Click here to send us a message! Our celebration of fifty episodes continues into our 51st! To commemorate the milestone, Brian reached out to his contributors to check in, and find out what everyone's watching while under quarantine. This week we're joined by contributors Lauren, Rob and Stephen. Once again, no stone is left unturned. We talk movies, like A Simple Favor, Onward, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and touch on our favorite television shows, like Schitt's Creek, The Comeback, You, The M...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Click here to send us a message! It's our 50th official episode!!! To celebrate, Brian used Zoom to get a hold of every single contributor to check in on how they're doing and what pop-culture they're consuming to pass the time while stuck at home under quarantine. The result is two hours of our queer film experts discussing all their favorite things right now. No stone is left unturned across the two episodes! In Part 1, we discuss Tiger King, Westworld, Birds of Prey, the new albums from Fiona...
Apr 24, 2020•59 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Click here to send us a message! Just before our home state put us on Shelter in Place orders, Max and Brian got together to talk about the movie on everyone's mind: Contagion. Not content with with a fictional pandemic amid our real one, we paired it with Todd Haynes' 1995 feature, Safe! A young, but always incredible, Julianne Moore begins coughing and hyperventilating near any chemicals. Or is she just suffocating from toxic masculinity? Meanwhile, Stephen Soderbergh's 2011 hit, Contagion is ...
Mar 24, 2020•45 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Click here to send us a message! With the coronavirus putting the world in lockdown, it was only appropriate that we cover two horror films with isolated protagonists. But we'd be lying if we said we had that in mind. Instead, we planned to release this one to coincide with the release of A Quiet Place Part 2, but that film has since been delayed. But no matter! Contributors Lauren Whalen and Steve Moore drop by to discuss these two modern horror classics. Each are tales about parenting, isolati...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Click here to send us a message! This week, contributor Matt returns and we discuss two of the 21st centuries most iconic queer stories, 2019's Portrait of a Lady on Fire and 2017's Call Me By Your Name. Two epic, beautifully shot tales of couples falling in love, seemingly in exile from the outside world.
Mar 06, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Click here to send us a message! Contributor Max Bever returns to talk the most recent Best Picture winner, Parasite, and we've paired it with the year's second most unconventional horror film, Jordan Peele's Us. Are these films two sides of the same coin? What does each film have to say about their respective countries, or are they both just responding to capitalism? Two of the year's best movies, by two of the era's finest filmmakers; they have more in common than you might think, and Max and ...
Feb 21, 2020•58 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Click here to send us a message! For the first episode of 2020, A Piece of Pie brings you our first ever live recording! We sat down to watch the Oscars and during commercial breaks, we paused and commented on the awards. Who won, who lost, and who made the best impression. Recorded as we watched, this is a live, unedited, unpolished episode with off the cuff remarks, long awkward pauses, not to mention our thoughts on the winners, losers, the live performances and more!...
Feb 10, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Click here to send us a message! In our final episode of 2019, we finally review the queer cult horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street 2! The gayest horror film of all time stars Mark Patton as Jesse, a suburban teen with his own demons, who crosses paths with the legendary Freddy Krueger. Thirty years later, Mark Patton's documentary Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street tales his story of navigating 1980's Hollywood amid the AIDS Crisis, rampant homophobia and Ronald Reagan's tenure as pre...
Nov 13, 2019•39 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Click here to send us a message! This week, since James showed Brian one of his favorite films, we've switched roles and now Brian introduces James to Gus Van Sant's To Die For. The 1995 film stars Nicole Kidman as a ruthless woman looking for fame and fortune at any cost - even murder. We take a look at how the film holds up, discuss Van Sant's queer gaze and lament the lack of roles for the actress Illeana Douglas!...
Oct 19, 2019•49 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Click here to send us a message! For this very special of A Piece of Pie, Brian and James sit down with actor Mark Patton, of Nightmare on Elm Street 2! He has a new documentary making the festival rounds: “Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street” The night before the film’s Chicago debut, Mark sat down with us to talk about his journey through Hollywood in the 1980’s, his quest to make this documentary and tell his story. It was an honor to talk with this queer icon for our first ever intervi...
