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thexfridax · 1 month

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D.E.B.S. at 20: a Queer Cult Classic

Bessie Yuill Photo: Sundance/WireImage

There is a secret film hidden within the shadowy sapphic corners of Letterboxd. Some call it escapist trash, some call it an underrated cult classic, fools call it a male fantasy. It calls itself D.E.B.S. As other early-2000s chick flicks like Charlie’s Angels and St. Trinian’s have been reevaluated and embraced for their candy-floss aesthetics and campy wit over the years, the lesbian community was quietly reclaiming its own equivalent with 2004’s D.E.B.S.

The precursor to contemporary high-concept lesbian films like Bottoms, the spy flick is filled with something that queer female moviegoers still often yearn for: fun. That includes Jordana Brewster and her era-defying eyebrows as the impeccably named supervillain Lucy Diamond, John Woo–style fight scenes that parody the action genre in the same way as Charlie’s Angels, and a cheerfully cheap aesthetic where spies run around in plaid schoolgirl skirts.

D.E.B.S. was written, directed, and edited by filmmaker Angela Robinson. While “unapologetically queer” might be an overused phrase, it does apply neatly to Robinson. The Chicago-born director’s first project was a short film called Chickula: Teenage Vampire, calling on the long history of vampiric queer women that began with 1872’s Carmilla.

Her love of playing with genre led her to later put a lesbian spin on the movie musical by writing the underappreciated Girltrash: All Night Long and exploring polyamory in a period biopic about the creators of Wonder Woman, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. On the small screen, she also burnished her lesbian credentials by working on several episodes of The L Word.

When D.E.B.S. started life as a short film, Robinson described it as “a story about a trio of superspies who are all chicks. I love all the comic-book characters: Charlie’s Angels, Batman, Josie & the Pussycats … But I always wanted them to be gay and they never were, so I wrote my own.” Success at Sundance led to Sony snatching the short up and deciding that D.E.B.S. should be a full-length feature.

Two decades later, the joy of this movie lies in the details. The tone is immediately set by a gravelly voice-over telling us that there is a secret test hidden within the SAT to recruit young female superspies (and establishing that, like Bottoms, this is a film aware of genre archetypes and willing to push believability). Our main character Amy (Sara Foster) is an academic overachiever — like many lesbians overcompensating for their perceived failure to live up to social norms. Her perfect score on the secret SAT test makes it even more scandalous when she falls for the aforementioned supervillain Lucy Diamond.

Queer friend groups may delight over the nostalgic frosty eye shadow and lip gloss worn by the D.E.B.S. (which stands for “discipline, energy, beauty, strength,” naturally) at all times. Flip phones, CGI holographic screens, and Goldfrapp’s appearance on the soundtrack will also remind you that you’re watching a film made in the early 2000s. And many will squeal when they spot Holland Taylor, over a decade before she came out, as the academy’s head.

Admittedly, the special effects are goofy enough to cross over into comedy, especially when our girls are abseiling into a restaurant or climbing walls with plungers, and the lighting could be charitably described as resembling teen soap operas of that era. But the chemistry between Amy and Lucy is crackling enough that YouTube compilations of their scenes have racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. Their fun enemies-to-lovers plotline begins with the pair pointing guns at each other and quickly progresses to a whirlwind romance (the other D.E.B.S. think Amy’s been kidnapped and launch a national manhunt, just as many friend groups have had to organize rescue missions for lesbians on weeklong first dates).

You could argue that espionage serves as a metaphor for the closet and that Amy is such an effective spy because she’s used to lying to herself about her sexuality. But that almost seems like too much weight to put on this meringue confection of a genre spoof: Its campiness liberates the characters to inhabit a fun, exaggerated universe with no serious homophobia or consequences. Guns are used, but the so-called superspies have such consistently terrible aim that there are no real casualties. And Lucy Diamond’s supposedly nefarious crimes are all reversible — the murders pinned on her are revealed to be misunderstandings, and she returns all of her stolen goods in order to win Amy back.

