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 Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Trailer – Lily James heads to the Channel Islands just after WWII

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It’s perhaps not surprising that in the US, the movie version of Annie Barrows’ popular novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is going by the simpler title, Guernsey. However, in the UK we’re get the more verbose name for the Channel Island set film.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Lily James plays free-spirited journalist Juliet Ashton, who forms a life-changing bond with the delightful and eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII.

‘Directed by Mike Newell, the film also stars Glen Powell (Everybody Wants Some, Hidden Figures), Matthew Goode (The Imitation Game, Downton Abbey), Jessica Brown Findlay (Victor Frankenstein, Downton Abbey) and Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, The Boat That Rocked) with Tom Courtenay (45 Years, Doctor Zhivago) and Penelope Wilton (The BFG, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).’

The movie is due in UK cinemas on April 20th. Take a look at the trailer for the movie below. [Read more…]

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The Hatton Garden Job (Blu-ray Review) – Some old guys go robbing with Matthew Goode

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It’s one of the most famous British crimes of the 21st Century – a group of men broke into the heavily protected Hatton Garden repository, and got away with an unknown amount of loot, which could have been up to £200 million worth. It’s inspired documentaries, endless column inches and this film. It’s not going to end there, as another movie, starring Michael Caine, is planned, and a TV drama has just been announced, with Timothy Spall signed on to star.

The Hatton Garden Job got there first though.

Matthew Goode plays an unnamed character, who gets involved in what seems like an impossible job – robbing the underground vault of the Hatton Garden repository in London. There are dodgy characters who want specific things locked up in there, but there are also millions in jewels and others precious goods that anyone in there could get away with. [Read more…]

The Imitation Game (Blu-ray Review)

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Despite eight Oscar nominations The Imitation Game only walked away with one award, Best Adapted Screenplay. To be honest that wasn’t a shock, as quite a few Oscar watchers had thought it would get nothing. And there are also some, including myself, wondering if the one Academy Award it did win was the right one.

The movie tells the story of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a socially awkward, somewhat irascible mathematics prodigy who, after the Second World War breaks out, applies to the government to help break the infamous Enigma code, something many believe is impossible. However he doesn’t want to continue with the traditional method of codebreaking, where smart men use pens, paper and just their brains, as he has an idea to use a machine to break down and then check the billions of possible combinations until it finds the right one. If he can do it, it will allow the Allies to read the German military’s secret communications and possibly win the war. [Read more…]

Self/Less Trailer – Ben Kingsley takes over Ryan Reynolds’ body

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selfless-posterI’m sure there are a few people out there who wouldn’t mind waking up as Ryan Reynolds tomorrow, but it looks like Ben Kingsley is actually going to do it in Self/Less, and if you want to see how, take a look at the trailer below.

Based on an script by Alex and David Pastor (who wrote and directed the 2009 horror Carriers), the film is about a wealthy old man (Kingsley) who pays to have his mind transplanted into a younger body (Reynolds) after he realises that is dying. In a very bad turn of luck, he soon realises that the body he’s taken over is a murder victim, and the body’s killers aren’t happy to see him walking around again. The hero is then forced to go on the run and work out who’s trying to kill him.

Tarsem Singh directs the film, which should be out later this year. [Read more…]

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The Imitation Game (Cinema Review)

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Rule one of cinema? Show, don’t tell. This seems to have been totally ignored by Norwegian director Morten Tyldum, who chooses to take one of the most extraordinary British stories of the 20th century and make it in such a dull, flat way it stretches patience to snapping point.

The story itself has been the subject of a West End play in Breaking the Code, and a film already, Enigma, although the central character was fictionalized. Here we get the true story of Alan Turing, the mathematical and linguistic genius who cracks codes for fun. However during WWII the Nazis invent a machine so complex it codes vital messages with 19,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible answers. It’s impossible to crack, right? But with U-boats sinking ships in the Atlantic and the Luftwaffe creating havoc in the skies it’s vital that someone crack the code. [Read more…]

The Imitation Game Trailers – Benedict Cumberbatch takes on Alan Turing in the BFI London Film Festival opener

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imitation-game-slideIt’s been a case of co-ordination today, as the moment the BFI announced that The Imitation Game is set to open the 58th BFI London Film Festival, Studiocanal released the UK trailer and in the US The Weinstein Company unveiled theirs.

The movie will open the LFF with a gala screening on Wednesday 8th October at the Odeon Leicester Square, with a live cinecast from the red carpet and simultaneous screenings taking place at cinemas across the UK.

You can take a look at the trailers below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘THE IMITATION GAME is a nail-biting race against time following Alan Turing (pioneer of modern-day computing and credited with cracking the German Enigma code) and his brilliant team at Britain’s top-secret code-breaking centre, Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II. Turing, whose contributions and genius significantly shortened the war, saving thousands of lives, was the eventual victim of an unenlightened British establishment, but his work and legacy live on.

