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

Renowned Gay Short Film Dare Is Planning A Sequel, But It Needs Your Help (& Watch The Original)

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While a couple of gay-themed short films have been expanded into a feature-length version, most of them have remained on the independent/arty end of the spectrum. However, one 2005 LGBT short, Dare, became a more mainstream feature film in 2009 starring Emmy Rossum (Shameless US) and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights). Not bad for a short that started life as a Columbia University film project.

Now filmmakers Adam Salky (I Smile Back, Dare) and David Brind (Dare, Sandra Bernhard: Everything Bad & Beautiful) are launching a Kickstarter campaign for the sequel to the Dare short. The original film entered the LGBTQ cultural zeitgeist by playing over 50 film festivals, including Outfest, Frameline, and the BFI’s London LGBT Film Festival (now BFI Flare). It was when Adam Salky uploaded it to YouTube that the film amassed over 12 million views and a massive fanbase, becoming one of the most viewed gay short films on YouTube.

Inspired by the response from fans, and their strong desire to continue the Dare journey, the new short film will explore Ben and Johnny’s relationship twelve years later as they meet for the first time since high school. Michael Cassidy (People of Earth, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Argo) and Adam Fleming (Wicked on Broadway, Smash, Hairspray on Broadway) are reprising their roles.

Dare was written as an expression of David Brind’s experience as a gay teen – and the, ‘endless desire we have all experienced in wanting someone or something we cannot have…or so we think. Until we take that dare of going after what we want, boldly and bravely, we may never know what is possible for us. Ben went on that trip before, but what’s going to happen now that both boys are in their 30s?’

You can take a look at the original, classic short film below, along with a new fundraising video. And if you want to know what will happen between Ben and Johnny 12 years on, head over to Kickstarter. [Read more…]

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Jack Worries About ‘Finger Herpes’ In The New Promo For The Will & Grace Reboot

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On September 28th, WIll & Grace is returning the US TV screen for a new season. Plenty of people are excited – in fact there’s been enough interest that NBC has already expanded the original order from 12 to 16 new episodes, as well as commissioning a second season with 10 more new instalments.

Now we’ve got our first look at actual footage from the new season (a previous musical trailer released in May was just for promotional purposes). It’s very brief but does suggest things will be picking up where they left off, with Will and Grace still as co-dependent, Karen just as snobby, and Jack giving his pointed thoughts of what’s happened to Grindr.

Although Will & Grace returns to US TV from the end of September, it’s not clear when it will be seen elsewhere, with no UK airdate currently announced. Take a look at the new promo below. [Read more…]

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Chris Hemsworth Is Supporting Marriage Equality In Australia

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The world of democracy is quite fond of words that no one has ever heard of before. Many won’t have heard of a plebiscite, but they’re having one in Australia. More often called a referendum (in the UK at least), the plebiscite is being held as a non-binding postal vote Down Under, asking Aussies to vote for or against marriage equality in the country.

Many famous Australians have stepped up to voice their support for equal marriage, with one of those beinh Thor himself, aka Chris Hemsworth. He took to Instagram to says to his fellow countrymen, ‘Dear open minded, free speaking, laid back, life loving aussies. Marriage is about love and commitment and, in a country based on equal citizenship, it should be available to everyone! Vote now for marriage equality ✌️#equality’.

Hemsworth joins the likes of Kylie and Danni Minogue, Troye Sivan, Flume, Margot Robbie, Lucy Lawless and RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Kim Chi in advocating for marriage equality in Australia.

While it’s now too late for Aussie to update their details or enrol for the ballot, the vote itself will take place from September to early November, with the result announced the same month. As it’s non-binding, even a vote in favour of marriage equality may not mean same-sex couples in Australia will be able to marry imminently. The ruling party is still officially opposed to equal marriage, although if there is a vote in favour, it will be difficult for them to ignore the will of the people. [Read more…]

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Joker Origin Film Being Planned By Martin Scorsese & Hangover Director Todd Phillips

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With DC’s film universe not being the unmitigated critical and commercial success Warner Bros. obviously hoped it would be (the only exception being the all-conquering Wonder Woman), it appears the studio is now looking to how it can explore and use some its iconic characters away from the interconnected universe – even if they’re already involved in that wider series. Indeed, it sounds as is rather than aping the Marvel movies, Warner/DC is now hoping to be more like what Disney/Lucasfilm is doing with Star Wars.

