Other Lesbians in the Media

[Rally]

Hahah and I finally watched Chutney Popcorn at 2 in the morning Saturday. After an evening nap turned into screwing up me sleep schedule.

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Officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Killin Joke]

/swallow/ Note to self: remember to watch Bad Girls for the Happy Helen/Nikki End...

"In the half-tone light of a young morning she sighs and shifts on the pillow. And across her face dancing, the first shadows fly to kiss the Pussy Willow." (Jethro Tull)

[Dumbsaint]

I really dug Chutney Popcorn. The acting was mostly pretty good, I thought, and some of the shots were just gorgeous. Such a nice change from the usual lesbo indie film fodder where you can so often tell that what little money they had certainly was not spent acquiring people who knew anything about acting. Heh. It was also cool just to see a movie about Indian women in a family. And in the family.



Speaking of which, has anyone seen Deepa Mehta's film, Fire? That's a favorite of mine.



Rally, what'd you think of Chutney Popcorn?

Wham, bam, slap-a-tag-on-my-toe, ma'am.

Hello, evil now!

[Rally]

I thought it was pretty descent, it was kind of strange watching Madhur Jaffrey act. Only used to watching her cook.



Also, ya know, I am not sure that Virgin Suicides and Chutney Popcorn are a great double feature... but it was just that kind of weekend.

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Officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[hilarita]

again brining up, that people should write to A&E and give them kudos for involving a lesbian couple in their "Married in America" documentary.



www.aande.com/feedback/feedback.html



edited to actually include the link.

Edited by: hilarita at: 6/3/02 4:46:34 pm

[AutumnT]

Quote:

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Speaking of which, has anyone seen Deepa Mehta's film, Fire? That's a favorite of mine.

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Yeah, I watched that one not too long ago. It's quite good I thought and I really learned a lot about the culture. However I did find it rather depressing on the whole seeing how women were regarded.

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

[ruby]

Chutney Popcorn had its good bits, but overall it was iffy. Still a satisfying rental. And I very much enjoyed the parts that were shot in my backyard of Jackson Heights, Queens. When they're walking past the pan seller's cart on 37th Ave., I was like, "Hey! I know that guy!" And then, "Hey! There are more than 2 lesbians in my neighborhood! Hooray!"

Smashed. Wrecked. Gone.

[EffieBlue]

Yes Helrunar Roisin would have got my vote for M L o t W ..but she spoiled it at the end by asking for a hairbrush and a mirror and no drugs.



Killin joke i spent yesterday morning watching the end of B G series 3 for the Helen and Nicki happy snogfest in the street at the end especially when Helen grabs Nicki and drags her into the doorway pushes her against the wall and gets down to some serious snogging...a VERY happy ending.

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...Friends were fooled, by the fact i still breathed and i spoke and i smiled and i lied, in my handy dandy imitation life disguise kit....and you don't feel a thing and you can teach it to sing and all your friends are deceived and nobody grieves..Dory Previn "the new enzyme detergent demise of Ali Macgraw"

[xita]

Yes Autumn but you can imagine what kind of hell that raised in India. The movie was banned, etc. etc. Small steps sometimes. I mean you watched the movie, they don't even have a word for lesbian.



Chutney Popcorn was entertaining to me as a lesbian of color, you know like I thought me and my friends were the only ones who mimicked our relative's accents. Other than that it really slowed down towards the end and would have benefited from more.. ermm plot.

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Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

[maudmac]

I'll tell you what Chutney Popcorn would have benefitted from. There is no such thing as too much Jill Hennessy. Oh, yeah.



That said, I thought it was okay. I definitely enjoyed seeing an interracial couple, being that I'm half of one myself. And I have a soft spot for all things Indian.



This film had a lot of potential. It just didn't quite know what to do with it. IMHO.



(But I would watch Chutney Popcorn a hundred times if it keeps Bar Girls far, far away from me.)

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I think I'm going berserk. Would you like to come too?-- Buckner & Garcia

[Mike of the Nancy Tribe]

I've only had satellite tv for a couple of months, so I'm only just discovering a lot of US shows that I didn't know about.



One of them is a sitcom (I believe a US hit) called 'Mad About You'. Popping in from time to time there's a lesbian couple called Debbie and Joan. I haven't seen enough of them to form much of an opinion yet - but would I be right in suspecting they're so vanilla they could bleach my dark roots?



I think the first lesbian couple I ever saw in a mainstream (potentially 'arty') movie was in 'Desert Hearts'. Helen Shaver played an older, strait-laced type who was seduced by young Patricia Charbonneau (sp?) (very cute, I thought), and the film actually ended happily. The tentative sex scenes between the two were, I thought, very tender, loving - and hot! (Note to self: rent the video.)



Totally OT: Can I just say, I don't know how you Americans survive with so many tv channels to choose from? In the 2-hour period when I get home from work every day, I can see 'Ellen', 'Mad About You', 'ST: Voyager', 'Stargate: SG-1', 'The A-Team', 'Dukes of Hazzard' (oh Daisy!), 'Happy Days', 'Roseanne', 'MASH', 'First Wave', and 'Seven Days'. I think my head is going to expolde from all the choices! I think I need more tv's. (And yes, I'm a tv whore, pity me.)

