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

Vampire Academy (DVD Review)

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There have been a vast array of films in the last few years that have bid to be the new Twilight or Harry Potter. While Vampire Academy may not have ever been likely to have hit those heights, there were hopes it could carve out its own niche. Instead it pretty much sank without trace, partly because it’s so busy trying to be other popular franchises – or perhaps parodying them – that it never becomes anything on its own.

The film’s mythology follows three races of being – the Moroi, who are a mortal, largely benevolent magical race but who have to live on blood; the Strigoi, who are the evil, immortal vampires of myths; and the half-bloodsucker Dhampir, a warrior race who protect the Moroi. [Read more…]

20 Feet From Stardom (DVD Review)

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Often the best documentaries are about subjects you’re kind of aware of in the background of your life, but you’ve never really thought that much about them. Indeed that’s almost the definition of the subjects of 20 Feet From Stardom – the back-up singers who’ve featured on all sorts of well-known songs, but whose name rarely gets on the record cover.

For example, the documentary features the guy who provided the opening riff of The Lion King. And you can call me an idiot, but it was the first time I’d actually thought that someone actually had to record what has become one of the most famous opening moments in cinema, and we’ve never seen his face [Read more…]

Futurama – Season 7 (Blu-ray Review)

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We’re a bit behind with Futurama in the UK. While Season 7 started in 2012 in the US, we’ve only just had it on TV in the UK, quickly followed by this home entertainment release. To make things a little more confusing, this release has 13 episodes, although officially the US Season 7 has 26 instalments. However it was split in two in both countries and so we’ve still got more episodes to come in Britain. That may sound annoying, but as the show has now been cancelled (again), it is good to know us Brits have a few new episodes before the end of Futurama finally comes. [Read more…]

RoboCop (2014) (DVD Review)

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Unlike some movies, there was no real reason not to remake Robocop. Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 original is a great movie, but it leaves plenty of room for reinvention in the 21st Century. Indeed it’s probably why when MGM started digging around in their back catalogue for film to do-over, RoboCop was near the top of the list.

Although it took several years to actually get it done, the results are now here with Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) directing and Joel Kinnaman in the title role. [Read more…]

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (DVD Review)

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After Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck comes Chris Pine as Jack Ryan, with a film that attempts to relaunch the Tom Clancy-based franchise for a new generation. As with the Ben Affleck effort, Shadow Recruit takes us back to the early days of Ryan, this time setting him up as a Marine injured in Afghanistan who is then recruited by the CIA to use his superior intellect as an analyst inside top banks, in order to try and track funding for terrorism.

It’s supposed to be a desk job, but he’s still not allowed to tell his girlfriend, Cathy (Keira Knightley), he’s in the CIA until they’re married. Ryan uncovers hidden accounts that suggest some rich Russians plan to destroy the American economy by tanking the dollar and coinciding that with a terrorist attack. His handler, Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), decides to send Jack to Moscow as he is the only one who understands the complex financial information. [Read more…]

47 Ronin (DVD)

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I’m glad I didn’t live in Feudal Japan, what with the all the monsters and never being allowed to smile. You see, back then men had to hold their emotions in to the point they made Anthony Hopkins in The Remains Of The Day look positively expressive in comparison. Woman meanwhile had to spend half their lives pining over men and the other half crying about men (unless they were a witch, and then they’d be allowed to spend 100% of their time being evil). Oh and even back then Keanu Reeves couldn’t act.

Or at least that’s the impression I got from 47 Ronin. [Read more…]

Veronica Mars (DVD)

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Ever since the teenage private eye show Veronica Mars was cancelled after three seasons in 2007, the cast and creator have talked up the possibility of a movie. However as it was canned due to low ratings, it seemed unlikely they’d ever get the funding to do it – even if many of those people who did like the show were absolutely rabid fans.

Then along came the concept of internet crowdfunding, and so creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell decided to give that a go. As is now well known, the project hits its $2 million target in 10 hours and ended up with over $5 million in funding – and so the film version got the greenlight thanks to ordinary people putting up the cash. [Read more…]

All Is Lost (DVD)

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All Is Lost is a movie where you can imagine two people sitting down to watch it, with one deciding it’s a transcendent masterpiece, while the other thinks it’s a pointless, crushing bore.

These days Robert Redford makes comparatively few movies, but here the 77-year-old doesn’t just take centre-stage, he’s the only person who appears on-screen throughout the running time. Not only that, but he has virtually no dialogue either.

Hell, he doesn’t even have a name. [Read more…]

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-ray)

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It seems The Hobbit is determined to follow the same pattern as Lord Of The Rings. The first film was good but essentially just involved a lot of walking with a plot where much of it could have been cut out without hurting the overall arc of the story. The second is overall a better movie, but leaves things in a way where it’s difficult to fully judge it without seeing part three, as it spends so much time setting things up for that movie.

The Desolation Of Smaug picks up where the last film left off, with Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the band of dwarves heading towards the Lonely Mountain in order to take on the dragon Smaug, who many years ago took smote Erebor and displaced the dwarves who lived there. [Read more…]

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Blu-ray)

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With the first Hunger Games, many remarked that it was surprisingly violent for a young adult film. The second isn’t quite as violent, but it’s is surprisingly dark and gritty. Many wondered whether swapping director Gary Ross for Francis Lawrence would result in a more mainstream, Hollywood-ised tale, but instead it’s rather gone the other way, with a film that doesn’t pull its punches over the darkness and pain at its heart, or try to make its hero less flawed than she is. [Read more…]