BlurayStreet » Gay & Lesbian

Running on Empty Dreams

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:25:59 +0000

Sydney has played the part of a devoted wife to her husband for years, but her world is shattered when she meets Jane and is instantly attracted to her. She is quickly overwhelmed with the intensity of her love for Jane and the lustful passion that they share. Now Sydney is faced with a choice between the forbidden love that she craves and the undying love of her husband.

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Latter Days

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:25:28 +0000

Huge festival and theatrical hit, Latter Days is the story of 19-year-old Elder Aaron Davis, a sexually confused Mormon missionary who moves into an apartment complex in West Hollywood with a fellow group of missionaries. There he meets a neighbor, Christian, who, on a bet, tries to seduce him. When Christian exposes Davis’ secret desire, Davis rejects Christian for being shallow and empty. As each boy’s reality is shattered, the two are drawn into a passionate romance that risks destroying their lives. Audiences, young and old and straight and gay, have been moved to tears by this beautiful story of the transformational power of love and family.Christian (Wes Ramsey of the washboard abs) is a waiter, party boy, and first-class man magnet. Elder Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss of the goofy grin) is a straight-laced Mormon missionary. When he and three elders, including the uptight Ryder (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mysterious Skin), move into Christian’s Hollywood apartment complex, it’s clear something’s got to give. Christian tries to make his new neighbors feel welcome, but they’re put off by his flamboyance–the short-shorts, the rainbow flag in his yard, etc. When Christian’s trash-talking pals at Lila’s restaurant, including the cynical Traci (Amber Benson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), bet that he can’t seduce one of these clean-cut young men, he takes them up on it and sets his sights on cute, soft-spoken Aaron. As a pretense, he asks to learn more about his Church, but where they really connect is over their love of old movies, everything from Psycho to Tommy. When Aaron accuses him of being shallow, however, Christian starts to wonder if the bet wasn’t such a good idea–plus he’s starting to fall for the guy. Turns out the closeted Aaron feels the same way about him, but when his roommates find out, he’s shipped back to Pocatello where he faces excommunication. Written and directed by C. Jay Cox (Sweet Home Alabama), a former Mormon missionary, Latter Days features Mary Kay Place as Aaron’s disapproving mother and Jacqueline Bisset as the acerbic, yet supportive Lila. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Mysterious Skin

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:25:19 +0000

Studio: Strand Releasing Release Date: 03/24/2006 Rating: NrThough the subject matter of Mysterious Skin is as sensational as that of Gregg Araki’s other films (such as Totally F***ked Up, The Doom Generation, or The Living End), his direction is richer and more multilayered than ever before. Two Kansas teenagers named Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You) and Brian (Brady Corbett, Thirteen) share a childhood trauma–but their responses are radically different: Neil hustles tricks, while Brady, who can’t remember what happened, believes he was abducted by aliens and left with “missing time.” As both try to make sense of their lives and Brian struggles to find out the truth, Mysterious Skin builds to an emotional pitch that some viewers will find uncomfortable and others will find liberating. The characters of Neil and Brian have a fullness that lifts Mysterious Skin above most examinations of sexual abuse and trauma. Gordon-Levitt has been deservedly praised by the critics, but the entire cast–which also includes Bill Sage (Simple Men), Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24)–turns in superb performances. A striking and powerful movie. –Bret Fetzer

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Queens

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:25:11 +0000

A whimsical, contemporary ensemble comedy that stars five of Spain’s most celebrated and beloved actresses as strong willed mothers learning to cope with the family conflicts surrounding the marriages of their sons during Spain’s first ever en masse gay wedding. Hilarious high jinx and mayhem unfold as the mothers learn to deal with their own prejuidices, history and desires. With the “I do’s” pending, will the hearts of the Queen mothers find the strength and love to give their sons away on their special day?

