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 Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Cinema Review)

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Here we have the end of a franchise that initially I didn’t think I would like, but which I have been impressed with over the years. Yet another teen book sensation transitioned onto the big screen, and on the surface The Hunger Games (2012) seemed like a tween rip-off of the excellent Battle Royal (2000). However, it was so much more than what I was expecting and its sequel Catching Fire (2013) is one of those rare sequels that is better than its predecessor.

As Hollywood trends seem fit, the third and final book, Mockingjay, was split into two movies a la Harry Potter, Divergent and Twilight. But this trend generates more money for the studio and the audience gets more time with the characters and story that they love. Everyone (in theory) wins, although with Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) the audience was left hungry for more (pun intended). [Read more…]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay District 13 Character Posters Emerge

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hunger-games-mockingjay-district-13-logoIn the world of The Hunger Game, the 12 districts had always been told the District 13 was completely obliterated after they tried to stand up to the Capitol. However as we discover in Mockingjay, that’s not true, as that’s where Katniss and others end up and where war against the ruling elite is brewing.

Now District 13 has a logo and six character posters, which you can see above, and as you can tell, it’s not exactly a happy, jolly Elysium – indeed it appears they have a major thing for grey.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is due out November 21st, 2014, with the final film (until an inevitable further sequel or spin-off is announced), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, out the same time the following year. [Read more…]

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Teaser Trailer – Revolution is brewing for Katniss and co.

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hunger-games-mockingjay-poster-slideIt’s here! After some smart marketing where The Capitol has been calling for unity in a very iron fist in a velvet glove way, the teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is here, and you can watch it below.

Revolution seems inevitable, but Katniss still isn’t sure if she wants to be the poster child for it, even if the Districts do need someone to rally around. The teaser also gives us a look at Julianne Moore as Alma Coin, whose feeling about Katniss may not be entirely altruistic.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is due out November 21st, 2014, with the final film (until an inevitable further sequel or spin-off is announced), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, out the same time the following year.

Take a look at the teaser trailer below. [Read more…]

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New A Most Wanted Man Trailer – Take a look at one of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final roles

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While we’ll get to see Philip Seymour Hoffman pop up in a supporting part in the two Hunger Games: Mockingjay movies (which he was in the middle of shooting when he died), his final major role is in A Most Wanted Man.

Now a new trailer has arrived, giving us a fresh look at Anton Corbijn’s take on John Le Carre’s tale.

Set in Hamburg, Germany, the plot is about a mysterious man who is near death and looking to retrieve his late father’s fortune. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a German spy chief who tries to determine the mystery man’s identity. Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Bruhl and Robin Wright co-star.

It’s due out in the UK later this year, with a July US date currently set. [Read more…]

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National Enquirer Settles Lawsuit Over Man They Said Was Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Gay Lover

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philip-seymour-hoffmanJust hours after the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, the National Enquirer published an article in which they claimed to quote the actor’s friend, the playwright David Bar Katz, as saying he and Philip had been lovers and this was why Hoffman has split with his female partner. It also said Katz has seen Philip using drugs and that he “wanted heroin and the gay life.”

Very shortly afterwards, Katz denounced the article, saying he’d never said any such thing and that it was all a pack of lies. He also launched a $50 million lawsuit against the Enquirer, with his lawyers saying, “The story is a complete fabrication: There was no interview. Bar Katz and Hoffman were never lovers. Bar Katz did not see Hoffman freebasing cocaine the night before he died, or at any other time. Bar Katz never saw Hoffman use heroin or cocaine.”

Shortly afterwards the National Enquirer removed the article and apologised.

Now the lawsuit has been settled, with the New York Times reporting that as a result, ‘Mr. Katz said he had formed the American Playwriting Foundation, which will give out an annual prize of $45,000 for an unproduced play. In honor of Mr. Hoffman’s dogged pursuit of artistic truth, it will be called the Relentless Award.

‘The foundation and the prize are being paid for by The Enquirer and its publisher, American Media Incorporated, under a settlement of the lawsuit… As part of the agreement, The Enquirer has also bought a full-page advertisement in the main news section of The New York Times on Wednesday. In it, The Enquirer says it was duped by a person claiming to be the same Mr. Katz.’

The exact amount of money The Enquirer will play has now been revealed, but Katzs’ lawyer sais, “It’s enough for the foundation to give out these grants for years to come.” Katz himself will get no financial enrichment from the settlement, although it’s great he found a way to turn something that was rather ugly into something positive.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Friend Sues Over Gay Affair Story

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philip-seymour-hoffmanThe internet was abuzz earlier today over a story published by the National Enquirer, which claimed Philip Seymour Hoffman’s friend, the playwright David Bar Katz, had revealed he had an affair with the actor, which had led to the break-up of Hoffman’s 15-year relationship with Mimi O’Donnell. It also said Katz had seen Hoffman taking drugs, and that Philip was “confused about his sexuality” and “wanted heroin and the gay life.” Although it did say Katz was unaware of how bad the situation was, which of course led to Hoffman’s death last Sunday.

