Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

The Light Between Oceans Trailer – Michael Fassbender & Alicia Vikander get a baby from the sea

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light-between-oceans-pic1-slideSynopsis: From acclaimed director Derek Cianfrance, (BLUE VALENTINE, A PLACE BEYOND THE PINES), and based on the extraordinary best-selling novel from M.L Stedman, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, is a beautiful yet heart-breaking story of love and sacrifice.

On a remote Australian island in the years following World War I, lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander), discover a boat washed ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month old baby. Rescuing the infant, they make the decision to raise her as their own but the consequences of their choice prove to be devastating.

Also starring Rachel Weisz and produced by David Heyman, The Light Between Oceans will be released later this year.’

The movie should be out later this year. [Read more…]

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The Danish Girl (Cinema Review)

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The idea of a film about Lili Elbe has been doing the rounds of Hollywood for years, but despite plenty of interest from well-known actors and directors, it never got off the ground, partly because the money men thought a period piece about transgender issues would be box office poison. However, trans issues suddenly hit the mainstream and the film got the go ahead.

It’s certainly arrived with a lot of fanfare, but the movie is so polite in a very British sort of way, that it will leave many feeling like they’ve appreciated it but aren’t totally satisfied. [Read more…]

New The Danish Girl Trailer – Eddie Redmayne is transgender pioneer Lili Elbe

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Eddie-Redmayne-Danish-Girl-slideIn The Danish Girl, Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, who became one of the first women to undergo sex-reassignment surgery way back in the early 1930s.

Here’s the official synopsis: ‘Based on the book by David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne [The Theory of Everything] and Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]), and directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables). Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.’

That doesn’t give a lot of detail, but at film will chart the journey of the person who started out asDanish painter Einar Wegener (Redmayne), and his wife, Gerda. In 1931 Einar is thought to have become the first person in the world to have a sex-change operation, when she became Lili. It’s believed the journey started – at least openly – after Gerda asked Einar to stand in for a female subject that Gerda was supposed to paint. The painting became incredibly popular and Lili began to express who she truly was.

The movie will hit UK cinemas on New Year’s Day 2016, which will ensure it’s ripe for a major awards run. [Read more…]

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The Danish Girl Trailer – Eddie Redmayne is trangender pioneer Lili Elbe

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danish-girl-uk-poster-slideThere’s already a lot of interest in The Danish Girl, which looks set to catch the zeitgeist and the interest in transgender people and issues that has been growing in the public consciousness over the last couple of years. It certainly feels like the right time for a film about a trans* person to find mainstream success.

In The Danish Girl, Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, who became one of the first women to undergo sex-reassignment surgery way back in the early 1930s.

Here’s the official synopsis: ‘Based on the book by David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne [The Theory of Everything] and Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]), and directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables). Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.’

That doesn’t give a lot of detail, but at film will chart the journey of the person who started out as Danish painter Einar Wegener (Redmayne), and his wife, Gerda. In 1931 Einar is thought to have become the first person in the world to have a sex-change operation, when she became Lili. It’s believed the journey started – at least openly – after Gerda asked Einar to stand in for a female subject that Gerda was supposed to paint. The painting became incredibly popular and Lili began to express who she truly was.

The movie will hit UK cinemas on New Year’s Day 2016, which will ensure it’s ripe for a major awards run. [Read more…]

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Eddie Redmayne’s Transgender Drama The Danish Girl Gets A Poster

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danish-girl-uk-posterThere’s quite a swell of high profile movies coming in the next few months with LGBT themes, such as Stonewall, About Ray, Freeheld and Carol. There’s also The Danish Girl, where it looks as if Eddie Remayne may be going for his second Oscar in a row as Lili Erbe, one of the first women to undergo sex-reassignment surgery way back in the early 1930s.

While we’re still waiting for a trailer, the movie now has a poster, which you can take a look at above.

The film is based on David Ebershoff’s book about Danish painter Einar Wegener (Redmayne) and his wife Gerda. In 1931 Einar is thought to have become the first person in the world to have a sex-change operation, when she became Lili. It’s believed the journey started – at least openly – after Gerda asked Einar to stand in for a female subject that Gerda was supposed to paint. The painting became incredibly popular and Lili began to express who she truly was.

