Engaging and frequently funny, What's Up Scarlet? is a quirky little movie that follows the unlikely and unexpected love affair of Scarlet (the deliciously acerbic Susan Priver) and Sabrina (the sensual and exotic Musetta Vander).

Set in Los Angeles, the story opens, unsurprisingly enough, with a traffic accident. (Is that the only way people meet in L.A.?) Scatter-brained Sabrina, wracked with nerves over an upcoming audition, rear-ends Scarlett, a high-strung, loveless career woman who owns her own dating service.

Through a twist of events, Scarlet invites Sabrina, who is living out of her car, to stay with her for a few days. Through Sabrina's warm personality and joie de vivre, Scarlet's frigid heart begins to warm.

A largely character-driven piece, the film succeeds on the strength of its performances. Susan Priver is wonderful as the tightly-wound matchmaker. A mix of sarcasm and vulnerability create the perfect pitch that entices audiences to fall for her. Musetta Vander is equally likable as the free-spirited actress who triumphs in overcoming Scarlet's hard edges. When they eventually end up in bed together, it seems wonderfully natural, almost fated -- not forced and contrived as so many straight-to-gay movies can be.

The film is also nicely rounded out with a punchy performance by Sally Kirkland, who plays Scarlet's manipulative and overbearing mother. Never content to simply pay her daughter a compliment, she agrees that Scarlet would be pretty if only ''she would get her teeth fixed.'' Jere Burns turns in a cutting and humorous performance as the slacker, pothead brother, Benjamin. When he learns Scarlet has accidentally set him up with Ashley, a former porn star, he makes a play for Sabrina to exact revenge.

If the movie falters at all, it's because of its strict adherence to the formulaic elements of the romantic comedy. Girl meets girl. They become friends. Then something more. Tragic misunderstanding causes break-up. But love overcomes, and they live happily ever after. If this were a lesser movie, What's Up Scarlet? would have collapsed under the contrivances. But under the sharp direction of Anthony Caldarella and the refreshingly lively performances, it's not weighted down.

Like the romance it seeks to portray, What's Up Scarlet? is an unexpected surprise. Though many films bill themselves as romantic comedies, What's Up Scarlet? has the unique quality of actually being one. -- DO

From the Washington Blade

Friday, July 14, 2006
By GREG MARZULLO

For gay movie fans looking for a little summer escape, hop a train (or a car or bus) to the City of Brotherly Love for the 12th annual Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Running from July 13-25, the festival boasts a slate of 141 queer films from 23 countries and is the third largest in the country behind San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“The communal experience [of movie-watching] is something that makes film festivals a worthy commitment of time, energy and money,” says Thom Cardwell, executive director of the film festival and one of the original volunteers at the event, which began in 1994.

With an expected audience of 28,000, the same number as last year, the festival provides opportunities for film lovers to watch movies not yet picked up for distribution, attend panel discussions with artists and network with gay movie buffs and the people who make it all happen.

Most individual screenings are $9.50, but for $225, film nuts can purchase an all-access badge that allows entrance into every movie, plus opening and closing night parties.

Movies are shown in theaters along Broad Street, and the entire thoroughfare turns into a gay street festival.

“There’s a sense of taking over the city,” says Ray Murray, the artistic director of the festival and the president of video/DVD distributor TLA Entertainment Group, one of the festival’s main sponsors. “There’s that kind of empowerment that you can’t replace when you’re watching something at home.”