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

Ferdinand (Blu-ray Review) – A little bit gay or just a load of old animated bull?

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I sometimes think the people who panic about ‘the gay agenda’ really ought to pay more attention to kids’ movies. If you’re looking for queer narrative – which never say they’re queer – you don’t have to look much further. For a start, nearly every animated movie revolves around the theme of being true to yourself. You also have numerous movies about parents finding it difficult to accept difference in their child, that child being a misfit who’s not the same as others and is often bullied for it, and who will eventually win by accepting themselves and being proud of it.

All that could just be coincidence, but then there are things such as the fact that a lot of animated movies consciously deal with ideas about chosen families, something you normally only hear about in a queer context. It was this that got me considering the queer side of Ferdinand. Partway though the film, the titular character is insisting the dog he grew up with is his ‘brother’, while the dog says he can’t be the family of a bull because that’s not the way things work. Ultimately that becomes the main theme of the movie – a bull rejecting the toxic masculinity that the other bovines believe is their only choice, and learning that you can choose your own way and your own family, and it doesn’t matter if others think it’s ‘queer’. [Read more…]

The 9th Life Of Louis Drax (DVD Review) – Jamie Dornan gets mysterious and magical realist

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The biggest problem with The 9th Life Of Louis Drax is the constant sense that this is a movie that could have been absolutely brilliant, but it sadly isn’t. It’s not bad, and there’s plenty that’s interesting about it (although it could have been fascinating), but it never quite manages to work out what it’s doing.

The titular Louis Drax is an accident prone nine-year-old boy, whose parents have recently separated. After falling from a cliff on an outing with his mother and father, he is rushed to the hospital in a coma, where he comes under the care of Dr. Allan Pascal (Jamie Dornan). Louis also needs protection, as it’s believed his father, Peter (Aaron Paul), caused the accident and is now on the run. [Read more…]

The David Dance (US Cinema Review)

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David (Don Scime) is a gay man who’s spent much of his life shying away from confronting his own issues and who rarely dates. However, as the host of the radio show, Gay Talk, he’s almost a different man – confident, unashamed and ready to tackle big issues.

His sister, Kate, meanwhile, has made a major decision – she’s going to adopt a child from Brazil and wants David to help her. David agrees, even if he isn’t actually sure what to do, or if the child should know he’s gay. [Read more…]

New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation (VoD Review)

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The Boys On Film DVD releases have been a great showcase for gay male-themed short films (indeed, it’s the most successful short film series in the world). While there has been one Girls On Film release, it’s generally not been as easy for the general viewer to find the best in lesbian-themed shorts. Thankfully though New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation – a collaboration between UK short film festival New Queer Visions and VoD platform, Filmdoo.com – has stepped forward with a variety of well-made and stimulating lesbian shorts.

Take a look at what we thought of each of the short films: [Read more…]

Steel (DVD Review)

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Daniel (Chad Connell) is a successful man – he has a popular TV talk show and his growing ratings have ensured that his star is on the rise. However, he’s also plagued with anxiety and panic attacks, which causes him to have an on-air meltdown and afterwards to hide himself away from the world, not talking to his producer or anyone else.

Then he meets Alexander (David Cameron – who you won’t be surprised to hear is an actor, not the British Prime Minister), a young fan who very quickly declares his love for the TV personality. Despite Daniel barely functioning, Alexander is persistent and the two soon become lovers. As their relationship develops, Daniel begins to open up, revealing some of the past trauma that has led him to the depression and anxiety he now feels. [Read more…]

Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures (Cinema Review)

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Many people know the name Robert Mapplethorpe and the fact that he took some pretty rude photos. However, the man himself has become somewhat lost in the mix. Indeed, perhaps the best known thing about him happened after he died. His exhibition The Perfect Moment caused protests in many of the cities it travelled to in the US, which launched a national conversation about whether the government should subsidise such ‘shocking’ art. It also resulted in a court case that tried to convict one of the exhibition spaces showing The Perfect Moment with obscenity.

That’s not the only thing that’s tended to obscure the man behind the myth, as well as meaning many people know little about the breadth of his art. Other things that sometimes overshadow a fuller appreciation of Mapplethorpe include his relationship with Patti Smith, as well as particular images that tend to overwhelm everything around them (such as the infamous self-portrait where he has a bullwhip stuck up his ass). Indeed, many watching this documentary may be surprised about how many his non-sexual images they recognise, without knowing he was the man behind them. If nothing else, Look At The Pictures is testament to what a good photographer he was. [Read more…]

Mississippi Grind (DVD Review)

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There are undoubtedly some people who will watch Mississippi Grind and wonder what the point of it is, as not a vast amount happens other than two guys drifting around and gambling on various things. However, others will appreciate this look at two men leading lives on the periphery of society, who lack connection but may have found some sort of direction in each other.

Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) is an inveterate gambler who’s lost his wife and child, he’s massively in debt and has run out of time to pay it off. Then he meets Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), who also loves to bet, but still has life and verve – something Gerry is severely lacking. While he’s a drifter, he couches it in terms of being a free spirit who goes where life takes him. [Read more…]

The New Girlfriend (Une Nouvelle Amie) (DVD Review)

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Throughout his career French director Francois Ozon has shown a great interest in both sexuality and femininity. Those two things come together in The New Girlfriend, which is based on a story by Ruth Rendell, but is certainly not a murder-mystery.

Claire (a brilliant performance from Anaïs Demoustier) is devastated when her best friend since childhood, Laura, dies. She has promised she will look out for Laura’s husband, David (Romain Duris), and their young child, but due to her grief she puts off this duty. When she finally decides to visit she is shocked to discover David looking after his baby while dressed as a woman. [Read more…]

Ex_Machina (Blu-ray Review)

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Young programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition to meet the legendary but very reclusive Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the owner of the company Caleb works for, on his secluded, private estate. Once there Caleb discovers this isn’t just a holiday, but that he’s expected to take part in an experiment to see whether Nathan has broken through the barrier to create an artificial intelligence that can truly think for itself, and which is indistinguishable from human behaviour.

Caleb is introduced to Ava (Alicia Vikander), an AI housed in a very human looking body. Soon Caleb is thrown into a quandary. He is extremely taken by Ava, but knows there’s always the possibility that rather than truly thinking, Ava is simply using her programming to ‘fool’ him into thinking she’s more ‘real’ than she is. With Nathan possibly switching Ava off if she fails – something Ava seems to be afraid of – and Caleb increasingly wondering how he knows whether anything is real, the situation starts to grow dangerous. [Read more…]

Effie Gray (DVD Review)

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Effie Gray is a genuinely fascinating character and one day there will be a brilliant film made about her, but despite vast amounts of effort and some interesting touches, this movie isn’t it.

At 19-years-old Effie (Dakota Fanning) marries the older John Ruskin (Greg Wise), a prominent art critic who’s seen as a very good match. However soon after the wedding problems begin to appear, as while she wishes to be a proper wife, John controlling parents (Julie Walters and David Suchet) prevent her from helping her husband with his domestic affairs, and he himself refuses to consummate their marriage. [Read more…]