Drunk Flixin'

This week I was able to score tickets to two films at
AFI's SILVERDOCS festival. I feel privileged to live within walking distance of this event and glad to see it so well supported. Both of my selections, Forbidden Lie$ and Bi the Way were outstanding. But oddly enough the movie that had the biggest impact on me this week was one of my alcohol-fueled netflix choices. You know the ones I am talking about! They arrive in your mailbox but you have no idea how they got on your queue.

Childhood's End received very mixed reviews--most everyone on Netflix hated it but the IMDB folks tended to love it. This love/hate response piqued my curiosity. Not to sound too Libran, but after seeing the movie I can understand both the negative and positive reviews. The netflix contingent were generally disgruntled because Eddie Falco was billed as a star but appears only briefly. Plus the dialog initially was too wordy and stiffly delivered by the cast.

The story centers around two high school students, Greg and Denise. Greg is a Mr. Perfect who launches into an affair with his mother's friend, a hedonistic divorcee. The divorcee's daughter, Denise, is friends with Greg and unbeknownst to her mother, a lesbian. Denise winds up coaxing Rebecca, a wallflower who is infatuated with Greg, out of her shell and into her bed.

The film at first seems unrealistic because Greg's wholesome midwest family are very nonchalant about the taboo scenarios unfolding in their household. Not only are Greg’s parents supportive of their son's dalliance with a woman twice his age, they are nonplussed that his sister, Chloe, has retained him to take nude photos of her for a modeling portfolio (there is actually lots of un-airbrushed nudity thoughout the film). Despite this initial lack of credibility, the second half of the movie hits its stride when the focus turns to the convincing and beautiful romance between Denise and Rebecca.

Denise's confident demeanor masks the pain of parental neglect but provides Rebecca with the strength to overcome her fear of people. Rebecca in turn provides support for Denise to let her guard down. The scene in which they hook up is uncomfortably raw but the writer/director racks up lesbian mitzvah points by featuring two Dusty Springfield songs in the soundtrack. In the end, everyone winds up with what they deserve. And the lesbians wind up the happiest.

Sometimes Netflixing Under the Influence isn’t such a bad thing!

A lid for every pot?

This web 2.0 social networking blah blah blah stuff has brought a whole new source of social anxiety to my life. Last week I received an invite from a former coworker to join a network called "Tagged". I didn't want to seem rude so I set up a profile, though in retrospect the "invite" was probably the result of importing an e-mail address book and a refusal to join would not been given a second thought.

So anyhow, today I received a couple of messages from Tagged notifying me that someone has clicked "Yes" on me as the result of a game entitled "Meet Me." I couldn't resist investigating further and now have another meaningless pastime that is as addictive as slot machines. Not only does this inane game enable me to continue procrastinating online when things are slow at the Daily Mail, it also brings back the horrors of online dating to such an extent that my relationship has already been strengthened on the basis of viewing such dim prospects.

The rules of the game are simple. You put in your orientation, the age range you are looking for, your zip code and a personalized slogan and VOILA! You are presented with a profile of either a single lesbian or a married bisexual. Here is just a sample:

Wendy
39, Female, Single
“Only a woman knows how to pleasure another woman. Men, do not waste my time & yours. Not interested. ALL MEN are deleted and reported as abusive.”
(Wendy's profile photo shows her on the bed, probably naked, but she mercifully leaves things to the imagination.)

Amanda C
31, Female, Married
“It's not going to lick itself!!!!”
(a strange lesbian unicorn fantasy image was used in lieu of a profile photo)

Kelly C
32, Female
“Don't ever judge someone by flaws because you have just as many”
(Spongebob squarepants cartoon with a "DAMN, YOUS A UGLY BITCH" caption was used in lieu of a profile photo)

Just being online logged in to Tagged made me visible to clueless overseas straight mails, so now my e-mail inbox is filled with gems such as this from a Foozi H:

"hi you very nice i seriou i love your contry pleas give me your msn +sex sex sex ok plzzzzzz"

OK, back to whatever I was doing!

Jenna: Far-Flung Bush Acorn?

The Bush twins were the best thing to happen to DC since Marlene Cooke. I never tired of reading about the underage alcohol-fueled antics of Twinkle and Turquoise (as they were known by their Secret Service detail). But now Jenna is grown up, married, and doing a children's book tour with mom, which begs the question: how does "Read All About It!" compare to "The Pet Goat?"

If someone had told me in 1983 (while attending high school in Florida, no less) that in 2008 the First Lady and daughter would be appearing on a talk show hosted by an out lesbian, my reaction would have been similar to being told that the Flashdance woman would defy age and star in a lesbian drama series. What a world we live in!

Here is a clip of Jenna and Laura Bush's appearance on Ellen. I really don't enjoy listening to straight people talk at length about their weddings, but interestingly enough, Jenna answers "Sure" when Ellen asks if she could borrow the ranch for her own nuptials. Maybe she was just being polite, but this is significant given her father wanted to amend the Constitution to squelch gay marriage. Laura Bush looks uncomfortable and detached the entire time, as though afraid of succumbing to the gay agenda. Jenna's friendly demeanor, on the other hand, shows promise for a post-gay world.