Oct 03, 2019•37 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Click here to send us a message! We're trying out a new format for this one! Instead of our usual 2 movies, James' talked Brian into watching John Waters' camp classic, Serial Mom! As Brian discovers this cult queer staple, we also discuss Waters' legacy, Homer Simpson, and the great Kathleen Turner! This film skewers the 1990's in John Waters' unique voice, join us as James' revisits it via the special edition blu-ray, and Brian watches it all the way through for the first time ever!...
Sep 13, 2019•51 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Click here to send us a message! For our 40th episode, we're joined by Matt and Ryan, hosts of ExRated Movies! So of course these four gay men tackled the lesbian crime drama, Bound, the first film from the Wachowski's, starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. We paired it with the lesbian-adjacent 90's campy thriller, Wild Things, starring Neve Campbell and Denise Richards. Who's the best actress among these four? It's not Denise Richards! Is Wild Things a knowing satire of sex-filled 90's cri...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Click here to send us a message! We have Beatlemania this week at a Piece of Pie! Max returns this week to talk the messy Across the Universe , Julie Taymor's disjointed Beatles movie musical. Meanwhile, Brian gets to gush over the first movie starring his favorite band, the. Why does Julie Taymor take the Beatles' more seriously than the Beatles do? How many cliche's did Richard Lester's classic invent? And what's better, a Beatles movie by the Beatles, or a Beatles movie inspired by them? We t...
Aug 09, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Click here to send us a message! It's Halloween in July as Brian and James revisit two vampire tales, Interview with the Vampire and Only Lovers Left Alive. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt play gay-adjacent vampires in the 90's goth classic, with Kirsten Dunst in her debut role. We talk Anne Rice's lurid prose, Antonio Banderas' accent and Brad Pitt's boredom. Then we discuss Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as an ageless vampire couple drifting through D...
Jul 25, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Click here to send us a message! With Pride Month 2019 winding down, James and Brian take a look at two queer films that share more than just an actress in Julianne Moore. For the first time, we're talking two queer films from two queer filmmakers! Each film takes a look back at where we've been with Far From Heaven taking place in the 1950's. In the era of Leave It to Beaver and Donna Reed, Todd Haynes' film showcases a woman who learns her loving husband is gay and must deal with the fallout. ...
Jun 27, 2019•59 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Click here to send us a message! For the second part of our 2-part X-Men special, we start with Matthew Vaughn's "First Class," all the way to this year's "Dark Phoenix." Is the new flick as bad as you've heard? Is James McAvoy a better or worse Professor X? Is Logan a masterpiece of comic book films or just a straight-up masterpiece? How much screaming does it take to play Wolverine? All these questions will be answered!...
Jun 21, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Click here to send us a message! With the release of the long-delayed Dark Phoenix, and the Fox X-Men movies essentially coming to an end, we decided to go back and revisit 19 years of films! From it's humble beginnings in the year 2000, with a cast of unknowns, to its conclusion years later starring Oscar winners, we go all the way back to the beginning. We discuss the problematic Bryan Singer and behind the scenes drama. Meanwhile, Jean Grey super-fan James gives us the full rundown on Phoenix...
Jun 13, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Click here to send us a message! We're kicking off Pride 2019 with two flamboyant glittery movie musicals! We cover the Elton John biopic, Rocketman and pair it with the queer classic, Velvet Goldmine!
Jun 07, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Click here to send us a message! This week Brian and James are joined by the hosts of They/Them Pod, Chicago's Queerest Podcast! Host Sal Gado brings their favorite film, Mosquita y Mari, the 2012 indie drama and we paired it with the Academy Award winner A Fantastic Woman! Sal and Devlyn join Brian and James to talk queer cinema, transphobia, supportive - and not so supportive -families.
May 23, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Click here to send us a message! James and Brian finally tackle one of their favorite films, Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, and pair it with another Elmore Leonard adaptation, Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight. Was Pam Grier robbed of an Oscar? Are these two films the best from their respective filmmakers? Is this film where George Clooney officially transformed into a movie star? Will we ever get another great performance from Jennifer Lopez? We discuss all this and more, including the wardro...
