|
 Chasing
Amy (1997, 105 min, US)
Director: Kevin Smith Studio: Disney
Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell,
Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Matt Damon
REVIEW:
"Chasing Amy” makes the proposition that a seemingly well-adjusted
lesbian, one who states repeatedly that she is a dyed-in-the-wool
dyke, needs only a penis to make her embrace heterosexuality. Ben
Affleck plays a comic book artist who meets a kindred spirit (Joey
Lauren Adams). After a few platonic dates, he finally breaks down
and confesses his love for her. At first angry, she soon declares
similar feelings and they begin a relationship. That is, until he
discovers her sordid, straight past, which he can’t stop obsessing
over. He then dumps her, while she tearfully pleas for forgiveness
and understanding.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Chasing Amy at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Chasing
Amy
We liked this one, even though it is the Boy Meets Lesbian, Boy
TURNS Lesbian Into Straight? Bi? We were not sure. While this movie
is very funny, it has a surprising emotional depth to it that is
worth seeing.
****
 The
Children's Hour (1961, 107 min, US)
Director: William Wyler Studio: Warner
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, James Garner, Miriam
Hopkins, Veronica Cartwright
REVIEW:
Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are teachers at an all-girls'
boarding school. When a vindictive little girl accuses the two of
having an affair, their lives are ruined after a self-righteous
community believes the unsubstantiated allegations. However, the
rumor also forces MacLaine to come to terms with her closeted lesbian
feelings.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
The Children's Hour at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Children's Hour
Sad movie with the Depressed, Oppressed, Repressed Lesbian Theme,
but worth watching for the great actresses and also for a bit of
history in lesbian movies.
***
Chloe (2009,
99 min, US)
Director:
Atom Egoyan ,
Studio
: Sony
Starring: Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Max Thieriot,
R.H. Thomson, Nina Dobrev, Mishu Vellani, Laura DeCarteret, Natalie
Lisinska, Meghan Heffern
REVIEW:
In this erotic thriller by acclaimed director Atom Egoyan, successful
doctor Catherine (Julianne Moore) suspects that her husband David
(Liam Neeson) is cheating on her. To lay her suspicions and fears
to rest, she hires an irresistible young woman, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried),
to test David's fidelity. Chloe's torrid tales of her encounters
with David take Catherine on a journey of sexual and sensual rediscovery.
By opening the door to her own forbidden temptations, Catherine
puts her family in great danger.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Chloe at TLA Video OR Chloe
at Wolfe Video
 Chutney
Popcorn (1999, 90 min, US)
Director: Nisha Ganatra
Starring: Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra, Madhur Jaffrey
REVIEW:
Director, co-writer and star Nisha Ganatra explore the clash between
the values of a traditional Indian family and their rebel lesbian
daughter in this comedy. Reena (Ganatra) is a second generation
Indian-American who rides a motorcycle, designs and photographs
henna-tattoos and lives with Lisa (Jill Hennessy), her lovely, but
commitment-fearing blonde American lover. Her defiant way of life
and lack of proper decorum prove to be a constant annoyance to her
mother (Madhur Jaffrey) as well as to Sarita, her happily married
sister (also married to an American). But when Sarita is unable
to conceive a child, Reena, mindful of having a chance to do something
her "perfect" sister can't and to gain her mother's approval
volunteers to bear the child. An inventive, charming, heartwarming
dyke/family comedy.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Chutney Popcorn at TLA Video OR Chutney
Popcorn at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Chutney
Popcorn
Loved this one! Fun look at young lesbians, and gives unique cultural
insight into how families deal with their lesbian children.