When this live-action Totally Spies with a lesbian twist debuted, it only made $97,000 and was dismissed by critics. But there were enough moviegoing gays impressed by its snappy dialogue, fun romance, and stunning supporting cast (including Meagan Good, Jimmi Simpson, and Devon Aoki with a French accent) for its reputation to grow online over time. In forums and YouTube comment sections, young girls were asking, “Are there any lesbian films where they just fall in love and have fun and don’t die at the end?” Their answer was D.E.B.S.

#D.E.B.S.#2004 #Angela Robinson #LGBTQ+#Film #Queer joy #Criminally underrated #Cult classic #How is it #already 20 yrs later

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diarythebookwyrm · 10 months

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So, uh...I've recently been reading the Emelan books by Tamora Pierce and Briar's Book hits a lot different in a post-Covid world, don't it?

#how is it #I ask you gentle reader #that a fantasy world with renaissance level technology #does better pandemic care than our world in the year 2020 #boggles the mind it does #emelan #briar's book #tamora pierce #like don't get me wrong #I loved the book!#5 stars #but holy shit Tammy had her third eye wide open writing that one #the moment that really hit me was Tris complaining her glasses don't fit right over a cloth mask

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loredwy · 4 months

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I went to pinterest, searching for a specific niche multiplayer game I used to play, thinking the nostalgia related images would not surprise me because childhoods are not global obviously

God, I was wrong

#HOW IS IT #IT SURPRISED ME WITH GAMES I DIDNT EVEN REMEMBER I USED TO BE OBSESSED WITH #videogames #nostalgia

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azurecanary · 8 months

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Me: feels anxiety about everything i need for college

My parents: feels anxiety about everything i need for college

Me: uses that anxiety to try and get everything done

My parents: take their anxiety out on me and stresses me out without actually helping anything

Me: 😐 (but with bullets of sweat rolling down my back)

#personal shit #how is it #that i (the only member of my family who has not done therapy)#is the only one who seems to know #to not take your feelings out on others

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buticanfixhim · 1 year

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HI

IK YAAR I WANT TO LISTEN TO IT KAL RAAT SE I'M WAITING FOR COLLEGE TO GET OVER 😭😭

#DID U HEAR #HOW IS IT #I NEED REVS MAISIES MY CHILD

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inspectorspacetimerevisited · 1 year

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If Angie’s parents were erased from history by the Gap in spacetime,

how did she continue to exist?

#Inspector Spacetime #Temporal Paradox (trope)#Temporal Paradox #Angie Lake (character)#young Angie (character)#if her parents #were erased from history #erased from history #they never existed #by the Gap in spacetime #how is it #she still exists #how did she continue to exist #why did the Inspector find her #questions better left unasked

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killuaisaprincess · 1 year

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Me opens up my email sees new follower

Me gets the beer ready for another porn bot

It’s not

#personal #I ALMOST CRIED HAPPY TEARS #Like I’d rather go back to my usual of no new followers than this constant influx of frikin bots #ID HAVE HIT 100 followers and maybe I could’ve done smth to celebrate but smh THEY ARE ALL BOTS #TIME TO GET BACK TO WRITING MY GK FIC #Actually might need to pass out first hmm and I wanna play OOT later I NEED OCARINA OF TIME GK AU #ZELDA MY BELOVED #Since botw was my first au fic of a property it’s only natural I wanna do moreeee #SPIRIT TRACKS WOULD BE CUTE TOO #I need to replay it though the music is so good #Final Fantasy someday maybe I mean X IS JUST THERE WAITING FOR GK #KI AS YUNA 👏👏👏👏 but those games are so much longer #I’m a smol fic writer #BUT KI AND FF IX MY FAVE GAME OF ALL TIME SHARE THE SAME B DAY AND I DIDNT KNOW TILL TO LATE I ONLY KNEW KIS B DAY #HES MY BABEY I don’t really usually know games b days but now that I know that #NO WAY I CANT HAVE AN FF IX GK AU #LIKE #HOW IS IT #MY OSHI VTUBER HAS A JULY 6 B DAY MY FAVE GAME OF ALL TIME HAS THE SAME B DAY AS MY FAVE CHAR KI ON JULY 7 #I AM USING MY VACATION TIME ONCE MORE FOR KI #when I get it #have to work a year here first #ITS TOO MUCH A COINKY DINK WHY COULD I NOT BE BORN THE 5 or smth or 6 OR KIS DAY #yeah I’m probs too tired to write rn I’m gonna run into sooo many mistakes later #I’m seeing some here tbf I’m just shouting in excitement not trying to be grammatically correct but ye

