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

Late September (DVD)

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Late September isn’t your usual movie. Made on a microbudget, the film was completely improvised by the actors on set (based on an outline from the director), using long takes with little editing. To be honest, for about the first 20 minutes, I didn’t hold out much hope for the film. The beginning suffers the curse of many attempts at improvisation, where the actors are so busy trying to get across the information they need to – while also appearing natural – that the whole thing comes across faker than if they’d just followed a script. [Read more…]

Be Mine (DVD)

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Be Mine is gay themed romantic comedy that tells the tale of a gay man who is about to be married, as he recounts the time he was a kissing virgin, waiting for that first snog.

At first you may think the film sounds like it could be another light hearted comedy in the way that Another Gay Movie was, but where as Another Gay Movie had hilarious characters and a plethora of laugh out loud moments, Be Mine has none of those. Overall it isa bit like what the secondary characters were up to during the house party of the first American Pie film, only this party is quite possibly the worst I’ve ever seen in a film, with around 20 guests and that’s being generous. [Read more…]

Four More Years (DVD)

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Political leader David Holst (Bjorn Kjellman) believes he’s on the verge of becoming Sweden’s Prime Minister, but when thing go slightly wrong at the polls and his coalition can’t quite get enough seats to make him the head of country, he’s thrown into a bit of a funk. The setback at the polls causes him to re-evaluate his life, his outlook and his political future.

He then meets Martin (Eric Ericson), a man actively involved on the other side of the political spectrum, but who he feels a connection to. After a night of drink and discussion about the best direction for Sweden, Martin kisses David, and while the latter doesn’t think he’s gay, he doesn’t resist either. As David comes to a new realisation about his sexuality, he only sees obstacles ahead, not least his marriage and the reaction of his political backers. Can Martin and David’s romance withstand this? [Read more…]

Untouchable (Cinema)

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Untouchable hits the UK after having extraordinary success across the rest of the globe. It’s now by far the highest-grossing French-language movie ever, taking an extraordinary $365 million around the world (although only $8 million of that is from the US, which still remains particularly resistant to foreign-language fare). It’s particularly impressive as not only does the world generally ignore the output of the French film industry, but it’s about a subject that many would usually see as something to shy away from – as it’s about a man who’s completely paralysed below the neck. [Read more…]

Silent House (DVD)

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Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen), along with her father and uncle, head for an old, crumbling lakehouse retreat, to pack things up and get ready to sell it. Not long after arriving, Sarah gets a visit from a young woman claiming to be an old friend, although Sarah can’t remember her. Soon Sarah finds herself trapped in the house and someone or something seems to be in there with her, trying to get her.

The setup for the plot of fairly simple and generic, but that’s probably as it should be, because with the movie’s formal conceit, it might have become unmanageable if it got too complex on the story front to quickly. The main interest in the film is that it’s shot to look like it was made in one single take (although it’s actually several long takes stitched together), following Sarah as she becomes trapped in the house and things become ever stranger and more disturbing. [Read more…]

Anton Corbijn Inside Out (DVD)

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Most people know Anton Corbijn as a music video director and more recently for his films such as Control and The American. But as Inside Out reveals, it’s really photography that’s at his heart and which he’s perhaps most renowned for in artistic and music circles.

This documentary follows Corbijn, trying to get inside his head and find out who he is. The results are interesting if sometimes a little frustrating. Inside Out tends to assume you know about Corbijn’s work and how from the 80s until now, his photographs (particularly of music figures) and videos have made him a renowned figure. If you don’t, the early parts of the film in particular are a bit oblique, supposing an understanding of his work that not all viewers will have. It’s more about looking at the man behind the work than revealing what the work is by looking at the man. [Read more…]

Dragon Wasps (DVD)

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The title pretty much says it all, so if you think along lines of Mega Shark etc, that is what u will get. This is by no means Predator meets Eight Legged Freaks (or even Piranha 3DD for that matter) as the quick sell states, it’s more likely to be seen in Kim Newman’s Video Dungeon than anywhere else.

What do you need to know about the film? Well, if you are curious about it, I’m sure you know what you are going to get, a reasonably low budget horror film, with wooden acting, poor dialogue, a couple of very attractive women running around in skimpy outfits, and a decent body body count. Simples! [Read more…]

The Cold Light Of Day (DVD)

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Will (Henry Cavill) thinks things are bad when he arrives in Spain to find his luggage is still back in San Francisco and he’s just had a phone call telling him he’s officially bankrupt. However things quickly get worse when after meeting up with his family for a holiday, they get kidnapped. After some fruitless searching he heads for the police, which turns out to be a bad idea when they turn on him.

He soon discovers his father (Bruce Willis) was actually a CIA agent and may have been involved in some dodgy dealings involving a suitcase. Now some people want that suitcase back, but there’s no way for Will to tell who’s good, who’s bad and what course of action might get his family back. And just how is his dad’s colleague, Carrack (Sigourney Weaver), involved in all this, and was his father a good guy or a traitor? [Read more…]

Breathing (Atmen) (DVD)

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Austria’s official entry for the Foreign Language gong at last year’s Oscar, Breathing is the sort of film that rewards patience, as it starts out slow and almost deliberately obtuse, before revealing an ever more absorbing story.

Roman Kugler (Thomas Schubert) is an 18-year-old locked up in a youth detention centre who’s allowed out on day release to go to work. After one job falls apart, he starts working at a morgue, which brings him face-to-face with death in ways he hadn’t expected. With the hearing that could see him released coming up, he starts to come to terms with the crime he was locked up for, as well as trying to find some sort of reconciliation with his past in children’s homes and his sense of abandonment. [Read more…]

The Turin Horse (DVD)

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If you look at the 88% RottenTomatoes.com rating for The Turin Horse, it certainly appears the film has been getting a lot of love. However there are two completely separate reviews you could write for the movie – one for the cineaste art film fan, and another for the average Michael Bay movie loving moviegoer.

It probably won’t be a shock that the former will probably love this movie, while the latter will be bored stiff and wonder what on earth is going on.

So presuming you’re a member of the former group (or indeed a Michael Bay lover who also has more refined tastes), this is a film that may last nearly two-and-a-half hours with not much happening, but offers a lot in return. [Read more…]