Review: Bad Boy Street

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

With the romantic backdrop of Paris, Bad Boy Street tells the story of how two men strike up ad unlikely relationship after one is found drunk and passed out in the middle of the street. Although a bit of a slow starter, the film picks up midway through and keeps you enticed by the mysterious Brad (Kevin Miranda) and wondering where his unlikely relationship with Claude (Yann de Monterno) will go.

Amidst the main theme of the unlikely relationship developing between the two strangers we later find a more interesting theme running through the film, which takes a look at how being closeted can be harmful. There are also the secrets that bubble behind the film sets in Hollywood, and questions about just how much control PR agents have over their clients. However if this undercurrent of thought didn’t develop midway through the film, then I would be talking about it in a completely different way, as I almost lost interest.

The shooting of the film is little bit hit and miss. The scenes in the streets give the film a dark, indie, vintage feel to it, so you almost feel as though you’re looking at the screen through Instagram. But what lets the shooting of the film down is the scenes in Claude’s flat, as they try to make them look very realistic, but the realism is lost and it just looks badly executed.

The parts where scenes are linked, with no talking and just music are in my opinion the best parts, as they allow you to get engrossed within the film, which is something some of the other scenes just miss out on.

The actors featured in the film are a little middle of the road but they aren’t awful. They make you feel for the characters and what is happening to them, which in all fairness is all you really need them to do. A special mention has to be given to Florence d’Azemar, who is both funny and a bit of a hot mess as Catherine, helped by the fact that she gets some of the better lines in the film.

Overall this is a bittersweet love story that unfolds in a mostly unconventional way. It isn’t the best film I’ve ever seen but then again it isn’t the worse, as it raises a number of interesting issues, so if you get the chance give it a watch.

Giving Thanks: Jonathan Harvey

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Once again I’m giving thanks to those working behind the scenes in film and television who have helped gay people gain a prominent place on the screen. Last week I looked across the pond at American director and producer Angela Robinson. This week I’m returning to the UK to take a look at one of the best known people who has helped LGBT characters burst into the mainstream – Jonathan Harvey.

Harvey began writing plays in his teens and garnered much success after writing The Cherry Blossom Tree, Mohair, Wildfire and Babies in the late 80s and early 90s. These works also won him several awards, including the George Devine Award. However, it was his 1993 play Beautiful Thing that garnered him huge attention and helped bring a new side of the LGBT community to the public. Unsurprisingly, the play has been staged numerous times since its debut.

Beautiful Thing tells the tale of two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexuality in a beautiful coming of age story. It was turned into an excellent film in 1996, which was very well received and has become a gay flick fave around the world.

Not content with staying in the world of theatre and film, Harvey also moved into television and achieved huge recognition when he wrote the laugh out loud comedy, Gimme Gimme Gimme. The show stars James Dreyfus and Kathy Burke and focuses on two mismatched flatmates in London, both desperately searching for a man. The lead character of Tom was one of the first openly gay (and outspokenly gay) leading characters on British TV. Despite some negative reaction towards the character because of perception about his overt stereotyping, the character was a very important step in television recognition for the gay community.

Since the final episode of Gimme Gimme Gimme premiered during the early 2000s, Harvey has continued working in the television world. He created the TV series Beautiful People, which is based on the memoirs of Simon Doonan and tells the story of him coming to terms with his sexuality in another laugh out loud situation comedy.

He has also worked as a writer since 2004 for one of the most popular soaps on British television, Coronation Street. Since he took the job, we’ve seen the introduction of a number of gay characters such as Shaun Tulley and seen a number of gay storylines like, such as Todd Grimshaw and Sophie Webster realising they were gay. How much input he had in this I don’t know, but I’m sure he lent a helping hand in moulding the story.

So as we can see Jonathan Harvey has been proving since the 1980s that he’s not just a great playwright, script writer and producer, but a triple threat in the world of the arts with successful films, television shows and plays, who has helped get gay people the screen and stage time they rightly deserve.

Giving Thanks: Angela Robinson

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Last week, I gave thanks to one of the most prolific LGBT writers in the UK, Russell T. Davies, and this week I’m not only looking across the pond at our American counterparts, but I’m also looking at the lovely lady gays. First on this list to give thanks to is film and television director, screenwriter and producer Angela Robinson.

Many of you out there may not have heard of Miss Robinson, but I can be pretty certain that you’ve heard of her work.

