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

Annihilation Trailer – Natalie Portman heads back to sci-fi for director Alex Garland

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The Beach author Alex Garland proved he was a very capable director with Ex Machina. Now he’s returning with a female-led sci-fi trip into a strange place where the normal rules of nature don’t apply.

The movie sees Portman as a biologist who agrees to go on a mission into a zone know as The Shimmer. Her husband (Oscar Isaac) went on a previous mission into the region and was the only thing to return – but in a coma. Heading in she discovers a place full of strange creatures and things that don’t appear as if they are possible.

Based on Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling Southern Reach Trilogy, Annihilation also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Tuva Novotny. It’ll be released in US cinemas in February, while Netflix will stream it many other countries (inlcuding the UK) from early March. [Read more…]

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Ridley Scott Directing Movie About Getty Kidnapping, With Natalie Portman Circling To Star

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Ridley Scott is busy finishing up his latest Alien movie, Covenant, and while he’s promised there’s another trip into world of xenomorphs coming in the future, he’s planning something rather different before he completes his Alien prequel trilogy. Variety reports he’s set to direct a movie about the real-life kidnapping of the grandson of billionaire John Paul Getty, with Natalie Portman possibly starring.

The film will be about, ‘the 1973 kidnap in Italy of J. Paul Getty III — the rebellious teenage grandson of oil billionaire J. Paul Getty, who was reluctant to pay the $17 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers… The kidnappers sent a lock of hair and the teen’s severed right ear to the family to convince them pay the ransom. Harris and the boy’s father eventually convinced the elder Getty to pay a $2.9 million ransom, resulting in the teenager being freed after six months. He had been chained to a stake in a cave in Italy.’

Natalie Portman is circling the role of John Paul Getty III’s mother, Gail Harris, a role Angelina Jolie was recently offered, but turned down due to scheduling issues. Scott is planning to start shooting almost immediately after he’s completed publicity duties on Alien:Covenant, with filming set to begin in Italy in late May.

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Song To Song Trailer – Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender & Natalie Portman star in Terrence Malick’s latest

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Never one to do the conventional thing, director Terrence Malick shot Song To Song (until recently known as Weightless) back to back with Knight Of Cups. While that movie came out in 2015, Malick decided to work and rework Song To Song, while also working on his documentary Voyage Of Life.

Now though the film is finally on its way, with a trailer released.

Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, and Natalie Portman play the central roles, with Benicio del Toro, Haley Bennett, Clifton Collins Jr., Holly Hunter, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Angela Bettis also making appearances. It’s known the likes of Trevante Rhodes and Boyd Holdbrook also filmed scenes, although a no one has seen the finished version yet, it’s not clear if they’ll make the final cut.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In this modern love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene, two entangled couples — struggling songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Natalie Portman) — chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.’ Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Jackie Trailer – Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy following her husband’s assassination

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jackie-natalie-portman-slideFollowing its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, many suggested that Natalie Portman could be looking at at least a Oscar nomination for playing the title in Jackie. Fox Searchlight picked up the movie after its festival debut, and has now released the first teaser trailer.

The movie reunites Natalie with Black Swan’s Darren Aronosfky, but this time he’s only a producer, with Pablo Lorrain directing from a script by Noah Oppenheim. Rather than a full scale biopic, the movie will concetrate on Jackie in the days after JFK’s assassination, when rather than solely being able to deal with her own grief (and the fact her husband had been shot in the head right next to her), she was expected to lead the nation in mourning.

The movie will be hitting cinemas in the US in December, suggesting they’re certainly hoping for some award consideration. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Planetarium Trailer – Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp bathe together in 1930s Paris

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planetarium-slideWith the Toronto International Film Festival only weeks away, trailer for some of the movies that will be debuting there are starting to arrive. We just posted one for Lion, and now we’ve got Planetarium.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘The setting is Paris in the 1930s, where two sisters, American spiritualists Laura (Natalie Portman) and Kate Barlow (Lily-Rose Depp), are winding up a world tour. Seemingly adept at communicating with the dead, the women are somewhat less experienced with the business of the living. Nevertheless, their astonishing exhibit of apparently supernatural powers piques the interest of powerful French film producer André Korben (Emmanuel Salinger), who retains their strange talents for his wildly ambitious new film project. Laura and Kate are soon swept up in a scheme that, fusing art and the occult, portends a dark shadow soon to be cast over all of Europe.’

