| MOVIES & TV ON DVS/VHS
Compiled by Blase DiStefano
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
Lesbian romantic comedy comes to DVD and VHS
In A Family Affair, edgy New Yorker Rachel Rosen
(writer/director Helen Lesnick) escapes to San
Diego after another traumatic breakup with her
girlfriend Reggie (Michele Greene, L.A. Law).
Her previously transplanted parents, now deeply
involved with PFLAG, welcome her with open arms
and just want to see her settle down with a nice
woman. Enter the sunny and blonde Christine. Before
Rachel knows it, the two are moving in together
and falling in love—and converting Christine
to Judaism. While Rachel’s sister-in-law
(Suzanne Westenhoefer) waits for Rachel to screw
up yet another relationship, Reggie the Ex arrives
from New York as the happy couple’s commitment
ceremony approaches, forcing commitment-phobic
Rachel to make a choice between two very different
women in her life. Full of sharply-edged humor
and hilariously awkward family situations, A Family
Affair is, as Curve magazine described, “full
of comic treats that keep the pace rolling in
this impressive debut.” • The DVD
edition features a bevy of bonus features on a
two-disc set: letterbox transfer of the theatrical
print, interviews with the director and principle
cast members, a commentary track, deleted scenes,
the theatrical trailer, and closed captioning.
• Available July 29 from Wolfe Video (www.
wolfevideo.com or 1-800-GET-WOLFE).
ALSO ON DVD/VHS
• Hush!
This funny, poignant comedy traces the lives of
two handsome boyfriends who become entangled with
a young woman who proposes the idea of conceiving
a child with them and creating a family. The story
gets more complicated as conservative family members
try to break up the gay couple’s relationship.
Ultimately, the guys and the woman carrying their
child come to the realization that they will have
to decide for themselves the true meaning of family.
• Available on DVD and VHS from Strand Releasing
(www.strandreleasing.com).
• The Weekend
An all-star cast highlights The Weekend, a smart,
emotionally involving dramatic story of love and
loss. Gena Rowlands, Deborah Kara Unger, Brooke
Shields, David Conrad, James Duval, Gary Dourdan,
D.B. Sweeney, and Jared Harris give outstanding
performances in the film, where sexual and emotional
tensions run high when eight people come together
for a midsummer weekend. • Based on the
acclaimed novel of the same name by Peter Cameron,
The Weekend chronicles one weekend in a country
house in upstate New York when friends gather
on the anniversary of the death of a man who was
related to them all by either blood or love. Clashing
almost immediately, old regrets are voiced, old
passions resurface, and new insights are gained
as the group poignantly begins to realize that
each one of them must move on to the future and
not dwell on the past, difficult as it may be.
• On DVD/VHS from Strand Releasing (www.strandreleasing.com).
• Strangers with Candy, Season One
Set in timeless Anytown, USA, Strangers with Candy
deals with topics very close to everyone who has
suffered through freshman year in high school.
Only this time they are told through the eyes
of an extremely unique freshman, 47-year-old Jerri
Blank (Amy Sedaris). Blank faces the hassles of
high school with a new moral crisis, introduced
in every episode, brought to a comically tidy,
but twisted resolution by show’s end. •
The Strangers with Candy DVD features all 10 episodes
from the first season and the original unaired
pilot. It also contains audio commentary provided
by Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello.
• Available from Comedy Central Home Video
(www.comedycentral.com).
• American Mullet
American Mullet is an examination of culture,
class, and creed through America’s most
notorious haircut: the Mullet. This exploration
of “hairology” is captured on film
as director Jennifer Arnold travels around the
country with interviewer Mathew Bose, taking an
in-depth look at the phenomenon of the short/long
style known by monikers such as the “bi-level,”
“hockey hair,” “sh’long,”
and “mud flap,” among others. Featured
among the Mullet-sporting contingent are: soccer/hockey
jocks, Mexican macho men, bikers, “butch”
babes, traditional Native Americans, country music
devotees (a la Billy Ray Cyrus fans), and others
who express a personal interest in going against
the grain. • The DVD documentary is available
from Palm Pictures (www. palmpictures.com).
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