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

Shared Rooms (DVD/VoD Review)

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A few years ago director Rob Williams made Christmas a bit more queer with the rom-com Make The Yuletide Gay. Since then he’s brought us the gay-themed Role/Play, Out to Kill, and The Men Next Door, but now he’s returning to the festive season with the ensemble tale, Shared Rooms.

The movie follows three different stories, set over the Christmas and New Year period. Laslo and Cal are a couple getting increasingly fed up with the fact that all their friends are either adopting or having babies through surrogates. They have no intention of becoming parents until Cal’s 17-year-old nephew suddenly turns up on their doorstep. He’s been thrown out of home for being gay and needs somewhere to stay – although Laslo and Cal aren’t exactly set up to parent a teenager. [Read more…]

Lazy Eye (US Cinema Review)

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By all rights, Lazy Eye should be a dull film. The vast majority of it is just two men by themselves, chatting about things. However, thanks to some good performances and a thoughtful take on aging, love and life, it’s far more interesting than you might expect.

Dean (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) is a graphic designer working in film in Los Angeles. He gets an unexpected message from Alex (Aaron Costa Ganis), the lover who disappeared from his life 15 years before. They arrange to meet up at Dean’s isolated second home near Joshua Tree, where passions almost instantly re-ignite – indeed for Dean they’ve reignited even before Alex shows up. [Read more…]

The Watermelon Woman (US Cinema Re-Release)

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Oftentimes when movies try to tackle serious issues, you end up with a film that’s leaden, tedious and not as smart as it thinks it is. However, The Watermelon Woman manages to wrap its pertinent, intelligent and thought-provoking ideas about things such as sexuality, gender and race in a movie that’s light-hearted, entertaining and often quite funny, but still with an sense of anger running through it that still resonates.

The film would be notable just for being the first movie directed by an openly lesbian, African-American filmmaker. However, it’s not just getting a 20th Anniversary re-release, remaster and excellent restoration because of that, but also due to the fact its maintained its relevance, reputation and a fanbase that loves it. [Read more…]

Chevalier (DVD Review)

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A group of men are out on the Aegean Sea on a luxury yacht for a fishing trip. Fed up with the games they usually play, they decide to take things up a notch by holding a contest to decide who is the best of them in general. Absolutely everything can be judged, from their ability to build flatpack furniture and their fitness, to how nice their underwear is and whether they can get an erection. The winner will be the Chevalier, and get a small ring to show it.

Inevitably, the men’s egos get involved and as each competes to the best, they begin to take things to the extreme and find any and every flaw they can about the others. With their pride on the line, things start taking increasingly absurd turns in ways that could tear their friendships apart. [Read more…]

Esteros Trailer – A gay sexual awakening for two childhood friends in Argentina

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esteros-slideSynopsis: ‘Matías and Jerónimo—played by Ignacio Rogers and Estaban Masturini, who have a potent on-screen chemistry—have known each other since childhood. During the holidays in the Argentine wetlands of Esteros and before they begin high school, their friendship takes a new turn when they both experience their sexual awakening. However, Matías’ father forces them apart when he takes a job far away. Ultimately, distance and family contempt for homosexuality leads Matías to deny his friend, and ultimately, himself.

‘More than ten years later, Matías returns to his old town for Carnival with his girlfriend, where he unexpectedly runs into Jerónimo. Feelings between the two men slowly reappear, leading to a long-repressed awakening. But at what cost? Esteros is an expansion and reworking of the director’s 2015 short film Matías y Jerónimo in which two young boys are witness to a hate crime. Curotto’s debut feature is a charming and heartfelt take on second chances at love.’

Esteros is available on DVD on VoD in the US courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures, from November 29th. [Read more…]

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Gay Short Film Showcase: Stay With Me – A troubled gay romance evolves in the Taiwanese short

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stay-with-meFollowing success on the film festival circuit last year, the Taiwanese short, Stay With Me has been released online, and it’s well worth a look. You can watch it below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Facing rebellious faze and helpless family problems, Jie-Yu chose to take refuge in the safe harbor of friend Yan-Shiu. As the relationship between them develops further and further, the sexuality within Yan-Shiu towards Jie-Yu also grows. The film describes the main character Jie-Yu stuck in the middle between friendship and romance, he seeks for the sanctuary between lust and emotion. During the process, his weak characteristic leads his emotion to happiness, avoidance and pain. Running away from home, through 16 Kilometers of night, reflects the emotion of Jie-Yu for Yan-Shiu, slowly he starts to face his own emotion.’

