Cinema Queens

Well, we promised we would be back, and here we are! New name, new sound, but still sarcastic and argumentative at times. This episode we welcome new cohost, Patrick Beatty, and the two of us take a look at Joker, which is not only breaking box office records, but could quite possibly be up for a few Academy Awards next year. 

Huge apologies for the delay, but we're finally back with the last episode of musical month as we review Camp. It's got great music, mostly excellent performances, and introduced us to Anna Kendrink, but it's also wildly problematic and just isn't the best all around. This is also the final episode of Cinema Queens as we know it. Don't panic, we're still gonna go on, but we're gonna change things up a bit and try some new stuff, and we really think you're gonna like it. Thanks to everyone who's been following and listening, and I promise things are just gonna get better!

Hey everyone. We want to give our sincere apology for missing a few weeks. One of Adam's best friends and the reason he is a film critic and this podcast even exists, Jimmy Martin, passed away from a freak accident, and it's taken some time to recover. But he'd want us to keep going, so we are with Hedwig and the Angry Inch which kicks off our month of LGBT musicals. It's a fun and thought provoking film, but most people are probably more familiar with the stage musical than the actual movie. Also, if you're interested in checking it out, the DVD is out of print, but it just came out on blu-ray for the Criterion edition, and they're all half off this month at Barnes and Noble, so you can get it for a steal! As always, feel free to send feedback and recommendations to cinemaqueens@gmail.com or on social media @CinemaQueens!

We continue our PRIDE month of superhero films with Wonder Woman which surprisingly, Chris missed in theaters, so it was exciting to see his reaction to it for his first time. Returning guest panelist, Clark, is back on, and we discuss not only the themes in the film, but gender roles and why something like empathy is considered a feminine trait and not just a universal one. Feedback is welcome on social media @CinemaQueens and via email, cinemaqueens@gmail.com

It's PRIDE month, and we're being a little less serious this time and doing superhero movies (which ties in with our Funnybooks and Firewater crossover). We start things off with a bang with X2: X-Men United which is chock full of queer themes and subtext, and it's just a damn good movie. Adam also got to see Dark Phoenix early, so he is doing a quick, spoiler-free review of that at the very end as well. Feedback and suggestions always welcome at cinemaqueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens! HAPPY PRIDE!

May went by way too fast, and this week we are doing our last movie focused on mothers, Philomena. Now it's not exactly a queer film despite its plot revolving around a gay character, but it's still fantastically done with amazing performances by Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. Also, with PRIDE month and Salt Lake PRIDE just a few days away, we announce the movies for June as well as the books for Funnybooks and Firewater for when we do our crossover episode, so stay tuned for more info. As always, feel free to send feedback and recommendations to cinemaqueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

Continuing our months of moms, we take a look at Sundance and award season darling, The Kids Are All Right, and there is a lot to talk about here. While it's great to see a movie featuring same-sex parents raising normal and mostly well-adjusted kids, there is still an underlying theme that people aren't gay, they just haven't found the right person of the opposite gender. Be sure to send feedback and recommendations to CinemaQueens@gmail.com or on social media @CinemaQueens!

We apologize for the brief absence, but life finds a way to make things difficult. But we are back in a new month, and we are featuring stories about Mothers, whether LBT themselves or the moms of LGBT kids. Our first movie is Other People, which is still the best movie Adam ever saw at Sundance, and one you've probably skipped over a bunch of times on Netflix, so definitely check it out! Feel free to send feedback and recommendations to cinemaqueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

We are joined by a very special guest, Mr. Casey, to discuss this week's film, Boy Erased, which is based on the true story and memoirs of a young gay man who survived ex-gay "therapy" in 2004. This was a very personal film for Adam as he went through something similar during the same time period, and as much as he swore never to watch it again, he did, so the panel could talk about it. This is an extremely important movie that everyone needs to see, especially the loved ones of members of the LGBT community who aren't aware of the horrors that happens in these kinds of places. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

This week we are looking at the biopic Milk which recounts the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office and who helped spark a revolution of activism in the LGBT community. Unlike last month, we dive in deep and discuss the issues our community still faces and also where our spirit of activism and protest went. “We're here, we're queer; get used to it” used to be our mantra, but that seems to have faded away. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

