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

Angels With Tethered Wings (Review)

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Last year Steven Vasquez’s erotic horror anthology, Eroddity(s), hit DVD, offering a collection that had a lot of penises but was only sporadically successful in storytelling terms. Now he’s back with Angels With Tethered Wings, which is a step up from Eroddity(s) but still suffers from a few of the issues of the earlier release.

Although it tells one complete story, the film is split into three parts. The first chapter shows us what happens before and after part two, introducing us to identical twins Grant and Garret Gleason (both played by Cory Tyndall). Garret is a mean and callous porn producer who’s just received a briefcase containing $200,000 dollars, which he must hand over to the mysterious Carmine. After an argument with his main star, Timothy (Brandon Rife), the twink storms out, with Garret thinking the young man has taken the money with him. [Read more…]

Let’s Be Cops (Blu-ray Review)

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God bless Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. They’re both very talented comic actors who struggle valiantly in Let’s Be Cops to make it work, but thanks to a script that’s far too dumb and clunky it’s all to little avail.

Ryan (Johnson) and Justin (Wayans) are friends who’ve reached their 30s and are struggling with the fact that neither of them are even close to living their dreams. When they’re invited to a reunion ‘costume party’ (which turns out to be a masquerade ball), they decide to go as cops. While the reunion is a disaster, they can’t help but notice the effect their police uniforms have on those they pass on the streets. [Read more…]

Gay Short Film Showcase: The Morning After – A ‘straight’ guy deals with a gay one night stand

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the-morning-afterOne of BGPS’s New Years Resolutions is that with all the fab work filmmakers are doing creating LGBT-themed short films, we ought to be posting far more of them on the site. So we’ve come up with ‘Gay Short Film Showcase’, where we’ll be posting shorts we like that are freely available on the web.

We’re starting with The Morning After, by director Bruno Collins.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘The Morning After a drunken night out Harry’s (Joshua Berg) world is turned upside down when as he awakens to discover a naked man, Thom (Luke Striffler), in his bed. stunned and confused he tries to make sense of his repressed desires. In an attempt to re-assert his heterosexuality he revisits an old lover, Lucy (Juliet Lundholm), but finds little comfort from the encounter. Harry is left to make a decision: to follow his set path and return to his doting girlfriend Jess (Jane Alice), or attempt to understand his own wants and desires…..’

Take a look at the short below.

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, let us know by getting in touch via our contact page. [Read more…]

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Gay Men On Screen: A Place For Us – Take a look at a supercut of decades of gay representation on screen

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gays-on-film-supercutAnyone who’s seen The Celluloid Closet (and if you haven’t, you ought to) will be aware of how gay people have been represented over the years on screen, and for most of the time cinema and TV has existed, we haven’t been shown in a good light.

To help take a look at how things have changed and what further alterations may need to still happen, Manuel Betancourt has come up with a great supercut of scenes of gay men on screen.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘How are gay men depicted in mainstream culture? From flaming sissies to AIDS victims, from sex-crazed lotharios to queer villains, the tropes that have thus far characterized gay men on screen have been few though they’ve increasingly become more varied, showcasing the diversity in our community. Showcasing scenes from Angels in America, The Normal Heart, In & Out, Brokeback Mountain, as well as older films like The Maltese Falcon and Rope, this supercut compiles a representative sample of the ways gay men have been portrayed on screen.’

It’s a fun way to spend six minutes, so take a look below. [Read more…]

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Man Played By Channing Tatum In Foxcatcher Turns On The Film Due To Perceived Gay Subtext

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Foxcatcher-poster-slideFrom its premiere at Cannes, Mark Schultz, has been a vocal supporter of the film Foxcatcher, in which he’s played by Channing Tatum. However over Christmas he massively changed his tune, going on a (since deleted) Twitter rant against both the movie and its director Benett Miller, saying things such as, ‘YOU CROSSED THE LINE MILLER. WE’RE DONE. YOU’RE CAREER IS OVER. YOU THINK I CAN’T DO IT. WATCH ME… YOU THINK I’M GOING TO SIT BACK AND WATCH YOU DESTROY MY NAME AND REPUTATION I SWEAT BLOOD FOR. YOU AINT’ SEEN NOTHING YET DUDE… I CAN TOLERATE A LOT OF THINGS BUT I DON’T TOLERATE DISRESPECT. WE’RE DONE BENNETT… Everything I’ve ever said positive about the movie I take back. I hate it. i hate it. i hate it. I hate it. i hate it. i hate it. I hate it.’

The film is based on the true tale of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), who was murdered by his paranoid schizophrenic friend Jon duPont (Carell) in 1996. Du Pont was an heir to the Du Pont chemical company, who teamed up with Dave’s brother Mark (Channing Tatum) to help build up a wrestling training facility known as ‘Team Foxcatcher’ on his sprawling Pennsylvania estate.

