016. Codebreaker

016. (20 Jan) Codebreaker (2012, Clare Beavan & Nic Stacey) 53



A competent docudrama about the life of Alan Turing, Codebreaker is your average TV biography. It's reverential, well-researched and interesting enough, even decisive in its criticism of chemical castration. But I don't mean to oversell it because it's the kind of stuff you watch on History Channel to fill an hour.

015. North Sea Texas

015. (20 Jan) North Sea Texas (2012, Bavo Defurne) 34



Middling as both a coming of age film and gay romance, North Sea Texas is at its best when showing Pim's eagerness to fall in love and his fetishistic need to document his feelings with artifacts. Unfortunately, much of this is boring and mundane. Though set in the '70s, it doesn't use the time period to show the difficulties of being a gay kid in small town Belgium. Zany characters and occasional melodrama serve to distract, but they ultimately show how insubstantial this all is. The seemingly happy ending comes out of nowhere and is as unrewarding as the rest of the film.

330. Wake in Fright

330. (26 Dec) Wake in Fright (1971, Ted Kotcheff) 82



An incredibly thoughtful study on masculinity, Wake in Fright benefits immensely from actor Gary Bond's own homosexuality. He's perfectly cast here, too pretty for the Australian outback and distinctly prissy though the film gets evermore butch. That his spiral of shame culminates in a gay sexual encounter packs a serious punch, as he's thoroughly emasculated by the "real men" around him at every turn. The brutal hunting sequence drives home just how out of place he is. But that he's ultimately mastered by Donald Pleasance, a hard-drinking brute that defies gay stereotypes, suggests to him that manliness comes in many forms, and he hasn't got an ounce of it.

The hints of Pleasence's homosexuality (e.g. defensively making the only reference to homosexuality early on, sneaking a peak at Gary Bond urinating) underscore how well-planned this screenplay is. It's something of a masterclass of writing, particularly as Bond first falls prey to the town's decadence when he begins gambling, only to end up hungover the next morning without a stitch on. Wake in Fright touts its themes in such distinctly visual ways, even if they get a little obvious. A montage near the end where a pained Bond relates all the film's sexual imagery borders on heavy-handedness. Yet that's nothing when considering how this bookends on the same opening shots. From that wide shot of the hostile desert, you'd recognize something was amiss even without knowing what a serious transformation this character has undergone.

328. Keep the Lights On

328. (24 Dec) Keep the Lights On (2012, Ira Sachs) 55



At its best early on when it's pulsing with sexual energy, Keep the Lights On loses its edge once it centers on substance abuse. With a definable catalyst that sets their break-up into motion, the emotional highs and lows this gay couple experiences stop being particularly personal. The main characters aren't all that relatable in general since one is a filmmaker without any financial woes and the other is a lawyer. Usually such convenient professions would be found in a sitcom, not a seemingly gritty drama. Regardless, we're not really allowed to form an opinion of them since Sachs is judgmental enough for everybody. Fortunately, Thure Lindhardt is outstanding, bringing to life arguments and awkward encounters in his every scene.

317. Gayby

317. (22 Dec) Gayby (2012, Jonathan Lisecki) 62



The humor here is so dry and witty, it's an even mix where you wonder what was cleverly scripted and what was just a very funny bunch of actors improvising. Jenn Harris is outstanding here, giving what easily ranks among the best comic turns of the year. Her performance is selfless, particularly when she's making an ass of herself during the physical comedy. The romantic subplots, with the exception of a razor-sharp take on online dating, don't especially work. Nevertheless, this is ultimately sweet, rewarding, predictable comedy that puts mumblecore to shame.

282. To Forget Venice

282. (21 Nov) To Forget Venice (1979, Franco Brusati) 38



The dramatic possibility in To Forget Venice is mostly squandered, despite a strong premise where a gay brother and lesbian sister return home for a visit with their partners. The film is strongest at its midpoint, where at a wedding the siblings recognize how far they are from the norm of small town heterosexuals. They cannot share a dance with their partner, vaguely explain they're unmarried to people they haven't seen since childhood, and longingly look at the happy couple realizing they won't get a day like this. But instead of fleshing out these characters or their romances, the film instead focuses too much on their ailing opera singer mother. It's totally unwilling to show gay affection, suggesting this is a cowardly as well as a wasted opportunity.

279. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

279. (18 Nov) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012, Stephen Chbosky) 66



This bunch of wallflowers are a tad too good-looking to be entirely credible, but there's still heart to spare in Perks. This moving, honest depiction of loneliness and depression is the polar opposite of this year's similarly-themed, but hackneyed Silver Linings Playbook. Logan Lerman's sadsack, yet magnetic performance does the trick while Stephen Chbosky's reverence for his own material also makes his film thoroughly heartfelt, if a tad sentimental. The adults here are too peripheral for this to really encapsulate adolescence. However, it's rare to see a film that comprehends how extreme the hardships of childhood can be. The final ten minutes make this a genuine weepie. Ezra Miller is the other cast standout while Emma Watson's affected American accent does her no favors.

265. Me @ the Zoo

265. (08 Nov) Me @ the Zoo (2012, Chris Moukarbel & Valerie Veatch) 59



A melancholy look at the power of social media and how it truncates fifteen minutes of fame faster than ever, Me @ the Zoo certainly benefits from the charistmatic, articulate presence of its subject Chris Crocker. While Crocker has a reputation for being divisive and irritating, his personal life is too intriguing and sad not to be drawn in by. There's an astonishing lot of substance behind the seemingly shallow Youtube phenomenon.

260. Chris & Don: A Love Story

260. (03 Nov) Chris & Don: A Love Story (2008, Tina Mascara & Guido Santi) 60



A intriguing look at the lengthy romance of Don Bachardy and Christopher Isherwood, this barely scratches the surface of the complexities of their relationship. There's certainly a creepiness when Don Bachardy discusses how Christopher Isherwood viewed him as a father in his youth while they were having a sexual relationship. But the ongoing and evolving nature of their love affair makes it clear just how deeply they felt for one another through the trials they faced over 34 years. That's powerful stuff, especially as this contextualizes Bachardy's struggle to become an artistic equal to Isherwood while living off his wealth and fame.

258. Vito

258. (02 Nov) Vito (2012, Jeffrey Schwartz) 62



Vito doesn't always establish the scope of the gay rights movement, but it very clearly shows Vito Russo's particular influence on it. Whenever it's intensely personal, featuring interviews with close friends and family, this is a truly moving portrait of the great gay activist and film historian. It occasionally gets too broad to be exemplary documentary filmmaking, especially when it tackles AIDS in the last 30 minutes where it's eclipsed entirely by the far stronger How to Survive a Plague.

246. The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

246. (13 Oct) The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (2011, Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato) 50



Indignant, even entitled documentary filmmaking, The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is an over-edited and often too simplistic look at a policy that deserves a more probing examination. The strength here is interviews with those personally effected by Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The human impact is so much more intriguing than the absurdity of the policy itself, especially since this skips around chronologically and makes broad arguments. It becomes substantially better when it follows the legislative repeal process, at least.

244. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

244. (10 Oct) /A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge/ (1985, Jack Sholder) 64

241. The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter

241. (07 Oct) The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter (1993, David Paperny) 57



Collected from video diaries by Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, this is an intimate and moving account of what living with AIDS means. It's a meditative and melancholy film, as Peter loses his eyesight and becomes visibly ravaged by illness while retaining an almost impossibly optimistic outlook. This is a bit watered down, edited from 111 tapes recorded for network television in Canada. You don't get to know this sweet, introspective man as well as you might if this was actually filmed for a feature-length documentary.

239. The Paperboy

239. (06 Oct) The Paperboy (2012, Lee Daniels)* 47



A hodgepodge of prurience, decadence and flat-out bad plotting, The Paperboy is as trashy and convoluted as mainstream cinema gets. Something seems off immediately with the inexplicable choice to let Macy Gray narrate. Hers is one of several clumsily developed character arcs in a film where every major plot point seems entirely incidental. Sex, murder and mayhem are presented with astonishing nonchalance.