*****
 Claire
of the Moon (1992, 106 min, US)
Director: Nicole Conn Studio: Fox Lorber
Starring: Trisha Todd, Karen Trumbo, Faith McDevitt
REVIEW:
At an oceanside women writers' retreat in Oregon, Dr. Noel Benedict
(Karen Trumbo), a brooding psychologist and lesbian author of “serious”
books, finds herself rooming with her opposite—Claire (Trisha
Wood), a willowy yet cynical straight blonde woman who is determinedly
messy and fun-loving. Their budding relationship becomes a tense
and inadvertently amusing cat-and-mouse game as they alternately
try to overcome their insecurities, accept their true feelings,
and pounce on each other. “Claire of the Moon” is a drama
of simmering female sexual desire and equally strong denial.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
Clair of the Moon at TLA Video OR Claire
Of The Moon at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Clair
of the Moon
Good ol' Lesbian Movie.
***
 Cynara,
Poetry in Motion (1996, 40 min, US)
Director:
Nicole Conn Studio:
Wolfe Releasing
Starring: Johanna Nemeth, Melissa Hellman
REVIEW:
From
Nicole Conn, director of the classic lesbian love story Claire of
the Moon comes a sensual and sexy tale that portrays erotic love
between two truly beautiful women. This
sexy period romance is set in the Pacific Northwest in 1883. The
stunning Melissa Hellman (the beloved Judy Francesconi model) stars
as tall and handsome writer Byron, with the equally hot Johanna
Nemeth as the sculptress Cynara. Like a lesbian Wuthering Heights,
Cynara-Poetry in Motion plays out a glorious lesbian romance full
of brilliant chemistry, hot love scenes and glossy production values.
Erotic and atmospheric, this period drama portrays a hot girl meets
girl love story amidst the moody surroundings of the Pacific Northwest.
Lesbian
romance meets erotica in this nicely crafted short film.
NOTE:
Cynara is intended for mature audiences.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Cynara at TLA Video
OR Cynara
at Wolfe Video
 Daphne
(2008, 88 min, Great Britain)
Studio: BBC Video, Warner
Starring: Elizabeth McGovern, Geraldine Somerville, Janet McTeer
REVIEW:
Daphne Du Maurier is one of the most well loved women writers of
all time who, in Rebecca, created one of the most beguiling characters
in English LIterature. In celebration of the centenary of Daphne
du Maurier's birth, a new fact-based drama explores the secret love
life of this renowned writer. Based on personal letters and biographies,
the film charts the story of Daphne's unrequited passion for the
beautiful and glamorous American heiress, Ellen Doubleday, and how
the play she wrote about this forbidden desire led her to a life-changing
love affair with the irreverent, fun-loving actress Gertrude Lawrence.
Daphne called herself 'a boy in a box' and this revealing drama
shows how Daphne's incendiary love life informed the writing of
her compelling stories. Margeret Forster's acclaimed authorised
biography is an important source for this film.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
t
Daphine at TLA Video
OR Daphne
at Wolfe Video
 Daughters
of Darkness (1971, 96 min, Belgium)
Director: Harry Kumel Studio: Anchor Bay
Starring: Delphine Seyrig, Daniele Ouimet, John Karlen
REVIEW:
One from the vaults! Delphine Seyrig stars as a Hungarian countess
and present-day vampiress who, in order to continue her daily blood
baths, must continually prowl for nubile virgins. Her blood-gathering
soirees take her to Belgium where she, along with her lesbian secretary,
seductively stalks the hotel for a quick fix. Campy, funny and erotic,
this Gothic tale explores the darker side of sexuality with shocking
frankness.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Daughters of Darkness at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Daughters
of Darkness
Lesbian Vamps. Not as good as The Hunger, but some nice biting action!
***
 D.E.B.S.