So what mainly made Dave change his mind about the movie? Well, it seems it was a scene which some have interpreted as adding a sexual undertone to his relationship with duPont. During his rant, Schultz expanded on his issues in a Facebook post (also since deleted), saying “Leaving the audience with a feeling that somehow there could have been a sexual relationship between duPont and I is a sickening and insulting lie. I told Bennett Miller to cut that scene out and he said it was to give the audience the feeling that duPont was encroaching on your privacy and personal space. I wasn’t explicit so I didn’t have a problem with it. Then after reading 3 or 4 reviews interpreting it sexually, and jeopardizing my legacy, they need to have a press conference to clear the air, or I will.”

So it appears his problem is not that the film says he had a sexual relationship with another man, but that certain people have interpreted a sexual subtext and the possibility anyone could think that about him is more than he can take. It’s difficult not to feel there’s a whiff of homophobia about the way he’s lashed out, as it certainly goes further than just wanting to set the record straight.

Since his fury a few days ago, he’s removed his initial rant from both Twitter and Facebook, replacing it with a slightly more measured Facebook post, which says, “My story and my life are real. I am a real human being. While I may have tweeted out of anger, I in no way regret standing up for myself, nor do I regret calling out the only other man [Miller] who has had decision making power concerning my image and legacy these past years. I apologize for the harshness of my language, but I am firm in where I stand. I will gladly go to any lengths to protect and safeguard the integrity and truth of my story, my life, my character and my legacy. If that’s not worth fighting over while I’m still alive, I don’t know what is.”

However it would appear that the main thing he feels is worth fighting for is ensuring that no person on the planet thinks he could have had sexual subtext with another man, even if the scene in question is fully open to interpretation.

There are also some wondering whether Schultz has manufactured this controversy to publicise his own book about the Foxcatcher story (which was released in November), as his anger has been interspersed with plugs for the tome, as well as saying things such as the December 20th Tweet, “love Twitter and Facebook. I can have just as much publicity power as anyone. I may be small but I’m growing.”

He may also face a few issues from the studio behind, as he has admitted on Twitter that he is contractually obliged to support the film until the Oscars, and if he is, he seems to have blown that spectacularly.

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This Is Drag Trailer – Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano & more give an intimate look at life in drag

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this-is-dragIn the last few years drag queens have never been as visible or more divisive. They are attacked by certain parts of the trans* community, as well as gay men who feel they belong to a past era when gay visibility was largely trapped in the camper end of the spectrum.

Nevertheless, there’s been a resurgence in interest in the artform, with many performers finding success and taking drag to new places that range from the arch and acerbic to full-on performance art. Indeed, despite the fact some don’t like them, drag artists have become one of the most interesting and challenging parts of the LGBT community, in a very post-modern way.

This Is Drag is a 60-minute Canadian documentary which takes ‘an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at performance, glamor, fame, family, love and sacrifice as some of the world’s most renowned drag queens come together for World Pride in Toronto. Starring Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, Courtney Act, Darienne Lake, Alyssa Edwards, Shangela.’

The trailer for the doc has been released and you can take a look at it below. [Read more…]

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Old Dogs & New Tricks – Season 3, Episode 8 – The season wraps up with ‘Homo For The Holidays’

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old-dogs-s3-ep8After a whole host of new adventures released over the last few weeks, the third season of Old Dogs & New Tricks comes to an end with its final episode, ‘Homo For The Holidays’. As the titles suggests, it’s set on Christmas day.

Nathan (Leon Acord) is in a bit of a crisis. With his former lover holding out an olive branch, and having had an ill-judged and humiliating hookup with a young bartender, what is he going to tell new love Jake (Curtis Wayne Brown)? Meanwhile Muscles (Jeffrey Patrick Olson) spends Christmas with his parent, Ross (David Pevsner) is hoping for a quiet time with Dan (Jeffrey Scott Basham) but things get disrupted, and Brad (Curt Bonnem) has hit rock bottom but may have a chance at redemption.

Of course there’s also time for a big cliffhanger.

While that would suggest we’ll be getting more Old Dogs in the future, that’s yet to be confirmed. Creator Leon Acord says he can’t comment yet on whether there’ll be a Season 4, but he hopes to make an announcement soon.

[Read more…]

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Win The Brendan Gleeson & Taylor Kitsch Movie The Grand Seduction On DVD!

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WIN_The_Grand_SeductionTo celebrate the release of “The Grand Seduction” starring Brendan Gleeson (Calvary, The Guard, In Bruges) and Taylor Kitsch (True Detective Season 2) – on DVD 5th January 2015 – we have a copy of the film to giveaway courtesy of Entertainment One.

Brendan Gleeson once again delivers a fantastic performance in a delightful comedy that is full of charm, wit and boasts stand-out performances from a stellar cast. Taylor Kitsch, more known for his science fiction blockbusters shows great comedy prowess and exactly why he is such a big name in Hollywood. Rounding off the main cast is the stunning Liane Balaban and Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, who provide some truly laugh out loud moments!

