THEGAYUK

Category: Film

  • REVIEW OF THE 2018 FILM YEAR – Bring on Cher, Abba, Freddie Mercury, Elton, The Stath in swimwear, Jude in lycra and loads of Zac and the Rock.

    Could 2018 be the gayest year in Cinema?

    Hollywood is always after the pink pound, and this year gay bums on cinema seats are more sought after than ever as the world’s top directors and hottest stars line up what will almost certainly be the biggest year ever at the Box Office and certainly the queerest. So what have our favourite studios and studs got lined up for you?

    A quick glance through the release schedules has us salivating. We find our wish lists in full with Channing Tatum in uniform in a musical, Jason Statham spending two hours in his swimwear, Chris Pratt in cowboy kit (again) and new musicals from Elton John and Freddie Mercury; Cher takes over the Mamma Mia sequel, gay films winning at the Oscars, and of course, the unbelievably six-pack Zac Efron’s next movie is even called Beach Bum…  super gay or what?

    Hollywood has long ceased to be inventive falling back on sequels aplenty, blockbusting Superhero films and kids’ movies together with instant recognisable nostalgic brands and this year that is the case more than ever. We are sure you are all gagging for arrival at your multiplex in a few months time of Mary Poppins Returns, The New Top Gun, Predator and even Johnny English all back in 2018 after lengthy breaks.

    Let’s start with the Awards baiting films. The big news is of course that two out and out gay films namely Call Me By Your Name and God’s Own Country are big in nominations across both the Bafta’s and Golden Globes in 2018  which should mean the Oscars follow. Will one of them go one better than Brokeback Mountain and win the top trophy for Film of the Year for us shirtlifters everywhere. What is undeniable is that gay cinema and same-sex love stories are now box office sure things which is all good. Of course, there are plenty of other big trophy grabbers out there such as Three Billboards, Shape Of Water, The Darkest Hour and what every gay man has wanted for Steven Spielberg to get his hands on Meryl Street for the first time in 40 years in The Post (and Tom Hanks for the 6th time!)

    Sequel Time

    Sequels wise the big news is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom which is vying for biggest film of the year. Also you are getting The Incredibles 2, Mission Impossible 6, Cloverfield 3, Wreck It Ralph 2, 50 Shades Freed, The Girl With The Spiders Web, a new Pacific Rim, Creed 2 with added Dolph Lundgren, The Purge: The Island, Maze Runner 3, Equaliser 2 from Denzel, loads more and of course top of every gay man’s list mid-summer we get Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. Meryl is out, Cher is in as her mother, and everyone else is back in a story of how Streep’s character (SPOILER ALERT who may be dead in this film) conceived her daughter in a prequel with all the same ABBA songs just in a different order this time.

    Reboot

    Reboots also abound with Taron Egerton doing a younger sexier Robin Hood, Tom Cruise doing Top Gun: Maverick (wasn’t he the in the first homoerotic flyboy movie), Muscleman Jason Mamoa takes time out from Aquaman to bring back The Crow franchise, The Grinch is here for Christmas again. There are live versions of The Lion King and The Jungle Book (Yes another one) plus Oceans 8 and Halloween cancelling out all its previous sequels. The first Transformers offshoot comes at year’s end with everyone’s favourite Bumblebee and just six months after The Last Jedi the Star Wars universe gives us the story of Hans Solo’s early days and how he found his inner Wookie in ‘Solo’ in its original lucky May release date.

    Superheroes

    Marvel and DC are bringing out all their superheroes during the year. Marvel to celebrate its ten year anniversary gives us Avengers Infinity War (Pt1) with every one of their characters from Iron Man to Thor, via Captain America, Spiderman, Deadpool and all the Guardians of the Galaxy plus many others all in one mega battle movie. We get THREE, count them, X Men films one being a horror; Venom, Aquaman and Black Panther get their debuts and Deadpool, and Ant Man and The Wasp are welcome sequels.

    We are mostly looking forward to Venom as the thought of two hours of Tom Hardy in spandex works for us.

    Our other leading movie star donors to our wank bank will also be keeping our wrists busy. The Rock is fighting giant animals in The Rampage and doing a Die Hard remake in The Skyscraper next to his reboot of Big Trouble In Little China. Channing Tatum is lining up the airborne musical The Wingmen, James Franco fresh from winning endless trophies for The Disaster Artist has possibly eight films out most notably the comedy Zeroville. Leonardo is bringing us the ‘Italian Sherlock Holmes’, Jude Law does the Forbidden Beasts sequel (as the oh so straight Dumbledore from Harry Potter as well as his first superhero in Lycra Captain Marvel. Ryan Reynolds does an X Men film, Gosling is Neil Armstong on the moon, Chris Hemsworth is heading for Star Trek, and Chris Pratt dons his Magnificent Seven chaps to frame his perfect ass in a Billy The Kid Westerner. Tipped as the biggest new film of the year is Jason Statham The Stath with his biggest budget yet in the underwater The Meg where he battles a giant shark and no doubt will have his kit off for most of the movie as per usual.

