Based on Jane Chambers’ classic 1980 Broadway play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove and adapted as a contemporary story set in Venezuela, Liz In September is more than a simple adaptation. Writer and director Fina Torres tried to make the film fourteen years ago, in English, but the project never got off the ground. When she got the chance again, she decided to do it differently — a Spanish language re-imagining with an updated story, focusing on issues that are more relevant today. With a wonderful cast, including gay ex-supermodel and The L-Word star Patricia Velasquez, and a new compelling focus on the right of the terminally ill to choose to die with dignity, the resulting film is as artfully executed as it is surprising.

The film tells the story of Eva, a married straight woman whose young son died of cancer. On her way to meet her cheating husband for a Caribbean getaway she encounters car trouble and, stranded, finds herself staying at an isolated beach retreat. Little does she know, this place is for lesbians and a group are staying there now, old friends spending the summer together away from the judgemental eyes of society. Eva meets Liz, a beautiful and competitive motorcycle-riding  ex model who bets her friends she can woo Eva, without falling in love. But Liz has a secret – she is dying of cancer – and as she and Eva get closer and she gets sicker, the film explores love and death in a way that is neither sentimental nor melodramatic.

“I don’t like melodrama,” says Torres, “so I tried to distance myself. I don’t know if it’s because of my French formation or my Venezuelan culture, but I think that we understand better and stay in the moment with you if we avoid melodrama.”

This is certainly true and, watching the film, the viewer is drawn into Liz’s reality through the realness and subtlety of both Torres’ direction and Velasquez’s performance.

“I tried to portray a character that was a winner.” says Velasquez, “And when you try to win no matter what, there is no space to be a victim, and what creates that melodrama most of the time is because one plays a victim.”

Velasquez poured herself into the role, spending time in hospitals with terminal patients in all stages to see the process, an experience she describes as “heartbreaking”, and reading books like Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s On Death And Dying. In fact, Torres’ adaptation of Liz was heavily influenced by Velasquez.

“You know they say that we directors are sort of vampires,” she says, “and we suck blood from everywhere. Yes, I was very inspired for the character by Patricia. She came out with a book after the movie — we planned together that the movie and the book would come out together – because I think that having the courage to make this movie gave her the courage to assume her identity. I thought it was fascinating to put elements of her life into the fictional character so there are many elements of her life and backstory that are in the movie — even when Eva is watching her on the computer, she’s watching real shots of Patricia as a model.”

The book Torres refers to is Velasquez’s memoir Straight Walk: A Supermodel’s Journey To Finding Her Truth in which she writes candidly about her rise from poverty to the first Latin supermodel to her experiences as a model in the closet.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its wonderful cast, which all work together perfectly and make it very easy to believe that they have been close friends for many years.

“Patricia was the first person to be cast, of course,” says Torres, “and little by little actresses came – some of them were already friends before. The people who didn’t know each other became really close friends in the process of shooting the movie. Which denies what people say about women, ‘when we’re together, that’s a mess’ – well, here it was not a mess – we were really good friends!”

It definitely shows on camera and the bond between characters in this film is a beautiful testament to the sisterhood of the lesbian community.

Francesca Lewis is a queer feminist writer from Yorkshire, UK. She writes for Curve Magazine and The Human Experience as well as writing short fiction and working on a novel. Her ardent love of American pop culture is matched only by her passion for analyzing it completely to death.

The post Liz In September: An Artful and Surprising Film first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Written and directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue, starring two darlings of the big and small screen as well as some seasoned character actors, the recipe was all there for Jenny’s Wedding to be something beautiful, an instant classic. It becomes apparent however when watching the film that Donoghue’s talents lie more in crafting scripts for moving adaptations of novels than in writing and directing an original screenplay from scratch. The film, while it has many redeeming features, is flawed and, ultimately, somewhat disappointing to those of us who have anticipated its release with some excitement.

The story revolves around Jenny (Katherine Heigl), a social worker whose secret relationship with her supposed roommate Kitty (Alexis Bledel) is ready to go to the next level – she wants to get hitched and have babies. Only one problem, her family don’t have any clue she’s gay and she has a feeling they won’t be super happy. Her instincts are right and her mother, worried about what the neighbours in her conservative suburb will think, forces her to keep it secret, even from her siblings. The rest of the movie is mostly intense, cliché-laden conversations, with occasional moments of genius provided by Linda Emond and Tom Wilkinson as Jenny’s repressed but loving parents.

