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

Beat Girl (Cinema)

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After the death of her mother, Heather (Louise Dylan) is forced to move in with her estranged father (Michael Higgs) and a stepbrother (Percelle Ascott) who doesn’t want anything to do with her. After years of training, she’s on the edge of fulfilling her mother’s wish that she attend Juilliard and study to become a truly great pianist.

Then she meet record store owner Toby (Craig Daniel Adams), who introduces her to the underground world of DJ-ing. It’s something she knows nothing about and involves a type of music that’s never penetrated her rarefied classical world. Initially she’s attracted to the idea of being a DJ in the hope she can get paid and save money for music school, but soon she starts to realise the excitement of this world. [Read more…]

Konga (DVD)

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Sometimes you watch an old movie and it’s difficult not to wonder what the filmmakers thought they were producing when they made it. Konga is now seen as a b-movie cult classic of trampy camp. But when director John Lemont was making it, did he think his man in a monkey suit was good and would terrify audiences?  Did he think he was making a sci-fi thriller in the vein of King Kong that would impress people in the same way the 1933 movie did? Or even at the time did he know he was making silly nonsense that would be a guilty pleasure at best (perhaps the fact it’s called Konga suggests he did)? [Read more…]

Accident (DVD)

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1967’s Accident is the second of three collaborations between director Joseph Losey and playwright Harold Pinter, although less seen than either The Servant or The Go-Between. Among the cognoscenti, many consider it to be the best of their films together, but is that because it really is great, or just because these people like being contrary and sounding like they have rarefied tastes? Well, probably more of the former than the latter, although it’s not without interest. [Read more…]

Rope (1948)

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Seeing as Hollywood operated under a strict moral code in the 1940s, it is no surprise that Hitchcock’s Roper isn’t an overt gay movie. Having said that though, it is undeniable that it can be watched and enjoyed by modern audiences as a movie that features two men who live together and treat each other very intimately… [Read more…]

Oz The Great And Powerful (Cinema)

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After much fanfare and a marketing blitz, Oz The Great And Powerful is finally here. So is it worth going down the yellow brick road on Sam Raimi’s trip to L. Frank Baum’s magical world? Are the Friends Of Oscar as good as the Friends Of Dorothy? The answer is yes, even if the film is far from perfect.

James Franco is Oscar Diggs, a Kansan sideshow magician and huckster who sells his illusions as real magic. He has an eye for the ladies and doesn’t care that’s he’s left a thousand broken hearts behind him, but things catch up to him when the circus strongman realises Oscar has been dallying with his gal. Oscar escapes in his hot air balloon (goodness knows why he was one, but he does), which then gets caught up in a twister and transports him all the way to Oz. [Read more…]

Willow – 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)

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If you grew up in the 1980s, there’s probably a special place in your heart for Willow. Produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, it sadly wasn’t a huge hit when it was first released. So while Lucas originally planned it as the first part of a trilogy, this is the only Willow movie we ever got (although two novels continued the story).

Watching it now, it’s interesting to see how it is essentially a sword & sorcery version of Star Wars. Even in 1987 the comparisons were easy to make in 1987 – the wizened evil ruler of an empire with magical powers and her black-clad henchman, a young man called to a journey he isn’t sure he’s ready for, an aged mentor who teaches the hero the true path, a wise-cracking loner who has to learn the value of being part of something bigger than himself. However there are even more parallels now we’ve had the Star Wars prequels, not least a child with a prophecy hanging over them. [Read more…]

The Sapphires (DVD)

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The Sapphires was a major hit in Australia and recently swept the Australian Film Institute’s AACTA Awards, picking up 11 gongs. However it’s struggled to find a huge audience outside its home country, despite the presence of Chris O’Dowd. It’s a bit of a shame, as while it’s not amazing, it’s a sweet, entertaining movie that tells an interesting true story.

From their youth, Gail, Julie and Cynthia have sung together, although due to the fact they’re aborigines, they’ve had difficulty getting anyone outside their own community to take any notice. In 1968 they meet the slightly schlubby Dave (O’Dowd), a man who’s down on his luck but who knows music. The girls have found an advert asking for acts to audition to play for US troops in Vietnam. They think that perhaps with Dave as their manager, they might have a chance of being taken seriously as a singing group. [Read more…]

Fire In The Blood (Cinema)

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If you don’t want to feel pretty angry, don’t watch this film. Fire In The Blood is an impassioned plea that’s bound to promote fury among many viewers who’ll barely be able to believe the story it tells about the callous indifference big pharmaceutical companies show to millions of lives. Indeed it’s not even indifference, it’s premeditatedly planning to allow millions to die in order to protect profits. [Read more…]

Frankenweenie (DVD)

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With Frankenweenie and Paranorman, we may be seeing a resurgence in family films that are meant to be a bit scary, rather than the anaemically nice kid’s movies we’ve had for the last few years. While Tim Burton’s animated movie is never too intense for youngsters, it’s gently creepy and touches on some tough themes, such as learning to come to terms with death.

Victor Frankenstein is a young lad who’s devastated when his beloved pet dog, Sparky, is run over by a car and killed. Unable to accept his pooch’s untimely demise, Victor comes up with an incredible plan to use electricity to bring the animal back to life. Miraculously it works, although Victor realises he must keep the revived Sparky a secret. [Read more…]

The Journey (DVD)

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Ligy J. Pullappally’s 2004 debut (sadly it’s still her only movie) gets a welcome re-release. The deceptively simple film is about two teenage Indian girls, Kiran and Delilah, and the growing desire one has for the other. As you can probably guess this causes a few issues, not least of which is that that Kiran is mortified by her feelings for Delilah. However it may not only be Kiran who is feeling this way.

They live in a world where arranged marriage is the only option, and a relationship between two women seems out of the question. [Read more…]