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

Ian McKellen Will Be The Good Liar Alongside Helen Mirren

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Ian McKellen has had a long and successful professional relationship with director Bill Condon, which has include Gods and Monsters (for which McKellen received his first Oscar nomination) and the more recent Mr. Holmes. The duo are now planning to get back together for an adaptation of Nicholas Searle’s novel, The Good Liar. Helen Mirren is also onboard as the other main lead, according to Deadline.

Searle’s novel is about, ‘career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen), who can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.’

Jeffrey Hatcher wrote the script for the movie, which should shoot later this year. There’s no news on when it might arrive in cinemas.

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Beauty & The Beast (IMAX Review) – Is there something gay there that wasn’t there before?

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If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That seems to have been the watchword with Beauty & The Beast. While there has been some tinkering around the edges of the 1991 animated classic to give everyone a bit more of a backstory, and to slightly soften some of the creepier Stockholm Syndrome elements, largely this live-action version is incredibly faithful. That goes as far as parts of the film being pretty much a shot-for-shot remake.

Inevitably, this will have some crying foul, seeing this as a cynical attempt by Disney to churn out another money-grabbing live-action take on one of their best films. Well, the fact is – yes, it is. But do you know what? I don’t care. [Read more…]

Josh Gad Wishes His Beauty & The Beast Character Hadn’t Been Outed, But Knows It’s Important

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A couple of days ago, it was revealed by Beauty & The Beast director Bill Condon that Gaston’s acolyte, LeFou, would have a ‘nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.’ That set off a lot of interest, with many praising Disney, while a few, including an Alabama drive-in that’s refusing to screen the movie, have decried it.

However, it turns out that Josh Gad, plays LeFou, didn’t know Condon was going to talk about the moment before the film was released. When asked about it by USA Today, he said, “I haven’t seen anything (about that), tell me more.”

He added, “I hope that it’s a surprise to audiences to some extent, although I don’t think it is anymore…. I’m honored to have that moment as part of my character’s arc. What was most important to me was taking a character that is wonderful and so iconic, but is defined by cartoon conceits in the (original) movie… and expanding on that, giving him dimension, making him human.”

He spoke more at the film’s premiere, with Variety reporting him saying, “As subtle as it is, I do think it’s going to be effective and I do think it’s important.”

Condon also expanded on his thoughts about making LeFou gay in the movie, saying, “It was something we developed as a part of a lot of things about LeFou. I’m excited for the moment that he has. I don’t want to give too much away because I think it’s part of a whole celebration of love, but Disney’s been great about it. That’s the thing; the whole ethic of that company is inclusion.”

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An ‘Exclusively Gay’ Disney Moment Is Coming In The Live-Action Beauty & The Beast

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It was only revealed a few hours ago, but already some of the right-wing press are talking about it as if it’s the official end of the world, but there’s going to be an ‘exclusively gay’ moment in a Disney movie. It’s been a long time coming, as despite the company itself and its theme parks being known as extremely gay-friendly, on-screen Disney has a very bad track record with LGBT characters. Indeed, in last year’s GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index, the studio was singled out for not including a single identifiably LGBT character in any of its movies.

While there have been plenty of hints and potential gay subtext in a lot of the studio’s films (enough that some Christian groups are convinced that any Disney film that has a theme suggesting someone should be themselves, is trying to turn the whole world gay), there haven’t been any properly, unequivocally gay moments in any of Disney’s family movies. However, if director Bill Condon is to be believed, that will change with the live-action Beauty & The Beast.

He tells Attitude that the movie will add a little more the story of the arrogant Gaston’s acolyte, Lefou, played by Josh Gad. Condon says, “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.”

There’s no info on exactly what the scene it, but it would suggest that at the end of the film, Lefou might get a bit of romance with a man who isn’t Gaston. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s played, and whether it’s done in a explicit way, or whether Disney will hedge its bets by having it as something that adults will understand while it’ll go over the kids’ heads.

