American Beauty
OK, so I came in after the hype, and rarely does a film that got so much attention typically warrant it. American Beauty is an exception. A none-too-subtle reminder to remember the beauty in life, it still inspires you to stop taking things for granted, stop hiding behind excuses and details, and live life for the moment. Kevin Spacey, and the entire cast, are so perfectly suited to their roles that the movie revels in the voyeuristic and that much more real because of it.
PS - Just read the screenplay, good stuff.

Auntie Mame
Anyone who knows me will understand why Auntie Mame is one of my favorite movies. OK, so it's a super-camp classic, but I'm gay, so what's your point? I always wanted to be the dramatic, shoot-from-the-hip floorshow that Rosalind Russell brought to the screen, and barring that, I wanted to be her nephew, Patrick. Who wouldn't want to be this fabulous woman in an incredible apartment with a rich dead husband? What more do you need? Though I never quite became Mame, (and I'm sure my mother's happy for that) I do believe her sense of style and adventure did stick with me. I'm glad they finally released it on DVD so I can donate my worn out video to someone else who needs to be influenced by her spirit.

Edge of Seventeen
FINALLY, a gay movie for me. I've sat through some of the worst gay movies just because they were gay, and take it from me, most gay movies suck and there is never enough skin to make it worth the price of the rental. When I first saw a promotional copy of Edge of Seventeen I was giddy. Here was a gay movie that not only had cute boys, it was good, and not only was it good, it meant something to me. What makes it so strong, besides the tight writing and clean look of the film, is that it shows that the process of coming out isn't easy, people get hurt—your friends and family especially—but it is a necessary stage so that you can begin to accept yourself.

15 Minutes
The title stolen from Andy Warhol's overused line was supposed to key us into the greed for fame, and the means by which the most unscrupulous work to achieve it, but it might spell out how long the movie will remain on the shelves. It starts out as a fun satire of the American Dream as viewed through the distorted lens of tabloid TV, but it becomes a hopelessly cliched and overwrought movie of the week. Two immoral immigrants end up in NYC on a killing spree, the story (and video) of which they hope to sell for a mint so they can live in luxury. Sounds like fun, but it gets muddy and ends up in the most hysterically bad gunfight in recent memory.

Hannibal
There is one really good scene where Hannibal makes a guy eat his own brain, but other than that, this movie is so pointless that I'm not sure how great talent like Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore got involved. Jodie Foster knew to stay away. The plot bounces back and forth between the boring life of Clarice tracking down her man and the equally boring life of Anthony Hopkins who has resurfaced in Italy, hungry to return to his cannibalistic lifestyle. Eventually the two meet (or meat?) and by that point, who cares? Silence of that Lambs had a great buildup and maintained tension between the characters, but almost none of the players in Hannibal have anything to do with one another.

Parting Glances
In retrospect, Parting Glances was naive about the impact AIDS would have in the years following its release; that aside, the movie itself is a nice tight ball of emotional tugs and heartfelt drama. The story is about different types of relationships and coming to terms with who you love and in what degree you need them. In the spectrum of gay drama, this one stands above the rest.

Pearl Harbor
This three hour plus epic could easily be chopped down to the amazing half hour of the actual bombing. The special effects, the sheer destruction and hundreds of sailors swimming for their lives is Hollywood at its overkill best. The story, however, is much more dangerous than the Japanese. The plot and dialogue makes Showgirls look like Masterpiece Theater (ok, well at least Showgirls is funny because it's so bad). It is so badly written and so predictable that the Japanese look like the good guys for attempting to kill off the main players. Sadly, they miss.

The Poseidon Adventure
I've been a fan of disaster movies since I was a kid, and most of them are really genuinely awful (but in a good way!). Before digital work and Titanic, The Poseidon Adventure established the standard formula for disaster flicks. The one element here that the other's lack is a philosophy, take action rather that talk about it. The effects here are real, the individual stories genuine and do not slow down the plot with unnecessary details. Apart from that, I owe the some gratitude to this movie for bringing me closer to Jack, my partner and lover of everything in this genre.

