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

John Wick: Chapter 2 (Blu-ray Review) – An almost unkillable Keanu Reeves is back in action

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Picking up shortly after the events of the first John Wick, the titular character (Keanu Reeves) is attempting to once more leave the criminals underworld and his reputation as the ultimate killer behind. However, he is called on by Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) to kill someone so that he can take their seat at the underworld’s high table.

John has a debt to Santino that the rules of the underworld say he must repay, or his life is forfeit. Feeling he has no choice, John travels to Rome to do the deed. However, escaping the underworld and repaying the debt isn’t going to be that easy, which ends up with him having a $7 million bounty on his head. [Read more…]

Warcraft: The Beginning (Blu-ray Review)

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In the last few years, Hollywood has become increasingly obsessed with the fast-growing Chinese market. Warcraft: The Beginning is ample evidence as to why that is. The movie was a massive flop in the US, grossing less than $50 million there on a $160 million budget. However, it made over $220 million in China, meaning that instead of being one of the biggest box office disasters ever, they’re now thinking of making a sequel.

The disparity between the US and China reception of this movie is a bit difficult to explain. While American audiences certainly had a lot of choice this summer, it’s a surprise a few more didn’t choose this film, as it’s quite fun. [Read more…]

Steve Jobs (DVD Review)

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I’m starting to think that screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has decided he’s a complete prick, and so has set out to write things that suggest that being the best and being an ass go hand-in-hand. The likes of The Social Network, Steve Jobs and, to some extent, The Newsroom and Studio 60 On Sunset Strip have all forwarded this agenda. Rumours suggest Sorkin can be incredibly demanding and difficult to work with (stories of how tough it was in the writer’s room of The West Wing and how little he listened to other peoples’ ideas are legendary), and it’s oddly interesting how so many of his projects seem to be about his own issues with this.

What he never quite addresses though is something he puts in the mouth of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in Steven Jobs, who tells the demanding and difficult Steve that being talented and being a decent person are not mutually exclusive. However, in the world of Aaron Sorkin, it often feels like they are. [Read more…]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Blu-ray Review)

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Mockingjay was always going to have a struggle, despite the success of the previous movies. Anyone who’s read the books will know that the third instalment is rather different from the earlier two, not least because there’s no Hunger Games arena and things get pretty dark and glum. Many also wondered whether there was enough material to make two films out of it, or if this gambit to get more cash from the Panem cow was a stretch too far.

It’s pleasing to see then that Mockingjay Part 1 is pretty good. Quite how good it is is difficult to say at the moment, as it’s tough to escape the feeling that this is a long build-up to Part 2, and it’s only going to be with the hindsight of the final instalment that we’ll really be able to properly judge. [Read more…]

I Am Happiness On Earth (DVD Review)

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The run of gay-themed films involving dancers as major characters (such as Test and Five Dances) continues with the Mexican drama I Am Happiness On Earth. The film comes from director Julian Hernandez, who found acclaim with earlier queer cinema arthouse faces such as Broken Sky (2006) and Raging Sun Raging Sky (2009). His new movie doesn’t veer off too far thematically from his earlier work, but once more offers an intense, erotically charged look at love and sex. [Read more…]

Rush (Blu-ray)

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There were quite a few people who were expecting Rush to get a few Oscar nominations, but in the end it was shut out. It’s a shame as it’s a damn fine movie and should have got some kudos, even if it was only in the production design and cinematography departments, as it does such a great job of recreating 1970s Formula 1 racing.

The film tells the true story of the intense rivalry between the British James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austria’s Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). They first meet in Formula 3, where it’s clear they are very different people. Hunt is a playboy whose life is about sex, drugs, partying and being everyone’s friend.  Lauda meanwhile is far more serious, seeing racing as being about business. He spends his time learning the mechanics of the cars, as well as showing off an arrogant streak that ensures none of the other drivers like him that much. [Read more…]

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (DVD)

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The people behind The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones must have thought they had a major hit on their hands. While it’s common for sequels to be put into development before the first movie is released (in Hollywood terms, paying a screenwriter for a first draft of a script is comparatively cheap), but in this case they’d already started casting the likes of Sigourney Weaver in City Of Ashes. However when City Of Bones only grossed $90 million around the world, the likelihood of adaptations of Cassandra Clare’s other books seemed far less likely. [Read more…]

Silver Linings Playbook (Blu-ray)

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It took many by surprise when Silver Linings Playbook picked up eight Oscar nominations, as while it got decent reviews, few thought it was a serious Academy Award contender. However, as the ceremony approached it picked up momentum to the point where many thought there was a decent possibility of it taking the Best Picture prize. In the end its only gong was a much deserved Bst Actress award for Jennifer Lawrence, but you can certainly see why it became a bit of a sleeper awards contender. [Read more…]