Paris Was a Woman at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Paris Was a Woman
Love this documentary! Not really totally lesbian, but a wonderfully done piece of herstory.
*****
Personal Best (1982, 124 min, US)
Director: Robert Towne Studio: Warner
Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly, Scott Glenn
REVIEW:
One of the earliest and best handled Hollywood dramas on lesbianism. The story follows the relationship of two women athletes who become friends and then lovers during tryouts for the Olympics. Mariel Hemingway is tenderly affecting as the younger, unexperienced woman who finds that her love for this woman is a fleeting foray on the road to her eventual heterosexual life.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Personal Best at TLA Video OR Personal Best at Wolfe Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Personal Best
The first lesbian film I ever saw at a movie theater. Girl gets girl, girl loses girl--to boy. Sad ending on this one.
***
Person of Interest (2009, 97 min, US)
Director: Christopher Ward, Studio : Ariztical Entertainment
Starring: Elise Rovinsky, Cuyle Carvin, Julie Bell
REVIEW:
Three professional women have disappeared from a small New England town in a period of just 18 months. Sheriff Nickie Welles (Elise Rovinsky), who has learned that state budget cutbacks will soon eliminate her job, is determined to find out who's behind these terrible crimes. In an act of desperation, Nickie asks James Hart (Cuyle Carvin), a local psychic, to help solve this tragic mystery before her tenure comes to an end. However, Detective Sandra Franks (Julie Bell), Nickie's lover, believes James is a fake and that her girlfriend is in over her head. James has problems of his own. Troubled by a sleep disorder, he checks himself into a hospital where he meets an oversexed nurse who will become the next victim of these mysterious crimes. James suspects someone is out to frame him. Could it be Sandra? Ultimately their investigation will uncover a terrible secret that will bring Nickie, James and Sandra to the brink.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Person of Interest at TLA Video OR Person of Interest at Wolfe Video

Queen Christina (1933, 97 min, US)
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Starring: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lewis Stone
REVIEW:
This classic drama features a severely beautiful Greta Garbo as the reluctant queen who spends much of the film dressed as a male. In an early scene, a trouser-wearing Garbo hugs and plants a full kiss on her lady-in-waiting (Elizabeth Young). Later, Christina comes upon the woman pledging her love to a man; jealous and hurt, she impestuously runs away from the castle. Christina eventually falls in love with a Spanish emissary, and the drama quickly turns into a heterosexual love story.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Queen Christina at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Queen Christina
Didn't see it, but would love to do so.
?

The Rainbow (1989, 104 min, GB)
Director: Ken Russell
Starring: Sammi Davis, Amada Donohoe, Glenda Jackson, Christopher Gable
REVIEW:
Sammi Davis is great as Ursula, the earnest young woman whose sexuality erupts as she yearns for true love, self-respect, and independence in a society which frowns on all three. Amanda Donuhoe is delightfully decadent as Winifred, Ursula's gym instructor, seductress, and mentor. (This video is currently out of print and is not available for sale, but may possibly be found for rent.)

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): The Rainbow at TLA Video


The Real L Word Season 1 (2010, US)
Studio : Paramount, Showtime
Cinematographer: Gretchen Warthen
Composer: Raney Shockne
Creator: Ilene Chaiken
Subject: Jill Sloane Goldstein, Nikki Weiss, Rose Garcia, Scarlett Hernandez, Mikey Koffman, Whitney Mixter, Tracy Ryerson e
REVIEW:
Fabulous, fashionable, and completely "hot", The Real L Word is reality TV that only Showtime can bring you. From Ilene Chaiken, the creator of The L Word, follow six of the most gorgeous, powerful, and fascinating lesbians of LA as they live life within the glamorous inner circle of Hollywood. No matter who you are, it won't be long until you're caught up in their drama.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
The Real L Word: Season One at TLA Video OR The Real L Word - Complete first season at Wolfe Video

Salmonberries (1991, 94 min, US)
Director: Percy Adlon Studio: Wolfe
Starring: k.d. lang, Rosel Zech
REVIEW:
Lesbian song goddess k.d. Lang bares her soul in this Canadian love story from the director of Bagdad Cafe. Not exactly a fulfilling experience for lesbians (no consummation), it is the presence of Lang and her accomplished soundtrack that makes the film notable.

