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

Kingsman: The Secret Service (Cinema Review)

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The idea of updating James Bond and making him a younger character has been done before – witness the Alex Cross films and even Jason Bourne. Matthew Vaughan’s attempt, with a script by Jane Goldman, could have worked in theory, but it doesn’t, because of disastrous shifts in tone, and dreadfully cynical product placements. Director Vaughan seems to have become so carried away with his Kick-Ass franchise that he has transposed the idea to Britain, but used pretty much the same formula. The result leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth, which is a shame, because there are a few strengths on display here. [Read more…]

ABC Plots Comedy Based On The Life Of Gay Activist & Author Dan Savage

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dan-savageDan Savage is an interesting guy. He’s become one of the most vocal and prominent voices in the gay rights fight – and is often the guy called on when the media wants a comment from ‘the gays’, but he’s also a bit divisive, with his sometimes bulldog attitude managing to anger social conservatives (as you’d expect) as well as some within the LGBTQ community – particularly due to his penchant for personally attacking those who disagree with him.

That said he also has many gay fans, not least those who admire how he and his partner co-founded the It Gets Better project.

However the ABC TV network seems to think his life would make a good TV show as they’ve ordered a pilot for a currently untitled comedy show based on him. THR says the show will be ‘a single-camera semi-autobiographical entry based on the LGBT activist/boundary-pushing columnist’s life. It centers on a picture-perfect family that is turned upside down when the youngest son comes out of the closet. What seems like the end of their idyllic life turns out to be the beginning of a bright new chapter when everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real.’

David Windsor and Casey Johnson will write the script for the pilot.

Of course, it’s still a long way from actually appearing on our TV screens, but it’s done well to make it to the pilot order stage.

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All-Female Ghostbuster Reboot Cast Announced, Including Melissa McCarthy & Kristen Wiig

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Kristen-WiigA couple of weeks ago it was rumoured that Melissa McCarthy was in talks to be one fourth of the long-gestating all-female Ghostbuster crew in Sony’s planned reboot of the 1980s franchise. Now the four women who will be battling the spooks have been announced and it does indeed include McCarthy, alongside Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.

It appears none of them have signed on the dotted line, but THR suggests it’s just a matter of ironing out the details.

There’s still no news on the exact plot, but the women will certainly be going up against some supernatural foes. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are expected to appear, and if they can convince him, there’s still an outside shot Bill Murray will show up too.

Paul Feig will direct with a summer shoot planned.

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Child 44 Trailer – Tom Hardy investigates a string of child murders

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child-44-poster1Tom Hardy is getting dramatic for Child 44, and he’s also going a bit Russian, alongside an excellent cast including Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Vincent Cassel, Joel Kinnaman, Jason Clarke and Paddy Considine.

Now the first trailer has arrived, but to watch it you’ll have to click over to Apple.

Based on Tom Rob Smith’s novel, with Safe House helmer Daniel Espinosa directing, the Soviet Union set thriller is about a military police officer named Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) who has to investigate a string of brutal child murders that took place during the Stalin era. As he begins to dig further and further into the case, he realises that his government is keeping a sharp eye on every move he makes, and refuses to admit that the killings are actually happening.

Oldman is the head of police, who has problems with what Hardy is doing, while Rapace, who’s in the image below, is Tom’s wife.

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Fantastic Four Trailer – First look Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell in the superhero reboot

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fantastic-four-teaser-posterThe lack of a trailer or other marketing for Fox’s reboot of Fantastic Four has resulted in a lot of rumours, from reports that the movie is a disaster that needs massive reshoots to issues with the special effects meaning there was no footage to show.

However now the first trailer is here, and it seems very keen to show that this film will have a very different feel to the ones starring Jessica Alba and Chris Evans. It’s certainly darker and bigger in scale, even if the promo is still keen to keep a bit of mystery around exactly what the characters will look like in their hero guise.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.’

The film is due out in August. [Read more…]

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McTucky Fried High Episode 1 – Take a look at the fun LGBTQ-focused teen animated series

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McTucky Fried High Ep1There are quite a few LGBT-themed web series out there, but not many of them are animated. Now one has arrived, McTucky Fried High, from filmmaker, illustrator and activist, Robert-Carnilius, who was named one of NewCity’s Film 50 and was a 2014 Student Academy Awards Finalist. It is also one of twelve projects funded by the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund from Chicago Filmmakers and the Voqal Fund.

Using comedy and a host of diverse characters, McTucky Fried High tackles subjects absent in mainstream cartoons. While foregrounding LGBTQ characters, it focuses on issues teens face. Across five episodes, the web series will explore coming out, extreme diets, being genderqueer, bullying, and sexting.

