With fierce conviction to tell stories that some might consider offensive or taboo, director Steve McQueen has twice proved himself to be an unflinching filmmaker. He gave us Hunger, then followed that with Shame and now his latest film 12 Years A Slave, adapted from the novel of the same name, tells the incredible true story of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped in 1841 and forced into slavery at a Louisiana cotton plantation. Facing cruelty from his slave owner, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter…
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Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave' Opening Pushed Up To October
Steve McQueen is an astounding up and coming filmmaker, full stop. With only two films to date (one of which, his first, is in the Criterion collection) he’s made a name for himself as a visceral storyteller who takes a lot of chances in both a visual and narrative sense. His upcoming film 12 Years A Slave (one of our most anticipated films of 2013) was originally set for a Christmas time release but Fox Searchlight will move the opening from December 27 th to October. The film tells the story (written by John Ridley from the book by the actual Solomon Northup) set in the pre-Civil War United States where Solomon Northup…
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“What’s New on Blu?” – Week of 10/29/12
Whether you rent or buy movies, Blu-ray offers the ultimate in sight and sound. Streaming is convenient, but if you plan on watching the movie more than once, you need Blu. So, What’s New On Blu? you ask. Well, good, bad or indifferent, Go,See,Talk offers up a trio of titles that are being released each week. Check out what’s hitting the shelves this week… ——————————————————————————————————————————— Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby,…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 9/7/12
When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- BACHELORETTE On the night before an old friend’s wedding, three frisky bridesmaids go searching for a little fun but find much more than they bargained for. With lovely Becky set to marry her handsome sweetheart, Dale, the remaining…
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Sweet Trailer…'For Ellen'
We posted a brief announcement about the stirring Paul Dano led film For Ellen a few months back but since it was only popping up on the festival circuit, we kind of forgot about it…until now. Coming off the success of Being Flynn, and the enjoyable comedy Ruby Sparks, Dano’s star is on the rise. For Ellen follows an aspiring rock star who wanted nothing more than to “make it”. In the midst of a low period in his life, he agrees to sign divorce papers with his estranged wife in order to see money from the sale of their home, only to discover that by signing the papers, he will forfeit all custody of…
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G-S-T Quick 5 – Favorite Chris Messina Films
Last week saw the release of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ‘ highly entertaining ensemble indie comedy Ruby Sparks. While high marks go to the directing duo (who also gave us Little Miss Sunshine) and even higher ones going to star/writer Zoe Kazan, this post is an effort to highlight the unsung hero of that charming and highly original film; one Chris Messina. He’s the likable every-man but also has the chops to pull off any and all roles from “that guy” to a capable leading man. Just a solid staple in every film he’s in, his star is steadily rising but he still hasn’t quite broken out yet. In the film world we’ve seen actors like…
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G-S-T Review…Ruby Sparks
Ruby Sparks is the first screenplay from star Zoe Kazan and the film features the highly anticipated return of the husband/wife filmmaking duo who brought us 2006’s mega hit Little Miss Sunshine. Similar in style to their Oscar-nominated feature, this highly original and delightful concept is a rare thing in Hollywood. It’s a sweet, emotional and enjoyable flick that, free of pretense and a visible Hollywood hand, legitimately pulls the audience in without tropes or trite concepts that would unfairly cause many to blindly and inaccurate lying label this as just another “rom-com”. Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) found immense literary success at a young age and like any artist who hits it…
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Video Interview…’Ruby Sparks’ Writer/Stars Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano
Zoe Kazan writes and stars alongside real-life boyfriend Paul Dano in the original, hysterical and emotional Ruby Sparks. The story follows a novelist struggling with writer’s block who finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence. The couple have solid chemistry that comes right off the screen and play well off of the likes of Chris Messina, Annette Benning, Antionio Banderas and Elliot Gould who round out this wacky ensemble piece. The first screenplay from Kazan, she knocks this out of the park both behind the camera and in-front of it. Ruby Sparks looks to be the surprise hit of the year and Go,See,Talk got to…
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Video Interview…’Ruby Sparks’ Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
The husband and wife team of directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris made their feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Little Miss Sunshine, which redefined independent filmmaking, received worldwide critical acclaim, and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture as well as winning the Independent Spirit Award for best feature. Their new film, Ruby Sparks, expands its limited release this Friday. Go,See,Talk got to sit with them briefly and discuss their latest ensemble piece (which stars Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, Chris Messina and Elliot Gould). Immensely enjoyable with a down to earth feel, Ruby Sparks is a highly entertaining and quirky indie comedy destined…
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Sweet UK Trailer…'Looper'
The marketing for Looper, the time-travel based action thriller from Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brother’s Bloom), has gone from a very cut and dry tumblr blog, to an intriguing shot of the awesome looking time machine to a full-on action packed trailer. Well, following suit comes this equally charged UK trailer…if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s really worth checking out. Enjoy! In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun,…
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Tribeca Film Acquires Paul Dano Led 'For Ellen'
Last week, Tribeca Film acquired all North American rights to For Ellen, a deeply felt dramatic study of a father’s efforts at reconciliation with his young daughter. The film, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, is Kim’s follow-up to independent standouts Treeless Mountain and In Between Days. Bradley Rust Gray and Jen Gatien serve as producers through SoandBrad and DeerJen films. Tribeca Film plans a fall release in select theatrical markets, beginning September 5th at New York’s Film Forum. For Ellen will also be released via On Demand platforms where it will be available in 40+ million homes on a variety of video-on-demand offerings, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch…
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G-S-T Review…Being Flynn
A story about family and coping with the unavoidable bonds between us, Being Flynn is, in short, about accepting who you are so you can try to fix your own problems. Adapted from Nick Flynn’s memoir “Another Bulls**t Night in Suck City” the film is about Nick and his father going a very long way to come to terms with one another. You can try to run from your family but you can’t run from DNA and being family means they butt heads…a lot. That tends to happen with movie families but these are real people with real problems. It can be morbidly funny and Nick’s writing/personal experiences yield a more bitter than…