Available to order on Amazon today: http://amzn.to/1wm0P7E

For your chance to win the copy of The Grand Seduction on DVD that we’ve got to give away, answer the question below and fill in your details, then press submit! The competition closes on January 13th 2015, so get answering and good luck! [Read more…]

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Crush Of The Day: Colton Haynes Wants Us Know What He Looks Like Wet & Shirtless

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colton-haynes-wet-slideArrow & Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes knows how to keep his fans happy, and that means showing a bit of skin every so often so that people around the world can marvel at the sculpted physique and face that looks like someone specifically designed it for prettiness, rather than being a result of genetics.

As you can tell, I do have an appreciation of Haynes and his penchant for shirtlessness.

To help tide us over, Colton has posted the picture above to his Facebook, where he shows he can look good even while trapped in a giant Miami monsoon (or a weird shower, as I’m not sure where the hell he is, other than in Florida).

You can take a look at the pic below, along with a family shot of his NYC-spent Christmas. [Read more…]

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Apropos Of Nothing: Andrew Christian Wants To Blow You For New Year’s Eve

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andrew-christian-blowWhen watching the video below you’ll probably feel that it’s pretty much an exact recreation of what your New Year’s Eve will be like – gym-toned men wearing just underwear, guys in angel wings touching each other sensually, and an air of unbridled homoeroticism. Oh, and you’ll be doing everything against a black backdrop.

Well, okay, this isn’t like many people’s NYE, but it’s still pretty hot, and allows Andrew Christian to show off their Blow! line. It’s also a good excuse to bring together sexy guys such as Landon Conrad, Sean Zevran, Jimmy Fanz, Peter Le and Eric East, so that they can strain against those undies.

Take a look at the video below, and we hope your New Year’s Eve is just like it. [Read more…]

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Brokeback Mountain Author Annie Proulx Now Wishes She Could Quit Her Creation

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brokeback-mountainWriters tend to be split into two camps – those who don’t mind others taking their creations and spinning them into their own fantasies and ideas in whatever direction they wish (within limits), and those who are very protective and get frustrated by other people’s ‘incorrect’ interpretations and extrapolations.

It appears Brokeback Mountain author Annie Proulx is one of the latter, as in a recent interview she’s suggested she wishes she’d never written the story, due to how obsessives fans have reacted to it, particularly since her acclaimed short story was turned into a movie.

Talking to Paris Review, she says, ‘I wish I’d never written the story. It’s just been the cause of hassle and problems and irritation since the film came out. Before the film it was all right… In Wyoming they won’t read it. A large section of the population is still outraged. But that’s not where the problem was. I’m used to that response from people here, who generally do not like the way I write. But the problem has come since the film. So many people have completely misunderstood the story. I think it’s important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience, but unfortunately the audience that “Brokeback” reached most strongly have powerful fantasy lives. And one of the reasons we keep the gates locked here is that a lot of men have decided that the story should have had a happy ending. They can’t bear the way it ends—they just can’t stand it. So they rewrite the story, including all kinds of boyfriends and new lovers and so forth after Jack is killed. And it just drives me wild. They can’t understand that the story isn’t about Jack and Ennis. It’s about homophobia; it’s about a social situation; it’s about a place and a particular mindset and morality. They just don’t get it. I can’t tell you how many of these things have been sent to me as though they’re expecting me to say, Oh great, if only I’d had the sense to write it that way. And they all begin the same way—I’m not gay, but . . . The implication is that because they’re men they understand much better than I how these people would have behaved. And maybe they do. But that’s not the story I wrote. Those are not their characters. The characters belong to me by law.’

You would think a writer would be happy their work has had such a profound effect of their audience, but for Proulx there’s obviously more to it than that. If you read the entire interview though, Proulx does come across as rather crochety and, to be honest, a little snobby, so perhaps it’s understandable that she doesn’t like others to interpret her work too much.

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Subject To Change Trailer – Take a look at the new gay-friendly Aussie teen show

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subject-to-changeAustralia is planning to take gay-inclusive TV shows to school with Subject To Change, which has released a trailer for the pilot episode, which will be the first of 13 promised 30-minute episodes.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Set in the working class suburb of Hedley meet three very close and unique friends: neat freak Ben, tomboy Karly and drama queen Evie. This Australian TV drama will feature, for the first time, same-sex attracted lead characters. Through its coming-of-age narrative, Subject to Change will confront the harsh difficulties faced in suburban Australia by following these young adults as they deal with their complex and conflicting emotions. It will be a rocky road to love and inclusion through their final years of high school.’

The pilot will air at festivals over the coming months, with the hope that 12 more episodes will end up on Australian TV in 2015. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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