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

Gay-Interest Films From Daniel Radcliffe & James Franco Head For Sundance

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James Franco’s Interior, Leather Bar

The lineup for this January’s Sundance Film Festival has been announced, and it includes a handful of gay-themed films. These include Daniel Radcliffe as queer beat poet Allen Ginsberg in ‘Kill Your Darlings’, and James Franco’s ‘Interior. Leather Bar‘, the new name for the “homo-sex-art-film” he and Travis Mathews have made, based on 40-minutes of gay S&M that were supposedly removed from the 1980 William Friedkin film, Crusing.

Here’s a bit more info on the gay-interest films screening in Utah next month, with their synopses from the official Sundance Site:

Kill Your Darlings / U.S.A. (Director: John Krokidas, Screenwriters: Austin Bunn, John Krokidas) — An untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to the birth of an entire generation – their Beat revolution. Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHann, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen.

Interior. Leather Bar. / U.S.A. (Directors: Travis Mathews, James Franco, Screenwriter: Travis Mathews) — To avoid an X rating, it was rumored that 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was cut from the controversial 1980 film, Cruising. Filmmakers James Franco and Travis Mathews re-imagine what was in the lost footage. Cast: Val Lauren, James Franco, Travis Mathews, Christian Patrick, Brenden Gregory.

Pit Stop / U.S.A. (Director: Yen Tan, Screenwriters: Yen Tan, David Lowery) — Two working-class gay men in a small Texas town and a love that isn’t quite out of reach. Cast: Bill Heck, Marcus DeAnda, Amy Seimetz, John Merriman, Alfredo Maduro, Corby Sullivan.

Lovelace / U.S.A. (Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman (both of whom are gay), Screenwriter: Andy Bellin) — Deep Throat, the first pornographic feature film to be a mainstream success, was an international sensation in 1972 and made its star, Linda Lovelace, a media darling. Years later the “poster girl for the sexual revolution” revealed a darker side to her story. Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, James Franco, Sharon Stone.

C.O.G. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kyle Patrick Alvarez) — In the first ever film adaptation of (gay satirist) David Sedaris’ work, a cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path. Cast: Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario.

Valentine Road / U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot (gay) classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the documentary reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.

God Loves Uganda / U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.

kink (documentary) / U.S.A. (Director: Christina Voros) — A story of sex, submission and big business is told through the eyes of the unlikely pornographers whose 9:00-to-5:00 work days are spent within the confines of the San Francisco Armory building, home to the sprawling porn production facilities of Kink.com. (The documentary is co-directed by James Franco)

Sundance runs January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

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Ian McKellen Says He Wishes He’d Come Out Before He Was 49

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For the last couple of decades, Ian McKellen has been at the forefront of the gay rights struggle and more than virtually any other out actor has been incredibly vocal about effecting change – whether it was co-founding Stonewall, lending his talents to gay rights campaigns or indeed talking about it in interviews.

However Sir Ian didn’t actually come out until he was 49. At the time (it was 1988) he felt compelled to make a stand against Section 28, the since repealed homophobic UK legislation that banned ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools, and essentially banned any mention of it.

Now McKellen has been talking to Vanity Fair, saying he wishes he’d come out sooner. When asked if he wished he hadn’t left it so long, he says, “Yes. Because the minute I came out, I felt immediately better in every way. I felt relieved that I wasn’t lying. You know, when I was growing up in 1950s England, there were no gay clubs I knew about. There were no bars. Homosexuals were shamed publicly and imprisoned. You were on your own, looking over your shoulder all the time, hoping in the handshake of a stranger that he might be somebody gay.”

Indeed he says his sexuality played into his decision to try his hand at acting when he was a young man, “I’d heard you could meet queers. So it proved… I was never closeted with friends and colleagues in the professional theatre, but I wasn’t out to my closest blood relatives.”

As to the repercussions of coming out, he says, “There have been no negatives whatsoever.”

The interview also touches of whether he minds being known as Gandalf rather than being defined by his more highbrow stage roles, but he even manages to come up with a gravestone inscription he wouldn’t mind, ‘Here lies Gandalf. He came out’.

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Five Dances Trailer – Movement merges with a gay romance

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Here’s a beautiful looking movie, especially for those who like a bit of dance and a touch of gay romance. As yet the movie hasn’t received its first screening, so there’s no clue at the moment as to when we might get to see it, but it’ll be interesting to see what Alan Brown does with dance after his intriguing gay military school makeover of Shakespeare in Private Romeo.

