“Don’t you love being famous?” Halloween on the podcast has arrived, and we’re starting things off with a tribute to the LGBT horror icon James Whale. As the subject of the 1998 Bill Condon film Gods and Monsters, a partially fictional take on the last days of his life. The small moving film won Condon an Oscar for adapted screenplay and nominated its star Ian McKellen and a scene-stealing Lynn Redgrave as his housekeeper. Oscars they probably both should have won; don’t worry, we get into it! The movie also brought Brendan Fraser’s career to the next level as a hunky gardener who develops an unlikely friendship with Whale when he agrees to sit for the director to sketch. We talk about the queer people that helped build the horror genre and Whale’s contributions with films like Frankenstein. “To a new world, of Gods and Monsters!” Thank you for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Twitter @oscarscott / Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Twitter/Instagram @peterlasagna
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300. Grease with special guest Jackson Cooper
“Tell me about it, stud.” How have we made it to 300 episodes of the podcast without talking about Grease is beyond us, but here we are! We are joined by our fellow MTMUG superstar guest, Jackson Cooper, to talk about one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time. Truly, the dent that Randal Kleiser’s musical put in the cultural landscape (a box office worth over a billion dollars worldwide with inflation) can’t be denied, and musicals were never the same! We talk about the translation from stage to screenplay by its larger-than-life producer Allan Carr, and how music of the film eclipses its original stage material. What we’ve come to know about Grease primarily comes from what’s on screen in 1978. We also talk about its iconic cast, led by megastar John Travolta and the diva doll herself, Olivia Newton-John, as well as the cast of character actors that fill out its supporting roles. Can we ever escape the monster that Grease has unleashed upon the world with Summer Nights as your basic bitch choice at any karaoke night? Put on your satin Pink Ladies jacket, and your bad girl high-heels because Grease is the word! Thank you for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Twitter @oscarscott / Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Twitter/Instagram @peterlasagna
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299. 300 directed by Zack Snyder
“I’m here, just taking a stroll, stretching my legs. These, uh, 300 men are my personal bodyguard.” We watched “300,” directed by Zack Snyder, and we need to hit the gym. A lot has been said of Snyder’s hyperfixation on the male form, and we’re here to add to that conversation. While this movie may be 117 minutes of fit men strutting around in leather briefs, it’s also a pretty fun adaptation of the 1998 graphic novel by Frank Miller— author of Sin City. Gerard Butler and Lena Headey play a fierce power couple, King and Queen of Sparta, Leonidas and Gorgo. Gerry is giving us manic Brian Blessed in “Flash Gordon” realness, and Lena is serving proto-Cersei Lannister, and she’s really holding her own as one of the only female speaking roles in the male-dominated movie. We also get some body beautiful from David Wenham, Michael Fassbender, and Rodrigo Santoro as the diva herself— Xerxes, the mad god-king of Persia with permanent makeup and one too many body piercings. We had our reading glasses on the entire time on patrol for any slip-ups in those banana hammocks, but as far as we could tell, there were no wardrobe malfunctions to speak of. Oh well. www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Twitter @oscarscott / Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Twitter/Instagram @peterlasagna
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298. A Midsummer Night's Dream with special guests Michael and Callum from Once Upon a VHS
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” We watched “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with our friends Michael and Callum from “Once Upon a VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy,” and we need a dictionary. This star-studded adaptation was riding high on the wave of late 90’s Shakespeare craze, and we’re digging the queerness this cast is bringing. Rupert Everett and Stanley Tucci are giving us body for days as Oberon - King of the Faeries - and Puck - a mischievous sprite, respectively. Aside from the faeries strutting around the forest in the buff, we also have some human characters that are easy on the eyes. Christian Bale and Dominic West play lovelorn Demetrius and Lysander and feature some forest frolicking after Puck hits them with the old Love Potion. We would be remiss if we left out the diva herself, one-miss Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania, Queen of the Faeries. Listen, this movie may be style over substance, but it sure is fun to watch. We also talk about our introductions to the Bard, be they cable television Animated Tales or clandestine passing of Broadway musical cassette tapes. Thank you for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Instagram @peterlasagna
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297. Coyote Ugly with special guest Blake Knight
“Jim, Jack, Johnny Red, Johnny Black, and Jose; all my favorite men. You can have it any way you like it, as long as it's in a shot glass.” We watched “Coyote Ugly” with our friend Blake Knight, and we’ve got some choreography to learn. It was a lot of fun revisiting these gals jumping and jiving all over that bar, but we have to wonder about this business model. When we think about the amount of revenue those Coyotes are literally pouring down the drain, it makes our heads spin. Don’t even get us started on the health and safety code violations! All that aside, we’re really here for this cast, who all really deliver. Maria Bello, Piper Perabo, Bridget Moynahan, Izabella Milo, and The Original Tyra (Banks) all make us wish we were cool enough to be hired as Coyotes. Adam Garcia charms the pants off of us with that Aussie accent, and speaking of accents, Melanie Lynskey is really out here doing the Lord’s accent work. We would be remiss if we left out LeAnn Rimes singing her Dianne Warren-penned hit “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” We also have a Diane Warren “Name That Mega Hit” quiz. Thank you for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Instagram @peterlasagna
This is the podcast where we watch a movie from our past that had a lasting impression on our little gay lives. If we had no business watching it - we stole our parents VHS copy and watched under the cover of night. If a diva gave a rousing speech - we memorized it and lip-synced it at a talent show. Join Scott and Pete each week for a look back at the Movies That Made Us Gay!