Silo, Project Runway and Summer of 85 — Plus Mean Girls hottie Aaron Samuels
On Wednesdays we thirst for Aaron.
Pride Month has ended, but The Gay Agenda has not.
To keep the straights at bay, I started watching a gay Polish TV show named Proud on HBO Max.
Poland should be proud because this is a brilliant examination of what gay fatherhood looks like in a country where LGBTQ+ rights are under constant threat.
Lead actor Ignacy Liss should be proud too, not just because of his touching performance, but also because of that sweet "tyłek" he keeps showing off in the pilot (google it).
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Queer and Now
Everything new in the world of queer TV and film
— To say nothing gay actually happens in Silo would be to ignore the hold that Rebecca Ferguson's arms have on queer people everywhere. Throw me in a bunker and choke me already!
...
LOOK AT THE MATERIAL!
Did I mention season three is Silo's best season yet? Check out new episodes starting from today on Apple TV.
— Project Runway is back for season 22 where Drag Race alumni like Q and Plane Jane will compete. Clips of Miss Burger Finger herself clashing with Law Roach are already doing the rounds online and I am very much here for it.
Get her Jade Jane!
— International versions of Drag Race are like buses. You won't see one for months and then four will suddenly split their bussies wide open for you all at once.
So on top of All Stars 11 still airing, we've got Drag Race France season four coming July 8th and then Canada's Drag Race All Stars appearing the next day on WOW Presents Plus (not to mention more spinoffs on the horizon).
You won't see me complaining though and neither should you.
— This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Boys On Film series, so that's 25 years of gay kids watching these shorts on DVD or online in their room.
To celebrate, Peccadillo is releasing a new collection titled Boys On Film 25: Silver Bullet, which includes eight queer stories from Singapore, USA, UK, Taiwan and Germany. Available to stream on VOD from 6th July.
— Documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World provides a rare look at the queer, Pulitzer prize-winning poet.
Interviews with close friends such as John Waters are included, which is how you know this is a good one. It's physically impossible for Waters to be involved in anything without it being a masterpiece of some kind.
Opens July 3 at IFC Center in NYC and July 11 at Laemmle Theaters in LA before expanding throughout the US.
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37 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 37 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.
Ok, fine. I was already 18 and gay as fuck by the time Mean Girls came out. How else do you explain me going to see it in the cinema on opening night?
But even so, I think the only person who might have loved Aaron Samuels even more than Cady is me. That's the reason why I legally changed my birthday to October 3rd on my passport.
Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimised by how hot Jonathan Bennett is 🙋♂️
Bennett's career didn't blow up after in the way that Lindsay Lohan's did, which I always found weird because he was really charismatic in the film. More than just a pretty face, I'd say.
Aside from a recurring role in Veronica Mars, other early highlights were just Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and a one-off appearance in Smallville.
At least Bennett looked sexy with his hair pushed back, and he still does now, whether he's popping up in Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" video or taking the lead in Hallmark's first queer Christmas movie, 2022's The Holiday Sitter.
Did I mention Bennett is a raging homosexual? Had I known this watching Mean Girls, I think I would have been full-on feral for him. Although, it's not like I was far from that to begin with.
This was literally 18 year-old me pawing at the screen in Cineworld.
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
As a longtime fan of gay director François Ozon, I loved Summer of 85 (2020), which might best be described as Call Me By Your Name's weird French cousin.
Based on the 1982 novel "Dance on My Grave" by Aidan Chambers, the film stars Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin as two teenage boys who fall for each other in a seaside town.
What sets this apart from countless other retro coming-of-age stories is just how odd it is at points. The fixation on death, especially, might come as a surprise to people looking for more fruity action in a peachy vein similar to Call Me By Your Name.
Yet the sparks shared between these two boys certainly evoke that modern classic still, as does the bitter aftertaste when problems inevitably come their way.
My favourite scene might be the one where David puts headphones on Alex's ears while they're on the dance floor so everyone around them dances to a different tune.
With the attention David gives him, Alex is transported to what feels like another plane of existence. It's a perfect example of how music captures the intoxication of teen love, especially when it's of the gay variety. Beautiful stuff.
Check out where you can watch Summer of 85 at this link below.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
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39 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 39 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.
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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!
Remember to share your own Queer Awakenings for future editions by replying to this email or via cruisingcinema7@gmail.com.
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