For years now I have been going and seeing movies that are part of Nefest, the NY GLBT Film Festival. Besides the obvious silly gay films from around the world, I am often struck by some of the documentaries. I tend to see about 12 movies, with a 50/50 breakdown of serious to fun.

Last night Idan and I saw Be Like Others, a film about Iranian boys undergoing sex change operations to become female. My understanding, from the film, is that homosexuality is forbidden, but transexuals need to be medically treated and in fact the state help pay for this treatment and care.

The movie is very well done, simply, is shows you many sides of the issue in Iran and lets you make up your own mind. That said, it does confront several issue head on; if you cannot be an openly gay male, what other choice do you have?

There are several different people profiled. Vida, is a transexual who is very happy with being a women now. She turns out to be a leader type, even mother figure, to other men seeking this operation. She is the only one in the film who is very obviously ok with what she has chosen.

Anoosh and her boyfriend are kind of a sad case. Before the operation the boyfriend as very loving and kind, later in the movie, post-operation the boyfriend is obviously unhappy and distant. Who can guess why this happened, but it because clear that he probably was in reality gay and is no longer attracted to Anoosh now that he is a female.

There are also several people who, as time progresses, choose not to have the operation. You are welcomed into their fears, how they are treated by strangers and family, as well as the strict Iranian society.

The other point of view you are shown is of a transaexual who post-op has no choice but to arrange temprary Islamic marraiges. This is a form of legal prostitution.

Overall the movie leaves you with a sense of sadness for these Iranian boys and you wonder how they would be if they lived in NYC where being gay isn’t a cause for surgery and moreover, what the exact nature of sexual identity and sexual orientation are. It is indeed very complicated.

I must be the only person who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the Oscars. Self aggrandizing over paid emotionally imbalanced freaks parading around in clothing & diamonds that would feed Nigeria for a year fawning over crappy statuettes - not even statues - obsequiously thanking every slug they ever met.

No thanks.

I adore the movie Lost in Translation. The dry delivery of Bill Murray is just about as funny as you can get! Life Aquatic: masterpiece! I laugh even at the thought of both of these movies.

Naturally, when I saw the title “Lost in Translation” come up in my BBC news feed, I clicked on it.

Well it has nothing to do with Bill Murray, Japan, or hunting the Jaguar Shark (um, that is video of the REAL jaguar shark from NOAA), but with a tourism pamphlet mistranslated from Hebrew to English which states: “Jerusalem - there’s no such city!”

Oh the irony of Middle East politics make this mistake very amusing, in a way that would make Misah Bob Halis (Mr, Bob Harris, Bill�s character in Lost in Translation, please keep up) barely smirk. And, in case you are still lost, that is EXACTLY why this, and he, are so funny.

Another weekend, another Israeli movie! Nina’s Tragedies is more about a perverted boy, Nina’s nephew, and what he goes through than Nina. In a wierd combination of Lynch and Almodovar the relationships between the characters twist and turn in part discontinuous narration from the diary of the boy and part standard exhibition. If you liked the movie Happiness then you will like the deeply sardonic relationships in this movie. It relies on several key Israeli themes: The man who goes religious, the announcement of an IDF death, but these serve the plot well and help an outsider understand more about the culture.

The gist of the movie is that the boy, Nadav, is a bit messed up from the divorce of his artist Mother and newly religious father. Both the parents are very self involved and Nadav suffers. Nina, his aunt, is widowed and Nadav is sent to take care of her. In the meantime Nadav has befriended an older man who teach him (I think?) to be a peeper. They both peep in on Nina and her Husband. Because of the discontiguousness of the plot it is hard to describe the whole interaction! The father, through the school, finds Nadav’s diary, which half the movie is narrated by, and leaves a final note of encouragement to his son dictated into the last page of the diary on the father’s death.

As far as movies go this is about an 8! Good plot, good acting, good photography, interesting twists, some good old perversion, and like magic you have a movie!

And all I have to say is “G-d bless America!” Land of the idiot home of the moron. Even more impressive is the appearance of this news tidbit on the BBC.

Practical jokers released two rattlesnakes at a US movie theatre during a showing of new film Snakes on a Plane, the cinema chain has said.

What I am thinking now is: Why didn’t I think of that? How long do you think it will be before someone actually tries to get a snake on a plane?

Idan and I saw Snakes on a Plane tonight. It was the most stupid, most ridiculous and funniest movie I have seen since Bring It On! Do I really need to give you a plot summary? I think the title says it all. You have to see this movie. It is as time scary, especially when the snakes jump out at you. Other times it is gross; filled with gore scenes of snakes eating people, eating dogs, biting genitals, etc… Idan hated it. So, the reviews are mixed. There are a couple scenes that make it all: where SLJ gets pissed off at the snakes, when a snake kills a totally hot chick while her boyfriend nails her in the bathroom, then kills him, and when rap star 3G’s freaks out because of germs.

Idan and I watched Broken Wings-כנפיים שבורות tonight. It is an Israeli movie about a family of 4 and the troubles they go through after the father dies. I avoid major motion pictures and prefer smaller foreign or indy films. I would even say I get pretty into them, not just enjoy them. This movie is wonderful. It is spot on in almost every way: acting, cinematography, script, and so on. Yair and his twin sister Maya are an astonishing duo. Both of us are still sniffling from the heavy hitting dose of reality - we are all a moment away from such troubles and those who do not thing so are fooling themselves.