THEGAYUK

Category: Film

  • FILM REVIEW | Deadpool 2

    DEADPOOL 2 – The foul-mouthed superhero is back in an improvement on the very good first film upping the laughs and story twists – the fourth wall is not just broken as destroyed making the viewer part of the movie throughout.

    FILM REVIEW | Deadpool 2
    Just how good is Deadpool?

    Nutshell – Our hero fails to kill one villain on a mission resulting in tragic personal consequences. A successful suicide attempt follows but he forgets he is the superhero that cannot die which sets everything in motion. Introduced to the X-men he meets a boy with fiery powers who has a murderous future ahead of him triggering a Terminator time travelling super villain to come back in time to change things – that’s just for starters then it gets complicated, funnier and more exciting by the minute.

    Running Time – 119inutes – Cert 15 – this superhero film is definitely not for your young nephew.

    Tagline – ‘Prepare for the second coming’ and ‘ From the studio that killed Wolverine’ – underlining this is the superhero franchise with the comedy chops.

    The Gay UK Factor – Really??? This movie stars Ryan Reynolds, the sexiest man on the planet not called David Gandy (He has been on top of the sexiest man alive polls). The trouble here is that a lot of the time he is covered face and all in his coverall superhero neoprene outfit and most of the rest of the time to fit with the storyline his face is disfigured. You do get some normal straight shots of Mr Reynolds but you do have that voice throughout so this is a movie to listen to as much as watch and let your imagination run riot…just imaging Ryan Reynolds sitting on our faces for two hours and you will get the picture.

    Cast – Ryan ‘time to get off my face’ Reynolds and some other people… well you get Josh Brolin, TJ Miller and appearances from Brad Patt, Matt Damon, Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy.

    Key Player – Well, we would like to write more about Ryan Reynold’s ass, abs and bulging lycra but credit should also go to the superb writing team of Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and … Ryan Reynolds, is there no end to the man’s talent. Also, the director David Leitch who just gets everything right here in that rare thing a sequel that is a great improvement on the original. Leitch is new to directing after formally being Hollywood’s top stunt guy for such films as The Matrix, 300, Wolverine, XXX, Troy and the Jason Bourne films so you bet the action here is fierce.

    Budget – $110 Million less than half that of Infinity War and this is a better film – Already it has made over $630 million in just a few days and that’s just from the gay members of the Ryan Reynolds fan club, so lockdown for Deadpool’s 3 through 10. It is the third biggest grossing movie of the year and climbing just edging out The Greatest Showman and that bird with the beard singing “This Is Me” repeatedly.

    Best Bit – 0.47 mins; A prison convoy assault by our heroes and his buds and boy does it go spectacularly wrong in a fashion that only the Deadpool franchise can pull off.

    Worst Bit – 0.41 mins Nothing very bad here at all but you do get the slight deja vu feeling when the Terminator back in time plot to change the future kicks in. Also with Josh Brolin playing the bad guy in Marvel’s Avenger’s Infinity War last month do we need him playing a different villain here… does the studio not have a release calendar?

    Little Secret – Marvel main man Stan Lee rarely does not appear in this movie. The film was shut down for two days after the death of a stunt woman in the motorcycle chase. We are also promised a wonderful extended cut with an added hour that we cannot wait for but most of all throughout Deadpool makes many references to his pansexuality and the appeal of guys and with the characters of Warhead and Yukio we get the first LGBTQ couple in Marvel history. So this is the gayest superhero film yet.

    Further Viewing – With 19 Marvel films to pick from as well as the DC Universe and many others also you may consider the best of Ryan Reynolds naked and topless go straight for Blade Trinity or his gayest roll is The Nines.

    Any Good – Absolutely – this is better than Black Panther, Infinity War, Wonder Woman and Guardians 2 making it the best superhero movie of the last year. It is so on the money from the first minute to the incredibly funny mid credit scenes. There are countless great pop culture references, superb action sequences and a laugh every 30 seconds. Pure Friday night entertainment, this is what all cinema should be like, just don’t take the kids.