In the UK and America, Queer as Folk helped gay men burst into the mainstream and also made them the central characters of their own TV show, but for lesbians this didn’t really happen until the hit show The L Word came on the scene in 2004. In the midst of all the cast and creators, Angela Robinson was there working away acting as a director, writer and producer for the show, which helped lesbian characters break out onto American television like they never had before.

Aside from this, the show gave gay women a show of their own, instead of having to tune into Queer as Folk USA, where there were lesbian characters but they didn’t really balance out against their gay male counterparts.

This isn’t the only thing that she has done, she was also the director, writer and editor of the film D.E.B.S, an action comedy that was a slight parody of Charlie’s Angels and revolved around a lesbian love story. The film was an expansion on a short film of the same name, which was created by Robinson and won a clutch of awards back in 2003.

Luckily for everyone, Angela has continued to work in television and film through the last decade and has directed films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded, starring Lindsay Lohan. She has also worked as a writer on programmes such as True Blood, which itself can be viewed as an allegory for gay rights and has recently seen a few lesbian twists coming into it (whether she had anything to do with this is anyone’s guess).

As we can see, gay people working behind the scenes are helping us gain mainstream recognition in TV and film across the globe in an array of different shows. I mean, how many of you thought you’d see lesbians in a vampire programme (who aren’t just there for the titillation of straight male viewers)? But luckily for us these gay filmmakers, writers and producer are here, and hopefully here to stay.

Are Gay Men Considered More Acceptable On Screen Than Lesbians?

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Gay people have entered the mainstream media significantly in recent times, whether as television or radio presenters or characters in television and film. But something that has to be looked at, is how this representation is mainly of gay men.

When we see gay couples or a singular gay person in a film or on television, it is almost always gay men and very rarely a lesbian or lesbian couple. But why is this? Is the media and society in general more accepting of gay men that it is of gay women?

In recent times gay men have been shown in a particular light – we all know the stereotype of the fashion conscious, confident, out going, opinionated gay man who regularly springs up in TV programmes and films. When partnered with a straight woman, this coupling looks like a sure fire hit – just look at Carrie and Stanford in Sex and the City.

This cool trendy image of the gay man has also seeped into public consciousness as well, because as a gay man, how often have you bumped into someone on a night out or just with friends and heard the phrase, “I’ve always wanted a gay friend.” However you never hear someone say the same about having a lesbian friend, maybe because some people still have the image that lesbians are Dr Martins wearing, radical feminists in dungarees and checked shirts. It’s a stereotype that I can’t say I’ve actually come across in real life, and there aren’t many, if any, straight man and gay woman or straight woman and gay woman pairings in our regularly viewed entertainment.

But why is this? Is it because of the image that has been broadcast everywhere of gay men and the use of celebrities such as Graham Norton, Alan Carr and Gok Wan that have made gay men much more accessible and fashionable than women? We do have lesbian television presenters such as Sue Perkins, but let’s be honest, her time on television can’t really be compared to the constant presence of her gay male counterparts.

When it comes to gay men on television and film, there isn’t as much representation as there could be, especially in film, where lead gay characters are few and far between, but there are still significantly more gay men than there are lesbians.

Programmes such as Queer as Folk and Will & Grace helped bring gay men into the mainstream media and they have become staples ever since, but if Will was straight and Grace was a lesbian, would the programme have been as big as it was? The answer is probably no, because the stereotype conveyed in society of a gay man seems to add more comic value than that of a lesbian.

This continues throughout television where gay couples on British TV in Eastenders and Coronation Street have been major successes and have been given many major storylines (there have been lesbian storylines, but beyond the girl-on-girl kiss in Brookside, haven’t seeped into cultural consciousness in the same way). In film, Brokeback Mountain was a major Hollywood success both financially and personally for gay men, as they hadn’t had that type of exposure in a Hollywood movie ever, but there hasn’t been a major mainstream film based around lesbians.

Ok, there was The Kids are Alright in terms of movie representation, and there have been hit shows in the form of The L Word and Lip Service, but the majority of viewers for these programmes seem to be lesbians or people who already back the LGBT community, whereas programmes like Queer as Folk became a surprise hit with a large number of diverse viewers. The character of Sophie Webster has also played one of the bigger characters in Coronation Street recently, and being a lesbian the character is one of the most high profile in terms of lesbian representation, but why did it take them so long to introduce a lesbian character when they’d already had a few major gay themed storylines at that point?