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whiteshipnightjar · 3 months

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Zoozve, my beloved

#i cannot tell you how much this made me smile just bc it's so full of love #moon #venus #zoozve #long post #sorry about that it's very long but it's very entertaining i hope you enjoy this lil zoozve gem haha #astronomy #astrophysics #space

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daylighteclipsed · 4 months

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ENTRY LEVEL MEANS NO EXPERIENCE. IT MEANS NO PORTFOLIO OF RELEVANT SAMPLES. ENTRY LEVEL IS ENTRY LEVEL

#HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GAIN EXPERIENCE YOU STUPID FUCKS #I HATE THIS I HATE JOB HUNTING THIS SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTE DOG SHIT

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wizardpotions · 4 months

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Christmas as a cultural icon is starting to get really dystopian in a climate sense, december has historically been a time of year in which there would be snow in a significant portion of europe and north america, and the fact that its not even icy this time of year and all the christmas songs and decorations reference a time of year that will likely never exist in the same way again in my life time is so strange.

#for reference i live in scotland so it is weird that there is no ice or snow in december anymore #shitpost #not really but its just how i find my original content #christmas #climate change

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oncorhynchus-nerka · 2 months

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VERY IMPORTANT a dam in the Netherlands, the weerdsluis lock, is directly on a migratory path for spawning fish. They have a worker stationed there to open the door for the fish, but they can take a while to open it. So to keep the fish from getting preyed on by birds they installed a doorbell. Only, the fish don't have hands to ring the doorbell. If you go to their website, they have a LIVE CAMERA AND A DOORBELL that YOU RING FOR THE FISH when they're waiting, and then the dam worker opens the door for them! I can't express how obsessed I am with this. look at this shit. oh my god.

Please check on the fish doorbell once in a while :)

#self #last night i kept stimming thinking about this LOVE IS AO REAL. AUGH #i dont like damming but this is a step in the right direction AND it gets the public involved #i love that! more public interactions like this in ecology please! thats how you bring change! thats how you make ppl see the beauty in life #marine biology #ecology

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necromimetics · 6 months

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can’t stop thinking about my friend’s cishet partner who said last night that he doesn’t think anyone is the same gender. god-tier take.

#sky.txt #we were talking about how some people conceptualize nonbinary as like a 3rd gender #rather than a huge spectrum of experience #and he just hit us with that

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cassassinated · 1 year

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I miss the days when, no matter how slow your internet was, if you paused any video and let it buffer long enough, you could watch it uninterrupted

#spending the next week and a half with the shittiest country internet #and i cannot watch shit no matter how long i buffer

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apollos-boyfriend · 2 months

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mspec gays are so cool i love you bilesbians and pangays and everything in between each and every one of you deserve the world mwuah

#icarus speaks #containment breach #help how do you add gifs to text

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ladychlo · 3 months

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Motaz Azaiza interviewed by Ajstream after fleeing Gaza, please do watch the whole interview...

#he just turned 24 yo #I can't imagine how many dreams aborted by what's happening #please do watch the whole interview #motaz azaiza #free palestine #gaza

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ankle-beez · 3 months

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nimona (film that was saved by netflix after disney canned it along with closing the studio that was making it) and the boy and the heron (2d animated movie, the type that disney doesn't make anymore due to "limitations with the medium") getting animated feature noms at the oscars this year and not wish... bro that's funny

#nimona #the boy and the heron #wish #disney wish #wish 2023 #how do you live #angel.post

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