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

Juno & X-Men Actress Ellen Page Publicly Comes Out As Gay

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Revealing what has long been rumoured but never previously confirmed, Juno actress Ellen Page as come out as gay. The 26-year-old revealed the news in Las Vegas at the Human Rights Campaign’s THRIVE conference benefiting LGBTQ youth, as reported by THR.

Delivering her speech, she said, “I’m here today because I am gay. And because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”

“I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission,” she added. “I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”

Page has long spoken of the difficulty she’s felt in the public eye, especially when people have made comments about her gender expression (such as her preference for comfy clothes over stereotypically sexy attire). There have also long been suggestions she was a lesbian, although again it’s never been certain whether this was people making assumptions or based on actual knowledge.

It marks one of the first times a young person who could legitimately be referred to as a ‘movie star’, has let the public know they are gay, and it will be interesting to see what impact, if any, it has on her career (which is what many say is the main reason they stay in the closet).

Page will be seen this summer reprising her role as Kitty Pryde in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

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Ben Whishaw Starrer Lilting To Open BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

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It’s just over a month until the 28th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival opens on March 20th, and now the BFI has announced the movie that will get a gala screening on that first night – the Sundance Award Winner, Lilting.

Hong Khaou’s poetic drama of love and loss will get it’s European premiere at the event. UK based Khaou made his name with the successful gay-themed shorts Spring and Summer, both of which featured in the popular Boys On Film DVD series. Lilting is his first feature film and stars Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Andrew Leung, and Peter Bowles. It picked up a cinematography prize at Sundance.

Khaou commented, “I’m so thrilled Lilting will be opening the LLGFF. It’s a wonderful film festival to kick off our home and European premiere. It feels like a perfect fit to have it in London and at the BFI. I’m thankful Clare and her team have given us such a prestigious slot, it shows a lot of love and faith in Lilting.”

Here’s the synopsis for the movie: ‘Staggering from loss after the recent death of his lover Kai, Richard (Ben Whishaw) reaches out to Kai’s mother Junn  (Crouching Tiger’s Cheng Pei Pei), a Chinese-Cambodian woman who has never assimilated or learned English in her 20-something years in London. Kai was Junn’s lifeline to the world; she relied on him for everything, but despite this enforced intimacy, he never came out to her and Junn remains fiercely critical of Richard through a fugue of maternal jealousy and denial.

‘British director Hong Khaou’s film uses a cinematic idiom all of its own, weaving narrative strands from past and present, real and imagined, between mother and son and also between Richard and Kai (a boyishly beautiful Andrew Leung). Lingering, tender scenes of the lovers are dreamily captured by Weekend cinematographer Ula Pontikos (who deservedly nabbed a Sundance award). While serious and moving as a study of loss, Lilting also gracefully incorporates humour and warmth through a subplot in which Junn is wordlessly courted by an elderly Englishman (Peter Bowles), aided by a translator supplied by Richard.

‘A lyrical exploration of the pleasures and pains of communication, produced under the auspices of Film London’s hugely successful Microwave scheme, this is a precious British film to celebrate. It’s also a sophisticated portrait of a gay male relationship that goes beyond the first flushes of love to the heights and bittersweet depths of sharing a life, albeit briefly, with someone you love.’

The full programme of the LLGFF (20th-30th March, 2014) will bee announced on Wednesday 19th February at BFI. Programmers promise a bumper festival with 50 features, as a new VOD strand through the BFI Player, which will offer a collection of contemporary and archive LGBT film available to stream. We’re also promise a previously unseen Derek Jarman work.

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Dallas Buyers Club (Cinema)

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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…]

Transformers: Age Of Extinction Super Bowl Spot – First look at the movie including the dinobots

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There may be a new human cast for Transformers: Age Of Exctinction, but as this first look spot for the movie shows, the robots are back and as big as ever. It certainly looks as big and manic as the previous films, even if Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor are replacing Shia LeBeouf and co.

The spot also gives use our first proper look at the dinobots, which will be making their movie debut in the film.

