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

Girls On Film 2: Before Dawn Trailer & Clips – Get a glimpse of the lesbian-themed short film collection

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The gay-male short film collection, Boys On Film, has become the most successful short film DVD series in the world, which is now up to 16 instalments. A couple of years ago it got a lesbian companion release, Girls On Film, which presented a great selection of female-driven shorts. It’s taken a little while, but now the second Girls On Film release, Before Dawn, is on its way.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘An electric collection of the latest, award-winning lesbian and feminist short films exploring fantasies, dreams, desires, love and transgression.

‘Featuring chance encounters, teenage lust, girl fighters, self-conscious dolls and rampant zombies alongside journeys of self-discovery, the fight for equality and a playful take on stereotypes. GIRLS ON FILM 2: BEFORE DAWN takes you on an incredible adventure from America to Australia through Iceland, the UK and Algeria into worlds beyond.’

The release is available on DVD and VoD on July 24th. Take a look at the trailer and some clips below. [Read more…]

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Blake Lively Will Be An Assassin In A New Movie From The Producers Of James Bond

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There have been rumours recently that the producers behind James Bond have been looking at the possibility of building a 007 interconnected universe, with spin-off film that don’t centre on the super-spy himself. That’s included suggestions they’d like to make a female-driven film as part of that expansion.

While not a Bond-related movie, the 007 makers Eon Productions are dipping their toes in the female-action waters with Blake Lively playing an assassing a spy thriller directed by Reed Morano (The Haindmaid’s Tale), with Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli production, according to Variety.

The movie will be called The Rhythm Section, ‘a contemporary adaptation of the first of Burnell’s “Stephanie Patrick” British series of four novels. Lively will play the titular heroine, who’s on a path to self-destruction after the death of her family in an airplane crash – a flight that she was meant to be on. After discovering that the crash wasn’t an accident, her anger awakens a new sense of purpose as she becomes an assassin to track down those responsible.’

Broccoli and Wilson comment, “We are thrilled to be bringing Mark Burnell’s ‘The Rhythm Section’ to the big screen with our partners at IM Global. It is exciting for us to be working with the immensely talented team of director Reed Morano and actress who have a strong vision for this very compelling story driven by a female protagonist.”

The current plan is to start shooting this autumn in the US, UK, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland.

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Gay Short Film Showcase: Flower – An art-porn look at sex & intimacy between five guys

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The idea of ‘art porn’ has been around for quite a few years now, but it’s only relatively recently that the ‘porn’ part of it been taken seriously (previously it was just movies with very explicit scene, which often were actually rather sex-negative). It’s something a few gay porn studios have taken note of.

That includes Helix Studios, who’ve teamed up with queer filmmaker Matt Lambert for Flower. While Lambert is known for his unusual, visionary films, this is by far his most explicit work yet. He tells Out that he nearly decided to remove his name from the movie to protect his more commercial work, “It was definitely something I never thought I’d make a year ago, that’s for damn sure. I realized that if [the film] is about celebrating sex positivity and dismantling the shame that surrounds gay sex, why the fuck would I negate that by shaming myself by being afraid to stand for the work?”

The film itself takes what is in many ways a porn staple – five young guys having sex – and infuses it with a sense of intimacy, sweetness and honesty. It intercuts the men having a bit of a sex-fuelled party with a sun-dappled and far more sensual erotic session the next morning. Then things take an unexpected turn when the men start lip-syncing to Pansy Division’s 90s tune, Flower. That includes using an erect penis as a microphone (something John Cameron Mitchell previously did in Shortbus). It certainly adds an unusual but rather fun, punk edge to the end of the film.

Lambert also feels that adding a sense of connection and humanity to porn is important, saying,“People, especially now more than ever, learn about their sexuality through porn. If all you have is the trash that’s out there, then you’re just going to start fucking like a porn star and you’re going to learn how to demean people and dehumanize people and have impersonal, non-intimate sexual experiences.”

Although the movie is far too NSFW to post here, it’s currently available to watch for free over at Helix studios, and you can watch it by CLICKING HERE. You can also watch a trailer below, and read more about the movie over at Out.