Warner/DC is setting up a new production banner for these ‘unique’ movies, with one of the first ones planned an origin film for The Joker. Hangover and War Dogs helmer Todd Phillips has signed up to write and direct the movie, and interestingly Variety adds that Martin Scorsese in talks to have some sort of behind-the-scenes role, although it’s not currently certain what that might be.

The film will apparently, ‘take place in the ’80s and have more of the look of a gritty crime drama than comic book movie, which had a lot to do with getting Scorsese’s commitment to the project.’ It also won’t feature Jared Leto in the central role, despite the actor playing the Joker in Suicide Squad, and being involved in both the sequel and a possible movie focussing on the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn.

It’s not currently known when we might see the film, but it’s certainly an interesting direction for Warner/DC to take.

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My Beautiful Laundrette (Blu-ray/DVD Review) – The most important gay British movie ever made?

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You could make the argument My Beautiful Laundrette is the most important movie of the past 50 years. In the 1980s the UK film industry was in a fairly difficult place. While British behind-the-scenes talent was much in demand by Hollywood to make some of their biggest movies – everything from Star Wars to Superman to Aliens was filmed in the UK – we were having less success with our own movies, at least on a mainstream level. Even those films that did find success were largely made with money from major American studios.

Then along came My Beautiful Laundrette, a film originally made for TV but which they decided was good enough to give a theatrical release to. Its surprise success got director Stephen Frears noticed around the world, who went on to make Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity, The Queen and Philomena. However, more importantly it was the first theatrical feature for the production company Working Title and the first major critical/commercial cinema success for Channel Four/Film 4. [Read more…]

The Queen Biopic Just Got A Trio Of Hotties As The Rest Of The Band Opposite Rami Malek’s Freddie Mercury

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For a while now Rami Malek has been set to play Freddie Mercury is the planned biopic of the rock band Queen, which Bryan Singer is planning to direct. Now they’ve cast the rest of the band, who will be joining Malek in the film, which has now been titled Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ben Hardy, the former Eastender who played Angel in Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse, will be drummer Roger Taylor. Joe Mazello, who’s still best known as young Tim in Jurassic Park but has since popped up in the likes of The Social Network and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is set to play bass guitarist John Deacon. Finally Gwilym Lee, who some will recognise from UK TV’s Midsomer Murders and recently appeared in Jamestown, will be guitarist Brian May – presumably with the trademark curly hair.

Not much has been revealed about the film, such as whether it will cover the full history of the band (at least while Mercury was alive), or just part of the tale. It’s also not certain how it will handle Freddie’s sexuality, as while it now seems to central to his story, the rest of Queen (who are producers on the movie) have sometimes tried to downplay it. However, with out director Singer involved, it shouldn’t get ignored. It is known that a previous version of the script led up to Queen’s iconic Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985, but it’s not known if that still forms the central spine of the movie.

Filming will begin this autumn, with SInger directing from a from script by Justin Haythe. It should be in cinemas at the end of 2018.

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Their Finest (DVD Review) – Gemma Arterton turns Second World War screenwriter in a new Brit flick

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It’s 1940 and bombs are dropping on London. Catrin (Gemma Arterton) is a young Welsh woman who’s run away to the Capital with her artist lover. As a result, Catrin finds herself in need of a job, despite it being the middle of the Blitz. She unexpectedly finds work as a writer for a film company, which has been asked by the Ministry Of Information to make a movie that will help support the British war effort.

