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

Paul Chowdhry – What’s Happening White People? (DVD)

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This is the first time ever that a British-Indian comedian has gotten their own solo stand-up DVD. But then Paul Chowdhry is one of the first Asian comics to find much traction within the mainstream, with his career rather perversely being given a boost after a racist incident at one his gigs was reported in the national newspapers. The publicity helped to open doors and ever since he’s becomes an increasingly familiar face on stand-up shows and comedy panel series. [Read more…]

Jon Richardson: Funny Magnet (DVD)

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It’s a bit surprising that this is Jon Richardson’s first live stand-up DVD. While it feels like he’s been around for ages, it’s only been since 2010 that he’s really entered the top rung  of TV comics, taking on team captain duties on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and hosting Stand Up For The Week. Now those who haven’t managed to see him live get to see a full set from the comic on this disc.

He’s a funny man, although slightly unusual. With most modern comedians their jokes and stories come from taking normal everyday life and then regurgitating it to you. Their comedy relies on the idea that they’re like us and what they say is immediately recognisable as how most people react. Richardson meanwhile finds his humour in the space between how he is and how he knows other people are. [Read more…]

Happy Happy (Cinema)

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I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who guessed that a European movie called Happy Happy wasn’t going to be as jolly as the title suggests. However Anne Sewitsky’s Norwegian movie won prizes at Sundance and was its country’s official entry for last year’s Academy Awards, so it’s certainly got some pedigree.

Kaja and Eirik are a couple who live in the countryside and have been together for years. While they put up a front of happiness and Kaja seems to have accepted her lot, their world is shaken up when a cosmopolitan new couple move in next door, along with their African adopted son, Noa. Kaja looks at them and see what appears to be the perfect marriage, which is far from what she has to deal with. However at a dinner party she discovers that things between Elisabeth and Sigve are actually strained, but she still wants what they have and ends up having a sexual encounter with Sigve. [Read more…]

Peter Kay – Live And Back On Nights (DVD)

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A few years ago Peter Kay got a lot of stick when he released the DVD, Live At The Manchester Arena. The problem was that it was taken from the same tour as the Live At The Bolton Albert Halls release, and so while still hilarious, much of the routine was exactly the same as what his fans had seen before. He seems to have realised that perhaps that wasn’t the greatest of ideas, as while Live And Back On Nights is about the same tour as The Tour That Doesn’t Tour Tour DVD, it goes out of its way to offer something different (although the cover does still make it look like a completely new show). [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…]

Dara O’Briain – Craic Dealer Live 2012 (DVD)

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Tesco must have mellowed in the last couple of years. Right at the beginning of this gig, Dara O’Briain says he wanted to call as previous DVD Craic Dealer, but was prevented from doing so because a big retailer who likes to think ‘Every Little Helps’ refused to stock a disc with that name, as they felt it condoned drug use. As Dara points out, it’s very unlikely anyone is holding back on cocaine use, but would be tipped over the edge by seeing his DVD (btw, Craic is an Irish word for fun, in case you didn’t know). However now the title is back and I’ve noticed it’s for sale on Tesco’s website, so they must have had a change of heart. [Read more…]

Michael McIntyre – Showtime (DVD)

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The man who’s often been described as the Southern, middle-class version of Peter Kay is back with another dose of observational humour that takes everyday life to the extreme. Well, most of it is about everyday life, although creeping in is the curse of successful comics, which is that the more famous they get, the more their life diverges from most other people’s. While it’s something that’s destroyed some comics’ career as they lose the ability to connect with their audience’s shared experience of the world, McIntyre is still very funny. [Read more…]

Kevin Bridges – The Story Continues… (DVD)

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Kevin Bridges is a funny man, but I have to admit I found his first stand-up DVD, The Story So Far, rather patchy. He seemed more than a little nervous and was too prone to laugh at himself in a way that almost seemed to be entreating the audience to laugh too. It rather hurt the impact of the routine, as the writing itself was admittedly very good. The Story Continues catches up with Bridges two years later and sees him as a more assured comic who seems less in awe of playing in front of giant crowds at the likes of Glasgow’s SECC, where this disc was filmed. [Read more…]

Cosmopolis (DVD)

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Robert Pattinson veers far from Twilight with this strange and dark trip into David Cronenberg’s take on Don DeLillo’s novel. Pattinson plays the rich, young and handsome billionaire Eric Packer, who gets in his limo one morning and demands to be taken across Manhattan to get a haircut.

What should be a simple trip gets increasingly complex, with a visit by the President and a funeral causing delays, before the streets erupt into full-scale riots – with many of the participants protesting just the sort of rampant capitalism Packer represents. Throughout the day Eric meets various people, including his girlfriend, business acquaintances and sexual partners, most of whom join him in his limo. What at first seems like a rather random journey starts to see Eric’s life implode until he reaches the point where it appears like he’s actually trying to destroy himself. [Read more…]

Channel 4’s Comedy Gala 2012 (DVD)

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Every Christmas brings out a slew of stand-up comedy releases, but if you’ve got to a gift to give and aren’t sure which comedians someone likes, Channel 4’s Comedy Gala 2012 might be the release to go for. Plus it helps raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, and you can’t argue with that.

A huge selection of the top stand-ups in the UK descended on the O2 in London last May for an evening of comedy, and this is the result. The line-up includes Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Jonathan Ross, Micky Flanagan, Sean Lock, Kevin Bridges, Jo Brand, Jack Whitehall, Jack Dee, Jon Richardson, Seann Walsh, Lee Nelson, Josh Widdicombe, Paul Chowdhry, Andi Osho, Keith Lemon, Alan Carr and Reginald D.Hunter. Jessi J also shows up to sing and offers a video about why GOSH is a good cause – and she should know, as she spent time in the hospital as a child. [Read more…]