Montage Monster: Midnite for Maniacs/Codependent Lesbian Alien Seeks Same
By Becca Hoekstra
The Guardsman
Like a bad sequel, it’s the next installment of Monster Montage! We’re back again with ideas to kick off your movie-lovin’ weekend – plus some girl on girl action.
Films for the weekend July 1st
Coming up Friday, July 1st the
re’s some fabulous film events for everyone to attend.
At the Roxie Theater, MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS presents the “Watch Out For Children” triple feature, with filmmakers in person! Wake up your inner apathetic punk and get that teen angst on by watching Tex, Over the Edge, and River’s Edge. Despite being a Disney film, Tex – a coming of age story of two teenage boys – contains so much swearing and adult subject matter that it may have kickstarted the beginnings of the PG-13 rating. In Over the Edge, bored suburban teenagers rebel against adults and take their entertainment into their own hands. With stellar performances from a star studded cast, including Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, and Dennis Hopper, River’s Edge explores the apathy and “over-it” attitude of a group of teenagers and one dead girlfriend.
Writer/Director Tim Hunter and co-writer Charlie S. Haas will be there to introduce the films, all of which they wrote and/or directed. A special Q & A follows the second show. All movies are preceded by other dark and twisted troubled-teen trailers.
Midnite for Maniacs online:
http://www.midnitesformaniacs.com/watch_out_for_children.htm
Meanwhile, over at the Castro Theater – everyone’s favorite drag starlette Peaches Christ is throwing a Purple Rain party, with stunning special guest any fan of the film would recognize!
It kicks off with a Purple Pre-show, featuring Peaches Christ and other Midnight Mass Players. Star and singer Apollonia will be there in person, to answer questions from Peaches and the audience, plus a post-show ‘meet and greet’. But the fantastic beauty doesn’t stop there – be sure to dress for the revolution and compete in the Eighties’ Couture Costume Contest. Drag queen Fruitbomb will present the Purple Parade Fashion showin’ what will be a fabulous night of purple-paisley, fishnets and fingerless gloves!
Friday, July 1st, 8 – 11 p.m.
Peaches Christ online:
http://www.peacheschrist.com/?p=8690
Apollonia video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEtEsBf3iRg
FRAMELINE 35 Film Review: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
This B-film comes complete with all the traditionals – it’s almost entirely black and white , with bald, monotonous backwards talking aliens, stock footage of space, and tinfoil UFOs. But on top of the adoring tackiness and tongue-in-cheek satire is a charming love story exaggerating the awkwardness of dating.
The planet of Zots is in an emotional crisis. “Big feelings” of love are floating into the sky and destroying the ozone layer ( while feelings like hate and jealousy stay inside a person and destroy them, of course). Three inhabitants – Zoinx, Zylar, and Barr – are sent on missions to Earth to rid themselves of romantic emotions by having their hearts broken, a common occurrence on our planet. Despite looking, sounding, and acting very unusual, no one ever comments on their differences, and the three (for the most part) manage to have success with the ladies.
Our resident Earthling is Jane (Lisa Haas), an immediately charming, awkward and lonely stationary store clerk with an active imagination and problems finding a place to fit in. She meets Zoinx (Susan Ziegler) when the alien visits the store and presents her with a love card – which Jane opens and reads, despite being the one who sold it (cue “awwws”). Their relationship continues to grow through that tender clumsiness while Barr (Cynthia Kaplan) and Zylar (Jackie Monahan) embark on a romantic crash course of the clingy dependant trying to hold on to the flighty player.
Most of the humor in the film comes from Barr and especially Zylar, the “sexually generous” – she may be bald on her head, but the pavement matches the concrete (wink). The two share a hilarious scene sobbing over the “poetic indifference of the revolving desert tray,” which is so utterly feminine that this blogger predicts it could alienate more than a few male viewers!
The other relationship in the film shows the positive, gentle love. Despite not even being the same species, Zoinx and Jane find in each other a similar being: each equally lonely and previously undesired. They finally rid themselves of their fears of being different, because they made the great discovery of finding someone who doesn’t mind their own absurdities. “No one I’ve had feelings for has ever returned them. I should have known you were from outer space,” Jane explains. “…And I did wonder about the gills.”
The combination of sweetness and absurdity makes this little tiny budget film well worth the time. It’s not perfect- a side story of two male agents tracking the aliens down disrupts the pacing, and it isn’t entirely clear who they are; so take some popcorn breaks and enjoy the rest of what this cute flick has to offer. The film takes a grown up approach to lesbian comedy, bypassing the drama of coming out and identifying sexuality and skipping straight to the process of finding someone to be with – wherever they are in the universe.
Plus, “lesbialiens” might just be my new favorite word.
Codependent won an honorable mention at the 35th Frameline Film Festival last week. Frameline celebrates LGBT filmmaking, providing an array of features, documentaries, shorts, and cinematic classics. Their YouTube channel, Frameline Voices, houses the best of the shorts and brief documentaries for viewing any time!
See the Trailer here:
Comments are closed.