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

Beauty & The Beast Release Delayed Indefinitely In Malaysia, Despite Cutting ‘Gay moment’

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When people wonder why Hollywood is so reticent about putting LGBT characters in their big releases, the fuss over some minor gay content in Disney’s Beauty & The Beast is good evidence of why studio execs shy away from it. The fear is that there will a backlash from the religious right and various countries around the world either banning the film or making it difficult for people to see. As a result, the worry that it will lower the box office means LGBT characters are still a major rarity in big Hollywood films.

The latest country where Beauty & The Beast is causing a stir is Malaysia, where the censorship board cut the ‘gay moment’ involving the character LeFou, and gave the movie a ‘PG-13’ style rating. “We have approved it but there is a minor cut involving a gay moment. It is only one short scene but it is inappropriate because many children will be watching this movie,” Abdul Hamid, chairman of Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board, told the Associated Press

However, the film was still due to be released at the end of this week. Now though, it has disappeared off the schedules.

It appears the decision was made by Disney, which has said the release of the movie in the country is now the subject of ‘internal review’. However, few other details have been released about why the decision was made. Some have suggested that despite the censorship, Disney may have known of plans for protests against the movie, or had even received threats, although it appears that is purely speculation. Gay sex is still illegal in Malaysia and discrimination is pervasive, with one of the lowest levels of acceptance of homosexuality by society in Asia, and in recent years the situation has arguably gotten worse.

Elsewhere, Beauty & The Beast met calls to be banned in Russia and ended up with an adults only rating, while some on the religious right in the US have been protesting the movie over the ‘gay moment’. Even so, it’s still expected that the movie will gross over $200 million worldwide this weekend, once it starts rolling out on Thursday. If the film can still be a big success despite the fuss over a little bit of gayness, it may show nervous Hollywood studio execs that LGBT characters and themes aren’t the kiss of death for big budget movies that they seem to think they are.

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The Where The Bears Are Cast Show Some Skin To Try & Get Your Money!

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A few weeks ago we posted about the fact the gay-themed web series Where The Bears Are is hoping to come back for a sixth season, and had launched a Kickstarter to raise the funds to do it. That crowdfunding campaign is still happening, and to help drum up a little more interest, some of the guys have been taking their clothes off to make fundraising videos.

That means we find fan favourite Ian in the shower – as well as in his underwear in another vid – and there’s also a bevy of the cast’s other burly, hairy guys all taking their shirts off in the hope that a bit of gay bear skin will intrigue people enough to hand over some extra cash. For your pleasure we’ve embedded a few of the vids below. While bears aren’t to everyone’s tastes, we’re sure a few of you will be swooning and thinking about marriage proposals to these furry studs, and looking forwards to the return of the gay mystery web series.

Assuming all goes well, Season 6 will be avialable via Youtube later this year. You can catch up on the first five seasons here, and then head over to the Kickstarter to help here. [Read more…]

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Below Her Mouth Trailer – Take a look at the lesbian-themed film made with an all-female crew

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There’s been much discussion about the lack of decent roles written for women and about the fact few major movies have been directed by women. However, Below Her Mouth has turned the male-dominated paradigm on its head, with a movie about women, where the entire crew was also female.

It’s just been revealed, via Variety, that the movie is getting a US release on April 28 release in cinemas and on VoD, through distributor Gunpowder & Sky Distribution. It’s already playing in major cinemas in Canada, and screening at film festivals around the world, having premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘BELOW HER MOUTH is a bold, uninhibited drama that begins with a passionate weekend affair between two women. Dallas, a roofer and Jasmine, a fashion editor, share a powerful and immediate connection that inevitably derails both of their lives.’

April Mullen directed the movie from a script by Stephanie Fabrizi. “‘Below Her Mouth’ offers a fresh, raw and honest look into the electrifying connection between two people through the female gaze,” Mullen comments. “I’m thrilled to share the film with U.S. audiences and celebrate love is love.” [Read more…]

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Gay-Themed Web Series Old Dogs & New Tricks May Return, But Only With Your Help

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For quite a while there’s been talk about a fourth and final season for the popular gay-themed web series Old Dogs & New Tricks. Last year we got the half-hour special, ‘Where Were YOU When The Rights Went ON?’, but sadly the funding hasn’t quite been there to get the final season in the can. Now though the makers are hoping to secure the cash they need, and they’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to help them.

The show’s creator, Leon Acord, has confirmed that the show can only go on if they raise the necessary funds. The 53-year-old gay actor/writer, who stars as neurotic talent agent Nathan Adler, also states the forthcoming five-episode season of the West Hollywood-based comedy about four middle-aged gay best friends will, “absolutely, positively” be its last.