(2004, 91 min, US)
Director: Angela Robinson Studio: Sony Pictures
Starring: Devon Aoki, Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster
REVIEW:
Finally, the female super agent genre receives an overtly dyked-up
makeover compliments of writer-director Angela Robinson. Unbeknownst
to high schoolers taking the S.A.T., there’s a diagnostic test
embedded within that's designed to judge their abilities for lying,
cheating and killing. High-scoring students are recruited for an
elite academy of U.S. secret agents: the D.E.B.S. (Discipline, Energy,
Beauty and Strength). Four of the D.E.B.S., Amy, Dominique, Janet
and Max, land a daunting new mission: track down and capture the
legendary, deadly villainess Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster, bearing
more than a passing semblance to Demi Moore’s lesbianesque
Charlie’s Angels baddie). But Amy, who recently broke up with
her boyfriend, Bobby, realizes that she would rather love Lucy than
arrest her. Between dodging bullets, applying eyeliner and all this
sexual confusion, what’s a checkered-skirt-wearing young secret
agent to do? Robinson first made D.E.B.S. as a short film for the
lesbian filmmaker empowerment group "Power Up." Its tremendous
response resulted in Sony’s Screen Gems division backing a
feature version. Bursting with colorful visuals and CGI effects,
sassy dialogue, gun-slinging action and a superb cast including
The Fast and The Furious’ Jordanna Brewster, model Devon Aoki
and Michael Clarke Duncan as the Academy’s President, D.E.B.S.
is guaranteed to fulfill its mission of delighting you.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
D.E.B.S. at TLA Video OR D.E.B.S.
at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
D.E.B.S.
WE LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! Think of a lesbian-themed Charlie's Angels,
where one of the Angels was bursting from the closet after a super
villian who looks A LOT like a young Demi Moore, and you've got
an idea of what you are in store for! Saw it twice in two days--it's
that much fun! Great writing, great soundtrack, great young actresses--what
more could anyone ask for?
*****
 Desert
Hearts (1985, 93 min, US)
Director: Donna Deitch Studio: MGM
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patrice Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Gwen
Welles
REVIEW:
An American lesbian classic, “Desert Hearts” was trail-blazing
in its positive depiction of a love affair between two intelligent
and attractive women. An uptight English professor travels to Reno
to get a divorce (the film is set in 1959), and there meets a sexy,
free-spirited sculptress. Their attraction for each other and their
budding love is played out in a realistic, romantic, and all-together
sensuous fashion.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
Desert Hearts at TLA Video or
Desert
Hearts 2-Disc Collector's Edition at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Desert
Hearts
Most lesbians have a lesbian movie they just love, and this
is our all-time favorite. Based on the book Desert
of the Heart by Jane Rule the movie is sweet and important
for any woman, especially those over 35, who is coming to terms
with her own sexuality.
*****
 Elena
Undone (2010, 111 min, US)
Director: Nicole Conn
Starring: Mary Wells, Necar Zadegan, Gary
Weeks, Sam Harris, Traci
Dinwiddie
Screenwriter:
Nicole Conn
REVIEW:
Destiny brings two women from different walks of life serendipitously
together in this enchanting homage to the power of love. Elena Undone
starts off with one simple question: Do you believe in soul mates?
Elegant and refined Elena (Necar Zadegan, TV’s "24")
is a devoted wife to her pastor husband, mother to her teenage son
and daughter to her traditional Indian family. For so many years
she has been living her life on autopilot even though she truly
is not happy. Grief-stricken lesbian writer Peyton (ravishingly
beautiful Traci Dinwiddie, TV’s “Supernatural”) is
struggling to move on from recent hardship, but she allows her best
friend to drag her out of the house. On one such occasion, the two
meet and instantly form an immeasurable bond that shakes the foundation
of their sheltered worlds. As the newfound friends grow closer,
Elena is confronted with intense and unexpected feelings for a woman.
Subsequently, Peyton’s strong reservations about getting involved
with a married woman keep her at bay until one afternoon when her
new friend knocks at the door. What ensues is one of the most passionate
and intimate female-on-female scenes every filmed! The sexual tension
between the star-crossed lovers is blissfully intoxicating as they
discover each other for the first time. But as their arduous fire
ignites, there are consequences: contending with her evangelical
husband, her suddenly rebellious son, and Peyton’s apprehension
to commit. What is incredibly charming about this breathtaking film
is that it’s based on Conn’s own life, which just might
solidify the dream that we all have a soul mate out there.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Elana Undone at TLA Video or
Elana
Undone at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Elana
Undone
HOT, great film about first love. Perfect for anyone who is coming
out.
