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

Taekwondo (BFI Flare Review) – A young gay man becomes a spy in the world of sexy straight boys

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Marco Berger has made his name with gay-themed fare such as Plan B, Absent and Hawaii, all of which have been interested in growing sexual tension between men. Martin Farina meanwhile brought us the documentary Fulboy, about a group of straight footballers, where the gayness came through the voyeuristic eye of the camera. Here the two Argentinian directors come together for Taekwondo, which is both voyeuristic and about sexual tension at the same time.

It’s summer, and Fer (Lucas Papa) has invited his new friend German (Gabriel Epstein), to come for a vacation at his house, where there’s a pool, sauna and a bit of luxury. There’s also a group of other young men, all of whom have known each other for years, and who have an easy camaraderie. Casual nudity is common, as is talk about sex. When together, they are partway between grown men and boys. [Read more…]

Torrey Pines (BFI Flare Review) – Gender dysphoria & mental health get a stop-motion film

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There aren’t many LGBT-themed animated movies, and most of the ones that exist are short films. Torrey Pines is a bit of an exception then – a 60-minute stop-motion film, that takes on issues such as a youth experiencing gender dysphoria and mental health problem.

It’s based on director/animator Clyde Petersen’s own childhood, following him when he was a young child called Whitney, a girl on the edge of puberty, experiencing the sense that she does not want breast and to get periods, but still at a time when she is more child than adult. [Read more…]

Jewel’s Catch One (BFI Flare Review) – An inspirational look at an LGBT activist & her nightclub

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Although some may not have heard of the Jewel’s Catch One nightclub, for others it’s a legendary venue – the Studio 54 of the West Coast – that for over 40 years welcomed all, but mostly gay men and women, and was a particular refuge for the African-American LGBT population of LA. It also became a hangout for celebrities, and hosted a Madonna album launch.

This documentary looks at the club and more particularly the woman who founded it, Jewel Thais-Williams. Hers is a remarkable story. Despite having little money, she bought the bar that later expanded into the club at a time when women in California weren’t even allowed to be bartenders (unless they owned the bar). She wasn’t just a woman in a man’s world, she was a black woman in a white man’s world, and she was also a lesbian. [Read more…]

After Louie (BFI Flare Review) – AIDS, generational changes, gay life & Alan Cumming

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After Louie is one of the higher profile titles at this year’s BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival – largely because it stars Alan Cumming. He plays Sam, an artist working on a documentary about his friend, William, who died during the AIDS crisis. However, he discovers that few people are that interested in his project.

He meets the much younger Braeden (Zachary Booth), initially assuming the young man must be a rent boy, and so pays him for sex. Braeden also has a boyfriend, but starts to see more of Sam. They start to challenge each other’s assumption, with Sam angry that the younger generation don’t seem to care about the AIDS crisis and the battle against heteronormative culture he and his friends engaged in. Braeden meanwhile shows him that his generation have a very different experience of the world – and HIV – and that while Sam’s generation’s battles helped pave the way for that, it’s impossible for younger people to truly comprehend what it was like to watch so many people die amidst a society that didn’t care and in many cases attacked them. [Read more…]

Arrival (Blu-ray Review) – Worthy of its eight Oscar nominations?

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It’s very rare for a sci-fi film to get Oscar nominations outside of the technical categories, so it’s truly exceptional that Arrival scored eight of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress. It may have won just one Academy Award – Best Achievement in Sound Editing – but it’s still highly unusual.

In the movie, the world is shocked when 12 mysterious ovoid spaceships arrive at various points around the planet, hanging in the sky. One of them is over American soil, so the government decides it needs to know what’s going on. Inside the ship are two aliens – which look like a cross between trees and octopuses – but there’s no way to communicate with them. [Read more…]

Malaysia Backs Down On Gay Cuts To Beauty & The Beast

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In the game of chicken that Disney has been playing with the Malaysian censors, the House Of Mouse has won. Last week, just a few days before it was due for release, Disney pulled the movie from release in Malaysia due to cuts to LGBT-related content that had been demanded.

Although Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board said it was just a small cut they wanted to the very end of the movie, it turned out it was much more, with reports they wanted the entire ‘Gaston’ musical number removed, due to the fact at one point two men hug. Disney refused and the Censorship Board then tried to deflect blame, saying they would have probably allowed the movie through, if director Bill Condon hadn’t talked about the ‘gay moment’ and (in their eyes) forced them to act.

