VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, R)
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With a visual style all its own, seemingly off-putting subject matter that's surprisingly relevant to a mass audience -- not to mention a slate of addictively catchy original songs -- this big-screen adaptation of writer/director/star John Cameron Mitchell's off-Broadway musical is one of the best shots in the arm a staggering musical film genre could ever hope for. If only more people had embraced it -- guess there's no accounting for taste. Mitchell stars as an East German male-female transexual rendered sexless after a botched sex-change operation. She finds some solace in the world of rock 'n' roll -- at least until her ex-boyfriend steals all her songs and becomes a popular rock star himself. Mitchell's tour de force performance, composer/lyracist Steven Trask's terrific tunes and Emily Hubley's lovely animated sequences add tremendous cult potential. It deserves to swipe the crown from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The DVD includes a trailer, a documentary tracking the origins of Hedwig from stage to screen, deleted scenes, select-a-song and widescreen format.