subscribe to gender-panic!
|
posted by zavi 
IMDB photo
A Shot at Love: In this bisexual reality dating show, model and singer Tila Tequila must select her one true love from a houseful of straight male and lesbian female contenders.
Country: USA, 2007
Original Language: English
Rating: 1/5
Available for purchase on Amazon.
Zavi thinks: This review is timed to contrast with the one we put up a few days ago of Logo’s “Can’t Get a Date” tv series, another reality dating show featuring queer characters. I thought “Can’t Get a Date” was handled quite well, but yikes, “A Shot at Love” was both mind-numbingly boring and incredibly offensive to the lesbian community. Why did I ever watch this show? Because Dani Campbell is that hot. While the other lady characters were busy wrestling in pudding and jabbing each other with their inch-long glittery nails, butch character Dani was being kind, fair and an overall good role model to the queer community. It’s so very rare that butch women are ever …
Click to continue reading QMR: a shot at love
posted by zavi 
Netflix photo
Can’t Get a Date: This “reality/makeover” LOGO tv show features six queer characters who wish to overcome the personal quirks and insecurities that make it difficult for them to find a date.
Country: USA, 2006
Original Language: English
Rating: 3.5/5
Watch it on Logo here (full episodes, free).
Zavi thinks: Ahh everyone in this show is so realistically awkward, and I love it. To be honest, I totally hate reality shows, but this show lacks all of the elements that makes me avoid this genre. Though on one hand, it’s the gay lovechild of a makeover show and a reality drama, “Can’t Get a Date” has a totally different feel than similar shows in this category . Instead of boring, angsty interviews and mundane over-analysis, this show is quick, clever and of substance. The narrator of the show rationally focuses on the particular personal issues and fears that are stopping these otherwise totally cute queers from being in relationships and comes up with realistically feasible solutions. …
Click to continue reading QMR: can’t get a date
posted by zavi 
IMDB photo
When Night is Falling: After the death of close friend, Camille, a teacher at a conservative Christian college, starts questioning everything in her life and embarks into an unexpected romance.
Country: Canada, 1995
Original Language: English
Rating: 4/5
Available for purchase on Amazon.
Zavi thinks: The romance in this movie feels very real, and that’s probably my favorite part. Camille’s struggle to make sense of her desire for a woman is fully played out, and anyone who has ever experienced unexpected romantic feelings will relate to her story. Definitely a good movie to watch on a date night.
Panda thinks: I think this is definitely the best film that Patricia Rozema has ever made (some of her earlier films were just a bit too strange and arthouse-y). I felt that Camille fully examined and dealt with her conflicted feelings, as opposed to some lesbian films where main characters seemingly without care throw their past life away. The complexity of this movie made it feel very …
Click to continue reading QMR: when night is falling
posted by zavi 
IMDB photo
Tipping the Velvet: This three part series follows the life of a young lesbian in 19th century England as she struggles to find a relationship and career. Based on the novel by Sarah Waters.
Country: UK, 2002
Original Language: English
Rating: 4/5
Available for purchase on Amazon.
Zavi thinks: ‘Made for television’ movies are a totally different thing when done by the BBC rather than Hallmark or Lifetime. This film is a fascinating fantasy trip and is very well made. The first time I watched it was quite late at night, and I had decided I would just watch one segment – yeah right. Even though each part is an hour long, I just couldn’t stop watching. Each of the three sections have a totally different feel to them, ranging from light to dark to surreal, yet they fit together quite well.
Panda thinks: Weird at times and somewhat dark, this film contained a lot of elements that I wasn’t expecting, such as BDSM. I …
Click to continue reading QMR: tipping the velvet
posted by zavi 
IMBD photo
After Stonewall: A documentary about queer history from the Stonewall riots era through the new millennium. It features news footage and personal interviews and is a must-see for all queer youth.
Country: USA, 1999
Original Language: English
Rating: 4.5/5
Zavi thinks: Fun to watch, insightful, and available on Netflix instant watch – what more could I ask for in a documentary? This one is definitely not just for the classroom; it’s enjoyable enough to just watch at home for the fun of it.
Panda thinks: Just watched this for the first time tonight! For someone who considers themselves decently well versed in US queer rights history, I was blown away by the amount of new information presented to me by this documentary. Lots of really amazing professional and amateur news footage–really gripping stuff. It is essentially a very straightforward, condensed history of the modern US queer rights movement. This is the sort of film that should be shown in public school history classrooms everywhere.
|
|