Heigl gives a moving, authentic performance, shining in the emotional scenes, making the inspirational melodrama work in a movie overstuffed with speeches and heart-to-hearts. Tom Wilkinson is a joy, as always, and his scenes with his wife are some of the best. Their bedtime discussions and simmering resentful dinner scene are a delight to watch, though it all does feel very much like something lifted from a play. This is the trouble with the movie in general – massive tonal shifts, lurching from quirky to sentimental, from TV movie to Broadway play. Linda Emond steals the movie with her hilariously earnest and slightly nutty portrayal of Jenny’s poor well-meaning mother. And though the film tries to fit in far too many touching and dramatic scenes, when Jenny comes out to her mother both actors are on form and the heartstrings-pulling dialogue and performances really make it a memorable moment. Jenny’s sister’s subplot of sibling jealousy and marital unhappiness is beautifully played by Grace Gummer but the dead grass metaphor, which starts as clever and insightful, is so overused and overrought that it becomes laughable. What Jenny’s Wedding badly needed was more humour and sass. The scene in which Jenny introduces Kitty to her parents’ friends for the first time at a funeral, in which she utters the lines, “Hey Kitty, my dad wants to know if one of us straps it on in bed” is pure gold. Leaving sentimentality at the door and letting Jenny’s defiant bitterness after years in the closet come rushing out, to the general dismay of the buttoned-up gathering and her shy, polite girlfriend, is a rare moment of well-observed humour that the film really benefits from. The score, funded by the film’s Indiegogo ask for post-production money, shifts from pleasant to saccharine and the pop songs chosen for the soundtrack are way too on the nose, as much as I love Mary Lambert.

My principle issue with the movie was that I just really didn’t buy Jenny and Kitty’s relationship. They don’t even touch, in any way, until almost 30 minutes into the movie and their relationship doesn’t seem anything but chaste/awkward until the explosion of chemistry during the cake cutting scene at the end. When I saw them sensually, playfully stuffing cake into each other’s mouths and smooching with relish, I couldn’t help but wonder, “where was this love throughout the movie?” The ironic thing is that Kitty seems like she actually is just Jenny’s roommate. Their relationship just doesn’t read as a romantic one at all.

Jenny’s Wedding is an important film, that’s undeniable. It stars some beloved actors and focuses on a topic that is worth exploring. In this post-marriage equality world, we will likely begin to see many more films like this, looking at the family tensions that arise, the ways in which traditional families deal with the new attitudes towards queer love. This one, arguably the first of its kind (mainstream, accessible) may be flawed, but it still matters.

Francesca Lewis is a queer feminist writer from Yorkshire, UK. She writes for Curve Magazine and The Human Experience as well as writing short fiction and working on a novel. Her ardent love of American pop culture is matched only by her passion for analyzing it completely to death.

The post Jenny’s Wedding Review first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Under the Mink – Image via Amazon.com

Sexy, funny, suspenseful, romantic, heartbreaking- Lisa E. Davis’s thriller “Under the Mink” packs a lot of punches into a slim novel. “Under the Mink” takes place in 1949 and stars Blackie Cole – a sexy dapper boi singer/entertainer. Blackie plies her trade at Greenwich Village hotspot “The Candy Box”, which is run by mob boss, Stevie. When Blackie becomes a witness to a violent murder of a gay socialite at The Candy Box, her life is turned upside down.  Blackie, motivated to find the killer, is led down a path that changes the course of her life forever.

Personally, my favorite part of the book was the love triangle between Blackie Cole, her new crush, Didi Fletcher-Payne and her abusive alcoholic ex-girlfriend, Renee. Just because good, old-fashioned dyke drama is always fun. Davis also peppers the book with pictures of dapper butch performers and their dames, and that really helps bring Blackie, Didi and Renee to life.

The mob also plays a large part in this story, as Stevie is both Blackie’s protector and her biggest threat. “Under the Mink” was heavily researched through interviews with performers of the era and Davis perfectly captures the symbiotic but perilous partnership between LGBT performers and the mob. It’s an important piece of LGBT history that is often overlooked. Davis sheds light on it without being heavy handed or melodramatic. She describes Stevie’s frustration over not being able to pimp Blackie out to men after shows, due to her unwillingness to become a prostitute. Davis also details the butch lesbians who gave blowjobs to patrons of the bar after the show and the femmes that were recruited into bordellos. The fictional Candy Box operated much like the non-fictional queer nightclubs at the time gave queer men and women a place to express themselves, earn a living and perform in drag, but Davis doesn’t shy away from the fact that this freedom came at a cost.

Image via Vice.com

Davis’s research also manifests itself in the vivid descriptions of 1949’s New York City. The politics are on point and prejudices intact. The dialogue is snappy and pops with 40s era colloquialisms, which are fun and innocent sounding in 2015. But make no mistake, “Under the Mink” is anything but innocent. Davis takes on homophobia, prostitution, alcoholism, racism and murder- dressing it up in a gay tone and lots of slapstick hijinks…Oh! And a ton of sex. If you’re into that sort of thing.

“Under the Mink” is a great as a summer beach read or morning commute page-turner. Just make sure you don’t miss your subway stop!

Pick up a copy of “Under the Mink” here and stay tuned for our interview with Lisa E. Davis!

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“Everybody’s Girl” was an early incarnation of Jen Foster’s work back in 2003, and her first official CD release. The listener is introduced to Foster through the catchy title track that has you singing the chorus from the first bar and followed by the up-tempo “Used Black Cars”.

