101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men [Paperback]

Alonso Duralde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

In this comprehensive must-have guide to queer film, Advocate deputy arts and entertainment editor Alonso Duralde presents 101 films that will resonate soundly with gay audiences for reasons good, better, and outrageous!

Whether it’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (for redefining the idea of a movie hero), Mommie Dearest (for making Joan Crawford campier than she already was), or Two for the Road (because some-times you have to glean insights about gay relationships from straight movies with great banter), Duralde brings a quick wit, a gift for analysis, and a lifelong love affair with the -movies to each film recommendation. Along the way, he even outs Casablanca as a gay love story!

In addition to analysis as to why these films matter, each capsule review also contains production notes, cast and crew credits, and DVD/VHS availability.

Alonso Duralde has been the deputy arts and entertainment editor for The Advocate, the national gay and lesbian news-magazine since 2000. Prior to that he was the artistic director of the USA Film Festival in Dallas. He has been an arts columnist for the Dallas Observer, Movieline and Detour. He lives in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alonso Duralde is the deputy arts and entertainment editor for The Advocate, the national gay and lesbian newsmagazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Advocate Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555838669
• ISBN-13: 978-1555838669
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a lifelong movie nerd who managed to stay out of theaters and away from the DVD player long enough to write two books about film: Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, which will be published in October 2010 by Limelight Editions, and 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Advocate Books, 2005).

In addition to my recurring appearances on IFC's "The Grid" and the film reviews and articles I write for various websites, I work with several film festivals, including Sundance and Outfest. My previous gigs include "The Rotten Tomatoes Show" on Current, Arts & Entertainment Editor at The Advocate, Artistic Director of the USA Film Festival/Dallas, and, back in high school, every possible gig at a suburban movie theater in College Park, Ga., from tearing tickets to running the projector. I'm lucky enough to be partnered with the very funny and wonderful Dave White, whose book EXILE IN GUYVILLE you should absolutely read.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Agree or Disagree...Good Stuff Here., November 7, 2005

By 

Donovan Whitehurst "pop culture freak" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Paperback)

Whether or not you agree with all of Duralde's choices, he has created a funny and informed guide with "101" that will give any gay man (or any film fan for that matter, gay or straight) a wide variety of choices of films to seek out, and others to revisit. His selections range from the international (All About My Mother, Cachorro), camp classics you've probably never heard of (The Apple, Boom!), to more obvious gay classics (Auntie Mame, All About Eve) and less obviously gay films (Fight Club, Jackass: The Movie), revealing trivia and famous quotes from each film as he goes along.

The book's main strength comes from the narrator's voice: a self-described film "nerd", Duralde reads less like a stodgy, know-it-all critic, than a friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate fan. He's not afraid to trash a film either (I won't reveal which one of the 101 films he lists as a red herring for the hilariously scathing review he gives it).

Lightweight in size but heavy in content, this is a perfect holiday gift for friends, film fans, and of course, that "funny uncle". Bring on the sequel!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-See Movies for Movie lovers too!, November 4, 2005

By 

Charlotte Del Rose "film & book lover" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Paperback)

As a female movie lover, I was drawn to buy this book. I have seen many films listed within it, but still found many fresh insights into familiar movies. He writes in a very distinctive voice, as if your best friend was telling you why to see a particular film. However, this voice is very literary and knowledgeable. Informative, witty, funny and interesting any movie lover will be want to own this book. It is concise and succinct with clever symbols to help describe the film. It will help greatly with trips to the video store and Netflix lists of films to rent.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what the title says, May 3, 2006

By 

J. M. Bell "A Loser Geek Like the Rest of Us" (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Paperback)

101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men is a seminal tome in more ways than one. Well, actually, only one. It hasn't got any of the good pictures in it. But it does have 101 movies that are essential to a broad range of the gay aesthetic. It's got movies for drama queens, diva queens, show tune queens, bears, disco queens, grunge queens and size queens. The only gay subgenre it's lacking is the queer sports movie, and I'm sure once Duralde has seen Summer Storm and Guys and Balls he'll add something appropriate to Bride of 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men he keeps promising (unless that what he's titling the lesbian companion piece he keeps promising as well, in which case he'll have to include Bend it Like Beckham or, better yet, Personal Best).

When I came out, I was told I couldn't get my queer card until I'd seen Torch Song Trilogy and Murder by Death. Both are missing from 101. I'm not going to fight too hard for Murder by Death which is simply a very good example of camp and not particularly queerly significant beyond that, but I will say that I can't imagine a list of queer movies complete that doesn't include Torchsong.

But what is in the book is delightful and insightful. I knew Fight Club is about the slashiest thing every made, but it didn't occur to me to put it in a list of must-see movies for the queer cognoscenti. But even the obvious choices - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Sunset Boulevard, Valley of the Dolls, Sunday, Bloody Sunday and many more - are given new life and new perspective with plot synopsis, evaluation of what's important to the queer viewer, quotes from the movie and an interesting visual classification system.

Duralde examines these movies with wit and sensitivity. He makes you want to expand your DVD library, and in some cases your VHS library, not only with the movies he lists, but with the movies he mentions in passing discussion about other movies.

And, for the record, I've seen The Broken Hearts Club and it isn't nearly as awful as Duralde makes it out to be, but it is awful.

I cannot remember the title or anyone who was in it, but it you're looking for a movie emblematic of what bad queer cinema is, the one with the fireman who begs his girlfriend for a threesome without specifying the gender of the third participant and then is horrified when she brings some guy from the neighborhood who's been crushing on him for years into the bedroom is the one to choose.