This week, the Retro Reviewers broke into a real classroom to bring you a review of the 2006 teacher-student love story, Loving Annabelle.

They also perform a very special "musical number."

Check back in two weeks for a review of Aimee and Jaguar.

The Retro Reviewers have prepared a very goofy Halloween treat for viewers, with a review of 1983 lesbian vampire classic The Hunger and more re-creations than you can shake a broomstick at. The ladies had far too much fun playing dress-up and recreating the melodrama.

As for the movie, well, only one of the three really dug it. The majority found it to be far too cheesy and slow for their tastes — except, of course, the iconic seduction scene. … continue reading

Check back next time for a review of Loving Annabelle.

This week, the Retro Reviewers took it way back to the 1980s with Desert Hearts, one of the very first lesbian films to enjoy mainstream success. With strong acting, a realistic lesbian relationship, and a fun Western setting, all of the ladies were impressed.

Despite what the ending titles of this episode list, the Retro Reviewers decided that a special Halloween episode would be more seasonal for next time, and they plan to attack The Hunger. Watch if you dare!

Check back in two weeks for a new episode!

This week, the Retro Reviewers are presenting a very special episode featuring musicians/spoken word artists, the Good Asian Drivers.

They review Saving Face, which is hailed as one of the best (and unfortunately, one of the only) films about Asian-American lesbians. … continue reading

This week, the Retro Reviewers proudly present their take on Bound, the classic lesbian neo-noir thriller from 1996.

The Wachowski Brothers' (The Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta) first feature film, Bound made a huge splash on the lesbian scene at the time of it's release, and it's still beloved for its strong female characters, amazing love scenes, and twisty, edgy plot.

Next week, the ladies have something very special planned, as they're enlisting the help of Good Asian Drivers, Melissa Li and Kit Yan, to review Saving Face.

AE reader GustavChristoff has kindly transcribed the episode for our hearing impaired readers — read it here.

This week, the Retro Reviewers were a bit understaffed as both Rina and Katie were on vacation. So, Danielle and Denae decided to hold off on Bound until next time, and reviewed Trapped from here! TV instead.

Both ladies got quite a kick out of the cheesy flick starring Alexandra Paul and Michelle Wolff. They welcomed the return of the watching scenes in order to properly make fun of it. Episode highlights include copious re-creation scenes and a conspiracy theory discussion about the main bad guy (evil Bill Gates) and his connection to Baby Bop.

  … continue reading

This week, the Retro Reviewers ponder a life of crime and bad mob accents in their review of Set It Off.

The film stars several powerhouse African-American actresses, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Kimberly Elise and Vivica Fox. It also has plenty of girl-power, guns-blazing, bank-robbing action.

Next episode, the ladies will take on Bound.

AE reader GustavChristoff has kindly transcribed the episode for our hearing impaired readers.

This week, the Retro Reviewers dive into southern lore — and copious amounts of food — in order to review Fried Green Tomatoes. The film is a classic 1991 adaptation of a Fannie Flagg novel about the love (and food fighting) between two women in 1930s Alabama.

Everyone loved it, even though they needed a flow chart to keep track of all the characters.

Next episode, the ladies will take on Set it Off, a 1996 flick featuring Queen Latifah as an ass-kicking criminal lesbian. … continue reading

This week, retro reviewers Danielle and Rina welcome Danae and Gambit (from the D.E.B.S. review) to the fray in order to give proper due to Watermelon Woman.

The film is a very important classic, as it represents the first movie about the African American lesbian experience. And despite it’s association with a certain film of the same era (Go Fish), Watermelon Woman was a hit with all the reviewers. Everyone felt that the film tackled important issues (including race and representation) while still managing to be entertaining and original.

Next episode, the ladies give Fried Green Tomatoes the retro reviewing treatment. … continue reading

This week, the retro reviewers dive into Blue Crush, a 2002 summer flick about girl surfers, starring Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez. The flick is packed with lesbian subtext and “is she or isn’t she” characters, but everyone enjoyed it for the gorgeous shots of sun, surf and hot girls in bathing suits.

In order to recreate the surfing scenes far away from anything resembling Hawaii, the reviewers (plus special guest Celeste) took a few floaty toys out to a lake and prayed for waves.

Next episode, the reviewers plan to take on Watermelon Woman. … continue reading

In honor of gay pride celebrations going on around the country this week, the retro reviewers pour into If These Walls could Talk 2, which stars Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Stone, Chloë Sevigny, and Michelle Williams.

Everyone liked the film and its examination of the progress queer women have made in the last 50 years. The three different story lines range from the early ‘60s, the swinging ‘70s, and the early 2000s.

Make sure to check back next week when the reviewers pack up for a special beach review of Blue Crush – a movie with enough lesbian subtext (and girls in bikinis) to qualify it as retro-reviewable.

Since Caroline is still on the west coast this week, the Retro Reviewers enlisted help from a new note-taker to review D.E.B.S – Gambit, from local band the smoke animals.

D.E.B.S is a 2005 action/spy spoof complete with hot stars, funky gadgets, and a delightful lesbian romance that won over most of the group.

The inclusion of Jordana Brewster as the sexy villain Lucy Diamond certainly didn’t hurt!

For the next episode, the reviewers will take on If These Walls Could Talk 2.

Go Fish presented the reviewers with a formidable challenge: how to deal with a movie that made such an impact on lesbian filmmaking – and yet, wasn’t very good.

One of the most infamous classics in the indie lesbian canon, the movie has lots of heart, if not much by the way of production values. Still, the retro reviewers had a lot of fun with this one.

Check back next time for their review of D.E.B.S. and be sure to check out Caroline’s plug for the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) film festival.

This episode, the retro reviewers (minus Rina) decided to take a new approach to tackle classic romantic comedy Better than Chocolate (1999) – an actual production studio. We’ll see if the more professional approach works.

The movie is a campy, cute, occasionally cloying story of two girls (Maggie and Kim, played by Karyn Dywer and fan favorite Christina Cox) who fall in love.

With a slightly wacky (and mostly lovable) cast of stereotypical characters, some of the cheesiest dialogue this side of a James Bond flick, and plenty of "creative" love scenes, the ratings were all over the board with this one.

Next up, the retro reviewers check out Go Fish!

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.