    At last, we get the Freddie Mercury movie Bohemian Rhapsody which stars Queer as Folk and Game Of Thrones Aiden Gillen and Mike Myers. Elton follows up his Lion King soundtrack with a bunch of new songs for Sherlock Gnomes and Will Ferrell also does a comedy version of the Deerstalker wearing detective. Pixar gives us two movies in the year (very rare) with The Incredibles 2 and outstanding Coco. The superb Peter Rabbit voiced by James Corden goes for the Paddington style money grab, Aardman gives us Early Man but the best family film by far seems to be Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Isle Of Dogs as a boy searching for his lost pup must be a sure-fire winner.

    2018 will be a massive year at the cinema. With over 780 huge releases, that is more than two per day cinema goer’s and gay men looking for the hottest stars will have to be more discerning than ever. We will bring you all the best gay movie reviews on release at THEGAYUK to help you pick the Nick Jonas’ from the Nick Nowles’ and not miss any of that all important film star flesh count.

    So whether you have been waiting for Melissa McCarthy to film with The Muppets, James Cameron to return with Alita, Gerard Butler to flex his muscles in Den Of Thieves, Peter Jackson to leave his Hobbits behind finally and give us Mortal Engines or Steven Spielberg to make what could be the biggest film of his career in the phenomenal Ready Player One this is going to require one hell of a lot of popcorn for the next 365 days.

    Our predictions.

    Chris Pratt will have the two biggest films of the year (Avengers/Jurassic) and replace The Rock as the world’s most popular and expensive film star.

    A massive queue of movies will mean that many sure-fire films will just not find their audiences and screen space, and in what should be a superb year for women.

    In other spheres our tips for the flops at this early stage are all female-led as we foresee problems for Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow, the expensive Wrinkle In Time, the new Tomb Raider and the all-female Oceans 8 which all look average in preview in a Ghostbuster’s reboot way.

    Our Prediction of the top 10 at the world box office for 2018.

    1 Avengers Infinity War

    2 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdon

    3 The Incredibles 2

    4 Ready Player One

    5 Fantastic Beasts: Crimes Of Grindelwald

    6 The Meg

    7 Mission Impossible 6

    8 Coco

    9 Isle Of Dogs

    10 Solo but watch for Peter Rabbit as a dark horse

  • GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Announces Dorian Award Film/TV Nominations for 2017

    GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA.org) comprised of nearly 200 critics and journalists in the US, Canada and UK, today released its ninth annual Dorian Award nominations for the year’s finest in film and TV.

    Call Me By Your Name reigns with nine nominations, starting with Film of the Year. Earning both best actor and rising star nods: Timothée Chalamet, who plays the film’s teen protagonist besotted by 20something Armie Hammer — who received a nomination for supporting actor.

    The Shape of Water, director Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical love story coupling a woman and a creature plucked from the Amazon River, landed seven nominations. Meanwhile, the horrors-of-racism drama Get Out earned six nominations, four for writer-director Jordan Peele alone (in addition to helming and screenplay nods, he’s up for “Wilde Wit” and “Wilde Artist” kudos).

    Also ranking high with GALECA members: Margot Robbie, a nominee for Film Performance of the Year — Actress for her gritty turn, twist and twirl as ice-blooded figure-skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. Joining Robbie on the ring is Chilean actress Daniela Vega for her work as a transgender waitress dealing with loss and indignities in A Fantastic Woman.

    As for epics, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk did not get a best film nomination, but Nolan made GALECA’s Director of the Year shortlist — and the WWII epic is also up for Visually Striking Film of the Year alongside the likes of Blade Runner 2049. Meanwhile, BPM (Beats Per Minute), French director Robin Campillo’s dramatic account of friends facing the AIDS epidemic in 1990’s France, scored an impressive five nominations, from Foreign Language Film of the Year to Unsung Film.

    In TV categories, awards-season darlings Big Little Lies, Feud and The Crown — as well as women surnamed Kidman, Witherspoon, Foy and Lange — obviously delighted GALECA members as well. The male actor race includes a couple of nice surprises: Kyle MacLachlan for Twin Peaks: The Return and Jonathan Groff for Netflix’s droll crime thriller Mindhunter. Other shows getting some love include Hulu’s departing Difficult People, Netflix’s series version of Dear White People and Starz’s electric and provocative fantasy American Gods.

    And, for TV Musical Performance of the Year, Lady Gaga, Pink, RuPaul’s Drag Race favourite Sasha Velour and comic John Mulaney all vie against Kate McKinnon’s Broadway-worthy sendup of Kellyanne Conway on Saturday Night Live.

    The final Dorian verdicts, including GALECA’s latest pick for Timeless Star (a career achievement honour), will be announced Wednesday, January 31. Then, on Saturday afternoon, February 24, the group will gather to celebrate some of the winners at its annual, intimate Winners Toast in Los Angeles.

