Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2000)
Mily 7.2000 - | M tM t| 4 3 et S RE/MAX Happy, Texas, they must fulfill their roles or face getting caught. This incredibly funny com edy may sound anti-gay, hut Happy, Texas con stantly plays with the idea that the two men are gaining acceptance from rednecks just by being out. And William H. Macy, as the town’s sheriff, has his own coming out to do in scenes that will break your heart and make you cheer. W ith directors commentary, music videos, a making-ot featurette, outtakes, plus interviews, this DVD gets a strong recommendation. A special isolated soundtrack on the DVD version of Defying Gravity allows you to play the film’s music while a pictorial side show scrolls by on the screen. Jf ena fans will want to track down this gem to see star Lucy Lawless in two short films: i first as a butch tow truck driver attracted to a Maori woman, then as a Greek nurse who administers to a young girl (no lesbian subplot here, though). A bonus on this disk is Lavender Limelight, a documentary featuring interviews with seven lesbian filmmakers. Peach and A Bitter Song are available on video as two different tapes, but they’re nicely paired on DVD. bare-knuckle fighter from Blackpool i comes to London to explore his feelings, and he soon gets involved with an ambitious club promoter and record pro ducer. The two young men defy the odds against them in their relation ship— vastly different backgrounds, back biting friends and no refusal offers— but the boxer’s struggle with his own identity threatens to destroy him. Roger Dal- trey of the W ho plays a wickedly bitchy role as a club owner in this daring British film, which revels in contrasting grime and poverty with drugs and dance clubs. For the DVD, the cast is interviewed and so is the director, who reveals that the film is based on sexual escapades in his own past. R ites of P assage el and his son DJ arrive at their cabin mm in the woods to find youngest sibling Camp bell already there. Camp bell and Del have a strained relationship due to Del’s actions against Campbell’s recently deceased lover, but the tension is ratcheted higher when two escaped convicts raid the house— and Camp bell finds in one of them his new father figure! For me, the familial conflicts rang both familiar and fresh at the same time, and the cast is excellent. The DVD extra is a commentary track by the director and by the star (Jason Behr, teen heartthrob from Roswell) that reveals how the film arose from the director’s own conflicts with his father. n ie team behind The Matrix also created this oh-so-stylish thriller about a tougb i female ex-con (G ina Gershon) who gets involved with the mis tress (Jennifer Tilly) of "Funny, a d ve n fu i a powerful mobster (Joe Neu York TVnrs -jlf f l Pantoliano). T he two women must learn to “ Go Fishl trust each other to pull m e e ts ® off a dangerous scheme She's Gotta % to steal $2 million in Have ItyaH mob money, but deadly complications arise. Not for the prudish, the unrated DVD ver sion of Bound includes a few seconds more of the steamy sex scene between the two female leads, as well as reveal ing audio commentary from the two directors and Pantoliano— and famed bisexual author Susie Bright. G The Little Whirlwind P roperties ! For My Sweetie 5-3/4" Just Listed! Stately old Portland 4-plex. Big front porch w/ view of river. Investment opportunity! $ 1 8 5 ,0 0 0 B ound riff is a popular frat guy who has a big secret: He’s in love with ex-frat brother Pete. As Griff struggles to come to grips with his queer identity, Pete is gay-bashed and Griff must make some tough decisions. Will his best friend stand by him or dump him when he finds out the truth? This coming-out film deals solely with friendships— family takes a very secondary role— and although we might feel we’ve seen it (or lived it) before, it’s well-acted and worth a look. * 6 P each , A B itter S ong , L avender L imelight L ike I t I s D efying G ravity S ignature < T he W atermelon W oman || frican American lesbian Cheryl Dunye wrote, directed and stars in this engrossing docu mentary about her character’s search for “the Watermelon Woman,” an obscure black actress from the 1930s. When she finds A FILM B i out the actress had a ch eryli white woman for her DUNYE lover, reality begins blending with her pro ject— she’s dating a white woman herself— and the documentary veers off on a new course. Dunye uses a remarkable variety of filming techniques in this sassy and funny film, but the biggest surprise is reserved for the end of the film and the final credits. Very cool! The DVD includes a short interview with Dunye. ■ A ndy M angels is a longtime Portland enter tainment uniter with three hooks and hundreds o f comic hooks and magazine articles to his credit. You can write to him at AMangeLsSW@aol.com. Tina Schafer, g r i , a b r /Halt¿-Million Dollar Producer RE/MAX Signature Properties 2 8 2 -4 0 0 0 X 122 e-mail: tina@rmls.com Celebrate our 1 6th Anniversary with Storewide savings 1 5 % — 20% off 25%—50% off 10%-60% off custom fram ing selected unfram ed a rtw ork selected framed a rtw ork sale ends July 31 st V is it all 3 locations! QalCery International 1 0 0 2 4 ¿ '“TV C an yon % d TortCand, O reaon 9 7 2 2 5 503-644-9766 Gallery Gallery Southwest International East 8828 SW Hall Blvd 12 0 0 6 S E Sunnyside R d C la c k a m a s, O R 97 0 15 503 - 698-7375 Tigard, O re g o n 97223 5 0 3 -6 4 6 -2 6 7 9