Catrin soon discovers that she’s still living in a man’s world, having to fight for respect from her colleague, Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin), and pretty much everyone else around her. After all, in Tom’s words she’s just there for the ‘slop’ – aka the female dialogue. [Read more…]

Lady Macbeth (DVD Review) – Descending into darkness in 19th Century England

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If you’re worried that you’re just not miserable and depressed enough, Lady Macbeth could be the movie for you! It’s safe to say this is not a jolly film, although it is one that some will find pretty powerful, while others will feel it’s oddly pointless (despite its feminist undertones) and nihilistic.

In mid-19th Century England, Katherine (Florence Pugh) is literally sold into marriage to a country gentleman, but soon discovers her husband has no interest in her (in fact seems to despise her), and he father-in-law is cruel and has no issues degrading women. [Read more…]

Oscar-Winning, Gay Short Film Trevor Has Now Become A Stage Musical – Take A Look

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The 1994 short Trevor already has an impressive legacy. It was one of the first films centred on a gay character to win an Oscar (picking up Best Live Action Short Film), and also inspired the creation of The Trevor Project, The US’ leading crisis and suicide prevention organisation for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) people.

Now it’s in the process of finding a new life as a stage musical.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the musical premiered last Wednesday at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois. It’s the first of the tryouts for what they hope will eventually lead to a Broadway run.

The original Trevor followed a middle school boy, living in the Bible Belt of the US in the 1970s. While he’s interested in the typical teen pursuits he also realises that he’s gay, which leads him to being ostracised to the point where he thinks the only solution is to kill himself. Despite the somewhat dark themes, it’s a surprisingly entertaining short, but with a very serious point to make.

Trevor actually started out as a solo piece by actor James Lecesne, who then wrote the script for the short film and is now one of the creators behind the musical. He has worked with the U Rock Theatricals production company, and most particularly John Abrosino to take the story of 13-year-old Trevor to the stage, and expand it from a 12-minute monologue and short film into a fully fledged musical production. They also got Marc Bruni, who directed the hit Beautiful: The Carole King Musical to helm the stage production, with book and lyrics by Dan Collins, and music by Julianne Wick Davis (Southern Comfort, When We Met).

You can read the full story of how Trevor got to the stage over at the Chicago Tribune (it’s well worth a look). And you can take a look at the opening number from the show below. [Read more…]

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The King Of The amaXhosa People Doesn’t Want A Gay-Themed Film About His Culture To Be Released

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The Wound got some good reviews at Sundance, and went on to win the Grand Jury Award at Outfest, along with various other gongs at film fesitvals. However, despite the praise heaped on the South African movie, there’s one group that’s more reticent about its wider the release – the people it’s about, the amaXhosa.

However, the King of the amaXhosa, Zwelonke Sigcawu, hasn’t raised concerns because the the gay content of the movie, but because he and others are concerned that it shows too much of their male coming-of-age rituals, which they believe should remain completely secret.

The movie follows Xolani, a lonely factory worker, who travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best-kept secret, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel as he tries to better understand his own sexuality.

The King’s lawyer told News 24, that “His subjects are complaining. He is the custodian of custom and what is being dealt [with] in the film is custom. It is on those grounds that he would … be an interested party. There’s a lot of panic among the amaXhosa people who have undertaken the rituals, some of the men mostly, and they called on the kingdom of the amaXhosa to intervene.”

There may also be some upset because despite being about that culture, the King and most others weren’t aware it had been made, and haven’t been able to see the complete thing yet. The lawyer adds, “He has been seeing [the] trailers and people are just shocked. There is an extent [to] which freedom of expression can go…  there are limits [to] which customs… can be exposed.”

At the moment plans continue to release the movie more widely around the globe (it’s already been out in France, major US cities and a couple of other countries). It has been screened in South Africa, getting its premiere in July at the Durban International Film Festival, but it’s not clear when its full release will be, or there the King of the amaXhosa’s intervention might affect it.

No official complaint about the movie has currently been received by the South African classification board, and it seems unlikely they would try to ban it. However, the creative team behind the movie have said they will try to address the King’s concerns.(h/t Instinct) [Read more…]

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