In the first episode, ‘When a popular McTucky Fried High football player comes out as gay, everyone wants a piece of him as they processes what it means to have an openly gay student.’ And to make it a little more unusual, the out football player, Henry Fry, is a box of French Fries, while the other characters are food too. It’s a lot of fun and pretty cleverly written, so take a look below.

Each episode will be released bi-montly starting January 26, 2015 on www.McTuckyFriedHigh.com where people can sign up for the Mctucky Bites newsletter for exclusive content and sneak peek privileges. [Read more…]

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Mark Ruffalo Takes Screen Actors Guild Award For The Normal Heart (& Accepts From His Bed In London)

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normal-heart-bomer-ruffaloThe LGBT brigade had a lot to cheer at the Screen Actors Guild, with two awards for Orange Is The New Black with Orange Is The New Black walking away with two awards and Mark Ruffalo winning Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie for his impressive turn in The Normal Heart.

Ruffalo played gay man Ned Weeks in the film, who ends up on the frontline of the fights against AIDS after the initially mysterious disease first started affecting the gay male community, and was met with antipathy, fear and outright hostility from many in healthcare and the government.

Orange Is The New Black meanwhile walked away with Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, while the wonderful Udo Uduba got some individual love winning Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. It’s particularly impressive for Aduba as the award usually goes to someone who’s a lead in a show, while Uzo won despite playing a supporting character. She can now add it to her Emmy and Critics’ Choice Award.

As the awards are voted for by actors, who make up the largest voting block for the Oscars, many see the Screen Actors Guild as one of the best bell-weathers for the Academy Awards. As such Birdman got a boost by winning Best Motion Picture ensemble, while Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore cemented their Oscar frontrunner position by winning the SAG Film Lead Acting gongs.

Rather entertaininly though, Ruffalo wasn’t on hand to pick up his award, so he ending up tweeting an impromptu acceptance speech from his bed in London, where he’s working on Avengers 2 reshoots. You can take a look at what he said below.

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Emma Watson Confirmed For Disney’s Live-Action Beauty And The Beast

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emma watsonFor the last few years Disney has been looking into their animated back catalogue to see which of their movies they can take into the live-action arena, resulting in films like Maleficent and the upcoming Cinderella.

They’ve also been working on a new version of Beauty and the Beast, and back in 2012 it was suggested Emma Watson might play the lead. However since then it’s not been clear if she would indeed be the movie’s Belle, with many believing she had left after rumoured director Guillermo Del Toro stepped away.

However now Disney has officially announced her casting in the movie, which Bill Condon will direct.

So far there’s no release date set and no news on the exact direction the film will take the classic tale of a young woman and her unexpected romance with a fearsome man who’s been transformed into a beast.

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David Oyelowo Heading Towards Hurricane Katrina With Selma Director Ana DuVernay

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david-oyelowo-selmaFollowing Selma, it looks like David Oyelowo and director Ava DuVernay are teaming up again for a film around the time of Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully like Selma, it’ll be a subject that many filmmakers have tried and failed to fully take-on, but they will manage it.

Variety reports that the film will chronicle, ‘a love story and murder mystery during the time of Hurricane Katrina’. Unfortunately though there are no other plot details.

Producer Jonathan King comments, “Hurricane Katrina is one of the most important social and environmental stories of our time. Ava DuVernay has shown herself to be highly skilled at bringing intimacy and contemporary urgency to epic events. We have been looking for the right way to get back in business with Ava, and with David Oyelowo, and are proud to re-team with them on her original idea, which we believe will be a powerful film.”

The director herself says, “The story we’re interested in will explore the complexities of intimate relationships within times of chaos, while also examining the chaos itself. I’m looking forward to the journey.”

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Oh Boy Online Mini-Series – Episode 1 ‘Sébastien’ (Review)

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Normally with gay-themed online series, we can just post the episodes and let you decide for yourself whether you like it or not. However Oh Boy, from porn model/actor/director Damien Moreau, is a little different, both because it’s being released on a pay-to-view basis and also because it’s sexual nature means it’s a bit too rude for us to post here anyway.

While quite a few straight filmmakers have tried to explore the point where art and porn meet, in the last few years it’s been on the gay side that a lot of the more interesting work has been taking place, whether it’s Travis Mathews’ In Your Room and I Want Your Love films, or the Black Spark hardcore vignettes that set the internet on fire a couple of years ago (and which many have said resulted in an increase in production values for real gay porn). [Read more…]