One of the coolest things about the Pgh LGBT Film Festival is the experience of being in a crowded room of queer people and only knowing a fraction of them. There may be no previews to watch, but you can munch on your popcorn and try to figure out how many of the folks streaming through the door you've ever seen before.
Last night, we caught the closing film, Itty Bitty Titty Committee. From the makers of But I'm a Cheerleader, it was a cute film about a young woman finding her inner radical wrapped up in an "atta girl" date movie storyline. It was an enjoyable evening except for two small disappointments that I'll get to in a bit.
I'm pleased that the film society is going to do more year round programming. It would be great to be able to catch a LGBTQ flick in the middle of February. They are partnering with the GLCC for a movie night and planning some coolatta for Pride Month. As I've said before, it is difficult to get to more than one movie in a two week span of time, especially this time of year. I always feel regret that I missed a particular movie or two, but I did snag the program so I can request them from the Carnegie Library. More year round opportunities would be great and assuage my guilty feelings for not being supportive enough.
That being said, I was slightly disappointed by two things: the movie ending and the cheesecake party. If you don't want the movie spoiled, stop reading. The explosion scene was awesome and I loved Ana running down the street in her fusion of bridesmaid meets mosh pit attire. However, I was really bummed about the love story sappy ending. It was a huge letdown after the awesome cheering/graduation scene in But I'm a Cheerleader. I personally thought Sadie was predatory and didn't take responsibility for that, so her big turnaround was insincere. Ana should have been the one to get a new girlfriend.
The other slight disappointment was the after party. I was a bit taken aback to have to shell over $15.00 per ticket -- that wasn't well advertised and we heard plenty of people bitching about it. However, I tried to be a good sport and look forward to the cheesecake. I pictured a room with beverage service of some type and cheesecake stations set up so people could mingle and talk and maybe have an extra slice. Instead there was a room with tables and chairs, like a glammed up cafeteria. Not at all what I expected. I hate hate hate being forced to sit down with strangers (there were no tables for two available). It felt more like a wedding reception than a party and that was a bummer. I wanted to relax, but the artificial smiles of the waitstaff were creeping me out. The whole Southside Works gives me that creepy artificial feeling, but that's the best venue according to the film society folks which limits reception options because the whole premise of the development is to scare away those without a lot of money. So we just left. $30 + popcorn more poor than we came. :-)
Long rant for what was just a disappointment. I learned my lesson though so next year, no party/film combos for me. Just films. And popcorn.
