It seems like every couple of years or so, someone will release another one of those lists: You know, the ones that talk about the greatest on-screen partnerships and duos. There will be a top ten: Hepburn and Tracy will be mentioned, as will Bogart and Bacall. In the realm of (allegedly) non-romantic pairings, there will be Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and maybe Laurel and Hardy, or the guys from Lethal Weapon. What there reliably never will be is any female-female buddy relationships.

Well, I think that’s nonsense — so without any further ado, here is a list of my favorite (allegedly) non-romantic female partnerships on film and television:

Dorothy (Jane Russell) and Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

The '50s showgirls of this classic film travel together, trade banter, stick up for each other in the face of outsiders, and even walk up the aisle together at the end in matching wedding dresses. Sadly, they weren't actually marrying each other — even though the picture does make it look like it.

Kate/Offred (Natasha Richardson) and Moira (Elizabeth McGovern), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)

Trapped in the dystopian future imagined by Margaret Atwood's novel, in this film adaptation Kate gets strength, courage, and some much-needed humor from her rebellious lesbian friend Moira.

Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), Thelma and Louise (1991)

In this iconic reworking of the traditional road movie, the waitress-and-housewife-turned-stickup-artists became so close that by the end, as Sarandon has said, "they were finishing each others' sentences." … continue reading

Is there such a thing as entertainment gaydar? Recently I came across an old friend on Facebook, whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Over the years, I’d wondered if perhaps she was gay — and once she had added me as a friend, I'll admit that I clicked over to her profile, curious to see if there would be anything about her sexual orientation there. While there wasn’t anything explicitly stated, I did see with interest that she listed The L Word as one of her favorite shows, and Brokeback Mountain and Chasing Amy as two of her favorite movies.

Now, entertainment gaydar, like any other gaydar, is based on stereotypes — and thus is bound to be somewhat unreliable. After all, there are plenty of straight people who like both The L Word and Brokeback Mountain. (And, actually, I think disliking Chasing Amy is probably a clearer sign of being a lesbian than liking it.) Nevertheless, this whole episode got me thinking about what a person’s tastes in entertainment may or may not say about her sexual orientation. And, using the popular AfterEllen.com forum thread "I’m so gay/I’m so not gay" as an inspiration, I decided to see how my tastes would stack up in the “stereotypically lesbianish” department.

To start off with the “I’m so not gay” category (hey, I may as well get the bit that will make me unpopular out of the way first):

1. I'll admit it — I don’t totally get the Tina Fey thing.

The fact that scribegrrrl, Dorothy Snarker, and Sarah Warn are all fans is enough to convince me that I must be missing something here — and who knows, maybe one day I will see the light. But I’ve seen 30 Rock, and the thing that amused me most about it was Alec Baldwin. (Who, whatever else he may or may not be, is definitively not lesbianish.)

2. I don’t watch The L Word.

The women on The L Word may be gay, but I’ve discovered that that, in and of itself, isn’t enough to make me identify with or deeply care about them. A little good writing goes an awfully long way.

3. I think Desert Hearts is a snooze-fest. … continue reading

Lori and I are back with another weekly video blog, and this time we have a name for it: "She Made Me Watch It!", which was the most popular of the 110 suggestions you all made last week ("Lori doesn't listen, and Sarah doesn't care" was a close second :). Thanks for the assist!

We've decided to break up the video blog into segments moving forward, to make it easier for you to watch us ramble on only about the topics you're interested in. So here goes...

Review of Love On the Side (2004)
First up, a review of the new-ish lesbian movie you've probably never heard of, Love on the Side (aka Deluxe Combo Platter), starring Marla Sokoloff (The Practice), Jennifer Tilly (Bound) and Monika Schnarre (Beastmaster). In this romantic comedy, all the guys fall over the hot new woman in town, Linda (Schnarre), who is secretly gay and only interested in Eve (Sokoloff), a waitress pining for a local guy who only has eyes for Linda, etc. Does Linda get the girl? Does Eve wear sensible shoes? Does Jennifer Tilly deliver another over-the-top performance? Watch it and find out! (But don't worry, we don't spoil the ending.)

Here's the DVD cover for the movie (the lesbian is the blonde in front):

See our review here: … continue reading

My love of women's sports movies is well-documented, but after watching Gracie the other day (the verdict? It was just okay) I thought I'd compile a list of some of my favorite moments in female sports movies.

Because when the world is stacked against you, and you just can't muster the energy to finish that term paper/powerpoint presentation/roofing job, there's nothing better than a rousing, inspiring tale of female empowerment through athletics! Especially when it's accompanied by a side-dish of snark (see Bring It On) or major attitude (see anything Michelle Rodriguez is in). And after you've watched a blind ice skater kick some ass on the ice rink, suddenly your own obstacles don't seem so insurmountable, now do they?

This list isn't meant to represent all female sports movies, and I'm sure many of you would choose different moments from the same movies as your favorites. But this is my list, damnit, and there's plenty of room for you to add your $.02 in the comments.

So here are my nine favorite moments, in descending order with accompanying clips.

9. Blue Crush (2002) — Jet ski surfing
Eden (Michelle Rodriguez) pulls Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth) far out to sea on a jet ski so she can prepare for an upcoming surf competition by riding really big waves, and for a few brief, beautiful moments, it's just two women against the massive power of the ocean — until a wave comes along and crushes one of them. Hey, no pain, no gain, right?

8. Cutting Edge (1992) — The pamchenko twist
Prickly figure skater Kate (Moira Kelly) and former hockey player Doug (D.B. Sweeney) team up to compete as pair skaters and shock the world with their last-minute execution of a dangerous new move called the pamchenko twist (while falling in love, of course). Second place goes to the "toe pick!" scene (if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean). … continue reading