Matthew McConaughey gets the worst edit with his storyline taking a backseat to scene after scene of Zac Efron in his tighty whities. To his credit, Lee Daniels so lovingly photographs and exploits Efron and Nicole Kidman it's impossible not to admire their work together. Kidman is frankly sublime; it's an unselfconscious, irresistible performance that none of her peers could have tackled so adeptly.

232. The Opposite of Sex

232. (01 Oct) The Opposite of Sex (1998, Don Roos) 37



This mean-spirited, effortful comedy really never lands one solid joke. The self-referential narration, which is way too pleased with itself, never seems genuinely clever. The characters are broad and uninteresting. Martin Donovan's defining character trait, for instance, is correcting people's grammar. Only Lisa Kudrow comes off at all well, as Christina Ricci is trying way too hard.

226. The Right to Love: An American Family

226. (28 Sep) The Right to Love: An American Family (2012, Cassie Jaye) 69



A significant and well-structured indictment of Prop 8, Cassie Jaye's film is effective entirely because of Jay Foxworthy and Bryan Leffew. This articulate, genial married gay couple give a clear sense of what same-sex marriage means to them as they document their daily lives. Also fathers of two, they're a self-proclaimed "boring family," but it's their normalcy that shows just how personal their loss is when Prop 8 passes. This gets a little broad when it takes on bullying and other gay issues. A reliance on archival news footage holds it back.

225. How to Survive a Plague

225. (28 Sep) How to Survive a Plague (2012, David France) 71



Potent filmmaking about the power of political rage, How to Survive a Plague is among the definitive documentaries about the HIV/AIDS crisis. Like other strong works We Were Here and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, this narrows its focuses, showing the arc of ACT-UP as the death toll increases and anger builds. Their proactive approach to advancing medicine and increasing access to drugs is moving on its face, but tight editing and devastating sound bites makes this terse, engaging and impactful.

199. Citizen Cohn

199. (11 Sep) Citizen Cohn (1992, Frank Pierson) 48



Airing less than a year before Angels in America hit Broadway, Citizen Cohn falls heavily in the shadow of that work. Both feature Roy Cohn on his death bed being visited by from ghosts of his past, but this straightforward, more fact-based biopic offers less insight into the man. James Woods is earnest in the lead role, but shouty and preachy scenes set years apart, mostly in courtrooms, place this firmly in mediocre telefilm territory. It's a harshly critical look at the man, but refusing to humanize him in any way seems cruel. The film revels in his misfortune. Neglecting his same-sex relationships makes this seem especially timid.

197. Skin and Bone

197. (10 Sep) Skin and Bone (1998, Everett Lewis) 35



One of several '90s gay-themed movies about S&M scenarios carried too far, this is more prurient, but generally less violent than similar genre films Hard or Frisk. It's also substantially more undercooked. Over-stylized and episodic, it's difficult to get invested in characters when they're spending almost every scene being instructed to undress. While tonally and aesthetically like a 1970's exploitation flick, this always remains disjointed and disengaging to an absurd degree. Everett Lewis gets an exceptional performance out of B. Wyatt and creates compelling compositions, but editing makes this a mess.

190. You Should Meet My Son

190. (05 Sep) You Should Meet My Son (2010, Keith Hartman) 58



Where most gay comedies have no consistent tone, You Should Meet My Son always brims with exuberant energy. Dialogue-driven and rather stagy, with the action confined almost entirely to a couple interiors, the small scale keeps focus on an ensemble that quickly swells. The plot gets a little gimmicky, inverting La Cage aux Folles, but every joke lands. The female cast are all on the same wavelength, playing up the camp value for all it's worth. The men are a rougher crew, not always in on the joke, but Stewart Carrico is an amiable lead. Joanne McGee, playing an Amanda Wingfield derivative, is the standout.