MOVIES

cho gets bawdy, women get therapy, & Sade gets jailed

Notorious C.H.O.: The Movie

Notorious C.H.O.: The Movie is Margaret Cho's hilarious follow-up to her hit comedy I'm the One That I Want. Filmed live in Seattle and directed by Lorene Machado, the movie captures Cho's boisterously entertaining one-woman show, which recently completed a wildly successful tour to 37 cities throughout North America. • A brilliant, taboo-busting comedian in the spirit of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin, Margaret Cho is known as much for her raunchy humor as she is for her enormous contributions as a social equalizer and healing force. • Notorious C.H.O. was inspired by the ladies of rap music, like Li'l Kim or Eve, particularly their wonderfully lustful and bawdy expressions of strength and sexuality through their images. Like those women, Margaret Cho has a dash of that "Queen Bee" and "Pit Bull in a Skirt" vibe. Her raw material has a decidedly female spin on machismo, tough as the perfectly manicured nails of her counterparts. • Cho's previous show, the 1999 off-Broadway hit, I'm The One That I Want, dealt with her former bouts with drug and alcohol addiction. It also faced her external pressures to conform to body standards in television (most poignantly during her short-lived ABC sitcom All-American Girl in 1995). I'm The One That I Want was later released as a phenomenally successful movie, and it is now out on video and DVD through Wellspring, and the best-selling book version is out in paperback from Ballantine Books. Notorious C.H.O. is available as a CD, The Notorious C.H.O. at Carnegie Hall, through Nettwerk America. • Notorious C.H.O. starts Friday, September 13, at Landmark's Greenway Theatre, 5 E Greenway Plaza, 713/626-0402.

Group

Eight women, six cameras, a therapist, and you. Group traces the evolution of eight women and their shrink from their first meeting through 21 weeks of group therapy. Stereotypes are turned on end in this ultra-modern probe into the American female psyche. The characters-a queer punk amputee, a born-again Christian, a hypochondriac, a sex-rocker, an enigma, a tramp, a bigot, a binger, and their therapist-meet every Wednesday afternoon for this fast and funny, deep and bumpy ride as each woman tries to find a little more happiness. Written and directed by Anne de Marcken and Marilyn Freeman. September 6-12 at Angelika Film Center, 713/225-5232.

Sade

It's 1794. And the Marquis de Sade is once again in prison. In the corridors and gardens of the prison, Sade finds an entire society to people his theater. Sade, the theatrical director, the great organizer, is back in his element. He has lost none of his subversive gusto, his outbursts of cunning provocation, and his sense of humor. But, perhaps, age and a certain weariness have humanized him. The guillotine looms, though, and this heaven has become a hell. In the awesome tumult, the lucid gaze of the writer sees a new experiment to test the limits of freedom. In French with English subtitles. September 20-26 at Angelika Film Center, 713/225-5232.

MOVIES ON VHS/DVD

The Perfect Son

One gay, one straight. One perfect, one imperfect? Two brothers who don't particularly like each other come together after their father's death. Ryan (Colm Feore), the gay one, is a successful lawyer; Theo (David Cubitt), the straight one, is a drug addict. When Ryan becomes sick, Theo starts to take care of him, and the relationship develops into one of respect and love. This moving story by first-time director Leonard Farlinger was recognized at Canada's Genie Awards in 2001, where both Feore and Cubitt received nominations for Best Actor. • Available September 24 from Wolfe Video on VHS ($39.95) and DVD ($24.95). To order: www.wolfevideo.com or 1-800-642-5247. -Blase DiStefano

The Fluffer

Unrequited love. It's bad enough when you're pining over that cute gay guy, but it's a helluva lot worse when you're losing sleep over that straight guy. Then consider what it must be like if that straight guy is porn star Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney) and you (in this case, Sean, played by Michael Cunio) are his fluffer! (Fluffer: one who offers ego reinforcement; one who provides the necessary stimulation for a male star to perform.) As Sean's fellow coworker says, "It's the distance that gets you hooked." The Fluffer is not porn, but it is a remarkably good film about porn; it's no Boogie Nights ... and that's a good thing. It features performances by Deborah Harry, Guinevere Turner, and Chi Chi LaRue. • Now available in rated or unrated versions on VHS ($89.95) and DVD ($29.95). For more info, visit www.firstrunfeatures.com. -BD