La Cage aux Folles (1979) Queer Film C+
What may have seemed like a scream fifty years ago now seems jaded, with just the occasional laugh. Still, it’s way better than the labored US remake.
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Category: Queer Film/TV
Hair (1979) Queer Film B+
Even though none of the principal characters is explicitly identified as gay, director Milos Forman’s Hair has a surprisingly strong queer subtext. The most important element is the relationship between Berger (Treat Williams) and Claude (John Savage). Berger immediately becomes fascinated with Claude, draws him into his world, changes his appearance and social identity, and ultimately makes an extraordinary sacrifice for him.
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To Forget Venice (1979) Queer Film B+
I do have fond memories this movie. It was my first deeply queer film and my first glimpse a gay relationship, albeit with an age disparity. It mattered to me. It’s beautifully acted and photographed (Romano Albani) and well worth seeing.
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Manhattan (1979) Queer Film A+
However, from a queer perspective, the standout, among all the gifts Woody gives us in this movie, is Meryl Streep’s blistering, low-key, no-nonsense turn as Isaac’s (Allen’s) second ex-wife, Jill. When they married, she was bisexual. When they broke-up she was a confirmed lesbian. She left him for another woman, and now she is writing a tell-all memoir about their marriage.
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All That Jazz (1979) Queer Film A+
Joe Gideon (superbly played by Roy Scheider, in an Oscar‑nominated role) is a Broadway director and choreographer, clearly modeled on Bob Fosse himself. Gideon is simultaneously staging a new Broadway musical (NY/LA) and editing a film (The Stand‑Up), mirroring Fosse’s real‑life juggling of Chicago and Lenny.
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Cruising (1980) Queer Film (F)
Gay men in New York protested the making of this movie, and they were right. It boasts not a single redeeming feature. Exploitation, anyone?
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Windows (1980) Queer Film (F)
Virulently homophobic movie, it was the only outing as director by legendary cameraman Gordon Willis. He and his two leading ladies should have known better.
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Can’t Stop the Music (1980) Queer Film (F)
Viewer beware! There is no camp here. Just Boredom. Utter boredom. I will never have this time back again.
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Fame (1980) Queer Film B-
Actor Paul McCrane’s token gay character, Montgomery, stood out as an honest and moving portrayal of a shy, talented young man.
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American Gigolo (1980) Queer Film (A)
Watching American Gigolo, you knew that Courtesy of Giorgio and Nando, two gay Italian men, glamor and fashion had returned to the world, not just Hollywood but the entire world.
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Times Square (1980) Queer Film (B)
.Director Allan Moyle’s “Times Square” is a gritty, punk‑infused queer coming‑of‑age drama set in pre‑Disneyfied Manhattan, where the city’s chaos becomes a refuge for two teenage girls who don’t fit anywhere else.
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Dressed to Kill (1980) Queer Film (A)
Thanks to Ralph D. Bode’s cinematography and Pino Donaggio’s haunting score, it is both a visual and an aural feast.
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Nijinsky (1980) Queer Film C-
“Nijinsky” asks the question: Why does a great artist go crazy? Ross and Wheeler, however, take a reductive approach and blame the woman.
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Paul’s Case (1980) Queer Film (A)
Beautifully realized by director Lamont Johnson, the film preserves Cather’s delicate psychological shading and queer-coded subtext. Eric Roberts’ performance is luminous—romantic, brittle, and heartbreaking. A star is born.
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Taxi zum Klo (1980) Queer Film A-
Groundbreaking semi-autobiographical German film that candidly explores the dual life of a gay man in West Berlin at the dawn of the 1980s.
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Last Call (2023): A Serial Killer Preys on Gay Men in New York A+
Caronna gives these five men back their dignity, something they were stripped of when they became victims of a horrific crime.
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Beef (2023) Queer TV. Yeun and Wong Astound Us. (A)
Created by Lee Sung Jin, the series boasts a wonderful script and spectacular turns by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as the central characters.
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Fellow Travelers (2023) Queer TV B+
“Fellow Travelers” is “The Way We Were,” with Jewish being replaced by Queer, Redford by Bomer and Barbra by Bailey. It’s compulsively watchable, just not a classic.
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Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) Queer TV (B)
Nicholas Galitzine, as Prince Harry, gives a perfect performance. Utterly believable. He’s the ONLY reason to see this. But he is reason enough!
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The Staircase (2022) Queer TV A+
The result: compulsive viewing for seven out of the eight episodes. Colin Firth is spellbinding. Toni Collette is equally superb.
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Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022). Queer TV. (A)
Evan Peters, Josh Braaten (young Jeffrey), Niecy Nash as nest-door-neighbor Glenda and a magnificent Richard Jenkins as Dahmer’s Father, all give stellar performances.
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The White Lotus (2021) – Queer TV A+
The action then unfolds in flashback…. Olivia and Paula instantly become the series’ Greek Chorus; the best-friend-duo from hell.
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Mrs. America (2020) and the renaissance of Jeanne Dielman. Queer TV. A+
Blanchett then slowly hangs up the phone and returns, defeated, to the kitchen. In un hommage à Akerman, the camera frames her in medium shot.
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The Dreamlanders
The Dreamlanders are a group of stock players, directed by John Waters, who have appeared in his films since their humble beginnings. Most of the original bunch live /lived in the Baltimore area.
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