This solid and catchy pop album has undertones of country that simmer through most of her work. On this record those undertones are notable on tracks “Superwomen,” “Ready To Go” and “The One Who Got Away”.

Read more at Curve

Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in our community.

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Lady Gaga’s new album, “ARTPOP,” dropped in the U.S. this week. Her LGBT following is substantial enough that any new release from her is noteworthy, but if you’re looking for something fresh and unexpected, look elsewhere.

Taken merely as a series of instant dance hits, “ARTPOP” is perfect. The album sounds like a compilation of songs that almost made it onto her previous albums. Not surprisingly, it explores themes of fame and vanity, as her music has done countless times. Despite the lack of originality, as Gaga says herself in “Mary Jane Holland,” “It’s all right, because I am rich as piss.” Why change a working system?

Many songs from “ARTPOP” can and will be heavily featured on the radio, and there’s no shortage of new material for DJs to play. “MANiCURE” is one of these tracks, and, as the title suggests, it’s about how getting dolled up for a MAN can CURE insecurity. When the song comes on, finish your drink, hit the dance floor and ignore the lyrics. It’s one of several toe-tappers.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

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BY DANA PICCOLI

“Cloudburst“, starring Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, is the kind of movie our community so greatly needs. It’s an epic tale of love and living life to the fullest, with a rare focus on the elderly queer community. In order for the queer film canon to expand and grow gracefully, it needs to include tales of all of our lives. “Cloudburst” is an acknowledgement of the lives of older lesbians, and just maybe allows us to glimpse into a future for ourselves full of love and laughter.  Overall “Cloudburst” is beautifully acted and engaging. Prepare to laugh, cry and fall a little bit in love with Stella, an old school butch played by Dukakis, and Dotty, her partner (Fricker).

Read more at AfterEllen.com

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Video games have always held a special place in my heart. I’m a member of the Mario generation, raised on Nintendo and arcade games. In high school, you could often find me at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum playing Mortal Combat and drinking Cherry Coke, the only girl in a sea of teenage boys. My love of games has followed me through adulthood. We read books, watch television and go to the movies to escape reality for a brief moment in time. Video games aren’t just an escape from reality. In a really good game, you get to experience another reality.

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post ‘Gone Home’: Video game with a lesbian coming out twist first appeared on Lesbian.com.

This review is the third in a series of three by Bett Norris: something old, something new, something timeless. Read her reviews for “Giraffe People” and “The Mandrake Broom.”

“Shoulders: A Novel” by Georgia Cotrell is published by Firebrand Books.

This is an old novel, first in print in 1987, which makes it one of the first of a new genre, lesbian romance fiction. After twenty six years, it stands the test of time, and is still one of the very best written in this category.

Tired of reading the same plot, again and again? The standard is girl meets girl, falls or tries to resist falling in love, discovers obstacles both very real and those also somewhat whimsical, eventually overcoming and getting the girl of her dreams in the end, with just the right blend of romance, sensuality, and sex to keep the pages turning. Settings in unusual locales help stir interest. Interesting occupations and professions and character traits pique curiosity.

Basically, a love story is a love story. This book is unique in many respects. First, the writing is exceptionally fine. Next, there is more humor here than one would expect. Point of view is first person, as the protagonist looks back fondly, sometimes painfully, and tells her own love story.

I’ll say it again: very fine writing, great good humor, and this novel survives the passage of time very well. It reads like an old, dear friend.

Bett Norris is the author of “Miss McGhee,” and “What’s Best for Jane.”

The post Lez get literary: ‘Shoulders’ by Georgia Cotrell first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Clark and Niven

LESBIAN.COM STAFF

‘A Perfect Ending’ is director Nicole Conn’s steamy love story starring Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark. Niven plays Rebecca, the perfect wife in a wealthy family. But Rebecca has secrets that are unleashed through her encounters with a beautiful and talented escort, Paris (Clark). The film is artistically shot, raw, romantic and sometimes mysterious. Love and passion know no boundaries.

L.A. radio personality Dana Brenklin recently interviewed Nicole Conn and had this to say about the film:

The face behind the voice: Interviewer and reviewer Dana Brenklin

“A love story unlike any other love story! Never have I seen such a film, with such raw emotions, raw videography and so authentic in its performances. When you think about it, what other way can you tell a love story? Although it’s not your typical romance, it’s a love story all the same. Barbara Niven soars in ‘A Perfect Ending.’ Fans of hers, fans of love, fans of movies have been waiting for a movie with such genuine material, such natural acting and palpable performances ultimately given by leading ladies Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark. Nicole Conn has created a masterpiece with this movie and no two actresses could have played this part but the two who did.

“Nicole said she waited over 25 years to cast Barbara, and this was it: the part Barbara was born to play, and Jessica to play opposite. The perfect ending for two friends looking for an avenue to create together.”

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

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