We may never know the real answer, but hopefully the representation and acceptance of gay females on television and in film will improve, in the same way that it did for gay men. Sue Perkins is currently writing a new sitcom for BBC2 concentrating on a lesbian vet. How well it will do is another matter. But with representation increasing, hopefully we will see gay women and men on our television screens in a bigger quantity and more regularly. Who knows, the next big gay film in Hollywood may just centre around a lesbian. Here’s hoping.

Review - Rock of Ages

Originally posted on www.moviemuser.co.uk

The film adaptation of the 2009 Broadway musical is two hours of high energy 80s rock music coupled with laugh out loud comedy, as we see a young girl search for fame and fortune in the bright lights of Hollywood, set against the underside of the rock music industry.

Filled with great songs of the classic rock era – which has no doubt led it be being one of the last decade's most popular musicals – the film makes you want to dance around and sing for the whole duration of the film. Although the music in the film is great, credit has to be given for the themes, of which several run through the film, with a sweet young love story evolving whilst the upside and downside of fame counterbalance each other in the background. Another theme that the film touches on is the clear mockery of the right wing with their wholesome image hiding a few dirty secrets.

The way the film has been shot also has to be given some credit, as director Adam Shankman has given it the look and feel of a 80s movie so that it looks as though it was shot in that era too. But what really brings this film to life are the actors, who are all brilliantly cast and really make you believe they are their characters.

Russell Brand (Lonny Barnett), who probably didn't need to work hard to play his part, has some brilliant one-liners and some of the funniest moments in the film. A particular highlight is his rendition of ‘I Want to Know What Love Is' with Alec Baldwin (Dennis Dupree), who also had his share of brilliant one liners. The pairing of these two works an awful lot better than I previously thought it would.

Mary J Blige as Justice Charlier steals the show in terms of vocal performance, nailing every song she sings. Her acting isn't bad either. Sadly Catherine Zeta Jones isn't on screen long enough, but for the moments she is, her hilariously deranged and psychotic portrayal of Patricia Whitmore had me in stiches and it's great to see her doing a movie musical again, almost 10 years after Chicago.

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta give good performances as Sherrie and Drew, but sadly get upstaged by the supporting characters. At first I didn't think their voices were rock enough for the film, but as it progressed I warmed to them and they shone during their final performance.

I had a similar feeling towards Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, who I don't think has a particularly good voice and isn't particularly convincing as a man who is supposed to ooze such sex appeal. However, as the film progresses and we get to see further into his character, you begin to warm to him and overall he is pretty good, considering he's never properly sung on film before (Magnolia doesn't really count).

A special mention has to be given to the endless pop culture references to 80s films and notable rock moments, the most memorable being Ozzy Osbourne's bat biting.

Despite not doing particularly well at the box office, Rock Of Ages is great fun and will have you dancing around singing 80s rock ballads for hours afterwards. If you liked the stage show, musicals or the 80s, then buy this and watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Interview: Director Oliver Hermanus

Originally published on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Beauty, or Skoonheid as it’s known in its native South Africa, takes a dark look at how mentally scarring sexual repression can be, and does so in an excellently compelling and disturbing way.

After winning the Queer Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and being shortlisted as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, Beauty will be released on DVD in the UK on October 8th.

We got to catch up with the writer and director of the film, Oliver Hermanus, to find out his thoughts of the film, his inspiration and what he will be getting up to next in the world of film.

What attracted you to this film?
The idea of beauty being a currency in the world and wanting to tell a story about its poisonous effects on a man who desires it more than anything.

What made you shoot the film in the way you did?
This film, dealing with a man who is a voyeur, was greatly influenced by certain Hitchcock films like Vertigo. We adopted the CinemaScope frame, 18mm lending and even use a zoom in the opening shot. I love old Hollywood and wanted this film to be the opposite of my first film, which was very hand held etc.

How did it differ from anything else you’ve done?

The scale is bigger, the slickness of the camera, the attention to detail in the production design and costume, instead of capturing a world, like I did on my first film [Shirley Adams], we created a world in Beauty. 

What do you hope this movie will achieve?
I hoped that it would give me the opportunity to make more films as I hope of every film I make. Reach a larger audience, gain value as a film director.

What has the reaction to the film been like?
Varied. This is a tough film and it sends people in different directions. The responses have been very particular depending on the countries it played in.

What did you think the reaction would be like to the film?
I had no idea, I had worked on it for so long by the end, writing, directing and editing it myself, that I couldn’t tell if it was funny or sad.