*****
 Ellen
DeGeneres: Here and Now (2003, 60 min, US)
Director: Joel Gallen
Starring: Ellen Degeneres
Screenwriter: Ellen DeGeneres
REVIEW:
Ellen finally comes home to stand-up. Her second effort finds her
even more relaxed than Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning. The NYC audience
at the Beacon Theater clearly worships this funny lady and it feeds
her comedy. She jokes about being gay, procrastination, rude cell-phone
users and self-esteem. All matters great and small are subjects
for standup and Ellen spares no one, least of all herself.
For more information, including available
movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Ellen
DeGeneres: Here and Now at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Ellen
DeGeneres: Here and Now
Fun Comedy, sweet moments, and Ellen is . . . Well, ELLEN!
****
 Emmanuelle
(dubbed) (1974, 94 min, France)
Director: Just Jaeckin Studio: Fox Lorber
Starring: Sylvia Kristel, Alain Cuny
REVIEW:
One of the most famous and popular soft-core sex films to hit international
screens, this chastely steamy tale of sexual experimentation is
now most memorable for its strong lesbian sub-plots. Emmanuelle,
while liking the sex with her randy husband, also enjoys the pleasures
of women-to-women intimacy.
For more information, including
available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Emmanuelle
at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Emmanuelle
Mild Lesbian Porn.
***
Drool (2009, 88 min, US)
Director: Nancy Kissam Studio : Strand Releasing
Starring: Laura Harring, Jill Marie Jones, Oded Fehr, Ashley Duggan
Smith, Christopher Newhouse, Ruthie Austin
REVIEW:
Anora Fleece has got it rotten. Her husband is abusive, her children
are disrespectful, and she lives in the middle of nowhere feeling
like a nobody. Then Imogene Cochran moves into the neighborhood.
Imogene sells Kathy K. Kosmetics make-up for the cocoa skinned woman.
The neighbors don't like cocoa skinned anything, but that doesn't
stop Imogene and Anora from becoming friends and, eventually, more
than friends. When Anora's husband, Cheb, finds them, all hell breaks
loose, but the tables are turned when Anora accidentally shoots
Cheb dead. Anora and Imogene then pile the kids in the Kathy K.
car, throw the corpse in the trunk and ride off on a "family"
road trip to bury Daddy.
For more information, including
available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Drool
at TLA Video OR Drool
at Wolfe Video
 Entre
Nous (1983, 110 min, France)
Director: Diane Kurys Studio: Fox Lorber
Starring: Miou-Miou, Isabelle Huppert, Guy Marchand
REVIEW:
This moving drama tells of the intensely close friendship between
two women. Isabella Huppert portrays Lena, a reticent housewife
resigned to the numbing security of her husband and family. Through
a chance encounter, she meets Madeleine (Miou-Miou), a vibrantly
Bohemian sculptress whose love and companionship open the door to
Lena's self-discovery. (French with English subtitles)
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s): Entre
Nous at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Entre
Nous
Beautiful movie.
***
 Even
Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994, 100 min, US)
Director; Gus Van Sant Studio: New Line
Starring: Uma Thurman, John Hurt, Rain Phoenix, Lorraine Brocco,
Keanu Reeves,
Crispin Glover, Roseanne, Udo Kier, Faye Dunaway, Steve Buscemi
REVIEW::
Gus Van Sant's infamous box office disaster isn't exactly faithful
to the book, but the lesbian affair between Uma Thurman and Rain
Phoenix makes it well worthwhile. Taken from Tom Robbin's 1976 hippie
novel, the story features Thurman as a big-thumbed gal who uses
her effective digit to thumb her way around the country meeting
up with a series of loony characters. One of the more interesting
ones is John Hurt as “The Countess.”
