Skeet Ulrich, Closet Monster and The Claudia Winkleman Show
Good vibes and glorious fringe is on the cards this week — plus a new flash sale!
Today is a very special day. No, Pedro Pascal hasn't proposed (YET), but Cruising Cinema did just hit the 150 subscriber mark, which is almost as good imho.
🥳 To celebrate, I'm offering a 15% discount for monthly subscribers this weekend only. I would offer 150%, but the math ain't mathing on that one. 🥳
🥳 I'm also offering a 15% discount on the annual subscription too. 🥳
If you've been thinking about upgrading to a paid subscription, jump on the flash sale this weekend before it ends!
Every Tuesday, paying subscribers can access a gazillion extras in the paid newsletter including Mother of the Week, classic gay film recs and my best LGBTQ+ Movies and shows of 2026 ranked — plus a 30 minute Zoom chat for all paying readers 🚨.
Want tips on how to get into journalism? Want to chat about your favourite movies? Or do you just want to talk about your favourite episode of The X-Files?
Paying subscribers old and new can email me and we'll book in a slot together - cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up for a reduced monthly or annual subscription to receive the gayest version of Cruising Cinema. In turn, you'll receive my undying gratitude and the horniest GIFs known to man.
Upgrade to paid.
The full newsletter straight to your inbox
And if you're paying already? Thank you. You're a diva. You're an icon. You are the moment.
Queer and Now
Everything new in the world of queer TV and film
— Are you a raging homosexual who might be in London some time from March 18-29th? May I recommend BFI Flare, one of my all-time favourite film festivals where you can watch tons of incredible queer movies.
I'm going to highlight some more faves next Tuesday, but in the meantime, just know that the documentary Hunky Jesus is FABULOUS.
Check out the wider BFI Flare program for more gems like this.
— The Claudia Winkleman Show starts tonight on BBC One. Good vibes, great guests, and glorious fringe are all on the cards in her first weekly chat show. I for one am beyond excited. Enormous luck to you, Claudia!
— The Madison comes to Paramount+ this Saturday, but I kind of wish it wasn't coming at all. Written by the mind behind Yellowstone, this sappy drama is worth watching for one reason and one reason only; Michelle Pfeiffer.
Honestly, it feels like she's in a different show to everyone else. My queen out-acts everyone else without even trying, to the point where I actively felt quite embarrassed for some of the others. Pfeiffer is giving 'prestige movie' vibes while the rest are delivering what I can only describe as 'Netflix original realness'.
— Drag Race UK Vs The World season 3 ends on Tuesday night. Gawdland should win, but Kate Butch probably will. I genuinely love Kate Butch and I think she would also be a fabulous winner, but we really need to end this streak where the British queens always beat out the best international queen. #Justice4Pangina.
— Who doesn't love a slightly absurd Korean BL show starring absurdly hot men? Your new obsession this week is Never Forget Your Enemy , which starts streaming on WeTV from March 17th.
No words could do the synopsis justice, so I'm just going to share it in full below after the trailer.
"After a car accident, Ki Ha Neul wakes up at age 29 with only the memories of his 19-year-old self, losing an entire decade of his life. The biggest shock comes when he learns that during those missing years, he was in a seven-year relationship with his lifelong rival, Yeo Sae Byeok.
While photos, messages, and even his own instincts suggest they were deeply in love, Ha Neul remembers him only as the enemy who overshadowed him throughout childhood. As fragments of memory slowly return, he begins to suspect that their relationship ended for a reason and that Sae Byeok may be hiding the truth."
I. AM. OBSESSED.
Upgrade to paid.
The full newsletter straight to your inbox
15 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of 2026 Ranked (so far)
Plus where to watch them
Do you want gay shit? Of course you do. Do you want to spend hours looking for it? Obviously not. Thankfully, I'm here to help with this ranking of the 15 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.
But which show serves in the top spot? And which one is stuck at the bottom of the rankings? Find out at the link below that I'll continue to update weekly for paying subscribers.
(If you would just like to make a smaller, one-time contribution to Cruising Cinema, you can buy me a coffee here.)
Queer Awakenings
You know, the hotties who "turned" you gay.
Being gay is NOT a choice. How do I know? Because I was always going to be gay after seeing this as a kid.
That finger suck is ATROCIOUS! Honestly, how dare you Skeet Ulrich?
Gays love the first Scream movie for many reasons, with Drew Barrymore's bob being number one, but this blood-covered hottie serial killer comes a close second.
And you know what's worse? Skeet Ulrich never stopped being hot. If anything, he's hotter than ever.
Mark that up as Reason #471 why you need to watch Riverdale all over again from start to finish. You'll thank me later.
Send your own suggestions: cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
Upgrade to paid.
The full newsletter straight to your inbox
Out Takes
Queer hidden gems you need to see
Obsessing over François Arnaud to a (un)healthy degree, I was reminded of another Canadian obsession of mine, the film titled Closet Monster.
In Stephen Dunn's directorial debut, a boy named Oscar struggles with being queer after witnessing a horrific hate crime in his childhood.
Ten years on, 18-year-old Oscar (Connor Jessup) channels this nightmare into DIY monster makeup inspired by his favourite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Honestly, taste!
A sexually ambiguous hottie named Wilder (Aliocha Schneider) shows up, as they so often do in coming of age films like this. But Dunn's script is less interested in coming out than it is in the pain of living inauthentically.
Flashes of grotesque body horror visualise Oscar's trauma in unexpected moments that equate queer desire with something tangibly monstrous. And did I mention that Oscar's best friend is a talking hamster named Buffy? Or that said hamster is voiced by Italian screen legend Isabella Rossellini?
This weird little movie pushes beyond the usual tropes we’ve seen a thousand times before, inspiring plenty of other queer genre-bending films like Swallowed by Carter Smith and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow (as well as 2017’s Super Dark Times in tone, if not sexuality).
You can read more in a 10th anniversary piece I wrote on the film for Indiewire here.
20 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2026 Ranked (so far)
Plus where to watch them
In need of something new and extremely gay to watch? Look no further than my ranking of the 20 best LGBTQ+ movies released this year so far.
But which film lurks in the top spot? And which one came dead last? Find out at the link below that I'll continue to update weekly for paying subscribers.
🚨 Are you a hot, attractive, all-round amazing human being? If so, may I suggest you follow Cruising Cinema on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Letterboxd? 🚨
And just like that, we've come to the end of Cruising Cinema today.
As a thank you for making it this far, here's Jonathan Bailey with a reminder to drink your milk. See you next Tuesday!
Remember to share your own Queer Awakenings for future editions (cruisingcinema7@gmail.com) and don't forget to follow the newsletter on Twitter here, Instagram here and Facebook here and Letterboxd here.
Thanks again, and please tell a few friends, family members, or exes who you need an excuse to get back in touch with. Subscribe now and support queer journalism!
