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

Julieta (Blu-ray Review) – Pedro Almodovar returns with a new Spanish tale

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The latest from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar follows Julieta (Emma Suarez), a middle-aged woman contemplating leaving Madrid and going to live in Portugal with her boyfriend Lorenzo (Darío Grandinetti). A chance encounter with a childhood friend of her daughter who informs her that her estranged child is now living in Switzerland and has three children, causes Julieta to rethink her plan to leave Madrid, in case her child ever wants to contact her again.

The film then takes us back to a young Julieta (Adriana Ugarte), a woman just starting out in life, who meets Galician fisherman Xoan (Daniel Grao) on a train, where their passionate encounter results in both a pregnancy and the start of a love affair. Once their child, Antia, is born, Julieta tries to juggle her job, motherhood and Xoan, attempting to create an idyll for their child. However, a terrible accident changes everything and eventually leads to a separation. [Read more…]

I’m So Excited! (DVD)

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In the last decade or so, Pedro Almodovar has become a master of taking ideas and spinning them in unexpected and complicated directions, filling his movies with larger than life, complex characters who draw you into a world that seems slightly absurd and yet uncomfortably close to the murkiness of real life.

I’m So Excited takes him in a slightly different direction as it’s far simpler, a lot camper and more interested in being pure entertainment than most of his movies. This has disappointed some, who were expecting an ‘Almodovar’ movie, but that doesn’t mean it lacks its own small-scale charms, even if it’s unlikely to amaze many. [Read more…]

Interview: Pedro Almodovar Talks I’m So Excited & Why He’s Not A ‘Gay Director’

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Pedro Almodovar is one of the most prominent European directors in the world. He’s also one of the most prominent gay directors – or rather director who happens to be gay, as he’d probably prefer it put. He’s back with I’m So Excited, a movie which perhaps has the most overt gay sensibility of any of his films.

The film hits DVD in the UK on August 26th, and to celebrate that we have an interview with Pedro, where he talks about the movie, how it’s a metaphor for modern Spain, and what it was like being gay as a young man in the era of General Franco.

Your new film, which is a great joy to watch and a great joy to experience. It was really great fun. I really enjoyed it.
Yeah, it was very funny to do it. I actually thought that making this film would be a much lighter experience for me than the films I’ve been making. But that was actually silly to think that. It wasn’t like that at all. Why should I ever think that? Because in fact comedy is perhaps one of the most difficult genres of films that you can make because it requires much more precision. It’s much tougher to make. And for me, in fact, that whole process of filming was a process where I had to have eyes on everything. I had to have eyes in the back of my head to watch what was going on, but in fact the film itself was a celebration for all of us.  It was a joy for all of us to make, particularly because it took me back to the tone of the first films that I made when I started off my career: The comedies. [Read more…]

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I’m So Excited (Cinema)

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Just when Pedro Almodovar earned himself a new audience with the brilliantly bonkers Skin I Live In, he follows it up with a film that at best can be described Almodovar-lite. It’s charming enough and at times well-acted, but ultimately too paper-thin to be remembered along with his great works.

If he is the high priest of camp then it was only a matter of time before he made a film set on a plane, with three stewards as his main characters. And very funny they are, although their constant bitching and fussing about who is bisexual and who has slept with who gets tiresome over the 90 long minutes. Even their singing of the title song by the Pointer Sisters wears a bit thin after 30 seconds. [Read more…]

Camp New UK Trailer For Pedro Almodovar’s I’m So Excited Lands

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Pedro Almodovar returns soon with I’m So Exited, which looks like it’s going to be his gayest and campest movie in a very long time. Now Total Film has debuted a new UK trailer for the movie, which shows us plenty of very gay aeroplane shenanigans, as well as Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas’ working on the ground for their cameo appearances.

The film is about the passengers and crew of a seemingly doomed passenger plane as panic overtakes the aircraft. The film features Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Duenas, Raul Arevalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, along with ‘special collaborations’ with Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega.

A UK release date of May 3rd is currently set, with the US getting it in June.

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I’m So Excited Spanish Teaser – Pedro Almodovar gets camp with Cruz & Banderas

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Pedro Almodovar is back soon with what looks like it’s going to be his gayest and campest movie in a long time – I’m So Exited. Now a new Spanish teaser trailer has arrived, which gives us a glimpse of Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas’ cameos.

The film is about the passengers and crew of a seemingly doomed passenger plane as panic overtakes the aircraft. The film features Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Duenas, Raul Arevalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, along with ‘special collaborations’ with Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega.

A UK release date of May 3rd is currently set.

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Pedro Almodovar Plans A Sci-fi Movie

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Pedro Almodovar isn’t normally thought of as a sci-fi director, although his last film, The Skin I Live In, certainly had sci-fi elements and they’ve also popped up in some of his other movies. However it now appears the gay director wants to make a full-on sci-fi, according to Variety.

Almodovar was recently in London both to accept The Skin I Live In’s BAFTA award for Best Film Not In The English language (he’s only 10 months later in picking that one up), as well as to deliver the institute’s annual David Lean Lecture on his personal film heritage.