Plus we have to say, first time lead actor Ryan Steele is both hot and very good at the old dancing lark.

Here’s the synopsis from the film’s website: ‘The classic tale of finding success and romance in the big city is given a contemporary, and unconventional, spin in Alan Brown’s new film, FIVE DANCES. Collaborating with internationally renowned choreographer Jonah Bokaer, writer-director Brown has taken five gifted New York dancers, and fashioned a story about Chip (Ryan Steele in his first film role), an extraordinarily talented 18 year-old recently arrived from Kansas who joins a small downtown modern dance company. In his first weeks of rehearsal, Chip is initiated into the rites of passage of a New York dancer’s life, where discipline and endless hard work, camaraderie and competitiveness, the fear of not being good enough, and the joy of getting it just right, inform every minute of every day.

‘Shooting in and around a Soho dance studio, Brown and his longtime cinematographer Derek McKane capture the exhilaration and emotional turmoil of a small dance company, and all of Chip’s poignant firsts—the forging of friendships, being chosen for the important solo, his first ever love affair—with the intimacy and immediacy of a documentary. The result, FIVE DANCES, is Brown’s most dynamic film.’

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Another Man Sues John Travolta Over Alleged Affair (or at least his right to talk about it)

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It’s been a bit quiet on the guys-claiming-John-Travolta-wanted-to-have-sex-with-them front. Earlier this year you couldn’t move for masseurs and others launching legal actions over supposed unwanted sexual advances.

However, if Travolta was hoping the whole thing would quietly disappear, he’s going to be disappointed, as TMZ reports that former pilot Doug Gotterba claims he had a ‘steamy affair’ with the actor and he is now suing after receiving what he describes as a threatening letter from Travolta’s attorney Marty Singer. The lawyer apparently sent out the letter after reports of the affair emerged in June, with suggestions at the time that a tell-all book was on the way.

Singer apparently wrote to Gotterba saying that he was barred from talking to the media as he’d signed a non-disclosure agreement covering his time working for the movie star. The pilot, who says he worked from Travolta from 1981 to 1987, says he never signed such as an agreement. He admits there was a termination agreement that he signed, but it didn’t include anything about confidentiality.

TMZ reached out to Singer, who stands by the statement that Gotterba signed a confidentiality agreement, and that the lawsuit is ‘ludicrous’. The lawyer adds, “Mr. Gotterba obviously filed this lawsuit to get his 15 minutes of fame. We plan to get this meritless case promptly dismissed.”

As others have pointed out though, so far Singer hasn’t actually denied anything that’s been said about Travolta and Gotterba having an affair. Some have even interpreted this as a tacit coming out (although that’s quite a stretch), with the actor’s camp only saying a confidentiality agreements bans the pilot from talking about it. I wouldn’t hold a coming out party just yet, but the language Singer uses is interesting.

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First Official Look At Ashton Kutcher In jOBS

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There have been two Steve Jobs movies floating around Hollywood, a semi-official one that Aaron Sorkin is writing, and another that’s streaked ahead and has already been filmed, with Ashton Kutcher in the lead role.

The news has just been announced that the movie, title jOBS, will premiere at Sundance in January as the closing night film, and with that has come the first official photo from the movie, showing Kutcher as a young Steve Jobs in the early days of Apple. He’s certainly a good match for the technology guru in his younger days.

Here’s the Sundance synopsis: ‘jOBS / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Michael Stern, Screenwriter: Matt Whiteley) — The true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history, jOBS chronicles the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs’ life. jOBS is a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently. Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine.’

Click on the pic for a larger version.

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First Pic Of Shia LaBeouf In Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman Arrives

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Shia LaBeouf has said he isn’t that interested in big Hollywood movies anymore, and one of his upcoming more edgy films is The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman. Now Collider has the first image from the movie, which sees LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood getting up close and personal.

Here’s the brief synopsis: ‘Traveling abroad, Charlie Countryman falls for Gabi, a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in Nigel, her violent, charismatic ex. As the darkness of Gabi’s past increasingly envelops him, Charlie resolves to win her heart, or die trying.’

Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Grint, Melissa Leo and Til Schweiger also star, with Fredrik Bond making his feature directorial debut with the movie. It’ll arrive in cinemas next year.

Click on the pic for a larger version.

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Has The Justice League Movie Villain Been Revealed?

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There’s nothing official about this one and don’t be surprised if it turns out to be completely wrong, but the guys over at Latino Review say they knows somebody who’s gotten their hands on a few pages of Will Beall’s Justice League script, and that they now know who the villain is.