Loosely based on director Jian-He Lin, who told Huffpo that is “reflects some problems in my family, and some strife and bitterness in my personal life… For many nights I was troubled, seeking for answers within myself. But there were no answers,” he said. “It was something I just needed to get through.” [Read more…]

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Love Is All You Need Trailer – Gay people rule and subjugate the straights in the new movie

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love-is-all-you-need-slideBack in 2013 a short film called Love Is All You Need found a large audience with its tale of a role-reversal world, where gay people are in charge and use their position to put down straight people. Now, following a successful crowdfunding campaign, it’s been turned into a feature film.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Love Is All You Need? is Romeo & Juliet set in a world where the norm is to be homosexual and heterosexuality is taboo. In a small Middle American town the star quarterback of the local university is outed for being a heterosexual.  Her forbidden love affair with a male journalist rocks the town to its very core, setting off a series of catastrophic events that will forever change the community.

‘Love is All You Need? is based on the 19 minute short film of the same name, which was so powerful that it organically garnered over 50 million views and was self-translated by fans into more than a dozen languages, deeply touching and affecting people around the world.’

The film arrives iTunes on November 24th. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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JK Rowling Hints Dumbledore May Be Openly Gay In Fantastic Beasts Sequels

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fantastic-beasts-final-poster-slideIn the last few weeks we’ve learned that the Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them has expanded from a planned three films to five of them, that a young Dumbledore will feature in the sequels, and that Johnny Depp has come on board as the villainous Grindelwald.

The last fact ignited speculation that he would be Dumbledore’s lover in the movies. That actually seemed unlikely, as from Harry Potter we know the pair were estranged by the 1930s setting of Fantastic Beasts, and there is no definitive evidence they were more than friends as teens. Indeed, many wondered whether rather like the Potter books, Dumbledore would be essentially asexual, even if Rowling has said he’s gay elswhere.

However, now she’s hinted that the Fantastic Beasts movies may show the future Hogwarts headmaster as an openly and actively gay man. However, she’s still keeping people guessing, saying at a press conference about the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, “I can’t tell you everything I would like to say because this is obviously a five-part story so there’s lots to unpack in that relationship. You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man – he wasn’t always the sage. We’ll see him at that formative period of his life.”

She then added, “As far as his sexuality is concerned… Watch this space.”

That would suggest the films will actively address Dumbledore’s sexuality – something that’s still incredibly rare in big budget Hollywood movies, especially family films.- although at the moment it’s still a wait and see situation, where we could be getting a fully fledged gay character, or one where his sexuality is just vaguely acknowledged. At least it appears the movies won’t ignore it completely and reading between the lines we could be seeing Albus being rather conflicted about his sexuality.

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New Poster For Live-Action Beauty & The Beast Pays Homage To A Classic Dance

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beauty-and-the-beast-poster2There’s a lot of interest in the upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast. With images and a new poster having arrived in the last few days, it can only be a short time until we get a proper trailer. As with much of the other marketing so far, it harks back to the classic animated movie, while also suggesting this will be just a little bit different.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

‘Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon from a screenplay by TBD based on the 1991 animated film, the film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice.’

The film will in in cinemas next March.

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Indian Director Leena Yadav To Direct Tragic Gay Iranian Love Story, Secret Sky

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leena-yadavLeena Yadav recently directed the excellent Parched, focussing on the lives of four women living in a highly patriarchal, traditional community in rural India. Now THR reports she has signed on to tell a gay-themed tale set in Iran, called Secret Sky.

Based on a true story, Secret Sky follows the love story between two Iranian teens who are put in prison accused of homosexuality, go to trial and pay the ultimate price for their crimes. A female lawyer (also inspired by a real person) attempts to fight for their freedom. Homosexuality is not just illegal in Iran, but the country is known for executing gay people, often also accusing them of paedophilia, with many in the country feeling the two are essentially the same.

Micah Schraft and Abdi Nazemian are writing the movie, which is due to shoot early next year.

Producer Carol Polakoff comments, “This story, though political in nature and about civil rights, must be delivered through the heart, and Leena has shown that she can make a beautiful film that will not only move viewers, but also deliver a socially impactful punch. She has uncommon courage and passion, and holds nothing back.”

Yadav’s Parched, which included LGBT themes, received death threats over the movie, due to some communities thinking the costumes used in the movie meant it was about them. Secret Sky will be her international debut.

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