    Enjoy our posts via @DorianAwards on Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

    GALECA 2017/18 DORIAN AWARDS NOMINEES:

    FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) – The Orchard
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Get Out – Universal
    Lady Bird – A24
    The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight

    DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (FILM OR TELEVISION)
    Sean Baker, The Florida Project – A24
    Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird – A24
    Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk – Warner Bros.
    Jordan Peele, Get Out – Universal

    BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — FEMALE
    Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight
    Margot Robbie, I, Tonya – Neon
    Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird – A24
    Daniela Vega, A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics

    BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – MALE
    Nahuel Perez Biscayart, BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard
    Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    James Franco, The Disaster Artist – A24
    Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out – Universal
    Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour – Focus Features

    SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — FEMALE
    Mary J. Blige, Mudbound – Netflix
    Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip – Universal
    Allison Janney, I, Tonya – Neon
    Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird – A24
    Michelle Pfeiffer, mother! – Paramount

    SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — MALE
    Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project – A24
    Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight
    Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics

    LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard
    Battle of the Sexes – Fox Searchlight
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics
    God’s Own Country – Samuel Goldwyn Films

    FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard
    A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics
    First They Killed My Father – Netflix
    The Square – Magnolia Pictures
    Thelma – The Orchard

    SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR (ORIGINAL OR ADAPTED)
    James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Jordan Peele, Get Out – Universal
    Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird – A24
    Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight

    DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
    (theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
    Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story – Zeitgeist/Kino Lorber
    The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson – Netflix
    Faces Places – Cohen Media Group
    Jane ­– National Geographic/Abramorama
    Kedi – Oscilloscope

    VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR
    (honouring a production of stunning beauty, from art direction to cinematography)
    Blade Runner 2049 – Warner Bros.
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Dunkirk – Warner Bros.
    The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Wonderstruck – Amazon

    UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) – The Orchard
    Beach Rats
    God’s Own Country – Samuel Goldwyn Films
    Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
    Wonderstruck – Amazon

    CAMPY FLICK OF THE YEAR
    Baywatch – Paramount
    The Disaster Artist – A24
    The Greatest Showman – 20th Century Fox
    I, Tonya – Neon
    mother! – Paramount

    TV DRAMA OF THE YEAR
    Big Little Lies – HBO – HBO
    The Crown – Netflix
    Feud: Bette and Joan – FX
    The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
    Twin Peaks: The Return – Showtime

    TV COMEDY OF THE YEAR
    Better Things – FX
    GLOW – Netflix
    The Good Place – NBC
    The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – Amazon
    Will & Grace – NBC

    TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – FEMALE
    Clare Foy, The Crown – Netflix
    Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies – HBO
    Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan – FX
    Elizabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
    Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies – HBO

    TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — MALE
    Aziz Ansari, Master of None – Netflix
    Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us – NBC
    Jonathan Groff, Mindhunter – Netflix
    Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks: The Return – Showtime
    Alexander Skaarsgård, Big Little Lies – HBO

    TV CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Full Frontal with Samantha Bee – Comedy Central
    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO
    Late Night with Seth Meyers – NBC
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – CBS
    The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC

    TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
    Lady Gaga, “God Bless America,” “Born This Way,” etc., Super Bowl LI – Fox
    Kate McKinnon, “(Kellyanne) Conway!” Saturday Night Live – NBC
    Brendan McCreary, John Mulaney, “I’m Gay,” Big Mouth – Netflix
    Pink, “Beautiful Trauma,” American Music Awards – ABC
    Sasha Velour, “So Emotional,” RuPaul’s Drag Race – VH1

    LGBTQ SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Difficult People – Hulu
    RuPaul’s Drag Race – VH1
    Sense8 – Netflix
    Transparent – Amazon
    Will & Grace – NBC

    UNSUNG TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
    American Gods – Starz
    Dear White People – Netflix
    Difficult People – Hulu
    At Home with Amy Sedaris – TruTV
    The Leftovers – HBO

    CAMPY TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Dynasty
    Feud: Betty and Joan
    Riverdale
    RuPaul’s Drag Race
    Will & Grace

    ‘WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!’ RISING STAR AWARD
    Timothée Chalamet
    Harris Dickinson
    Tiffany Haddish
    Daniel Kaluuya
    Daniela Vega

    WILDE WIT OF THE YEAR AWARD
    (honouring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
    Samantha Bee
    Stephen Colbert
    Kate McKinnon
    John Oliver
    Jordan Peele

    WILDE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
    (honouring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theatre and/or television)
    Guillermo del Toro
    Greta Gerwig
    Patty Jenkins
    David Lynch
    Jordan Peele

  • FILM REVIEW | The Greatest Showman

    THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – The already award-winning musical of the original showman PT Barnum celebrating the birth of show business itself with all original songs including the best new gay anthem in 30 years… and it is now climbing up the pop charts.