He told the audience, “The way I would like to do a science-fiction movie is to present something impossible in a real, domestic way. I am still young enough to make one. I have ideas for the genre. One of the scripts currently on my desk is of that genre, so I hope to make it.”

That’s certainly not him saying this will be on our screens soon (he said as much: “I live with my stories for many years. I write more like a novelist than a screenwriter.”), but a proper Almodovar sci-fi movie is certainly an intriguing proposition. The director apparently cited Invasion Of The Body Snatchers as a touchstone for him, which could give us a hint as to what sort of film he might make.

Almodovar’s next film is I’m So Excited, a comedy starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega. It should be in cinemas next summer.

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The Skin I Live In (2011)

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Pedro Almodovar rarely makes a bad movie and The Skin I Live In is no exception. Antonio Banderas plays a doctor called Robert Legrand, who’s known for his advances in artificial skin and sex change operations. However he hides a secret, because locked away at home is a woman (Elena Anaya) he’s been doing surgical experiments on. She wants to get out, but Robert has a sophisticated security system and a dedicated mother (Marisa Parades) to keep her in. But is he keeping her in because what he’s been doing is illegal, or is there more going on?

The Skin I Live In is the sort of film where I don’t want to say too much about the plot or it’ll spoil the film’s slow reveal, but suffice to say things are not as they appears, and it all has to do with former tragedies in the doctor’s life and the destruction of his family. And it’s no coincidence the woman looks like Robert’s deceased wife. [Read more…]

Weekend Gets Two London Critics’ Circle Film Awards Nominations

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The people behind Weekend should be smiling today, as the little film that could not only hit £200k at the UK box office over the weekend but it’s just picked up two nominations from the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.

Director Andrew Haigh is up for Breakthrough British Filmmaker while Tom Cullen is in the mix for British Actor Of The Year. It’s a great shame the film missed out in the British Film Of The Year category, but that’s more testament to what a good year it’s been for UK film than anything about the wonderful movie.

Other LGBT allied nominations include Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In in the Foreign-Language Film Of The Year category, and Christopher Plummer up for Best Supporting Actor for playing an elderly gay man in Beginners.

You can find the full list of nominations here.

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Golden Globe Nominations Announced

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The Golden Globes may be a bit of a pointless dog & pony show (it’s essentially about Hollywood trying to line up Oscar nominations, with the rest of us caught up in that), but they’ve certainly grown into a big deal in the public consciousness. The nominations for the 2012 ceremony have now been announced and there’s a pretty good showing for LGBT-themed movies.

Overall, the most notable thing is how ecumenical the nominations list is, with a large amount of films getting a look in and nothing jumping forward as an obvious frontrunner. The Artist got the most noms though, with six, and so now has to be seen as having a good shot of picking up the big gong, although whether the silent movie can go on to Oscar success is less certain.

On the LGBT front, Christopher Plummer scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination as an elderly gay man in Beginners, continuing a march many believe could end with him picking up an Oscar. Also making a decent Golden Globe showing was Albert Nobbs, with Glenn Close nominated for Best Actress – Drama for playing the title character, who was born female but lives as a man in 19th Century Ireland. Janet McTeer was also nominated for the movie in the Best Supporting Actress category. And just to ensure an even stronger LGBT showing in the acting categories, Leo DiCaprio was nominated for playing the closeted J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s biopic of the FBI chief.

As for real-life LGBT actors, bisexual Tilda Swinton was nominated for Best Actress in We Need To Talk About Kevin, Jodie Foster scored a nomination for Carnage and Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In picked up a nod in the Best Foreign Language Film category,

Take a look at all the nominations in the film categories below:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
50/50
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
George Clooney for The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio for J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender for Shame
Ryan Gosling for The Ides of March
Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis for The Help
Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Jean Dujardin for The Artist
Brendan Gleeson for The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for 50/50
Ryan Gosling for Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson for Midnight in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Jodie Foster for Carnage
Charlize Theron for Young Adult
Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet for Carnage

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:
Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks for Drive
Jonah Hill for Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen for A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer for Beginners

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:
Bérénice Bejo for The Artist
Jessica Chastain for The Help
Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer for The Help
Shailene Woodley for The Descendants

Best Director – Motion Picture
Nominees:
Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris
George Clooney for The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Alexander Payne for The Descendants
Martin Scorsese for Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Nominees:
The Artist: Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Ides of March: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen
Moneyball: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Nominees:
Albert Nobbs(“Lay Your Head Down”)
Gnomeo & Juliet: Elton John, Bernie Taupin(“Hello Hello”)
The Help: Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr.(“The Living Proof”)
Machine Gun Preacher(“The Keeper”)
W.E.(“Masterpiece”)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Nominees:
The Artist: Ludovic Bource
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Hugo: Howard Shore
War Horse: John Williams
W.E.: Abel Korzeniowski

Best Animated Film
Nominees:
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees:
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid with a Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

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