ep. 113 | LGBTQ+ History Month: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) & The Birdcage (1996)

This week, Colleen and Wickham pay tribute to one of cinema’s most singular presences — Tim Curry. Three films, three completely different genres, and one man who somehow walks away with every single one of them. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” turned 51 this year and hasn’t aged a day. “Clue” remains the most chaotic and joyful whodunit ever committed to film. And “Charlie’s Angels” — well, Tim Curry shows up and does exactly what Tim Curry does. A legend, a career, and an episode long overdue.

Some episodes take the scenic route. This one was recorded in June, sat patiently through the summer, and landed right where it belongs — LGBTQ+ History Month. Colleen and Ada sit down with two of queer cinema’s most beloved classics: John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, a punk rock odyssey about identity, love, and the origin of the soul, and Mike Nichols’ “The Birdcage”, where Robin Williams and Nathan Lane turn a Florida drag club into the most chaotic, loving, and surprisingly moving household in cinema. And somewhere in between, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” crashes the party — because of course it does. Happy LGBTQ+ History Month!

This week, Wickham and Ada explore a very specific cinematic tradition — band movies, where the music is the myth and the myth needs a screen. From the Beatles' anarchic two-film romp with Richard Lester in the '60s, to the Spice Girls turning girl power into a gloriously chaotic road trip, to The Weeknd's dark, semi-autobiographical farewell to his own stage persona in Hurry Up Tomorrow. Someone had to watch some of these, so you don't have to. You're welcome — press play and embrace the chaos.

This week, Colleen and Ada lace up and hit the floor with two of the defining dance movies of the 1980s. Footloose brings the rebellion — a city kid rolls into a small town where dancing is literally illegal, and what follows is equal parts culture clash, coming-of-age story, and undeniable soundtrack. Then, Dirty Dancing brings the romance — a sheltered young woman's summer vacation takes an unexpected turn when she falls for the resort's brooding dance instructor, and nobody puts Baby in a corner. A decade that really knew how to move.

The Odyssey is still going strong — $1.55 billion worldwide and counting, now officially Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film of all time. With the film well into its second month in theaters, Colleen, Taylan, and Noor go a little deeper: the themes, the craft, the mythology, and everything worth arguing about. Spoilers throughout. It's still a long way back to Ithaca. PS: If you'd like to get wasted while listening, take a shot every time Taylan says "yeah." Don't say we didn't warn you.

This week, Colleen and Wickham inaugurate a new series — Plane Movies, dedicated to the sacred art of the 30,000-foot watch. And what better way to kick things off than with the Venom trilogy: three films that ask nothing of you, demand no emotional investment, and deliver exactly what they promise. Pure, unapologetic popcorn cinema at cruising altitude. Enjoy the flight!

Hey y'all! This week, Wickham and Colleen tackle two of Apple TV+'s most talked-about series of the season. First, Widow's Bay — the horror-comedy from creator Katie Dippold and director Hiro Murai, set on a cursed New England island where a hapless mayor's dream of turning his isolated community into a tourist destination goes very, very wrong. Then, Pluribus — Vince Gilligan's post-Breaking Bad return to TV, starring Rhea Seehorn in a sci-fi world where a mysterious wave of forced happiness has overtaken humanity, and the most miserable person on Earth might be the only one who can save it. Stay skeptical. Stay miserable.

Christopher Nolan returns for the first time since Oppenheimer with his most ambitious film yet — an adaptation of Homer's foundational epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus on his long, monster-riddled journey home from the Trojan War. Shot entirely on 70mm IMAX film and powered by a cast that stretches from Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway to Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Robert Pattinson, The Odyssey opened to over $264 million globally in its first weekend alone. Wickham and Ada break it all down in Part 1 of our coverage — and there will be more to come, so stay tuned!

This week, Colleen and Ada go deep on the filmography of Kristoffer Borgli — the Norwegian director who has quietly become one of the most unsettling voices in contemporary cinema. First, Dream Scenario (2023), in which Nicolas Cage plays a mild-mannered professor who inexplicably begins appearing in strangers' dreams — a surreal premise that Borgli twists into a razor-sharp satire of fame, relevance, and the internet's appetite for destruction. Then, The Drama (2026), Borgli's A24 follow-up starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose entire relationship unravels in the week before their wedding — a film that starts as a rom-com and slowly mutates into something far more uncomfortable. A perfect double bill for anyone who likes their discomfort served with a smile.

Welcome to the second part of our two-part Summer Horror series — hope you know your exits! This week, Wickham, Colleen, and Ada check in to the year's most claustrophobic double feature, starting with Genki Kawamura's "Exit 8" (2025), adapted from the viral indie game that had the internet glued to a single hallway for years. Then it's down into the "Backrooms" — Kane Parsons' A24 debut that took a creepypasta born in a 4chan thread and turned it into the studio's highest-grossing film ever, a suffocating maze of yellow walls, buzzing fluorescents, and something very wrong lurking just around the corner. Two films, two hellish loops, and the sinking feeling that no matter which way you turn, you're back where you started.