    Nutshell – The greatest entertainer of all time in a classic rags to riches story of how he discovered that ‘freakshows’ and different people were of interest to the paying public if presented with fantasy and imagination and how he gave them all respectability. It goes from bankruptcy to the most famous three-ring circus shows of all time in Victorian era New York. With 11 songs that will be new to your ears which is unusual in this Mamma Mia, Chicago, Disney Musical era but many of them soon grow on you especially the big set piece ones. The movie Hugh Jackman has waited his whole life to make.

    Running Time – 105 minutes – PG.

    Tagline – ‘From The Writers and Producers Of La La Land‘.

    THEGAYUK Factor – Well it is a musical to start with and visually spectacular a la Moulin Rouge and this is about outsiders with public taste campaigning against them like black trapeze artists, midgets and bearded ladies with a good-looking penniless orphaned hero. It all comes together in the incredible new gay anthem “This Is Me” which will replace “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Follie as the ultimate gay anthem from a musical in no short space of time. This movie is as gay as Kylie in drag belting out “It’s Raining Men” as she enters the Big Brother house.

    Cast – Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and the king of the abs fresh from The Baywatch beach Zac Efron.

    Key Player – The three men here Justin Paul, Benj Pasek  who together wrote all the numbers and Jackman who carries most of them off with aplomb. There is not really a bad tune here and all 11 have now entered the pop charts with the gay anthem getting the highest spot straight in the Top Ten even before it started picking up awards.

    Budget – $84 Million but it looks a lot more expensive maybe some good CGI. Brokeven in seven days and like all musicals, it tends to find its real home on DVD and TV with repeat viewings – this is the first money spinner of the New Year.

    Best Bit – 0.59 mins; The big set piece showstopping number “This Is Me” which has already won The Golden Globe for Song Of The Year and will now be the surefire Oscar winner in a few weeks time. The film’s misfits belt out these great gay-friendly lyrics and boy does it build, as Alex Zane announced on Sky it is the first key change ever that made him weep. Download this song now before every drag queen in the land gets their hands on it.

    Worst Bit – 0.05 mins: There is a lot to get through here and this leads to a slightly rushed finish and more annoyingly a mega rushed jerky beginning which simply does not engage. The rest is pure heaven.

    Little Secret – Barnum’s American Museum was so popular that crowds stayed too long and he could not squeeze new paying punters in so he tricked them with signs saying “This way to the Egress” which the audience thought was a new attraction not realising it means exit until they found themselves outside on the street. In January 2017, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that their doors were closing forever, due to decreased attendance and protests by animal rights activists. Their last shows were in May 2017 they did not last to see the opening of this movie.

    Further Viewing – Moulin Rouge, La La Land, Les Mis, Hugh Jackman’s warm-up musical, The School Of Rock, Hairspray, Phantom, Dreamgirls, Fame and Into The Woods if you must.

    Any Good – The Golden Globe and now the BAFTA nominations don’t lie this is a great piece of film and a labour of love for the main star. Will the songs become evergreen favourites? Well, we hope so and they are a lot better than the 11 dirges in La La Land. If it starts picking up Oscars watch that soundtrack sell big time as already it is beating Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. Jackman is ace and Efron learned his singing craft down at the High School Musical so you are in good hands here. If you like musicals this is a great addition and you don’t get many nowadays if not then stick with The Darkest Hour, Jumanji or Star Wars who will all happily take your money off ya instead.

    Rating – 70% out of 100.

  • FILM REVIEW | Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

    JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE – A modern version of the book and 22-year-old Robin Williams family favourite movie original now in up to date computer game stylee featuring studs The Rock and Nick Jonas.

    Nutshell – Four very different teenagers get zapped into the former jungle board game, now all modern and digitised to the hi-tech gaming world. They have to work through the levels and team up to escape meanwhile their numbers of lives are diminishing fast. The key is that the avatar characters they are in the game are entirely different and even the opposite sex from the ones they are in the outside world. Comedy chaos is the obvious result as the wildlife and baddies attack in ever increasing numbers of mayhem. Pure family fun with added sweating bulging man muscle.

    Running Time – 119 minutes

    Certificate – 12A.

    Tagline – ‘The Game Has Evolved’.

    THEGAYUK Factor – This is so good as you get two of the hottest men around from opposite spectrums. For the muscle and masculine fans, you get the largest man on the planet Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and also the sexiest young pop star around the oh so doable Nick Jonas. Both show tonnes of skin and they sweat all the way through.

    Cast – Johnson and Jonas lead the eye candy, but you also get the comedy genius of Jack Black, the UK’s very own Karen Gillan who has done so well for herself since stepping out of the Tardis plus Kevin Hart, Bobby Cannavale and Flight Of The Conchords Rhys Darby.

    Key Player – Jack Black steals yet another movie. Here in the game, he is a geeky middle-aged man but he is inhabited by a sexy mobile phone addicted brainless school slutty girl, and this is manor from heaven for our favourite short-assed comedy genius.

