Out Takes

On our June 2nd episode, we reviewed ‘Number 96’, the trailblazing soap opera from the 70’s that peeled back the walls of suburbia to reveal a bold and unfiltered look at Australian life, introducing shocked audiences to taboo subjects that had never been on TV before including lots of sex, nudity, and queerness. Thanks to local streaming service Brollie, all of the available episodes are going to be online to watch whenever you want and we can thank a dedicated bunch of folks for making this happen including Andrew Mercado. He has been a regular on our screens since his days as a VJ on Channel V in the late 90’s and is well known for his commentary on radio and television as an expert in television and pop culture so who better to talk to about the legacy of ‘Number 96’! We had a jam packed show on June 2nd so we were only able to run a section of our long form chat about all things ‘Number 96’ so here is the full version of our interview with Andrew Mercado for this Out Takes Extra.

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In early February of this year, we reviewed ‘Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’ which was screening at the Queer Screen Film Festival and is streaming now on DocPlay. This incredible film is a dazzling profile of an enduring gay icon and Hollywood survivor that was brought to the screen by David Bruce Klein, an Emmy-nominated producer, director, and writer of television, film, and digital entertainment. We caught up with Bruce recently in New York and discussed his career, his love of filmmaking and of course, the incredible Liza Minelli. We also heard from Saara Lamberg, a Finnish / Australian filmmaker, director, writer, producer and actor who is presenting screenings of her films this June at the Henkel Street Cinema in Brunswick under the banner of the Winter Warmers Film Festival.

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For this Out Takes, we looked at a new television show and two films that explore the process of coming out, homophobia, toxic masculinity and accepting who you really are. First up, we looked at ‘Overcompensating’ which is streaming now on Prime Video and is a college-set ensemble comedy about the wild, chaotic journey of Benny (Benito Skinner), a closeted former football player and homecoming king, as he becomes fast friends with Carmen (Wally Baram), a high school outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs. It’s fair to say this show gets the Out Takes seal of approval and will be in our top 10 of 2025.

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Every year, JOY 94.9’s Radiothon brings us together to celebrate, support, and sustain LGBTQIA+ voices in media. This year’s theme, ‘Stronger Together’, is a rallying call: in a world of daily challenges, unity empowers us to amplify our voices and build a brighter, more inclusive future.

This year, the Geeks Out and Out Takes teams joined forces for a 2 hour live radio-crossover-extravaganza to celebrate the theme and our wonderful queer radio station that we broadcast on every Monday night. There was lots of laughs and fun going on plus we battled it out in a 4 part movie quiz that challenged our minds and proved that we are Stronger Together! Show your love for JOY now and all year ’round by making a donation or becoming a member to support Australia’s first and only LGBTQIA+ community radio station.

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For this Out Takes, we reviewed three films that explore very different themes including chosen family, intergenerational relationships, artistic redemption, persecution, and propaganda.  First up was ‘The Wedding Banquet’, the highly anticipated remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic which updates the original with a fresh take on the romantic comedy genre featuring an acclaimed and hilarious cast of multigenerational talent including Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, and Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung. Our special guest was Andrew Ahn, the co-writer and director of this refreshed adaptation who spoke to us about the journey of this remake, it’s Korean glow up and incredible cast plus my wish for a sequel to ‘Fire Island’, his big gay hit film from 2022.

We then took at the return of the 2025 HSBC German Film Festival which returns to Australian cinemas this May with a stellar line up of premieres, special guests and more. We reviewed ‘John Cranko’, Joachim A. Lang’s biopic about the brilliant dancer and choreographer who left the Royal Ballet in London in the early 60’s after he was entrapped by an undercover police officer into arrest for ‘homosexual activity’ and found fame in Stuttgart as its great dance creator. We also looked at the documentary ‘Riefenstahl’ that explores Leni Riefenstahl’s artistic legacy and her complex ties to the Nazi regime, juxtaposing her self-portrayal with evidence suggesting awareness of the regime’s atrocities. We were joined by special guest of the festival Andres Veiel, the film’s writer, and director, to delve into her complex relationship with the Nazi regime and her extraordinary career and life.

