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

Mindhunter Trailer – Jonathan Groff stars in David Fincher’s Netflix series

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With it’s exceptionally deep pocket, Netflix is coming up with a lot of interesting programming, partly by hiring some of the best people around and giving them more freedom than they’d normally receive. Hopefully that’s going to continue with Mindhunter, which is directed and produced by Fight Club and Social Network’s David Fincher.

It certainly doesn’t hurt either that Jonathan Groff (Frozen, Looking) is starring.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks? Two FBI agents (Jonathan Groff & Holt McCallany) set out on a sinister investigative odyssey to discover the brutal answers.

‘The series is directed by David Fincher (Gone Girl, Zodiac), Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna), Tobias Lindholm (A War, A Hijacking) and Andrew Douglas (The Amityville Horror, U Want Me 2 Kill Him?). Fincher, Joshua Donen (Gone Girl, The Quick and the Dead), Charlize Theron (Girlboss, Hatfields & McCoys) and Cean Chaffin (Gone Girl, Fight Club) are Executive Producers.’

The first season will debut on Netflix on October 13th, 2017. [Read more…]

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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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Jonathan Groff Remembers Hiding His Boyfriend At The Tony Awards When He Was In The Closet

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Jonathan-GroffSince Jonathan Groff came out a few years ago his on-screen career has flourished, whether it’s as Patrick in Looking or as Kristoff in Frozen. However while he has an up and comer in New York, forging his career on the stage, he was in the closet and admits he was afraid of what revealing his sexuality might mean to both his life and his career.

During his acceptance speech while receiving the Point Horizon Award for being a young LGBT trailblazer on Monday in New York, he talked about the fears he had while he was appearing in what was his breakthrough stage role in Spring Awakening.

He said, “Even though I was performing eight times a week in a show about the importance of self-expression and the danger of sexual repression, I kept my relationship with my ‘roommate’ a secret. I was still very scared and insecure about being gay [he was 21 at the time]. I did the stupidest things. And I went to great lengths to keep my cast and crew from asking me about my ‘roommate.’ For example, I never had him come to the theater, and I never invited him out after the show. Opening night was tricky because he was there, but I worked it out, so all the pictures that night were group shots, and I’m not even standing next to him. When the Tony Awards came around, he attended, but I didn’t bring him as my date. He sat at the back of Radio City [Music Hall].”

Now though he’s discovered that rather than needing to hide or be insecure about his sexuality, it has become a positive aspect of his career. It didn’t take him too long to get over his initial worries either, as he came out publicly when he was 23 during the National Equality March in Washington.

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Looking – Season 1 (DVD Review)

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This time last year we previewed the first four episodes of Looking ahead of its first airing on Sky Atlantic in the UK. While I definitely felt it had promise, there’s no doubt that those four eps alone also had quite a lot issues, largely due to the fact that with each episode only clocking in at 30 minutes it had trouble properly setting up its world and moving the story along at a decent pace. However even within those four instalments there was improvement, so how does the full season stack up now it’s arriving on DVD?

The show follows a group of gay friends in San Francisco, mostly focussing on Jonathan Groff’s Patrick, a videogame designer who’s feeling a bit lost and is looking for love. He meets Richie (Raul Castillo) but the path of true love certainly doesn’t run smooth, especially with the arrival of Patrick’s new British boss Kevin (Russell Tovey), who offers the possibility of passion and a real connection, even though he’s in a relationship with someone else. [Read more…]

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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Looking Season 2 Teaser – Catching up with Jonathan Groff, Russell Tovey & co.

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looking-s2-slideA few days ago HBO announced a January 11th premiere for the first episode of Season 2 of Looking, where we’ll go back into gay San Francisco. When we left him, Jonathan Groff’s Patrick was in the middle of a semi-love triangle with Raul Castillo’s Richie and Russell Tovey’s Kevin.

Meanwhile Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) and Frank’s (O.T. Fagbenle) relationship had hit the skids while Dom (Murray Bartlett) was trying to figure out his love life while also attempting to open a restaurant.

Now it’s time for our first glimpse of Season 2 with a teaser HBO has just posted and which you can watch below. It’s pretty brief but it’s good to see the boys back. (And if you’re in the UK and wondering, hopefully Looking – Season 2 will start on Sky Atlantic in the UK shortly after it begins in the US). [Read more…]

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Zachary Quinto, Jonathan Groff & Jesse Tyler Ferguson Will Lead A Starry Line-up For Musical Gala

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zachary-quintoIf you like celebs, the music of Marvin Hamlisch and you are very rich, then the One Thrilling Combination gala on June 23rd is the place for you. The gala will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hamlisch’s LGBT-inclusive A Chorus with a selection of tunes from the show and Marvin’s other efforts, such as the musicals They’re Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, and the Sweet Smell of Success, as well as the film The Way We Were.

There are plenty of gay stars lining up for the charity event, with Zachary Quinto, his ex Jonathan Groff, Jesse Tyler Ferguson Billy Porter, and Claybourne Elder all set to perform. They’ll be joined by the likes of Martha Plimpton, John Lithgow, Sutton Foster, Joshua Bell, Lindsay Mendez, Krysta Rodriguez, Marissa McGowan, Laura Shoop, Peter Dugan, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Jessica Wu, Mylinda Hull, Brooke Sunny Moriber, and Nicole Lewis.

It’s all in an effort to raise funds for the Public Theater, where A Chorus Line first debuted. Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis commented, “Marvin Hamlisch was one of the great spirits of American music, and A Chorus Line was a show that changed everything about how musicals were made. It also created the Public Theater we cherish today. This gala will honor that amazing show and thank Marvin Hamlisch for his extraordinary gifts to us all.”

That’s certainly an impressive list and it should be one hell of a night. There are a few drawbacks though, one if that you’ll need to be able to get to the Delacorte Theater in New York City’s Central Park on June 23rd, and the second is that the cheapest ticket costs $650. At least for that you’ll get cocktails, dinner, and a dessert reception.

Hamilisch died in 2012 shortly after completing his part of the music for Behind The Candelabra.

 

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Archie’s Gay Pal Kevin Keller Wants Looking’s Jonathan Groff To Make Up His Mind!

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kevin-keller-lookingIf you saw Looking, you’ll know that Jonathan Groff’s Patrick spent much of the series trying to start up a relationship with Raul Castillo’s Richie, while mooning over Russell Tovey’s Kevin.

It turns out everyone has an opinion on what should have happened, even fictional characters!

That includes Archie Comics gay character Kevin Keller.

Artist Daniel Parent has come up with the pic above, which shows exactly what Keller thinks about the situation.

Personally I think Patrick should pick Richie, as long as that means I get Russell Tovey (and if you need evidence why, click here)!

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Frozen (Blu-ray)

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Over the weekend thanks to a continued strong performance in Japan, Frozen became the number one animated movie of all time at the global box office, overtaking Toy Story 3. It now stands at number 10 on the all-time list and will end up with over $1.1 billion.

It’s not bad for a movie that six months ago had relatively little buzz. The film came as a surprise to many, as evidenced by how its box office worked. It got a pretty good but not spectacular opening (it wasn’t even the number 1 film in the US on the weekend it got its wide release), but then continued to play in cinemas for months, due the fact it had such amazing word of mouth. [Read more…]