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It’s My Party

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:24:17 +0000

Writer-director Randal Kleiser (Grease) creates “a genuine family feeling” (Roger Ebert) with this “brave, funny and heartbreaking” (Rex Reed, The New York Observer) film starring Margaret Cho, Academy Award(r) winner* Lee Grant, Gregory Harrison, Academy Award(r) winner** Marlee Matlin, Olivia Newton-John, Bronson Pinchot, Eric Roberts, George Segal and Roddy McDowall. Roberts gives a “touching, urgent performance” (San Francisco Chronicle) as Nick, a man whose three-year battle with AIDS is about to come to a close. Rather than face debilitation, he chooses to end his life but not before throwing the greatest farewell party of all time. As friends and family gather for a bittersweet celebration, something incredible happens. It’s a two-daylong, uplifting, outrageous and life-affirming party that is ultimately Nick’s everlasting legacy.Director Randal Kleiser is so noted for featherweight fare like The Blue Lagoon and Grease that when It’s My Party hit theaters in 1996, critics clapped while filmgoers turned fickle. But it’s a potent and tear-jerking film if only because of the personal weight it bears. As Kleiser revealed in interviews at the time of the film’s release, the event that made him sit down and write the film “was so powerful it became a turning point in my life,” and this film is a fictionalized, heartfelt depiction of that event.

It’s My Party is about Nick (Eric Roberts) a young gay man whose AIDS symptoms become life threatening. He decides to toss a final party before he ends his life and invites his friends and family to this most special of special occasions. But then the ex-love of his life–a Kleiser-like film director (Gregory Harrison) who bailed on him after he was diagnosed with AIDS–arrives.

Kleiser called in favors from his friends and they all worked for scale. He said he “never worked on a set that was so supportive.” The result is a movie about AIDS that merits a second look not only because it is empathic and loving, but because it’s also defined by Kleiser’s honesty and self-critical desire for redemption. –Paula Nechak

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Sunday Bloody Sunday

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:23:39 +0000

OscarÂ(r) winners* Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch and John Schlesinger pool their talents for this ‘remarkable, exquisitely photographed [and] almost perfectly directed film (The Hollywood Reporter) about two Londoners coping with the noncommittal affections of the lover they have in common. Alex Greville (Jackson) and Daniel Hirsch (Finch) are deeply in love…with a young artist named Bob (Murray Head). And though Bob professes to love each of them, he moves freely between them,unencumbered by any sense of guilt. Realizing that their situation is a temporary comfort in an uncomfortable world, Alex and Daniel each grapple with their predicaments, she to face her fear of being alone, and he to come to terms with his homosexuality. *Jackson: Actress, A Touch of Class(1973), Women in Love (1970); Finch: Actor, Network (1976); Schlesinger: Director, Midnight Cowboy (1969)Sunday Bloody Sunday is a masterpiece from the days when movies, in general, were much more mature. As written by renowned film critic Penelope Gilliatt and directed by John Schlesinger, this complicated love triangle among three upscale Londoners was a milestone for its time, not simply for its nonchalant treatment of a homosexual relationship, but for illustrating the way sensible adults will negotiate for love, even if it’s inconvenient or destined to fail. A doctor in his forties, Daniel (Peter Finch, proving his greatness seven years before Network) loves the much younger artist Bob (Murray Head), who also loves employment counselor Alex (Glenda Jackson at her finest). There’s no deception between them–just the troubling dilemma of three lovers with differing degrees of certainty and commitment. Bob’s relative blandness is the film’s only weakness, but it’s tolerable in a drama so deeply understanding of complex human behavior. Deliberately paced but immensely rewarding to the attentive viewer, this was Schlesinger’s follow-up to Midnight Cowboy–two great films by a director in his prime. –Jeff Shannon

