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Overall Top 10 movies
If I did this list daily, it would no doubt change. I love all these films. Here today's list of my top 10 picks for all-time best GLBT films:
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10.
Times of Harvey Milk, The
This great documentary should be mandatory viewing for all gay Americans. This film covers Milk's life, from his early years in New York to his assassination in San Francisco. If you don't feel outraged watching the slap on the hand his killer received, then you lack a pulse. But ultimately, it's an uplifting film to see the way the entire gay community came together to demand action. Outside of the Stonewall riots, it's hard to think of a more important moment in modern gay history than the Harvey Milk murder and its aftermath. And it's a treat to have such an important moment done so well in documentary form. Maybe some day someone will do the same for the Stonewall riots.
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9.
Midnight Express
The performance by Brad Davis in this film is among the best in history and the screenplay won Oliver Stone an Oscar. Davis died of AIDS in 1991. This movie is based on the real life of Billy Hayes. In Hayes' book, he writes about the same-sex love affair he had behind bars. That was toned down for the movie (1970s sensibilities), but there is still plenty of gay attraction that comes off on the screen. In the eyes of some, that change hurt the movie. I'm more willing to forgive it because this became a highly-acclaimed movie and offered enough hints of gay love that it could be exposed to straight people without terrifying them.
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8.
Lilies
If you watch the trailer for this one, you're likely to be perplexed about it. A confessional where the roof comes off to show a balloon? When I told one co-worker he has to see this film, he said, "Lilies, isn't that a lesbian film?" No, it's not. It's the story of two young men in love in early part of the 1900s. But that's the play. We meet one of those young men many years later when he's in prison and giving his confession. It takes a second to adjust to how this story is presented, because it's very original. It has excellent cinematography, a shocking story and hot boys. What more can any gay movie fan want?
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7.
Torch Song Trilogy
I recently bought a copy of this excellent film to add to my library and watched it again for the first time in 10 years. It still belongs among the best gay movies ever made, and this one was made in 1984. If you were around then, you know most gay films were filled with stereotypes or really didn't have a clue how to handle gay subject matter. And along comes Harvey Fierstein, who adapted his Tony Award-winning play for the screen. Arnold, the character Fierstein plays, is a real gay man living his life openly. He takes the viewers on a ride of both joys and sorrow. And he does it with great humor. It's the first gay classic.
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6.
Aimee & Jaguar
One look at the lesbian movies on this list ought to announce me as a history major. Both of them are historical films, but don't let my personal love of history keep you from seeing either one. This one is a love story between two women in Nazi Germany. One is pretty open (for the times) that she is a lesbian. The other is experiencing her first same-sex affair. One is a Jew. The other is married to a German officer. And what really sets this story above, is it is based on a true story. They interview one of the women the characters are based on in the Special Features section of the DVD, as well as showing old pictures of the women involved.
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5.
Brokeback Mountain
It helps to view this film after all the publicity has died down, which I'm doing now. It's a beautiful film with powerful emotions that crossed over to touch non-gay audiences. For that reason alone it belongs in the top 10. But add in the direction of Ang Lee, and the performances of Heath Ledger and it truly belongs in the collection of every gay movie fan. So, why isn't it No. 1? It will be with many gay film fans. For me, I'm more interested in politics and subjects that touch many people than a tremendous love story between two men. The films in front of this one do that in some way. But I suspect that as the years pass I will probably move this movie up, not down.
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4.
Tipping the Velvet
The second of my two historical lesbian movies in my overall top 10. This one focuses on Victoria England and a shy oyster girl from the country. She doesn't really enjoy kissing her boyfriend, but since he doesn't demand more, is happy to play along. And then a music show comes to town a woman dressed as a man sings, awakening passions never experienced before. It starts the oyster girl on an adventure that keeps shocking as she looks for love. This film was a three-hour BBC miniseries and it's producers where shocked the network allowed all those dildos to remain in the film. Good for them.
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3.
American Beauty
This movie was an easy winner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Kevin Spacey plays a middle-age man having a bit of a crisis in his life. His wife is ignoring him, he's been fired from his job and he's suddenly experiencing erotic thoughts toward his daughter's teen-age friend. Not to mention the crazy neighbors, including a gay couple (the only normal people on the block). The gay angle is not overt for most of the film, but when it hits it is a major turning point. It was written by Alan Ball, who is gay and remains one of the most original films ever.
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2.
Capote
One of the greatest writers in history decided to do something few had tried before. He wrote a non-fiction story as a fiction writer would. The result was the greatest non-fiction book in history, 'In Cold Blood.' This film tells the story of how Truman Capote was able to do the research he needed for his book. And it does not shy away from Capote's homosexuality, showing how the research impacted his relationship at the time. And there's even a flicker of sexual tension between the author and one of the subjects of his book, a man who was capable of killing in cold blood.
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1.
And the Band Played On
Here is where my love of politics probably clouds my judgment. Some would pick any of the other movies on their list for No. 1 before this one. But the fact that this is a portrayal of how the AIDS crisis was allowed to spread why the government did little to nothing about it makes this the No. 1 movie for me. I lived through those years as a man who stubbornly refused to admit he was gay. This film, based on Randy Shilts book, may be a bit one-handed in how it deals with the Reagan administration and its lack of response to the AIDS crisis. But, it is a fitting tribute to the millions of people who died.
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