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]

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Quentin Tarantino Is Planning A Movie About The Manson Family Murders

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Quentin Tarantino​ likes to take his time to ensure he gets to make the movie he wants in the way he wants. It means that since Reservoir Dogs in 1992, we’ve only had 9 movies from him the the last quarter of a century.

Now he’s decided what he wants his 10th feature film to be, and it’ll be about the Manson Family Murders. THR first reported the news, saying it will be a unique take on the imfamous killings. Not a vast amount is known about the specifics of the movie, although it’s said, ‘One of the stories centers on Sharon Tate, the actress and wife of director Roman Polanski who was murdered by Manson and his followers in 1969.

‘Manson had ordered a group of his followers to attack the inhabitants of a house in the Benedict Canyon part of Los Angeles, believing it was owned by a record producer who earlier had rejected him. Over the course of several hours on the night of Aug. 8, the four followers, using guns and knives, brutally killed Tate, who was eight months pregnant, and four other occupants.

‘In 1971, Manson and certain members of his crew were sentenced to life imprisonment for these and several other murders committed that summer.’

Tarantino is apparently ​already meeting actors about the project, with the likes of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Margot Robbie all said to be in the mix. We’ll have to wait a while to see the movie though, as it’s not likely to shoot until summer 2018.

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Charlize Theron Says She ‘Just Loved’ That Her Atomic Blonde Action Hero Is Bisexual

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There have been some wondering whether Atomic Blonde is going to be another film where Hollywood titillated straight male audiences with a bit of lesbian action. The trailers certainly seemed to be keen to show Charlize Theron kissing another woman while ensuring her fight scenes are as sexy as possible.

However, those behind the film seem keen to let people know they’re hoping it will be seen as more than that, as they’re trying to break some of the female action cliches, not least that the main character can get injured and bruised, as she doesn’t fall for the main man.

Theron herself is also keen to point out the fact her character is bisexual is more than just about titillation. She tells Variety, “I just loved it. For so many reasons: My frustration of how that community is represented in cinema, or lack thereof. And also, it made perfect sense. It just suited her. It just felt there was a way through that relationship and the fact that it was a same-sex relationship to show a woman not having to fall in love, which is one of those female tropes. ‘It’s a woman; she better fall in love – otherwise, she’s a whore!’”

She adds of writer Kurt Johnstad’s idea to include this aspect of the character, “It’s one of my most proudest parts of the development, when we came up with that. And then finding Sofia [Boutella], that was a slam dunk. There’s something about her that’s so broken and vulnerable. It works.”

Although the sex scenes are another aspect that could be accused of abjectification, Theron says on them, “James Bond doesn’t have such hot you-know-what. I loved that we didn’t hide under the sheets. Now I’m generalizing. I haven’t seen a lot of the Bond movies lately. I’m sure there’s a lot of hot sex in it.”

Atomic Blonde is out on July 28th.

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A Sequel Series To The L Word Is Officially In Development

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There have been rumours for a few months that some sort of return to the world of The L Word might be in the works. Now it’s official, as it’s been revealed that the US cable network Showtime is backing a sequel to the original show.

The L Word ran from 2004 to 2009, gaining a legion of fans who followed the live of a group of LGBT women in LA, as well as their friends and family. Some of those beloved characters will return for the new run, as Jennifer Beals (Bette), Kate Moennig (Shane) and Leisha Hailey (Alice) are all onboard both to star and executive produce.

Other than them, it appears the revived series will mainly revolve around new characters, although THR says that Erin Daniels (Dana), Laurel Holloman (Tina), Mia Kirshner (Jenny), Sarah Shahi (Carmen) and Pam Grier (Kit) may appear in some form.

Ilene Chaiken, who created the show, is involved as an executive producer, but Showtime is currently looking for a showrunner and writer to take control of the new show. They are apparently hoping to find someone with ties to the lesbian community, who will be able to ensure the new L Word properly reflects the changes that have taken place for LGBT people in the 13 years since the show first started airing.

The L Word was US TV’s first drama centred around lesbians. Over the course of its six seasons it included ‘storylines about equality, legal marriage and benefits, and HIV/AIDS, as well as a transgender storyline that saw Daniela Sea’s Moira transition to Max in an era well before Amazon’s breakout Transparent’. It’s not known when the sequel show will hit screens.

