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

Tom Of Finland (DVD Review) – Inside the challenging gay life of the homoerotic artist

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For a couple of years duelling biopics of Tom Of Finland were in the works, but this is the one that finally made it to the screen. The life of Touko Laaksonen is certainly an interesting subject to take on, and there are many ways it could have been done. The route they’ve gone down is to make a fairly traditional, prestige biopic, which is perhaps an unexpected choice for a man who made his name for outsider homoerotic art that defied conventions of both sexuality and class.

The film follows the life of Laaksonen, picking up his tale just after he has been discharged from the Finnish Army following the Second World War (the movie rather bypasses Finland complicated position in the conflict, other than that it was hell for the soldiers and also helped set off Touko’s love of Nazi uniforms). While he had encounters with men in the Army, in post-War Finland, being gay is still about furtive and dark meetings in order to avoid society’s rampant homophobia. [Read more…]

Tom Of Finland UK Trailer – The biopic of the famed gay erotic artist arrives soon

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After a couple of years where duelling biopics of Tom Of Finland were vying to get made, one is finally in the can and getting strong reviews on the festival circuit. Ahead of its August UK cinema release, a new trailer for the film has arrived. the first full for the movie about the artist, known for his images of musclebound and, err, well-endowed men in homoerotic poses, has arrived.

Born Touko Laaksonen, Tom Of Finland’s stylised images of hunky men with massive bulges, often wearing leather and/or uniforms, became iconic in the gay community. His popularity was initially helped by the fact that while many countries in the 1950s and 1960s saw photographs of naked and near-naked men as pornography, drawn pictures were classed as art and so Tom Of Finland’s images became extremely popular.

Despite the homophobic era his art came from, his stature has grown over the years to the point where the likes of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hold his images. The movie follow Laaksonen’s story, after he returns from the war to discover civilian life for a gay man is a battlefield in its own right. He finds refuge in his art.

Finnish and Swedish director Dome Karukoski directs the movie from a script by Aleksi Bardy. Take a look at the new trailer below. The film arrives in UK cinemas on August 11th. [Read more…]

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Tom Of Finland Trailer – Take a look at the biopic of the famed gay erotic artist

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After a couple of years where duelling biopics of Tom Of Finland were vying to get made. Now one is finally in the can and the first full for the movie about the artist, known for his images of musclebound and, err, well-endowed men in homoerotic poses, has arrived.

Born Touko Laaksonen, Tom Of Finland’s stylised images of hunky men with massive bulges, often wearing leather and/or uniforms, became iconic in the gay community. His popularity was initially helped by the fact that while many countries in the 1950s and 1960s saw photographs of naked and near-naked men as pornography, drawn pictures were classed as art and so Tom Of Finland’s images became extremely popular.

Despite the homophobic era his art came from, his stature has grown over the years to the point where the likes of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hold his images. The movie follow Laaksonen’s story, after he returns from the war to discover civilian life for a gay man is a battlefield in its own right. He finds refuge in his art.

Finnish and Swedish director Dome Karukoski directs the movie from a script by Aleksi Bardy. It should arrive in cinemas next year. [Read more…]

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Tom Of Finland Teaser – First look at the biopic of the famed gay erotic artist

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tom-of-finland-teaserAfter a couple of years where duelling biopics of Tom Of Finland were vying to get made, one has moved forward. The first teaser for the movie about the artist, known for his images of musclebound and, err, well-endowed men in homoerotic poses, has arrived.

Born Touko Laaksonen, Tom Of Finland’s stylised images of hunky men with massive bulges, often wearing leather and/or uniforms, became iconic in the gay community. His popularity was initially helped by the fact that while many countries in the 1950s and 1960s saw photographs of naked and near-naked men as pornography, drawn pictures were classed as art and so Tom Of Finland’s images became extremely popular.

Despite the homophobic era his art came from, his stature has grown over the years to the point where the likes of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hold his images. The movie follow Laaksonen’s story, after he returns from the war to discover civilian life for a gay man is a battlefield in its own right. He finds refuge in his art.

Finnish and Swedish director Dome Karukoski directs the movie from a script by Aleksi Bardy. It should arrive in cinemas next year. [Read more…]

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Tom Of Finland Biopic About Erotic Gay Artist To Shoot This Summer

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tom-of-finland-imageFor quite a long time two different biopics about Tom Of Finland have been duelling to get to the screen, but budget issues and other problems mean that both have been in development for years but haven’t actually completed shooting yet. However, now the ‘official’ one, which has the blessing of the erotic artist’s estate, is moving closer to the screen, as Deadline reports it will shoot this summer, and that the cast will be announced in the next couple of weeks at the Berlin Film Festival.

Born Touko Laaksonen, Tom Of Finland’s stylised images of hunky men with massive bulges, often wearing leather and/or uniforms, became iconic in the gay community. His popularity was initially helped by the fact that while many countries in the 1950s and 1960s saw photographs of naked and near-naked men as pornography, drawn pictures were classed as art and so Tom Of Finland’s images became extremely popular.

His stature has grown over the years to the point where the likes of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hold his images.

And to ensure a film will be worth watching, leather and fetish weren’t just things he drew, they were something he was drawn to in his own life. He even gained controversy over his belief that Nazi uniforms were sexy (although he didn’t like the Nazis themselves).

Finnish and Swedish director Dome Karukoski will direct the movie from a script by Aleksi Bardy. Karukowski comments, “This is the story of a man ahead of his time, bravely standing up against a world virulently against his right to be who he was – a homosexual man with homosexual fantasies. The story shows how literally one person can create change in the world, even with something as simple as an artist’s tools.”

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Another Biopic Of Homoerotic Artist Tom Of Finland Is Announced

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Tom-of-Finland-bio-coverBack in April, a preview trailer for a Tom Of Finland biopic, called TOM, was released, which directors Vesa Kuosmanen & Henri Huttunen made to drum up interest in the film they are planning to shoot next year. Now they have some competition, as Variety reports that another Finnish helmer, Dome Karukoski, is also planning a movie about the homoerotic artist.

Karukoski is currently promoting his latest movie, Heart of a Lion, which just premiered at TIFF, and has used the opportunity to announce his next movie. The Tom Of Finland movie will mark his English-language debut, and unlike the rival movie, this will be an authorised biopic, as a deal has been done with the artist’s estate.

Born Touko Laaksonen, the illustrator’s stylised images of hunky men with massive bulges, often wearing leather and/or uniforms, became iconic in the gay community. His popularity was initially helped by the fact that while many countries in the 1950s and 1960s saw photographs of naked and near-naked men as pornography, drawn pictures were classed as art and so Tom Of Finland’s images became extremely popular.

His stature has grown over the years to the point where the likes of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hold his images.

And to ensure a film will be worth watching, leather and fetish weren’t just things he drew, they were something he was drawn to. He even gained controversy over his belief that Nazi uniforms were sexy (although he didn’t like the Nazis themselves).

Producer Aleksi Bardy commented, “It’s impossible to overstate the impact Tom’s work has had on the image and self-image of gay men all over the world. He created the archetypes that now form an integral part of the iconography of popular culture, both gay and straight.”

Casting will start early next year, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see who takes on the lead role (and also whether the Finnish-language TOM still gets made)

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