hired by the parents of a missing girl to find are not erotic, because they feel staged and Sexy Thriller their daughter. This leads her into the seedy posed. Except perhaps for their first underbelly of the Australian poetry world lovemaking scene together, they don’t feel Monkey’s (yikes!) where she meets Diana, a proper natural. One problem is that Diana seems to looking poetry professor with a wild streak. be playing a cat and mouse game with Jill, She embarks on an affair with the bisexual, marveling at how truly stupid this detective Mask Falls married professor. is. Jill is extremely lackadaisical in her The film drags badly. It uses several Short investigation and much more interested in gimmicks in an effort to make it more film bedding Diana until the girl is found dead by noir, neither of which succeed. Jill’s voice- strangulation. Then, she gets serious. But overs can be heard throughout the movie, Strives to be Stylish either Jill is the stupidest detective in the and titles are used, maybe in an attempt to world or her mind is easily clouded by her explain the film. The only explanation needed Thriller, Fails obsession with Diana, because she misses here is why this movie is so bad. By the time all the clues in the case. The strangled girl the film reaches it’s climax, it’s more of a shrug By Mary Damiano was having an affair with a married poet. Duh. of relief that the credits will be rolling soon. The title of the new Australian film, The Diana introduces a little sexual asphyxiation Kelly McGillis is okay as Diana. Monkey’s Mask makes a lot of sense as you’re into her sex play with Jill. Double Duh. Diana McGillis’s face, which is not helped by the watching it. The monkey is wearing a mask insists that the girl preferred boys, and asks lighting in this move, is showing some wear Susie Porter stars as because it’s embarrassed that this movie got Jill if she’d be interested in a threesome with and tear, but her body’s holding up quite private investigator Jill made. her hunky husband. You get the picture. In well. Susie Porter plays Jill as a pseudo-tough fitzpatrick in the thriller The Monkey’s Mask wants to be a fact, everybody gets the picture except for gawky P.I, too dumb to be really hard-boiled. The Monkeys Mask stylish thriller about a lesbian private poor dumb Jill. If you’re hard up for some girl-girl sex investigator, but it succeeds only in being a Sure, there are a lot of nude scenes and scenes, then go see The Monkey’s Mask. Photo by Derek Henderson clichéd waste of film. Jill, the detective, is sex scenes between Jill and Diana, but they Otherwise, don’t bother. ‘’ a Typical Teenage Love Story Fueled by Jealousy, Desperation and Lesbian Lovers Lost and Delirious is your typical lost, as the title suggests, or gay as no big deal. angst-ridden teenage love story, full of the saved, is their complicated , seen last year in Coyote wonder of first love and the heartbreak and relationship with their Ugly, does a great job conveying Paulie’s desperation of rejection. The thing that sets mothers. The underlying downward spiral into desperation. Jessica Lost and Delirious aside is that the two reason everything happens Pare is also good as Tory, who’s obviously teens in love are girls. in this movie is the girl’s torn between what she wants and she feels Paulie and Tory are roommates who distance, both physical and she has to do. The standout, though, is share an isolated love nest at their posh emotional from their Mischa Barton as Mary. Barton’s boarding school. The addition of their new mothers. performance is full of subtlety and she roommate, Mary, hardly upsets their The film is conveys more with what she doesn’t say. amorous routine. Between the spiked punch mostly told from Mary’s It’s interesting to think what Lost and at the afternoon tea to the sexual hijinks of point of view. The three Delirious might have been had the other girls the girls, there’s no reason to be bored at roommates share a sort of at the school been happy and encouraging this boarding school. menage a trois, with Mary when Paulie and Tory’s affair is revealed. Everything’s going along great until cast as the passive What if the majority of the other girls adopted Tory’s younger sister catches Tory and Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré and Mischa Barton participant in her roommate’s a ‘So what’ attitude toward the affair? What Paulie in bed. Then Tory, the good girl from goes a little crazy. She becomes convinced affair. Mary knows what’s going on, better if they treated the relationship as they would the strict family, dumps Paulie and goes that if she were more like a boy, Tory would than Paulie and Tory, and she accepts it better a relationship between a boy and girl? What overboard trying to prove to everyone she’s come back to her, and she throws herself into than they do. While gay audiences will if the girls who disapproved were in a small not like that. And though Paulie refuses to one grand gesture after another. Paulie and enjoy the beautiful scenes of Paulie and Tory minority? Imagine what a happy, positive admit she’s like that, she goes overboard Tory have a real star-crossed lovers thing together, they might have a problem that the and insightful movie that would be. trying to win Tory back. going on, and star-crossed lovers never have only person who’s completely accepting of Instead, Lost and Delirious ends up This is when the movie gets strange. a happy ending. Paulie and Tory’s affair is the straight girl. In recycling the same material, punishing girls Fueled by jealousy over Tory’s new Freud would probably love the idea that fact, Mary and one other girl at the school, who love girls by making them miserable and boyfriend and her own desperation, Paulie the determining factor in these girls being Cordelia, are the only ones who see being driving them out of their minds. Halloween Party To Benefit SAVE Foundation Night of the Dragon Will Be Something Special Mark your calendars - on Saturday, Five years ago, Belle Meade October 27th, 2001, from 9 pm to 2 am residents David Treece, Luis Gonzalez the place to be is the 6th Annual Belle and William Vallenilla wanted to bring Meade Halloween Bash, Night of the their community together for an old- Dragon! fashioned Halloween bash. Spread What began as a neighborhood through word-of-mouth, the party Halloween party in the Belle Meade attracted 400 people to the home of section of Miami has evolved into one Treece and Gonzalez, who financed it out of the largest and most exciting of their own pockets, with no admission costumed events of the year - an event charge and free drinks for all. The that attracts thousands of loyal Annual Belle Meade Halloween Bash supporters of SAVE Dade-working was born. together to end discrimination. That was then and this is now. Admission is $20 per person with Today, the party will take place at the an open bar, and all proceeds benefit the historic American Legion Post on NE SAVE Foundation and their work to end 64th Street, just 2 blocks East of discrimination in Miami-Dade County. Biscayne Boulevard. For one night only, Tickets go on sale today, October 8th. this landmark building on the bay will With 2,400 attending last year, and be transformed into a Night of the the annual event growing exponentially Dragon theme. each year a crowd of no less than 4,000 William Vallenilla is the creative is expected this year. force behind the event and is planning Said Jorge Mursuli, SAVE director, an exotic “dragon” theme for the 6th “It will literally be the biggest Halloween Annual Belle Meade Halloween Bash. party in Miami-Dade County, and surely For a $20 donation to SAVE Dade, one of the most diverse Halloween partygoers will enjoy music by DJ Carlos from the inside. Call Sean 305-751-7283 at 305-751-7283. events anywhere, blending everyone Chambless and DJ Cuban from Orlando, to find out how you can volunteer to be All proceeds benefit SAVE Dade, from families with children to drag a festive parade featuring outrageous a part of this fabulous event. This is the broad-based coalition of individuals queens partying together. The costumes, open bar all night and free one party you don’t want to miss!! and organizations (gay and straight) costumes alone are worth coming to parking. For more information on any of dedicated to preserving equal rights for see.” Volunteers will get to see the event these events, please call the SAVE office all, regardless of sexual orientation. 38 www.ExpressGayNews.com October 8th, 2001

CYMK