From the (Sub) stacks: My Favorite Pride Month Films
Pride Month may be nearly over, but I insist on sneaking in my favorite watches just under the deadline. Below is a list of my favorite queer films, and the ones I put on repeat, during Pride Month and beyond.
Bound (1996)
If this list were ranked by sheer enjoyment rather than alphabetically, Bound would still be at the top. Three years before they gave us The Matrix, The Wachowskis made this neo-noir classic, which follows Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon as Violet, girlfriend of mobster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), and Corky, an ex-con fresh out of prison. Sparks fly when their eyes meet in an elevator, and they’ve soon embarked on a passionate (and very sensual) affair that culminates in a plan to steal from the mafia and run off together with the cash. When it inevitably goes violently awry, their bond will determine whether Violet and Corky will ride off into the sunset or die trying.
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
Conversion therapy as a source of hilarity is a tough sell, but Jamie Babbit absolutely nailed it in this campy comedy which features Natasha Lyonne as the naively straitlaced teenager Megan, who is sent to True Directions, a camp that aims to cure teenagers of their queerness. What follows is a gleefully hilarious satire of heteronormativity, and a sweetly sincere romcom as Megan begins to have some very unhetero feelings for her classmate Graham (Clea DuVall). It also features queer icons Mink Stole, RuPaul, as well as a supporting cast that includes Michelle Williams, Melanie Lynskey, and Dante Basco.