The Royal Tenenbaums
There are some comedies where you need to be in on the joke to get it. If you don't, you're stupefied as to why anyone would find it at all funny. The Royal Tenenbaums, another brainchild from Wes Anderson, is one of those movies. A family of dysfunctional geniuses comes together to work out their issues while their estranged old man, Gene Hackman, attempts to weasel himself back into their lives. It's hard to hate the bastard who deserted them because his advice is so on the money that he he is able to help them confront the very things that are stagnating their lives, and help them grow up. Anjelica Huston, as always, turns in a stunning performance. If you enjoyed Rushmore, you'll love this. I'm half and half on them both, myself.

Satyricon
I'll say this, Fellini knows what he is doing when it comes to shooting. This film is lush, realistic and seedy as it is beautiful. The costuming, sets and music all seem completely authentic. On the down side, there is so little story that the whole becomes a trippy experience best watched under the influence (or during a bacchanal) because watched sober, it's pointless to the point of boring. Don't bother unless you realllly need to see cute Italian actors parade around in barely concealing tunics (never nude), or you need to see it for a film class. Stick with 8 1/2 - it's a much more cohesive and entertaining flick.

Session 9
This flick had all the markings of a potentially really bad independent movie, including David Caruso (the headstrong redhead from NYPD Blue), an abandoned nuthouse location, and all the likely tripe that goes with it. In reality, it is one of the most engrossing psychological thrillers that has come out in years. The story is simple, the information is given at just the right pace, building to the point where you think you've figured it all out and brace yourself for the standard ending, but wham, they pull the rug out from under you. Director Brad Anderson skillfully keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and note, no gratuitous violence, cursing, or gore was needed to do it, with a nod to The Blair Witch Project for allowing your own imagination to scare you.

The Shining
I've had more social conversations about this movie than any other. You either love Stanley Kubrick's very loose adaptation (read improvement) of Steven King's book, The Shining, or you absolutely hate it; there's very little middle ground. The perfectly-normal-turned-creepy atmosphere, the discordant Asian-sounding music, and those fierce little dead girls make this the best of the Steven King based movies. I was once a huge horror movie buff, reveling in slasher films like a pig in slop, but this well constructed, intensely directed drama is one of the only ones to survive and still be as psychologically terrifying as it was when I first saw it.

Star Trek - First Contact
This movie kicks borg ass. Though I've always watched the related versions of Star Trek, I've never counted myself exactly as a fan, more of an admirer. But this particular version has a strong plot, great action, an thought-provoking concept (the first contact between humans and the the rest of the universe), some great in-jokes and Lt. Hawk, one of the sexiest crew members since Will Wheaton left the show. Out of the almost dozen Star Trek films, this is easily my favorite.

Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a great big glittering showstopper of a movie. Director Todd Haynes (Safe) has stolen from sources as diverse as David Bowie and Citizen Kane... and man, is it glamorous. Jonathan Rhys-Meyer (in the thin guise of Ziggy Stardust) rises and falls hard in this exploration of the short-lived glam era that ushered in the more hedonistic days of disco. The story is fragmented, spanning over 100 years (beginning with the alien birth of Oscar Wilde) but the exploration of the rise to fame and "the mythology that grows up around a man" is genius. VERY sex-positive, I'm surprised that gay audiences are did not flock to see Ewan McGregor top Christian Bale... and easily one of my favorite movies. Not only did the boys perform their own songs, but Ewan's "Gimmie Danger" outsexes Iggy Pop's original. Anyone know where I can get a copy of it?

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Before Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down put Pedro Almodovar on the map, he made this startlingly funny comedy about how women get dicked over by men, and the extent to which they will put themselves out to continue getting dicked over by them: including grand theft auto, harboring terrorists, and setting your bedroom ablaze. A movie that could act as a primer for drama queens everywhere.

The World According to Garp
When Garp first came out on video, I was perhaps 11 or 12 years old and watched this movie three times in an attempt to understand it (and the locker room scene) in relation to my own life. Despite all the horrible circumstances of the movie, it was one of the motivating factors for me to become a writer. Now I understand why women want to be ballerinas when they see the Red Shoes. Here was this offbeat guy, doing his own thing, living his own life. That was what I wanted before I even understood that I was different than most other boys. To this day I still get inspired to sit and write after watching this flick. Quoting Jenny Fields, "Everybody dies... the point is to have a life."