Dr. T: The Gaymer and Film Ph.D.

by Evangelos Tziallas

Dr. T: The Gaymer & Film PhD Podcast - Episode 4: Talking Movies w. Bil Antoniou of Bad Gay Movies

Hello! And welcome to episode 4 of my podcast - Dr.T: The Gaymer & Film PhD. On this week's episode, I talk all things movies with Bil Antoniou. Bill co-runs the "Bad Gay Movies" (BGM) and Riviera Rats podcasts. He also writes for That Shelf and has his own Substack! Bil is a prolific cineaste, and you can access the links to all his work here: https://linktr.ee/bilantoniou In this episode, Bil and I meander through the vast, overlapping terrains of cinema and gayness. Topics include, but are not limited to: journeys through the closet; queer childhood; stereotypes; queerbaiting; what makes a good gay movie; what makes a bad gay movie; film education; gay shame; sex and eroticism; voyeurism; transgressive cinema; indie gay films; the HIV/AIDS epidemic; The Wizard of Oz (1939); Howard's End (1992); Showgirls (1995); Beautiful Thing (1995); Stranger by the Lake (2013); Pillion (2025); Pedro Almodovar; Paul Verhoeven; JC Calciano; Jim Fall, Tori Spelling & Trick (1999); and of course Heated Rivalry. Who would have thought a chance encounter on Grindr and summer of fun would have produced a fun podcast episode a decade later? Please do check out Bil's podcasts and writing, and feel free to check out audio-only versions of this interview and more on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon. Links in bio! Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Introducing Bill 1:01 - Rediscovering cinema and old passions 5:04 - Bill's origin story: pursuing acting and birthing BMG (bad gay movies) 8:22 - Why bad gay movies instead of good gay movies? 10:44 - Early childhood gay shame and queer cinephilia 13:54 - A cinephile is born: Bill's favourite movies growing up 16:36 - Bill's IMDB and his soothing voice 19:28 - Bill's favourite gay movies 21:41 - The requisite need for male flesh in gay cinema 23:05 - Sanitizing gay representation and the need for transgressive cinema 25:02 - The AIDS epidemic, stereotypes, and the need for "good gays" 30:51 - Bill's least favourite gay movies (featuring: JC Calciano) 35:07 - Gay representation and saving face in front of conservatives 37:18 - Bill's thoughts on Heated Rivalry 40:59 - The return of (transgressive) queer cinema in 2026 and the mid-level movie 44:00 - Coming out movies as gay ethnography and queer didacticism 48:00 - Queer romance and the teen coming out movies of the mid-90s 50:55 - My chance encounter with Tori Spelling and the status of Trick 2 (TBD) 52:51 - Where people can find Bill 54:42 - Goodbye and until next time! #podcast #gaypodcaster #moviepodcast #queercinema #filmcritic #filmcritique #drtthegaymerphd #cinephile

Jul 3, 2026

55:38

Dr. T: The Gaymer & Film PhD Podcast - Episode 2: "Reading to Glam" with Matt Root

Welcome to Episode 2 of my podcast! In this episode, I "read to glam" (the inverse of "reading to filth") with my friend Matt Root, owner and operator of @mattsbookaday on Instagram and Matt's Books and Music blog. As we discuss Heated Rivalry the television show (by Jacob Tierney) and Game Changers the book series (by Rachel Reid), we meander through various topics pertaining to the book series's adaptation for screen and issues relating to gay literature and romance (mm/mf), book writing, book reading, and the value of reading. Topics include: - Why women write romance: women willing the men they want into being. - The value of Scott and Kip's story as an optimistic representation of healthy gay male relationships - The value and importance of empathy and cross-identification in reading books and watching movies. - The window book vs. the mirror book - The paradox of inclusivity and tolerance in a politically and ideologically politicized world. - The importance of books and movies in helping people develop empathy and fighting bigotry. - Scott Hunter's seri@l ki!!er obsession and Kip's resistance to being possess/owned by a wealthy man. - If Heated Rivalry didn't have such a large female fanbase/if women didn't love and support the show, would gay men have shown up to make it the phenomenon that it is? And don't forget to comment, like and subscribe! Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Introducing Matt 3:00 - The how and why of reviewing books 5:34 - Favourite book(s) - Pride and Prejudice 6:33 - Least favourite book - Wuthering Heights 7:33 - Favourite/least favourite book genres 8:28 - The romance genre and Heated Rivalry/Game Changers book series 10:06 - Angelo shades Matt for disliking Heated Rivalry the book 11:02 - Adapting Heated Rivalry to television 13:05 - Why women write romance novels 15:29 - The bookish world and Romance + / Romance Plus 17:57 - The fujoshi effect / Yaoi / BL and the complexity of authorship and ownership 20:20 - Gays and their gals / gays and women sharing culture and spaces 20:55 - The complexity of inclusivity and problem of not valuing complexity 23:12 - A story doesn't need to be everyone's story / cross-identification 26:15 - Window books versus mirror books / Watching Heated Rivalry with moms 29:20 - The value of books and movies in developing empathy 29:54 - Scott and Kip and the seri@l ki!!er conversation 33:14 - Scott and Kip vs. Shane and Ilya / Kip's working class background in focus 40:35 - Hockey culture, uniformity, and gay visibility as a de facto political statement 44:17 - If you love something, you have to support it: women, fandom and Heated Rivalry 47:14 - Gay men not seeing themselves/seeing themselves too much in Heated Rivalry 49:47 - Queer marginalization even when in the centre/in our own spaces 53:23 - Compelled by Jacob Tierney's brilliance and Heated Rivalry's high quality 54:26 - A new phrase is born: "Reading to Glam" 56:20 - The "fundom" AKA fun fandom and fun memes of Heated Rivalry 1:01:54 - Conclusion - Until Next Time!