‘THE IMITATION GAME stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness, TV’s Sherlock) as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley (Atonement) as close friend and fellow code-breaker Joan Clarke, alongside a top notch cast including Matthew Goode (A Single Man), Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Rory Kinnear (Skyfall), Charles Dance (Gosford Park, TV’s Game of Thrones), Allen Leech (In Fear, TV’s Downton Abbey) and Matthew Beard (An Education).’

Director Morten Tyldum comments on the LFF announcement, “I am thrilled to be returning to London to share The Imitation Game with the audience of the BFI London Film Festival. The experience of directing this film has been so tremendously rewarding, and I am humbled to share Alan’s Turing’s incredible story on Opening Night.”

Of course Turing was gay, and to be honest the trailers are unlikely to assuage those worried the film will whitewash his sexuality. Although the US trailer does make oblique reference to it, you could still easily believe Keira Knightley is going to be the film’s ‘love interest’. Many will be keeping a close eye on The Imitation Game, as the importance of Turing’s story isn’t just in cracking German codes during World War II and the fact his work helped lead to modern computers, but that after the war he was prosecuted for his sexuality, shunned and made to chemically castrate himself, which eventually led to his suicide.

To sideline that is to do a disservice to a man who may have made many more breakthroughs if he didn’t live in a society that was happy to use him to help save the country, but then destroyed him after because of their narrow view of human love.

Hopefully the trailers are the ones sidelining the issue and not the movie. We’ll have to wait and see. (Many other mainstream films with gay content ignore that aspect in trailers that cater to the masses, with the logic that you won’t turn off gay-friendly people by not including it, but you could turn off others if you do).

The movie opens across the UK on November 15th. [Read more…]

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New Pics Of Benedict Cumberbatch As Gay Codebreaker Alan Turing In The Imitation Game

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imitation-game-pic2Back in December the first image of Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game was released. Now EW has brought us a couple more, as well at the actor’s brief thoughts on playing the character.

Turing is a pioneer of modern-day computing who is credited with helping crack the fiendish German codes, such as Enigma, during the Second World War. As Cumberbatch says, “He’s an exceptional man. I hope this film does justice to this unsung hero.”

The film chronicles the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team at Britain’s top-secret code-breaking centre, Bletchley Park. Turing, whose contributions and genius significantly shortened the war, saving thousands of lives, was the eventual victim of an unenlightened British Establishment.

Tragically in the 1950s Turing admitted to the police he was gay while reporting a robbery, believing they would protect him and catch those who’d stolen from him. Instead it was him who found himself in court. After he was convicted he was shunned by the establishment and despite his incredible mind he found himself pushed to the sidelines. He committed suicide (although some say it was an accident) not too long afterwards.

Cumberbatch stars alongside Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech and Matthew Beard. The film currently has an Oscar-bait November release date set.

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Benedict Cumberbatch, Henry Cavill Or Tom Hiddleston May Go Up Everest

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benedict-cumberbatchThe Fifth Estate may have bombed badly at the US box office last weekend, but Benedict Cumberbart is still very much in demand. That includes by Doug Liman, who wants him for his upcoming film, Everest, according the Deadline.

There are plenty of other hot names in contention, including Joel Kinnaman, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, Luke Evans, Dan Stevens, Matthew Goode, and Jim Sturgess – although it’s not known which of those will actually end up in the film as the legendary George Mallory and his Australian rival George Finch . Tom Hardy was previously attached, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

The story is an adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s non-fiction book Paths of Glory, which is all about explorer George Mallory’s attempt to get into the record books as the first man to reach the top of Mount Everest. The movie is all about Mallory’s obsession with the mountain, as well as his rivalry with fellow climber George Finch.

Mallory and his climbing partner Sandy Irvine failed in two attempts to scale the mountain in 1921 and 1922. They were spotted near the summit on their third attempt in 1924 but nobody knows if they actually made it to the top, as they died on the mountain. Their remains were discovered in 1999 by Mark Anker.

There’s also another movie called Everest in the works, which has Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke circling. That one is due to shoot this autumn and is about an infamous incident in 1996, when tragedy struck two separate groups who tried to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

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Stoker (DVD)

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Stoker was a real audience divider on its cinemas release, with some feeling that Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook’s first English-language film was an underwhelming bore, while others went as far as to call it a horror masterpiece. To be honest I can understand where both sides are coming from, as your appreciation of the film completely depends on whether you fall for the film’s endlessly dripping style. If you don’t, it’s difficult not to notice the plot is slightly wanting. [Read more…]

Matthew Goode Talks Stoker, Park Chan-Wook & Working With Nicole Kidman

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matthew-goode-stoker-portrait4-slide
English actor Matthew Goode is known for his roles opposite Mandy Moore in Chasing Liberty, in Woody Allen’s Match Point and the epic graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen. Other notable roles include the Evelyn Waugh adaptation Brideshead Revisited, Leap Year, Imagine Me and You, and A Single Man, opposite his friend Colin Firth. In STOKER, from acclaimed director Park Chan-wook, Goode plays Charlie Stoker, uncle to central character, India (Mia Wasikowska), and brother-in-law to Evie (Nicole Kidman)…

(Plus, take a look at a few more images of Matthew from a Stoker photo shoot at the bottom of this post) [Read more…]

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