august
2000 » J u t M t .33
Darcelle X V Productions presents
the 19th annuai
boyfriend, a seemingly dimwitted sheriff and an
acid-tongued spinster (scene stealer Lisa
Kudrow). Hilarious, unpredictable, bitchy and
touching, this film begs you to love the nasty
characters as much as the nice ones— and you
will. The DVD features both the regular and
widescreen versions of the film, a director’s
commentary and deleted scenes.
V ictor /V ictoria
Image
ulie Andrews reprises
one of her unforget
table film roles in this
all-new Broadway musical
version of the story. As a
down-and-out English
soprano, she teams with a
gay producer in 1920s
Paris to refashion herself
as Count Victor, the
world’s greatest female
impersonator. But can a
woman playing a man
playing a woman contin
ue the charade when
she/he catches the
amorous attention of a
macho Chicago gangster.7
This filmed version of the
Broadway show was one of Andrews’ final per
formances ever, before surgery forced her retire
ment from singing. W ith spectacular produc
tion numbers and new songs intermixed with
familiar tunes from the film, you’ll adore this
adaptation. The DVD features some back
ground on Andrews and the stage production
as well as two introductions by the actress her
self.
I t ’ s in the W ater
Wolfe
he small Southern town of Azalea Springs
is rocked to its core when a rumor breaks
out: Drinking the local water will turn you
gay! It certainly seems to be true in the case of
a local debutante, whose kiss with another
woman in a hospital supply room leads to out
rageous discrimination. It’s in the Water is funny
at times, although it tries too hard to wear its
heart on its sleeve. W ith a cast including gay
men, lesbians, drag queens and people with
AIDS, it really wants to be everything to
everyone. This is one of those rare gay films
that you could watch safely with your parents
but that might feel a little patronizing if you
watched it with queer friends. The DVD fea
tures a commentary track by the lesbian direc
tor and her two (straight) female leads as well
as an isolated track for the score and theme
song.
K iller C ondom
Troma
robably the strangest gay video you ever
will see, Killer Condom is a German film
adaptation of the famous comic books by
ay creator Ralf Konig. Gay detective Luigi
4ackeroni must search the streets and brothels
t New York to find and stop a condom with a
oracious appetite. It already has eaten dozens
f men’s dicks— and one of Luigi’s balls— and
ow seems to be spawning equally hungry car-
ivorous children. W ith the help of his hustler
oyfriend, a police partner out of his element
nd one ugly drag queen, Luigi tries to make
"*e city safe for safe sex. Surreal and funny, this
not for the squeamish but would make a
reat party film. T he DVD features English
jbtitles, lots of production stills, trailers and a
ammentary track by the director and the spe
cial effects man, who get increasingly drunker
the more they talk about dicks and condoms!
V ampyres
Anchor Bay
xploitation movies of the 1970s featured lots
of scantily clad or naked women, and the
1974 cult horror film Vampyres ranks among
them. What makes it dif
ferent is this British
import is about two bisex
ual female vampires who
lure men to their estate to
feed on their blood.
Although it was released
as X-rated— it’s tame by
today’s standards— it still
was censored. However,
Vampyres is uncut on this
DVD. I’ll warn you that
the film has nothing
political or even especial
ly queer-themed other
than some steamy sex
scenes, so I only am rec
ommending it to queer
horror fans, goth kids and
anyone with a taste for
exploitation. The DVD
features trailers, produc
tion stills and a hilariously ribald commentary
track between the director and producer.
M ore T ales of the C ity
DVD International
rmistead Maupin’s well-loved series of books
so far has been translated into two television
Iminiseries, but only the second is available
on DVD. The story follows a group of charac
ters— gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual and trans-
gendered— through the heyday of San Francisco
in the late 1970s. Nominated for five Emmy
Awards the year it was made, More Tales o f the
City is great fun for everyone, with tremendous
scripts, bravura acting and a story that is by
turns dramatic, humorous, horrific and sexy.
Available in a
two-DVD
boxed set, More
Tales itself is
almost six
hours long. You
also get more
than 4 1/2
hours of audio
commentary
from the writer
and stars, delet
ed scenes,
rehearsal
footage, pro
duction photos,
handwritten script pages, a tour of the sets and
props, interviews with the cast and much more.
The boxed set is one of the best examples of
how important DVD technology can be for
those who truly enjoy the art of filmmaking.
And with Showtime now in prixluction on Fur-
ther Tales o f the City, here’s your chance to brush
up on the fabulous characters and stories.
■ To find these queer DVDs and others, visit Port-
land’s Gai-Pied, 2544 N .E . Broadway, or Movie
Madness, 4320 S.E. Belmont, or order them
through gay'owned Wolfe Video,
(800) G ET'W O LFE, or TLA Video,
(800) 333'8521.
A ndy M angels is a longtime Portland enter'
tainment writer with three books and hundreds o f
comic books and magazine articles to his credit.
You can unite him at AM angeLsSW@aol.com.
L a fem m e fMagnifique
International
Tageant
pageant to crown
te most glamorous
fem ale impersonator
*. in the w orld
Sunday;
September 3,2000
Ticket info:
(5031 222-5338
• pageant 8 pm
$25 • tables of ten available
Grand Ballroom • Double Tree Hotel-Jantzen Beach
www.darcellexv.citysearch.com
Portion of ticket soles donated to M m M. fdwards Scholarship Fund
909 North Hayden Island Drive
Portland, Oregon 97209 • Fa« [5031 248-6771
Music M illennium
R e c o r d s , T apes a n d C D ’ s S in c e 1969
Ml S I I
NW Portland
23rd & NW Johnson
( 5 0 3 ) 248-0163
Mil
I l N \
■
East Portland
32nd & E Burnside
(503)231-892.6
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Classical and Much More!
Anthony Hopkins
and
Jessica lange
star in a daring
epic of lust,
murder and
betrayal.
“Anthony Hopkins
is as brilliant
as over."
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
“tango's
performance