A gay old day at the movies

Two dozen men -- big, burly, bearded -- were packed into three rows of Theater 6 at Southdale last Tuesday. As the trailers aired, their weekly ritual unfolded. Thumbs up for "Planet 51," a 50-50 mix for "Dragon Ball," mostly sideways hand waves for "Land of the Lost," unanimous thumbs up for "Up."

As Bill Anderson had promised beforehand, "Sometimes it looks like Siskel and Ebert, and sometimes it's like the two old men in the balcony in the Muppets."

The Minneapolis Movie Bears were founded four years ago by six men, including real-life partners Eric Blad and Rick Perry, who had been socializing electronically and learned of a shared ardor for the movies. "After we started, everybody just sent e-mails to their friends," Blad said, and membership grew quickly.

The founders came up with the Minneapolis Movie Bears moniker -- large, hairy men are called "bears" in gay circles -- and subsequently learned that there was a similarly named group in San Francisco. Members don't have to fit the physical description, although most of the guys at last week's screening were hefty and hirsute (often more on the face than on the noggin).

The Bears definitely lived up to both parts of their name -- in ursine appearance and cinematic zeal -- during last week's outing at the multiplex. And while this 450-man (and a few women) group has expanded its social schedule to include game nights, river tubing and a float at last year's Gay Pride Parade, the weekly Tuesday Night at the Movies remains its fulcrum.

The evening started with a quick bite and some socializing at a nearby Chipotle (leaving enough room for popcorn, of course), then getting settled in their seats in plenty of time for the trailers, which they scrutinize as devoutly as the feature film.

"We always rate them, and sometimes we'll turn to each other and say, 'Aw, that was the whole movie'," said Blad, who has missed only one Tuesday in the past three years.

"We also know," Anderson chimed in, "when something that was in the trailer doesn't end up in the movie."

That's part of the informal discussion the group has after each movie, either in the theater lobby or at a nearby ice-cream place. Last week, after watching "Race to Witch Mountain," the Bears compared the film to the 1975 "Escape to Witch Mountain" and its sequels. Oh, except for one member who wasn't born until 1981. "He didn't even know who Eddie Albert was. I hate him," said Blad, with a big smile.

A few minutes later, the evening culminated with (wait for it ...) bear hugs all around.

No hibernation time

Membership is concentrated in the south metro. For that reason, and because it used to have free popcorn on Tuesday ("We're Bears on a budget, always," Anderson said), Regal Cinema in Eagan became the usual Movie Bear destination.

"We know the staff by name" said Rob Haskins. "We'll say, 'Hey, Sue,' to the ticket vendor, and she'll say, 'You weren't here last week,' to all the ones who weren't."

After getting home on Tuesday night, Perry opens up voting for the following week's movie at the website (www.minneapolismovie bears.com). They're open to all genres, although "slasher films don't do too well," Perry said; like some of his brethren, Chris Myers says he "doesn't care much for chick flicks." Blad, on the other had, has missed only one Tuesday movie in the last three years: "Eastern Promises" because of its graphic torture scenes.

After tabulating the votes, Perry posts the winning movie and dinner location on Sunday night. Usually two to three dozen members show up, split about evenly between partners and singletons. About 70 Bears went to the Vali-Hi Drive-In last summer, and about 85 took in "Milk" at the Uptown in November; two years earlier, about 65 Bears took in "Dreamgirls."

As the group has grown, so has its list of activities: Game Nights at Vera's (until it closed; another home is being sought), Cannon River tubing and an apple-picking excursion last fall, traveling Broadway shows "Wicked" last year and "Grey Gardens" this Saturday, a busy forum at the website. The group raised the second-most money ($12,800) at last May's AIDS Walk, and won the prize for best use of a float (featuring movie seats from the Riverview Theater and a screening of "Hulk") at last June's Gay Pride Parade.

But most of the activities are cinematic. Small groups go to movies together on other nights, and a good-sized coterie gathers the third Sunday of the month at the St. Paul club Innuendo for a double feature of gay-themed or -favored films.

The only thing that the Bears might love more than movies? Popcorn.

"I've gone home more than once with a big grease stain right here," said Perry, rubbing his tummy where the butter from a tub invariably seeps out.

Bill Ward • 612-673-7643