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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
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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!