    82/100

  • FILM REVIEW | My Friend Dahmer

    FILM REVIEW | My Friend Dahmer

    ★★★★ | My Friend Dahmer

    Jeffrey Dahmer, the American who murdered 17 young men back in the 1980s and 1990s, was showing signs of strange behaviour at a young age, according to the new film My Friend Dahmer.

    Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by cartoonist John Backderf, who had been friends with Dahmer in high school, the film shows how Dahmer came from a home where his parents constantly fought, and where he had an unnatural curiosity of the insides of animals. Dahmer, who grew up in Bath, Ohio, is brilliantly played by Ross Lynch, in a film that’s sharply edited and continually tense and spooky by the director, and writer, Marc Meyers. We see that Dahmer was awkward even to his own family, with a crazy and alcoholic mother (played by Anne Heche – in her best performance ever), and how Dahmer had a shed in the woods where he did certain experiments with animals.

    Dahmer is eventually adopted by some of the cool kids in his class to perform certain acts that drew attention to himself, basically these acts were spasms set out to cause disruptions, but they also seemed to do something to Dahmer’s soul, for he became more and more intense and weird, turning some of his evil thoughts from animals to, eventually, humans. Dahmer even plotted to kill a local doctor whom he became attracted to, but it was not meant to be. But it’s in these early years that we see the beginnings of Dahmer’s sinister future – how he would end up becoming one of the world’s most cruel and crazy mass murderers.

    Luckily for us, this film ends before the killings begin, but we know that this was the path that Dahmer’s life would take – the murder of many gay men in some of the most brutal and horrific ways.

    My Friend Dahmer is an excellent film that preludes an adult life where Dahmer would turn into a complete monster.

    My Friend Dahmer is released in the UK & Ireland on June 1st.

  • Everybody loves a film about Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

    Everybody loves a film about Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

    Warp Films announces open casting for the film version of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

    © Johan Persson

    It seems like everybody can’t stop talking about Jamie, the smash hit musical about a 16-year-old gay teenager and fledgeling drag queen from the Steel City who wants nothing more than to go to his school prom in a dress. In little over a year, the show has gone from its premiere at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre to an award-winning, recently extended run in the West End, a cast recording album being released and the stage show being filmed for broadcast at cinemas nationwide.  But things haven’t stopped there for Jamie, and Sheffield’s Warp Films have announced today that they are not only making a film musical of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, but that there are open auditions for the movie.

    The creative team behind the original production are all back for the project, with the film being written by Dan Gillespie –Sells and Tom Macrae , who wrote the stage show, and the show’s original director, Jonathan Butterall, back on duty behind the camera. The film is broadly slated for a release in 2020, with filming hoping to take place next year.

    The casting will take place in phases, with the first phase looking for around 30 people aged 16 to play Jamie and his peers. There are no restrictions on those auditioning, save for that they must be 16 and be able to play / pass for a 16-year-old. There will then be other casting phases for the other roles within the film, and everyone is encouraged to apply.

    To be in with a chance for a role you can apply online at www.jamiefilmcasting.com, and upload your audition video there. You can follow on social media using #castjamiefilm, on Twitter and Instagram with the username @jamiecasting and on Facebook using Jamie Casting.

    You can read our review of the original production here and also catch TGUK’s exclusive chat with cast of the show here.

  • FILM REVIEW | Avenger: Infinity War

    AVENGERS : INFINITY WAR – 10 years in the making, the culmination of Marvels record-breaking decade. 22 superheroes, the worst baddie of all time in the second most expensive movie in history… and this is just part 1 with part 2 coming next April.

    Nutshell – The ultimate bad guy Thanos has been positioning himself over the last 18 Marvel movies and now he is ready to strike. He needs 6 infinity stones in his glove like gauntlet to rule the entire universe and all that is between him and his dastardly plan is every superhero you can possibly think of. Surely this should be an easy job for our 22 finest lycra clad heroes but no way and they start to get killed off shockingly as this dude is truly unstoppable but which of your fave’s will survive…..you will be shocked and surprised

    Running Time – 149 minutes – PG.

