I was surprised to discover, looking back at my “best movies of 2001” list. how queer the movies on last year’s list were. I was beginning to think that my “best movies of 2002” would out-gay it, but it’s too close to call.
Julianne Moore, who already had a sizable LGBT following due to her unforgettable performances in An Ideal Husband, Safe, Cookie’s Fortune and Magnolia, has now guaranteed herself a permanent place in the hearts and minds of queer moviegoers with her roles in both Far From Heaven and The Hours.
Perhaps the gayest movie of the year, Chicago, is a 21st Century version of a classic Hollywood movie musical, which safely returns the art form to its former glory.
Queer characters also populated Scotland, PA, Frida and The Grey Zone, while gay director Pedro Almodovar continued his streak of thought-provoking cinema with Talk To Her.
There was something outside the ordinary, or queer, about the relationships between the characters in Secretary, Heaven, Max and The Pianist, and the queerest of the queer, was the unexpectedly good dramatic performance by Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love.
1. Far From Heaven / The Hours (tie)
2. Chicago
3. Scotland, PA
4. The Cockettes
5. Talk To Her
6. Secretary
7. Frida
8. Heaven
9. Punch-Drunk Love
10. The Grey Zone / Max / The Pianist (3-way tie)
Honorable mention: About Schmidt, Insomnia, One Hour Photo, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Gangs Of New York, Adaptation, Bloody Sunday, The Kid Stays In The Picture, CQ, Cherish, 24 Hour Party People, The Notorious C.H.O., The Good Girl, About A Boy, Minority Report, Signs, Ice Age, Sunshine State, Panic Room, The Road To Perdition