Disney has flirted with gay characters before, but usually in coded or secretive ways. For example, in last year’s Zootropolis, Judy Hopps’ male neighbours may well have been a gay couple. This wasn’t clear from the actual film (they could have been roommates), and no one even thought about it until it was noticed in the credits they had the same surname. The Beauty & The Beast scene certainly seems like it’ll be a step forward, although not exactly the sort of fully realised LGBT storyline we might like to see in a Disney movie.

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Emma Watson Sings ‘Belle’ In Beauty & The Beast Opening Number Clip

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While the new live-action Beauty & The Beast will be longer than the 1991 Disney animated classic, the marketing has been keen to show off the similarities. The first full trailer was an almost shot-for-shot do-over of the one for the animated movie, and now a clip of the opening number has arrived, which suggests it will be almost exactly the same too, except live-action.

There are the same shots, the same characters and the same feel, with the main difference being it’s Emma Watson’s vocals rather than Paige O’Hara’s. You can take a look at it below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.

‘The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice. “Beauty and the Beast” will be released in UK Cinemas March 2017.’ [Read more…]

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New Beauty & The Beast Trailer – The live-action take on a tale as old as time gets magical

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It’s looking increasingly clear that Disney has a huge hit on its hands with its live-action version of Beauty and the Beast – assuming the film is as good as it looks, of course. The final trailer for the movie has now been released, which once more shows us plenty of classic moments from the 1991 animated movie recreated with Emma Watson as Belle and a CG-covered Dan Stevens as the Beast.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.’

The film will in in cinemas in March. [Read more…]

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Beauty & The Beast Trailer – A brand new take on a tale as old as time

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beauty-and-the-beast-pic1-slideThere are already a lot of people excited about Disney’s live-action Beauty & The Beast, and this first trailer is likely to up the anticipation. There may be a couple of special effect wobbles they can hopefully sort out in the next few months, but overall it looks as magical as you could hope for. And we have to say, the Beast is looking hot (partly due to having the gorgeous Dan Stevens under the CGI fur).

The promo is filled with live-action recreations of classic moments from the 1990s animated movie, back by a rousing school and a comforting reassurance that while things will have changed, much of what people love about the original will remain.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.’

The film will in in cinemas next March. [Read more…]

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New Poster For Live-Action Beauty & The Beast Pays Homage To A Classic Dance

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beauty-and-the-beast-poster2There’s a lot of interest in the upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast. With images and a new poster having arrived in the last few days, it can only be a short time until we get a proper trailer. As with much of the other marketing so far, it harks back to the classic animated movie, while also suggesting this will be just a little bit different.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.’

The film will in in cinemas next March.

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First Official Pics From Live-Action Beauty & The Beast Arrive

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beauty-and-the-beast-ew-coverWhile a few images from Disney’s upcoming Beauty & The Beast have been floating around, it’s only now that the House Of Mouse has officially released some, with the EW cover above, and some stills from the movie below. It gives us our first proper look at a CGI-assisted Dan Stevens as the Beast, with Emma Watson wearing the iconic yellow dress as Belle.

Alongside that, below you can see Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Lefou, Kevin Kline as Maurice (Belle’s dad), as well as Cogsworth, Lumiere and some of the Beast’s other enchanted servants, who will be voiced by Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.’

The film will in in cinemas next March. [Read more…]

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Take A Sneak Peek At The Live-Action Beauty & The Beast

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beauty-and-the-beast-slideI’d imagine even Disney didn’t realise just how anticipated their live-action version Beauty & The Beast would be. But they got a taste when a teaser – featuring no footage from the movie – broke Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ record for the most online views for a trailer in 24 hours. Now we have a little bit more from the movie.

Disney has released a small chunk of a featurette about the new movie which will feature on the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray of the animated version, which is out soon. The Sneak Peek gives us a look at Emma Watson and Dan Stevens at a table reading, as well as concept images and footage from the film.

While most of Disney’s live-action takes on its classic animated movies have reimagined the story, this time it will be a more straightforward musical adaptation, featuring the classic songs and characters. The movie will be out next March. [Read more…]

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