Out Takes

For this Out Takes, we reviewed a new Aussie musical that brings, the latest television show from Dan Levy and two of the local films on offer for ACMI Drag Week plus an interview for you with one of Australia’s favourite comic actresses and a global movie star.

First up was ‘The Deb’, an original musical comedy about two teenage cousins who dig deep to find self-acceptance and a date to the Debutante Ball in a small country town in Australia. We thoroughly enjoyed this truly Aussie and wildly original movie musical that is also Rebel Wilson’s hotly anticipated directorial debut so who better to tell us about it than the star herself. Alaisdair caught up with Rebel online where they discussed why she wanted to tell this story, her musical inspirations, the importance of queer representation in this film and more.

Next was ‘Big Mistakes’, the latest project from Dan Levy which is streaming now on Netflix. Described as a bold, new comedic family saga within a high-stakes crime thriller. Big Mistakes follows Nicky (played by Dan Levy) and Morgan (played by Taylor Ortega), two deeply incapable siblings who are in over their heads when a misguided theft for their dying grandmother accidentally pulls them into the world of organized crime. Blackmailed into increasingly dangerous assignments, they clumsily fail upwards, sinking deeper into chaos they’re ill-equipped to handle. This one divided the OT team but it’s fair to say if you’re needing a Dan Levy fix then this should satisfy your cravings.

We finished up with reviews of two local films featured in ACMI Drag Week which is a week long celebration of queer films that highlight the wonderfully diverse world of drag from April 17 – 23. The first film is the rarely screened 1984 camp short film ‘XOS A Cry for Help’ about two sisters (both played by Doug Lucas) fighting over their recently departed grandmother’s final wishes. This was followed by our review of ‘Victorian Queens’ which explores Melbourne’s unique drag community through four very intimate and distinct portraits of four drag artists and showcases their progressive leadership through artistic expression while they push for cultural change and inclusion.

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For this Out Takes Extra, we had the pleasure of speaking with Rebel Wilson, the local comedy legend who has gone on to become an incredibly successful international movie star who is now launching her feature film directorial debut with a story that is near and dear to her heart. Bold, outrageous, and funny, ‘The Deb’ is a vibrant Australian musical about two wildly different teenage cousins who start out at odds, but ultimately find common ground, and unexpected friendship, at their town’s annual debutante ball. It’s in Australian cinemas now and we got to speak to Rebel in the lead up to its local release about why she wanted to tell this story, her musical inspirations, the importance of queer representation in this film and more. Enjoy this Out Takes Extra then go see ‘The Deb’ on the big screen this April! 

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For this Out Takes, we put the spotlight on Drag Week which is coming to ACMI this April which allows you to experience a super-sized week of films that walked so Drag Race could run … in heels! Our special guest was Spiro Economopoulos who has recently joined the team at ACMI to help bring great cinema to the masses in Melbourne and he’s kicking it off with a week long celebration of queer films that highlight the wonderfully diverse world of drag. From April 17 – 23, ACMI will screen twelve films about the art and artists of drag who blazed a trail in this irreverent, outrageous and unapologetic performance style. Spiro helps to break it all down for us including the special screening of ‘The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ as you’ve never seen it before, performed with a live shadow cast of local drag queens Lazy Susan, Zelda Moon, Pashion Couture and Art Simone plus a special live JOY 94.9 outside broadcast from ACMI featuring the Out Takes team from 6 – 7pm before the screening kicks off at 7.30pm – see you there! We also revisited our reviews of ‘Jimpa’ and Pillion, two of our favourite queer films of 2026 that are now available to rent or buy online.

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With International Day of Transgender Visibility being celebrated on March 31, we took the opportunity to spotlight ‘Homebodies’, a brand new digital series that is streaming now on SBS on Demand that highlights local trans and queer talent on screen and behind the scenes including its creator AP Pobjoy.

Fresh from its selection for this year’s prestigious Series Mania in France, ‘Homebodies’ stars Claudia Karvan, Luke Wiltshire and Jazi Hall, and follows Darcy, a trans man who reluctantly returns to his regional hometown to care for his estranged mother Nora. But home isn’t as he left it. Nora has been living with a secret housemate: Dee, the teenage ghost of Darcy’s pre-transition self. As old wounds resurface, Darcy must confront the parts of himself he tried to leave behind or risk losing himself entirely. The creator, lead-writer and one of the directors of the series is AP Pobjoy, a Sydney based creative who was in Lille, France when we spoke for Series Mania where ‘Homebodies’ had its world premiere. We discussed how they got into filmmaking, the importance of trans representation on our screens and much more.