For more information, including
available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Even
Cowgirls Get The Blues at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Even
Cowgirls Get the Blues
We liked the movie for its weird quirkiness, plus Uma Thurman with
huge thumbs--just perfect for . . . Hitchhiking : )
***
 Exes
& Ohs: The Complete First Season (2008, 132 min,US)
Studio: Paramount, MTV Home Video
Starring: Angela Featherstone, Heather Matarazzo, Marnie Alton,
Megan Cavanagh, Michelle Paradise
REVIEW:
Meet Jennifer, a documentary filmmaker with a vivid fantasy life
and a floundering career. Jennifer wants to find Ms. Right…
but first she must navigate the rules of lesbian life, most of which
she learns the hard way. Fortunately, her friends are there to help:
Sam, a sexy commitment phobe who flips women faster than real estate;
Chris and Kris, a lesbian couple expanding both their pet accessory
business and their family; and Crutch, a young musician who wants
to be taken seriously but still has some growing up to do. Surviving
singlehood, couplehood – and each other – has never looked
quite like this.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
Exes & Ohs: The Complete First Season at TLA Video OR
Exes & Ohs - The Complete First Season at Wolfe Video
 A
Family Affair (2001, 100 min, US)
Director: Helen Lesnick Studio: Wolfe
Starring: Helen Lesnick, Erica Shaffer, Arlene Golonka, Suzanne
Westenhoefer, Barbara Stuart, Michele Greene, Michael Moerman
Screenwriter: Helen Lesnick
REVIEW:
Rachel Rosen (writer/director Helen Lesnick) bolts from the East
Coast after yet another breakup with her seductive girlfriend Reggie
(Michele Greene). Surrounded by the love and affection of her gay
friends, her sister-in-law Carol (Suzanne Westenhoefer) and her
mom Leah (the very outlandish president of the San Diego chapter
of PFLAG), Rachel embarks on finding "Ms. Rightowitz."
After a disastrous series of hilarious blind dates, she reluctantly
allows her mother to set her up with Christine (Erica Shaffer) and
the two surprisingly hit it off.”
For more information, including available movie
trailers, click the following movie title link(s): A
Family Affair at TLA Video OR A
Family Affair at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
A
Family Affair
Didn't see it, but heard it is very good.
 Female
Perversions (1996, 113 min, US/Germany)
Director: Susan Streitfeld Studio: Trimark
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas, Clancy Brown,
Frances Fisher,
Paulina Porizkova
REVIEW:
Swinton stars as Eve, a high-profile lawyer preparing for an interview
with the governor in the hopes of being appointed a judge. In the
meantime, she must contend with her estranged, kleptomaniac sister
(Madigan), a workaholic boyfriend (Brown), a somewhat hesitant female
lover (Sillas), and her own inner demons. While the lesbian angle
is not the film's main thrust, it proves important to the heroine
in her efforts to find solace.
For more information, including
available movie trailers, click the following movie title link(s):
Female
Perversions at TLA Video
Amazing
Dreams Short-Short Review:
Female Perversions
LOVE THIS MOVIE! Even though this was not a pure lesbian film, this
is a great one to see, and has important messages about how society
treats women. Make sure to watch what is going on in the scenes
behind the characters--amazing imagery.
*****
 Floored
by Love (2005, 50 min, Canada)
Studio: Wolfe
Cast: Andrew McIlroy, Marco Soriano, Michael Robinson, Natalie Sky,
Shirley Ng
Director: Desiree Lim
Screenwriter: Desiree Lim, Karen X. Tulchinsky
A heart-warming portrait of family acceptance, as a lesbian couple
struggles to make their love public, just as a young gay son must
cope with two father figures.
