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

52 Tuesdays (BFI Flare Review)

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The premise of 52 Tuesdays – Sophia Hyde’s directorial debut – is interesting. It’s a film showing every Tuesday during one year in the life of an increasingly estranged family (hence the title).

The family in question consists of James, a transgender man beginning his transition to live fully an a man; his daughter Billie who’s a rebellious and sexually curious teenager with a video camera; and a largely distant father who has a beard. Oh, and Charlie, a sexually ambiguous brother/uncle/party boy. [Read more…]

Lilting (BFI Flare Review)

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We managed to catch the excellent Lilting for the BFI: Flare: London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival gala, courtesy of American Airlines. And we’re glad we did!

Lilting, written and directed by Cambodian-born (but British resident) Hong Khaou tells the story two people finding each other in the aftermath of a devastating bereavement: A non-English-speaking mother (Cheng) whose only lifeline into an alien and intimidating culture is suddenly severed; and her son Kai’s secret boyfriend Richard (Whishaw), whose world crumbles when the love of his life is so cruelly taken away. Having previously battled him for her son’s love and attention, mother and boyfriend must now come to terms with the reality of life without Kai, and what that means for both of them. [Read more…]

Campaign Of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda (US DVD)

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In the last year Michael Lucas hasn’t just done a U-turn in his porn empire by allowing performers to go condom-free, he’s also struck out into the legit film arena as a documentarian. A few months ago he released Undressing Israel, which presented an incredibly rosy image of LGBT life in that country, and now comes Campaign Of Hate, which paints a pretty gloomy picture of life for gay people in Putin’s Russia. [Read more…]

Southern Baptist Sissies (US Cinema)

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Normally filmed versions of stage productions are pretty tedious affairs. It’s very difficult to transfer the feel of a live production from stage to screen. That’s partly because they’re very different mediums and partly because if you’re having to shoot around an audience, it severely limits how it can actually be shot. That’s not to mention that stage acting often has to be bigger than screen acting and can come across as a little silly when removed from the theatre.

For about the first five minutes I thought this was going to essentially ruin Southern Baptist Sissies. As Emerson Collins’ Mark addressed the audience, it didn’t really feel like something that would work on screen. However then it all started to come together to create a surprisingly successful hybrid of stage and screen. [Read more…]

Capital Games (US DVD)

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Author G.A. Hauser has gained a lot of fans although some may not realise this doyenne of male-gay romance novels is a woman. Capital Games is the first of her books to become a movie, with the writer onboard to produce and co-write the script with Wendell Lu.

It follows Steve Miller (Eric Presnall), an ex-LAPD cop who’s now finding success in advertising. He feels immediate rivalry with new boy Mark Richfield (Gregor Cosgrove), who it appears may have been brought in to take on the massive account Steve has been after. As a result the men get off to a fractious start, which isn’t helped when they head off for a bonding weekend with other colleagues, at which Steve seems more interested in showing what a big man he is, rather than properly leading the team. [Read more…]

Looking (TV Preview) Is it the gay show we’ve been waiting for?

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Having premiered in the US on January 19th on HBO, the much-anticipated show about a group of gay friends in San Francisco makes its UK bow on Sky Atlantic on January 27th at 10.35pm. So after all the hype, was it worth it? The answer is yes, but perhaps not if you just judge it from the first episode. If you stick with it though (I’ve been lucky enough to see the first four episodes) it proves to be something well worth watching. [Read more…]

West Hollywood Motel (US DVD)

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When Scenes From A Gay Marriage came out, some reviewers compared actor/writer/director Matt Riddlehoover to Woody Allen. It’s something Matt seems to like, as his latest, West Hollywood Motel, borrows liberally from the type of plots Allen used to like, from The Purple Rose Of Cairo to Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex. It even uses a similar title font to the one that has been a trademark of Woody’s for decades. [Read more…]

Truth (US Cinema)

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Caleb (Sean Paul Lockhart) is a young man trying to put a very difficult upbringing behind him. His mother spent his childhood abusing him and calling him a ‘pussy’ and ‘fag’, before she abandoned him and ended up being institutionalised due to her mental health issues.

Caleb meets Jeremy (Rob Moretti) on the internet, and despite his uncertainty, the two have soon fallen head over heels for one another. Caleb is reluctant to trust anyone, feeling everyone he’s ever cared about has ended up abandoning him, but slowly he allows Jeremy in, who is keen to tell Caleb he will always be there for him. However when Caleb discovers Jeremy has been keeping major secrets, things soon unravel in very dangerous ways – indeed we know from very early on in the movie that Caleb has been locked up and something very serious has happened between him and Jeremy. [Read more…]

Leather (US DVD)

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After the death of his father, Andrew (Andrew Glaszek) returns from the city to the Catskill Mountains where he grew up, taking his rather fey boyfriend, Kyle (Jeremy Neal), along with him. They head to Andrew’s father’s house/cabin, only to find that rough-hewn mountain man/hunk Birch (Chris Graham) is living there.

Birch was a childhood friend of Andrew’s, however they haven’t spoken for many years, partly due to the fact Andrew’s father, Walter, was difficult and had trouble accepting his gay son, which led Andrew to leave the mountains behind completely. Birch and Walter grew close though, which Andrew has a difficult time dealing with, feeling that Birch essentially became the son Walter wanted, as he could never accept the one he had. [Read more…]

Undressing Israel: Gay Men In The Promised Land (US DVD)

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Michael Lucas is best known for his eponymous gay porn label, but in the last few years he’s also become known as an ardent supporter of Israel, even if his pit-bull Israel-has-never-done-anything-wrong-ever style has put off as many people as it’s attracted. Now Lucas has directed (alongside Yariv Mozer) Undressing Israel, which takes a 46 minute look at being gay in the Holy Land. [Read more…]