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 Infiltrator (Blu-ray Review) – Bryan Cranston goes undercover laundering drug money

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Bryan Cranston is US Customs Official Bob Mazur, who specialises in going undercover to take down the bad guys. Following a successful sting where he gets injured, he’s told he’s eligible to retire. Instead he takes on a new job, going back undercover as shady business Robert Musella.

While his partner, Emir (John Leguizamo), infiltrates the lower ranks of the drug world, Bob works his way into the trust of those higher up the narcotics chain, posing as a man capable of laundering millions of dollars for Pablo Escobar’s Medellin drug cartel. The further into this world he goes the more dangerous it gets, necessitating the need for a fake fiancée (Diane Kruger), and having to pretend his wife is his secretary to help ensure his real family is kept safe, all while knowing that if he’s found out he’ll get a bullet in the brain. [Read more…]

Holding The Man (Cinema Review)

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Holding The Man is evidence, if it were needed, of how difficult it is for gay-themed movies to crossover into the mainstream. Despite glowing reviews and a cast including Aussie luminaries such as Guy Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia and (briefly) Geoffrey Rush, as well as Kerry Fox (who’s actually a New Zealander), the movie has largely managed to fly under the radar, and a year on from its Australian debut it’s still waiting for a US release date.

However, it’s now arrived in the UK thanks to Peccadillo Pictures. Based on Tim Conigrave’s bestselling memoir, the film covers a roughly 15-year period, starting in the mid-70s when Tim (Ryan Corr) is in a Catholic high school and first begins hanging out with his crush, John (Craig Scott). It doesn’t take them long before they admit that they like each more than just friends. Inevitably their teenage love faces obstacles when the school and then their parents discover what is going on. [Read more…]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Cinema Review)

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Here we have the end of a franchise that initially I didn’t think I would like, but which I have been impressed with over the years. Yet another teen book sensation transitioned onto the big screen, and on the surface The Hunger Games (2012) seemed like a tween rip-off of the excellent Battle Royal (2000). However, it was so much more than what I was expecting and its sequel Catching Fire (2013) is one of those rare sequels that is better than its predecessor.

As Hollywood trends seem fit, the third and final book, Mockingjay, was split into two movies a la Harry Potter, Divergent and Twilight. But this trend generates more money for the studio and the audience gets more time with the characters and story that they love. Everyone (in theory) wins, although with Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) the audience was left hungry for more (pun intended). [Read more…]

Jupiter Ascending (Blu-ray Review)

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When Jupiter Ascending was moved from a prime Summer 2014 cinema release to early 2015, it didn’t auger well. And when the reviews finally rolled in, it looked like people were right to be suspicious of the Wachowskis’ $175 million space opera. However, while it’s far from being a masterpiece, there is just about enough fun peeking through the nonsense.

Mila Kunis is Jupiter Jones, a seemingly normal girl from a Russian immigrant family, who is working as a cleaner and unsure what to do with her life (or even if she should bother to do anything). However, it turns out she is the genetic reincarnation of a murdered space queen, and because of that, she should be able to inherit the queen’s vast wealth. [Read more…]

Dallas Buyers Club (Cinema)

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The last of the Oscar contenders to be released in the UK turns out to be one of the strongest. Sometimes the circumstances behind the making of a film shine through on the screen, and this story, with its lengthy birth, tiny budget and rushed schedule is a perfect example. It gives the film an urgency, a roughness and a pace that might not have been the case with a bigger budget, and it also ensure extremely committed performances from all concerned – they are doing it for love, not money. [Read more…]

Ross Noble – Mindblender (DVD)

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Ross Noble is a bizarre human being, but in a good way. Most comics have a stand-up set that’s all fully worked out beforehand, and it’ll be pretty much the same every night of their tour, with perhaps a bit of spontaneous audience interaction. However with Ross you get the impression he has about five minutes of prepared comedy and the rest is made up on the spot. That’s been shown on many of his DVD releases, as they’ve included several gigs from the same tour, with virtually none of it being the same material. [Read more…]

Life Of Pi (Cinema)

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Normally when a book is deemed unfilmable, it’s because it’s thought that the plot and the way it’s told would be tough to successfully transfer to the big screen. With Life Of Pi it was more due to business considerations. It’s largely a story about an Indian boy alone at sea with only a tiger for company, so any adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize winning book was bound to cost a lot to make, not least in special effects. With little room for big stars or traditional action – and just one human character for most of the running time – it was a gamble most believed no studio would take. [Read more…]

Annie – 30th Anniversary Sing-Along Edition (Blu-ray)

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Tooo-marrow, tooo-marrow, I luv ya, tooo-marrow, you’re only a daaaay, aaaawaaay. It’s been 30 years since Annie first erupted onto cinema screens, and now it’s back in HD form. On its initial release it got rather mixed notices, which was partially due to the fact that after huge amounts of hype and vast amounts of cash were spent on making the film (including a then record $9.5 million paid just for the rights to the stage show), it had huge amounts to live up to. When it was just a pretty fun film and not the second coming of Jesus on celluloid, it came in for a bit of stick from critics, even if audiences quite liked it. [Read more…]