“I thought we’d already said goodbye last year, with our special celebrating marriage equality, ‘Where Were YOU When the RIGHTS Went ON?'” Acord says. “It was a very good show, and we left the characters in a great place. But now it feels ancient. We’ve gone from giddy-over-gay-marriage to traumatized-by-Trump.”

Acord says that fan reaction is another reason for the revival. “So many told me they need some comedy, some comfort, that we have a responsibility to continue to represent LGBT in positive ways during this unnerving time in our history.”

The show also received an unexpected boost in popularity this past December, an indirect result of Acord’s very public dust-up with Brady Bunch’s Susan Olsen. Acord called out the former child star-turned-radio personality on social media for her pro-Trump views after appearing on her radio show. The former child star countered with an email in which she called Acord a “f@ggot” (among other insults). Acord posted her email on Facebook. Olsen was fired and the story went viral.

Still, despite the change in the country’s political temperature, viewer demand and new-found interest in the show, Acord was hesitant. “We created our GoFundMe page months ago, but I wanted to wait until after all the campaign furor cleared to begin fundraising. Ha! The election turned out as it did, and online outrage is now louder than ever!”

While last year’s special flash-backed to show “the boys” on that historic summer day in 2015 when marriage equality became law, the series will jump ahead to present day when it returns. Acord hints the final five-episode season will reflect the current state of the country, and the anxiety in the LGBTQ community, “without becoming heavy or preachy.” We’ll learn that Nathan is suffering from nightmares, Muscles has been inspired to volunteer for Southern Poverty Law Center, Brad was asked to perform at Trump’s Inauguration, and that one character even voted for Trump, among other revelations.

“But we’re still basically be the same show we’ve always been, about four middle-aged friends struggling with work and relationships and helping each other grow up. But this time, we’ll finally see some real growth, as we sign off with a suitable series finale.

If you you’d like to help out, head over to GoFundMe, and you can watch the previous three seasons of the series at odnt.tv. You can also take a look at the new fundraising video below. [Read more…]

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Russia Rates Beauty & the Beast As Being For Adults Only, Due To Gay Character

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You would think Russia had more important things to worry about than the recently revealed, “Nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie”, that director Bill Condon says will occur in the upcoming live-action Beauty & The Beast. However, almost the moment the news broke, politicians in Russia started frothing at the mouth about gay propaganda.

For example, MP Vitaly Milonov called for a ban – and he seemed as upset about the human-buffalo romance as he was about the gay moment – saying that the film (which he hasn’t seen) contained “perverted sexual relations” and would contravene the Russian law banning, “gay propaganda against minors”.

He hasn’t quite got his wish, but the Russian Ministry Of Culture has decided that the Disney fairytale is evil enough to give it a 16+ rating, the second highest rating, meaning it’s been deemed suitable only for those over 16.

Disney isn’t likely to be weeping too much though, as while they had the highest grossing movie in Russia last year, Zootopia, it still only made £39 million in the country. As Beauty & The Beast is currently tracking for a gargantuan $120 million opening just in the US, if a bit of homophobia affects it in Russia, it shouldn’t matter too much. The film will be out on March 17th.

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Josh Gad Wishes His Beauty & The Beast Character Hadn’t Been Outed, But Knows It’s Important

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A couple of days ago, it was revealed by Beauty & The Beast director Bill Condon that Gaston’s acolyte, LeFou, would have a ‘nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.’ That set off a lot of interest, with many praising Disney, while a few, including an Alabama drive-in that’s refusing to screen the movie, have decried it.

However, it turns out that Josh Gad, plays LeFou, didn’t know Condon was going to talk about the moment before the film was released. When asked about it by USA Today, he said, “I haven’t seen anything (about that), tell me more.”

He added, “I hope that it’s a surprise to audiences to some extent, although I don’t think it is anymore…. I’m honored to have that moment as part of my character’s arc. What was most important to me was taking a character that is wonderful and so iconic, but is defined by cartoon conceits in the (original) movie… and expanding on that, giving him dimension, making him human.”

He spoke more at the film’s premiere, with Variety reporting him saying, “As subtle as it is, I do think it’s going to be effective and I do think it’s important.”

Condon also expanded on his thoughts about making LeFou gay in the movie, saying, “It was something we developed as a part of a lot of things about LeFou. I’m excited for the moment that he has. I don’t want to give too much away because I think it’s part of a whole celebration of love, but Disney’s been great about it. That’s the thing; the whole ethic of that company is inclusion.”