    Tagline – ‘Where will you be when it all ends ?’ – probably in a cinema seat next April for the biggest money making movie in 100 years of cinema.

    The Gay UK Factor – So many fit men in one movie. We are hot for Chris Hemsworth, horny for Chris Patt, want children with Chadwick Boseman, an all-night sex orgy with either Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper or Idris Elba or preferably altogether and as for that beautiful young ass of Tom Holland… BUT and it’s a big but nothing could prepare us for the arrival of the new masculine furry faced rugged Chris Evans as Captain America – in a movie of 10 out of 10 gay sex objects this guy gets an 11 plus easily… we have not stopped wanking since we saw it and repeat viewings are guaranteed with extra tissues.

    Cast – Start with the list above and then add Robert Downey, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Dinklage, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, William Hurt and hundreds more in the most star-studded cast ever put in one movie this is big in every sense of the word.

    Key Player – In a movie of a hundred stars its difficult to pick one but Chis Pratt gets it as he is so damn funny throughout. He gets the best lines and the best action bringing his Quill character from The Guardians Of The Galaxy films to the biggest league ever…hot as hell also. The directing duo of Anthony and Joe Russo deserve much praise as this could have so easily been an indulgent dog’s dinner and it is anything but.

    Budget – $240 Million making it the second most expensive movie in history (Behind a Pirates of The Caribbean) but it made a profit in just 3 days of release with the record-breaking biggest opening ever. The film after one week is in the Top 50 grossing films of all time and the question is how high will it go? The most successful superhero movie ever? Will it topple Titanic and even beat Avatar? One thing’s for sure the second part will do even better – records are not being broken they are being totally destroyed.

    Best Bit – 0.19 mins; The first time the anti-establishment Guardians of the Galaxy meet the cocky as fuck Thor we get very funny wordplay which they keep up throughout. The best action sequence is probably Doctor Strange, Spiderman, Iron Man and The Hulks first battle in downtown New York but basically, there is not a miss-step here…

    Worst Bit – 1.02 mins … except Peter Dinklage’s giant dwarf which just does not work. The best thing from Game Of Thrones is the worst thing here but we forgive him.

    Little Secret – Tom Holland was not allowed to ever see the full script as he revealed far too much about the plot of Spiderman Homecoming previously… naughty boy. This beat all cinema opening records set by the Star Wars films and Jurassic World the only one it did not get was best Worldwide opening which is still held by the Fast And Furious franchise. The end message is ‘Thanos Will Return’ you betcha.

    Further Viewing – All 18 Marvel films including Black Panther, Antman, X-Men etc plus anything from the DC Universe such as Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman. Advance knowledge does help here.

    Any Good – If you like these sort of films you will be in seventh heaven here it’s as great as you expected and hoped for in your wildest dreams. If you are not a Marvel Studio geek then you may struggle here a bit if you have not seen most of the previous movies but sit back and enjoy it anyway. It may to some seem a bit episodic and the action and fight scenes are continuous and unrelenting. It is obvious that this is part one of two but sod it all this is amazing stuff and is a movie that will be talked about for decades. Steal a ticket now for Chris Evan’s hot sexy new look alone

  • Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd gay it up for new movie Ideal Home

    A new gay comedy is about to hit our screens, but instead of hiring gay actors to play gay roles, Ideal Home has comedy legend Steve Coogan partnered with Paul Rudd.

    Living the high life and “playing as hard as they work” and described as “flamboyant” (because that’s what gay men in films are) Steve Coogan and his long-term director boyfriend Paul’s (Rudd) self-centred lives are turned upside down when Coogan’s estranged grandson, Bill (played by Jack Gore), unexpectedly turns up at their door, after his father is taken away to serve time in prison.

    Oh no. You mean the gays are going to have to be responsible?

