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

The Mentalist – Season 4 (DVD)

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The end of The Mentalist – Season 3 was certainly dramatic, with CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) gunning down a man in a shopping mall. The ‘victim’ claimed to be Red John, the serial killer who slaughtered Jane’s wife and child.

For pretty much every other person on the planet, shooting someone to death in cold blood would be the end of their law enforcement career, but this is TV, so former ‘psychic’ Patrick quickly gets out of this sticky situation and is back to solving crimes using his unique brand of mental manipulation. Not only that, but he doesn’t believe the man he killed was really Red John, ensuring that Jane still has his single-minded pursuit of the killer to drive him. [Read more…]

Suicide Room (DVD)

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The Polish film Suicide Room is a strange beast; a tale of teenage angst and depression set partly in the real world and partly in a CG online realm (the titular Suicide Room). Dominik (Jakub Gierzal) is a rather emo teen, who’s surrounded by friends and thinks life is his oyster. However, after he’s dared to snog a good looking guy by his friends, he finds his sense of acceptance spiralling downwards, which gets worse when he has an orgasm during a particularly frenetic judo bout with the boy he kissed. His former friends begin mercilessly making fun of him online as his private struggle with his sexuality takes a very public form. [Read more…]

Into The Lion’s Den (DVD)

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A few years ago, gay themed horror films were pretty much unheard of, but very slowly more of them have been emerging, although it’s not exactly like we’ve had a flood. Now a new one has arrived in the form of Into The Lion’s Den, which also marks the first UK release from a brand new British branch of the successful US LGBT distributor Breaking Glass Pictures/QC Cinema.

The film sees three gay friends, Michael (Ronnie Kroell), Johnny (Jesse Archer) and Ted (Kristen-Alexzander Griffith), on a cross-country road trip heading for the big city. Johnny is busy shagging his way across the country, something the others have reservations about. When they arrive in a small town, Michael just wants to go to sleep, but Johnny drags them all to a rough looking bar, where he’s organised to meet someone for sex. However the evening turns out to be far more dangerous that any of them expected. [Read more…]

13 (DVD)

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Hollywood has done another remake of a genre breaking, thought provoking film noir and delivered another very average film.

The French film, 13 (Tzameti), shocked cinemagoers around the world with its back and white edgy raw filmmaking, and left stark unforgettable images ingrained in your mind long after you had seen the movie. The remake does nothing of the sort. [Read more…]

Rock Of Ages (DVD)

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The film adaptation of the 2009 Broadway musical is two hours of high energy 80s rock music coupled with laugh out loud comedy, as we see a young girl search for fame and fortune in the bright lights of Hollywood, set against the underside of the rock music industry.

Filled with great songs of the classic rock era – which has no doubt led it be being one of the last decade’s most popular musicals – the film makes you want to dance around and sing for the whole duration of the film. Although the music in the film is great, credit has to be given for the themes, of which several run through the film, with a sweet young love story evolving whilst the upside and downside of fame counterbalance each other in the background. Another theme that the film touches on is the clear mockery of the right wing with their wholesome image hiding a few dirty secrets. [Read more…]

iLL Manors (Blu-ray)

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Let me first start with a warning, if you’re hoping for an evening that isn’t too traumatic, don’t watch iLL Manors. However if you want a movie that’s innovative, challenging and has a lot of ambition (particularly for a microbudget British movie), it’s quite a ride.

Written and directed by Ben Drew – aka Plan B – it’s a film where he tries to push the envelope and go beyond the usual ideas of the Brit flick, in the same way as he’s done with his music. That’s signalled from the outset, where he truncates 20-odd years of a young man’s life into a few minutes, telling the story through the lyrics of a rap song (which includes samples from the score to Disney’s Beauty & The Beast, no less). It’s unconventional but surprisingly effective. [Read more…]

Hart Of Dixie – Season 1 (DVD)

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Most American TV is focussed on the urban middle-classes in major metropolitan areas, but every so often they remember that dotted in between the big cities are tens of thousands of smaller settlements, and that maybe they’d like something aimed at them (and so might city sophisticates who like the idea of small town charm). That’s where Hart Of Dixie fits on the spectrum, a show you’d be forgiven for never having heard of, as in the UK its first series was tucked away on the TV channel Really.

Now it’s coming to DVD, so you can catch up if it sounds like the sort of thing you’d like. If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, for example (the tone of which Hart Of Dixie often seems to borrow from liberally), this should be right up your street. [Read more…]

Casanova ’73 (DVD)

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Casanova ’73 is a bit of a footnote in British comedy history. It only ran for seven episodes, but managed to get Mary Whitehouse in a tizzy with its risqué bedroom farce antics, and caused the BBC to get cold feet partway through its run and move it from mid-evening to a late night slot. As a result, Mastermind got Casanova’s primetime slot and became a surprise hit.

Written by Galton and Simpson, of Hancock and Steptoe & Son fame, the series sees Leslie Phillips as Henry Newhouse, a married man in his mid-40s who spends most of his life philandering. In each episode his wayward ways cause some sort of trouble, whether it’s trying to keep his wife from finding a series of letters from an overeager one night stand to having to hide in a closet from a strapping husband who came home early. [Read more…]

My Babysitter’s A Vampire – Series 1 (DVD)

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When I reviewed My Babysitter’s A Vampire – The Movie earlier this year, I was surprised by how much fun it was. However, I didn’t think much of the first episode of the regular series that was included on the disc. Now the whole first series of the supernatural family comedy is here and thankfully it turns out that first episode was a slight aberration as the rest of it is a lot of more fun and goes back to the smart wit and family entertainment of the film.

While the movie deals with the origins of the characters, the series dives right in with teen nerd Ethan dealing with the visions he often has when he touches someone, his friend Benny trying to do magic but screwing it up, and the titular babysitter, Sarah, who has her own problem’s as she’s a fledgling vampire. Between them they have to deal with all manner of supernatural shenanigans that befall their small town, from blood donor nurses who are actually vampires to a ghost who wants to force Ethan to be a wrestler. [Read more…]

Fast Girls (Blu-ray)

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In the years running up to the London Olympics, there were quite a few films planned to tie in with the sporting extravaganza. Few of them actually went into production but one that did was Fast Girls, which focuses on a group of female British athletes as they train for a big competition.

Shania (Lenora Crichlow) is a working class girl from a rundown part of London, who wants to be a great athlete but only has dilapidated tracks to run on. However thanks to her coach and her natural talent, she qualifies for the World Championships and is invited to join the relay team by trainer Tommy Southern (Noel Clarke). Suddenly thrown into the world of major meets, Shania almost immediately clashes with the posh Lisa (Lily James), whose father is a former champion and also a major player in the UK team selection. As the two butt heads, Shania’s will is tested, as well as her discipline to do what it takes to win at the highest level. She’s got the talent, but can Shania make it? [Read more…]