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For this Out Takes, we literally have something for everyone with three interviews and six reviews of queer films from around the globe.  First up we looked at ‘Daughters of Darkness’ from 1971 which is appearing at this year’s Cinema Reborn Film Festival and is described as a surreal, stylish take on the vampire myth that blends gothic horror and psychological drama with camp eroticism. Restored to 4K by the Royal Belgian Cinémathèque, this updated print is having its Australian Premiere on May 9th at the Lido in Melbourne. We also heard from Dr Janice Loreck who is a Senior Lecturer in Screen Studies in the School of Culture and Communication and her research expertise centres on cinefeminism, women’s filmmaking, screen violence, transgression and global art cinema and she is presenting the film at the Melbourne screening.  We were also delighted to welcome back Dion Blackler to the show in his official capacity as our London Film Correspondent to recap the films he saw at this year’s BFI Flare, London’s premium LGBTQIA+ Film Festival that is billed as a springtime celebration of queer cinema that ran from March 19 to 30. As one of the co-hosts of the podcast ‘In the Mood for Film’ and a lifelong lover of cinema, Dion knows his stuff and brought us five great reviews for films to keep a look out for in film festival’s in 2025 down under. We finished up with an interview from Erika Addis,  the National President of the Australian Cinematographer Society and is the first ever female national president in the society’s history. With Helen Grace, she made ‘Serious Undertakings’ in 1982, an early example of independent filmmaking by Australian women, and at the beginning of her career as part of the camera crew, she also worked on iconic Australian films including ‘Storm Boy’ and ‘The Year My Voice Broke’. We had her on to discuss ACS Credit Maker 2.0 and the importance of this program in the Australian film industry.

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For this Out Takes, we celebrated the return of ‘Hacks’ as it comes back with season 4 on Stan and which has featured fabulous queer characters and storylines plus tons of cutting comedy throughout its run and delivers even more this season. We also looked at the highly anticipated return of ‘The Last of Us’ which is back for season 2 on Max with some new characters, a major queer love story, more fungus zombies and loads of drama. We promise no major spoilers and can confirm both receive the OT stamp of approval for your viewing pleasure. We also heard from kiwi filmmaker Louise Lever whose wonderful short film ‘Joey’s Heart’ is having its Melbourne Premiere on April 29 at Cinema Nova along with a collection of international LBTQIA+ short films.

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With the return of ‘The Handmaids Tale’ this April and as it concludes with its sixth season, we took this opportunity to look back at the first five seasons and the origin story of this hugely successful, influential and critically acclaimed series and highlight the queer characters and storylines throughout its time on our small screens.  We were also fortunate to have access to advance episodes of season six and while we made sure to give away no spoilers, we do unpack what looks likely to be instore for June, her family, friends and the people of Gilead as we countdown to what seems to be an epic final fight for freedom. Season 6 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ will stream free on SBS On Demand from Tuesday 8 April, with the triple episode premiere fast-tracked to be available from 2.01pm. The season will continue to be fast-tracked with new episodes available weekly on Tuesdays up to the finale on May 27.

Plus with ‘Audrey’ now streaming on Netflix, we also revisited our review and interview with its director Natalie Bailey from November last year to set you up for one of the most quirky, hilarious, and chaotic Aussie films you may have missed in 2024.

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For this Out Takes, we looked at ‘Mid-Century Modern’ whose first season is streaming now and is definitely one of the gayest sitcoms you’ll see in 2025. It also shares a lot of DNA with one of the biggest gay comedy series of all time ‘Will & Grace’. Both are created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan and explore the concepts of chosen families, friendship, and cohabitation, along with the trials and tribulations of dealing with family, dating and casual sex, all through a very gay man’s lens.

We also honoured Trans Day of Visibility with an encore of our interview with writer / director Jane Schoenbrun who brought us the brilliant ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ in 2024.

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For this Out Takes we looked at two new films and TV shows are available to watch now on your big and small screens that feature queer stories and creators at the forefront. Our feature review was ‘Bob Trevino Likes It’, a beautiful and bittersweet debut feature film written and directed by Tracie Laymon that stars Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo and centres around a young woman who searches for her estranged father, Bob Trevino, online and forms a bond with a different man of the same name. The story is semi-autobiographical, inspired by Laymon’s personal experiences and it won both the Grand Jury and the Audience Award at the 2024 SXSW film festival. We spoke with Tracie Laymon in August 2024 when the film was screening at MIFF so with it now out in cinemas across Australia, we thought it was the perfect time to revisit this insightful and delightful interview with this queer writer and director.

We also looked at ‘The Parenting’, a very silly comedy horror film with a ridiculously stacked cast including Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Parker Posey, Vivian Bang, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Brian Cox, and Edie Falco. We also checked in on season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ and tried to avoid as many spoilers as possible (Parker NOOOO!) plus we looked at ‘Running Point’, a new streaming series starring Kate Hudson as a reformed L.A. party girl who must prove herself when she’s unexpectedly put in charge of her family’s pro basketball team.

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