    Oh, and you can’t unsee the scene where Coogan is being topped by Rudd.

    We’ll leave the trailer here for you.

    Oh if you want to feel just a little bit more offended by this… here’s the poster

    In cinemas from 6th July 2018

  • FILM REVIEW | Rampage

    RAMPAGE – An outer space Scientific accident and the world is faced by giant marauding animals and the only thing that can save mankind is 6.6″ of man-muscle in the shape of the king of bulges Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

    Nutshell – Three animals get hit by a dangerous pathogen from an exploding space station, one of which is The Rock’s best mate, a giant albino gorilla. They get to be real big and nasty and set out to destroy Chicago and beyond but can Dwayne and his female sidekick save the day, get his monkey mate back from the darkside and beat the human conspiracy behind it all? Be warned you may need a hanky before the end and not for wanking over the big man’s incredible sleeveless biceps.

    Running Time – 107 minutes – 12A

    Tagline – ‘Big Meets Bigger’. Our favourite hot-as-fuck man-ape meets real bare bottomed monkeys.

    The Gay UK Factor – Dwayne Johnson is one of the hottest men on the planet and if you are into muscles there is no-one bigger and better. He is now the highest paid actor on earth and just coming off of two monster hit films in Fast & Furious 8 and Jumanji so he is hot in every single meaning of the word. He knows how to please his gay following spending huge amounts of time in shirtless/armless tops and tight ass trousers. After his Diehard movie Skyscraper and Suicide Squad 2 we will get the most anticipated gay movie of all time… no not Mamma Mia 2 but The Rocl buddying up with The Stath (Jason Statham) in Hobbs and Shaw the ultimate bald-headed, muscle off, all action, all fighting gay fantasy and yes there is shirtless sweating scenes a plenty.

    Cast – Dwayne Johnson, Miss Moneypenny herself Naomie Harris, Negan himself from The Walking Dead Jeffrey Dean Morgan plus a bunch of very sexy bad guys and thugs who get taken out all too soon by one of the killer animals as far as we are concerned.

    Key Player – This is a one-man show so it is Dwayne’s film but he is equalled paw for fist by the CGI gorilla George who will steal your heart and you will believe he is truly real. If you love animals you will be happy likewise if you like masculine male muscle you will be too.

    Budget – $120 Million and it looks like it will make that back in the USA but any film with The Rock in is a goldmine internationally so it’s at $180 Million Worldwide in the first six days and about to be released in the Far East where they eat this monster movie stuff up and can’t stand things like Star Wars.

    Best Bit – 0.95 mins; The ending is great but that would mean spoilers so let’s go with the very funny second scene of the movie in the gorilla enclosure which sets the entertainment tone perfectly for the film after the silly giant rat opener.

    Worst Bit – 0.15 mins; The brother and sister baddies would fit better in a rubbish camp batman sixties TV episode and they are as about as threatening as a two-inch cock in a dark room.

    Little Secret – This looks like the first truly successful video game movie transition ever especially after the recent tipped but flopping Tomb Raider continued that jinx. Yes, this was originally a computer game. This is so unlike the games in many ways which is maybe why it is working most notably in the computer version the giant Gorilla, Wolf, Crocodile etc are originally humans whereas here they are just mutated or enlarged versions of the animal which makes a lot more sense.

    Further Viewing – Godzilla’s 1 and 2, Jurassic Parks 1 through 5, Mimic, Eight Legged Freaks, Them, Razorback, Lake Placid and either the original or latest Kink Kong’s but not the 1976 Jeff Bridges version for the sake of your own sanity.

    Any Good – There is a word you only ever see in movie reviews and that is Hokum. This film is the definition of Hokum as it is total utter nonsense but done with such passion, love and humour that you will forgive it anything. The action is superb and there is plenty of it along the lines of some epic building shattering Superhero or Transformers film but with some female appeal here. Dwayne’s continual successful good run continues and he is still the king of action, international cinema appeal and 50% of gay men’s vinegar strokes jerking fantasy…

    Rating – 57% out of 100.

