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

I’m A Porn Star: Gay4Pay (VoD Review)

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A couple of years ago, the documentary I’m A Porn Star provided an interesting insight into the world of gay porn, talking to various models – some gay, some straight, some bisexual – about their lives, work and how they got into the industry. Now it’s back with Gay4Pay, which as the name suggests, concentrates on the world of straight identifying men who have sex with other men on screen for money.

Are they really straight? Are they deeply closeted? Is it just about the money? Do they start out straight and end up further towards the other end of the Kinsey Scale after they’ve been in the industry for a while? Well, after watching Gay4Pay, the answer seems to be ‘Yes’ to all of those, but as you’d expect it depends on the guy. [Read more…]

Thank You (Gay Adult Short Film Review)

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Most of the time the term ‘art-porn’ isn’t quite correct. It refers to explicit sexuality in films that are otherwise ‘normal’ movies, with the ‘porn’ term used because erections and real sex are normally the preserve of that genre. However, the likes of Shortbus, Intimacy, Romance and others can’t really be considered porn. Indeed, many of these movies seem absolutely determined that despite how explicit they are, what they’re showing must not be considered erotic in any way, as if admitting that would diminish their legitimacy (Shortbus being an exception, which isn’t afraid to suggest sex can be fun).

However, Noel Alejandro’s short film Thank You, legitimately is ‘art porn’, joining the likes of Travis Mathews’ I Want Your Love and TheBlackSpark Project as something that is unabashedly erotic but aspires to be more than solely about getting people off. The setup is classic porn – two men come together and have very explicit sex, with the majority of the running time taken up with foreplay, BJs and screwing. In other ways though it’s something a little more. It has a simple but effective plot, decent acting and a genuine filmmaker’s interest in lighting, shot composition and editing. [Read more…]

New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation (VoD Review)

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The Boys On Film DVD releases have been a great showcase for gay male-themed short films (indeed, it’s the most successful short film series in the world). While there has been one Girls On Film release, it’s generally not been as easy for the general viewer to find the best in lesbian-themed shorts. Thankfully though New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation – a collaboration between UK short film festival New Queer Visions and VoD platform, Filmdoo.com – has stepped forward with a variety of well-made and stimulating lesbian shorts.

Take a look at what we thought of each of the short films: [Read more…]

Denial (LA Film Festival Review)

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Derek Hallquist has worked as a cinematographer on documentaries such as Freakonomics, but decides with Denial that due to his strong interest in climate change, he will turn the camera on his father, Dave, who runs a small energy company in Vermont, which is working to increase the amount of renewable energy the US produces.

However, there is a problem, which is that while the nation’s enormous electricity grid works okay with the amount of wind and solar energy produced at the moment, it will have increasing problems as more is created. The wind and sun aren’t reliable in terms of the amount of energy they can produce at different times of the day, and with no economical way to store excess energy for use when the wind dies down or the sun goes behind clouds, there will be large issues if there’s high demand and not enough sun or wind to meet that. Dave thinks the answer is smart products, which can talk to the grid and adjust their power demands depending on the supply – taking more when it’s plentiful and less when it isn’t. [Read more…]

Gayby Baby (VoD Review)

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Gayby Baby is an Australian documentary that takes a look at four children who have same sex parents. Initially I was slightly wondering whether the film was going to render itself moot to gay audience by spending it’s entire running time suggesting there’s no difference between kids with gay parents and those without. That might be news to some, but for most LGBT people it isn’t exactly revelatory.

However, that was unfair of me, as while for the first 10 minutes it concentrates on the similarities, it then begins to subtly dissect the possible differences and pressures, asking both LGBT and straight viewers to question their presumptions about gay parents and their kids. It’s certainly not a film that sets out to undermine the idea of gay parenting, but it does want to look at whether things are as black and white as either the pro or con side might want to suggest. [Read more…]

Waiting In The Wings: The Musical (VoD/US DVD Review)

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I’m still surprised that there aren’t more gay-themed musicals, but it is a notoriously tricky and expensive genre, so generally the low-budget world of queer cinema hasn’t made as much use of it as you might expect. However, Waiting In The Wings takes on the singing and dancing with gusto, and backs it up with minor gay-icon cameos from the likes of Lee Meriwether, Sally Struthers, Shirley Jones and Christopher Atkins.