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Felicity Jones To Star In Swan Lake Movie For Universal

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Having starred in the billion dollar grossing Rogue One, Felicity Jones’ star has jumped massively in the last few months. Now THR reports that she’s set to star in a movie based on Swan Lake, which Universal has just picked up the rights to (beating out the likes of Paramount and TriStar who were also interested).

There’s not too much info on the plot, but it’s based upon a pitch from writer Kristina Lauren Anderson, based on Tchaikovsky’s ballet about ‘Odette, a princess that is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse’. The film itself won’t be a ballet, but is being set-up as a major tentpole movie inspired by the story.

Luca Guadagnino is attached to direct the movie. He’s expected to have a crossover success later this year with the gay-themed Call Me by Your Name, starring Armie Hammer, which was hailed as one of the standout films at Sundance.

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A Million Happy Nows Trailer – Guiding Light’s Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia reunite for a lesbian drama

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Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia gained a lot of fans as two women slowly falling in love on the US soap opera Guiding Light back. Playing Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera, they were even popular enough to get a portmanteur name – Otalia. However, viewers haven’t been able to see them together for a while, as both left the show in 2009.

After British screenwriter Marisa Calin found footage of the duo on Youtube, she and director Alvert Alarr decided to reunite them for the movie, A Million Happy Nows. The film screened to an enthusiastic audience ot Outfest over the weekend, so it seem a good time to take a look at the trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Veteran actress Lainey Allen (Chappell) is tired of being sidelined for younger talent on the soap she has starred in for twenty years. Coupled with finding it harder to retain her lines, she decides not to renew her contract, and she and her publicist and partner, Eva Morales (Leccia), move to a beach house overlooking the ocean on the Central California coast. The move highlights some small changes in Lainey’s personality – mild depression that Eva puts down to leaving the show. But when Lainey starts to forget more than can be attributed to stress, Eva insists on a visit to the doctor.

‘A Million Happy Nows chronicles Lainey and Eva’s changing relationship as they struggle to deal with the diagnosis of Lainey’s Early Onset Alzheimer’s, the prospect of an indomitable woman’s future of dependence and her single support system – the woman who was once in awe of her, became everything to her, and will now look after her.’

Take a look at the trailer below. (H/T GSN) [Read more…]

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Win The Gay-Themed You Can’t Escape Lithuania On DVD!

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Two gay guys and their female friend are going on the run in You Can’t Escape Lithuania, which is out on DVD and VoD now in the UK, courtesy of TLA Releasing. We’ve teamed up with them to give away three copies in this comp.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘After his star actress, Indre, murders her mother, rich-kid filmmaker Romas plans her escape from Lithuania. His sexy Mexican boyfriend Carlos helps them reluctantly. On the road, Romas begins shooting an improvised experimental film of the trip with his smartphone. As events take an unexpected turn, their secrets, memories and emotions make this journey wilder than any film Romas could have imagined.’

For your chance to win You Can’t Escape Lithuania on DVD, answer the question below and fill in your details, then press submit! The competition closes on July 24th, 2017, so get answering and good luck. [Read more…]

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Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins Sets Next Film As An Adaptation Of If Beale Street Could Talk

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After Moonlight picked up the Best Picture Oscar this year, many were wondering what movie director Barry Jekins would do next (he also picked up the Best Screeplay Academy Award. It’s taken him a few months to decide, but now it’s been announced he’s set to helm an adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk, according to THR.

The book is set in, ”70s Harlem and follows engaged couple Fonny and Tish. When Fonny is falsely accused of rape, Tish, who is pregnant, races to find evidence that will prove Fonny’s innocence.’ Although Jenkins has only just set it as his next movie, he has been working on the project for a long time. He wrote the screenplay in 2013 and has been collaborating with James Baldwin’s estate.

Jenkins comments, “To translate the power of Tish and Fonny’s love to the screen in Baldwin’s image is a dream I’ve long held dear. Working alongside the Baldwin Estate, I’m excited to finally make that dream come true.”

While this will be his next film project, he’s also headed to TV, or at least episodic online streaming, as he’s set to direct an Amazon mini-series based on Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad.

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