Half Man, Aunt Lydia, and getting hung up on THAT Madonna dancer
I'm waiting for your call, baby. Night and day!
There's a new Netflix thriller out today called Apex which stars Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. Yep, this guy.
Merriam-Webster defines an "apex" as the "narrowed or pointed end, the tip," but no, you don't get to see Taron's tip in this one.
You do end up seeing a lot of him though, and as far as Netflix originals so, this one's less sloppy than the usual slop Netflix seem to specialise in these days.
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Queer and Now
Everything new in the world of queer TV and film
— Just as we finally recovered from the horrors of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd is back to traumatise us all over again with a new series named Half Man.
I got my screeners late so I’ve only watched the first episode, but from what I’ve seen, the hype is more than justified. It's also gayer even than those already quite homoerotic posters with Gadd and Jamie Bell led me to believe.
The reviews are proving to be more divisive than they were for Gadd's last show, but I think that's down to the subject matter rather than the show's actual quality. I'm a firm believer that we need more stories like this that challenge and provoke us in this age of endless streaming slop.
Check out Half Man on BBC iPlayer weekly from today and on BBC One from April 28th in the UK. US viewers got to watch the first episode from yesterday because America always gets everything before us (even British-led shows it seems!).
— Blessed be the fruits who read this newsletter.
The Testaments is at the halfway point with a sixth episode that finally brings Ann Dowd to the fore. They've really been edging us with Aunt Lydia up until now, but boy is this spotlight episode worth the wait.
Without spoiling anything, I'd also recommend checking this show out for some more nuance when it comes to how queerness is explored in the world of The Handmaid's Tale. Watch the spinoff under his eye now on Disney+.
— You've got to admire the wild depths that BL shows often go to bring gay hotties together. Case in point, Flower Boy, which reunites popular Thai couple PearlPeak after Love In The Moonlight for a fragrant romance. No, not in a fetish way, but one where an enchanted being from a rare flower tribe gives off a hypnotic smell.
Prepare to get mesmerised too when Flower Boy begins from April 25th on GagaOOLala.
— BL shows tend to draw more attention than GL shows because, let's face it, men are loud and obnoxious, so I wanna take a moment to celebrate a Taiwanese lesbian film from 2024 named Crown Shyness that's coming to GagaOOLala on April 30th.
Synopsis: "After three years of the pandemic, Nian's mother, Ling, returns to Taiwan, with a diagnosis of cancer. Her death brings Nian's traditional grandmother, Hao, into her home — shared with Zai-zai, Nian's secret partner. Tensions rise as secrets unravel, including Ling's past love in China and Zai-zai' daughter in Thailand. Zai-zai leaves, and Nian feels everything slipping away."
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30 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 30 best LGBTQ+ movies released this year so far.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.
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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.
No, not Madonna! Although, she definitely had a hand in it.
I'm talking about Daniel "Cloud" Campos, the dancer who turned me with his abs and cute floppy hair in Madonna's "Hung Up" video.
Eagle-eyed gays will have also spotted Cloud in Madonna's video for "Sorry" the following year plus Shakira's "Did It Again." Watching them throw each other around on the bed in that latter video really had me questioning everything.
The American dancer has achieved way too many things to list here in full, although I've gotta give him a special shout out for playing the villain named Kid Darkness in Step Up 3D.
Also the cute hair. Did I mention the cute hair and abs?
Beyond acting and dancing and turning me gay, Cloud has directed a bunch of music videos including the promo for "Blow" by Jackson Wang. Watch Cloud and my favourite bi-con below.
Follow Cloud on Instagram here if you wanna see what the guy who made me gay is up to these days.
Send your own suggestions: cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
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Out Takes
Queer hidden gems you need to see
While more queer stories are being told than ever on screen, certain experiences within our community remain overlooked for the most part.
That's why I was so taken by Marija Kavtaradzė's drama Slow (2023) which explores intimacy in a romance where one half of the couple is asexual.
Dancer Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) and asexual sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) are in love, but love doesn't always come easy when you both want different things.
I really want to describe the film as a slow-burn, because it is, but I fear you'll judge me for it. Ah well, too late.
Either way, Slow was selected as the Lithuanian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and while an actual nom was always going to be unlikely, it's nice to see a film like this get some recognition on that scale regardless.
Find out where to stream Slow below.
25 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 25 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.
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.
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