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

Starred Up (DVD Review)

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Eric (Jack O’Connell) is transferred from a young offenders institution to adult prison, and while he feels as if he can be a king in this new place, it soon becomes clear that he’s been thrust somewhere far more brutal and dangerous than he’s used to. The young man knows that his father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) is in the prison, and is hoping for a reunion.

It’s an awkward reunion though, as while Nev is keen to protect his boy, he is a violent, dangerous man and the two have very little common ground, especially due to the anger Eric barely seems to realise he harbours against his father. [Read more…]

Unbroken Trailer – Director Angelina Jolie delves into the life of Louie Zamperini

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unbroken-slideThere’s been a lot of interest in Angelina Jolie’s second directorial outing, Unbroken. Last week came the sad news that the subject of the film, Louie Zamperini, had died. Now we can get a good taste of the film about him, as a full trailer has been released.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Academy Award® winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

‘Director Jolie began shooting some of the most dramatic and challenging scenes on Wednesday, October 16, on location far out at sea in Moreton Bay, Australia, with Zamperini (O’Connell) and his fellow airmen—Phil (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mac (Finn Wittrock)—having impossibly survived being adrift in the open Pacific for several weeks.

‘Working with cameras on a floating rig in choppy waters and braving the elements, with actors dieting for months to appear as depleted as their characters, Jolie completed a successful first day of a location shoot that promises to be rigorous and uniquely challenging.

‘Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s (“Seabiscuit: An American Legend”) enormously popular book, Unbroken brings to the big screen Zamperini’s unbelievable and inspiring true story about the resilient power of the human spirit. Starring alongside O’Connell, Gleeson and Wittrock are Garrett Hedlund and John Magaro as fellow POWs who find an unexpected camaraderie during their internment, Alex Russell as Zamperini’s brother, Pete, and in his English-language feature debut, Japanese actor Miyavi as the brutal camp guard known only to the men as “The Bird.”’

The film will hit cinemas in December. [Read more…]

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Joe Cornish To Direct Jack O’Connell Spy Thriller Section 6

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joe-cornishFormer comedian Joe Cornish impressed many with his directorial debut, Attack The Block. While there’s been much talk about what he might helm next (including the next Star Trek movie), he’s spent much of his time busily co-writing Tintin and Ant-Man. However now he may have found his next directing project as Cornish has been hired to direct the spy thriller Section 6, according to TheWrap.

Jack O’Connell is attached to star in the film, which is set during the first World War and follows Sir George Mansfield Cummings, the first director of the British intelligence agency MI6. Several A-list actors are interesting in playing Cumming, with Jack O’Connell set to be a promising young recruit.

Cornish will direct from a script by Aaron Berg. It’s not known when it might shoot.

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Jack O’Connell Is Joining Section 6 For A New Spy Thriller

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jack-o-connell-shirtlessLater this year Jack O’Connell may go from promising up and comer to full-on movie star, thanks to his lead role in Angelina Jolie’s directorial outing, Unbroken. He’s already lining up major new roles that will take advantage of this new status, as TheWrap reports he’s set to star in Universal’s British spy thriller, Section 6.

Aaron Berg wrote the script, which centres on the formation of British spy agency MI6 during World War I. It also takes a look at the agency’s first director, Sir George Mansfield Cummings, who served as the inspiration for M in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. No details have been given for Jack O’Connell’s character.

While the actor may seem a little young to be playing a spy, seeing as he’s only 23. It’s wasn’t actually that unusual at the time the movie is set.

No director is currently attached at this time, although the studio is planning to find one as soon as it can. It’s not clear when it will shoot.

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First Footage From Unbroken – Take a look at Jack O’Connell in Angelina Jolie’s directorial effort

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This year Angelina Jolie is going blockbuster as an actress with Maleficent and also making a bid for mainstream directorial success (and perhaps and Oscar bid) with Unbroken, her movie about the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini.

With the Winter Olympics on and Zamperini being a 1936 Olympian, the studio has decided it’s a good time for a special trailer, featuring narration by Tom Brokaw and vintage footage of Zamperini cut into the first footage from Jolie’s film along with a recent interview with Louis.

Jack O’Connell will play Zamperini in Unbroken, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Gerrett Hedlund is portraying fellow P.O.W. Commander John Fitzgerald.

