Another list? Darn tooting! This time it’s about two great things that go great together: movies and music. CNN’s Screening Room has named its Top Ten Songs in Movies. Not soundtracks, not scores, but singles used during a particular scene. As expected, the list is heavy on the male-dominated scenes and, somewhat less expectedly, fairly violent.

10. Trainspotting, “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop (opening scene)
9. Dr Strangelove, “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn (atomic ending)
8. The Royal Tenenbaums, “Needle in the Hay” by Elliot Smith (Richie’s suicide attempt)
7. Say Anything, “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel (Lloyd’s boom box serenade)
6. Almost Famous, “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John (bus sing-along)
5. Muriel's Wedding, “Waterloo” by ABBA (talent show triumph)
4. Apocalypse Now, “The End” by The Doors (awaiting orders in Saigon)
3. Goodfellas, “Layla” by Eric Clapton (Jimmy’’s murder spree)
2. Reservoir Dogs, “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel (ear slicing)
1. Easy Rider, “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf (opening scene)

Now, I love Nos. 7–5. I had a poster of Lloyd’s grand romantic gesture from Say Anything on my dorm room wall. And I dare you not to feel unbridled joy as Muriel and Rhonda come out in their white ABBA outfits in Muriel's Wedding. This movie made me forever love Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths. Heck, let’s watch it again, just because we can.

As for the other selections on CNN’s list, I would have picked a scene from Wes Anderson’s film Rushmore instead of Tenenbaums. And I would have gone for the “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” Uma scene from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction instead of the unfortunate Van Goghing of a victim’s ear in Reservoir Dogs. Also, no mention of The Graduate anywhere on this list? Didn’t that film practically pioneer the use of popular music in movies?

To balance out the bloody and the manly, I thought I’d add some gay, girly and (whenever possible) gay girly selections to the list. Since CNN’s list makers seemed impressed by showy outer death and destruction, how about some quiet inner devastation? In Love Actually, Emma Thompson realizing her husband is being unfaithful — set to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” — will break your heart, guaranteed. … continue reading

Lately I've been thinking about lover Cindi on The L Word. Well, not Cindi herself, but the "lover" thing. It's hilarious every time Dawn Denbo says it, mostly because the word lover has gone out of favor. It used to be a common term in the gay community — or anywhere, really. Especially in the '70s.

But now lover has the connotation of "f--- buddy," while partner or girlfriend is generally the preferred term for the people you want to keep around for more than just sex. Or at least that's how it seems to me.

So what makes a partner, and what makes a lover? Armed with my trusty (and dusty) DVD collection, I have conducted a sort of survey. I don't suppose it's educational in any way, but it was fun.

1. Cay and Vivian (Patricia Charbonneau and Helen Shaver), Desert Hearts

I just had to begin with a tricky one, didn't I? Cay and Vivian definitely start out as lovers, but if Vivian had stayed, they might have become partners. Still, when I think of them, I don't think of fun times or tender touches or home improvement. I think of steamy sex and mind-bogglingly deep kisses.

Verdict: Lovers (they have to remind themselves to stop long enough to get some food!)

2. Claude and Lucy (Alison Folland and Leisha Hailey), All Over Me

These two are so cute, I don't care what you call them. But when they walk along with their ice cream and Leisha grins like that, it seems like a love that's built to last.

Verdict: Partners (in a happily ever after sense)

3. Corky and Violet (Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly), Bound

Hmm. These two are carnal and star-crossed, but they also seem destined to be together. And the sizzle is accompanied by a sense that they're on the same wavelength — they have a meeting of bodies and minds. I think I have my first tie.

Verdict: Partner-lovers (lesbian bed death will never strike!)

4. Agnes and Elin (Rebecka Liljeberg and Alexandra Dahlström), Show Me Love / F---ing Amal … continue reading

I like Six Feet Under. I like Canada. So if you tell me that something is "the Canadian version of Six Feet Under," I'm likely to tune in. And that's how some critics have described Terminal City, which has its U.S. debut on the Sundance Channel tonight.

The series stars Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and Maria del Mar as husband and wife Ari and Katie. When Katie gets cancer, she and her family end up in a reality show set in a hospital. Apparently that spells medical drama, parodying of reality shows and good old relationship drama.

Terminal City's directing team includes Lynne Stopkewich, whose movie Kissed is disturbing and unforgettable. (It's about necrophilia, which is probably enough said.) Stopkewich has also directed a few episodes of The L Word. She has an eye for spooky, indelible images, and these Terminal City stills seem to reflect that.

And there are two other female directors on the team, Kari Skogland (Chicks With Sticks) and Rachel Talalay (The Wind in the Willows). Along with Bellows and del Mar, the cast includes Kate Boland (Jumper) and Jane McLean (Shoot 'Em Up).

