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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

Malaysia Backs Down On Gay Cuts To Beauty & The Beast

March 21, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

In the game of chicken that Disney has been playing with the Malaysian censors, the House Of Mouse has won. Last week, just a few days before it was due for release, Disney pulled the movie from release in Malaysia due to cuts to LGBT-related content that had been demanded.

Although Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board said it was just a small cut they wanted to the very end of the movie, it turned out it was much more, with reports they wanted the entire ‘Gaston’ musical number removed, due to the fact at one point two men hug. Disney refused and the Censorship Board then tried to deflect blame, saying they would have probably allowed the movie through, if director Bill Condon hadn’t talked about the ‘gay moment’ and (in their eyes) forced them to act.

Initially neither side seemed to want to back down, but now the Film Censorship Board has decided they will allow the movie to screen intact, with the equivalent of a PG-13/12 rating. It will now be released in Malaysia on March 30th.

Gay sex is still illegal in Malaysia and discrimination is pervasive, with one of the lowest levels of acceptance of homosexuality by society in Asia, and in recent years the situation has arguably gotten worse.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

March 17, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Starring: Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans
Director: Bill Condon
Running Time: 129 mins
Certificate: PG
Release Date: March 17th 2017 (UK)

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…]

Beauty & The Beast Release Delayed Indefinitely In Malaysia, Despite Cutting ‘Gay moment’

March 14, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

When people wonder why Hollywood is so reticent about putting LGBT characters in their big releases, the fuss over some minor gay content in Disney’s Beauty & The Beast is good evidence of why studio execs shy away from it. The fear is that there will a backlash from the religious right and various countries around the world either banning the film or making it difficult for people to see. As a result, the worry that it will lower the box office means LGBT characters are still a major rarity in big Hollywood films.

The latest country where Beauty & The Beast is causing a stir is Malaysia, where the censorship board cut the ‘gay moment’ involving the character LeFou, and gave the movie a ‘PG-13’ style rating. “We have approved it but there is a minor cut involving a gay moment. It is only one short scene but it is inappropriate because many children will be watching this movie,” Abdul Hamid, chairman of Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board, told the Associated Press

However, the film was still due to be released at the end of this week. Now though, it has disappeared off the schedules.

It appears the decision was made by Disney, which has said the release of the movie in the country is now the subject of ‘internal review’. However, few other details have been released about why the decision was made. Some have suggested that despite the censorship, Disney may have known of plans for protests against the movie, or had even received threats, although it appears that is purely speculation. Gay sex is still illegal in Malaysia and discrimination is pervasive, with one of the lowest levels of acceptance of homosexuality by society in Asia, and in recent years the situation has arguably gotten worse.

Elsewhere, Beauty & The Beast met calls to be banned in Russia and ended up with an adults only rating, while some on the religious right in the US have been protesting the movie over the ‘gay moment’. Even so, it’s still expected that the movie will gross over $200 million worldwide this weekend, once it starts rolling out on Thursday. If the film can still be a big success despite the fuss over a little bit of gayness, it may show nervous Hollywood studio execs that LGBT characters and themes aren’t the kiss of death for big budget movies that they seem to think they are.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

Russia Rates Beauty & the Beast As Being For Adults Only, Due To Gay Character

March 7, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

You would think Russia had more important things to worry about than the recently revealed, “Nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie”, that director Bill Condon says will occur in the upcoming live-action Beauty & The Beast. However, almost the moment the news broke, politicians in Russia started frothing at the mouth about gay propaganda.

For example, MP Vitaly Milonov called for a ban – and he seemed as upset about the human-buffalo romance as he was about the gay moment – saying that the film (which he hasn’t seen) contained “perverted sexual relations” and would contravene the Russian law banning, “gay propaganda against minors”.

He hasn’t quite got his wish, but the Russian Ministry Of Culture has decided that the Disney fairytale is evil enough to give it a 16+ rating, the second highest rating, meaning it’s been deemed suitable only for those over 16.

Disney isn’t likely to be weeping too much though, as while they had the highest grossing movie in Russia last year, Zootopia, it still only made £39 million in the country. As Beauty & The Beast is currently tracking for a gargantuan $120 million opening just in the US, if a bit of homophobia affects it in Russia, it shouldn’t matter too much. The film will be out on March 17th.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

March 4, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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.”

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Josh Gad  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

March 1, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Josh Gad  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

February 21, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Emma Watson  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

January 31, 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

November 14, 2016 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Josh Gad  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  

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

November 11, 2016 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

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.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Josh Gad  DIRECTORS: Bill Condon  FILMS: Beauty and the Beast (2017)  
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