    Budget – $90 Million and it is all on the screen. By New Years Day it had already made twice that back in the USA alone – worldwide over $350 Million, so obviously this is the family film that everyone wanted who is not into the activities in a galaxy far far away. Hopefully, we will get loads of sequels with Dwayne topless in all of them.

    Best Bit – 1.17 mins; Not an action scene but proof that the winning factor here is the characters chemistry. The slutty airhead girl has to teach the virgin geek girl how to flirt with two guards to cause a much-needed distraction, and it is the best comedy sequence by far, and you will scream at the transformation – think Sandy in the final sequence from Grease done for comedy value.

    Worst Bit – 1.22 mins; The big action sequence with a dangerous helicopter chase with very dodgy King Kong style CGI and highly unrealistic pieces helicopters cannot fly sideways even in video games guys!

    Little Secret – This is not shot in Africa but the same Hawaii locations as many of our favourites such as Jurassic Park and the TV series Lost and it looks like it. There are endless references to the Robin Williams’ character and the first film and no doubt that will increase in the inevitable sequels. Rather than the obvious Guns and Roses welcome song being used as the theme tune the leads offered to sing it instead which is not new for Jack Black and Jonas but is a new venture for Johnson, Hart and Gillan. Of course, this is the second film starring The Rock called Welcome To The Jungle so be careful if searching online for it.

    Further Viewing – Jumanji, The Legend Of Tarzan, Tomb Raider, Romancing The Stone, Tron, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Jungle Book, George Of The Jungle basically anything with the word Jungle…

    Any Good – That Box Office does not lie. A lot of it will be from good word of mouth. This should have been a CGI car crash but due to the characters outside the game picking the opposite character types in the game which is a comedy masterstroke seeing The Rock as a wimp and Hart as the sidekick etc. we get a hilarious action adventure, and the casting is spot on. This film won’t change your life but you will be an awful lot happier from seeing it, and boy Dwayne’s body just seems to be getting bigger and hotter. Just imagine that shagging you in bed.

    Rating – 71% out of 100.

  • FILM REVIEW | Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – The eighth film from a galaxy far far away, bigger, better, longer, more convoluted and with added gay appeal as the new Darth Vader gets his kit off. These films are not just for kids anymore

    FILM REVIEW | Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    Nutshell – This film picks up from the end of the Force Awakens so there is no need for character introductions or background info so we can get straight into a very good twisty turny story with endless action and so many strands to follow in future. Han Solo is pushing up intergalactic daisies, and the rebels lead by Carrie Fisher’s Leia in her final acting role before she sadly passed have finally located Luke Skywalker, and he is not a happy bunny. The new bad guys the First Order are in control of the entire Galaxy, and the good guys are down to a few hundred, and they are hotly pursued, is this the end – strap yourself in for a great roller coaster ride through hyperspace and beyond – this will be very big indeed.

    Running Time – 150 minutes The longest Star Wars film to date by a considerable margin but there is a lot of story to get through here; Certificate – 12A.

    Tagline – Doesn’t need one if you don’t know what is going on here after 40 years then you never will.

    THEGAYUK Factor – There has been nothing gay in the Star Wars universe to date and then suddenly here the new Darth Vader Kylo Ren for no plot reason whatsoever starts walking around shirtless… it is very eyeopening and slightly jarring. He looks really good and the unnecessary scene lingers on, even one of the other characters tells him to get some clothes on and cover himself up but we were happy with it. There are no other apparent studs here like say early Harrison Ford, but we hope for more gay angles in future maybe next time Chewbacca will get a blowjob from a hot Ewok or perhaps C-3PO will get into fisting.

    Cast – From the original series you get Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher with a much more significant part than you may expect, Anthony Daniels and Frank Oz. They are joined by the new team of Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro, Game Of Thrones Gwendoline Christie even Ade Edmondson turns up, and of course, Prince William and Prince Harry are there as stormtroopers.

    Key Player – George Lucas has not been involved for five years, but he got so much right with the first film(s) that this and all future SW films are slam dunks – probably impossible to screw up. You get some real crowd-pleasing new stars in the Porgs which take to nesting in the Millenium Falcon amongst other places. The fox-like Crystal Critters and BB-8, the new fan favourite droid, gets a bigger part and he steals the movie. Disney knows better than anyone what they are doing with franchises and product placement and every kid and big kid will buy anything with these characters on.

    Budget – $200 Million and already in 5 days it has made $450 Million and is heading towards the Top 20 of all time. Repeat viewings will push it to the top of that list hopefully with huge profit unless the competition steals screens from under it namely Ferdinand, Pitch Perfect 3, The Greatest Showman and Spielberg/Hanks/Streep’s The Post all within ten days of SW opening. Disney currently reportedly makes $2.5 billion every year from the brand in memorabilia, so the film is a big money-maker.