To add to the Oscar pedigree, Les Miserables and The King’s Speech helmer Tom Hooper is behind the camera.

It’ll be interesting to see whether there will be any pushback against the movie due to the fact it’s cast a cisgender man in the main role (although as it will show her transition from male to female, so there is a certain amount of logic), especially considering the amount of vitriol there’s been for Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall, which has been accused of white-washing and erasing trans* people from the story of the beginning of modern gay rights.

The UK poster is above, while the US version is below.

danish-girl-poster

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The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Cinema Review)

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Turning one of the most beloved 1960s spy TV series into a movie was always going to be a gamble, but in the blokey hands of Guy Ritchie all is safe. It’s everything you’d hope for – stylish, great clothes, cool soundtrack, a decent enough plot about saving the world from a sociopath, and full of period detail.

Where it falls down is in the crucial chemistry between the leads – Armie Hammer does well as the grumpy, disapproving Soviet agent Kuryakin, but Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo is so wooden you wonder why someone doesn’t mistake him for a park bench and sit on him. There is no chemistry at all between either of them and Alicia Vikander, whose ‘aren’t I pretty’ routine is becoming slightly wearing. [Read more…]

Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer & More Get Man From U.N.C.L.E Character Posters

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UNCLE_Henry_2764x4096_INTL_master-slideThe Man From U.N.C.L.E. is still one of the big unknowns of the summer, but it’s only a few weeks until we’ll discover whether audiences are interested in Guy Ritchie’s big screen take on the classic 60s TV series.

A set of character posters have arrived, which you can see above and below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series.

‘Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

‘“The Man from U.N.C.L.E” also stars Alicia Vikander (“Anna Karenina”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby”), with Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”), and Hugh Grant as Waverly.’

The film’s in cinemas August 14th. [Read more…]

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New The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Trailer – Henry Cavill & Armie Hammer are looking cool

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man-from-uncle-poster1Having rebooted Sherlock Holmes for a new generation, Guy Ritchie is now bringing the classic 60s series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer taking over from Robert Vaughn and David McCallum in the lead roles.

Now the main trailer has arrived, along with a poster.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series.

‘Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

‘“The Man from U.N.C.L.E” also stars Alicia Vikander (“Anna Karenina”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby”), with Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”), and Hugh Grant as Waverly.’

The film will be in UK cinemas August 14, 2015. [Read more…]

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Ex_Machina (Blu-ray Review)

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Young programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition to meet the legendary but very reclusive Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the owner of the company Caleb works for, on his secluded, private estate. Once there Caleb discovers this isn’t just a holiday, but that he’s expected to take part in an experiment to see whether Nathan has broken through the barrier to create an artificial intelligence that can truly think for itself, and which is indistinguishable from human behaviour.

Caleb is introduced to Ava (Alicia Vikander), an AI housed in a very human looking body. Soon Caleb is thrown into a quandary. He is extremely taken by Ava, but knows there’s always the possibility that rather than truly thinking, Ava is simply using her programming to ‘fool’ him into thinking she’s more ‘real’ than she is. With Nathan possibly switching Ava off if she fails – something Ava seems to be afraid of – and Caleb increasingly wondering how he knows whether anything is real, the situation starts to grow dangerous. [Read more…]

Testament Of Youth (Blu-ray Review)

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It’s almost surprising the world of film didn’t make a few more movies to tie into the centenary of the start of the First World War. However Testament Of Youth is an apt tale to make a new version of at this time, as rather than being a gung-ho war story, it is more about grief and the wiping out of swathes of young lives.

Based on Vera Brittain’s memoir, the movie follows Vera (Alicia Vikander) as a free thinking young woman determined that her path in life will not just to be a wife and mother. She heads off to Oxford (after a little resistance from her father) and almost surprises herself when she falls for a handsome young man called Roland (Kit Harington). However their seemingly idyllic youth, along with that of her brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and their friends, is disrupted by the War. [Read more…]