They say that the villain will be Darkseid, the supreme monarch of the planet Apokolips. Although he isn’t that well known to the general public, it’s said he’s the greatest threat to the DC Universe.

Here’s his official description: ‘Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips and Darkseid’s Elite and was a major player in the cosmic war that was the Final Crisis. Unto the hell that is Apokolips came Darkseid, malice personified, a merciless tyrant who demanded unwavering devotion and abject fear from all his subjects. A being of unparalleled strength, Darkseid nevertheless preferred not to sully his gloves with combat unless provoked to action. His eyes emitted the formidable Omega Sanction, ray beams that could disintegrate, teleport, or resurrect depending on the dread lord’s wishes. His sole mission in life was to find and gain control over the Anti-Life Equation which would give him the means to usurp all free will in the sentient universe. Darkseid first appeared in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (December, 1970), and was created by Jack Kirby.’

He doesn’t sound very nice, does he? He’s certainly the sort of bad guy who’d need a team of superheroes to defeat him. We don’t know exactly which heroes will be featured in the movie, although Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are fairly certain bets. However some have already suggested that Darkseid is too similar to Avengers 2 villain Thanos, although Beall’s script may be able to differentiate him completely.

At this time, Justice League does not have a set director or any cast members lined up. Warner Bros. is waiting see how well Man of Steel does next summer, before moving full steam ahead on Justice League, which is scheduled for the summer of 2015 (the same summer as The Avengers 2 arrives in cinemas).

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Seth MacFarlane Finds A Million Ways To Die In The West

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After the $500 million success of Ted, many have wondered what Seth MacFarlane would make next – or indeed if he’d disappear back to television for a few years. Now THR reports that he’s plotting his follow-up, a period western called A Million Ways to Die in the West, which he will both direct and star in.

The Western comedy is set during the 1800s, exploring how dangerous and difficult life was back on the frontier in that time. Unsurprisingly, it is said to be in the same vein as Blazing Saddles, using contemporary humour in a period setting.

MacFarlane is writing the screenplay with Ted co-scripters Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. It’s reportedly chock full of the racy humour that MacFarlane is known for. The hunt is now on for a female lead.

Media Rights Capital, which financed Ted, will finance and produce, along with Scott Stuber. MacFarlane hopes to shoot next summer. He’s also got a sequel to Ted in the works, although that’s still in the early stages of development.

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Crimson Peak To Be Guillermo Del Toro’s Next

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Pacific Rim may not be out until July 2013, but director Guillermo del Toro has apparently already decided what he wants to helm next, presumably as he’s keen to ensure there isn’t another five-year gap as there’s been between Hellboy II and his new movie.

Deadline reports that Del Toro plans to reunite with his Pacific Rim backers Legendary Pictures for a new feature entitled Crimson Peak.The director co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robbins, with Lucinda Coxon providing the latest rewrite.

Del Toro says the film is, “A very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.” He compares the movie to Robert Wise’s The Haunting.

Guillermo del Toro actually wrote the script after Pan’s Labyrinth and sold it to Universal Pictures. However, the project was placed on the back burner as he began work on Hellboy II and then planned to make The. When Legendary Pictures expressed interest in the script, Universal allowed the filmmaker to move the project over, in exchange for a stake in the film.

The director has also said that he hopes his relationship with Legendary Pictures may allow him to resurrect his passion-project, At the Mountains of Madness. The project was shelved by Universal earlier this year, due to its similarities with Prometheus. Apparently Legendary is interested in the movie, with the director commenting, “They love it, but we just finished Pacific Rim. They want to let that film happen and then my hope is, down the line we can do it. People ask how do I choose projects. All the projects in my roster are there because I love them, but the financing process is serendipity. And often, the ones I think will happen don’t, and the ones I think won’t happen, do.”

The director hopes to start shooting Crimson Peak in early 2014.

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New Man Of Steel Poster Has Superman In Cuffs

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One thing you don’t expect in a Superman movie is for the hero to get handcuffed – after all, what would be the point, it’s not like they could hold him? – but that’s what’s happening in a new poster for Man Of Steel. There’s no info on exactly how this fits into the plot, but with a darker tone promised, presumably at some point Clark Kent is seen as persona non grata and has some legal issues.

Whether this is a result of him being seen as a vigilante (Batman-style) or a result of the appearance of General Zod, isn’t clear.

While the pic is a little blurry, it is official as it arrived over on the film’s Facebook page.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.’ The movie is out June 2013.

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