A Piece of Pie: The Queer Film Podcast

Just before our home state put us on Shelter in Place orders, Max and Brian got together to talk about the movie on everyone's mind: Contagion. Not content with with a fictional pandemic amid our real one, we paired it with Todd Haynes' 1995 feature, Safe! A young, but always incredible, Julianne Moore begins coughing and hyperventilating near any chemicals. Or is she just suffocating from toxic masculinity? Meanwhile, Stephen Soderbergh's 2011 hit, Contagion is turning out to be prescient, and not just a star studded disaster movie. Even if it's totally a star-studded disaster movie. (But at least they don't sing Imagine).

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With the coronavirus putting the world in lockdown, it was only appropriate that we cover two horror films with isolated protagonists. But we'd be lying if we said we had that in mind. Instead, we planned to release this one to coincide with the release of A Quiet Place Part 2, but that film has since been delayed. But no matter! Contributors Lauren Whalen and Steve Moore drop by to discuss these two modern horror classics. Each are tales about parenting, isolation and a fear of the larger world. Are they metaphors for fame? for Parenting? Or are they just cautionary tales about walking in formation when exploring a post apocalyptic wasteland? We discuss all this and more in this week's episode!

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This week, contributor Matt returns and we discuss two of the 21st centuries most iconic queer stories, 2019's Portrait of a Lady on Fire and 2017's Call Me By Your Name. Two epic, beautifully shot tales of couples falling in love, seemingly in exile from the outside world. 

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Contributor Max Bever returns to talk the most recent Best Picture winner, Parasite, and we've paired it with the year's second most unconventional horror film, Jordan Peele's Us. Are these films two sides of the same coin? What does each film have to say about their respective countries, or are they both just responding to capitalism? Two of the year's best movies, by two of the era's finest filmmakers; they have more in common than you might think, and Max and Brian are here to talk it out. 

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For the first episode of 2020, A Piece of Pie brings you our first ever live recording! We sat down to watch the Oscars and during commercial breaks, we paused and commented on the awards. Who won, who lost, and who made the best impression. Recorded as we watched, this is a live, unedited, unpolished episode with off the cuff remarks, long awkward pauses, not to mention our thoughts on the winners, losers, the live performances and more!

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In our final episode of 2019, we finally review the queer cult horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street 2! The gayest horror film of all time stars Mark Patton as Jesse, a suburban teen with his own demons, who crosses paths with the legendary Freddy Krueger. Thirty years later, Mark Patton's documentary Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street tales his story of navigating 1980's Hollywood amid the AIDS Crisis, rampant homophobia and Ronald Reagan's tenure as president. We discuss the two films and give our thoughts on the documentary, now playing at film festivals across the country. 

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This week, since James showed Brian one of his favorite films, we've switched roles and now Brian introduces James to Gus Van Sant's To Die For. The 1995 film stars Nicole Kidman as a ruthless woman looking for fame and fortune at any cost - even murder. We take a look at how the film holds up, discuss Van Sant's queer gaze and lament the lack of roles for the actress Illeana Douglas! 

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For this very special of A Piece of Pie, Brian and James sit down with actor Mark Patton, of Nightmare on Elm Street 2! He has a new documentary making the festival rounds: “Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street” The night before the film’s Chicago debut, Mark sat down with us to talk about his journey through Hollywood in the 1980’s, his quest to make this documentary and tell his story. It was an honor to talk with this queer icon for our first ever interview episode! 

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We're trying out a new format for this one! Instead of our usual 2 movies, James' talked Brian into watching John Waters' camp classic, Serial Mom! As Brian discovers this cult queer staple, we also discuss Waters' legacy, Homer Simpson, and the great Kathleen Turner! This film skewers the 1990's in John Waters' unique voice, join us as James' revisits it via the special edition blu-ray, and Brian watches it all the way through for the first time ever! 

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For our 40th episode, we're joined by Matt and Ryan, hosts of ExRated Movies! So of course these four gay men tackled the lesbian crime drama, Bound, the first film from the Wachowski's, starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. We paired it with the lesbian-adjacent 90's campy thriller, Wild Things, starring Neve Campbell and Denise Richards. Who's the best actress among these four? It's not Denise Richards! Is Wild Things a knowing satire of sex-filled 90's crime films, or just a bad example of one? Can Joe Pantoliano out-act his wig? We answer these questions and more, plus find time to appreciate Christopher Meloni's backside and Kevin Bacon's front-side!

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