It also seem to involve them bathing together, as you’ll see in the trailer below. It’s not known yet when we’ll be able to see the movie. [Read more…]

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Jane Got A Gun (Blu-ray Review)

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Jane Got A Gun has had a few problems. That included a revolving door of actors getting involved and then backing out (including the likes of Jude Law, Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper), and director Lynn Ramsey leaving the production so late in the day that they didn’t know she was gone until she didn’t turn up for the first day of shooting. She was quickly replaced by Gavin O’Connor, who didn’t have a huge amount of time to prepare, which may explain why Jane Got A Gun isn’t all it might have been.

Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman) is a woman living on the rough, tough, wild west frontier of 19th Century America. Her husband (Roland Emmerich) returns home riddled with bullets after a confrontation with the violent Bishop Boys gang, led by the brutal John (Ewan McGregor). They know the Boys are going to want to track him down to finish off the job. Jane decides she needs help and so decides to enlist her ex-lover, Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton). [Read more…]

Natalie Portman & Nicholas Hoult Up For Xavier Dolan’s Death and Life of John F. Donovan

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Nicholas-Hoult

Back in 2014 Jessica Chastain, Kathy Bates, Susan Sarandon and Kit Harington all signed up to star in the first English-language film from queer Canadian writer/actor/director Xavier Dolan. It’s taken longer to get it going than originally planned (largely because he slotted in the upcoming It’s Only the End of the World beforehand), but Dolan has managed to hang on to his cast, along with previously announced actors such as Michael Gambon, Bella Thorne, Chris Zylka and Emily Hampshire.

However, he’s decided that isn’t an impressive enough ensemble, as Variety reports that Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult and Thandie Newton have joined The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. The film is about an American TV star (Harington) with everything working out for him who has a secretive correspondence with an 11 year old in London. When a gossip columnist (Jessica Chastain) makes the whole thing look indecent, his life is turned upside-down.

It’s not clear who the newly announced actors will play, but it is known that Kathy Bates is set to be the actor’s high-powered manager, while Sarandon will play his mother.

Film rights are currently being sold at the Berlin film festival, with plans to shoot later this year.

 

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Take Your First Look At Natalie Portman As Jackie Kennedy

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jackie-natalie-portman

Since becoming a mom Natalie Portman has somewhat limited her on-screen roles, but she coming back with Jackie, in which she’ll play JFK’s First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. The first photo of Portman in the role has now been released, which you can see above.

The movie reunites Natalie with Black Swan’s Darren Aronosfky, but this time he’s only a producer, with Pablo Lorrain directing from a script by Noah Oppenheim. Rather than a full scale biopic, the movie will concetrate on Jackie in the days after JFK’s assassination, when rather than solely being able to deal with her own grief (and the fact her husband had been shot in the head right next to her), she was expected to lead the nation in mourning.

At the moment it’s not clear when we’ll see the finished movie, but many expect it to be screened at festivals towards the end of the year, with a full release in 2017. However if it’s good, don’t be surprised if it gets an Oscar qualifying run in the US at the end of 2016.

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Jane Got A Gun Trailer – Natalie Portman goes to the Old West with Ewan McGregor

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jane-got-a-gun-slideJane Got A Gun got off to a really rough start, with cast issues and director Lynne Ramsey leaving the day before it was due to start shooting. That caused huge delays, more cast changes and the recruitment at short notice of a new helmer, Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).

Hopefully it’s manage to overcome those teething issues.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Jane Got a Gun [Natalie Portman] centers on Jane Hammond, who has built a new life with her husband Bill “Ham” Hammond after being tormented by the ultra-violent Bishop Boys outlaw gang. She finds herself in the gang’s cross-hairs once again when Ham stumbles home riddled with bullets after dueling with the Boys and their relentless mastermind Colin. With the vengeful crew hot on Ham’s trail, Jane has nowhere to turn but to her former fiancé Dan Frost for help in defending her family against certain destruction. Haunted by old memories, Jane’s past meets the present in a heart-stopping battle for survival.’ [Read more…]

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Natalie Portman Takes On A French Ghost Story With Planetarium

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natalie-portmanWe haven’t seen a vast amount Natalie Portman in the last couple of years, as while she’s appeared in the Thor films and a couple of other movies, she’s largely devoted herself to being a mother. However now she’s got a new film and she’s going French, as she’s set to appear Planetarium, according to Variety.

Johny Depp’s daughter, Lily Rose Depp, is also set to star, with her and Partman playing spiritualist sisters, who are believed to possess the supernatural ability to connect with ghosts. There are few other plot details, although the 1930s French-set film has a plot with a political context that ‘will have a modern resonance with the current crisis and rise of extremism in Europe’, which suggests it will be set against the backdrop of the rise of Naziism.

Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central) will direct, from a script she co-wrote with Robin Campillo (who most recent wrote and directed the excellent, gay-themed Eastern Boys). The plan is to shoot in September with the movie ready for release by the middle of 2016.

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