REVIEW:
From the filmmaker who brought us Sugar Sweet, comes a charming,
slice-of-life family comedy centering on the homes of a Chinese/Japanese
lesbian couple, and a multi-racial family with a recently out teen
son. In one household, levelheaded therapist Cara and stunning flight
attendant Janet are in a perfect, stable relationship...until Canada
legalizes same-sex marriage and Janet wants to walk down the aisle
with her partner. Cara is not out to her family and a series of
both comical and dramatic events ensue as she tries to tell her
traditional family she is a lesbian. Meanwhile, Norman is willfully
supporting his gay son, but he soon gets pushed aside when Jesse's
biological gay father breezes in town full of empty promises. As
the two heart-warming stories unfold, director Desiree Lim skillfully
steers everyone through the quirks of familial love as they all
discover that their lives aren't much different from one another.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the
following movie title link(s):
Floored by Love at TLA Video
OR
Floored
By Love at Wolfe Video
 Fire
(1997, 104 min)
Director: Deepa Mehta Studio: New Yorker Films
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das
REVIEW:
This emotionally charged drama about the forbidden love between
two women in India. The newly wed Sita (Das) is a young and beautiful
woman who comes to live with her husband's brother and his wife
Rahda (Azmi) in New Dehli. Restless and independent and realizing
that her arranged-marriage husband is far from faithful, Sita quickly
finds her new world stifling. The older Rahda, on the other hand,
offers the face of complacency, all the while holding within her
rage and loneliness. Within this volatile atmosphere the two women
strike up a natural friendship which leads to smoldering passions
and a sensual but secretive romance. . (Filmed in English)
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the
following movie title link(s): Fire
at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Fire
Didn't see it, but have heard several women say this is their
favorite movie.
For the Bible Tells Me So(2007, 98 min, US)
Director: Daniel G. Karslake Studio: First Run Features
Starring: Chrissy Gephardt, Desmond Tutu, Gene Robinson
REVIEW:
Beautifully moving and very well edited, this film documents the
use of a literal reading of the bible to harass glbt people and
several family's reactions to this. Besides having intimate interviews
with Crissy Gephardt and Gene Robinson, the first gay Episcopalian
Bishop, there are revelatory interviews with: young gay man Jake
Reitan and his family; Tonia Poteat and her Southern preacher parents;
and Mary Lou Wallner whose story is particularly inspirational.
For all of you who have wrestled with biblical passages invoking
the death penalty for homosexual sex, For the Bible Tells Me So
will help you come to terms with your religion. Put simply there
are thousands of rules in the Bible – all but the Ten Commandments
are subject to change as the times do. A clip from "The West
Wing" tells the whole story. Martin Sheen thanks a reporter
for asking about the Leviticus quote. He then says that his Chief
of Staff has a bad habit of working on the Sabbath. He asks the
reporters who should put them to death? The state OR federal governments?
If someone wears mixed fiber clothing, who must excecute these people?
The Bible is an evolving document, even the most literal Christian
doesn't follow all the rules. Know your Bible and you can debate
the points with lucidity. Wonderful film, highly recommended!
For more information, including available movie trailers, click the
following movie title link(s):
For The Bible Tells Me So at TLA Video OR For
The Bible Tells Me So at Wolfe Video
 The
Fox (1967, 110 min, US)
Director: Mark Rydell
Starring: Anne Heywood, Sandy Dennis, Keir Dullea
REVIEW:
One of Hollywood's earliest attempts at handling lesbianism as a
central theme, this somber drama, adapted from a D.H. Lawrence novella,
gives us two women in love but at the same time shows that it is
not all that fulfilling. What starts as isolated love for the two
ends with defection and betrayal by one and death for the other.
(This video is currently out of print and is not available for sale,
but may possibly be found for rent.)
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s): The
Fox at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Fox
Another "The Lesbian Must Die" movie.
**
 The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009, 152 min, Sweden)
Studio: Music Box Films
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil
Taube,
Peter Andersson, Ingvar Hirdwall, Marika Lagercrantz, Björn
Granath, Ewa Fröling,
Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Annika Hallin, Sofia Ledarp, Tomas Köhler,
David Dencik,
Stefan Sauk
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Screenwriter: Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the highest grossing Swedish
film in history
and 2009’s highest-grossing European production.
* The film won the Audience Award, Best Picture and Best Actress
(for newcomer Noomi Rapace's performance) at the 2009 Swedish Guldbagge
Awards (Sweden’s Oscars).
* Orignal author Stieg Larsson, who died suddenly in 2004, left
behind three unpublished novels, known as the ”Millennium”
trilogy, which have become a global sensation, elevating Larsson
to the world’s second best-selling author last year.