It’s due out at Christmas. [Read more…]

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Starred Up Trailer – Jack O’Connell & Ben Mendelsohn head for prison

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Jack O’Connell may not be a name you know well now, but he may be a lot more famous by the end of the year thanks to major roles in Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken and 300: Rise Of An Empire. Before then he’s got Starred Up, which also stars Ben Mendelsohn and Rupert Friend in a prison drama.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In STARRED UP, Jack O’Connell gives a star-making performance as 19 year-old Eric Love, a violent and troubled teenager making the difficult transition from a young offenders’ institute to adult prison. He seems to be destined for a life behind bars, but the prison’s unconventional therapist (Rupert Friend) is determined to help Eric find a way through, assisted by of one of the prison’s longest serving inmates – Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) – who just happens to be Eric’s father.’

It’s in UK cinemas on March 21st. [Read more…]

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New Pics Emerge From The Set Of Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

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unbroken-pic3
Angelina Jolie’s second outing as a director, Unbroken, is now shooting, and to prove it a trio of pic from the set have been released, showing Jolie helming some rather damp action from the part of the movie that takes place on the ocean.

The press release accompanying the pics says, ‘Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

‘Director Jolie began shooting some of the most dramatic and challenging scenes on Wednesday, October 16, on location far out at sea in Moreton Bay, Australia, with Louis Zamperini (O’Connell) and his fellow airmen—Phil (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mac (Finn Wittrock)—having impossibly survived being adrift in the open Pacific for several weeks.

‘Working with cameras on a floating rig in choppy waters and braving the elements, with actors dieting for months to appear as depleted as their characters, Jolie completed a successful first day of a location shoot that promises to be rigorous and uniquely challenging…

‘Starring alongside O’Connell, Gleeson and Wittrock are Garrett Hedlund and John Magaro as fellow POWs who find an unexpected camaraderie during their internment, Alex Russell as Zamperini’s brother, Pete, and in his English-language feature debut, Japanese actor Miyavi as the brutal camp guard known only to the men as “The Bird.”’

The film will be out Christmas 2014 in the US and January 2015 in the UK.

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First Look Behind-The-Scenes At Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

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unbroken-pic1
Angelina Jolie’s second directorial outing has just started shooting, and to mark that the first behind-the-scenes image has been released ,featuring the director/actress and the man the movie is about, Louis Zamperini (let’s just hope Brad Pitt doesn’t get jealous of how much Angelina seems to like him).

Jolie and Zamperini, who are neighbours, have become close friends over the development of the film, as the filmmaker listened to the war hero recount the incredible incidents of his life over many months of preparation.

Jack O’Connell will play Zamperini, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Gerrett Hedlund is portraying fellow P.O.W. Commander John Fitzgerald.

O’Connell recently spent several afternoons with Louis Zamperini to his incredible tale firsthand. Louis Zamperini retains many keepsakes from his adventures in his home. Unbroken is set for release Christmas Day, 2014.

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Kit Harington, Jack O’Connell & Miles Teller Test For Fantastic Four

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kit-harington
It’s believed that Fox’s reboot of Fantastic Four is nearly at the point where it ready to shoot. While there have been casting rumours for months, it’s only now they’re properly started testing actors, starting with Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Sue Storm (The Invisible Girl).

Insiders told Variety that Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now) and Jack O’Connell (300: Rise of an Empire) are in line to get test for the Reed Richards role, while Saoirse Ronan (The Host), Kate Mara (Transcendence) and Margot Robbie (About Time) will try out for Sue Storm.

The studio is looking to go much younger with this rebooted version, in hopes of drawing in a new audience to reinvigorate the franchise (although it should be noted Reed Richards was in his 20s in the original comic, so despite the image of his as slightly older, they haven’t completely ditched the character’s origins).

For several months Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Fruitvale Station) has been the favourite to play Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), although that may change. No actors have been mentioned in connection with either Ben Grimm (The Thing) or the villain yet.

Simon Kinberg was recently brought on to work on the script, providing a polish. Jeremy Slater, Michael Green, Seth Grahame-Smith and T.S. Nowlin have previously worked on the script. Josh Trank is directing the reboot, with shooting expected to begin in the next few months.

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Garrett Hedlund On For Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

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Garrett Hedlund

Garrett Hedlund

After he apparently refused to take no for an answer (which is what he himself says) Garrett Hedlund has finalised a deal to star in director Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. Initially it looked like scheduling conflicts were going to prevent Hedlund signing on, but he was really keen and so after spending a month shuffling things around, he’s signed up.

Jack O’Connell is set to star as Louis Zamperini in Unbroken, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Hedlund is portraying fellow P.O.W. Commander John Fitzgerald.

Angelina Jolie is directing, with film scheduled to begin in October. (Source: Variety)

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