Gay punk Nick Name, Charles Busch, Sarah Silverman and much more.
Nick Name and the Normals
Intentionally offensive gay punk Nick Name (AKA Kent James) came out after leaving his post as a Mormon missionary. He and his band of straights, the Normals, offend both straights and gays alike. This genuine doc looks deep within the demons that drive Name in favor of gay pride and against gay PC, giving him very little refuge. • 2006. Directed by Howie Skora. • From Indie Pictures (www.indie-pictures.com). — Preview: Eric A.T. Dieckman
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A Very Serious Person
Charles Busch, of Die, Mommie, Die! and cross-dressing Nat Ginzburg of HBO’s Oz fame, plays A Very Serious Person in this coming-of-age tale about a young would-be diva, his dying grandmother (Polly Bergen, Desperate Housewives), and the Danish nurse (Busch) come to mend and mentor. A Very Serious Person is unpredictable, entertaining, and refreshing. Bergen is magnificent, Busch is endearing, and the young P.J. Verhoest holds his own among these two icons of the screen. • From Wolfe (www.wolfevideo.com or 1-800-GET-WOLFE). — Review: John Stiles
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Times Have Been Better
In this French comedy, 33-year-old Jérémy joins his liberal parents for brunch and introduces them to his new, live-in, older boyfriend. Mère and Père turn out to be not so liberal. Blaming each other, they turn to their other son, who still lives with them, and take their frustrations out on him. Will this fam ever brunch in peace again? • 2006. Directed by Régis Musset. French with English and Spanish subtitles. • From Picture This! Entertainment (www.picturethisent.com). — Preview: Eric A.T. Dieckman
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Colma: The Musical
Three high school grads meander through their newly discovered world of part-time jobs at the local mall and college parties waiting to be crashed. In the small South San Francisco cemetery town of Colma, the dead outnumber the living one thousand to one. With little to do, the friends must juggle newfound realizations, romances, all the while holding onto their friendship. • 2006. Directed by Paul Wong. • From Lionsgate (www.lionsgate.com). — Preview: E.D.
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Long-Term Relationship
Glenn and Adam meet through a personal ad. Glenn has had enough of the singles scene in L.A. Adam is a cute Southern beau who seems to be Glenn’s soulmate. At first. As they get to know each other, more and more differences arise. Were the two meant for each other, or is it back to the personals? • 2006. Written and directed by Rob Williams. • From Genius Products (www.geniusproducts.com) and Liberation Entertainment (www.libent.com). — Preview: E.D.
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Cut Sleeve Boys
Mel and Ash, two British Chinese gay men, deal with aging in the gay community. Mel is threatened by the possibility of losing in the beauty pageant of life. Ash is jaded by the ongoing gay drive for sex and being sexy. Sipping lychee martinis through a series of wild parties, the men search for the essence of life. • 2006. Written and directed by Ray Yeung. • From Genius Products (www.geniusproducts.com) and Liberation Entertainment (www.libent.com). — Preview: E.D.
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One to Another
Lucie and Pierre, a 20-year-old brother and sister, are deeply close with each other and their friends. After Pierre’s brutal murder leads to an investigation that drags on with little outcome, Lucie and her friends opt for some sleuthing of their own. • 2006. Co-directed by Pascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr. French with English subtitles. • From Strand Releasing (www.strandreleasing.com). — Preview: E.D.
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The Sarah Silverman Program, Season One
Among the show’s characters are Brian and Steve, Sarah’s two neighbors she describes as “gigantic, orange, and gay.” Though bespectacled and nerdy, the two stick together through tiffs about drinking Tab and whether or not one is ready to defend the other using karate. In Steve’s words, “I’m totally gay for you, dude.” Don’t miss the karaoke special feature and sing along to a tune about pooping yourself. • From Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com). — Preview: E.D.
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The Vicar of Dibley: The Immaculate Collection
Geraldine Granger (Dawn French, co-creator of Absolutely Fabulous) graces the village of Dibley as its first woman vicar. What a disgrace! In one episode, a character realizes her distant cousin Reg White is none other than Elton John. In another, when a supermodel is spied in the vicarage in her skivvies, the villagers suspect their she-vicar is a lesbian. Look for cameos by Johnny Depp and Kylie Minogue. • From BBC Worldwide Americas (www.bbcamericashop.com). — Preview: E.D.
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Drawn Together: Season Two – Extended & Uncensored
Cartoon characters from disparate genres of animation are jammed together under one roof in a Real World/Surreal Life-style reality show spoof. The overt crassness of these depraved doodles is heightened in this collection, and Xandir isn’t the only ‘toon that explores his gay side. Among the extras is commentary on the commentary (not as annoying as you’d expect). • From Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com). — Review: E.D.
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WEB ONLY
MUSIC DVD
Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden
On March 25, Sir Elton John invited 20,000 of his closest friends to Madison Square Garden to help celebrate his 60th year here on this mortal coil. Immortalizing the occasion, Elton 60 is a collection of all 33 songs performed that night by the Royal Bespectacled One in the Garden—and more.
The selections represent the crème de la crème of Sir Elton’s work, from a rare rendition of “Border Song” performed by a wrinkle-less young lad in 1970 on Swiss television to a 21st century, balls-to-the-wall version of “Love Lies Bleeding.”
As should any commemorative package worth its rhinestones, the double-disc set also includes special extra features, like a replay of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” from Elton’s 37th birthday concert in Australia. An unexpected treat is the CD’s liner notes, provided by the ultimate E.J. fan, Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. Universal Music (www.eltonjohn.com). —Review: Nancy Ford
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