The Betsy (1978) Queer Film (F)
Loren Hardeman (Paul Ryan Rudd), the heir to Bethlehem Motors, is queer. Loren kills himself – it is Harold Robbins!
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Category: Streaming
A Different Story (1978) Queer Film (F)
That old you-can-switch-at-any-time scenario raises its ugly head. Interestingly, no photos of Foster with Curtain or King with Donat – their previous queer partners – appear in the stills library.
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Big Wednesday (1978) Queer Film (F)
Handled with the right tone, these scenes could have been funny, but Milius bungles it, and they end up as some of the most homophobic cinematic moments of a very homophobic decade.
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California Suite (1978) Queer Film C+
Meanwhile, Richard Prior, Bill Cosby and their onscreen partners suffer through one cringeworthy slapstick sequence after another.
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Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) Queer Film B+
This is one of the great unsung Queer films of the 1970s. Featuring a sublimely queer turn by Robert Morley, an actor who played his share of gay roles over the years. He won the Best Supporting Actor award of 1978 from both the Los Angeles Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics.
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Midnight Express (1978) Queer Film. Movie Fiction. C-
The movie “Midnight Express” is primarily based on fact, but the finished product is mostly a work of fiction.
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Nighthawks (1978) Queer Film (B)
Influenced by the films of Nicholas Ray, particularly Rebel Without a Cause, Peck uses a relaxed cinema verité style with innovative use of hand-held camera and superb use of close-ups.
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The Warriors (1979) Queer Film B+
Screenplay by David Schaber and Walter Hill based on the novel of the same name by Sol Yurick, which, in turn, was based on Anabasis – the journey of the Ten Thousand from Greece to Persia in 401BCE – by Greek soldier Xenophon. Directed with great style by Walter Hill. Cinematography by Andrew Laszlo.
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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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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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Bono: Stories of Surrender (2025) A-
The man, on stage, in Naples, without the rest of his U2 bandmates, is in a great voice and equally fine storytelling form.
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Beyond Utopia (2023) is one of the Best Documentaries of Recent Years A+
Director/Editor Madeleine Gavin masterfully combines these two storylines with some astonishing insights into what it’s like to live in North Korea
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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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Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) (2023) (A)
Photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn has directed a hugely enjoyable documentary about Hipgnosis, the duo who revolutionized the album cover as an art form.
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BS High (2023). Greed and Exploitation in American High School Football B+
American high school/college football is one big exploitation racket that massively exploits the young men on whose backs the whole system rests.
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Donyale Luna: Supermodel (2023) B+
Known “the first Black supermodel”, she was the first African-American model to grace the cover of Vogue – shot by photographer David Bailey – in March 1966.
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What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (2018) B-
The greatest movie critic of her generation. Pauline wrote the most incisive and respectful response. It was a gorgeous review of “Blade Runner”…
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The Curse (2023) is Making Me Feel Very Uncomfortable! A+
Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s brilliant “The Curse” brings out the masochist in me. Thanks to the genius of Emma Stone, it’s essential viewing
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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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