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

I’m So Excited (Cinema)

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Just when Pedro Almodovar earned himself a new audience with the brilliantly bonkers Skin I Live In, he follows it up with a film that at best can be described Almodovar-lite. It’s charming enough and at times well-acted, but ultimately too paper-thin to be remembered along with his great works.

If he is the high priest of camp then it was only a matter of time before he made a film set on a plane, with three stewards as his main characters. And very funny they are, although their constant bitching and fussing about who is bisexual and who has slept with who gets tiresome over the 90 long minutes. Even their singing of the title song by the Pointer Sisters wears a bit thin after 30 seconds. [Read more…]

The Sex Of Angels (DVD)

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For about the first 20 minutes of Sex Of Angels, I felt primed to dislike it. I was trying to be open-minded, but as the plot unfolded it looked like it was going to hit on some of my biggest bugbears about LGBT-themed movies. However as it continued it turned out to be a lot smarter and more involving than it first seemed.

My issue with it initially was that it appeared to be yet another movie about a ‘straight’ guy in a relationship with a woman, who cheats on her, yet we’re supposed to think it’s okay because he cheats of her with a guy – which in the lexicon of gay movies often doesn’t get treated as ‘real’ infidelity. The guy in question is Bruno (Llorenc Gonzalez), who’s been with Carla (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) since he was young. [Read more…]

Bait (DVD)

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Bait is a movie about the unluckiest people in the history of mankind. An armed robbery is going on in an underground supermarket in Australia when a tsunami hits and completely floods the place. Many people are killed but the few survivors manage to find safety perching on top of the supermarket shelves. That’d be bad enough, but they soon realise they’re not alone, as the tidal wave has washed a man-killing great white shark into the shop with them.

Oh, and there’s also a live electricity wire sparking, which could kill them all if it hits the water. Suffice to say, nobody in this film is having a good day. [Read more…]

Evil Dead II – Special Edition (Blu-ray)

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With a remake of Evil Dead in cinemas, Studiocanal has dusted off Sami Raimi’s 1987 movie Evil Dead II for a spruced up Blu-ray re-release, with some new extras added in. There’s no doubt the film is a horror classic. While less grossly gory than the original Evil Dead (although no slouch on the gore front), it’s much funnier and yet still manages to be original, strange and scary. [Read more…]

30 Rock – Season 6 (DVD)

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I’ve never quite worked out why Comedy Central shows 30 Rock in the way they do in the UK, where we tend to get it in half season chunks (sometimes with the second half of one season and the beginning of another shoved together). It means that while 30 Rock – Season 6 ended in May 2012 in the US, it’s only just come to a conclusion on British TV, and so now we can get the 22 episodes on DVD. [Read more…]

What Richard Did (DVD)

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What Richard Did got a healthy dose of publicity a couple of months ago when Michael Bay announced he was casting young Irish actor Jack Reynor in one of the lead roles in Transformers 4 after seeing his performance in Lenny Abrahamson’s movie. Reynor is indeed very good, although the film itself is slightly more problematic.

Richard (Reynor) is a young lad who’s popular, has plenty of friends and has status thanks to playing on the rugby team. He begins a relationship with Lara (Roisin Murphy), although there are some issues with her ex-boyfriend, Conor (Sam Keeley). At a party things come to a head when Conor steps into an argument between Richard and Lara, leading to a moment of violence that could have major repercussions for all involved. [Read more…]

The Servant (DVD)

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A couple of days ago I reviewed Accident, the second of three collaborations between director Joseph Losey and writer Harold Pinter. Now it’s time for the first, 1963’s The Servant, a slightly more straightforward film, although still with a biting interest in class and the complexities of relationships between people.

James Fox, in one of his very first movie roles, plays Tony, a young man from an aristocratic family who moves into a house in London and needs a servant. He hires Barrett (Dirk Bogarde), a gentleman’s gentleman who promises to cook and look after Tony. However things get tricky when Tony’s girlfriend, Susan (Wendy Craig), takes an instant dislike to Barrett. The sexual politics are ramped up when Barrett moves his ‘sister’, Vera (Sarah Miles), into the house, with Tony initiating an affair with this woman from far ‘beneath’ his supposed station. [Read more…]

Entertaining Mr. Sloane (DVD)

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Middle-aged Kath (Beryl Reid) comes across the handsome young Mr. Sloane (Peter McEnery) in a cemetery, and liking what she sees invites him to become her lodger. Her father, ‘The Dadda’ (Alan Kemp), is less impressed with this interloper, as he’s convinced he recognises Sloane as the murderer of his former employer.

Sloane isn’t the only one Dadda has issues with, as he hasn’t spoken to his son, Ed (Harry Andrews) for decades, ever since he caught him ‘committing a felony’ in his bedroom as a teenager. Ed initially thinks Kath’s made a mistake taking in a lodger – until he meets Sloane, that is. He’s immediately smitten and offers the lad employment, complete with tight leather driver’s uniform. [Read more…]

Nate & Margaret (DVD)

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An unusual relationship that leads to a few important lessons is probably the only way I can sum up Nate & Margaret in a few words. However I have more than a few words so I’ll go into greater depth.

The film tells the story of 19-year-old Nate (Tyler Ross) and 52-year-old Margaret (Natalie West) as their somewhat unusual relationship is rocked by the arrival of Nate’s first boyfriends and Margaret’s pursuit of a career as a stand up comedian. [Read more…]

CSI: Miami – Season 10 (DVD)

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It’s not too long ago that CSI: Miami was the most watched programme in the world. However, while its sister shows CSI: New York and CSI: Vegas continue, the Florida-set series comes to an end with the 19 episodes of Season 10.

It’s pretty much business as usual, with Lt. Horatio Cane (David Caruso) once more investigating Miami murder, as well as being very indecisive over whether he needs to wear sunglasses or not. Crimes range from the murder of a male escort found in a hotel cabana to the Twilight inspired killing of the housemaid of a young adult novelist. As the makers of CSI: Miami knew the show was going to end, there’s also time to wrap up a few on-going threads, such as the return of Horatio’s nemeses, the Mala Noche gang, as well as ensuring a serial killer who gets away early in the season can come under the CSI’s lens again before the season ends. [Read more…]