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

Snowden (Blu-ray Review) – Oliver Stone looks into the life of the whistleblower

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Pretty much everyone has heard of Edward Snowden, but Oliver Stone wants to take us behind the headlines to look at the man himself and what he was exposing when he leaked top secret information about what spying agencies were up to. The movie opens at the end, with Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room, preparing to go on record with what he knows and the information he’s releasing. Most of the rest of the film is told in flashback, when a young Ed is forced out of the military and gets a job at the CIA in the days after 9/11. Along with his new career, he starts a relationship with the lefty, arty Lindsay (Shailene Woodley).

Initially pleased to be helping the US prevent another major terrorist attack, but after working for the CIA and then as an NSA contractor, Snowden becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the massive surveillance network the government has built. Secret projects and operations allow the spying agencies to go far beyond just finding the bad guys, and give them the ability to hide illegal activities and mistakes, and to track pretty much anyone and everything they choose, whether they’ve done anything wrong or not. [Read more…]

New Snowden Trailer – Oliver Stone directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the whistleblower tale

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joseph-gorden-levitt-as-edward-snowdenSnowden isn’t your usual Comic-Con fare, but the Oliver Stone film had a well-received panel in San Diego, which even included the real Edward Snowden participating via video link. For the rest of us, there’s a new trailer, which you can take a look at below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Academy Award®-winning director Oliver Stone, who brought Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and JFK to the big screen, tackles the most important and fascinating true story of the 21st century. Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a traitor by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.’

Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage also star.

Snowden was originally due to be released at the end of last year, however it was pushed back to September 2016. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Snowden Trailer – Oliver Stone directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the whistleblower tale

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joseph-gorden-levitt-as-edward-snowdenTo some Edward Snowden is a traitor, while to others he is a hero who blew the whistle of government spying programs. Now Oliver Stone is taking on the tale, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Snowden.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Academy Award®-winning director Oliver Stone, who brought Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and JFK to the big screen, tackles the most important and fascinating true story of the 21st century. Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a traitor by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.’

Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage also star.

Snowden was originally due to be released at the end of last year, however it was pushed back (not a good sign) to September 2016, although there have been rumours it may get moved back again. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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The Big Short Trailer – Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling & Brad Pitt get into a financial crisis

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big-short-trailer-slideThe Big Short certainly has an impressive cast – including Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Melissa Leo, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Karen Gillan and Selena Gomez – all attracted by a major studio movie that takes on the causes of the financial crisis, and those who saw what was coming when no one else could.

They also all seem to have slightly odd hair, but perhaps financial type people like having hair that looks like it was stuck on their head.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything. Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), and directed by Adam Mckay (Anchorman, Step Brothers) The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.’

An Oscar-qualifying Christmas release is planned for the US before in spreads to the rest of the world in early 2016. [Read more…]

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Zachary Quinto & Melissa Leo Up For Oliver Stone’s Edward Snowden Biopic

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zachary-quintoOliver Stone is pulling his Edward Snowden biopic together. He’s already got Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role, with Shailene Woodley as his girlfriend and Scott Eastwood also set to star. Now three more people are in talks, according to TheWrap.

Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo and Tom Wilkinson are all in negotiations for key roles. Quinto will be attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald, who Snowden entrusted with actually leaking the secret US government documents that caused a firestorm when they were released.

Melissa Leo will play Oscar-nominated documentary director Laura Poitras, who made Citizenfour about Snowden and also reported on the leaked NSA documents when they were first released.

Wilkinson meanwhile will play Guardian intelligence correspondent Ewen MacAskill, who was key in actually getting to documents checked and the information they contained to the public.

Oliver Stone will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kieran Fitzgerald (The Homesman). It’s believed it will start shooting soon.

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The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Trailer – Robin Williams really shouldn’t shout at Mila Kunis

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Robin Williams normally seems a pretty happy fellow, but as the title suggests, he’s going for a change of emotion in The Angriest Man In Brooklyn.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Some people have bad days. Henry Altmann (Williams) has one every day. Always unhappy and angry at the world including everyone in it, Henry sits impatiently at the doctor’s office when he is finally seen by Dr. Sharon Gill (Mila Kunis). Sharon, who is enduring her own bad day, reveals that Henry has a brain aneurysm. This news makes Henry even angrier, yelling at Sharon he demands to know how much time he has left.

‘Faced with Henry’s anger and insults, Sharon abruptly tells him he has only 90 minutes. Shocked and reeling by this news, Henry storms out of the office leaving Sharon stunned by what she has just done in a lapse of judgment. As Sharon goes on a city-wide search, Henry struggles with his diagnosis, determined to make amends with everyone he has hurt in his life.’

The great cast also includes Peter Dinklage, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones. It’s out in the US in May. [Read more…]

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Prisoners (DVD)

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Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a family man with a wife, teenage son and young daughter. His life is upended when his youngest child and her friend disappear. The only clue is an RV seen parked on their street shortly beforehand, which leads Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) to the vehicle’s owner, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), a young man with the mental age of 10.

As there’s no real evidence that Alex was involved in the girls’ disappearance, the police are unable to hold him. However the fact he ran from the cops and something Alex says in the parking lot convinces Keller that he was involved. Frustrated by the cops, Keller decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Alex and holding him in a dilapidated house he owns. Taking the law completely into his own hands, Keller turns up the pressure on Alex in order to try and force answers out of him. [Read more…]

Teresa Palmer & Melissa Leo To Star In Mark Webber’s The Ever After

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TERESA-PALMERMark Webber is an interesting guy. He’s an actor who’s popped up in the likes of Boiler Room and Scott Pilgrim, and his first movie as a director, Explicit Ills, won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2008. However he had a tough upbringing, as he lived homeless with his mum when he was a kid.

Now he’s returning to the director’s chair for The Ever After, which Variety reports has Teresa Palmer and Melissa Leo set to star. Phoebe Tonkin, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson and Kid Cudi are also in negotiations to play supporting roles.

Webber and Palmer co-write the script, ‘is about a brutal love story that explores the depths of marriage’.

Interestingly some of the film is already in the can, as the first part was secretly filmed in Australia in February, with the shoot culminating in Los Angeles and New York through July and August.

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Prisoners Trailer – Hugh Jackman loses his daughter, but can Jake Gyllenhaal help?

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You could be forgiven for thinking the only Hugh Jackman movie out this year is The Wolverine, but he’s also getting far more serious with Prisoners, and he’s got a great cast surrounding him to do it, including Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano. Now we’ve got out first trailer, which makes the film look like it could be pretty intense.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Keller Dover (Jackman) is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His 6-year-old daughter and her young friend are missing, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, but a lack of evidence forces the only suspect’s release. Knowing his child’s life is at stake, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. The desperate father will do whatever it takes to find the girls, but in doing so, may lose himself, begging the question: When do you cross the line between seeking justice and becoming a vigilante?’

The film is out this autumn. [Read more…]

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Melissa Leo To Reunite With Denzel Washington In The Equalizer

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Melissa-LeoAfter years in development, the movie version of The Equalizer is finally moving forward. Denzel Washington, Chloe Moretz and Marton Csokas are already signed up to sign, and now Deadline reports that they’ll be joined by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo.

It’s be a reunion for Leo and Washington following Flight. Denzel will play a man named McCall, who’s a retired covert operative who gets into the business of helping people in helpless situations. It’s reported that Leo’s character will provide him with, ‘intelligence about who he is facing when he runs up against a new adversary’.

Chloe Moretz is set to play a teen prostitute that McCall takes under his wing, with Csokas as the main villain. Antoine Fuqua is set to direct, with filming kicking off in a couple of months time.

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