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

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

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The Iris Prize Festival has now drawn to a close, but its still worth seeking out some of the excellent short film that competed for the world’s largest short film prize, the Iris Prize. We’ve already posted our thoughts on the first 11 short films, and below you can find 12 more (presented in screening order – opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the overall jury).

Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 1
Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 3 [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

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For the last few years Big Gay Picture Show has tried to cover the wonderful Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff as it happened, with reviews being posted while the fest was still happening. However, this year I had the honour of being part of the International Jury, so as a result we decided to wait until the festival was over before we posted our reviews of the 35 shorts that were in contention for the £30,000 prize.

So what did I think? Take a look below at my thoughts on the first 11 short films (presented in screening order – opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the overall jury).

Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 2
Click here for Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2017 – Part 3 [Read more…]

Spidarlings (VoD Review) – Anyone for a punk, LGBT, musical, body horror, comedy, indie film?

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A lesbian couple – Eden and Mathilda – are living in a house where they haven’t paid rent for two years. Their mean landlord is getting a bit angry at this, and putting pressure on them to hand over the thousands they owe. One of them also works in a men-only club, where she has to put up with the lecherous unpleasantness of the guys there.

Add to that there’s a very unusual serial killer out there stalking woman, and then bizarre things start to happen after one of the women gets a pet tarantula and it escapes. It’s also a world where people often break into song – including the women, their landlord, and most particularly drag queens. [Read more…]

No Dresscode Required (Human Rights Film Festival Review) – The agonising fight for gay marriage in Baja California

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While in the West we know there are homophobes, due to the fact that most of us surround ourselves with likeminded people it’s easy to become complacent about the problems that are out there. That’s particularly true in countries like the US and UK that have gay marriage and you can feel fairly confident that even if they don’t like it, those in charge of civil marriage will respect the law and issue you a certificate certificate (some particularly backwards US counties excepted). Well then, be prepared for a documentary that will fill you with righteous indignation and anger.

At the outset of the doc, gay marriage has come to Mexico following a court ruling, although many Mexican states and cities still have ordinances barring it. Victor and Fernando, who’ve been together for 15 years, think that means that if they want to get married it’s likely they’ll have to travel to Mexico City, rather than getting hitched at home in Mexicali, Baja California. [Read more…]

Heartland (US DVD/VoD Review) – The possibility of a lesbian affair threatens an Oklahoman family

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I have to admit to being a tiny bit suspicious of Heartland before watching it. I was worried it was going to another entry in the subgenre of gay movies that (often inadvertently) suggest that the best way for someone in a straight relationship to sort out their problems is to have a same sex affair. After all, that’s not really cheating, is it?

Thankfully though, Heartland isn’t quite that (although it gets a little close at times).

Lauren (co-writer Velinda Godfrey) has just buried her long-term girlfriend after nursing her during a long illness. She’s a bit of a mess and so heads home to see her family in Oklahoma. That includes her mother, Crystal (gay film stalwart Beth Grant), who’s never quite embraced her daughter’s sexuality. There’s also her brother, Justin (Aaron Leddick), who’s trying to properly get his wine business going. That means he only has a little time for his girlfriend, Carrie (Bones and Big Bang Theory’s Laura Spencer), a woman who’s long been involved in wine– hailing from Napa Valley in California – whether she wants to or not. [Read more…]

Before The Fall (VoD Review) – Pride & Prejudice gets a modern gay retelling

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There have been a lot of adaptations of Pride & Prejudice, some of which have been faithful to Jane Austen’s original story and setting, while others have brought it to the modern day (the web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries), transplanted the tale to India (Bride & Prejudice) and even added in the undead (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies). Now the story has been retold with a gay twist, and a few other alterations to make it feel more modern.

Elizabeth Bennett has become Ben Bennett, a gay man working as a respected attorney in rural Virginia. He first comes across Lee Darcy when the rough-hewn welder is accused of domestic assault – although neither Lee nor his girlfriend claim to know exactly how she fell and hit her head. Ben doesn’t initially seem impressed with this man, managing to accidentally insult him at the courthouse due to his rather arrogant attitudes and quickness to judge. [Read more…]

I’m Fine: Season 1, Part 1 (VoD Review) – Love, relationships & friendship in the new gay dramedy

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The online LGBT-centred streaming service Dekkoo extends it range of exclusive online series with I’m Fine, which has just released its first four episodes. The show focuses on gay guy Nate (Perry Powell). He’s relatively recently split up with boyfriend Joey and is still in the process of negotiating life without him.

That involves exploring the possibilities of hook-up apps and whether a bit of meaningless sex is what he wants. There’s also a best friend who may secretly be in love with him, friends who have a tendency towards saying the wrong thing and a hope that maybe there’s still a spark with Joey. Nate may also have to start realising that perhaps there are other people out there for him. [Read more…]

4 Days In France (DVD Review) – A gay man goes cruising to a different life

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Pierre (Pascal Cervo) leaves Paris and goes into the French countryside. He’s left on a whim, wandering off into the unknown with only a vague sense of where he might end up. What he does have is a gay hook-up app, which pings wherever he goes with new opportunities. Indeed, Grindr almost becomes his compass.

As he travels around looking for sexual experiences with men old and young, he also meets various other people, including a singer who he takes to a care home for a performance, a bookseller who he used to know when she taught him English, and a woman he catches robbing him. He finds different types of connection with them, as well as with a young man he sleeps with who wants him to deliver a letter, a businessman who seems to both want sex and rejects it, and an older man where the promise of a hook-up soon develops into something different. [Read more…]

Pushing Dead (BFI Flare Review) – A dark comedy look at living with HIV, starring Psych’s James Roday

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Many people will know James Roday from playing the cocksure, mischievous character is TV’s Psych. Here he takes on a slightly different character, playing Dan, a man who’s lived with HIV for over two decades, but still feels the stigma and never tells anyone about his illness. The only ones who are aware are Paula (Robin Weigert), the sister of Dan’s former lover; and his editor, the gruff Bob (Danny Glover), who’s having marriage troubles.

Dan is having more than a few difficulties himself. He’s a poet at a time when no one cares about poetry, and when he deposits a $100 birthday cheque in his bank account, he accidentally goes over the incredibly strict bar for being on a low income that his healthcare plan enforces. That means that rather than getting most of his HIV medication paid for under his insurance, he suddenly needs to come up with $3,000 a month. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t have $3,000. [Read more…]

Below Her Mouth (BFI Flare Review) – An all-female crew offers up a look at lesbian love

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Below Her Mouth has attracted interest partly because of the unfortunately unusual fact that it was made with an all-female crew.

Dallas (Erika Linder) has just split up with her girlfriend and moved out of their home. She sees the beautiful Jasmine (Natalie Krill) while working on a roof, and then decides to pursue her when they meet in a lesbian bar. However, Jasmine says she’s not a lesbian, she’s only in the bar because her friend dragged her. Jasmine is engaged to a man and known for being faithful. [Read more…]