What were your feelings before the film debuted at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival?
We were still finishing it just before Cannes, so there was no time to sit around and think. It was a mad rush to get the sound done in time.

And how did it feel when the film was awarded the Queer Palm Award?
I think it is a good luck charm to win a prize, any prize, for your film at its premiere festival, so I was very happy to win the Queer Palm.

How did you feel when Beauty was entered as the South African entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards?
I was surprised; SA is very conservative, so I thought it was a sign of positive change in our local film bodies.

Do you think the story behind this film is important on a social level?
Definitely, this story is about many men especially in SA but also all over the world. I think many men and possibly women walked away from this film feeling challenged to make a change in their lives.

What was your favourite part about shooting the film?
I love working with actors, seeing the performance come to life, so definitely the shooting part.

What are your thoughts on the film itself?
I think it was a competent sophomore effort; it achieved the festival recognition I wanted, and gave me the currency to make something else after. So for me that means I like it, not that I have seen it over 1 year.

Finally what do you have lined up for the future?
I am preparing a Biblical period piece (who isn’t), which is currently in financing after a year of solid script work. It is titled The Well.

The Valleys ... It isn't actually like that you know

Unless you've been living under a rock or the middle of a forest for the last few years then you've definitely heard of the abundance of so called reality television series that have been hitting the headlines, from The Only Way is Essex to Geordie and Jersey Shore its been pretty hard to avoid these headline grabbing shows.

Last week yet another of these shows burst onto our screens in the shape of the MTV show The Valleys, and all I can say is that I was shocked and disgusted by what I saw on my screen.

As someone who comes from the valleys of South Wales I sat and watched in horror as a group of fame hungry wannabes sauntered their way onto the screen declaring that they were going to be the next big thing.

Like I said, as someone who comes from the valleys I just wanted to point out that we aren't all like that, some of us are trying to forge a career the hard way by making our way up from the bottom and not sticking dead fish down our swimsuits or a dead octopus on our heads.

There were a few other points about the show that really got to me, firstly most of them aren't from the valleys, if what I've read is true then some of them live about a 10 minute train journey away from Cardiff. Secondly the way that MTV has tried to make out that coming from the valleys means that you live amongst the sheep is a far cry from what it is really like. Fair enough there are sheep but getting to Cardiff isn't the long slog they've tried to make it out to be, there are regular buses and trains (we aren't from the dark ages.)

Also when the "stars" of the show made absolute fools of themselves in a Cardiff night club it really annoyed me, due to the fact that i was once denied entry to the same place for being "too drunk" despite the fact I hadn't really drunk much (but that's probably just a very personal annoyance.)

The fact that this group of people believe that by moving to Cardiff is going to kick start their media or modelling careers is also an absolute joke. The closest you're going to get to the paparazzi in Cardiff is someone capturing a load of drunken people spilling out of a nightclub or munching a kebab down chippy alley on their mobile phone.

Overall it appears that MTV are making a joke out the valleys and using these poor deluded souls as fodder for their latest reality show. After seeing it I now take back anything I've ever said about the other similar shows on TV, as it is clear they just pick a group of people that they can take advantage of.

The second episode is currently sat recorded on my Sky box and I'm debating whether to watch it as I fear I may get too angry and shout at the TV, which is never good. The show almost makes me feel like denying the fact I come from the valleys as I may be tarnished with the same brush as these people, which really drives me insane.

All I can say is that the valleys aren't really like that and all MTV has done is select a few people that will clearly act up to the camera and give them some decent ratings. But then again we may have found the new Beyonce so it's all good (is say this with utmost sarcasm.)

Review - Beauty

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Beauty is an interesting yet eerily creepy South African film that takes a look at how the sexual repression and frustration of someone in a homophobic environment can impact and severely mentally scar a person.

The film centres on Francois (Deon Lotz), an openly racist and homophobic married South African man in his forties, who, after indulging in sexual activity with men in private, becomes obsessed with the son of friend. As the film moves along and develops, we see Francois’ repressed homosexual feelings gradually sending his mental health into decline, and the attraction he feels towards Christian (Charlie Keegan), his friend’s son, turn into a loathing which culminates in a horrific and unpleasant encounter that will leave most viewers uneasy.