    Best Bit – 2.11 mins; The final battle is one of the best of the entire series but every appearance of BB-8 is a winner and the Porgs double act with Chewbacca throughout is priceless.

    Worst Bit – 1.02 mins; Some editing would have been nice as we could do with less Jedi training and not as much time spent on an unnecessary Casino planet. That you can live with but when Leia is blown out into space and goes all Marvel superhero – there is a serious problem – it is a rare mistake in a great addition to the saga.

    Little Secret – There is only one Star Wars film on the biggest box office chart of all time, and that is The Force Awakens in third place behind Titanic, and Avatar and they are the exclusive three members of the Two Billion Dollar club. High hopes for this one to get up there but that running time will limit the number of shows per day, and that competition is coming for its screens with gusto and no fear. The Last Jedi‘s first record target is to beat Fast and Furious 8 the biggest movie of the year to date, and it is way behind that at present. Its other big Achilles heel is that Star Wars is just not popular in Asia unlike Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Pirates, Jurassic, Transformers, Avengers and Fast and Furious films and that is a bloody big market.

    Further Viewing – Star Wars 1-7, Rogue Nation, Spaceballs, Star Trek’s 1-13, Avatar, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordan and Battlestar Galactica.

    Any Good – It is wonderful and so entertaining. New fans maybe should steer clear as there is so much past knowledge needed here. Great effects, several wow moments, sad bits, laugh out loud bits and something for all ages and plenty for geeks and those that just want a great Friday popcorn night out to forget their working woes. On now to next year’s Han Solo origin story, but do not miss this one in the meantime.

    Rating – 87% out of 100.

  • FILM REVIEW | Daddy’s Home 2

    DADDY’S HOME 2 – The relatively unwanted sequel to the standard 2015 family comedy but STOP PRESS, shock horror this is really good – hell has just frozen over and pigs are landing at Heathrow & Gatwick.

    Nutshell – The modern family two fathers one mother is ramped up a notch by the arrival of the stars two hugely different dads in Mel Gibson and John Lithgow and obviously comic mayhem soon follows. Now what makes this so much better than the original is the decision to make it a full on Christmas movie. It is happy, funny, entertaining and hugely engaging only diminished by association with its average predecessor movie which may put of some. As a standalone this is great.

    Running Time – 100 minutes; Certificate – 12A.

    Tagline – ‘More Daddies, More Problems’

    THEGAYUK Factor – The muscle hunk Marky Mark Wahlberg himself just oozes sex appeal and here he plays the hard real man to Ferrell’s weaker boy which is hot. Mel Gibson has the DILF thing down for sure and reeks of someone here who probably bats for both sides but best of all you get everyone’s favourite WWE wrestling sex god John Cena known in true horny fashion as The Marine.

    Cast – Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow, John Cena’s ass, John Cena’s bulging packet, John Cena’s huge muscles, John Cena’s massive chest and some women actors too.

    Key Player – This is the boys’ film, Wahlberg is Exec Producer and Ferrell is the main Producer and they just do these movies for fun apparently which is infectious as that is what comes out of the screen. Everyone seems to be having a laugh rather than there for the paycheck Cumberbatch, Affleck or Hardy style.

    Budget – $69 Million way up on the first film and boy was that a good move with it making its costs back in two days and now sailing way over $100 million and off towards the top 250 grossing films of all time list at a rapid rate of knots.

    Best Bit – 1.02 mins; The destruction of a live model nativity scene and post-fight is a real hoot and great set-piece but this movie is much more about small jokes than big slapstick moments. Do people really dress up as nativity statues – that’s a new one on us.

    Worst Bit – 0.33 mins; A snowblower goes haywire and destroys a never-ending set of outdoor Christmas lights and then property and vehicles just like the motorbike in the original. Too slapstick and overlong and a bit childish here in a film where the kids are away getting pissed on eggnog and shooting guns.

    Little Secret – Mel Gibson plays Mark Wahlberg’s father. although he is only fifteen years older than him cue greying up Gibson’s hair and softening Marky Mark’s but who cares. Originally the two dad’s were going to be Chevy Chase and Robert De Niro which would have been about as successful as a Trump presidency or Prince Harry getting the stag-do he actually wants.

    Further Viewing – Daddy’s Home 1, All four of the Meet The Focker‘s canon, The Anchormans , Blades Of Glory, Elf and Mel Gibson’s previous comedic roles in The Lethal Weapons and What Women Want as he has great comedy timing – who knew Mad Max had a budding Robin Williams, Jim Carrey in him all along.

    Any Good – This won’t win any Awards in the next 3 months of the trophy season but it is just truly great fun and a very happy film with loads of great Christmas music and may even see Band Aid back in the charts for the 5th time. A massive step up from a film that originally just got lucky with a clever release date counterbalancing a Star Wars film two years back. It’s now a winning franchise to follow and one of the biggest and nicest surprises of the year as it should have been a shit cash in but instead, it delivers on every level and some.