May 14, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Click here to send us a message! For our latest One Night Stand, we take a look at two of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons going right now! Brian and James give you their takes on what's shaping up to be the biggest movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, and while they were at it, they talked about the first 3 episodes of the final season of Game of Thrones. We give our predictions on who'll sit on the Iron Throne and discuss saying goodbye to our favorite superheroes!...
May 09, 2019•36 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Click here to send us a message! For their 30th episode, James and Brian take inspiration from real life! Inspired by Brian's broken knee, they turned to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Rear Window starring James Stewart, and paired it with 2013's, Stranger by the Lake! Each involve eyewitnesses to murder and nosy neighbors, but which one is gayer? We talk coded questions and turning down Grace Kelly, French film money shots and stop to ask ourselves: would we sleep with a murderer?...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Click here to send us a message! This week, Brian and James tackle artificial intelligence as they pair up the Spike Jonze love story, Her and Alex Garland's Ex Machina! As ever we ask the important questions; Is Joaquin Phoenix a creep or just a dope? Or both? Does anyone look good in high-waisted pants? Is Oscar Isaac's performance channeling Mark Zuckerberg or a James Bond villain? Which one of these two AI's will happen first, a lovable OS or a robot with a grudge? All this and more on A Pie...
Apr 14, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Click here to send us a message! For 2019's first One Night Stand, Brian and James get together to discuss recent trailer drops from Marvel and Quentin Tarantino. We belatedly heap praise upon Natasha Lyonne's "Russian Doll," James talks his excitement for Dark Phoenix and recommends a unique Japanese reality show. All this and, of course, our Avengers: Endgame predictions.
Apr 05, 2019•41 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Click here to send us a message! We’re joined by James' husband Kurt! He guests to talk about his two favorite super heroines, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel! How do the two strong, bad ass iconic comic book characters translate to film? Why does Hollywood think they need a love interest? And why do these movies about female superheroes each feature dick jokes?
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Click here to send us a message! Well, that happened. The Oscars of 2019 were decidedly underwhelming, but it was also our anniversary episode, so we watched anyway. Brian and James are joined by Max as they share their favorites of 2018, react to that undeserved best picture win and, as ever, still find time to swoon over Chris Evans and his beard. Join us as we celebrate our first year!
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Click here to send us a message! With Roger Stone's recent indictment, we look back to Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal and two movies about that investigation. First, the fact-based true story of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's investigation, All the President's Men and the 1999 spoof of that investigation, Dick. How much has All the President's Men influenced film history, not to mention journalism? Did Woodward and Bernstein get along? And what does Nora Ephron have to do with all of...
Feb 14, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Click here to send us a message! This week we're joined by writer and film critic, Lauren Emily Whalen, as she brings her two of her favorite films, Mulholland Drive and Gone Girl! As always, the important questions; Did she know she was choosing films by our favorite directors? What do these blonde, beautiful, duplicitous femme fatales have in common and how do these male filmmakers influence the telling of their story? Does Billy Ray Cyrus remember being in Mulholland Drive? When do you pause ...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Click here to send us a message! Your favorite queer film-nerds welcome 2019 with two of their all-time favorite films, All About Eve and Black Swan! Is Bette Davis' Margo Channing one of the best film performances of all time? Is Eve Harrington actually queer? Are you #TeamMargo or #TeamEve? Where is the line between a delicate sex scene and one clouded by male gaze? Which of these films has a more enlightened view of women? Should you, if given the chance, have sex with a gymnast? In one of ou...
Jan 17, 2019•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Click here to send us a message! In the final episode of 2018, James and Brian revisit (or, in Brian's case, visit) two Christmas films. One is a bonafide classic, Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me in St. Louis, starring the legendary Judy Garland. Was Judy Garland the original Mean Girl in 1904? Is her kid sister a proto-Wednesday Addams? How gay do you have to be to look gay standing next to Dorothy Gale herself? We pair that classic with the new queer classic, Todd Haynes' Carol; a lesbian love sto...
Dec 20, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 22
