By Jeremy Kinser

Writer Alonso Duralde discusses his must-have new reference book 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men.

"I don't think of myself as one of those old queens nursing a Brandy Alexander and bemoaning the fact that no one's talking Steve Reeves or Lupe Velez anymore," writer Alonso Duralde explains when asked why he ventured into Roger Ebert/Leonard Maltin territory. "But somebody needs to be telling folks "You haven't seen Go Fish? You haven't seen Sunday, Bloody Sunday? Get on with it.'" Duralde's just-published tome 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men may not be as comprehensive as the annual manuals compiled by those two veteran movie reviewers, but it's just as indispensable for film buffs. Raised in Atlanta, Duralde worked as artistic director for the USA Film Festval in Dallas before moving to L.A. to work as the arts and entertainment editor of The Advocate. It was here that he was inspired by "the endless parade of interns" at his office. Duralde recalls, "They all tend to be in their early-to-mid 20s and, though they're bright and pop culture-fluent, I was always kind of amazed by what movies they hadn't seen." He hopes to change that with his book, in which he invites future classics like Beautiful Thing to share pages with staples like All About Eve, and tasteful Merchant-Ivory fare like Maurice to cohabit with the controversial Cruising. Clear a space on your bookshelf for this one.

IN Los Angeles: What I most appreciate about your book is the balance you achieve between indisputably great and popular films like Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard with terrific films that have fallen into relative obscurity like The Last of Sheila and Parting Glances. Was this a conscious effort?

Alonso Duralde: It's a very subjective list and I just came up with movies that I felt strongly about endorsing and recommending to other people. If you asked me to give you a list, this would be the list I would give you. But certainly I was shooting for a mix of things. I didn't want it to be all usual suspects. People don't need me to tell them to see The Wizard of Oz. I figured I have a little leeway to go into more obscure areas.

What criteria did you use when deciding what went into the book?

I don't think there was one set thing. For the most part I tried to include movies that were easily accessible, although there are a few in there like The Gang's All Here that aren't on video. I didn't want to make that an iron-clad rule necessarily. I think ultimately it's just movies that I like for one reason or another that would have something to say to other gay viewers.

There are some directors -- John Waters, for instance, Almodóar, Fassbinder, Todd Haynes are others -- whose entire oeuvre should be essential viewing. How did you decide which one film to include?

In some cases I just picked a favorite. In others I thought if someone has never seen a movie by this director before, which would be the best to start them out with and which would give the best idea of what their overall work is like? For example, Hairspray might be the most accessible John Waters movie, but Female Trouble gives you a better overall feel for what his work is about. The same with Almodóar. I could have gone with Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, but I thought All About My Mother really ties in so many of his themes and ideas into one really strong package. I have in the book what I call the Auteur Alert -- start with this one, but go see everything this guy did because his body of work is extraordinary.

I was startled to see your inclusion of The Broken Hearts Club until I read your dismissal of it. In regards to contemporary cinema, it seems like bad gay romantic comedies have become a glut on the market. Why do you think this is and do you see it as some form of equality we've achieved as gay filmmakers are now making as many bad films as their heterosexual counterparts?

(Laughs) We're getting equal access to the market, so when it's easier to make a gay movie you have more gay people making movies, and it's not pioneers like Donna Deitch or Bill Sherwood who are bending over backwards to get films out. There weren't producers dying to bankroll these movies. I included Broken Hearts Club because it was one of the more egregious examples of everything I hate about contemporary gay movies. I just wanted to have an acknowledgment in the book that just because a film is gay doesn't mean it's good and doesn't mean it's important or worth seeing.

While working on the book did your opinions about certain films change?

There were some that I watched again that I realized had not aged particularly well. There were some that I hadn't thought of including that people pressed me to see and I discovered they were indeed worth it.

When I was younger I loathed The Boys in the Band, but watching it more recently I came to appreciate it as something essential and maybe even more relevant than I had initially thought. Do you think early films like this paved the way for powerhouses like Brokeback Mountain?

There's no question that no matter what we think of them now, they were a big deal when they came out. Their very existence is important and they paved the way for what came after. When I first saw Boys in the Band I was cringing, but as I'm older I don't look at it as a political treatise as much as a story about a group of friends. You recognize your own life and your friends in it and there are certain truths the film tells that remain relevant to today's audience even if conditions for gay men have changed.

Which recently-released films might make it into Must-See Movies, Volume Two?

Brokeback Mountain absolutely -- it's an extraordinary movie. Capote would fall in that category. Mysterious Skin was a real triumph for (director Gregg Araki). As much as I've loved his stuff in the past I think we're looking at the beginning of a whole new chapter for him as a filmmaker.

Duralde will sign copies of his book on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7: 30 p.m. at A Different Light, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd., W. Hlywd. 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men is available now in bookstores and via www.alonsoduralde.com.