Jun 12, 2026

1:03:13

Dr. T: The Gaymer and Film PhD - Episode 1 - Interview with Nik Pearson | Operator of the Heated Rivalry UK Fan Account

Hello! And welcome to my inaugural episode for my new podcast: Dr. T: They Gaymer & Film PhD! I'm Angelo, and for my first episode, I interviewed my friend Nik Pearson, who runs the UK Heated Rivalry fan account on Instagram and Threads: @dailyheatedrivalry. By day, Nik is a barrister in Manchester, but by night, he is a Heated Rivalry super fan, who shares stories, events, pictures and much more on his fan account that currently has over 22 thousand followers! Although Nik and I have never met in person before, we have exchanged messages and voice memos for months. Our online connection has turned into a friendship, and the chemistry is evident in this episode, which marks the first time we've ever chatted live with one another. The excitement is palpable. We have so much to say and there is so much to discuss, and although we cover a lot in our hour-long conversation, we had only begun to scratch the surface of - and our itch for - Heated Rivalry and gay pop culture. Nik will be absolutely be joining me in the future as a guest again. In this episode though, we discuss a variety of topics including: Nik running a Demi Lovato fan account prior to starting his Heated Rivalry one (and other pop divas such as Madonna and Celine Dion); The Met Gala (this conversation was filmed just a couple of days after the first Monday in May); The downside of running a fan account and parasocial fandom; How we got introduced to Heated Rivalry and why we both became fans of the show; Heated Rivalry's impact on Canada, Canadian tourism (the cities of Hamilton and Ottawa), and Canadian media/culture; Gay men's reception of Heated Rivalry and the characters (Scott & Kip, Shane and Ilya); The importance of, and adoration for, Heated Rivalry's female characters (Svetlana, Rose Landry, Elena, Maria, Yuna); Engaging/wanting to work with the show's stars and production team (Jacob Tierney, Jackson Parrell, Brendan Brady, Sophie Nelisse, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, Robbie Gk, Francoise Arnaud, Bianca Nugara, Nadine Bhabha); - Nik's hopeful move into fashion journalism and social media management. As always please like, comment and subscribe! The video version, along with lots more content, can be found on my YouTube Channel: Dr. T: The Gaymer PhD! And please also check out Nik's fan account on Instagram and Threads: @dailyheatedrivalry His Heated Rivalry Podcast, "The Heated Pod" is available on Spotify!

May 15, 2026

1:04:34

Dr. T: The Gaymer & Film PhD Podcast - Episode 3: Interview with Nick Butler, Director of Lunar Sway (2026)

Hello, And welcome to episode 3 of my podcast! This week, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Nick Butler, writer and director of The Legacy of Cloudy Falls (2024) and Lunar Sway (2026). I caught a screening of Lunar Sway at Toronto's Inside/Out Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and after posing a fun question about the main character, I connected with Nick via Instagram, only to find out that our paths had crossed several decades ago when we both worked at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The episode begins with Nick telling us a bit about himself and us trying to figure out the specifics of our earlier meeting (was it in person? was in over the phone?). From there we move to discussing Nick's background in casting and his move into feature film making. Nick talks about how much he enjoys working with Grace Glowicki, who appears in both his features, Ginger Minge, and Kaden Connors, and how he would love to work to work with Noah Parker and Liza Weil, who play the leads in Lunar Sway. From there, we delve into a series of winding and intertwined conversations about Nick's influences (The Coen Brothers, Charlie Kaufman), his near obsession with divination (magic 8 balls, tator cards, psychics), the symbolism of the elements (moon, water, air, fire, earth) in his movies, creating interesting (queer) characters, and we round it all off with a lighting round of "getting to know you". Nick and details about upcoming screenings can be found at: Cloudy Pictures: https://www.cloudypicturesinc.com/ Nick's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nick_butler8 Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Intros and round of applause for Nick 1:46 - A chance encounter at TIFF 4:03 - Film School at York University and just missing Dmitry Lopatin (cinematographer) 6:20 - Nick builds a winning team (composers, sound team, cinematopgraher) 7:42 - Nick loves NYC 8:21 - Nick's background in casting and the role of luck in film making 10:33 - Grace Glowicki, Nick's muse 13:14 - Casting Liza Weil and Ginger Minge 16:50 - Lunar Sway, plot summary and avoiding spoilers 18:47 - Unrequited love and inspiring Lunar Sway's story 20:46 - The value of toxic/unhealthy relationships 21:53 - Interlude: The Jersey Shore's Ronnie & Sammie: the OG toxic relationship 22:21 - Queer cinema and characters: to queer and not queer enough 27:14 - It's giving David Lynch? Wes Anderson? The role of film influences 30:34 - The mystical desert setting and the use of contrasting neon colours 34:30 - Film settings and the elements | Dr. T. mines Nick's subconscious 38:48 - Dr. T performs of psychological reading: Tarot cards and archetypes 45:32 - Who hurt you? Dr.T psychoanalyzes Nick's fixation on grifters, swindlers and liars 47:15 - The contractual and transactional nature of relationships 51:42 - Why so many scenes of Cliff urinating? 55:22 - The symbolism of animals in Lunar Sway 58:04 - Nick's next/third feature film 1:00:34 - The film festival circuit and where you can find Lunar Sway 1:02:14 - "Getting to know you" lighting round 1:04:44 - Where can people find Nick? 1:05:52 - Bye bye until next time! #podcast #gaypodcaster #queercinema #podcastinterview #filmpodcast #filmdirector #drtthegaymerphd

Jun 19, 2026

1:06:18