Queer Sh*t to Watch This Week
NewNowNext spotlights the latest (and queerest) movies, TV shows, web series, and other gay shit, for your viewing pleasure in our weekly watch list. Grab your popcorn, squirrel friends!
In Theaters
If you feel most queer cinema is too conventional, Diamantino is what you’ve been waiting for. Co-directors and writers Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt have whipped up a Jeff Koons-gone-Portuguese satire involving dim and narcissistic soccer champion Diamantino (Carloto Cotta), who has visions of giant puppies, gets embroiled in a plot involving a lesbian undercover officer he mistakes as a male teenage refugee, and is being cloned by a mad scientist, which results in his growing breasts. Now give them your money! (Kino Lorber)
The ribald R-rated Superbad-style teen buddy comedy gets a fresh AF female remix—with a lesbian main character to boot!—in Booksmart. Kaitlyn Dever stars as queer high school senior Amy, whose BFF Molly (Beanie Feldstein) can talk some serious trash: “Do you know how many girls are gonna be up your vagina next year? Every time I come to visit you, you’re going to be scissor-ing a different girl.” The pair have spent their high school years sacrificing parties and social life to cram hard, and now they want to cram all that lost fun into a big blowout. (Annapurna Pictures)
Lesbian and bisexual representation gets a spritz of WTF when couple Nic (Jana Winternitz) and Kim (Emily Bett Rickards) are forced to come out about their relationship to Nic’s estranged horndog dad, Walter (Matthew Glave), when he sleeps with Kim the day before the women are married. Care to weigh in on this one, ladies? Also available on VOD. (Blue Fox Entertainment)
On Demand and DVD
Inspired by a visit to a voguing ballroom in Paris, French provocateur Gaspar Noé (Irréversible) created this audacious horror drama about a group of pansexual young dancers who descend into a psychedelic and quite queer trip after being mass-drugged at a club. How opulent! (DVD, Lionsgate)
Queer writer-director-musician-star Kevin James Thornton is serving us this very low-fi sci-fi drama about a man who discovers that the cardboard time machine he made as a child might actually work. (DVD, TLA)
The queer stand-up comedy series hosted by Zach Noe Towers gets an 82-minute “movie” edition. (DVD, Screen Media)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Just in time for Pride, this classic is out on Blu-ray with deleted scenes and a new making-of featurette. Werk! (Blu-ray, Shout! Factory)
TV and Streaming
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Oscar-winning filmmakers tam Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, Howl) cross the country with outspoken LGBTQ advocate and Logo30 honoree Raymond Braun to discuss what Pride means today for young folks. (May 29, YouTube)
After years of being booed for his films’ lack of LGBTQ representation, Spike Lee delivered a queered-up Netflix series reboot of his 1986 film with relationship-juggling protagonist Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise) inviting lesbian Opal (Ilfenesh Hadera) to her bed. Both characters are reportedly back for Season 2, which takes place 18 months later. (Netflix)
Photo Credits: Diamantino courtesy of Kino Lorber. Funny Story courtesy of Blue Fox Enter. State of Pride courtesy of Rogers & Cowan. To Wong Foo courtesy of Shout! Factory. Booksmart courtesy of Annapurna Pictures.
