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

Looking: The Book (Book Review)

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TV’s Looking had a slightly rough ride, getting as many detractors as fans, partly because we’d finally got a gay-themed show that took its characters seriously, but by treating its characters as flawed people, it couldn’t represent everything to everyone. And when it didn’t match up to what people’s own conception of exactly what a gay-themed show should be (who often seemed to want plaster saint gays), it got bashed. That translated into the fact it never found a huge audience, so we got two seasons of the show and a movie to wrap things up, but that’s it.

However, it has got a big enough following that it’s inspired a hardback coffee-table book, limited to 1,000 first run copies. [Read more…]

Looking: The Movie Trailer – First look at the wrap-up for HBO’s gay-themed series

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looking-movie-trailer-slideIt’s a real shame with Looking, as the fact it didn’t become a real success has probably made it more difficult to get gay-themed series made in the US. Perhaps most tragically is that I have a feeling that in years to come it will be viewed a lot more favourably than it is now.

Thankfully though, while HBO decided to cancel it after two series, they have allowed it a final, one-off movie to wrap everything up. That should ensure we get to know what happens to the characters played by the likes of Jonathan Groff, Russell Tovey, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett and Raul Castillo.

HBO has now released the first trailer for the film, which will debut in the US on July 23rd. It should arrive in other countries shortly thereafter. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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TV’s Looking Has Been Cancelled, But The Boys Will Get A Wrap-Up Special

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looking-s1-slideIt’s been a short and interesting run, bitHBO has announced that after two seasons, they won’t be renewing their gay-themed show Looking for a third outing. If you’re panicking that this means you’ll never find out what happens next for Patrick (Jonathan Groff), Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez), Dom (Murray Bartlett), Kevin (Russell Tovye) and co., there is some small solace, as the TV network has promised that things will get wrapped up with a feature-length special.

The news isn’t too unexpected, as after decent ratings for Looking very first episode, the viewer numbers dropped and it’s never really recovered. It’s a shame, as its slightly wonky first few episodes seem to have put a lot of people off, meaning they’ve missed out on the fact that it’s improved significantly and its second season showed promise that it would become a truly excellent series – indeed its sophomore run got a decent amount of praise from critics.

To show how low things had dropped, just 298,000 US viewers tuned in for the recent season two finale, which is just over half the number who watched the final episode of Season 1.

At least we’re not being left completely high and dry and there will be a TV movie that will hopefully bring closure to the stories the the gay San Franciscans. That special is expected to air later this year.

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Chatting With Looking’s Frankie J. Alvarez: Handling Criticism & Being On ‘Team Ritchie’

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looking-frankie-j-alvarezIt’s a big month for fans of Looking, as the first season has just arrived on Blu-ray and DVD, and Season 2 is starting on TV (the first episode has already in the US and the it should arrive on Sky Atlantic in the UK shortly).

To celebrate the Season 1 DVD release of the show – which is about a group of gay friends in San Francisco – we caught up with Frankie J. Alvarez, who plays Agustin in the show, to put our questions to him. It was one of his first on-screen roles and he’s had to deal with a very mixed reaction to his character, so what does he think of it all? [Read more…]

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Looking Season 2 Trailer – Jonathan Groff, Russell Tovey & co. return

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looking-s2-trailer-slideIt’s not too long now until we get to return to the San Francisco world of Patrick (Jonathan Groff) and his friends, and now we get to take our first proper look with a full length trailer, which shows us the boys are going on a trip together and there’s still plenty of emotional heartache to deal with.

When we left them Patrick was still in the midst of an increasingly complicated love triangle with Kevin (Russell Tovey) and Richie (Raul Castillo), Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) had split up with Frank (O.T. Fagbenle) and Dom was busy trying to find his place as a gay man in early middle age.

It looks like there’s still plenty of drama to come as those stories develop.

Season 2 kicks off on HBO in the US on January 11th and should arrive on Sky Atlantic in the UK shortly afterwards. [Read more…]

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HBO Is Giving The Gay-Themed Series Looking A Second Season, With Russell Tovey Becoming A Regular

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looking-posterWhile there was a lot of hype over the launch of the San Francisco set, gay-themed series Looking, it wasn’t known whether HBO was likely to commission a second season. Indeed, before the first episode aired, creators Andrew Haigh and Michael Lannan suggested it was far from being sure thing.

However now THR reports that HBO has indeed decided it wants Season 2 of Looking, and that it’s hoping a new set of episode that it can air later this year. It’s certainly good news for the show to be picked up before it’s even finished its first season, suggesting the network has a lot of confidence in it.

There’s also some good news for some of the show’s actors, as the recurring characters played by Lauren Weedman (Doris), Raul Castillo (Richie) and Russell Tovey (Kevin) will be promoted to series regulars, joining Jonathan Groff (Patrick), Frankie J. Alvarez (Agustin) and Murray Bartlett (Dom).

After the first episode aired, the future of Looking seemed very uncertain. Despite the hype, only 338,000 people tuned in for the initial screening. However the figures have improved significantly as the show has continued, and strong international sales have also helped. Aggregate viewing including repeats and on-demand in the US now stands at about two million viewers a week.

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Looking (TV Preview) Is it the gay show we’ve been waiting for?

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Having premiered in the US on January 19th on HBO, the much-anticipated show about a group of gay friends in San Francisco makes its UK bow on Sky Atlantic on January 27th at 10.35pm. So after all the hype, was it worth it? The answer is yes, but perhaps not if you just judge it from the first episode. If you stick with it though (I’ve been lucky enough to see the first four episodes) it proves to be something well worth watching. [Read more…]