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

Solo (DVD)

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Many of you will know the feeling of a date or hook-up getting slightly out of hand. Perhaps you go out for a first dinner and before the first course has come, your date is already deciding what your dogs are going to be called and what your retirement home together will look like. Or you meet somebody in a bar and after about 10 minutes you’re plotting escape routes so that you won’t be found dead in an alley the next morning. [Read more…]

Adam Hills – Inflatable (DVD)

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Adam Hill’s Inflatable DVD was first released last year as an HMV exclusive, but it’s now being reissued to all stores, so more people can enjoy it. The first thing that will strike any viewer of this disc is that comedian Adam is not the only one on stage. He also has a sign language interpreter with him. While the more cynical of you might think this was something he just did for the DVD to make him seem cool and inclusive, it sounds like he does it for a lot of his gigs.

It’s a good idea and seems to be appreciated, as there’s a posse of deaf people in the front row (one of whom gets on stage to sign Adam a happy 40th birthday). And if you do happen to be auditorially different to the mean average (i.e. a deafie), there’s an option on the disc to have the interpreter on screen all the time. Although the disc was filmed in Australia, I believe British Sign Language is pretty much the same as what the Aussies use, so it should be fine. [Read more…]

Encounters: Four Ground-breaking Classics Of Gay Cinema (DVD)

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Before the 1980s, depictions of gay life onscreen were rare things, so that anything from the 70s or before is unusual, intriguing and worth seeking out. With Encounters, the BFI has drawn together four short films on gay subjects made between 1965 and 1971, giving us a rare look at homosexuality during that time (and not as it was remembered afterwards, which is our usual view of gay history). Making any sort of film on a gay subject back then was a bit of an achievement and a fairly subversive act, so while there’s not a vast amount of pre-80s gay films, we’re privileged to have what we’ve got. [Read more…]

How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire (Cinema)

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Director, subject and star Dan Edelstyn sets off to the Ukraine looking into his family’s past, and to find out more about how his great grandfather was once a rich, factory owner, before the October Revolution came along in 1917. Once in Eastern Europe, Dan discovers his family’s past wasn’t just in sugar but also in Vodka. Dan returns to the UK with ideas of buying the still-standing distillery and reviving the old family business, but soon realises that’s way beyond his means. Instead he embarks on an odyssey to import the vodka into the UK and launch a new brand, hopefully helping the locals in the Ukraine along the way. [Read more…]

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie – Across The Second Dimension (DVD)

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I have to admit that I’m a bit of a latecomer to Phineas & Ferb, although in my defence 30-something men aren’t usually required to keep up with the latest developments in kids TV. However the cartoon stepbrothers are insanely popular, with Disney claiming that 1 in 2 kids watch the show, and that it reaches an insanely impressive 289 million viewers around the world. It’s not surprising therefore that it’s getting a movie, even if it is a straight-to-DVD one.

While it helps to have watched some of the show on Disney Channel before you see the film, it’s certainly not compulsory. If you don’t know, Phineas & Ferb are stepbrothers trying to enjoy their summer, who spend their days inventing all manner of incredible things. However what they don’t realise is that their beloved pet Platypus, Perry, is also secret agent P, who thwarts the plans of the evil but rather dim Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz. [Read more…]

All Boys (DVD)

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All Boys promises a lot to a range of interests but delivers very little. Those expecting this documentary look at the Czech gay porn industry to offer some titillation won’t find much, despite a fair amount of nudity (although most of the stronger nudity is blurred). Those hoping to learn more about the world of porn and those involved in it won’t be particularly edified either.

The problem comes from the documentary’s narrow focus, which seems to want to explore whether the rise of the gay porn industry in the Czech republic is a good thing or if it has just led to the exploitation of young men. However it feels as if it’s so keen to say that it has exploited people that it fails to actually argue the point. [Read more…]