AfterElton has just begun their voting for their 2010 poll of 50 Greatest Gay Movies. Plus, in honor of the first week run of Contracorriente (Undertow) on Peruvian cinemas, I’ve made a list of 10 LGBT related films that not many people may have heard about or seen… so these films need your voting. *cough*

And since AfterEllen is dropping the ball on this one — I was pretty sure they were doing polls on Lesbian movies, but oh well~

I am mixing it all up. Because I’m like that.

Look, I love Brokeback Mountain, I love Milk, and I certainly LOVED A Single Man last year. Some of my favorites are Were the World Mine, Show Me Love, Imagine Me & You, and I liked Love Songs as much as — or maybe even more — than you did, but this is about not so popular LGBT flare. There’s also a lot of foreign films because they certainly don’t get major distribution – so thank you, Internet.

Also, don’t forget to vote for Undertow! xD

10. Sud Pralad (Tropical Malady)

I gotta be honest here, Tropical Malady was just a little too art house [hint: too much silence] for me, but that’s not to say that people haven’t enjoyed it. I was very recommended this Thai film, and even if I didn’t blow me away the way I was told… it’s definitely one you should take into consideration when making your list of Greatest Gay Films.

9. Huhwihaji Anha (No Regret)

Don’t let the poster fool you! This certainly isn’t your happy film, it’s got a grim story and crude reality, but this Korean film is still a good one. It’s definitely got great acting. Ahhh you American Marketing and your way to sell foreign dramas as light entertainment…

8. Naissance des Pieuvres (Water Lilies)

Hi, teen drama? You know, if you liked Show Me Love — you know, that awesome Swedish rom-com that had a totally cool title like Fucking Åmål but was changed because people can’t see the word fucking on their rental stores? — well, this is nothing like that. This is not sweet, this is not funny… this is teen angst. xD

7. Puccini for Beginners

Of course everyone loves Imagine Me & You, but this one is a little bit more messy. It has Elisabeth Reaser playing Allegra being too into Puccini opera, and to afraid to say the L-word to her then girlfriend. Said girl breaks it off, and Allegra starts dating another woman… and another man – who happen to be exes. Yup, that can’t get ugly, right?

Ah… Elizabeth Reaser, right? Such a player~ xD

6. Hudie (Butterfly)

Butterfly is all about the drama too. A 30-something woman stuck in a marriage, whose chance encounter with a lively [hint: seductive] singer will revive that spark inside… and remind her of her old adolescent lesbian flame. You know what that means, right? Waking up from the slumber always takes something down… ahhh, drama.

5. Breakfast on Pluto

Cillian Murphy is awesome, right? Neil Jordan as director, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, and Stephen Rhea… I remember this being on theaters… for a short while. Why won’t people love it? O.O

4. TOPPURESU (Topless)

Okay, this is a title difficult to find… because if you try to type Topless – well, let’s just say… it doesn’t work so well. You’re probably going to have to type TOPPURESU to find it. Topless… surprisingly, doesn’t have any topless scene. It barely has any sex in it, which in my book is alright. In here, Natsuko — which means daughter of summer — has ended a longterm relationship with a woman who is now planning to marry a man. Natsuko’s world is crumbling down, her male roommate is struggling with his feelings for her, and a mystery young lady arrives in the city looking for her mother.

3. Miao Miao

Okay, out of all the films I have listed, Miao Miao is probably the happiest of them all. However, the film still holds that tinge of drama — because I love drama. And I’m gonna cheat here because I’m lazy~ Plus, bonus! This is Gay and Lesbian xD

18-year-old Ai loves baking, even if she’s not that good at it. She dreams of some day baking the perfect pastry, until she meets Miao Miao, a shy exchange student from Japan, who happens to be sort of a pastry expert.

With pastry baking comes love, and soon Miao Miao discovers herself interested in a guy owner of a record store, which used to be a cake shop. Little by little, Miao Miao spends more time at the record store than baking with Ai, while Ai realizes her relationship with her might be more than friendship.

2. Chun Gwong Cha Sit (Happy Together)

Can I just say Wong Kar Wai, plus Leslie Cheung (RIP) and Tony Leung is a win-win? And once again… drama ensues! And if the drama is set in Argentina… the drama multiplies! Buahaha xD

1. Ba Wang Bie Ji (Farewell my Concubine)

Because Leslie Cheung in the greatest. And the film is as dramatic as a Chinese film could be. Has any of you noticed that? Chinese films are very Telenovela. I mean, have you seen Raise the Red Lantern? Farewell my Concubine also won the Palm d’Or in Cannes… and it sparked my acceptance of Chinese Opera, which I couldn’t stand before. Now? I’m so used to it, I listen to it whenever I catch some on CCTV.

Tada! What do you think? Any other films?

