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

NEWS

All the news from film and the world of the gays

Robert de Niro & Rachel Weisz Join Robert Pattinson In Idol’s Eye

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Robert-De-NiroIt’s been announced that Robert Pattinson has some company in the thriller Idol’s eyes, as Deadline reports that Robert de Niro has signed on, while Variety adds that Rachel Weisz will star too.

Olivier Assayas will direct the movie, which will start shooting in October. Idol’s Eye is ‘is based on a 2007 Playboy article called Boosting The Big Tuna by Hillel Levin. It follows a group of thieves who rob a man who turns out to be Chicago mafia boss Tony Accardo. ‘  It has been described as a sophisticated, heist action/thriller.

It’s not clear who the actors will play.

Assayas is best known for Carlos The Jackal and had the English-language drama Clouds of Sils Maria playing in competition in Cannes this year.

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Is Coming, With Nia Vardalos & John Corbett Returning

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my-big-fat-greek-wedding-pic1My Big Fat Greek Wedding is still one of the most successful independent movies ever made, having grossed over $360 million back in 2002. However writer/star Nia Vardalos never really managed to capitalise on that film’s success.

It may be for that reason that a sequel is now in the works, according to THR.

Vardalos has written the script for the follow-up, which is about a new wedding that brings the family together again, along with the revelation of a family secret. She will also return to play Toula Portakalos, with John Corbett also coming back as her husband Ian.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who produced My Big Fat Greek Wedding, will serve have the same job for the follow-up through their Playtone Pictures company, alongside Gary Goetzman.

Nia Vardalos commented, “Now that I’m experiencing motherhood, I’m ready to write the next chapter of my family story. Of course a few jaded folks in the press corps will claim I ran out of money or just want to kiss John Corbett again. One of these things is true.”

Joel Zwick directed the first film, but the sequel doesn’t have a director attached at this time.

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Johnny Depp In Talks To Star In The Secret Life Of Houdini

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johnny-deppIn the past few years there have been several movies about Harry Houdini in the works, but they’ve all been stuck in development hell. Now one of them is moving forwards as THR reports that Johnny Depp is in talks to play the title role in The Secret Life Of Houdini.

The movie has had numerous directors since it was first mooted in 2009, such as Jeff Nathanson, Gary Ross and Joe Wright, but it’s now got Dean Parisot (Red) set to helm.

The film ‘which is said to be in the vein of Indiana Jones, recasts Houdini as not just a master escape artist but an investigator of the world of the occult’.

The Secret Life Of Houdini is based on a book written by William Kalush and Larry Sloman, with a script by Noah Oppenheim, which claims that world-famous magician Harry Houdini also led a double life as a British spy. The book also goes deep into his world of magic and mystery, as well as how his legacy was later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Depp’s involvement seems dependent on when the fifth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie will shoot. Johnny is currently shooting Black Mass and then moves onto Through The Looking Glass. Lionsgate would want want Houdini to come next, kicking off its shoot in November, but that would mean Pirates can’t get underway until 2015.

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Gay Lives of Straight Guys – What happens when straight guys take on stereotypically gay professions?

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In the world of stereotypes, there are a few professions where there’s a presumption that if you’re man doing it, you’re gay – such as hairdressing or fashion design. However as you’d expect, while there may be more gay men than the average in those jobs, straight people take them up too.

The documentary ‘Gay Lives of Straight Guys’ takes a look at a selection of straight men who’ve taken on what are often considered gay professions, and now we’ve got a trailer for it. After all, there’s no law that says you’ve got to prefer the same gender to work in gay bar.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘A new generation of men is turning the tables on the catch phrase “That’s so Gay!” feeling free to explore professions, friendships and lifestyles once considered strictly off-limits to the hetero-male. In careers such as hairstyling and fashion design to personal appearance, straight dudes are finding a new freedom to express their true talents in areas often reserved for gay men, making friends for the first time across the sexual divide and discovering a new emotional freedom. “Gay Lives of Straight Guys” is documentary that explores these changing attitudes and more through the compelling and intriguing stories of men brave enough to break down barriers and become pioneers in the melting pot of cultures.

Gay Lives of Straight Guys premieres in the US on Tuesday, June 10th on LOGO TV. [Read more…]

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Hairspray’s Adam Shankman Plans 1960s Gay Rights Drama For HBO

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adam-shankmanHBO has certainly been on an LGBT roll recently, winning ratings and awards for Behind The Candelabra, backing the TV series Looking and documentaries such as The Case Against 8 and making The Normal Heart, which debuted to above average viewing figures for the pay-cable network last weekend.

Now it’s getting back in the gay business and it’s teaming up with Hairspray, Wedding Planner and Rock Of Ages director Adam Shankman to do it, according to THR. The former choreographer has sold Open City to the network, based on a script by feature writer David Kajganich.

The project ‘is set in the vibrant, turbulent John Lindsay-era New York of the late 1960s and explores characters from disparate corners of Manhattan as they navigate the cultural revolutions and political turmoil of the era. The drama will also examine the unlikely alliance between the Mafia and the city’s gay community in the opening of a West Village nightclub.

It has the potential to be an interesting look at the pre-Stonewall world, a time when, as that synopsis suggest, the mob was heavily involved in gay venues. It’s not because they liked gays, but because those wanting to start gay bars and nightclubs knew getting into business with the mob could actually help prevent the police shutting, due to the ‘protection’ they offered, which the Mafia would get a heavy chunk of the cash the place made.