We also reviewed the latest film from indie American film director and musician Jim Jarmusch. ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ is constructed in the form of a triptych and includes a beautiful performance from Indya Moore along with a cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, Tom Waits and Adam Driver. The three stories all concern the relationships between adult children, their somewhat distant parent (or parents), and each other. Each of the three chapters takes place in the present, and each in a different country. The film is described as a series of character studies, quiet, observational and non-judgmental – a comedy, but interwoven with threads of melancholy and is in Australian cinemas from April 2nd.

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If you listened to our show in June 2023, then you know we absolutely loved season 1 of Deadloch and we were very excited to hear that a second season was in the works. Nearly three years later and its fair to say that the return of Deadloch to our small screens was well worth the wait! Not only do we get to spend more time with Eddy and Dulcie, this time the unlikely cop duo are in Darwin investigating the death of Eddie’s former policing partner Bushy, but when the body of a Top End icon is discovered in a remote town, they are flung into a sweatier, stickier investigation with crocodiles and chaos following them every step of the way.

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For this Out Takes, we celebrated the return of two homegrown television shows that represent the best of Aussie queer talent across the board, and we took a look at five LGBTQIA+ short films that highlight some of the best global queer cinema on offer for free this March.

First up, we welcomed back Deadloch which saw its second season transported from the cool Tasmanian climate up into the balmy Top End for a wild ride full of murder, mystery, crocodiles and that brilliant trademark comedy we loved the first time around. Not only did we get to review season 2 which is streaming now in full on Prime Video (spoiler alert – we LOVED it!), we also got to speak with the two fantastically funny and whip smart leads of the show, Madeleine Sami and Kate Box.

We also said hello and goodbye to the kids from Hartley High for the third and final season of Heartbreak High which is streaming from March 25, plus we take a look at the Five Films for Freedom online short film program from the British Council that celebrates global stories in support of LGBTQIA+ communities across the world that are available to watch online for free until March 29.

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For this Out Takes Extra, we got together 24 hours post-Oscars for a debrief and to see if any of our winner predictions were spot on or way off (spoiler – we did pretty well). Let us know what you loved and loathed about the 98th Academy Awards via email or on our socials. Happy Awards Season to all who celebrate!

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With Awards season wrapping up for another year, we thought we’d celebrate some of the winners at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards (LIZA!) and revisited our interview with the team behind ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ who took home one of the big prizes of the night. We also threw our Oscar predictions into the mix with varying degrees of success and as always, we congratulate everyone who was nominated – everyone’s a winner baby!

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For this Out Takes, we welcomed the return of the Melbourne Women in Film Festival. Running from March 19–23 across ACMI and Fed Square, this year’s program continues to bring together bold works from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika. Over four days, audiences can look forward to premiere screenings, restorations, creator conversations and hands-on workshops—an immersive celebration of diverse perspectives and the homegrown visionaries shaping the screen industry’s future. The Melbourne Women in Film Festival recently unveiled its landmark tenth-year program, marking a decade of championing women and gender-diverse filmmakers from Australia and beyond. We caught up with Festival Director Dr Sian Mitchell to discuss this year’s program and much more.

We also reviewed ‘The Moment’, a new film that turns the spotlight on Charli XCX as we go behind the scenes for a hilarious look at the life of a popstar as she navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut.

Finally, we took a look at ‘A Friend of Dorothy’, a new short film that is delightfully queer and in the running to win an Oscar too.

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With ‘Scream 7’ finally out in cinemas around the world after various delays and controversies, we took the opportunity for this Out Takes to review this latest instalment in the 30+ year franchise and also explore its queer legacy across this incredibly popular and at times very camp slasher film series. From those iconic early days of high-profile scream queens being killed off in the opening scenes of the films to the enduring and contentious relationship between Sidney and Gail across the years, we celebrate the queer connection between the films and its fans along with the impact it’s gay creator Kevin Williamson has had on the horror genre.

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