It’s due out in July and as Michael Bay is back in the director’s chair, expect it to be big, brash and explosive. [Read more…]

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier Super Bowl Spot & Trailer – Great new looks at Chris Evans & co. in the Marvel movie

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Before the Super Bowl, it was suggested there wouldn’t be that many movie ads, but in the end plenty of studio decided to flog their wares during the big game, which has resulted in a bit of a treat for movie fans. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel decided not just to release a 30-second TV but also bring out a brand new, final trailer at the same time.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.

‘Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is produced by Kevin Feige, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.’

It’s out in the UK on March 26th, 2014 and a week later in the US.

[Read more…]

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The Amazing Spider-man 2 Extended Super Bowl Sizzle Reel – Enemies unite in almost four-minutes of footage

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A Super Bowl ad may only be 30 seconds, but you’ve got plenty more time on the internet, so Sony has decided to really supersize their new look at The Amazing Spider-man 2, offering nearly four minutes of footage from the upcoming movie in an extended sizzle reel.

There’s a lot of great looking footage, including shots of Electro, Rhino and new Green Goblin.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.

‘It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.’

The movie is due in UK cinemas this April, with a May 2nd US release set. [Read more…]

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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor Behind Some Of Cinema’s Most Interesting LGBT Roles, Found Dead

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Philip-Seymour-HoffmanThere’s been shock today with the news, via the Wall Street Journal, that acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been discovered dead in the bathroom of his New York Apartment. Although cause of death has not been officially determined yet, it’s believed the 46-year-old overdosed on drugs.

Hoffman had battled substance abuse for many years. This included a stint in rehab last year, which surprised many as most in Hollywood had believed the actors’ drug issues were behind him.

Hoffman first started getting noticed in film in the 1990s thanks to a series of ‘that guy’ scene stealing supporting performances in the likes of Twister, Boogie Nights and The Big Lebowski. He soon started becoming a star name in his own right in the likes of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Magnolia, Almost Famous and Red Dragon.

He topped that by winning an Oscar playing the title role in Capote, and continued to mix indie and mainstream projects ranging from Mission: Impossible III to Synedoche, New York.

While Hoffman was straight himself, he held an important role in bringing LGBT characters to the big screen and helping integrate them into popular cinema without their sexuality being the main/only thing about them. Whether as the slightly Dirk Diggler obsessed Scotty in Boogie Nights, the flamboyant drag queen Rusty in Flawless, or in his Oscar-winning performance as Truman Capote, Hoffman never shied away from exploring LGBT lives.

Some of his performances which weren’t overtly gay have been interpreted that way by some observers due to the qualities he chose to bring to them. These include his turns in Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Most recently in The Master, his Lancaster Dodd deliberately played with the character’s sexuality and whether Dodd was a closeted gay man unable to admit he was in love with Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell.

While Hoffman directed for the stage for many years, he didn’t helm his first movie until 2010 with the promising Jack Goes Boating. He was currently deep in pre-production on his second directorial outing, the supernatural thriller Ezekiel Moss, which only yesterday announced that Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams were set to star.

Hoffman was undoubted one of the best respected actors of his generation, and one who most had expected to have a illustrious career over the next few decades. Sadly that has now been cut short.

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Noah Super Bowl Spot – The flood is coming for Russell Crowe

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It’s been reported that there will be fewer Super Bowl TV spots for movies this year, but one of the films that’s getting one is Noah, and they’ve certainly ensured it look pretty epic. It also gives us a peek at the films tweaked animals and the angels that will play a role in the movie.

The film follows Noah (Russell Crowe), who lives on a vast plain of volcanic ash in the lee of a volcanic glacier (the movie was largely shot in Iceland) and has to trek up a mountain every day to get to work. He is told by God to build an enormous vessel to house both his family and the animals of the world to preserve them from a flood that promises to wipe out a sin-filled world.

It’s currently due for release on March 28th, 2014. [Read more…]

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Chris Evans, Sam Jackson & Scarlett Johansson Get New Captain America: The Winter Soldier Posters

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A quartet of new posters for Captain America: The Winter Soldier have arrived, featuring Chris Evans as the hero, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Take a look at the final theatrical poster above, and the character posters below (click on them for larger versions).

Here’s the synopsis: ‘After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.

‘Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is produced by Kevin Feige, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.’

It’s out in the UK on March 26, 2014 and a week later in the US.

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That Awkward Moment (Cinema)

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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…]