The film has many excellent points, the main being the premise to the film and the themes running throughout, which allows people to see the impact a homophobic and repressive society can have on people and how this can impact on others around you. The film is shot in a way that gives it a very dark and eerie tone, which reflects the undercurrent of Francois’ gradual mental decline. This is also backed up by the creepy and uneasy music that plays throughout most of the film. Lotz gives an excellent performance as Francois, as the audience really connects with his poor mental state and spends the majority of the film wondering what he’s going to do, and ultimately how can he live with himself.

The setting and music coupled with the performance from Lotz helps drive the film from beginning to end. As there are a vast amount of scenes in the film with minimal or no dialogue, these three elements allow the audience to understand what is going on, what Francois is thinking and serve as the ultimate disequilibrium running throughout.

However, although there may be many good points with the film, it isn’t completely perfect. A number of issues arise in certain parts of the film such as extended scenes that feel unnecessary and could have probably been cut or shortened, such as Francois unpacking his suitcase in a hotel room and a scene where he sits in his living room, doing nothing.

The film also has segments where it starts to build up but ultimately falls flat and the scenes go nowhere. This was mainly at the beginning of the film, so if you don’t feel gripped from the beginning don’t worry as it gets better around half way through.

Overall despite its negative points, Beauty is an excellent look at how certain negative views present in society can lead to the destruction of a person’s mental health, life and ultimately someone else’s. However if it had been executed a little better then this film would have been perfect from start to finish, without any flat parts in between.

Giving Thanks: Russell T. Davis

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

When we see gay people appear on our television screens many of us may feel a sense of pride or achievement just because we are being represented on television. In all fairness this sense of pride or achievement may not be as strong as it was 10 or 15 years ago, as we now see gay people in all walks of life and we are no longer considered a taboo in the British media, or by a vast number of those in society.

But what we have to ask ourselves is how did this happen? Yes there have been people campaigning for years to allow gay people to have the same rights as straight people, and they fought the battles in courts and in parliament and helped us achieve equality in the workplace, schools and many other areas of our lives where we were once discriminated.

But the mass media, television, film, music also had a significant impact as many believe what they see on TV, and come to find what they are shown to be the norm. So how did we get to have gay characters spring up in film and television? Well that credit has to be given to those behind the scenes.

Over the last few decades countless writers and producers have helped gay men and women make their way onto our screens, and in Britain one of the most well known to do this is Russell .T Davies.

We all know Russell for his revival of the hit Sci-Fi programme Doctor Who and its subsequent spin off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and even with these shows he’s managed to incorporate LGBT characters in the shape of Captain Jack Harkness the well known bisexual who is played by openly gay actor John Barrowman.

But obviously this probably wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for his breakout television show Queer as Folk, which centred on gay men living in Manchester. The show broke boundaries and helped gay men get the representation on television that was needed.

However his contributions to the LGBT community on television didn’t just start on Queer as Folk. Whilst working on children’s television show Children’s Ward he wrote a script that challenged the assumption that only gay people could contract HIV, when he featured a teenage boy who had been infected with the virus due to a blood transfusion. And he even incorporated gay characters in other programmes he worked on, such as a lesbian vicar in the late night soap Revelations.

So whilst we are sat watching television and see these gay characters walking around on our television sets, just take a moment to think about the great people working behind the scenes who have helped push us into the mainstream media and into most people’s viewing schedules.

Review - Green Day - Uno

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

Green Day return with their ninth studio album and their first for three years, and the best bit is there are another two on the way as ¡Uno! is the first in their trilogy of new albums, excited? Well you should be, as this album doesn't disappoint.

As a fan of Green Day's old stuff from back in the 1990s I can honestly say I was not a big fan of their last two efforts and I found this a refreshing blast from the past. That's right they've ditched the rock opera of the last 10 years and gone back to what they do best, which is great rock that makes you want to sing and dance around.

Stand out tracks from the album include 'Let Yourself Go' which makes you want to jump around and is very reminiscent of Dookie, 'Angel Blue' is possibly one of the best tracks on the album with its excellent guitar riffs and another rocky jump around chorus.

'Troublemaker', 'Carpe Diem' and Fell For You' add to the old school sound that they've finally brought back making you just want to repeatedly jump up and down.

It's not all brilliant however with the track 'Kill the DJ' falling a little short with its experimental dance rock sounds that get a little repetitive, but at the same time it's still a good song but just doesn't match up to the other songs on offer.

Overall this is a great rock record with pop twinges that will make you think its 1994 all over again. A brilliant come back album through and through.