Published by Conrad Chambers & Joe Lipsett
A biweekly podcast where Conrad and Joe react to LGBTQ+ film from every country and every decade, complete with nuanced discussion of queer representation and issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Listen on Apple Podcasts22 min
Conrad and Joe kick off a new theme on 'Gay Panic' with a look at Lynn Shelton's Humpday (2009). Starring Mark Duplass and The Blair Witch Project 's Joshua Leonard, the film explores the intersection of intimacy and sex when estranged heterosexual friends drunkenly decide to make a sex tape as an art project. It's a sitcom-level premise executed to surprisingly good effect (thanks to great direction and excellent lead performances). Also: Ana is the best. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 min
Conrad and Joe tackle their second Jean-Marc Vallée title with 2013's Dallas Buyers Club . Starring Matthew McConaughey (in full McConaughassance) as real life figure Ron Woodroof, this is more biopic than HIV/AIDS text. Plus: Jennifer Garner as patron saint of queer films; bemoaning Jared Leto's presence and the depiction of a transwoman; and why the film's message about medicine is troubling. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~22 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 min
Conrad and Joe return to discuss the back half of Mike Nichols' multi-award winning HBO limited series, Angels in America . Does the series pay off its lengthy time commitment? Does the visual scope of the production justify its costly expense? And who is the real villain of the piece? Plus: Conrad's frustration with the ending; baring all (nudity!); and not caring about Mary-Louise Parker's final monologue Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 min
Conrad and Joe drop a (mostly) spoiler-free review of writer/director Adrian Chiarella's feature debut Leviticus (2026) about two boys who fall in love in a religious community that punishes them by using their attraction against them. It's a beautifully shot and acted film - more of a romance than a horror film, though several moments still unsettled us. Don't miss this when it plays near you! Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 min
Settle in because we are discussing the first three episodes/hours of the HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-award winning play, Angels in America . Directed by Mike Nichols and starring a combination of prestige A-list actors (Pacino, Thompson, Streep) and rising newcomers (Wilson, Kirk, Wright), Millennium Approaches proves to be a dense, challenging watch. Plus: Harper's magical realism; our interest in Joe, Prior and Louis; Thompson's American accent; and how the $62M budget makes things a bit too glossy. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~20 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 min
We're discussing the most popular title from our slate of 1993 films depicting HIV and AIDS: Jonathan Demme's Oscar winning movie, Philadelphia . Starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, the film is equal parts character drama (for Washington's Joe Miller), and courtroom/activist piece as Hanks' fights his discriminatory firing. Plus: Demme's intrusive direction; Washington's (not nominated?!) performance; the film's failure to critique homophobic/uninformed beliefs; and why this film feels soooo 1993. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 min
Conrad and Joe check out Roger Spottiswoode's sprawling 1993 adaptation of Randy Shilts non-fiction tome, And The Band Played On. Featuring a star studded A-list cast, the film falls somewhere between medical procedural and contagion film as scientists and activists try to identify the AIDS virus and overcome systemic/bureaucratic hurdles. Plus: villainous Alan Alda; tension in the editing bay; and questioning the representation of queers who want to keep the bathhouses open Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21.5 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13 min
Conrad and Joe checked out Elliot Tuttle's feature directorial debut and we had to record our spoiler-free thoughts on the film. C/W: Sexual Abuse Starring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney as a camboy and his older client, this intimate "delicious onion film" is a dialogue heavy two-hander that is controversial, challenging, and confronting. We *highly* recommend it. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for our spoiler-heavy discussion on Tuesday Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 min
Conrad and Joe travel BACK to Canada for John Greyson's New Queer cinema entry Zero Patience (1993), a musical about the Quebec flight attendant scapegoated for bringing AIDS to North America. Plus: the use of real historical figures; assigning blame for the disease; and the first of two appearances this theme by actor Michael Callen (playing Miss HIV) Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~23 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 min
Joe and Conrad kick off a new theme on 'HIV and AIDS' with a look at the earliest text to discuss the disease: An Early Frost from 1985. NBC's made-for-TV film is something of a marvel considering advertisers wouldn't touch it. Thankfully audiences, awards bodies and an all-star cast had no problem! Plus: Aidan Quinn's lead performance, the lack of intimacy between Michael and his partner Peter, and how the film may be more about straight people than queer people... Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 min