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Soldier’s Girl

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:23:38 +0000

The true story of Soldier’s Girl, which takes place in Fort Campbell, KY, tells the heart-wrenching story of the life and tragic death of soldier Barry Winchell. His love for Calpernia Addams, a beautiful transgendered nightclub performer was misunderstood by fellow soldiers and eventually leads to his brutal death. The outstanding performances by Lee Pace and Troy Garity will draw you into this emotional and powerful film.Cable networks like Showtime are diving into risky material that mainstream movie-makers shy away from–and Soldier’s Girl demonstrates the payoff of such risks. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity, Barbershop), new to an infantry base in Tennessee, gets taken to a nightclub for drag performers by an obnoxious fellow soldier, Fisher (Shawn Hatosy, Outside Providence). There he meets Calpernia (Lee Pace), a transgendered performer, and feels an immediate attraction. But as Winchell’s relationship with Calpernia develops, his relationship with the repressed Fisher grows dangerous to his career in the military–and possibly to his life. Based on a true story, Soldier’s Girl tackles its delicate subject matter directly but respectfully, with compassion and intelligence. Garity, Pace, and Hatosy all turn in compelling, complex performances, steering clear of stereotypes. Director Frank Pierson (screenwriter of Dog Day Afternoon) skillfully avoids easy answers or obvious solutions and was deservedly nominated for an Emmy as a result. –Bret Fetzer

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Dirty Laundry

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:23:30 +0000

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 12-FEB-2008
Media Type: DVDWhen Sheldon (Rockmond Dunbar, Soul Food) comes back to the small Georgia town he left ten years before, he discovers he has a son–and a whole lot of unresolved family secrets. Dirty Laundry follows Sheldon as he struggles to sort out his relationship with his domineering mother (Loretta Devine, Kingdom Come), his jealous brother (Maurice Jamal, who also wrote and directed), his snooty aunt (Jenifer Lewis, The Cookout), and his naive lover Ryan (newcomer Joey Costello), who follows Sheldon from New York. Dirty Laundry plays like a remake of Sordid Lives as it might be directed by Tyler Perry. Southern caricatures abound, everyone’s feuding with everyone else, gossip and good Christian values go hand in hand, and every church service features a dancing gospel choir. The characters are enjoyable and individual scenes play well, though the overall plot doesn’t amount to much. Devine storms through the movie like a force of nature, Lewis musters her highest dudgeon, and Dunbar manages to be prickly but genial at the same time, which is no simple trick. A warm, friendly, dysfunctional family romp. –Bret Fetzer

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A Home at the End of the World

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:23:27 +0000

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours comes a story that chronicles a dozen years in the lives of two best friends. The film charts a journey of trials, triumphs, loves and losses. Now the question is: can they navigate the unusual triangle they’ve created and hold their friendship together?Running Time: 96 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R Age: 08

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours comes a story that chronicles a dozen years in the lives of two best friends. The film charts a journey of trials, triumphs, loves and losses. Now the question is: can they navigate the unusual triangle they’ve created and hold their friendship together?

DVD Features:
Featurette:The Journey Home: behind-the-scenes featurette
Theatrical Trailer

Colin Farrell takes a break from action flicks (S.W.A.T., Alexander) to make A Home at the End of the World, an intimate film based on a novel by Michael Cunningham (author of The Hours). As a boy, Bobby (played as an adult by Farrell) loses both parents and his beloved older brother, ending up more-or-less adopted by the family of his best friend, Jonathan (played as an adult by Dallas Roberts). Jonathan’s feelings for Bobby go beyond friendship; Bobby is open to the possibilities. Bobby follows Jonathan to New York and falls into a relationship with Clare (Robin Wright Penn, The Princess Bride). The three form an alternative family, move out to the country, and discover that even alternative families have their dysfunctions. Bobby is so innocent and open he sometimes seems like a pansexual Forrest Gump, but Roberts, Wright Penn, and Sissy Spacek give rich performances. –Bret Fetzer

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Heavenly Touch

admin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:23:13 +0000

Nursing student Rodel supports his schooling by working nights at the Heavenly Touch Spa, a gay massage parlor. He likes working with his hands and his knowledge of anatomy make him one of the most desired workers. When he discovers that his high school crush, Jonard, is unemployed, Rodel decides to teach him the ropes (or is that rubs) and get him a job at the spa.
But Heavenly Touch Spa lives up to its name only for the gay men who support it, the place is really run by a crime syndicate the treats some boys cruelly, sells drugs and forces prostitution. As Jonard and Rondel uncover the seamy of the spa a tension builds that can only be released when justice is brought to all.

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