Here are the opening credits — very Six Feet Under, indeed: … continue reading

I'm not going to pretend to understand the legalities here. I suspect that like most of us educated in the U.S., my knowledge of Canadian politics and history is sorely lacking, but I have that nostalgic liberal (and that's not a four-letter word, Fox News!) American tendency to view Canada as a little more sane than the land of my birth. You know, health care, gun control, laws that occasionally recognize LGBT citizens as human beings.

But it looks like more than my delusions of utopia could be at risk. Working its way through the Canadian government right now is a bill that would give the Canadian Heritage minister the right to ax promised funding for any film project it deems “offensive.” This apparently includes “gratuitous violence, significant sexual content that lacks an educational purpose, or denigration of an identifiable group.” That would seem to include films like these:

When Night Is Falling

Exotica

  … continue reading

You know how sometimes you discover a great, great band and nobody else knows about them and you revel in your discovery and then suddenly everyone knows about them and you're like, wait, they're MINE? I used to feel that way about the Canadian band New Pornographers, but I've gotten over it. Now I'm just glad they're still making consistently great music.

I like them best when Neko Case is with them, but that's not a common occurrence. So I was thrilled to see her in this new live performance video of "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" from the Challengers album.

Shake that tambourine, Neko! But I don't mean to ignore Kathryn Calder — she rocks too. The whole band does, and their sound remains unique. AOLmusic has several other performances of songs from Challengers, as well as an interview with the band.

But allow me to further sing the praises of Neko Case.

She has one of the clearest voices I've ever heard. If water could sing, it would sound like her. I saw her in concert last year, and she seemed superhuman: She never sang even slightly off-key, never made a strange choice of phrasing, never took any kind of misstep. It was either the best or second-best concert I saw last year — I can't decide between Neko and Amy Winehouse (flawless vs. raw; who can decide?). … continue reading

A couple of months ago, I blogged about some '80s videos that made me gay. At the end of that post, I said that Les Rita Mitsuoko made me feel weird. I've come to realize that '80s videos are probably largely responsible for my weirdness. Here are some examples of musical abnormality that helped me shun conventionality and further embrace my lady-loving ways.

1. Laurie Anderson, "O Superman" (1982)

It doesn't get better or weirder than this. Laurie Anderson has always freaked me out and turned me on at the same time. The lit-up mouth! Eeek! And the jacket and tie. Mmm.

2. Grace Jones, "Slave to the Rhythm" (1985)

So bizarre and so butch. And Jones is so very talented. Awesome.

3. Parachute Club, "Rise Up" (1983) … continue reading

Julie Christie thinks she has never been that pretty or clever. And, I must say, I’m inclined to agree with her. It’s true: Julie Christie isn’t pretty or clever. No, Julie Christie is beautiful and brilliant.

The Oscar-nominated actress recently gave a fascinating and free-flowing interview with the U.K. Telegraph. She discussed everything from her phenomenal performance in Away From Her to her aversion to celebrity and her passion for social activism. Though, if Christie had her way, she wouldn’t be in the news at all: “All these paragraphs about stupid old me — when there’s a war going on!”

In Away From Her, Christie gave a singular performance, rare both in its quality and its very existence. Since becoming the iconic face of the '60s, Christie retired herself from the Hollywood scene in the late '70s. While she still acted, she reemerged mostly in smaller roles by design. “It’s not my taste, being a film star,” she said. “It’s nothing I’ve ever longed for or admired.” … continue reading

I'm a chump for an urban style dance movie. A complete chump. I watch and smile and bob my head and groove and move and tap my feet and glide and slide while in my seat. Hey, that all rhymed! Seriously, I'm on the edge of said seat during these movies and want to hop up and bust my own moves. Or bust my own head, if it's a break-dancing movie. But what officially makes me a chump is that I pay to watch these usually predictable, limited-story-line, clichéd movies. And even worse, I have the nerve to like them with no sincere apologies.

Well, I'm pleased to share my happiness with the other suckers out there in AfterEllen.com land who enjoy these movies. A new release, How She Move, opens Friday, and it looks like it has the music, the moves, the predictability and the clichés that I find hard to resist!

Ever since Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation video back in the day, I am drawn to choreographed dance sequences. I tolerate the story lines of movies just to get to the dance sequences. I tolerate marginal acting just to get to the dance sequences. I tolerate the clichés just to get to the dance sequences. See, a real chump.

How She Move follows a high school student who, upon her sister's death, is forced "to leave her private school to return to her old, crime-filled neighborhood where she re-kindles an unlikely passion for step dancing." The film is the screen debut of relative newcomer Rutina Wesley as the protagonist, Raya. Yep, it's a movie told from a young woman's point of view — so already it's different than many of its predecessors.