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Always

[Katharyn]

Good luck in finding a video of "Desert Hearts" Mike, Not on sale in UK as new in any format that I can find, though if you have a multi-region DVD I believe it can be had in R1.



It was shown on TV about 5 years ago and I haven't seen it in the guides since. Which is a shame... One possible alternative if like books rather than movies is Jane Rule's book which the film was adapted from "Desert of the Heart"



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[littledevil73]

I dunno if this has been commented, but sex scenes b/w Ellen Degeneres and Sharon Stone in "If this walls could talk 2" are really hot and also the plotline is cute, there is a great chemistry. There is also other two stories in it and they´re great.

Over? How can it be over? I just found her!!

[Dumbsaint]

Quote:

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Yes Autumn but you can imagine what kind of hell that raised in India. The movie was banned, etc. etc. Small steps sometimes. -Xita

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To my knowledge, it was mostly one particular radical group of traditionalists that was in an uproar. They tore up theatres, literally, tore them apart, that were showing the film, pressured the censor board to ban it, made death threats against the director. All that fun stuff. And sadly, the fear tactics worked- a lot of theaters were afraid to run the film.



Apparently the furor was so huge that while traveling in India (I think she lives in Canada) Deepa Mehta had to have a bodyguard for a few years after the film came out. Fun, fun.



The film is beautiful, though, and powerful. Agreed, kind of depressing, as well, in terms of how women's lives were portrayed in Indian culture, but the whole point of it was to show two women finding strength from their desire for each other and rising above. The filmmakers didn't sacrifice scariness, and still managed to show two women's love for each other overcoming the (considerable) odds. What a refreshing concept. Joss, take note.



And whoever said "save me from Bar Girls"...

Wham, bam, slap-a-tag-on-my-toe, ma'am.

Hello, evil now!

Edited by: Dumbsaint at: 6/4/02 9:03:24 am

[Jae]

Sorry folks, I realize the post about the movie Bobbie's Girl was made a few days ago, but I've been lax in reading posts... I was wondering if anyone happens to tape this, if it might be possible to get a copy? I don't get Showtime here and I'm a big Bernadette Peters fan... so yes. That's all. Nothing terribly constructive in this post.



Jae

[AutumnT]

So, Bar Girls is one of the few dyke films I have not seen. Are you guys saying that is a good thing. Spell it out for me in a way that I can understand. Is it worse than Claire of the Moon? Worse than Salmonberries? Because that would be really really bad...

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

[Killin Joke]

Thanks for the verrry /purs/ nice visual of the Helen/Nikki-happy-end in Bad Girls, EffieBlue and everyone for the tips and comment. Why surf the net if you can just visit the Kitten and get the scoop Gods, I'm such a slacker sometimes...

"In the half-tone light of a young morning she sighs and shifts on the pillow. And across her face dancing, the first shadows fly to kiss the Pussy Willow." (Jethro Tull)

[Dumbsaint]

Autumn, my little porcupine of pleasure, Bar Girls has one or two good moments, and spawned one of my favorite all time one-liners from a lesbo film, but overall, yeah, it was pretty much just godawful. Dyke drama FROM HELL, acting from hell, immensely irritating characters, and a bathroom mirror monologue from the main character that went on for like, fifteen minutes and basically made me want to rip out my own eyeballs just to have something to throw at the screen in protest. Thankfully, I now have plastic suction cup balls to serve that use. They are really good therapy in this age of sucky images on the TV screen.



At any rate, Bar Girls isn't worth your time, I'd say, unless you make it a point to see every lesbian flick, and even then just to have it as yet another reference point of celluloid lesbo-dom gone bad. Stick to When Night is Falling and But I'm a Cheerleader. You'll sleep better at night.

Wham, bam, slap-a-tag-on-my-toe, ma'am.

Hello, evil now!

[Kieli]

I have to agree with Julia on this one. I am ever so glad I watched Bar Girls while inebriated. If I had been sober, I might have gone to the video store to get my money back. Claire of the Moon was similarly evil. Truly truly hideous acting which was rather disturbing. But I'm a Cheerleader was quirky and totally hilarious. Clea Duvall had me rolling. The scary thing about Bar Girls was that Southern chippie who was causing a ton of trouble reminded me of my ex-gf. Manipulative, smirky, evil while being sexy, had an accent that drove me to distraction and she pretty much had whoever, whenever she pleased. Needless to say, the drama, (the total waste of Chastity Bono) and the use of every lesbian cliche possible turned me off.

"I withdrew from the world, not because I had enemies but because I had friends. Not because they did me ill turn, as is customary, but because they thought me better than I am. It was a lie I could not endure." --Albert Camus

[Killin Joke]

Heh. You guys just saved me some money. I was actually exposed to "Claire of the moon": saw the tape on the rack of "The Better Film" once (with which they probably wanted to indicate the more alternative movies). But I rented "Better than chocolate" back then. Comedies usually have happy endings, and I so needed that. Walked home with "But I'm a cheerleader" too (spotted it in the imported section, brand new (who needs subtitles anyway ) Anyway, I was considering renting CotM later on, but it seems I can skip it.