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Salmonberries at TLA Video OR Salmonberries at Wolfe Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Samonberries
Didn't see it..
?

The Secrets 2007, 120 min, Israel)
Director: Avi Nesher Studio : Monterey
Starring: Ania Bukstein, Fanny Ardant, Hadar Galron, Michal Shtamler
REVIEW:
The bus arrives, bringing attractive, witty and intelligent Naomi (Ania Bukstein) to the picturesque town of Safed, one of the most sacred cities in Israel and the birthplace of Kabbalah. It is here that she is continuing her studies in Orthodox Judaism. This devout student is the daughter of a well-respected rabbi, but it was his repression of her that drove her away from home. She aspires to become the first female rabbi, but in conservative Jewish law, this dream is scorned. While at the seminary, Naomi meets the rebellious, secular teen Michelle, who just flew in from France. Polar opposites, they quickly bond when their headmistress asks them to look after a mysterious woman who is dying. Anouk (legendary French actress Fanny Ardant, 8 Women) is filled with secrets and seeks God’s forgiveness for her sordid past. Michelle and Naomi embark on a spiritual and emotional journey –- one that not only leads them to helping a lost soul but also opens their hearts to love. Filled with fervent passion and companionship, the two are inseparable. But with their cultural and religious beliefs, is love strong enough to keep these two amorous lovers together? With a tender touch and an acute eye for detail, acclaimed director Avi Nesher (Turn Left at the End of the World, Doppelganger) brilliantly tackles subjects taboo to a conservative community, including feminism, sexual awakening and lesbianism. Each character is tormented over what is right and what is seemingly wrong. These women struggle to find their place, but in the end it’s the journey that helps them find their way to personal salvation. (Hebrew and French with English subtitles).

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
The Secrets at TLA Video OR The Secrets at Wolfe Video

Seduction: The Cruel Woman (1985, 84 min, Germany)
Director: Monica Treut (& Elfie Mikesch) Studio: First Run Features
Starring: Mechthild Grossmann, Sheila McLaughlin
REVIEW:
This highly stylized and dreamlike exploration of sadomasochism stars Mechthild Grossmann as Wanda, a glamorous dominatrix and proprietor of the local “gallery” of bondage. As she moves from lesbian relationship to relationship, the film plumbs the depths of the dark side of sexual desire. Sheila McLaughlin also stars in this slick visual fantasy which is inspired as much by the photography of Helmut Newton as by Leopold Sacher-Masoch's 1869 work, Venus in Furs. (German with subtitles)

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Seduction: The Cruel Woman at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Seduction: The Cruel Woman
Didn't see it, but sounds like a hot time in the city!
?

Serving in Silence -- The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995, 100 min, US)
Director: Jeff Bleckner Studio: Columbia
Starring: Glenn Close, Judy Davis, Jan Rubés, Wendy Makkena, Margarethe Cammermeyer
REVIEW:
This is a television dramatization of the true story of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer's battle to remain in the Army after she came out as a lesbian. The Barbra Streisand-produced story stars Glenn Close as the 26-year veteran, Bronze Star winner and former Nurse of the Year who was booted out of the armed forces when, during routine security clearance screening, she admitted to being a lesbian. Close is steadfastly determined (and a bit cold) as a woman who refuses to compromise her beliefs and resolutely seeks reinstatement through the legal system despite pressure from the Army, her children, her former husband, and even her artist lover (played by Judy Davis).

For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s): Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story at TLA Video

Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review::
Serving in Silence
Another great one showing the unfair treatment of lesbians in the military. Wonderful acting by Glen Close.
****

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