The Oral Tradition

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Love, Simon is a 2018 romantic dramedy directed by Greg Berlanti (based on the book by Becky Albertalli Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda) distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first major Hollywood film focusing on a gay teenage romance, and was a runaway hit upon release.The film has very positive intentions, and we don't intend to take away from anyone's admiration of it. However, in this episode we discuss a few of Love, Simon's fumbles. Namely its conservatism, confusing characters, and muddy sense of drama.MentionsThe "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" scene from Love, SimonYoko Ono500 Days of Summer (2009)Eighth Grade (2018)Mean Girls (2006)The Shop Around the Corner (1940)You've Got Mail (1998)Remember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary by Albert and David Maysles. The subjects of the doc are a reclusive mother and daughter: "Big Edith" Bouvier Beale and "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, two distant relatives of Jacqueline Onassis (AKA Jackie Kennedy, widow of JFK). Despite having no explicitly queer content, Grey Gardens has picked up a sizable appreciation from the gay and queer+ communities. The duo's poeticism and biting sense of humor, Little Edie's iconic style, the starkness of two women seeming lost to time, and the imperfect-yet-indomitable love between must be seen to be believed. Today, Grey Gardens remains an entertaining and poignant illustration of some of the healing effects of nostalgia, and the cost of staying stuck in the past. Mentions Sharon Needles impression of Little Edie Whatever Happened to Baby Jane  Aretha Franklin NYT Obituary Remember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show! episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

Kiki is a 2016 documentary by Sara Jordenö and Twiggy Pucci Garçon. The film covers the drag/vogueing ball culture in New York City at the time of filming, and focuses on the lives of LGBT+ youth of color.Overall Kiki is very grounded and allows its subjects to speak for themselves. We enjoyed the film, and in this episode we spend most of our time talking about the progressive activist themes at the center of the current Kiki scene.Remember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

Cheryl Dunye's groundbreaking, fascinating The Watermelon Woman holds the distinction of being the first feature film by a black lesbian.0:00 Intro3:55 The Premise5:58 Overview14:00 So Meta20:57 Optics & Budgets25:03 Back to the Present28:10 OutroRemember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

David interviews Jordy about one of Jordy's favorite works, Angels In America.0:00 - Intro1:30 - When Jordy saw Angels5:44 - Admiration of the play11:35 - Evolution of perception16:55 - Community in the play22:25 - Agoraphobia24:33 - 'Night Flight To San Francisco'Remember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

We like Maurice!0:00 - Intro1:19 - Juicy Comments4:38 - If you liked 'Call Me' you'll love 'Maurice'9:08 - Consequences14:09 - Honourable Mentions16:58 - Merchant Ivory19:18 - ConclusionRemember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

'Call Me' is a very... interesting film, so we had a lot to talk about!0:00 - Intro3:16 - Premise5:37 - Bias9:55 - Praise15:24 - On Pastorals25:23 - Language31:29 - Specificity35:26 - ConclusionRemember to review us on iTunes if you enjoyed the show!episode list on itunes / youtubecontact tweet / email

Shooting the breeze - I mean, lazers - over Rogue One. This was recorded as a test in our kitchen just to see what would happen. It has absolutely nothing to do with queer-lgbt+ themes or subject matter.