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

Power Rangers (Blu-ray Review) – The teen superheroes go big budget & one (almost) comes out

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I’m a bit confused. It’s called Power Rangers, but no one is wearing spandex, there are no men in slightly cardboard looking suits, and no CGI that looks like it was made in 10 minutes on a ZX Spectrum. Perhaps most confusing is that Rita Repulsa’s mouth now moves in time with what she’s saying. It’s all very strange.

It’s time for an origin story though. The film opens with Bryan Cranston causing the end of the dinosaurs. Well, Cranston’s alien Power Ranger, Zordon, does anyway, dying himself in the process of stopping evil former ranger, Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). [Read more…]

Trumbo (Blu-ray Review)

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Ever since it happened, Hollywood has had a rather tortured relationship with the Communist Witch Hunts of the 1950s. At the time the Studios largely lined up with the government and co-operated with something which most felt was wrong, but they were too afraid of what would happen to business if they didn’t. They didn’t think they could risk being seen to be defending possible communists, even if the battle against them seemed to go against American values.

As a result, stars and directors gave names to Congress, and Hollywood drew up a list of names who were blacklisted out of the industry due to their possible communist sympathies. Ever since the tide later turned against those who’d co-operated and especially those who agreed to testify in front of The House Un-American Activities Committee, Tinsel Town has never seemed certain what to do about one of its darker chapters, and has generally given it a wide berth. [Read more…]

Xenia (DVD Review)

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After the death of his mother, teenager Dany leaves Crete to visit his 17-year-old brother, Ody, in Athens. At first Ody isn’t happy to see his younger sibling, as he knows Dany has a penchant for causing trouble. He’s also dealing with the fact that as his mother was Albanian he’s not recognised as a Greek citizen and might be deported when he reaches 18.

That’s despite the fact they have a Greek father – who they refer to as ‘The Unspeakable’ – who ran out on them when they were little kids. Dany thinks this man may be the answer to their problems, as if they can find him they can prove they are half Greek (and therefore citizens) and perhaps get him to give them the money he should have been paying in child support. [Read more…]

Kingsman: The Secret Service (Cinema Review)

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The idea of updating James Bond and making him a younger character has been done before – witness the Alex Cross films and even Jason Bourne. Matthew Vaughan’s attempt, with a script by Jane Goldman, could have worked in theory, but it doesn’t, because of disastrous shifts in tone, and dreadfully cynical product placements. Director Vaughan seems to have become so carried away with his Kick-Ass franchise that he has transposed the idea to Britain, but used pretty much the same formula. The result leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth, which is a shame, because there are a few strengths on display here. [Read more…]

Into The Woods (Cinema Review)

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Ah, Stephen Sondheim, writer of amazing tongue-twisting lyrics, flat tunes and dark themes. That’s been his formula for many a year – the flat tunes aren’t deliberate presumably – and they are all present and correct in this film version of his adult take on fairy tales. Adult is certainly the word here, the underlying theme being human beings’ reluctance to grow up and face the real world, and the terrifying prospect of sex, while superficially there are blindings, stabbings, a prince whose eye wanders, an absent father, and plenty of death.

Throw in a top-notch cast – and James Corden – and you get a polished, great-looking and sounding, entertaining fable. The story itself peaks a little early and there are longeurs in the story of the giant, but overall it’s a successful adaptation of Sondheim’s stage musical. [Read more…]

Cilla (DVD Review)

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We don’t see Cilla Black too much anymore since she entered semi-retirement. However anyone who was around in the UK in the 1980s will know her from shows such as Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, and they may also remember that before she was a TV host she was a singer. However only those who can recall the heyday of the Beatles are likely to know much about that part of her story.

The three-part mini-series Cilla takes us back to the days when she was Cilla White (Sheridan Smith), a rock ‘n’ roll obsessed Liverpudlian teenager, who was friends with a pre-Beatles Ringo Starr, headed down to The Cavern Club whenever she got the chance and had parents who were proud that she was the first member of the family deemed good enough for office work. [Read more…]

Great Expectations (2012) (DVD)

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The BBC must like Great Expectations an awful lot, as within 12 months they produced a TV version starring Douglas Booth, Gillian Anderson and Ray Winstone, and backed this movie version from director Mike Newell (Prince Of Persia). They should probably have stuck with the very well received former, as while handsomely mounted and well-acted, Newell’s movie is a little flat. [Read more…]

On The Road (Blu-ray)

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It’s taken a long, long time to get On The Road onto the screen. Francis Ford Coppola bought the rights in 1979 (and that’s ignoring even earlier attempts, some involving Jack Kerouac himself) and has been trying to make it ever since. He’s still involved as a producer, but it’s Walter Salles in the director’s chair, who’s previously brought us the likes of The Motorcycle Diaries and Central Station. [Read more…]

Thelma & Louise (Blu-ray)

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21 years after the release of Thelma & Louise, it’s rather sad that women’s position in film, both in front of and behind the camera, hasn’t changed all that much. When it first appeared in cinemas, the film was treated like it was going to be a new dawn for women in the movies, but little has changed.

In fact, other than the great movie itself, Thelma & Louise’s most lasting legacy is Brad Pitt, who might never have hit the big time if he hadn’t gotten the chance to be unfeasibly hot and sexy in this (he very nearly didn’t, as William Baldwin initially landed the role, but dropped out after he was cast in Backdraft). Thank God he did get the role, as few people have ever been so breathtakingly sexy in what is actually a very small role. [Read more…]