After six films, Conrad and Joe wrap up our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme by revisiting common threads and themes, our favourite discoveries, and the titles we'd most recommend to listeners. Want more content? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for bonus episodes Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
20 min
Conrad and Joe wrap up our theme with Camille Vidal-Naquet's 2018 film Sauvage ('Wild'), a purportedly "judgement-free" documentary-style, gritty depiction of 'Sex Work and Pornography.' The trauma porn narrative, however, feels pretty moralistic to us! Plus: comparisons to 2024's Baby ; Félix Maritaud's "brave" central performance; Léo and Ahd's interesting relationship; and a tease of why Félix and Claude's romance doesn't work. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
20 min
Conrad and Joe hit pause on 'Sex Work and Pornography' to discuss one of 2025's biggest queer films: Harry Lighton's Pillion (2025). It may surprise you to discover that we're ambivalent about the film! We don't entirely understand its reception as a romance, especially given how disaffecting (and possibly abusive) the central relationship is. Plus: adaptation changes from Adam Mars-Jones's novella Box Hill ; fantastic lead performances; Conrad's theatrical experience; and the moments of comedy that work Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~23.5 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 min
The second to last entry in our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme is Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano's Baby (2024) about a newly released convict who is introduced to a life of sex work by an older man. From cruising spots to the intersection of sex & drugs, this beautiful film features a great debut performance by João Pedro Mariano as the title character. But there are a few elements, such as the contrived last act conflict, that don't entirely work for us. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~15 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 min
Conrad and Joe check out Sebastian , the sophomore effort of Mikko Mäkelä (see previous episode on A Moment in the Reeds ) which concerns a writer, Max (Ruaridh Mollica), who uses his sex work as fodder for his "fiction" writing. It's an intriguing concept, though the film occasionally loses focus on what it wants to explore. Plus: Conrad's displeasure at the film's end, a third act tonal shift, and debate about how self-aware the film is about what a gay film can and can't focus on. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 min
The next entry in our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme is Gregg Araki's masterful 2005 adaptation of Scott Heim's devastating novel Mysterious Skin . Starring a grown-up Joseph Gordon Levitt and a pre-Oscar winning director Brady Corbet, the film examines two very different responses to childhood sexual abuse (C/W). Plus: praising Michelle Trachtenberg, the strategic way Araki worked with the child actors, and why Neil's storyline is more intriguing than Brian's. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~36 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
It's a Conrad pick as our theme on 'Sex Work and Pornography' continues with Robin Campillo’s genre hybrid, Eastern Boys (2013). The film tackles several uncomfortable subjects, including a significant age gap between client and sex worker, an incredibly tense home invasion-style "party" and a challenging protagonist in Daniel (Olivier Rabourdin). Plus: shifting genres, a dialogue-free opening, and the moment Joe had to jump ahead because he couldn't stand the tension. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~27 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
16 min
Conrad and Joe check out writer/director Moshe Rosenthal's exquisite 80s throwback, which played Sundance 2026. Featuring incredible performances across the board, this 5 star film about a tumultuous father/son relationship feels extremely Pedro Almodovar-coded. It's one to watch when it becomes available! Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for bonus content on our other titles. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
We're kicking off a new theme, 'Sex work and Pornography', with Justin Kelly's 2016 true crime adaptation, King Cobra (2016) which tells the story of underage porn star Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis (here named Stephen). Starring Christian Slater (superb) and James Franco (ick) as predatory older gay men, the film is stylish, but hollow. Bonus points for Molly Ringwald and Alicia Silverstone, though! Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for 24 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
Conrad and Joe are joined by Horror Queers' Trace Thurman to discuss Charlie Polinger's debut feature, The Plague (2025). Expect plenty of discussion about pre-teen bullying, queer-coding, and body horror as we're collectively triggered by this story about hazing rituals gone awry at an all-boy water polo camp. Plus: praising Kayo Martin as central antagonist Jake, Joel Edgerton's useless Coach, and debate about how rarely (or not!) this kind of story is told. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for a ~33 minute bonus spoiler-heavy discussion. Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.