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

Portrait Of A Serial Monogamist (US DVD Review)

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Elsie (Diane Flacks) has been with her girlfriend for five years, but they haven’t had sex in months and she feels that it’s time to move on. Elsie is known for being a serial monogamist, jumping from one relationship to the next, without ever spending the time to work on herself or be single. And there’s also the nagging suspicion that it may also be a way for her to avoid having to really work on a relationship when it gets difficult.

After her break-up, Elsie is challenged to spend the next five months on her own, something that immediately becomes difficult when she meets DJ and photographer Lolli (Vanessa Dunn). Elsie feels a spark between them and immediately put herself into the middle of what is essentially a faux-relationship, but things quickly get complicated as she doesn’t really know what she wants – and the conflicting advice of her friends doesn’t help. [Read more…]

Winning Dad (Film Review)

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Colby is gay, something his conservative father, Michael, has never properly accepted. However, Colby has now found a man he thinks might be ‘the one’ and so hatches a plan for his dad to get to know Rusty, without him realising he’s his son’s boyfriend. Colby tells his father that Rusty is his straight friend and future business partner who’s he’s invited along on their annual camping trip with them.

When it’s time to go on the trip, Colby says he can’t go at the last minute, and so Rusty and Michael head off alone. Initially it looks like they’re going to get on well, but as the men become more comfortable around one another, Rusty starts to think perhaps he can tell Michael the truth – although if he does, there’s no guarantee Michael will accept it and the repercussions might not just rip Colby’s family apart, but also his relationship with Rusty. [Read more…]

All About E (US DVD Review)

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E (Mandahla Rose) is a free-spirited, Arab-Australian, lesbian nightclub performer living in Sydney. Her act is a hit, woman adore her and she seems to have a great life. Things change for her when she accidentally gets her hands on a holdall full of money and decides to keep it. However, it turns out it belongs to the violent nightclub owner she works for, and as soon as she realises that, E knows she’s in trouble and so goes on the run with her gay best friend (and marriage of convenience husband), Matt (Brett Rogers).

As they travel across Australia, it becomes clear that perhaps E isn’t as fulfilled as she seems, something that becomes particularly apparent when they arrive on the doorstep of her ex-girlfriend, Trish (Julia Billington), neither of whom have quite gotten over their breakup. And there’s still the problem of the stolen cash. [Read more…]

Eroddity(s) 2 (VoD Review)

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In 2014 director Steven Vasquez brought us the gay short film anthology film Eroddity(s) (as well as the Eroddity(s)-esque Angels With Tethered Wings). It was a big enough success that now we have Eroddity(s) 2, which present three more creepy tales. In case you’re wondering the title is a contraction of ‘erotic oddities’, which is quite apt as the film is what would result if you smashed a horror film, The Twilight Zone and gay porn together in a super-collider.

If your ears pricked up on reading the words ‘gay porn’, you’ll be pleased to hear that as with the first movie, hardly any of the actors get through the movie without stripping naked at least once, and on a few occasions you can tell they were quite enjoying what was going on. So if you want to, you can play spot the (semi-)boner with the movie. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT Shorts 2015 – Part 2 (Reviews)

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Vessels – Winner, Iris Prize 2015

Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, Vessels follows Diamond, a young, Latina, transgender woman living in Los Angeles. Diamond works at a garment factory for little pay, and is unable to afford healthcare, let alone the breast implants she desperately desires.

When her friend Hope shows off the new breasts she obtained through illegal black market silicon injections, Diamond is presented with an opportunity to gain the more feminine physique she has wanted her entire life. The girls go visit the “pumper,” Prayleen, who helps Diamond sculpt the body of her dreams. [Read more…]

Credence (Short Film Review)

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There aren’t too many gay-themed films out there that delve into the sci-fi arena, partly because they are often difficult to make on the sort of shoestring budget most gay movies have at their disposal. However Mike Buonaiuto’s Credence has set out to do just that, as well as to challenge stereotypical portrayals of LGBT people in general.

The half-hour film follows a gay couple and their child dealing with the imminent Armageddon. Having escaped disasters in London, they are now living in a remote cabin, awaiting a meteor that is going to destroy humanity. There is one glimmer of hope – a rescue plan to relocate a select band of people to another planet on a rocket. [Read more…]

Liz In September (US DVD Review)

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Liz (played by supermodel Patricia Velasquez) is vivacious, womanising, party girl, who heads off for her annual trip to an idyllic Caribbean island, where she celebrates her birthday with her friends. However, she is hiding something from the others, as she is terminally ill. She doesn’t want their pity and just hopes to enjoy herself, even though her condition is getting worse by the day.

An outsider, Eva (Eloisa Maturén), arrives in their secluded retreat after her car breaks down. Straight women are an unusual presence at the guesthouse, and the women there aren’t initially sure they want one around, as this is supposed to be their opportunity to bond solely with other lesbians. However, they soon decide to accept Eva, while simultaneously daring Liz to seduce her. Liz soon discovers that Eva isn’t her usual conquest, and coming into contact with the emotionally wounded young woman causes both of them to reconsider their relationship with life, death and love. [Read more…]

In The Grayscale (US DVD Review)

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I’m starting to think we should just leave South America to make all the gay-themed movies, as they seem to have a knack for it. This Chilean effort follows architect Bruno (Francisco Celhay), who has a wife, child and a seemingly picture perfect life. However, he isn’t happy and is in the process of moving out in order to find himself.

Bruno is then offered the chance to design something iconic for Santiago by a businessman hoping to make his mark. This brings him into contact with history teacher Fer, who has been brought in to help Bruno with his new project. Fer is witty, lively and, as Bruno soon discovers, gay. Being around Fer begins to bring out something Bruno has been repressing, and soon a romance is blossoming. However, the reality of his former life and the big changes continuing his relationship with Fer will cause, ensure it won’t be an easy love. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT Shorts 2015 – Part 1 (Reviews)

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Closets

Closets, written and Directed by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, won both Youth Award and Best Of British Award at Iris 2015 for its portrayal of the struggles gay teens have faced over the past 30 years.

Henry (played by Tommy Lawrence Knight, of The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures), a drag-loving 16-year-old living in 1986, is transported, via his wardrobe, to 2016, where he meets Ben (Cucumber’s Ceallach Spellman), a gay teen with problems of his own. Together they find solace and hope in each other’s stories, and the knowledge that they aren’t alone. The performances between the two boys is wonderful, and their interaction is in turns both touching and funny. Suffering slightly in the end scene, Closets is a coherent and enjoyable piece of queer cinema that’s obviously designed to inspire and provoke debate in younger viewers. [Read more…]

Naz & Maalik (Iris Prize Festival Review)

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Naz & Maalik chronicles the lives of two gay muslim teenagers living in a post-9/11 New York, doing their best to balance a relationship that would be frowned upon by their social and cultural peers, and schemes to make a little money on the side.

The boys, played by Curtiss Cook Jr and Kenwin Johnson Jr., run afoul of an FB agent, played by Annie Grier, who seems intent upon uncovering some deeper, more sinister purpose in their actions. [Read more…]