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What to watch: Gay ‘shoplifters’ on lam, latest Model Child gay rock, and queer leaders say it all

Shoplifters of the world

Whatever your entertainment needs, we’ve got you (and hopefully your mind) here for you with Queerty’s weekly Culture Club column featuring some of the highlights of new releases, streaming shows, classics worth revisiting and what to drink while watching.

The Catch: Shoplifters of the World

Director Stephen Kijak (Sid and Judy, equal) returns with his most personal film to date, a celebration of the music – and teenage cult – of popular rock band The Smiths. Shoplifters of the world takes place in Denver on a fateful night in 1987, the day the Smiths broke up. For longtime friends Cleo (Helena Howard), Patrick (James Bloor), Sheila (Elena Kampouris) and Billy (Nick Krause), it looks like the world could end. Then, when an employee at a local record store takes a radio station hostage and asks it to play The Smiths all night long, the four friends embark on a nighttime adventure that will bring to light secret feelings and tensions. long buried between the four.

Shoplifters of the world takes a page of classic all-in-one, music-oriented movies, such as Come on, Empire Records and American graffiti. The film celebrates both the wonder of youth and the music of the era (beyond the Smiths, the cults of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Grace Jones, Siouxie and the Banshees and The Cure all make cameos). The film also offers a look at the taboos surrounding gay life at the time as young Patrick (well played by Bloor), can’t seem to come out of the closet. Again, neither Morrissey at the time. With a fantastic soundtrack, Shoplifters of the world doesn’t fetishize nostalgia instead of offering a glimpse of a specific time and place, and the anxiety felt by LGBTQ youth at the time. Tender, hilarious, and always rock, we recommend it to fans of The Smiths, ’80s music, queer history, and a sense of youth and freedom.

VOD broadcast on March 26.

The return: the birch

The Facebook Watch / Crypt TV-based thriller returns for a second season this week, bringing with it all the thrills and laughs of the show’s first series. For the uninformed, The work follows a group of young adults who are battling – understand this – the spirit of a killer tree. After discovering a magical artifact in the woods, young Evie Grayson discovers the legend of the birch … just in time for the local children to disappear. Season 2 offers much more Goose bumps style thrills and sneers, plus a thoughtful metaphor for bullying and the pressure of being a teenager. So it’s no surprise that transgender writer Casey Modderno is also returning for this new season, injecting the series with feelings and situations all too familiar to LGBTQ viewers.

Streams on Facebook Watch March 26.

The tribute: Olympia

No doubt many Queerty readers will recognize the name and face of actress Olympia Dukakis, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Anna Madrigal in the Tales of the city TV series, as well as for her Oscar-winning role as Cher’s mother in Dreamer. Now Dukakis’ life and career gets their own cinematic treatment in this new documentary. Now 89 years old, Dukakis continues to perform in cinema, television and on stage; Olympia aims to contextualize her workaholic mentality into her life as a courageous Greek woman. The film chronicles her struggles as an “ethnic” actress on the New York theater scene in the early 1960s, her rise to stardom in plays such as The three sisters and Pink, and his long-standing marriage to actor Louis Zorich, who managed to shoot several scenes for the film before his death in 2018. It’s a great tribute – and often very funny – to a first ally voice for the LGBTQ equality and to a performer as talented as she intrigues.

Now streaming on VOD.

The event: LGBTQ summit unleashed

Anyone who wants to know where queers will gather this weekend – practically anyway – should take note of the LGBTQ Unleashed Summit, a sort of convention that examines all walks of queer life. Virtual attendees will have the opportunity to watch some upcoming LGBTQ movies and series, music, art, fashion and even take voguing lessons. Keynote speakers include U.S. Representative Brian Sims, actress Carmen Carrera, NFL player Michael Sam and queer chef Wesley Smoot. Our favorite chat, however, goes to a special conversation with veteran gay casting director Mike Page, the man responsible for overseeing casting shows like Claws, Arrow, Animal Kingdom and Snowpiercer, hosted by none other than Queerty’s sexiest (and only) entertainment publisher. Join us for a discussion on queer representation in casting where we tackle the issues of portraying LGBTQ characters, whether only queer actors should play queer characters (and the challenges involved) and how Hollywood views gay performers. It’s a special opportunity to hear how showbiz works behind the scenes and what the future holds for queer Hollywood.

From March 25 to 27. Full schedule and tickets available on the official website.

The jam: child model “Icicles”

Queer musician Model Child has released his latest single, a weird and erotic synth single in the vein of Nine Inch Nails and The Cure at their most intense. “Icicles,” a genre-defying song, deals with one of those phone-based breakups, along with the isolation, frustration, and lingering questions that come with it. As with everything Model Child, the track has an unapologetic quirk, one that somehow manages to get us carried away and excited at the same time.

Stream on YouTube.

The Sip: Moonstruck Mule

In honor of Olympia Dukakis, we’re bringing you this week’s libation, a variation of the popular Moscow Mule: The Moonstruck Mule. This citrus variation will indeed make many sirens howl at the moon, or at least sit down for an evening with Ms. Dukakis’ films.

Toss the ingredients over ice, squeezing the lime when added. Stir and serve in a copper mug.

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