In theaters –
Mulholland Drive (Universal) : Before it veers off the road and becomes a lurid and lascivious (David) Lynchian lesbian sex fantasy, Mulholland Drive is a bizarre and refreshing tribute to and parody of film noir and the young innocent’s arrival in Hollywood. Lampooning Hollywood (actors and actresses, directors, movie studios) is a little like biting the hand that feeds, but it must have tasted awfully good. In addition to all of the fresh faces on-screen…Justin Theroux as filmmaker Adam, Naomi Watts as just-off-the-bus Betty, and Laura Harring as the mysterious mystery woman Rita…writer/director Lynch serves up a heaping portion of Ann Miller as, alternately, Betty’s landlady and Adam’s mother, looking like she’s ready for her close-up. Just when you think that the mysteries of Mulholland Drive have been solved, Lynch throws in a lesbian landslide and opens a Pandora’s Box that may leave you more puzzled than pleased. On a scale of 1 to 10: 7.5
For rent or purchase:
Bridget Jones Diary (Miramax/ Universal/Working Title) – In her thirty-second year of being single, with her mother on a quest to fix her up with a man, Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) decides to take matters into her own hands, and begins by keeping a diary. In addition to finding a man, Bridget also wants to do something about her excessive drinking and smoking, as well as her body image and weight issues. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much luck in any of these areas. The men in her life…stuffy barrister and childhood acquaintance Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and her lady-killer boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant)…are sources of fantasy, fulfillment and, more often frustration. Zellweger put on a few pounds for the part and fleshes out Bridget with heart and humor and a British accent more consistent than Gwynneth Paltrow’s in Sliding Doors. Some of the movie’s most comical moments occur when Bridget seeks solace in her trio of close friends, one of whom is retired ’80s pop icon Tom (Jim Callis), whom Bridget describes as a “total poof, of course.” On a scale of 1 to 10: 6.5
The First Annual PlanetOut.com Short Movie Awards Highlights (Picture This DVD) : Ranging in length from one minute (the hilarious black and white, nipple-ring-driven Devil Doll) to 15 minutes (Stephen Patrick Foery’s Grand Prize Winning documentary about coming out called Family), the 14 shorts all have their merits. Perhaps the most interesting thing to keep in mind about the brief features (which include live action comedies, dramas, documentaries and animated subjects) on this DVD is that full-length films have developed out of short films in the past. Openly gay actor Guillermo Diaz (Stonewall), who stars in the club-kids short Over Easy, also starred in the short film Just One Time, from a few years ago. When Lane Janger expanded on Just One Time, Diaz reprised his role in the feature-length version of the movie. On a scale of 1 to 10: 6.5
Funny Girl (Columbia) : When was the last time you saw a movie that had an overture, an intermission and an entr’acte? The theatrical re-release of the restored version of this 33-year-old classic Hollywood movie musical, now available on DVD, gave many people the chance to see one. Barbra Streisand won an Academy Award for her portrayal of singing comedic stage star Fanny Brice…”a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls.” The best part of the theatrical re-release was getting to see now legendary scenes from this movie, such as the roller skating number (“I’d Rather Be Blue”), the pregnant bride (“The Beautiful Reflection”), the private dining room, the train/ taxi/tugboat (“Don’t Rain On My Parade”) and Swan Lake, on the big screen. Unfortunately, Omar Sharif was terribly miscast as Nick Arnstein, the gambling addict who was the love of Ms. Brice’s life, and the movie becomes sluggish during the times that it focuses on the couple’s less than blissful domestic life. Still, Funny Girl is a reminder of Streisand’s gifts as both a singer and an actress, and gay men and lesbians of all generations can respect her subsequent ascent to divahood (although the “My Man” finale is probably a feminist’s nightmare). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll sing along. When was the last time that you watched a movie that made you want to do that? Special features include “Barbra in Movieland,” a mini-documentary about the filming of the “Don’t Rain On My Parade” sequence and “This Is Streisand” a “Columbia Featurette,” as well as the theatrical trailers for “For Pete’s Sake,” “The Prince of Tides,” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” On a scale of 1 to 10: 7.5
Memento (Summit/Newmarket) : Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s highly original and stylized movie tells the story of insurance investigator Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce, of The Adventures of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert fame) who is suffering from short-term memory loss following a head injury. Leonard is searching for the man who raped and murdered his wife, and who is also responsible for the blow to his head. Simply unforgettable. On a scale of 1 to 10: 9