This week, the reviewers take on Kissing Jessica Stein, a 2001 movie that generally gets mixed reviews from queer women. The film stars co-writers Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt in a romantic comedy that explores the messy line between friendship and romantic love.

While the movie generally tends to divide lesbian viewers, the ratings were positive across the board. This may have something to do with the leap in quality over Personal Best, or possibly an intense interest in pamphlets. In any event, this episode features a lot of laughing, a few scene recreations, and an inconspicuous lack of the usual theme song.

Next week, they plan to match wits with Better than Chocolate.

This week, the retro reviewers (back to the full cast of Caroline, Rina, Danielle and Katie) take on Personal Best, the lesbian sports classic from 1982. The movie stars Mariel Hemingway as the naïve yet determined Kris and Patrice Donnelly as her lover/rival Tory, as they compete for a spot on the 1980 Olympic track team. Scott Glenn plays their creepy, manipulative coach, and the film was written and directed by the acclaimed screenwriter Robert Towne.

Unfortunately, the movie proved a little too dated for ¾ of the crew. While one retro reviewer has roots in college track (and therefore an unquestioning love of movies about running), the other three were too bored by copious shots of women sweating in slow motion to care about the rather clichéd storyline. There were rumblings of dissent long before the last lap was over.

One thing everyone appreciated, however, was the incredible retro fashion.

Check back next episode, when the reviewers take on the divisive 2001 comedy Kissing Jessica Stein.

Welcome to the second episode of Retro Reviewing, the world’s premiere (and probably only) vlog dedicated to reviewing lesbian classic and not-so-classic films. This week, the crew was down to Danielle, Katie and Rina, but that didn’t stop them from rolling out a new review scale: 1-5 swishes of gay magic. It’s kind of like the 5-star system found in your average movie review, but with a queer flair.

Episode two is focused on But I’m a Cheerleader!, a film near and dear to the hearts of our reviewers. It’s a favorite in many circles, notably for its humorous take on a very ugly subject (“conversion therapy”), its adorable love story, and its tongue in cheek commentary on the nature of gender roles. The movie stirred some controversy when it was released in 1999, when famously almost got slapped with an NC-17 rating.

It also happens to have some of the best housework-related scenes ever put to film (a point that they were only too happy to demonstrate).

Next week, the retro reviewers plan to tackle Personal Best, so if you’re in the mood to follow along, or make any comments/requests, feel free!

Welcome to the first episode of Retro Reviewing, a new bi-weekly vlog by four Boston-area lesbian/bi film students (Katie, Caroline, Danielle and Rina) focused on reviewing lesbian classics and not-so-classics, as well as queer indie movies, and other under-the-radar film fare.

This week, the girls take on Basic Instinct in all of its cheesy, sexy, stereotypical glory. Special attention is paid to the campy sex scenes, crazy stereotypes, awkward sexual politics, and of course, the amazing 1992 dance moves.

While the movie may be comical and borderline offensive today, it was a real eye-opener when it premiered, kicking off a a dialogue about lesbian and bisexual representation in media that continues today. For this, and for Sharon Stone’s knockout performance, ¾ of them applaud Basic Instinct.

But that doesn’t stop them from having their way with the film – Catherine Tremell wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you have a request for a classic film you’d like to see skewered (or praised) in a future episode, be sure to let them know in the comments!