Open City is getting some help from someone who was there at the time, as Ronnie Lorenzo, one of the original owners of the Stonewall Inn, will serve as a consulting producer.

It’s not clear exactly when the project will air.

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Dark Blood Trailer – River Phoenix’s final film arrives 20 years after he died

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It’s over 20 years since River Phoenix died of a drugs overdose outside the Viper Room in LA. At the time he was shooting the movie Dark Blood, which had to be abandoned in the wake of his death.

At least it was initially, but a few years ago director George Sluizer (Vanishing) picked up the footage again to see whether there was anything he could do with it. That involved completely reworking the story as only about 65% of the movie was ever filmed, as well as trying to explain Phoenix’s absence from chunks of the movie.

The film premiered last year to a mixed response, and should now be getting a release we can all view soon.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Dark Blood tells the story of Boy (River Phoenix) a young widower who retreats to the desert after his wife dies of radiation following nuclear tests near their home. Boy is waiting for the end of the world and carves Katchina dolls that supposedly contain magical powers. Harry (Jonathan Pryce) and Buffy (Judy Davis) travel to the desert on a second honeymoon in an attempt to save their marriage. Their Bentley breaks down in the middle of nowhere and the couple is rescued by Boy. Boy holds them prisoner because of his desire for the woman and his ambition to create a better world with her.’ [Read more…]

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Live-Action Bananaman Gets A Poster, With A 2015 Release Promised

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bananaman-teaser-posterAnyone who grew up in the UK in the 80s will remember Bananaman, the comedy cartoon about a boy called Eric who transforms into the heroic (if a little dim) Bananaman when he eats one of the yellow fruits.

Now it’s getting a live action remake, and to help officially announce that the teaser poster above has been released.

Rights holder DC Thomson and Elstree Studio Productions are teaming up for the film, but details – such as the cast and director – are currently being kept under wraps, although a 2015 release is promised.

The opening narration of each episode of the TV show should give us a hint at what to expect though: ‘This is 29 Acacia Road. And this is Eric, the schoolboy who leads an exciting double life. For when Eric eats a banana, an amazing transformation occurs. Eric is Bananaman. Ever alert for the call to action!’

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Pixar Offers New Story Details On Inside Out, Set In The Human Mind

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inside-out-concept-art1For quite a while we’ve known that Up and Monsters Inc’s Pete Docter has been working on Inside For Pixar. It’s got a cast including Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith, and we’ve even had the concept art above, but story details have been thin on the ground.

All we’ve known is the rather intriguing premise that it’s set inside the human mind.

Now Pixar website has released some more details. It says, ‘From the tepuis of South America to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In 2015, he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all – inside the mind of an 11-year-old named Riley.

‘Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.’

The film is due out summer 2015.

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New Trailer For Broadway’s Gay-Friendly Mothers & Sons, As The Show Surprises With Its ‘Homophobic’ Marketing

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The Tony-nominated Broadway show Mothers & Sons shocked many over the weekend when its Twitter feed suddenly became incredibly anti-gay. It was a particular surprise as the Tyne Daly starring show, written by the acclaimed Terrence McNally, is very gay-friendly.

However while many Twitter followers assumed the feed had been hacked by juvenile homophobes, it was actually part of a rather smart marketing campaign where the people running the feed gathered real anti-gay tweets that were being spread at that moment and presented them as their own. At the end of the hour they let their users know exactly what they’d been up to.

The tweets and some of the responses have been collected over at Storify, and you can look at some of them below.

The production has also released a short trailer, featuring the wonderful Daly, which you see above. Mothers and Sons, ‘portrays a woman who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son’s partner, who is now married to another man and has a young son. Challenged to face how society has changed around her, generations collide as she revisits the past and begins to see the life her son might have led.’ [Read more…]

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Queer Filmmaker Xavier Dolan Picks Up Jury Prize At Cannes For Mommy

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xavier-dolan-cannesXavier Dolan may have missed out on the Queer Palm at Cannes for Mommy (that award went to the Brit flick Pride), but at the main awards ceremony he had more to smile about, as his movie tied for the Jury Prize with Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye To Language.

And Godard is certainly not bad company to be in! Some have already commented on whether it’s Cannes almost passing the baton, as the precocious Dolan is often said to be one of the most interesting new voices, while Goodbye To Language may be the legendary Godard’s final film.

In Mommy, ‘A widowed single mom finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her explosive 15-year-old ADHD son. As they try to make ends meet and struggle with their impetuous and unpredictable ménage, the new girl across the street, Kyla, benevolently offers needed support. Together, they find a new sense of balance, and hope is regained.’

25-year-old queer filmmaker Dolan previously picked up the Queer Palm a couple of years ago for Laurence Anyways, and two awards at Cannes for his directorial debut, I Killed My Mother.

He wasn’t the only 2014 winner though, as Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Winter Sleep picked up the big prize, the Palm d’Or. Bennett Miller added to the excellent reviews for Foxcatcher with a Best Director win, while Julianne Moore picked up Best Actress for David Cronenberg’s Map To The Stars. The wonderful Timothy Spall meanwhile, won Best Actor for Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner. [Read more…]

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