Katz has been fast to hit back at the Enquirer, saying the entire story and its alleged interview are a lie. His lawyers have filed a $50 million lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court, which states: “The story is a complete fabrication: There was no interview. Bar Katz and Hoffman were never lovers. Bar Katz did not see Hoffman freebasing cocaine the night before he died, or at any other time. Bar Katz never saw Hoffman use heroin or cocaine.”

The playwright’s lawyer, Judd Burstein, added via THR: “This article is just disgusting. Here you have Phil’s family and his friends grieving, and the Enquirer comes along seeking to make a buck through putrid lies. Worse still, it appears that the Enquirer sent out a press release hyping the story so that it could sell more copies of the magazine. I do not know how these people can sleep at night.”

Many were dubious about the story before Katz’s lawsuit, not just because it was published by the notoriously unreliable National Enquirer, but also because it quoted the writer as saying things like “we were homosexual lovers”, a sentence very few gay people would ever use, especially not one paid for his words.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor Behind Some Of Cinema’s Most Interesting LGBT Roles, Found Dead

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Philip-Seymour-HoffmanThere’s been shock today with the news, via the Wall Street Journal, that acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been discovered dead in the bathroom of his New York Apartment. Although cause of death has not been officially determined yet, it’s believed the 46-year-old overdosed on drugs.

Hoffman had battled substance abuse for many years. This included a stint in rehab last year, which surprised many as most in Hollywood had believed the actors’ drug issues were behind him.

Hoffman first started getting noticed in film in the 1990s thanks to a series of ‘that guy’ scene stealing supporting performances in the likes of Twister, Boogie Nights and The Big Lebowski. He soon started becoming a star name in his own right in the likes of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Magnolia, Almost Famous and Red Dragon.

He topped that by winning an Oscar playing the title role in Capote, and continued to mix indie and mainstream projects ranging from Mission: Impossible III to Synedoche, New York.

While Hoffman was straight himself, he held an important role in bringing LGBT characters to the big screen and helping integrate them into popular cinema without their sexuality being the main/only thing about them. Whether as the slightly Dirk Diggler obsessed Scotty in Boogie Nights, the flamboyant drag queen Rusty in Flawless, or in his Oscar-winning performance as Truman Capote, Hoffman never shied away from exploring LGBT lives.

Some of his performances which weren’t overtly gay have been interpreted that way by some observers due to the qualities he chose to bring to them. These include his turns in Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Most recently in The Master, his Lancaster Dodd deliberately played with the character’s sexuality and whether Dodd was a closeted gay man unable to admit he was in love with Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell.

While Hoffman directed for the stage for many years, he didn’t helm his first movie until 2010 with the promising Jack Goes Boating. He was currently deep in pre-production on his second directorial outing, the supernatural thriller Ezekiel Moss, which only yesterday announced that Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams were set to star.

Hoffman was undoubted one of the best respected actors of his generation, and one who most had expected to have a illustrious career over the next few decades. Sadly that has now been cut short.

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Vincent Cassel Replaces Philip Seymour Hoffman In Child 44

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vincent-casselChild 44 is mid-production, but circumstances has resulted in a last minute addition to the cast, with Vincent Cassel stepping into a role that Philip Seymour Hoffman has departed. Deadline reports the news but doesn’t say exactly why Hoffman left. Let’s hope it’s not due to a relapse of the substance abuse issues he sought help for earlier this year.

Based on Tom Rob Smith’s novel, with Safe House helmer Daniel Espinosa directing, the Soviet Union set thriller is about a military police officer named Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) who has to investigate a string of brutal child murders that took place during the Stalin era. As he begins to dig further and further into the case, he realises that his government is keeping a sharp eye on every move he makes, and refuses to admit that the killings are actually happening.

Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Jason Clarke and Paddy Considine also star. It’ll be in cinemas next year.

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A Late Quartet (DVD)

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The world famous Fugue Quartet has reformed a year after cellist Peter’s wife passed away. Determined to play Beethoven’s notoriously challenging Opus 131, the aging Peter (Walken) is now facing retirement due to the early onset of Parkinson’s, while second violinist Robert (Hoffman) and his wife, violist Juliette (Keener), have reached a breaking point in their relationship. All the while the cold first violin, Daniel (Ivanir), refuses to accept that the people in his quartet are struggling to survive together. Can the quartet keep it together for one last grand farewell to Peter? [Read more…]

Philip Seymour Hoffman Up To Join Tom Hardy In Child 44

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Philip-Seymour-HoffmanPhilip Seymour Hoffman recently had to go to rehab to deal with a drug problem, but it thankfully looks like he’s getting things back on track, as he’s signed to star in Child 44, according to Deadline.

Based on Tom Rob Smith’s novel, with Safe House helmer Daniel Espinosa directing, the Soviet Union set thriller is about a military police officer named Leo Demidov (Hardy) who has to inverstigate a string of brutal child murders that took place during the Stalin era. As he begins to dig further and further into the case, he realises that his government is keeping a sharp eye on every move he makes, and refuses to admit that the killings are actually happening.

There’s no news on exactly who Hoffman will be playing, but he joins a cast that also includes Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, and Fares Fares. Filming recently began in Prague, with a 2014 release being eyed.

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