  • Paramount announces Elton John biopic

    Paramount has agreed to fund and distribute “Rocketman,” a biopic about British entertainer Elton John, a spokesman for the US studio said on Thursday. The film will star Taron Egerton (“Kingsman,” “Eddie the Eagle”), who will sing the songs featured in the film, the spokesman said. (more…)

  • WATCH | The emotional trailer to Anything with Matt Bomer released

    The first trailer for the new film, Anything starring Matt Bomer as a trans woman has hit the internet and it looks so emotional.

    The film is out in the US on the 11th May 2018.

  • A new film season marks Exeter Pride’s 10th Anniversary

    This spring, Exeter Phoenix and Exeter Pride are celebrating love, life and LGBT+ with Cine Queer – a new film season at Studio 74 as part of Exeter Pride’s 10th Anniversary. In a cinematic celebration of diversity and acceptance, this special film season will feature new releases, cult classics, documentary, panel discussions and more.

    Cine Queer season opens on Friday 20th April with French film 120 BPM, an exhilarating drama following the actions of Parisian AIDS activists in the early 1990s. This screening will be accompanied by a special introduction about those living with or affected by HIV. The season runs until Tuesday 15th May, where it will conclude with the visually spectacular film The Wound.

    Cine Queer will also feature screenings of groundbreaking new release Love, Simon, the first studio-made teen rom-com featuring a gay protagonist. A special event for drag performance documentary Kings, Queens and In-Betweens will be followed by a panel discussion on gender ambiguity with guests, The Ambiguous-A and Alyssa Van Delle, from the South West’s own drag scene. Screenings of cult-classic But I’m A Cheerleader and the eye-opening Signature Move complete the season.

    Speaking this week, the season’s programmer Alix Taylor said ‘Exeter Phoenix is proud to be marking Exeter Pride’s 10th Anniversary with this brand new film season, which firmly place LGBT+ cinema in Studio 74 and opens our programme up to a wider, more diverse audience.’

    Exeter Pride, one of the South West’s biggest celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) communities, will take place at venues across Exeter on Saturday 12th May. The day promises to be an explosion of colour, positivity and pride.

    Cinema tickets for Studio are £7 or book 3 films for £18. Under 25s can enjoy £5 tickets to all films at Studio 74. Tickets are available here: http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/category/cine-queer/ or by calling the box office on 01392 667080.

     

    Listings Info

    120 BPM: Fri 20 Apr, 7pm

    Signature Move: Tue 24 Apr, 7pm

    Kings, Queens & In-Betweens: Tue 1 May, 7.30pm

    Love, Simon: Tue 8 May, 7.30pm

    But I’m A Cheerleader: Sun 13 May, 4pm

    The Wound: Tue 15 May, 7.30pm

  • This is why there isn’t any nudity in Call Me By Your Name

    It was in their contracts. Apparently.

    So why was there no nudity in Call Me By Your Name?

    There was surprisingly little sex or nudity in Call Me By Your Name – which for a gay film is unusual, but it turns out it was in the contracts of Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, that there be no sex scenes or nudity or so the original book’s writer, James Ivory, claims and it apparently “rankles” him.

    Speaking to the Guardian, James Ivory said,

    “When Luca says he never thought of putting nudity in, that is totally untrue.

    “He sat in this very room where I am sitting now, talking about how he would do it, so when he says that it was a conscious aesthetic decision not to – well, that’s just bullshit.

    “When people are wandering around before or after making love, and they’re decorously covered with sheets, it’s always seemed phoney to me. I never liked doing that. And I don’t do it”

    So there you have it… Legal Smegal…

    Call Me By Your Name is now available on Amazon and iTunes

  • FILM REVIEW | Love, Simon

    ★★★★★ | Love, Simon

    He’s just like you.

