LOGO lists "50 Greatest Gay Films"

[Ben Varkentine]

LOGO, the nominally gay and lesbian network (that wouldn't run an ad by the UCC promoting their message of acceptance) has complied a list of the "greatest gay films of all time."

I thought I'd post it as kind of a counterbalance to that article I posted a while back which argued that most gay films suck. Here are a few at least, that some people think do not.

http://www.logoonline.com/shows/events/ ... ners.jhtml

Lesbian-themed titles include Bound, Desert Hearts, Tipping the Velvet, But I'm a Cheerleader, Aimée & Jaguar, Better Than Chocolate, When Night Is Falling, Fingersmith, Chutney Popcorn, D.E.B.S., The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, If These Walls Could Talk 2, Girl Play, and Gia.

[Knock yourself out]

Hey, I was just about to post this

Glad to see Desert Hearts in the top ten and a film featuring Amber Benson at number two.

[xita]

Not surprised the top ten is mostly gay male films. It was the audience afterall that voted. This of course led to some truly craptastic films being kinda hi (both men and women's). So from the top 20:

the great:

brokeback mountain
beautiful thing
bound
desert hearts
angels in america
priscilla


the crappy:

Tipping the Velvet
Trick
Better than chocolate
chutney popcorn

[Alcy]

Glad to see they rated DEBS above Boys Don't Cry!!!

An excellent outcome!

Two too many Sarah Waters penned movies in the top twenty...decidedly over-rated books let alone films!

In the end though...this list really says to me that we need to make more lesbian themed films!

[Knock yourself out]

I have to mention Aimée and Jaguaragain. It's a great film.

I love Sarah Waters books but she is over-rated (particularly her new one The Night Watch) but, IMO and rather bizarrely, her best book, Affinity, is under-rated.

[DaddyCatALSO]

Interesting the Making Love (panned at the time) got on the list and Lianna (well received at the time ) didn't.
I've only seen MAking Love once and agreed with the critics. I'll admit that Lianna didn't hold up enarly as well in a second and third viewing ten years later comapred to how I reacted when I first rented it.
Of course there's a question of impact as well as pure cinematic/literary quality.
[/i]Making Love was a major-studio effort shown in large theaters with name performers. Lianna was a John Sayles art-house piece with a W"ho's that?" cast. (And honestly I have to say I regard Ruth as basically a negative character, more so than Harry Hamlin's Bart.)
It is a kind of progress when a list of 50 Greatest can be made and worthwhile material has to be left off.
Here's keeping my fingers crossed that soem producer is putting together a police procedural with SMG as a rookie detective, Will SMith as her world-weary senior aprtner, a Terence Stampp type as the serial killer they're chasing, and Amber in a small but crucial part as SMG's exasperated g/f.....

[dorksrcool]

Aimee and Jaguar, Unveiled (Fremde Haut), Saving Face are the best lesbian films I've ever seen.

[jsr]

Okay, where the hell is Fire and Antonia's Line in these lists???

And I don't know how Desert Hearts got in the top 10 -- just because it was one of the first doesn't mean it's one of the best.

Better than Chocolate getting into the top 20 is a travesty. That was probably one of the most uneven movies I have ever seen my life. Skinheads? In the industrial US maybe, but Canada??

And Girl Play getting into this list at all just shows you how biased it really is (I believe Logo is distributing this movie -- I know when I caught it in NY the creators spoke that they were in negotiation).

Other conspicuous absentees: Kissing Jessica Stein and Saving Face

[urnofosiris]

Oh Jill my dear, just be glad they did not vote for Gigli.

[Knock yourself out]

Other conspicuous absentees: Kissing Jessica Stein and Saving Face

These lists are just sent to annoy us. In the UK, C4 regularly have top fifty list programmes such as "Fifty films to see before you die" and you just know you'll be glaring at the screen for most of it - because I think you can definitely get through life without seeing The Breakfast Club and The Ipcress File

Anyway, I think Fucking Amal should be on the list (better known as Show Me Love; I can't think why they changed the title).

[roomforsquarez]

I agree that Kissing Jessica Stein and Saving Face should have been up there. Lost and Delirious and Philadelphia deserve to be up in the top ten and I don't see them on the list! Those two movies are really powerful and pulled at my heart.

[Ben Varkentine]

I think you can definitely get through life without seeing The Breakfast Club

Says you! I may not be a lesbian (may?) , but I was a teenager in America in the '80s, and that film is necessary.

On the other hand, I think Kissing Jessica Stein is kind of predictable and trite, and mostly like Better Than Chocolate, so you may not want to go by me.