REVIEW:
Based on the eponymous novel by Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo begins forty years ago when Harriet Vanger disappeared
from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the
powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her beloved
uncle (Sven-Bertil Taube) is convinced it was murder and that the
killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family.
He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael
Nyqvist) and the tattooed and troubled but resourceful, computer
hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to investigate. When the
pair link Harriet’s disappearance to a number of grotesque
murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark
and appalling family history. But the Vanger’s are a secretive
clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how
far they are prepared to go to protect themselves..
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
EXCELLENT MOVIE! One of the best movies I've seen in YEARS!
Even though it is subtitled, I found myself so engrossed in the
story that I didn't even notice! WARNING: there are very
graphic scenes in this movie, but the most graphic was had a very
surprising reaction as people in the screening where I was at actually
cheered!
The actress who plays bisexual computer hacker Lisbeth Salander,
Noomi Rapace, is AWESOME in this movie--Lesbian and Bi women have
not had such a strong heroine since Xena Warrior Princess!
*****
 The
Girl Who Played With Fire (2009, 129 min, Sweden)
Studio: Music Box Films
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Sofia Ledarp, Micke
Spreitz, Peter Andersson, Georgi Staykov, Yasmine Garbi, Tehilla
Blad, Paolo Roberto, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Annika Hallin, Per
Oscarsson, Tanja Lorentzon
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Screenwriter: Jonas Frykberg
REVIEW:
The Girl Who Played With Fire, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace),
is a wanted woman. Following the events of The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo, a researcher and a Millenium journalist about to expose
the truth about the sex trade in sweden are brutally murdered, and
Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable
and violent behavior makes her an official danger to society. Mikael
Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist, Salander's friend and Millennium's publisher,
is alone in his belief of Salander's innocence. Digging deeper,
Blomkvist unearths evidence implicating highly placed members of
Swedish society—as well as shocking details about Salander's
past. He is desperate to get to her before she is cornered—but
no one can find her anywhere.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
The
Girl Who Played With Fire at TLA Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Girl Who Played With Fire
The second installment of the trio, The Girl Who Played With
Fire is also an EXCELLENT MOVIE! Lisbeth Salander is on the path
to save herself and her female partner from her violent childhood
past. WARNING: this movie is intense and again shows some graphic
violence, people in the screening were actually covering their eyes,
but it is so worth it as the story is incredibly empowering for
women who have been abused everywhere.
*****
 The
Gymnast (2006, 96 min, US)
Studio: Wolfe
Cast: Addie Yungmee, Allison Mackie, Amy Lemons, Andrew Ableson,
David De Simone, Dreya Weber, John Lee Ames, Kathe E. Mazur
Director: Ned Farr
Screenwriter: Ned Farr
Stylish and tender, this romantic drama explores the developing
relationship between an acrobatic young woman and the Asian-American
woman who performs with her.
REVIEW:
The talented Jane Hawkins (Dreya Weber, Lovely & Amazing) was
an impressive gymnast at the top of her game until a devastating
injury ended her career. Now she pours the passion, strength and
discipline that once fueled her sport into maintaining both a tedious
job as a massage therapist and a loveless marriage. After running
into her old instructor, Jane is invited to a new, secretive gig:
aerial silk acrobatics similar to a Cirque Du Soleil performance.
While she might have the strength, her co-star, the lovely Serena
(Addie Yungmee), has the grace and style of a top-notch athlete.
Each of them are illuminated by the presence of the other, but there
are distractions. Jane's is bothered by her lack of children while
Serena is an out lesbian who tackles stereotypes with being an adopted
Korean daughter of Jewish parents. As the stunning pair prepares
to audition their act for a Las Vegas show, the gravitational pull
between the two women becomes increasingly unavoidable... A visually
compelling film that challenges notions of both ability and identity,
The Gymnast is foremost a story about hope and taking the necessary
risks to fully become yourself.
For more information, including available movie trailers, click
the following movie title link(s):
The
Gymnast at TLA Video OR The
Gymnast at Wolfe Video
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Gymnast
Very beautifully filmed story, especially loved the DUI test
at the end.
****
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