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

The Master (Blu-ray)

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The Master almost needs two completely separate reviews, as it’s an audience divider if ever there was one. Some people with undoubtedly find Paul Thomas Anderson’s film tedious, repetitive, pointless, confusing and boring. However others will find it absorbing and endlessly thought-provoking, although even they will have difficulty coming to any firm conclusions about what the movie is ‘about’.

To be honest, while I liked the movie an awful lot, I’m still not 100% convinced it isn’t cinematic masturbation, but if it is, it’s masturbation turned into an art form – and possibly cinematic masturbation about cinematic masturbation. [Read more…]

Hotel Transylvania Takes September Record At US Box Office

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Sony execs will be smiling today, as while September is usually seen as a bad time to release family films in the US, Hotel Transylvania took a strong $43 million, which isn’t just good for an original animated movie, but is actually the biggest weekend gross any movie has ever taken in September. Indeed the month is normally such a slow time the previous record holder was Sweet Home Alabama, which took $35.6 million on its opening in 2002.

Looper also did well thanks to lots of buzz and great reviews, taking $21 million in its first three days. Although that may not seem a lot for a sci-fi film, it’s actually very good for the sort of cerebral sci-fi the movie deals in. Word of mouth should also ensure it has a long run.

The real overperformer was Pitch Perfect, which may have only reached number six on the chart and $5.2 million, but it did so on only 335 screens, giving it the highest per-screen average of the weekend. It bodes well as the Anna Kendrick movie expands onto more screens over the next few weeks.

The final new entry is Won’t Back Down, which rather flopped as despite the Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis movie opening on 2,550 screens, it took just $2.7 million. That’s the second worst opening ever for a film opening on more than 2,500 screens (indeed many have wondered why it got such a big screen count, considering the minimal marketing push).

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of September 28th-30th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Hotel Transylvania $43.0 $43.0
2 Looper $21.2 $21.2
3 End Of Watch $8.0 $26.1
4 Trouble With The Curve $7.5 $23.7
5 House At The End Of The Street $7.1 $22.2
6 Pitch Perfect $5.2 $5.2
7 Finding Nemo (3D) $4.0 $36.4
8 Resident Evil: Retribution $3.0 $38.7
9 The Master $2.7 $9.6
10 Won’t Back Down $2.7 $2.7
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New Extra-Long The Master Trailer Debuts

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Here’s an interesting one. The Master has already been out in the States for a couple of weeks, but to thank fans for its success, director Paul Thomas Anderson has decided to release a new, extra-long trailer for the movie. You might wonder why fans would want thanks with a trailer, but the intriguing thing is that like earlier promos, it features a lot of footage that didn’t make the final film, or which shows things from a different angle. Many people have spoken about the film’s enigmatic nature, and this certainly seems to add to that. We in the UK will get to see whether The Master is all it’s cracked up to be hwne it opens on November 2nd.

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End Of Watch & House At The End Of The Street Tie At Top Of US Box office

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Normally by Monday morning, we know which movie has topped the chart over the weekend, but not so today, as there are three movies which could end up on top when final figures are released later on. Based on estimates, both End Of Watch and House At The End Of The Street took $13 million, while Trouble With The Curve was close behind with $12.7. There’s a chance any of those movie could end up at number one when final figures are tallied.

None of them can be described as a breakout hit, although End Of Watch and Trouble With The Curve certainly won’t be disappointed, as many had wondered whether they’d struggle more than they have.

Dredd however came to earth with a thud, taking $6 million to place sixth on the chart. While the film has had good reviews, it doesn’t seem to have struck a chord with American audiences, which is a shame.

The Master also made its first appearance in the top 10, after breaking records in extremely limited release last week. The film took $5 million as it expanded from five to 788 screens. With ecstatic reviews, it should continue to play well over the next few weeks.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 (based on estimates) for the weekend of September 21st-23rd.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 End Of Watch $13.0 $13.0
2 House At The End Of The Street $13.0 $13.0
3 Trouble With The Curve $12.7 $12.7
4 Finding Nemo (3D) $9.4 $29.9
5 Resident Evil: Retribution $6.7 $33.4
6 Dredd $6.3 $6.3
7 The Master $5.0 $6.0
8 The Possession $2.8 $45.6
9 Lawless $2.3 $34.5
10 Paranorman $2.2 $52.5
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Fresh The Master Trailer – New look at Paul Thomas Anderson’s film

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After waiting what seems like eons for a new Paul Thomas Anderson movie (There Will Be Blood was back in 2007), The Master is nearly here, with a November 9th UK release date now set. Now a new trailer has been released. Set in America in the years following World War II, a charismatic intellectual (Philip Seymour Hoffman) launches a faith-based organisation and taps a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) as his right-hand man. But as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the onetime vagabond finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.

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The Master Teaser Poster Debuts

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It’s been a long wait for a new Paul Thomas Anderson movie. We got There Will Be Blood in 2007, but it’s taken ages to get to the point where it’s only a few months until The Master arrives. Now a new poster for the movie has arrived, although quite what it’s got to do with the movie is anyone’s guess. It looks a bit like a wine label, but that doesn’t really seem to have much to do with a film about a drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) who ends up as the right hand man of a guy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who’s set up his own religion/cult. Hopefully all will become clear before the film’s release on November 9th. (Image via Huffington Post)

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New Trailer For Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master

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When the first footage debuted at Cannes, we got our first brief look at Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master. Now a new trailer has arrived, which makes the film seem oddly intense. The movie is a 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as ‘the Master’ (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), whose faith-based organisation begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) who becomes his right-hand man. The movie is loosely based on the birth of Scientology, although the company behind the movie has already reached out to the ‘religion’ to say they have nothing to worry about. Although with Scientology sometimes being a bit like an attack dog, we’ll have to see if they go on the offensive or not.

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The Master Teaser Trailer

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One of the effects of the financial crisis is that many directors who everyone agrees are extremely good but not particularly commercial have found it tough to get movies made. We haven’t had a film from Paul Thomas Anderson since 2007’s There Will Be Blood, largely he couldn’t get funding for love nor money. Now he’s back with The Master. The first footage debuted yesterday at Cannes and now we get a teaser trailer for the film, which undoubtedly has a bit of a There Will Be Blood vibe. Set in America in the years following World War II, a charismatic intellectual (Philip Seymour Hoffman) launches a faith-based organization and taps a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) as his right-hand man. But as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the onetime vagabond finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.

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