Oct 9-19th

Cinema 21

Every year, hundreds of gay people pay $8.25 a pop to watch wretched Hollywood shite about stupid straight people with stupid problems. The only fag offerings the gays get is drivel like Boat Trip and a "gay" scene in Amercan Pie 3. Is that a bone Hollywood is throwing? No! It's a fucking insult. Well kids, mark your calendars, take out your wallets and show up for the Seventh Annual LGFF, and stick it to Hollywood for a few days. Actually, 11 days to be exact, Oct. 9th-19th, when the queers once again take over Cinema 21 and showcase insightful, funny, raunchy, depressing and down-right revolutionary pieces of cinema from all over the world. Included in the over 65 films this year are a controversial Israeli homo lovefest (Yossi and Jaggar), a Chinese teenage tale of lesbian lust (Blue Gate Crossing), Gina fucking Gershon as a sexy bi rocker (Prey For Rock & Roll) and HARDCORE '70s GAY PORN (El Paso Wrecking Corp)--with the director in attendance! What's not to love? Although not every film is golden, there are so many fine flicks to choose from, I'm sure you'll be cueing up for at least a few, and hit Hollywood where it hurts: in the money bag. BRIAN BRAIT See Film Times for complete listings.

AKA (dir. Roy)--Wallowing in Britain's trademark murky grayness, AKA follows a troubled youth as he flees from his sexually abusive working class father to go shack up with some aristocratic dandy prats. It's a fairly intriguing story, muddled by confusing dialogue and lifeless pacing. The real star of this show is a technical gimmick: it's split into three simultaneous frames. Every moment of the film arrives from two different angles, with a third angle showing a different, but related scene. For example, we get two different shots of the boy getting harassed by his dad in his bedroom, and a third shot of his mother calmly doing dishes downstairs. The potential for intriguing juxtaposition this device offers is enormous, assuming your brain can accustom to the surprisingly difficult task of watching three screens at once. JUSTIN WESCOAT SANDERS Sun Oct 19, 9:15 pm

Blue Gate Crossing (dir. Yee Chin-yen)--This modern-day Chinese lesbo twist on the old Cyrano story treads new territory in the teen coming of age drama realm. Shy Meng has it bad for her best gal pal Lin, except Lin is mildly obsessed with hottie high-school boy Zhang--but, of course, Zhang wants tomboy Meng to be his lady. The triangle is familiar, but writer/director Yee Chin-yen paints with a soft brush. Yee's haiku-like directorial lyricism and a quiet sense of teen angst bucks the American teen-film trend by casting what look like actual teenagers, and writing dialogue that sounds like teens talking. We never feel rushed or harassed--just invited to remember how it felt when love first struck. BB Wed Oct 15, 7 pm

Merci Docteur Rey (dir. Litvack)--Ever since Dianne Wiest took over the role as the adviser to the lawyers on Law & Order, I cannot stand her. The sight of that over-inflected, saccharine sincere face just makes me want to punch it. It's too bad then that she had to pepper this mediocre, not-very-gay movie about murder, confusion, and heterosexual love. The excessively forlorn Stanislas Merhar plays Weist's son, and God, I got sick of that mopey face, too. Merci Docteur Ray doesn't offer up enough meat, or character exposition to keep you involved, nor does it fall back on any man on man action to keep you looking at the screen. In short: a snoozer. KATIE SHIMER Thurs Oct 16, 9:15 pm

You'll Get Over It (dir. Cazeneuve)--Vincent is a handsome, 17-year-old swim star, considered a "role model" at school, as well as a closeted and active homosexual. When he's abruptly outed at school, he faces reactions like his girlfriend's, whose virginity was lost to him three days before. His parents cop the "maybe it's a phase/do you think it's our fault" routines. His teammates are threatened and abusive, as is the general population, seemingly. Although the plot points are clichéd, and therefore under-stimulating, that's largely forgivable, considering the point is clearly to speak to common emotional experiences associated with coming out. MARJORIE SKINNER Sat Oct 11, 8:30 pm

Suddenly (dir. Lerman)--What happens when two tough street lesbians kidnap an overweight straight girl, and take her on a cross-country road trip to sexual discovery? In this plodding black and white feature from Argentina, not a hell of a lot. The beginning of Suddenly is filled with promise; Mao (Carla Crespo) is 100 percent heat as she seduces the lonely Marcia (Tatiana Saphir) with promises of love mixed with barely suppressed violence. However, when the girls visit Lenin's (Veronica Hassan) aging aunt, the sharp angles of this crime caper disappear, turning into another overly introspective entry into queer cinema. Self-discovery is greatÉ but not at the expense of ruining an engaging plot. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY Sun, Oct 19, 5 pm