    Rating – 74% out of 100.

  • 10 best British gay movies

    10 best British gay movies

    There’s something unmistakable about British movies – and there’s something truly magical about British gay movies. Here’s our favorites from the 80s, 90s and right up to date

    10 best British gay movies

    These movies were voted on by the readership of THEGAYUK.com

    10) Prick Up Your Ears (1987)


    The story of the controversial British playwright, Joe Orton. Joe is played by Gary Oldman. The film chronicles Orton’s rise to fame and fortune, particularly with the success of his play, What The Butler Saw.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    9) Widle (1987)


    The story of Oscar Wilde one of the world’s most famous queer men. Wilde is played by national treasure, Stephen Fry. The film plots Wilde’s life, from his marriage and fatherhood right through to his affairs with rent boys and his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    8) Clapton Junction (2007)

    Five stories are interlinked in this film by Kevin Elyot and Adrian Shergold. It centres on the life and experiences of gay men during a 36-hour period in the Clapham area of London.

    7) Bent (1998)


    The tragic and heartbreaking story of gay men under the imprisonment of the Nazis in World War 2. Based on a play written by Sean Mathias in 1979. It stars Clive Owen and Ian McKellen.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    6) Maurice (1987)

    This Merchant-Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Edwardian novel gave Hugh Grant his first major role. Cambridge undergraduate Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) is thrown into confusion about his sexuality when he experiences strong feelings for fellow student Maurice Hall (James Wilby). Both men attempt to suppress the ‘love that dare not speak its name’, but the arrival of a handsome gamekeeper (Rupert Graves) forces Maurice to submit to his natural impulses.

    Available from AMAZON

    5) My Beautiful Laundrette

    (1985)

    Set within the Asian community in London, My Beautiful Launderette is an unusual love story concerned with identity and entrepreneurial spirit during the Thatcher years. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) takes over the running of his wheeler-dealer Uncle’s launderette with the intention of turning it into a glittering palace of commercial success. When he employs childhood friend and ex-National Front member Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis) they become lovers as well as working partners. However, complications soon ensure as the anger of Johnny’s deserted gang begins to build and Omar is forced to face increasingly difficult family issues. Written by Hanif Kureishi and skilfully directed by Stephen Frears, My Beautiful Launderette tackles the difficult issues of racism, bigotry, violence and politics in early 80’s Britain and still manages to be compassionate, humorous and hugely entertaining.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    4) Get Real (1998)


    When being gay was still taboo in Britain, coming out as gay was a minefield, especially when you’re a teenager. Directed by Simon Shore and based on a play by Patrick Wilde.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    3) Weekend (2011)


    A one-night stand that becomes something more – an unconventional love story between two young men trying to make sense of their lives.
    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    2) Pride (2014)


    One of the best blockbuster films to come out of Britain. Pride is the true story of a group Gay and Lesbian activists standing in solidarity and raising money for coalminers during the 1984 miners’ strike. With an all-out celebrity cast, Pride won many awards including a BAFTA and a Cannes Film Festival Award.

    Available from AMAZON | iTunes

    1) Beautiful Thing (1996)


    One of the UK’s favourite gay movies. The story of two unlikely teenagers, Jamie and Ste who fall in love on a South-London estate.

    Available from Amazon

  • Production stops on Bryan Singer’s Queen biopic

    “A personal health matter.”

    CREDIT: ©-S-Buckley-Depositphotos

    Production of the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody has halted after director,  Bryan Singer took leave to deal with a”health matter”.

    Singer’s spokesperson said that the producer and director had taken leave for  “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family”.

    Speaking to the BBC, the film’s studio, 20th Century Fox said, “Twentieth Century Fox Film has temporarily halted production on Bohemian Rhapsody due to the unexpected unavailability of Bryan Singer.”

    Bryan Singer also appears to have taken his Twitter account offline.

    The film has been in production in the UK with Mr Robot actor Rami Malek as the late Freddie Mercury and is due for release in December 2018

    *This article was updated to reflect that the film is a biopic on the band, Queen not just Freddie Mercury.

  • FIRST LOOK: Love, Simon

    Here’s your first look at the LGBT+ film of 2018, Love, Simon

    it’s the first LGBT+ film to be released on a major film studio since 2015’s The Danish Girl and Carol…. and we can’t wait.

    You might not know this, but the film is based on the 2015 book, Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda – which we absolutely loved!

  • FILM REVIEW | Beach Rats

    ★★★★ |  Beach Rats

    A young man plays it very cool with his friends while he hides his true sexuality in the new film Beach Rats.

    19-year old Frankie (Harris Dickinson) lives with his mother and dying father in Brooklyn, New York. His mother constantly nags him to get a job but he spends his days doing drugs and hanging out with his gang of homeboys. They are all very macho and straight and while away the hours hanging out on the boardwalk and chatting up local girls. But what they don’t know about Frankie is that he secretly spends his time on gay hookup sites and meets other men at a local cruising spot for sex.