Anthony (Jeffrey A. Johns) is a small town guy with dreams of making it big in musicals. He thinks he’s got his chance when he scores a role in a new, off-Broadway production and so heads from Montana to New York. Tony (Adam Huss) meanwhile is a stripper who thinks he might be able to take it to the next level as part of a new all-male exotic dancer revue. There’s a bit of a problem though – the same man is producing both shows and has mixed up their similar names, so the small, shy Anthony ends up being asked to take his clothes off, while Tony, who’s never sung before in his life, is now in a musical. [Read more…]

Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson (US DVD Review)

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When she was a girl, artist and director Jane Anderson’s mother found a hoard of art packed away in trunks in an attic. It was the work of Jane’s great aunt, Edith Lake Wilkinson, and as a result Jane grew up surrounded by Edith’s painting, which helped her find her own visual sense.

Decades later Janes sets out to find out more about Edith, as well as to discover her place in the world of early 20th Century Provincetown art. The main thing they know about Edith is that she spent the last years of her life institutionalised, but they don’t know why. They also know she had a female companion, Fanny, who they presume was actually her lover. [Read more…]

Loev (SXSW/BFI Flare Review)

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Sahil is a young, Indian music producer who’s getting increasingly frustrated by his boyfriend, who seems incapable of taking anything seriously or remembering something as simple as paying a bill. When Sahil’s longtime friend Jai – who’s now a Wall Street hotshot – reveals he’s heading to Mumbai for the weekend, Sahil drops everything to go and see him.

Heading off into the countryside and then back into the city, the duo delicately negotiate their feelings for one another, trying to figure out whether there is something more there than friendship. However, is there potential for love, or is Sahil – as Jai begins to suspect – really interested in the escape to a more luxurious and exciting life that Jai’s money can buy? [Read more…]

Lost In White City (US DVD/VoD Review)

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Kyle (Thomas Dekker – Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Eva (Hayley Bennett – Hardcore Henry) are American art students who’ve headed to Tel Aviv, with both of them hoping it will bring a new aspect to their art. Eva begins to explore the world of Israeli literature, while Kyle starts to shoot an experimental movie. Then they meet local man, Avi (Bob Morley – The 100), who Kyle becomes fascinated with and decides to make the centre of his movie.

The relationship between Kyle and Eva slowly begins to disintegrate, as she tries to break through his seeming disinterest in her, and she starts to see new possibilities. She also starts to realise that there is more than just friendship between Avi and Kyle, and that her boyfriend is building perhaps subconscious (or perhaps not) feelings for the young man. Neither seems to know what to do about it, and it isn’t clear whether Kyle even really cares, or indeed whether Avi has motivations beyond friendship for either of them. [Read more…]

Inside The Chinese Closet (Human Rights Watch Film Festival Review)

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Italian director Sophia Luvara’s documentary sets its sights on the lesbian and gay population of China, and more specifically the pressures on gay people to get married and have children, whether their parents know about their sexuality or not.

Inside The Chinese Closet follows two main people. The first, Andy, is an architect in his early 30s, whose parents are aware he is gay but are pressuring him to marry and have a kid. He is therefore looking for a woman to have a fake marriage with, preferably a lesbian, although he is torn about whether it’s something he really wants to do or not. Similarly, Cherry is a lesbian who’s already had a fake marriage which hasn’t worked out, but is now hoping to make her parents happy by adopting a child. She has never told them she is gay, but feels they are becoming increasingly aware. Again, she isn’t certain whether getting an abandoned newborn is right for her. [Read more…]