Kit Connor, Gelboys, Hard Paint and Gael García Bernal — Plus Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Bisexual Cyclops... Biclops?
I'm having "a proper full on gay crisis" because Kit Connor has apparently won the role of Cyclops in Marvel's X-Men.
In even more exciting news, I'm beyond happy to reveal an exclusive first look at Kit playing Scott Summers right here at Cruising Cinema.
Kit's casting is further proof that being queer no longer has to hold you back from major Hollywood roles like it once did. And for anyone complaining, bisexual Cyclops is also true to the comics.
This scene when, Kevin Feige?
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Queer and Now
Everything new in the world of queer TV and film
— Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder shacking up in a remote cabin where their shared love for old slasher movies is twisted into a profane yet freeing lust for each other's bodies?
I cannot begin to describe just how much I love Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. With their third feature, Jane Schoenbrun has cemented themselves as one of the very best filmmakers working today, and now one of my all-time faves.
Watch this depraved, joyous masterpiece in US and Australian cinemas from today!
— If you haven't got into BL dramas yet, may I suggest you go binge the heck out of Gelboys because it's back for a second season on August 8th.
When it comes to gay stuff, Thai people just get it. There's a reason why this teen-driven show is one of the most popular BL dramas across the entire world, after all.
— Vicky Krieps stars in Love Me Tender as a mother fighting to prove that she's fit to raise her child after she strikes up a relationship with a woman. Her ex, Paul, files for sole custody, because he's a twat.
Yes, you can really tell I studied film with a description like that. But you know what? He is a twat.
Check out this sensitively crafted and decidedly queer Cannes entry in UK cinemas from today.
— After Amazon tried to get away with producing a dogshit AI dub in English, Banana Fish is heading to Netflix on August 12th with new English and French dubs
Originally airing back in 2018, this celebrated anime is set in the grimy world of 80s New York and features a couple of dudes who just love other dudes. Namely, each other.
— Set in Finland circa 1927, Maria's Paradise follows an impressionable teen orphan who's drawn into the flock of a self-proclaimed prophet. But when Salome meets a girl from the outside, the ensuing attraction forces her to question everything.
Inspired by a true story, Zaida Bergroth's period drama is just as intense as it is gay, a real hidden gem that you should seek out on VOD in the UK from August 10th.
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43 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 43 best LGBTQ+ movies released this year so far.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up - includes 6 new additions today.
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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.
Watching Gael García Bernal in films like Amores perros (2000) and Y tu mamá también (2001) made me want to renounce my citizenship and move to Mexico.
Seeing him play a drag queen in Bad Education (2004) made me want to become a woman.
And watching him ride that bike in The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) made me want to ride... a motorcycle.
Such is the power of Gael's hypnotic green eyes and that warm, open smile.
It also helps that Gael is one of this century's defining actors, a powerhouse performer who's so much more than just a pretty, gorgeous, perfect, divine-looking... wait, where was I?
If you're as obsessed with Gael as I am, there are so many more career highlights to enjoy and thirst over, from Babel (2006), Coco (2017), and Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018) to more recent films such as Magellan (2025) and Cassandro (2023).
He plays a gay wrestler who's into spandex for that last one by the way.
Reply with your own Queer Awakenings or email me at: cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
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Out Takes
Queer hidden gems you need to see
The last things gays usually want to do is paint, but don't let that put you off from watching 2018's Hard Paint (Tinta Bruta), one of my favourite films of the past decade.
This gay Brazilian drama stars Shico Menegat as a young gay man who dances for men online via video chat. Using neon body paint as his trademark, Pedro comes alive when he connects on camera, but his life outside of cam work tells a very different story.
When Pedro finds out that another chatroom performer has stolen his NeonBoy persona, the boys end up meeting and eventually work together. But with ongoing legal problems and a troubling lack of family around to support him, Pedro struggles to trust his new partner, in and out of the bedroom.
Each performance, solo or otherwise, is just as hypnotic for us as they are for Pedro's customers, dazzling with iridescent paint and mesmerising movements that deserve an entire film of their own. Yet the drama that fuels all this is just as compelling, deftly exploring the highs and lows of work within the sex industry.
The result of a seven-month rehearsal period, Hard Paint is a major highlight from filmmakers Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher who also impressed with other queer films like Seashore (2015) and Night Stage released just earlier this year.
As vivid as the neon paint smeared across Pedro's skin and just as gorgeous to look at, Tinta Bruta deserves even more recognition beyond its Teddy Award win from back when the film first premiered at Berlin.
I've included a link on where to watch Hard Paint below because you deserve nice things.
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44 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 44 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up, including five new additions.
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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!
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