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Indian Censor Board Bans Gay-Themed Movie For ‘Glorifying’ Homosexual Relationships

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Being LGBT in India is complicated, with gay sex having been legalised and then recriminalised in recent years. Societal attitudes towards homosexuality are becoming more more welcoming in some areas, while being hardened in others.

However, in recent weeks it’s looked like the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is becoming increasingly conservative. Having recently banned the acclaimed feminist movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha, with one of the reasons cited being that it was too ‘lady-oriented’, it’s now decided not to give a certificate to the gay-themed Ka Bodyscapes, according to TheWire.

The movie’s director Jayan Cherian wrote on Facebook, “It’s official, Mr. Pahlaj Nihalani [chairman of the CBFC] put the final nail in my coffin!” The letter Cherian received from the Board refused the movie a certificate for ‘glorifying’ gay relationships, while saying it shows ‘vulgarity’ by showing Hinduism in a ‘derogatory’ fashion and that it also shouldn’t be allowed for depicting a ‘female Muslim character masturbating’.

Ka Bodyscapes folows, ‘Haris, a gay painter; Vishnu, a rural kabaddi player, and their friend Sia, an activist who refuse to conform to dominant norms of femininity, struggle to find space and happiness in a conservative Indian City.’

The film has been fighting for a certificate since last April, but Nihalani is the last resort for the film, and with his refusal, it’s now unlikely the movie will ever be legally screened in India.

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Take A Look At Former Disney Star Ross Lynch As Gay Serial Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer

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Ross Lynch is perhaps best known for appearing in the hit Disney channel movie, Teen Beach Party, and the same channel’s series Austin & Ally, but now he’s got a very different role, as he’s playing infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer. Now the first pic of Lynch in character has arrived, via Ross’s Instagram.

Marc Meyers is directing the movie, based on Derf Backderf’s critically acclaimed graphic novel. It’s set in 70s, following Dahmer before he became a killer.

Dahmer is of course one of the most famous serial killers in history, who killed at least 17 people, most of whom he’d picked up at Milwaukee gay bars. The fact that he kept body parts, ate parts of them and had sex with their corpses ensured he stood out from nearly all other killers. He said what he really wanted was to create a kind of zombie so that the person would never leave him, and managed to kill several of his victims while injecting things into their brains as part of his experimentation. He also defied the stereotypical image of a monster, as Dahmer was quite handsome and most people thought he was pretty normal until it was discovered what he was really doing. He was killed in prison by another inmate in 1994.

His early life should make for an interesting film, as he killed animals as a teen, and committed his first murder while he was still living at home.

My Friend Dahmer is due to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

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bwoy Trailer – Anthony Rapp starts an online love affair in the gay-themed film

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It’s always nice to see Anthony Rapp on the screen, and now he’s back with bwoy, the latest movie from Parallel Sons and The Reception director John G. Young. The movie premiered last year at Chicago’s Reeling Film LGBTQ+ Festival to a pretty postive response.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘bwoy follows Brad O’Connor (Anthony Rapp, Rent) who, after the death of his son, becomes entangled in a chaotic and passionate online love affair with Yenny, a young Jamaican man (newcomer Jimmy Brooks).  With both Brad and his wife Marcia (De’Adre Aziza) seeking solace in destructive ways, their lives and relationships are pushed to the brink, culminating in tragic confrontations that no one can avoid.’

Breaking Glass Pictures has snapped up the US rights, with an April 4th DVD/VoD release planned. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Dropping The Soap Trailer – Jane Lynch stars in a camp take on soap operas

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With Jane Lynch executive producing, as well as the Glee star appearing alongside a great list of guest stars – many of which feature in the trailer below – Dropping The Soap certainly looks like it’s got plenty of potential. The show arrives on streaming services on March 7th, including the gay-centric subscription service, Dekkoo.com.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Executive produced by Jane Lynch, “Dropping the Soap” goes behind-the-scenes of the long-running (gawdawful) soap-opera “Collided Lives”. As the program struggles to stay afloat, a new Executive Producer named Olivia Vanderstein (hilarious played by Lynch) shows up to shake things up.

‘While the cast and crew desperately try to hold things together, Julian Drake (the soap’s leading man of “questionable talent and moral compass’) played by co-creator Paul Witten struggles to keep his personal life private and his cast members employed.’

“As the TV soap opera itself circles the drain, I love how our crew of self-centered and desperate actors charge ever forward to save their show from the chopping block,” said Lynch. “The writing is so sharp and witty as the off-screen shenanigans become almost more absurd than the storylines of “Collided Lives.’”

Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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