Art-house fans have their pick of films this week. TLA offers two hit films from the gay/lesbian festival circuit: "Luster" and "The Trip." Masato Harada takes you into the Japanese underworld of teenage prostitution, and Robert Duvall directs himself as a hitman with a heart.
1. Bounce Ko Gals
"Kids" meets "Lost in Translation" in Masato Harada's "Bounce Ko Gals," a strangely sweet film about underage prostitution. The film follows the adventures of a trio of white-socked friends through the kinky Tokyo nightlife.
2. Assassination Tango
John J. (Robert Duvall) is a seasoned hit man sent on a job to Argentina. When the General he's sent to kill delays his return to the country, John passes the time with Manuela (Luciana Pedraza), a beautiful dancer who becomes his guide to the Tango.
3. Luster
Everett Lewis’s "Luster" follows the exploits – sexual and artistic – over one weekend of a lead gay character totally unlike anything on TV or in movies today – a skateboarding, queercore-loving, LA punkster-poet with hair dyed blue.4. The Trip
Written and directed by Miles Swain, "The Trip" tracks a romance between a conservative journalist and radical activist during three pivotal periods in modern gay history. One of the biggest gay films in recent years, the film screened at 25 film festivals.5. Love in the Time of Money
You can't beat the cast of this sleeper film. Steve Buscemi, Jill Hennessy, Michael Imperioli, and Rosario Dawson are just a few of the lovers caught in the merry-go-round of Peter Mattei's romantic comedy.