    Simon Spiel (portrayed by Nick Robinson) has a “huge ass secret” in Love, Simon… he’s gay. The seventeen-year-old hasn’t told his perfectly ordinary nuclear family or his perfectly ordinary group of friends yet, but begins communicating with an anonymous Blue via email when he finds out through the school’s gossipy blog that Blue is also, in fact, closeted. Teenage drama ensues, complications arise but boiled down to its core, you’re left with a syrupy-sweet premise and a completely revitalised romantic outlook on life.

    Despite knowing the reactions he’ll get probably won’t be as severe as they could be, Simon’s worry and fear of change encapsulate the paralysing effect of coming out – or the process of coming out – can take on any individual. As Simon attempts to figure out who Blue is, his daydreams and fantasies remind me just how much I used to do the same with every boy who smiled at me. Like Simon, I was lucky enough to have a minimal reaction when I came out; a cryfest followed by group hugs and soppy speeches from my parents. But watching the fear in his eyes when Martin (Logan Miller) threatens to leak his emails with Blue to the school reminded me just how insufferable the thought of this secret being exposed used to be. The constant guard that he has up, the fake bro talks that he has to keep having, to not let it slip is painstakingly familiar. The journey that Simon goes on, from not understanding why straight people don’t have to come out to the heart-warming post he makes where he embraces himself irrevocably, is something that I think most of us have experienced. It’s a feeling of rejoicing and acceptance that director Greg Berlanti makes you feel as if for the very first time. My eyes first watered when Simon choked on the word. He sputtered and couldn’t seem to get it out. Gay. These small nuances are what make the film more than a teen rom-com, even with the archetypal bullies and linear plot structure, there’s so much depth and warmth in this story that so many of us can see ourselves in.

    Outside of Simon and Blue, the other characters (while, for obvious reasons, not getting as much screen time) still serve valuable purposes not only to the plot but to the world built around Simon himself. His parents (played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) give the right balance of comedic and heartfelt, making us laugh and swoon and cry. Garner and Duhamel give equally charming and memorable performances, but Garner’s speech especially had the audience waiting with bated breath until she delivered the line – “You get to exhale now, Simon.” At that point, no one even attempted to hide their tears. Speaking of the audience, every time the drama teacher Ms Albright (Natasha Rothwell) came on screen our collective shoulders were shaking and our tummies were hurting from the amount of rip-roaring laughter she instantly produced. Out of Simon’s group of friends, while Abby (Alexandra Shipp X-Men: Apocalypse) and Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Spider-Man: Homecoming) certainly had their moments, Leah (Katherine Langford – 13 Reasons Why) shone the brightest but definitely suffered from sidekick syndrome. Maybe we’ll get to see more of her in future, if Becky Albertalli – the author of the book Simon Vs. The Homosapien’s Agenda, which the film is based on – gets Leah’s book on the big screen.

    Everything from the cinematography to the marketing to the soundtrack had undertones of the old school teen movie genre, which makes sense since it’s the first major studio film focusing on a gay love story. I feel incredibly lucky to still be a teenager and have this film validate my experience with its normalcy, opening up a plethora of opportunities for more people’s stories to be told. The tagline of the film itself, “Everyone deserves a great love story”, encourages the exemplar celebration of diversity that Love, Simon does. Simon himself feels like such an easy character to get lost in, you see yourself in him or if not you, then your brother, your cousin, your friend, he’s an every man in the best possible sense and watching him fall in love is both infuriatingly sweet and extremely awkward in the best-worst relateable way as he navigates conversations with his potential love interests.

    The characters that surround him are so vividly real, with their own quirks, going through their own things, you feel a part of Simon’s world just watching him listen to his playlist as he drives to pick up his friends. That kind of audience inclusion, be it through the editing or the camera technique, enhances the moral of the film of tolerance and inclusion. I might be biased, being the exact target audience (a gay teenager) but Greg Berlanti and the whole cast and crew have created a modern-day classic for those who liked but never identified with the Cady Herons, the Ferris Buellers, the Jim Levensteins and the Olive Penderghasts. I feel incredibly lucky to now have a Simon Spier.