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

CINEMA REVIEWS

The latest cinema reviews from BGPS

Maleficent (Cinema Review)

By Leave a Comment

At long last one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2014 has arrived. However it’s one of those films that could either have been excellent or a total mess. Thankfully Maleficent is in fact magnificent!

Disney has released a few very expensive live-action movie in the Spring and Summer in the last few years – Alice In Wonderland, John Carter, Lone Ranger etc – some more successful than others. However this time they will have the jackpot, despite a budget of an estimated $200M. If there’s any justice Maleficent will make that back in spades. [Read more…]

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (Cinema Review)

By 1 Comment

Starring: , , , ,
Director:
Running Time:
Certificate:
Release Date:

The latest instalment in the X-Men franchise; Days of Future Past does not disappointment. Not only does it have the original X-Men stars, including the wonderful Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (and a lot more), but it also features the hot new stars such as James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Of course there’s also the ultimate X-Men veteran who has appeared in ALL of the X-men films, Hugh Jackman.

And  if you’re a big fan of Jackman, you get to see a whole lot of him. Yes, there are nude shots. [Read more…]

Godzilla (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

16 years after the dodgy Roland Emmerich version of the 1954 Japanese cult classic comes a welcome Hollywood reboot of the mother (or father) of all monster movies – Godzilla.

Gareth Edwards, who shot to fame as the director of the hugely successful Monsters, is behind the camera this time and has managed to breath fire into this dormant franchise. [Read more…]

Bad Neighbours (aka Neighbors) (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

Starring: , , ,
Director:
Running Time:
Certificate:
Release Date:

The title is the first clue. Any film with a duh title like that is clearly the product of the Hollywood sausage machine, and Bad Neighbours is a classic example. The script seems to be written on autopilot, or on a software programme that probably looks like settings>frat boy comedy>couple of stars>condom gags>90 minutes. It’s predictable, utterly unfunny, full of tiresome knob and beer gabs and a total waste of the talent involved. [Read more…]

Tom At The Farm (Tom à la ferme) (Cinema/DVD)

By Leave a Comment

This is Xavier Dolan’s fourth film as a director, and he’s still only 25. It’s difficult to know whether to be impressed or whether to dislike him on principle. Indeed that’s true of much about Dolan – he has a supreme confidence that is simultaneously exciting and a little exasperating, his grasp of plot and theme is both engrossing and frustratingly underdeveloped, and he manages to imbue his films with a hipster vibe that is too pleased with itself and yet gives his films an unexpected vibrancy.

All that’s true of Tom At The Farm, even if it is a bit of a sidestep from his earlier movies into the world of the psychosexual thriller. [Read more…]

The Machine (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

Starring: , ,
Director:
Running Time:
Certificate:
Release Date:

Sometimes a film feels like an advert for what those involved could do with a little more money. The Machine is a little like that, although that’s not to say it’s a failure on its own – just that visually it’s trying to do a lot with not a lot of cash (and at that it succeeds) but the script could have done with being a little tighter. [Read more…]

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

It’s a sign of the times that our superheroes these days are not quite all macho and invincibility, rather plagued with doubts and worries – Batman as Hamlet for example. Captain America seems to be no exception – this actioner has as many scenes with him frowning and worrying over America’s place in the world as zooming around fighting baddies. It’s still not exactly complex – at one point his pal asks, “Which ones are the bad guys” – and he answers, “If they’re shooting at you they’re the bad guys.” [Read more…]

Stranger By The Lake (L’inconnu du lac) (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

While there seems to be an ever-increasing number of gay-themed films, it’s still rare for a really, really good one to come along, but that’s just what we’ve got with Stranger By The Lake. The fact it’s an excellent movie has become somewhat obscured by the buzz around the movie’s sex. It’s all been slightly blown out of proportion, as certain reports that it’s the most explicit movie ever released in normal cinemas have certainly jumped into the world of hyperbole. [Read more…]

Dallas Buyers Club (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

The last of the Oscar contenders to be released in the UK turns out to be one of the strongest. Sometimes the circumstances behind the making of a film shine through on the screen, and this story, with its lengthy birth, tiny budget and rushed schedule is a perfect example. It gives the film an urgency, a roughness and a pace that might not have been the case with a bigger budget, and it also ensure extremely committed performances from all concerned – they are doing it for love, not money. [Read more…]

That Awkward Moment (Cinema)

By Leave a Comment

Starring: , , , ,
Director:
Running Time:
Certificate:
Release Date:

Zac Efron is branching out from his heartthrob image and is now in the more adult, blokey phase of his career. To be fair, it’s a part that fits him pretty well, and That Awkward Moment, while clearly a vehicle for his talents, has plenty more going for it than just him. It’s bawdy, funny, charming and easy to watch, and gets to the point pretty economically. It’s only real weakness is the casting of Imogen Poots, but more of her later.

Efron is Jason, a book cover designer who is enjoying the life of a single man in New York. When his pal Mikey (Michel B. Jordan) announces he is divorcing his wife (Jessica Lucas) he, Jason and Daniel (Miles Teller) form a pact, to remain single to help each other out in bars, keep each other company and always be there for each other. [Read more…]