And of course I made a list on MUBI, you got an account? Be a fan of the list~

To quote myself;

Hana & Alice Soundtrack, it’s so quiet… yet wonderful. Wo Ai Ni breaks my heart. One of the best Yu Aoi film scenes you’ll EVER see~~~

Shunji Iwai is a SOB xD without knowing about music, he composes this score. How’s that for justice?? LOL Now, every time I hear or read Wo Ai Ni (I Love You in Mandarin), I’m reminded of the movie. The way she tells her dad “Papa, Wo Ai Ni” and her dad says “Zai Jian” – OMG, so so sad. Poor Alice. Don’t worry, let’s eat Tokoroten together xD I don’t think I’m into the taste of seaweed in my pudding, but I can eat something else… I’m sure. xD

First, the poster for Burlesque beats the Teaser poster for it. Because I like Hot Pink on high contrast black and white. So I’m biased… Plus, I don’t think the trailer looks that bad.

Then the teaser posters for Let Me In – the remake of my fave 2008 film Let the Right One In – actually look kinda cool… in a different kind of way. I approve of the posters.

Plus, you know I’m team Moretz now, right? LOL

And then this character set of the film Sucker Punch totally grabbed me. I wasn’t that much aware of this, so I had to google it up to refresh. It stars the 20 to Watch Actress Abbie Cornish (who’s losing the poll, btw) and also has the Ten Who Didn’t Make It fella Jena Malone – Plus, Carla Gugino ;P

But my favorite of the ones I saw was Buried, which of course stars the actor I can’t stand… Ryan Reynolds, but what can I say! They have a really great advertising team! First with the kinda cool Motion Poster, and now with this amazing heavily typographical poster.

If you missed the Winner of Best Poster 2009, and my incomplete list of posters I liked [sp] LOL

They Don’t Care About Us is one of my favorite MJ songs. HIStory was my first MJ album ever, which I got for my 10th birthday — but that’s a story you should know by now [1]. The choreography is killer.

I miss choreography like this. You know what dancing on a show is now? Butt-jiggles and booby-shaking. No one is moving their feet when they dance now! At least singers… I watch So You Think You Can Dance – *legasp!* Yes, I watch some reality tv shows, I’m afraid. xD

In the meantime~~~

• Top 25 Actresses – Part I
• Top 25 Actresses – Part II
• Top 25 Actors – Part I

and as a bonus, Top 35 Acting Performances of the Decade ;P

And just to refresh your memory, I also did my lists… but since I’m so picky on being precise~~~ my lists have unconventional long names like 20 Actors Between 20-25 to Watch until They’re 30, and 20 Actors Between 25-30 to Watch until They’re 35.

Let’s hope we have cross-over picks xD we already do.

But this is more about picking the right actors to make an on-screen family, or actors that look the part for historical figures, or casting actors to play characters in different periods of their lives… and the likes.

So here we are with the troublesome film Die Päpstin, or Pope Joan — whatever your thoughts they may be on the film. How Telenovela it was, or how Pope Joan aged, but no one else did. LOL The most striking thing on the film, besides actress  Johanna Wokalek’s face as she was getting her Pope-powder on, was the resemblance between Johanna (the character) aged 10-14 played by Lotte Flack, and grown-up Johanna played by Wokalek.

With casting by Anja Dihrberg and Toby Whale.

My mom thought they were real-life sisters xD

[...]su investigadora estrella era una chica pálida de una delgadez anoréxica [...] Lisbeth era pelirroja, pero se había teñido de negro azabache. Solía dar la impresión de que se acababa de levantar tras haber pasado una semana de orgía con una banda de heavy metal.

En realidad, no tenía problemas de anorexia;  [...] Simplemente había nacido delgada, con una delicada estructura ósea que le daba aspecto de niña esbelta de manos finas, tobillos delgados y unos pechos que apenas se adivinaban bajo su ropa. Tenía veinticuatro años, pero aparentaba catorce.

Una boca ancha, una nariz pequeña y unos prominentes pómulos le daban cierto aire oriental. [...] Su cuerpo no era el más indicado para triunfar en los desfiles de moda, pero, bien maquillada, un primer plano de su cara podría haberse colocado en cualquier anuncio publicitario [...] resultaba … humm… atractiva, de una manera absolutamente incomprensible.

Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres
8va edición
pg. 50

- on the go translation -

his most important investigator was a pale girl with an anorexic skinniness [...] Lisbeth was a redhead, but she had died her hair pitch black. She seemed to have just woken up after a week-long orgy with a heavy metal band.

Truth be told, she didn’t have anorexia problems [...] she was simply born skinny, with a delicate bone structure that made her look like a slim girl with fine hands, skinny ankles and breasts you could barely see through her clothing. She was twenty-four years old, but seemed to be fourteen.

A wide mouth, tiny nose and prominent cheekbones gave her an asian/oriental air. [...] Her body wasn’t exactly made to triumph in the catwalks, but with good makeup, a close-up of her face could have been used for any ad [...] she was… hmmm… attractive, in an absolute incomprehensible way.

