101 Must-see Movies for Gay Men

by Alonso Duralde

In this comprehensive must-have guide to queer film, Advocate deputy arts and entertainment editor Alonso Duralde presents 101 films that will resonate soundly with gay audiences for reasons good, better, and outrageous!

Whether it’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (for redefining the idea of a movie hero), Mommie Dearest (for making Joan Crawford campier than she already was), or Two for the Road (because some-times you have to glean insights about gay relationships from straight movies with great banter), Duralde brings a quick wit, a gift for analysis, and a lifelong love affair with the -movies to each film recommendation. Along the way, he even outs Casablanca as a gay love story!

In addition to analysis as to why these films matter, each capsule review also contains production notes, cast and crew credits, and DVD/VHS availability.

Alonso Duralde has been the deputy arts and entertainment editor for The Advocate, the national gay and lesbian news-magazine since 2000. Prior to that he was the artistic director of the USA Film Festival in Dallas. He has been an arts columnist for the Dallas Observer, Movieline and Detour. He lives in Los Angeles.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Film, LGBT, Gay

274 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Alonso Duralde is reviews editor at TheWrap, as well as the author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas and 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men; he is also the co-author of I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies with the hosts of the Deck the Hallmark Podcast. He is the co-host of the Linoleum Knife; A Film and a Movie; The Untitled Ify, Drea, and Alonso Project; and Breakfast All Day podcasts, and has discussed film on CNN, PBS, TCM, ABC and FilmStruck, as well as in numerous documentaries.

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally purchased a copy of the 2005 book, 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men. And although I obviously don't agree with everything, Duralde did a great job compiling a group of well-rounded films from all eras. I loved a whopping 46 out of the 101 listed, which is pretty amazing for this opinionated film blogger. Definitely worth having in my personal collection.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

haha. I couldn't help myself at the library. This book is actually good though. I think the author went to film school and he is less "gay" than most authors of gay guides. That is, he mostly recommends movies that I might actually want to see.

[Scott Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for "lists" books. Especially when the list is so long, I'm bound to be introduced to something new. Be warned that lists are always subjective, so some people may flail their arms in protest that The Wizard of Oz, Steel Magnolias, nor The Rocky Horror Picture Show are listed in this book. Meanwhile, Fight Club, Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, Jackass: The Movie, and South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut ARE on this list. Well, the author at least gives reasons for his choices.

For me, it was just great learning about films that were new to me. Some of which I have watched since reading and really enjoyed. Plus, I'm an avid reader, so seeing that a number of films on the list were based on novel, this book has given me new BOOKS to read as well. Sometimes the reason a film was on the list was because of the filmmaker--like James Whale or F.W. Murnau. It's a very well researched book that introduces its readers to some new things. I love that.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book features 101 movie titles from 1930's to 2004 (published in 2005), which definitely makes it feel outdated...

But the book features basic movie plot, behind-the-scenes trivia, significance to LGBTQ culture, memorable quotes...
but some...a lot of the movies....featured are more of cult fandom based and based off the sass featured more so than the actual GAY context of the film (like Fight Club)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the women who love them!

[Karen]

Learned about this author while watching Valley of the Dolls Documentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLy3...