A Piece of Pie: The Queer Film Podcast

For Pride month 2023, we're taking a look back at two of John Waters' later movies, Pecker & Cecil B Demented. One of our most iconic filmmakers, Waters at the end of the 20th Century had settled into a more grand statesman of cinema more than simply being a provocatuer. While he never loses his sense of humor, these two films feel more auto-biographical than his previous works, with...

We're kicking off Pride 2023 with a look at the ABBA-centric sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! Host Brian had never seen the original, much-less the sequel, but over the years, it's become a beloved new classic. So, Rob and Max agreed to show him the movie for the first time ever!  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

This week, we're joined by special guest Kyle Turner, writer of the new book, The Queer Film Guide. Brian and Matthew welcomed him to discuss the new book, and one of his favorite entries, 2018's Knife + Heart.  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

In 1993, Hollywood adapted S uper Mario Bros. , then a hit Nintendo video game, into a live-action movie starring Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper. It was the first time a video game would make the leap to the big screen, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. In 2023, Nintendo tried it again, this time teaming with Illumination for an animated take on their most famous franchise. It took the world b...

We're re-visiting a project we started a couple years ago, pairing the films of auteurs Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. We're picking up with Anderson's fourth film, the offbeat Punch-Drunk Love starring Adam Sandler and pairing it with Tarantino's third, Jackie Brown. Both films find the filmmakers in transition, dealing with critical acclaim and awards recognition...

It’s our sixth annual Oscar episode! Brian and Chris are talking about Hollywood’s biggest night! Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

It's Oscar season, so we're taking a look at two controversial Academy Award winning movies! In 1993, Philadelphia was the first movie to address the ongoing AIDS crisis, winning Academy Awards and angering gay rights activists like Larry Kramer. Twenty years later, in 2013, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto each won acting's top honor in Dallas Buyers Club, while angering the enti...

Last year, the gay community was gifted not just one but TWO romantic comedies given release by major studios. Fire Island debuted on Hulu, while Bros was released to theaters, but both sought to bring a queer touch to the old rom-com formula. Fire Island is a modern adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" while Bros borrows from Nora Ephron and Woody Allen. We're joined by our contribu...

Another year, another straight actor playing queer in a quest for Oscar gold! This year, it's Brendan Fraser, the erstwhile George of the Jungle, who turns in a rare dramatic performance in what is being billed as his big comeback vehicle. But was he ever a good actor in the first place? And why is he in a fat suit? Contributor Chris, from When We Were Young returns to continue the never-endi...

We’re celebrating 100 episodes! To commemorate, Brian asked his contributors to come on and discuss their favorite queer films. The results may surprise you! Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

This year we're celebrating the holidays by taking a look at two of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time! And for this one Brian and Matthew are joined by Derek, from the instagram account, Queer Cinema Archive, as we revisit these family favorites. It turns out both films are dripping with queer coding and stereotypes. Join us as we dissect these tropes, and how they're still d...

This year we’re celebrating Thanksgiving with Parker Posey, Sigourney Weaver and many more! Two films where dysfunctional families reconnect for a holiday weekend, The Ice Storm and The House of Yes !  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

This Halloween season, we're taking a look at two recent horror films, 2014's It Follows and this year's sleeper hit X. Both films take the "sex is bad" trope so common in horror and use it not just for their final girl, but as motivation for the villains themselves! It Follows is the story of Jay, a woman who gets more than she bargained for after a one night stand, while...

Our two movies this week are based on real-life criminals who went to great lengths for love and lived the catch-phrase "Be gay Do Crime." Dog Day Afternoon is frequently listed as one of the finest films of the 1970's, but ignores the fact it features Oscar nominees Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon playing a queer couple. In 2009, Jim Carrey played a leading man to love interest Ewan M...

This week we're taking a look back to the 1950's, the Hays Code, and repressed homosexuality. Tennessee Williams won several awards for his works, including a Pulitzer and a Tony, but when Hollywood came calling, they had some changes they needed to make. For this episode, we're joined by Chris and Rob to discuss Williams' provocative plays, Hollywood adaptations, and Paul Newm...

In 1988, John Waters, the Sultan of Sleaze himself, released what might be called his sweetest movie, Hairspray . Starring Ricki Lake, Sonny Bono, and Divine, it was the first time a Waters character had a conscience, and set out to do the right thing. It retains a lot of his sensibilities, but it can easily be seen as his attempt at a Hollywood ending. It worked, because the film became a cult cl...

To celebrate the upcoming sequel, we asked contributor Rob to check out the original 1986 Top Gun, starring the newly minted superstar, Tom Cruise, in what would become a template for his early characters. Is it a queer classic with  homoerotic overtones or too mired in its own fake masculinity? Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

Writer and contributor Lauren Emily Whalen returns to the podcast to discuss her new novel, Take Her Down, a YA re-telling of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar ! To commemorate it's release, she agreed to discuss two of our generation's most beloved Shakespeare adaptations; Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You.  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here...

To celebrate the arrival of Shortbus to digital platforms, after being hard to find for over a decade, we are taking a brand new look at John Cameron Mitchell's followup to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Contributor Matthew joins Brian to watch this overlooked gem for the first time.  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click here to let us know!

The very first episode of this podcast was focused on the 2018 Oscars and in this, our fifth annual look at Hollywood’s Big Night, Will Smith gave us an Oscar ceremony we won’t soon forget! But that has overshadowed the incredible work of actors, writers and directors whose career goal is an Oscar night victory. While the Smith debacle cannot go unremarked upon, Matthew and Chris joined Brian to d...

This week we're taking an early look at an Oscar front-runner, Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog. Chris, from "When We Were Young" joins to discuss how the film examines toxic masculinity in classic Western stories, and how the film constantly seeks to upend the classic John Wayne stoic American hero trope. Meanwhile, host Brian was annoyed the film leans into negative queer...

To commemorate the release of an all-new Batman movie, we at Piece of Pie decided to take a look back! This time we’re discussing the gayest superhero films of all time; Batman Forever and Batman & Robin ! But we couldn’t discuss those without setting our sights on the two Bat-flicks that preceded them, Tim Burton’s Batman , and Batman Returns .  Questions or comments about what we talked abou...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was one of the greatest actors of his generation, and he tragically left us far too soon in 2014. But his work lives on, and this week we're taking a look at his two lead queer roles. The idea of straight people playing queer is a controversial one, but Phillip Seymour Hoffman sets the bar with his performances in Flawless and Capote. Despite queer writer/director Joel...

To celebrate the holidays, Brian and Max slip on their cha-cha heels and take a look at John Waters’ Female Trouble ! This queer classic spit in the face of mainstream culture and good taste in 1974,  but how does it hold up? Join us as we discuss the influence of Waters and his muse Divine, who gave us cinema’s queerest Christmas morning!  Questions or comments about what we talked about? Click h...

For this episode, we were joined by the hosts of the podcast "Gayest Episode Ever," Drew and Glen! Their podcast is devoted to queer-focused episodes of classic television, and we joined them to discuss Mad About  You, and they agreed to join us to discuss the Academy Award winning As Good as It Gets, both starring Helen Hunt. They join Max and Brian as we discuss this problematic heartw...