Riley, Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden and Bridgerton season 4
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I have a new boyfriend! His name is Huwei. Funnily enough, I met him on a Japanese Netflix show called The Boyfriend. Here's Huwei.
He keeps talking about a guy named Bomi? I'm sure it's fine.
Anyway, enough about us. Today I'm super excited to celebrate the two month anniversary of Cruising Cinema. Yes, two whole months!
They called me mad. They said it couldn't be done! Yet here I am, 8 weeks later, still spouting gay nonsense for you to enjoy
Quick reminder: Cruising Cinema's "New Year Sale" is still running now until the end of January 🥳. Sign up monthly here and you'll get 50% off for the first 3 months. That's £2 a month for all of the horny gay GIF's you could ever dream of.
Or pay annually and receive 25% off your subscription! Take advantage of this sale here and sign up for good gay karma 💃.
There's all kinds of extras available for paying subscribers including roundups of the best queer shows and films of 2026 (more listed above).
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
— The only thing I love more than The Traitors UK is Stephen's jumpsuit in The Traitors UK. So you can imagine how excited I'll be to see him and Rachel take it home and win in today's season four finale. I'm as certain of their victory as Amanda was of Jade's guilt.
And don't despair! Once The Traitors UK has been banished for another year, The Traitors Ireland is bringing the drama all over again from January 24th on the BBC.
— It appears, dear reader, that there will be frolicing of a rather fruity kind when part one of Bridgerton season four arrives via the Netflix on January 29th. Sir Benedict has many a lady and gentleman in waiting while Lady Francesca will dally with Michaela Stirling. One wonders if the 'Ton is truly ready for such gay revelry!
— Sometimes we all need a bit of trash in our lives (which explains at least half of my dating history). This month, a Canadian ice skating drama called Finding Her Edge could replace that trashy hole your ex left in their wake.
It's so bad that you could watch the entire thing while on your phone, but if you do, you'll be missing out on some cute queer storylines for its blandly fascinating side characters. Netflix dropped all of this lukewarm rivalry yesterday on January 22nd.
— Three weekly episodes of The Boyfriend aren't enough for you? Take the ferry and jump over from Japan to South Korea for another gay dating show called His Man 4.
The "4" refers to the fact that this will be the fourth season, not that there's only four men involved. Thankfully, there are plenty more than that, including former Boys II Planet contestant Taichi who's set to join Wavve’s show from January 23rd (two episodes will be released every Friday).
— The History of Sound is finally out from today in UK cinemas. The only sound you'll hear from me though is a resigned sigh, because this was not the epic gay love story I was hoping for.
On the plus side, Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor are reliably good and the scene where they spit water at each other will feed into at least one reader's fetish.
— January 27th will essentially be gay Christmas - but with less chimney stuffing - because that's the day Netflix's Take That doc, new episodes of The Boyfriend and Drag Race UK VS The World season 3 all come out at once. If there's a day to call in sick lads, it's this one.
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Celluloid Closet
Must-see queer classics no one should be without
It's a great week to be alive, cinema fans, because Park Chan-Wook’s No Other Choice is out now in the UK (read more about it here in my piece for Curzon). Try not to think about those Oscar snubs, ok?
But ten years before he crafted this masterpiece, the South Korean auteur was busy releasing another masterpiece called The Handmaiden.
The film's trailer alone is better than 99% of movies you'll see in 2026. Check it out below.
The story follows a Korean pickpocket named Nam Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) who's recruited by Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) to go undercover as the handmaiden of a Japanese noblewoman, Hideko (Kim Min-hee).
This new handmaiden goes under the covers in more ways than one, however, when the pair develop a bodice-ripping romance of orgasmic proportions.
I cannot even begin to describe how horny this gothic thriller is. There are more buttons popping than there are twists, and believe me when I say this is a twisty ass film. Preztels have got nothing on The Handmaiden's script.
Upon the film's release, its graphic sex scenes elicited a wide range of reactions, especially from women who took gripe with the pornographic cliches that abound. Given Park is a straight man, it's easy to see why queer women especially didn't appreciate his approach.
The writer of 'Fingersmith', the book this film was inspired by, had another take on this. Author Sarah Waters explained:
"Fingersmith was about finding space for women to be with each other away from prying eyes. Though ironically the film is a story told by a man, it’s still very faithful to the idea that the women are appropriating a very male pornographic tradition to find their own way of exploring their desires."
There's also something to be said for the impact that comes from seeing two Korean women be gay, do crime, in a film of this scale.
But regardless of your thoughts on this, no one can deny how intoxicating The Handmaiden is as a study of power, desire and performance. Yep, it's a masterpiece, one you should add to your watchlist if you haven't already.
Park Chan-wook
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?
Queer Awakenings
Long before I knew I was gay, stories about outsiders and people who don't belong really spoke to me as a kid. And I know I'm not alone in that. So I'm asking you, the beautiful, talented subscribers reading this right now; which queer stories inspired you growing up?
Please send in your own stories, those early examples of shows and films that shaped who you are today, and I'll share them right here in the free edition of this newsletter. Don't worry, your accounts can be anonymous if you wish (Previous examples here, here and here).
Send them to this email address: cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
7 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 7 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.
9 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 9 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.)
Mother of the Week
Where Mothers Come To Mother
