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

REVIEWS

Cinema, DVD and Blu-ray reviews

The Company Of Wolves (Blu-ray/DVD)

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If you have a teenage daughter you want to warn off boys and sex, but would prefer to do it through symbolic folklore than just telling them straight, then this in the film for you. If nothing else it’ll make them wary of any man whose eyebrows meet in the middle.

Neil Jordan’s 1984 fantasy film, based on Angela Carter’s stories, is part anthology, part tales within tales and quite often very strange. The film plays out as the dreams of a girl called Rosaleen, who’s on the threshold of womanhood. He sleeping fantasies see her living in a folklore-ish village deep in the woods. Her grandmother (Angela Lansbury) tells her stories that impress upon her that she should, “Never stray from the path, never eat a windfall apple and never trust a man whose eyebrows meet in the middle.” These stories within stories generally involve women falling for rather bestial men who have an extremely wolfish side, or the terrible repercussions of doing the wrong thing. [Read more…]

House – Season 8 (DVD)

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I’m still not sure how I’m going to cope – no more House! After eight years the show came to an end on television earlier this year, completing the remarkable run of one of the best TV shows of the last decade. I’ll have to console myself with the DVD box sets, the final one of which has now arrived.

The six disc set features the sardonic Dr. House’s last 22 episodes, and if you watched Season 7, you’ll know he starts the run in a bit of bother. Having taken not getting over a break-up to the extreme and crashing a car into his ex’s house, the doc begins Season 8 locked up in prison. Even there he can’t stop himself from playing mind games or trying to get to the bottom of a medical mystery that presents itself. Soon former employee and now head of Princeton Plainsboro hospital, Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), helps House get out of the clink and return to work, even if House does have to wear an ankle monitor. [Read more…]

Basket Case Trilogy (Blu-ray)

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Basket Case is one of those movies that sorts the casual horror fan from the true initiate. A mention of the movie and a nod of recognition from whoever you’re talking to is like a secret code that your interest goes past the horror mainstream and well into the cult. Basket Case is indeed a genuine cult movie, kept alive for 30 years by avid fans, while its unusual pleasures have never hit the mainstream.

It’s a very peculiar story, which starts off with a wide-eyed young man called Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) arriving in New York City with a basket under his arm. However Duane isn’t there for a sightseeing trip, as in the basket is his deformed brother Belial, who was once his parasitic twin Siamese brother, but who got chopped off by dodgy doctors. The two brothers are very close, with Belial able to talk directly into Duane’s head, and they have a plan – to let Belial kill the doctors who separated them. However the ‘freak’ may not be content with stopping there! [Read more…]

Bad Boy Street (DVD)

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With the romantic backdrop of Paris, Bad Boy Street tells the story of how two men strike up ad unlikely relationship after one is found drunk and passed out in the middle of the street. Although a bit of a slow starter, the film picks up midway through and keeps you enticed by the mysterious Brad (Kevin Miranda) and wondering where his unlikely relationship with Claude (Yann de Monterno) will go.

Amidst the main theme of the unlikely relationship developing between the two strangers we later find a more interesting theme running through the film, which takes a look at how being closeted can be harmful. There are also the secrets that bubble behind the film sets in Hollywood, and questions about just how much control PR agents have over their clients. However if this undercurrent of thought didn’t develop midway through the film, then I would be talking about it in a completely different way, as I almost lost interest. [Read more…]

The Wilding – Iris Prize Best Short Film Winner Review

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A story of sacrifice for love, The Wilding follows Malcolm, a hardened borstal inmate, who’s in love with his cellmate Tye. As Malcolm faces an opportunity for parole, a feud with other inmates escalates, with Tye being targeted as Malcolm’s weak spot. Malcolm is forced to choose between his own freedom and protecting the one he loves.

Most short films are mini-movies in themselves. They often suffer having been crammed into such a short space. It is very difficult for filmmakers to convey enough in 15 minutes: something usually falls short, be it narrative or character development. [Read more…]

Sex Of Angels – Iris Prize Best Feature Winner Review

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Dancer Bruno is happily in love with his girlfriend, Carla…or so he thinks. Then martial artist and fellow dancer Rai steals his heart. Now the sensitive Carla must overcome her jealousy and accept her boyfriend’s tryst with Rai, but can she keep from falling for him herself? This simple narrative explores the complex issues that arise when three people share feelings but cannot choose which person is the one for them.

Some films are so unassuming in their simplicity you casually approach them with no expectations of nuanced complexity, rich narrative substance and convincing portrayal of subtly accentuated characters. Then they simply blow you away. [Read more…]

Apartment 143 (DVD)

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The first thing that came to mind when seeing this film is, shouldn’t it be titled Not Another Paranormal Handheld Video Movie in a similar vein to Not Another Teen/Gay Movie? The second thing that came to my mind was, is that the correct spelling of Apartment? (unfortunately it was ! – so I have at least been educated!)

Now back to the film – the fast sell is it’s Paranormal Activity meets Poltergeist, although I would definitely NOT compare it to the Spielberg/Hooper classic – sacrilege indeed! [Read more…]

Best of Iris Prize 2012 Short Films – Day 1, Part 2

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Click here to read Part 1.

El Nido Vacio follows a rather manic sex therapist as she attempts to confront her son about a certain “member”, which seems to be troubling him. It opens the door to crises at work and conspiring with her insubordinate maid. Given the premise, there is a pressure on the film to deliver on humour, which it does ‘Carry On’ style. The acting is joyously tongue-in-cheek and you share the actors’ sense of fun as they play out the ridiculous narrative. The film is shot very well and every cut is in perfect time: the editing and shot-length is pitch-perfect. The laughs are many and the actors leave you with a smile; this short delivers no messages but entertains well. [Read more…]

Best of Iris Prize 2012 Short Films – Day 1, Part 1

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As most of the filmmakers here at Iris are saying, festivals like the Iris Prize are vital to the industry. They give budding film-makers the opportunity to prove their worth and explore the genres which influence them. The quality of some of the films so far has inspired confidence: lesbian and gay cinema is successfully delivering important messages to audiences subtly, and with great effect. From the character exploration of Prora (Stephane Riethauser) and What Are You Looking At? (Faryal) to the cinematic excellence of It’s Consuming Me (Kai Stanicke) and Days of Awe (Rehana Rose Khan), the new standards are making this niche available to all audiences, and not just those in the LGBT community. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival Opening Night Film Review: Yossi

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Yossi, sequel to director Eytan Fox’s 2002 movie Yossi and Jagger, is a story of recovery. The eponymous character, played superbly by Ohad Knoller, is a workaholic doctor struggling to find meaning in life and love in Tel Aviv, having lost his lover in the conflict with Lebanon.

Yossi is faced with the demons of loneliness and desperation, compounded by his age and weight being pushed well past their ‘best before’. Unable to address his sexuality with his work colleagues, he must stave off advances from an amorous nurse, and extricate himself from compromising nights out with a fellow doctor; one who is determined to show Yossi a good time, albeit with women. All the while he toes the line of a more seedy gay-scene. [Read more…]