Initially neither side seemed to want to back down, but now the Film Censorship Board has decided they will allow the movie to screen intact, with the equivalent of a PG-13/12 rating. It will now be released in Malaysia on March 30th.

Gay sex is still illegal in Malaysia and discrimination is pervasive, with one of the lowest levels of acceptance of homosexuality by society in Asia, and in recent years the situation has arguably gotten worse.

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The New Power Rangers Movie Is Bringing Us An Openly Gay Movie Superhero

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It’s been a big month for gay visibility in major movies. After years of criticism of Disney for never including LGBT characters in their movies, they brought us Lefou in Beauty & The Beast (who admittedly isn’t exactly out and proud – but he’s certainly queer), and now it’s been revealed that one of the new Power Rangers will be openly gay.

One part of the movie, according to THR, is that Yellow Ranger, Trini, played Becky G, doesn’t just have to deal with the pressures of being a teen superhero, but is also coming to terms with her sexuality. Director Dean Israelite comments, “For Trini, really she’s questioning a lot about who she is. She hasn’t fully figured it out yet. I think what’s great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, ‘That’s OK.’ The movie is saying, ‘That’s OK,’ and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe.”

It doesn’t sound like this is a big part of the film, as it’s talked about in terms of being a ‘moment’ and a ‘pivotal scene’, so don’t expect too much of an exploration of Trini’s sexuality. However, it’s still very unusual for a film like this to have a major gay character. Indeed, Hollywood has a long history of straight-washing anything even vaguely queer in the superhero world, so it’s certainly progress. Hopefully, following the success of Beauty & The Beast, Power Rangers will be a big enough hit that it won’t scare Hollywood off from more LGBT representation in their biggest movies.

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Robert Downey Jr. Set To Star In The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle

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Robert Downey Jr.​ is set to follow in Rex Harrison’s footsteps by playing Doctor Dolittle, although it doesn’t look like it’ll be a musical this time. THR reports that Downey Jr. is planning to star in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, with Universal backing the movie.

Stephen Gaghan, best known for writing and directing more serious fare such as Syriana and Gold, in onboard to helm the film. Gaghan is also writing the script, based on an earlier version by Tom Shepherd.

The will be based around Hugh Lofting’s famous children’s character, a doctor who tires of treating animals and learns to speak to animals. Although there’s no news on the exact story for this new version, it looks like the Doctor will be going off on a big trip.

It was previously made into the Rex Harrison starring musical in 1960, while Eddie Murphy played a very different version of the character in 1998.

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The Dark Tower Reveals Its First Poster

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After a long a tortuous road to the screen, Hollywood is hoping for big things from the adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series of novels. With a July release set, it’s almost surprising we haven’t seen more about it by now, but a poster has been revealed to give us a glimpse of this world.

Expect a trailer to follow soon.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is the most ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors.  Now, the story makes its long-awaited launch to the big screen, starring Idris Elba as Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as Walter O’Dim.  The film is being directed by Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair), with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman & Jeff Pinkner and Anders Thomas Jensen & Nikolaj Arcel, based on King’s novels.  Producers on the film are Akiva Goldsman, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Erica Huggins.’

Take a look at the full poster below. [Read more…]

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Different For Girls (BFI Flare Web Series Review) – The lesbian housewives of London?

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The new web series Different For Girls received its World Premiere at the BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival last night, before going online worldwide from March 18th. It’s an attempt to fill the void left by the lack of lesbian TV programming, with a show that looks like it could/should have been on a traditional television channel, but made – by necessity – on a much smaller budget. Nevertheless, they’ve pulled together a good cast, including Guinevere Turner (Go Fish, The Watermelon Woman,), Caroline Whitney Smith (Her Story), and Rachel Shelley (The L Word).

The five episodes of Season 1 introduce us to the slightly soap opera lives of a group of women in London’s Chiswick district. There’s Gemma, who’s dating Jude, but who’s also getting married to a guy – to satisfy her parents and his acting career. Jude though hasn’t really cut ties with her ex, Nicola, which isn’t making things easier with Gemma. Nicola is supposed to have moved on and has a wife, Brooke, and kids. Even so, Nicola has a hard time committing to this supposed domestic bliss, and if having an affair on the side. Brooke may not know that, but she does know her partner is neglecting her home life. [Read more…]