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

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

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The Iris Prize Festival has now drawn to a close, but its still worth seeking out some of the excellent short film that competed for the world’s largest short film prize, the Iris Prize. We’ve already posted our thoughts on the first 11 short films, and below you can find 12 more (presented in screening order – opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the overall jury).

Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 1
Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 3 [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

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For the last few years Big Gay Picture Show has tried to cover the wonderful Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff as it happened, with reviews being posted while the fest was still happening. However, this year I had the honour of being part of the International Jury, so as a result we decided to wait until the festival was over before we posted our reviews of the 35 shorts that were in contention for the £30,000 prize.

So what did I think? Take a look below at my thoughts on the first 11 short films (presented in screening order – opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the overall jury).

Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 2
Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 3 [Read more…]

American Gods – Season 1 (DVD Review) – Strange, surreal & TV’s most explicit gay sex ever?

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Quite a lot of people have tried to get Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel to the screen, but it’s never happened until now. Despite being beloved by a lot of people, you can see why the money men were nervous about ponying up the cash for a film or TV version, as the book is often strange, surreal and quite graphic, with various tangents and peculiar moments that could be unintentionally funny in the wrong hands.

However, executive producer Bryan Fuller was the right man to hire, as with the likes of Hannibal and Pushing Daisies he’s shown an affinity with unusual, multi-layered tale that often verge towards the surreal. He certainly brings that to American Gods, which is often perplexing and weird, and will annoy some due to the fact it obstinately refuses to fully explain what going on. [Read more…]

Girls On Film 2: Before Dawn (DVD Review) – The lesbian short film collection is back

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The gay-male focussed Boys On Film series is the most successful short film collection in the world, and recently celebrated its 16th instalment. A couple of years ago, it was joined by a sister release, Girls On Film, which presented a selection of lesbian-themed shorts.

Although there’s been a bit of a delay between releases, Girls On Film is back with Before Dawn, which features 11 short films from around the world. It’s an eclectic and interesting selection, so take a look at what we thought below. [Read more…]

Boys On Film 16: Possession (DVD Review) – 10 more gay short films get a great showcase

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It’s always a good day when a new Boys On Film gay short film collection is released. The most successful short film series in the world is now up to an impressive 16th instalment. You’d think by this point they’d be running out of decent gay-themed shorts to include, but thankfully across the world there are a lot of filmmakers producing great work, which has ensured a steady supply of new films to put on disc.

There’s an interesting and eclectic mix this time around. So what’s included amongst the 10 gay shorts on the discs? Take a look at what we thought below. And you can see what we think of other Boys On Film releases here. [Read more…]

Dropping The Soap (VoD Review) – Jane Lynch & Paul Witten head into a campy soap opera world

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The web series Dropping The Soap has been in the works for several years, but it’s only now that it’s arriving on VoD platforms, including the LGBT-centric streaming service, Dekkoo.com. It’s a 10-episode series, taking us into the mad world of the (fictional) US soap opera, Collided Lives.

Julian Draker (Paul Witten) is the star of Collided Lives, an egotistical man, obsessed with getting enough close-ups, maintaining his soap star status and ensuring nobody else upstages him. However, he has stiff competition from co-star Kit Knockers (Kate Mines), who would like nothing more than to knock Julian off his perch and become Collided Lives’ main star. [Read more…]

Love Is Blind – Season 1 (VoD Review) – The gay reality dating show the world has been waiting for?

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Does the world need a gay, reality dating show? Well, Love Is Blind thinks so, offering us seven episodes where guys in New York are set up on blind dates and sent off the see whether it will be love at first sight or total character clash.

The set-up is very simple. There’s a host, Mike Felton, in a studio who introduces the guys and comments on their date at various points. The daters themselves meet, go on an ‘activity’, head somewhere for drinks and food, and then go to a club – and cameras follow them all along the away. The result is that it does sometimes feel a little repetitious, with the main variety provided by what activity they send the guys on, which ranges from wrestling (in tight singlets) and boylesque (where they end up in thongs), to tantric yoga (in just underwear) – this is not a show hiding from the fact people will be watching Love Is Blind hoping it’s a little bit sexy. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 3 (Short Film Reviews)

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The final part of our Iris Prize short films review looks at the final 10 that competed for the International Short Film Prize – the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000. They cover a broad range of subjects, from adolescent crushes to sado-masochism.

Take a look at what we thought below. If you’re interested in our other Iris Prize 2016 short film reviews, you can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

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The motto of the Iris Prize Festival is ‘Watch Films. Party Nightly. Repeat.’ and unfortunately the ‘Party Nightly’ bit means these review have taken a bit longer to get ready than initially planned. However, you can check out our thoughts on another 10 of film that competed for the International Short Film Prize – the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000.

You can check out Part 1 featuring 15 LGBT short film reviews here, and the final part here: [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

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It’s the second day of Cardiff’s Iris Prize festival, where the 35 entrants in the International Short Film Prize are going up for the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000. We’ve been there watching all the International Shorts that have been screened so far, and it’s been a fascinating and diverse selection.

Take a look below to see what we thought of the first 15 offerings. If you’re interested in our other Iris Prize 2016 short film reviews, you can find Part 2 here, and Part 3 here: [Read more…]