So… is it me, or Thirlby seems to have some sort of exotic air to her? I mean, I’m not white… and I don’t see Thirlby as “just another white actress”. She definitely has something else. She’s about to turn 24, and she seems younger… maybe not 14 to my standard of “wow, she looks so young” but she doesn’t look 24. She also has this intensity to her eyes that could work very well for Lisbeth’s silences.

Plus, I believe she really captures that “she was attractive in an incomprehensible way”.

To prove my point, this will be picspam~

Now, cut her hair off, put her some piercings and tattoos. Voila!

I mean, girl doesn’t even carry that much film baggage. Most people wouldn’t really recognize her anyway if she were looking like Lisbeth… most people don’t know her name. And she needs a high profile role.

In Undertow, Miguel (Cristian Mercado) is a fisherman in the small town of Cabo Blanco, Peru, where he is having a baby with his wife Mariela (Tatiana Astengo). The model citizen, a good husband, and well-liked by everyone in town, no one knows that Miguel is having an extramarital affair with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), an artist who’s visited the place since he can remember.

As the melodrama unfolds, writer/director Javier Fuentes Leon doesn’t really take us nowhere we’ve never seen before — if you’ve seen many LGBT-themed films that is, except with that bit with Santiago’s destiny, where the Magic Realism finally kicks in. Ultimately, the film is just a love story, which on one side makes you wonder how well the story would be received if it didn’t have a gay relationship at its core, and on the other side you’re presented with a gay relationship that’s as normal as any heterosexual one.

Undertow will probably get placed next to other LGBT favorites in the following years — once more people get to watch it — right next to crowd’s faves like Brokeback Mountain, Shelter, Where the World Mine, Imagine Me & You, and Show Me Love.

The acting is strong by the three lead actors, being able to carry the whole film in its 100 minutes of running time. The strongest moment in the film was perhaps better condensed in the song by Celso Piña featuring Cafe Tacuba, Aunque No Sea Conmigo, used in the trailer and the film for the line of “Quiero que seas feliz, aunque no se conmigo” (I want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me).

Visually, the film delivers some hunting scenes — I still believe Ricardo de Montreuil (La Mujer de mi Hermano, Mancora) is visually better in his work with his advantage work on some very high profile music videos in Latin America… so how about a collaboration, guys?

3.5/5

Here’s some reading material ;P

• Whatever Happened to Queer Cinema [2007]
• Top50 TV Gay Characters of All Time [2010]
• Top20 Groundbreaking Gay Films [2007]
• Top50 Greatest Gay Movies [2009]
• Top50 Lesbian and Bisexual Characters [2010]
• Bisexual Women in Film From the Early 1990s to Today [2006]
• Lesbian Sex Scenes that Made Movie History [2007]
• I’m pretty sure there was a Top50 Lesbian film, will add that here when I find it.

Animated film director Satoshi Kon passed away from a heart attack. His animated gems included Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika. That alone with the news of Studio Ghibli wanting to close down doors, is just right down depressing.

via Fearnet.com

So here’s mine. Hopefully they’re not THAT common. Of course, you might be waiting for me to pick the Kiss in the Rain from The Notebook with sizzling Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, or the Kiss in the Summer Rain from Cinema Paradiso… because even though I don’t appear to be, I’m a sucker for romance.

And tonight, I’m in the mood for some romance, so… I’ll pick, the Dare scene under the rain of Jeux d’Enfants, who by the way also made it to my list of Best Kisses, why? Because it’s got Marion, and for some reason I find that movie overly romantic in a very twisted way. LOL

Watch the scene at 2:20 on YouTube. Of course, spoilers.

What do I like about that scene? Maybe it’s how their twisted relationship is build up to that point where they finally realize they are meant to be after all the sick stuff they made each other do. Then you’ve got Sophie arriving after realizing that Julien isn’t really dead, and him realizing the lie he just told. Their respective partners being completely ignored because nothing else matters, and Julien singing La Vie en Rose out of tune.

Then, this is totally random.

Hana & Alice, and Alice’s stress relief method. I happen to have fallen slowly in love with the soundtrack, and the visuals of the film… so looking at scenes from it just relaxes me for some reason. In the scene after this rain dance, everything is about to fall apart as Hana (Anne Suzuki) realizes that her pretend boyfriend has been dating — and has started to like — her best friend Alice (Yu Aoi). Plus, the guy shows up realizing the two know each other.

BAM! This has turned into a Top5 Scenes in the Rain xD~~~

non-specific order~

- Tonari no Totoro - Totoro in the Rain Waiting for the Bus

- Jurassic Park – T-Rex Escapes and Attacks the Car.

Jurassic Park is one of my Top10 films for sentimental reasons. And even though the little girl, argh! I wanted to kill her for turning on the flashlight xD Gosh, that scene. And the eye! Focusing when the light hit it, it gave me nightmares as a little kid.

- Pleasantville – It’s Just Rain [Watch at 3:12 on YouTube]

The first time I saw Pleasantville, I was in awe. Mind you, I did believe that the world was black & white when I was a little kid, and that color began appearing as the years and decades passed. Oh silly little me.