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

The Arrival Of Wang (DVD)

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As The Arrival Of Wang is being brought out by an imprint of LGBT specialist distributor Peccadillo Pictures, you could be forgiven for thinking the title refers to something far saucier that what this film actually is. However Saffron Hill Films has been set up to handle their genre titles, with this one being a sci-fi thriller from Italy.

Gaia (Francesca Cuttica) is a translator who’s called out of the blue to take a rush job. Before she knows it she’s in the back of a car being blindfolded so that she doesn’t know where they’re going. She’s taken to a room where she’s told she’ll have to translate from Mandarin into English. Initially she’s not allowed to see the speaker, but when they eventually agree to switch the lights on, she finds an alien sitting opposite to her, tied to a chair. [Read more…]

Margin Call (DVD)

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While the financial crisis has been one of the biggest global events since the Second World War, the film industry has had difficulty dealing with it. Part of the reason for that is the fear that if you just have a bunch of people sitting around talking about numbers, the audience’s eyes will glaze over and they’ll start heading for the exit. However writer/director J.C. Chandor trusts that not everyone completely zones out if things aren’t simple, and also realises that if you get a great bunch of actors together, you can take on subjects that might initially seem dull, but can still actually make a really good film. [Read more…]

Sarah Millican – Thoroughly Modern Millican (DVD)

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Sarah Millican is proof that if you dream of being a comedian, you don’t need to be like Jack Whitehall and Daniel Sloss, who came out of the womb with a microphone in their hand. Millican was 33 before she had her first Edinburgh Fringe show, which won the if.comedy award in 2008. Since then she’s had a quick rise to stardom, including national solo tours, numerous panel show appearances, her own TV series and now her second live DVD, Thoroughly Modern Millican. [Read more…]

Status Quo: Hello Quo! (DVD)

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It’s 50 years since the band that would become Status Quo first started forming, when in 1962 schoolboys Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster came together to make music. This lengthy documentary tells the story from those very early days and goes through the whole Quo story, from the numerous fallings-out and line-up changes, the drug-taking, rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and on to their later demotion from Radio 1 playlists and becoming elder statesmen of rock. [Read more…]

Ross Noble: Nonsensory Overload (DVD)

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With many comedians, you’ll be lucky if you get a 90 minute set out of them, but Ross Noble is the other way around, as he pretty much needs to be dragged off the stage and gives the impression he’d be happy to carry on riffing all night if given the chance. This comedic verbosity is carried onto this new DVD release, as you don’t just get one gig, you get three, plus a slew of highlights and bits and pieces from other performances. Just the first gig, filmed in Canberra, Australia, is over two hours long, which should give you an idea of just how much is included in this release. [Read more…]

Seeking a Friend For The End of The World (Blu-ray)

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What would you do if you knew the world was going to end in three weeks? Maybe you’d carry on with your day-to-day life, go crazy and do all the things you’d always wanted to but just hadn’t had time for yet, or maybe you simply just don’t know.

These are the things that Lorene Scafaria sets out to explore in this touchingly sweet, sad and laugh out loud look at the end of the world. Where as apocalyptic films in the past have looked at how the human race can save the day and prevent the world from being smashed to pieces, this uniquely original film looks at it from the everyday person’s perspective as they casually live out their last days. [Read more…]

Chicago Hope – Season 3 (DVD)

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While Chicago Hope is an entertaining show, it was probably just as important as a training ground for those who’ve gone on to big things in the world of TV. It’s famed as the first show David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) created and ran, but it was also the first producing gig for Tim Kring (Heroes), Ian Bieberman (Cold Case, Crossing Jordan), Rob Corn (The District, Grey’s Anatomy) and various others, many who’ve continued to work with Kelley over the years. Nor is it a coincidence that both Mandy Patinkin and Thomas Gibson ended up in Criminal Minds, and Mark Harmon and Rocky Carroll went on to NCIS. [Read more…]

Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate (DVD)

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Much of physics is based on the idea that the laws of gravity are constant across the universe and have been that ways since just after the Big Bang. However that would seem to be contradicted by the fact that for decades Wuxia movies have taught us that during the Imperial past, gravity was far less powerful in China, and people were able to leap about like they’ve just arrived on the moon.  And now there’s CGI to make sure the martial art wire-fu masters’ anti-grav antics can make Newton spin ever faster in his grave. [Read more…]

The Night Child (DVD)

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The Night Child was directed by Massimo Dallamano in 1975. Unfortunately he perished in a car accident the following year. This is quite tragic considering his pedigree and historical body of work as director, actor and cinematographer. His work also included being the cinematographer on Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars more. After watching this effective film, his death was a huge loss to fans of Italian horror. His name could still be universally recognised alongside the masters of Italian horror, such as Dario Argento (Suspiria and Tenebrae) and Lucio Fulci (The Beyond), to name but a couple. [Read more…]

Storage 24 (Blu-ray)

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Sometimes simple set-ups are the best, and sometimes they don’t live up to the promise. Sadly the latter is true of Storage 24.

An ordinary afternoon turns extraordinary when a plane crashes in the centre of London. Charlie (Noel Clarke) and Mark (Colin O’Donoghue) are on their way to a storage centre, so Charlie can pick up some stuff following a bitter break-up with his girlfriend. When they arrive, the crash has caused issues with the centre’s security, which results in them being trapped inside until the technician can reopen the shutters. Charlie thinks things have gotten about as bad as they can be when he finds his ex and a couple of her friends are already in the storage container, but the plane crash has also left something inside the facility with them – and it’s big, bad, alien and incredibly vicious. [Read more…]