    There is one girl, however, from the neighbourhood (Madeline Weinstein) who he hooks up with – he really likes her and she really likes him, but expectedly it doesn’t go anywhere. And when he gets involved in an incident with his friends that involves a gay man his life suddenly takes a turn.

    UK born Dickinson is very good as Frankie. He nails down the accent and the attitude almost perfectly. With no previous film credits, he’s a natural and very compelling to watch on the big screen (and boy is he sexy)! Director Eliza Hittman gets almost everything right in this film, with the exception of the last 20 minutes that gets a bit too unbelievable. But it’s Dickinson you’ll remember when the screen credits go up. He’s on to bigger and better things.

  • FILM REVIEW | The Justice League

    THE JUSTICE LEAGUE – The biggest superheroes in the DC Universe come together Avengers Assemble style as earth is under a massive alien threat yet again and the Marvel lads are all on their hols but can Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash & Cyborg be able to work together and are they in time…

    FILM REVIEW | The Justice League

    Spoiler alert the answer is No!

    Nutshell – After the death of Batman in the previous film, sacrificing himself saving humankind, Batman is inspired to recruit a reluctant team of superpowered latex clad buddies to deal with an unprecedented outer space threat. The Justice League is formed and after the destruction of Wonder Woman’s island paradise and Aquaman’s submerged home the global chase for three all-powerful MacGuffins is on, watch out for the big surprise guest appearance.

    Running Time – 120 minutes; Certificate – 12A.

    Tagline – ‘Justice For All – You Can’t Save The World Alone’

    THEGAYUK Factor – OMG it’s full of great looking guys in hot fetish gear. Led by the fittest guy ever from Game Of Thrones Jason Momoa who is a new gay icon – for us muscle lovers – as Aquaman and his outfit is stunning and boy does it show his ass off along before the many times he strips down to swim. We cannot wait for his stand-alone movie which will be two straight hours of pure Grade A handy shandy material. Add the bulging spandex crutches of Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller and Ciaran Hinds and you get one horny film with the bonus of the new queen of camp Gal Gadot and her ring of truth which only makes us think of Momoa’s ass once again.

    Cast – Affleck, Gadot, Momoa, Cavill lead the league but we also get Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, JK Simmons and Amy Adams playing the least sexy Lois Lane – ever – for your ticket price plus another huge star at the end of the final credits.

    Key Player – The saviour of the DC universe Wonder Woman holds all the attention here and always draws your eye line from the sleep-inducing Affleck’s Batman, he is about as entertaining as finding sand on your favourite dildo. She saved the Bat Vs Supe’s film with just 3 scenes, her own film is the second biggest moneymaker of the year and she is top dog in the League by far.

    We have no idea why we loved this film so much… oh so much…

    Budget – An absolutely massive $300 Million which is less than many countries earn in a year – its a cliché but most of it is on the screen with very big production scenes maybe more should have been spent on the script though, which brings a whole new meaning to the word formulaic.

    Best Bit – 0.21 mins; When Aquaman strips off for the first time showing his many tatt’s and boy does he take his time otherwise the battle and chase of Wonder Woman’s Amazonian tribe on horseback is by far the best action beat.

    Worst Bit – 0.19 mins and 0.34 mins and 0.48 mins…..; Basically every time the Flash comes on the screen, he is weak, his scenes are weak and he is less Premier League and more like Southern Conference League up against everyone else here and anyway Superman is faster so whats the point of him? He probably suffers from premature ejaculation too.

    Little Secret – Already there is a hugely successful big budget gay porn version out of this Justice League from Men.com where Batman rodders Superman, Cyborg gives a good going over on the The Flash, Wonder Woman is played by a drag queen and Aquaman humps every guy in the film repeatedly… sign me up. It is already controversial for adding other characters like The Green Lantern everyone’s least favourite superhero (Thanks, Ryan Reynolds) and also the only black character in either the Avengers or League teams is… oh dear – played by a white porn star – racism in gay porn so what’s new?

    Further Viewing – Really!!! With over 50 films featuring the superheroes above just go to Google and type in stretched spandex over bulging crutch movies and whilst you are there just search for Marvel or DC Comics and you will have two weeks worth of identical movies to watch with everyone saving the world each and every fucking time in just under two hours.

    Any Good – This is a very expensive perfectly adequate film, you will smile, laugh, get excited and be entertained throughout, the trouble is it is just so damn generic and we have seen it all so many times before. A magical object is hidden on earth that can now destroy us all and good guys/bad guys with whatever powers they need to survive 50 rounds of unrealistic fighting and nobody ever seems to get injured or hospitalised. It’s all about as realistic as a Donald Trump promise to protect LGBT+ rights. Do stay right to the end of the credits as the last secret scene is well worth the 10-minute screen scroll wait and it gives a huge clue as to where we are all going next as if six superheroes in one film weren’t enough?

    Rating – 62 out of 100.