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

45 Years (Blu-ray Review)

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Following the indie success of Weekend and helping to produce/direct HBO’s Looking, Andrew Haigh shows he isn’t simply be a ‘gay director’ with the tender 45 Years. The film introduces us to Kate and Geoff Mercer (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay), who are soon to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.

Geoff gets unexpected news when he receives a letter informing him that the frozen body of his old girlfriend, who died in an accident decades before, has been discovered in the Swiss Alps. Initially Kate thinks this is surprising and upsetting news for her husband, but not something that will greatly affect either of them. However, as Geoff talks more about this woman he knew before he met Kate, she starts to feel that perhaps their marriage has been haunted by her, and Geoff’s feelings about an entirely different life that he might have led if fate hadn’t intervened. [Read more…]

We Are Your Friends (Blu-ray Review)

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Cole (Zac Efron) is a young man living in LA’s San Fernando Valley with his friends, who has dreams of making it big as a DJ. In the meantime, he and his mates are scraping by promoting at clubs and Cole DJ-ing for free. Then he meets producer James (Wes Bentley), who takes Cole under his wing and may be able to show him the way to the big time. However, things are complicated by Cole’s feelings for James’ assistant/girlfriend Emily (Emily Ratajkowski), the difficulties Cole and his friends find themselves in – including getting a job that may be more ethically murky that the low grade drug dealing they are also involved in – and the darker side of the electronic music scene. [Read more…]

The Danish Girl (Cinema Review)

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The idea of a film about Lili Elbe has been doing the rounds of Hollywood for years, but despite plenty of interest from well-known actors and directors, it never got off the ground, partly because the money men thought a period piece about transgender issues would be box office poison. However, trans issues suddenly hit the mainstream and the film got the go ahead.

It’s certainly arrived with a lot of fanfare, but the movie is so polite in a very British sort of way, that it will leave many feeling like they’ve appreciated it but aren’t totally satisfied. [Read more…]

Wilde (Blu-ray Review)

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I’m almost surprised 1997’s Wilde hasn’t made it to Blu-ray in the UK before, but it’s now arrived, giving us an HD look at the biopic of legendary writer and wit Oscar Wilde, as played by Stephen Fry. At the beginning of the movie Oscar is already well-known and meets the pretty young Constance (Jennifer Ehle), whom he marries.

However, there is another side of him, initially brought out by Robbie Ross (Michael Sheen), that seeks the emotional and physical intimacy of men. Oscar begins to see it rather like the Greek ideal, where he is the older man, passing down knowledge to his ‘boys’, as well as sleeping with them. Then he meets the beautiful Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), known as Bosie – and if you’ve ever seen pics of the real Bosie, he was very good looking – and the two fall for one another. [Read more…]

Vacation (Blu-ray Review)

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The reboot of the Vacation series didn’t get a vast amount of love from critics at the cinema. It meant that, as I often don’t even like comedies others do think are good, I approached this one with a bit of trepidation and little hope that I’d enjoy it. However, I was pleasantly surprised that while by no means a masterpiece, I found it decent enough to watch for 100 minutes.

The film truly is a reboot rather than remake, as it picks up the story of the Griswolds 30 years on from National Lampoon’s Vacation. Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) is now grown up and has a family of his own. They’re a bit stuck in a rut though, with his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate), feeling the sparkle has gone out of their marriage, and sons James (Skyler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins) constantly fighting – although it’s the younger child bullying the older. [Read more…]

Maggie (Blu-ray Review)

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Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a zombie movie! He’s going to be blowing the undead away left, right and centre, while mumbling memorable catchphrases, isn’t he? Actually, no, as this is something very different both for the Terminator and for zombie flicks. Except for the undead, this is Arnie in a small-scale mother-daughter indie melodrama, with fairly little action and much soul-searching.

Schwarzenegger is Wade Vogel, who’s living with his wife and kids in the middle of nowhere, where they’ve managed to escape a zombie plague that has affected millions. After his eldest daughter, Maggie (Abigail Breslin), gets bitten and infected, he goes to pick her up from quarantine to take her home, knowing that while she will be okay for a while, eventually she will turn and have to be taken away before she turns completely – assuming she doesn’t die before then. [Read more…]

Carol (Cinema Review)

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If Far From Heaven was Todd Haynes’ love letter to director Douglas Sirk, this is his tribute to painter Edward Hopper. Whatever the flaws of his film – more of which later – it is probably the best-looking movie of 2015. Meticulously reimagining the New York of the 1950s it has shot after shot of its protagonists exquisitely framed, gorgeously coloured and superbly dressed.

Several moments are worth pausing and gazing at for hours, especially one amazing shot of a grey, drab New York street lifted by the bright red coat and hat of the ethereal Cate Blanchett striding along. The interiors are gloomy, the exteriors washed out and tired-looking. Hopper would be impressed.

It received a standing ovation at Cannes and has been held back to coincide with Oscars season, during which it will probably clean up. However… [Read more…]

Crocadyke Dundee/Wine, Women & Friends (DVD Review)

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It’s two for the price of one, as this release features a duo of documentaries from filmmaker Fiona Cunningham-Reid, which take a look into the lives of some very different lesbians.

First off there’s Crocadyke Dundee, which is a portrait of Dawn O’Donnell, who was a bit of a legend in the Sydney gay scene, opening numerous bars, clubs and other venues (including sex shops). The film also acts as a view into how gay life has changed in Australia’s most populous city, as Dawn’s involvement started back when being gay was illegal. At that point there were few gay venues and those that existed were at risk of being raided (indeed it’s suggested that having half their clientele occasionally locked up was built into the business plan of some of these bars).

Interestingly, despite the oppression and societal disdain, it’s suggested that those involved generally had a great time. [Read more…]

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (DVD Review)

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Sharknado hasn’t done badly for a franchise where the joke should have worn off after the first five minutes. The first movie survived simply by its jaw-dropping but oddly good-natured ridiculousness, while the second was made vaguely watchable by being sometimes imaginative about the over-the-top ways it could find to kill people with flying sharks and to get people to kill the massive cartilaginous fish.

But now we come to part 3, where any imagination has run out and the whole thing comes across as so cynical that you can almost feel the makers smirking that anyone would be stupid enough to want to watch a third movie about tornados that throw sharks at people. [Read more…]

Ted 2 – Extended Edition (Blu-ray Review)

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Even the makers of 2012’s Ted are unlikely to have expected it to gross $550 million around the world. It ensured Universal was keen to make a sequel, although it has to be said this follow-up wasn’t half as successful, taking $212 million around the world. Not a bad number but nothing like the first.

This time around Mila Kunis is nowhere to be seen, as she and Mark Wahlberg’s John Bennett have gotten a divorce, leaving him completely lacking on confidence around women. Ted meanwhile seems to be having better luck, as he’s marrying the bold and brassy Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth).

Things come unstuck though when the talking teddy and his wife decide to adopt a child, as it suddenly make the government consider his status, and they decide that legally they don’t consider him a person, so not only won’t he be getting a baby, his marriage is invalid, he can’t keep his job and he’s now classed as property. [Read more…]