Here's the trailer: … continue reading

My crush on Feist gets bigger every day. It's more than a crush, actually; it's a "looking up to" sort of thing. Like when I was 7 and really looked up to that forward on my sister's basketball team. Um, maybe that was a crush too.

Anyway, Feist is simply brilliant. She's a serious artist, but she's also silly sometimes. And she's lovely. And all of that comes through loud and clear in the new video for "I Feel It All." This should have a warning label on it: May cause fireworks to go off in your heart.

Feist once again teamed with director Patrick Daughters for this one (he also directed the videos for "1 2 3 4" and "My Man, My Moon," which you can watch here). That's a match made in music video heaven.

Over the weekend, I spent a couple of hours feasting my eyes and ears on Feist. It wasn't a concert; she was part of the New York Times Arts & Leisure Week, which featured several artists (and I guess leisurists?) talking about their work. She was gorgeous, charming, funny, smart and incredibly inspiring.

I mean, we already knew she was all of those things, but I didn't expect to be quite so moved. I took notes, so here they are.

How to handle fame: "I do my best to not live externally." She talked about the way some people see life through the lenses of fame: "I don't want to see through those eyes, but through my own."

Her February show with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: Feist will be doing a concert with the orchestra and plans to turn it into a "jangly folk orchestra," with violinists playing tambourines (for example).

The iPod commercial: She admitted that she's tired of answering questions about how the iPod commercial came about, and joked that she "busked outside Steve Jobs' house" until he noticed. She also noted that Apple as a company is "artistically respectful" and let her song stand on its own.

Grammys and Junos and the like: "It's all great fortune, as long as what I'm doing makes sense to me." She noted that her Juno awards are on the mantel at her mom's house. … continue reading

You've probably come across some headlines about the indie film Juno, starring Ellen Page (Hard Candy, X-Men 3). The critics adore it — they're calling it "a gust of fresh air"; "a film bristling with vitality and heart"; a movie that sounds "not a single false note." It's been nominated for a Spirit Award and is generating some early Oscar buzz. [Warning: Minor spoilers.]

The box office is just as taken with the film. Even though Juno opened on just seven screens this past weekend, it beat Little Miss Sunshine's first weekend and averaged a whopping $59,124 per screen (Enchanted, for example, averaged $9,233 per screen during its opening weekend).

I'll happily jump on this particular bandwagon. Juno is a moving, charming film, and Ellen Page is fantastic in it. And I mean that both in the sense of "excellent" and in the sense of "based on fantasy." You can't really call the movie realistic, and that's part of why it's so endearing. Who wouldn't like to live in a world where parents and stepparents are supportive and fun, teenagers are both wiseass and wise, and women respect themselves and each other? I much prefer that to realism. … continue reading

I'm a longtime Anne Murray fan. As an adolescent, I had quite a crush on her. I was even in the habit of giving my mom Anne Murray albums at every opportunity, pretending they weren't entirely for me.

But, as you do with adolescent crushes, I had kind of forgotten about Murray. That is, until AfterEllen.com readers Kara and Andrea (thanks!) told me about her new album, Duets: Friends and Legends.

I cannot believe the track list, especially these gems: … continue reading

On Monday, organizers announced that Alanis Morissette will be inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. The honors will be bestowed at a ceremony on March 7, during Canadian Music Week.

Morissette will also receive a lifetime achievement award at the event. Yes, lifetime, even though she's only 33 years old. Does this mean they want her to retire?

I don't think I understand halls of fame generally. Are they meant to recognize fame itself, or talent? And does it make any sense that Alanis is getting inducted the same year as Gordon Lightfoot? That guy has been around forever, reading minds and taking care at sundown. He probably should have been honored (or honoured) long ago; it's not like he had a sudden burst of fame in 2007. (But he is still touring.) … continue reading

Morissette accolades aside, I'm glad to know about Canadian Music Week.

Seems I'm not the only one out there who thinks brains are an essential part of the beauty package. Personally, I can only look for so long before wanting to carry on a coherent, intelligent conversation about something a little deeper than fashion. I also like to be able to use words that contain more than a single syllable.

There are plenty of lists out there detailing beauties with big brains, but this one does a better job than most. The list includes some of the most obvious brainy beauties, like Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Beals. But, like any list, it is far from complete. So because I know you are all simply beside yourselves waiting for another list, I will keep you waiting no longer. Here are some of the women who prove to me that smart is sexy. Think of it as my anti-Britney list.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

She has a degree in literature from Columbia University. She also tends to choose roles that involve a whole lot of brain power, and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. I love that in a woman. … continue reading