Everything is Gay (Even the Straight Stuff‪)‬ John McDonald

In this episode, John and Magnus tackle two rather big questions. The first is why does Netflix keep cancelling so many shows? At what point have they had too much cake and tried to eat it too?

The other question is whether a style or genre can get in the way of a show becoming something great. Q Force (or Queer Force) is a great example of this. Is it a show about gay underdogs who happen to be spies or is it a show about spycraft where the main cast is mostly gay?

The ten episode season of Q Force doesn't seem to answer that question and leaves a lot of stones unturned. Though there were great moments, did the tone work? Did the sure fire producers and voice casting succeed? And what would've happened if Twink had truly been the main character we deserved?

All good questions and perhaps some answers right here at EiG.

What's one of the first movies that made you think about film and about your life? What's one of the first films that is intensely intimate for you?

For John, there was no greater film for his birthday month and for a conversation about star-crossed lovers quite like 94/95's Sum of Us. It's a seminal film with young Russell Crowe playing a gay rugby plumber at that age in life where libido is still enough but soon there's so much more.

It's a film that's still prescient and adds a lot to the conversation about both how things are adapted from stage to screen and also what happens when good representation happens. It's a movie about family dynamics and love. It's probably one of the best lgbt films ever made, at least in John's opinion.

And it's the sum of us.

It's a funny thing what streaming services give and take away. And this coming of age story from the 1993 wouldn't have been a success nor had its longevity without living in a pre-streaming world where syndication made it a household favorite. Do you think Sister Act 2 would've survived making less money than its predecessor with less accolades from the critics?

Truth be told, and you can't lie to nuns, Sister Act 2 is a movie about legacy (on and off the screen), about community, and about what happens when nuns stop being pious and start getting real. Or something like that.

Join in for a celebration about the movie that launched a thousand careers, a lot of choirs in Japan, and that is probably Whoopi Goldberg's most consistently asked about film.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, lah.

This episode goes places. Like, scary places. That's what raatmas when Raatma raatmas.

But it might not be the 90s you expect. What show would you say focuses on two long lost lovers meeting again after years and lifetimes apart? What if John and Magnus told you it was on the BBC? What if John and Magnus told you it was in the top 30 of Britain's Best Sitcoms?

As Time Goes By is an exquisite sitcom. It has a vintage feel and its filled with loveliness and conversation. Even the misunderstandings are talked about. And truly as a platform to introduce Judi Dench to the nation did it succeed. If you haven't seen it, it'll be on Britbox. And you are welcome for nine series of fun and warmth (the tenth series isn't really a full final season).

And in thanks for you being a loyal listener, John and Magnus have something special planned for after the wrap-up in thanks for you being so patient in delivery of this episode. So please do stick around.

Music is "Fill the Beat Chilled Wave" from Pixabay, royalty free music.

It may seem improbable that one of the most influential ill-fated queer love stories of generations happened in Wyoming. But the vistas, the silence, the things unsaid - made it the perfect place for Brokeback Mountain.

Not just at the height of Ang Lee's directorial power (though John enjoys another of his movie's quite a bit more), with a cast of many actors still going strong - Brokeback Mountain is the sort of movie to redefine several genres while making sense in the compendium of American pop culture history (especially westerns).

We didn't know how to quit it, so we had to make an episode about it. Be warned though, the movie itself is harrowing and brutal in spots, so whatever trigger warning you need - the movie is real and honest and violent at points.