This week we are taking a look at the awards darling, The Imitation Game, which gives us a brief glimpse into the life of Alan Turing and his exploits on cracking the Nazi's Enigma Code and helping end World War II years earlier than it would have. This was in Adam's top five movies the year it came out, and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it even though it's absolutely heartbreaking to see how Alan was treated for being gay after doing so much to help his country, the world, and the future as we know it. Feel free to send us feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

We're doing biographies this month and decided to start with I Love You Phillip Morris, which is the story of con-artist Steven Russell and the relationship he forms with the titular Phillip Morris. This is a somewhat hard movie to watch because despite the fact it's well made, Steven Russell is just such a horrible person that it's cringe-worthy watching him screw over so many wonderful people, and most of all, Phillip, who is just such a sweet and charming guy, you can't help but love him (see what we did there). As always, please send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

We finish up March with Connie and Carla which fits the theme we've seen repeated the whole month - namely, all the movies have portrayed LGBT culture through the lens of heterosexuality. We get it's a product of its time and is trying to appeal to a mass audience, but seriously, we need queer movies by queer artists. Anywho, it's still a lot of fun, and returning champion Clark is back on with us since he loves it so much and also to get a sincere apology from Chris. Oh, and we get really dirty this one around, so keep the kids away. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and hit us up on social media @CinemaQueens!

Well everyone knew we had to eventually do it, because this week we finally got around to The Birdcage, and we will be quoting Nathan Lane for weeks on end now. Once again, it's a gay movie presented through the lens of heterosexuality, but no one can deny the fun and charm that Robin Williams and Nathan Lane share together on screen, even if their relationship is straightforward and platonic. Be sure to send feedback and recommendations to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

Drag queen month continues along with our trend of movies with ridiculously long titles with To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Endlessly quotable and completely hilarious, it's really interesting that the film presents queer culture through a relatively straight lens considering the fact the screenwriter was gay himself. And despite being straight men, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo pull off being FABULOUS drag queens! But it's not all quite fun and games as we discuss the elephant in the room, domestic abuse, that the LGBT community needs to start recognizing as the important issue it is and actually do something about it. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

March is here, and we decided to do a month devoted to drag queens! Why? Why not! We kick things off with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, so we're off to a good start as this is fun, funny, heartfelt and has some very positive trans representation that is somewhat surprising considering this came out 25 years ago. Of course, it's not perfect, and has some really problematic portrayals of race, and we tackle that head on while discussing the movie's merits as well. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to cinemaqueens@gmail.com and follow us on social media @CinemaQueens!

Again, we sincerely apologize for the delay, but Adam is back in Salt Lake, so this shouldn't be a problem going forward. This week we FINALLY watched The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green which, well, it's not a good movie, but it's a lot of fun and there are worse ways to spend 88 minutes. Be sure to send feedback and recommendations to CinemaQueens@Gmail.com or on social media @CinemaQueens!

Hey everyone, we are sorry we missed last week. Adam has been in Boise for work for five weeks, so it's thrown our schedule out of whack. Just wanted to give everyone a quick update of what was going on and our plans for the rest of the month. Thanks for listening, and we'll be back in a week!

We're wrapping up our month of "New Year New You's" coming out stories with Saved! Now to be honest, this isn't a gay film, per se, but there is a queer sensibility running through it and the plot is driven by a young, Christian girl trying to save her gay boyfriend from the demon of homosexuality, or something like that. And yes, to those listening, this WAS exactly how Adam's high school was like. Be sure to send feedback and suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com and on social media @CinemaQueens!

This week we are discussing Beautiful Thing which was the second gay movie Adam ever saw and is a sweet story about two teenagers in England figuring out who they are and also that they're in love with each other. This movie isn't going to change the world, and the story might be a little simplistic and romanticized, but that doesn't mean it's not fully enjoyable and heartwarming. As always, feel free to send feedback or suggestions to CinemaQueens@gmail.com or on social media @CinemaQueens!