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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Nicolas Cage Joins Oliver Stone’s Edward Snowden Biopic

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nicolas-cageOliver Stone is bringing together a great cast for his planned biopic of Edward Snowden. Joseph Gordon Levitt is taking the lead role, with Shailene Woodley, Scott Eastwood, Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson, and Tom Wilkinson also onboard.

Now THR reports that Cage has joined the movie, playing a former U.S. Intelligence official, although it’s not clear exactly which one he will be.

Oliver Stone will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kieran Fitzgerald (The Homesman), which will look at Snowden, the infamous NSA operative who leaked thousands of highly sensitive government papers, causing great controversy and revealing a cache of hidden information. It made him a hero to some and a pariah to others.

As well as Snowden himself the film will cover the others involved, such as the people who helped Edward get the documents into the public domain, including Laura Poitras, who won an Oscar yesterday for her Snowden documentary Citizenfour (and will be played by Melissa Leo in the movie).

Stone’s biopic should start shooting soon.

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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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Joseph Gordon-Levitt May Be Edward Snowden For Oliver Stone

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joseph-gordon-levittA few months ago Oliver Stone stayed true to form and announced he wanted to make a movie about whistleblower Edward Snowden. Now the movie may have found its star, as Joseph Gordon-Levitt is circling the movie according to Deadline.

The movie is being pitched as a thriller, chronicling how Snowden went from being employed as an NSA contractor to deciding he should start leaking classified documents to Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald in 2013. The revelation ended with some lauding Snowden as a hero who unveiled government cover-ups and overreaching, while others see him as a traitor. He’s currently still in limbo in Russia.

Stone unsurprisingly is in the former camp. The director hopes to start shooting in December in Germany, from a script based on the book, Time Of The Octopus, by Snowden’s Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, and Guardian journalist Luke Hardin’s The Snowden Files: The Inside Story Of The World’s Most Wanted Man.

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Oliver Stone Plans Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic, With Jamie Foxx Starring

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Oliver-StoneFor quite a while DreamWorks has been planning to make a biopic of Martin Luther King Jr., but for the last year or so it’s been on the backburner. Now things are moving forward, with Jamie Foxx in talks to play the legendary civil right leader and Oliver Stone negotiating to direct, according to THR.

It was back in 2009 that the studio acquired the Civil Rights leader’s life rights and access to all of his copyrighted speeches, including his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, books and other works. It was the first time Martin Luther King’s family had granted permission to use his intellectual property for a feature film.

Kario Salem (Chasing Mavericks) wrote the screenplay, after spending three years doing research and interviews. Ronald Harwood (Quartet) wrote an earlier draft.

Steven Spielberg is producing for DreamWorks. It’s not clear when it might shoot.

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Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States (DVD)

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The fact this is ‘Oliver Stone’s’ Untold History Of The United States should give you a hint that this is not a series to toe the party line. Through its 10 episodes, Stone is determined to be as contrarian as possible, often to great effect but sometimes taking things a little too far. To be fair it’s an inevitable by-product of the project, which sets out to give the other side of US history – or at least what Stone seem to think is the other side, even when he’s saying things that most people now agree is true but which he seems to think is hidden knowledge. [Read more…]

Savages Trailer – Taylor Kitsch & Aaron Johnson in Oliver Stone’s latest

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It looks like Oliver Stone is moving back to the world of crime, drama and mixed film stocks with Savages, which seems more like his successful films on the 90s than the likes of Alexander and Wall Street 2. In the film, Laguna Beach ‘entrepreneurs’ Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch), run a lucrative, homegrown industry – raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Blake Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town, until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Salma Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon – with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (John Travolta) – wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills. Savages is due out in the UK on September 28th, 2012.

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First Poster For Oliver Stone’s Savages Debuts

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Will Taylor Kitsch be able to reclaim his year? John Carter flopped and there are already rumblings that Battleship isn’t very good, but he does have another movie that’s very different to his big budget rides and could show he’s got real star potential after all – Savages. Now the rather cool first poster for the movie has arrived, via JoBlo, which you can see above.

Based on Don Winslow’s novel, Savages is about two California weed growers (Kitsch & Aaron Johnson), whose lives are turned upside down when their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively) is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel enforcer (Benicio Del Toro). The film is due in cinemas in September.

Some new character posters for Pixar’s Brave have also popped up online, and you can see those below. That film’s out August 17th.

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