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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2002)
FILM ▼ C e le b ra tin g t h e 3 o d y E r o t ic J u n e 1 -2 / P o r t l a n d Come alive to the power o f your erot ic energy. Open your body, mind and spirit to a world o f pleasure. Discover deeper levels of communication with yourself and others. Honor yourself with the gift of touch. Bodij Electric School Photographic voyeurism abounds in Chop Suey Pretty pictures P retty boys and p retty girls make for p retty queer film this m onth Chop Suey Jessica (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a workaholic writer and copy editor for a magazine in New York. As the piles (and piles and piles) of books ay fashion and portraiture photographer in her apartment show, she is extremely well Bruce Weber exposes the public to his read and educated. She’s also beautiful and amazing private collection and into the world of his photographic obsession— beautiful, funny, hut she just can’t find the right guy. It isn’t for lack of trying. In a hilarious string of scenes, young men, mostly nude— in his latest docu all of her dates arc simply useless hufftxins. mentary, Chop Suey (opening March 15 at Simultaneously, Helen (Heather Juergensen) Hollywood Theatre). is getting it on with her latest boy toy and run Eyeing a young Peter Johnson at wrestling ■ ning a successful art gallery. Her work and social practice, Weber hauls him into his voyeuristic life are frill of queers, hut she’s never had the urge field and s<xin makes him into a sought-after until recently, noting it’s "the one thing I’ve never model for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Versace— done." With the help of an adorable gay hoy and as well as a homoerotic icon. Johnson appears a Kxik of quotations, she places a personal ad. throughout the film, hut the real stars are Weber Jessica finally finds a personal ad worth photographs and their accompanying stories. answering. But it’s under Women Seeking Chop Suey is, like the dish, a mishmash of Women. Well, how had could it he.7 images, textures and flavors. Weber’s appealing, H ence, these two straight-but-not-narrow soft voice-overs lead the audience through a gals embark upon a whole new world of history ot diverse personalities he has photo homosexuality. graphed. A standout is singing/pianist legend Instead of being shallow, trite or homopho Frances Faye, who is shown in a multitude of video clips intercut with comments from her bic, this whole seemingly impossible situation works like a charm. Tire femme women amus longtime lesbian partner. Scenes follow one another with no real tran ingly jump through the h<xips of gender norms and expectations: W ho opens the dtxir? W ho sition: O ne moment you’re watching a naked pays the hill.7 Are we having sex yet? supermixlel frolic with a dog, the next you’re hearing about Robert Mitchum’s jazz singing. Poor, neurotic Jessica tackles lesbianism as a research project rather than an emotional It’s shot mostly in black and white, which investment, which she has trouble making. Her emphasizes the simple beauty of the male form. This film is any photographer’s wet dream. wisecracking best friend, ex-boyfriend Kiss and Jewish matchmaking mother all want to know That said, this isn’t a normal documentary what’s going on in her life, hut she is too about one person or even a related group of peo uptight to tell them. ple, and it’s nonlinear as well as non-narrative. This is an experimental art house movie that, at The movie (opening March 20 at Fox Tower two hours, is about 20 minutes uxi long. Cinemas) also has its drawbacks. These two women literally are the definition of lesbian The images are beautiful, hut the concept is difficult to follow. Bring your patience. chic—every heterosexual man’s fantasy, really (see — Lisa Bradshaw photo). And Jessica can he so extremely annoy ing, it becomes hard to imagine why the reason ably ctxil Helen continues to hang in there. The worst sequence is a wedding at which the couple pon hearing the premise of Kissing Jessica become the object of attention—five minutes of Stein, my stomach queer audience eye rolling ensues. churned. Two straight women But Westfeldt and decide to see whether Juergensen, who also they’d like to get it wrote the screenplay, on and he lesbians for balance the unreal a while or, hey, maybe qualities with logical forever if it works out. grounding comments This could have been from minor charac very bad. ters; one of Helen’s Fortunately for all gay friends, angry at audiences, it’s not. Two straight girls find love in Kissing Jessica Stem her mild dabbling in B Bridges Vocal Ensemble — in concert- Spring Tonic ¿Friday <§' Saturday ¿April 12th <§’ 13th 8pm Kissing Jessica Stein The Echo Theater — 1515 SE 37th, Portland— (|ust south of The Baghdad Theatre at 37th A Hawthorne) 503 - 242-1675 ill for more information— Tickets (General Seating} $ 1 5 advance at Gai Pied & It's M y Pleasure $ 17 at the door $12 for Students &. Seniors Parking can be a challenge— plan ahead!