Another question, since my post has mysteriously disappeared in another thread (no hard feelings, mods ) Has anyone seen the "Jay and Silent Bob strike back" DVD, and if so, could that someone please tell me if there are any extra scenes on it with Eliza Dushku. I know it's pathetic of me to lower my standards and want to see one of my favourite actresses, who was pushed yet again in the evil lesbian-cliché, I'm well aware of that, but c'mon, it's Eliza ! As long as I know the difference between true love (W/T, Xe/Gab, Helen/Nikki,...?) and the rating-chicks, right. Thanks so much in advance. Hugs

"In the half-tone light of a young morning she sighs and shifts on the pillow. And across her face dancing, the first shadows fly to kiss the Pussy Willow." (Jethro Tull)

[maudmac]

Jae, email me about a tape if you haven't made arrangements already. I'll be happy to do it.



In other news, every time someone mentions Better Than Chocolate, I always read it as Like Water for Chocolate and have to tilt my head in confusion for a second. I don't know why. It's disconcerting.

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I think I'm going berserk. Would you like to come too?-- Buckner & Garcia

[AutumnT]

Quote:

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Dyke drama FROM HELL, acting from hell, immensely irritating characters, and a bathroom mirror monologue from the main character that went on for like, fifteen minutes and basically made me want to rip out my own eyeballs just to have something to throw at the screen in protest.

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Ooookay then. That does help. I'll scratch that one right off the old list o lesbo flicks I have not seen.



So, stick with Bound then, eh? I may have to get But I'm a Cheerleader on tape. We rented it once, but gee, now that I know JOEL is in it I'd love to fully appreciate his big stretch as an actor. LOL.



Edited to Add: So what's the "When Night is Falling" movie? I've never heard of it.

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

Edited by: AutumnT  at: 6/4/02 5:57:56 pm

[xita]

Bar Girls, it's like 2 movies. The first half is unbearable. The pain of watching the contrived plot devices. Dear lord. The second half is a little better only because it settles into more traditional story telling.



Claire of the Moon, the acting is atrocious, the production value is 0%, but if you get drunk and watch it with friends it is at least funny.



Now, When Night is Falling is an awesome movie, quality director, actors and a happy ending. You can't ask for a better movie, oh did I say hot women making out like they really mean it? Oh yeah.. oh yeah.

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Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

Edited by: xita  at: 6/4/02 7:12:24 pm

[Kieli]

I saw the Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back DVD (there are actually two discs in the package...the other has extra scenes and such). And if I remember correctly there weren't any extra scenes shown with Eliza (drat it all...)...just some very odd blooper and extra footage with Jay, Silent Bob and even James Van Der Beek (WTF!!!)



It was a really wierd movie, it made me chuckle and the chance to see Eliza in a painted on black leather number was too irresistable to pass up.

"I withdrew from the world, not because I had enemies but because I had friends. Not because they did me ill turn, as is customary, but because they thought me better than I am. It was a lie I could not endure." --Albert Camus

[Dumbsaint]

Oh. Dear. Lord.



Autumn.



Run. Do not walk. Find a copy of When Night is Falling. Watch. Slaver. Swoon.



It is without a doubt the most beautifully conceived and made lesbian flick I've seen. And I've seen a lot of 'em. I used to work at a video store with a huge GLBT section.



It's really, really good. Gorgeous even.

Wham, bam, slap-a-tag-on-my-toe, ma'am.

Hello, evil now!

[AutumnT]

OK, OK you guys have convinced me. I ordered it already. I don't know how I've missed this one. I feel like I've been a bad little lesbian now. Here I've managed to see all the CRAPPY movies and the ones where shockingly enough lesbians die or go crazy or evil and missed like a good one. I noticed it was done by the same person who did I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing do I at least get points for having seen that?

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

[Zahir al Daoud]

Superb, wonderful, moving film in every way!



And I'd also recommend the miniseries "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit." While I was bored by "Bar Girls" and "Something In The Water" make me want to gag, this was a brilliant, moving and even uplifting story about a young lesbian's coming of age. Simply splendid!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[xita]

Oh you get points for that Autumn, def. Obscure flick, you score!

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Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

[Rally]

The most obscure flick I ever saw was some real piece of crap that had Annie Sprinkle selling dildos and vibes on a San Francisco street corner.

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Officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[AutumnT]

Rally. That scares me.



OK, if we are going to worst evers. I watched this one DVD that was called something like Short Shorts. And dear God in heaven is was this terrible collection of really bad bad short dyke flicks that are suppsedly "Award Winning", the worst of which was these two boring women being boring on a boring roof while boring me. God and there was this politically correct cartoon thing that was like a Dick and Jane book with dogs. That DVD literally sucked my will to live. Oh and there was this so called "erotica" thing that was just "arty" shots and stupidity called Siren. That really left me cold. OK, done bitching. For now.



And Zahir I have seen Oranges and thought it was excellent.

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

Edited by: AutumnT  at: 6/4/02 11:07:21 pm