Fleeting comments from a filmmaker walking the red carpet at the premiere of their latest film shouldn’t be taken as set-in-stone guarantees. That’s just good sense. But as we wait for the impending release of Django Unchained, any news about Quentin Tarantino’s future projects is interesting news, so take this little tidbit well-salted. The guys over at We Got This Covered managed to ask QT a couple of questions at the opening of Django Unchained in Toronto, and the continuation of the Kill Bill series was at the top of their list. In the past, Tarantino has expressed a desire to expand on the Kill Bill universe with two more movies (revolving around crippled Crazy…
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The Criterion Files: Rome, Open City
Rome, Open City: Directed by: Roberto Rossellini Written by: Federico Fellini, Sergio Amidei Starring: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero Cinematography by: Ubaldo Arata Music by: Renzo Rossellini Released: September 27th, 1945 Neorealist cinema has featured into the Criterion Files before– I wrote about Vittorio De Sica’s classic entry in the movement, Bicycle Thieves, much earlier this year (and followed that piece up with an examination of Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah, arguably a contemporary neorealist effort despite valid arguments that neorealist cinema no longer exists)– but Rossellini’s landmark contribution to neorealism, Rome, Open City, represents a very different side of that Italian-born aesthetic. For all of its somber qualities, Bicycle Thieves…
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Sweet Trailer…'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'
Yes, I know this trailer is a few days old. Still, better late than never I’m told, and besides, any new Charlie Sheen projects are probably worth covering just for pure shock value. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, frankly, looks like it’ll either end up being sheer wacky genius or a glorious, stylized mess, without much room for flexibility; I’m not going to lie, the first trailer gives me high hopes: Were anyone other than Charlie Sheen cast in the lead role, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III would just look like a quirky, precious cribbing of everything Wes Anderson has ever done…
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Sweet Trailer…'Upstream Color'
Since his debut feature, Primer, hit theaters eight years ago, Shane Carruth has been a quiet presence in the world of cinema– threatening to make new pictures, always backing away from them due to lack of funding. Turns out he’s been making a movie behind our backs: last week he announced that he’d be showing his next film, Upstream Color, at Sundance this January. Exciting! Of course, we’re talking about the man behind Primer, which is to say that the film we get will be complex, layered, and demanding. The trailer, which premiered today, seems to support this suspicion: Honestly? I have no idea what to make of this. I think it looks…
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'Star Trek Into Darkness' Gets a Poster
Since the first teaser poster for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness hit the web a few hours ago, it’s been repeatedly pointed out that the image draws a lot of inspiration from The Dark Knight‘s own one-sheets. I don’t know if I can avoid adding my own voice to that echo chamber of common observation whatsoever– it’s spot-on. Nobody’s talking about the former wholly mirroring the latter, but the similarities between the two are rather striking and tough to ignore; after all, Nolan’s second Bat-film bore the promise of massive influence right out the gate in its theatrical release four years ago. We’ve seen that influence play out in earnest this year…
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3 Films & 48 FPS: In Defense of 'The Hobbit'
For roughly half of my life, I have been a died-in-the-wool J.R.R. Tolkien fan and a frequent visitor to the fantasy realm of Middle Earth. I’ve read each of Tolkien’s significant works which take place in that fantasy world– The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings novels, and The Silmarillion— several dozen times in total, and I’ve seen each of the films based on the Rings books numerous times in theaters. (True story: I watched The Two Towers thirteen times in its theatrical run. I am capable of being that guy.) When China Miéville described Tolkien as, “the wen on the arse of fantasy literature”, I felt a sudden need…
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Del Toro's 'Pacific Rim'…It's Big, It's Bad, It's Viral
I’ve checked, double-checked, even triple-checked my calendars, but the date still shows as November 28th and not December 25th. That means Christmas has come early for some of us, courtesy of Warner Brothers, which has kicked off the viral marketing campaign for Pacific Rim in earnest today with a bevvy of preview materials for our enjoyment. We’ve talked about Guillermo Del Toro’s latest around here in the past, and I think it probably goes without saying that most of us on the Go, See, Talk! staff are pretty excited to see one of today’s monster maestros tackle the realm of Godzilla and King Kong with his own kaiju film. (Though…
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Off the Netflix Queue…’God Bless America’
According to Bobcat Goldthwait, American culture has grown too vicious, too mean, too unfeeling, too rude, and too self-serving for its own good. Frankly, I can’t say that I strictly disagree with him, but that doesn’t make me accept any more readily the thesis of his fifth film, God Bless America, which may be the most intentionally odious picture I’ve watched all year. Tired of the obnoxious and boorish qualities of modern popular consumer culture? Arm yourself and gun down the bigots, hate-mongers, and morons clogging up your television and radio airwaves. Goldthwait’s being cheeky, of course– at least at first– but he’s also in the throes of a blind, murderous…
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Robert De Niro to Paint Houses With Scorsese
Well…maybe. Oh, sure, hearing it right out of De Niro’s mouth in an interview with The Observer lends the titular claim a measure of credibility, but Scorsese and Bobby have been talking about making a film based on Charles Brandt’s novel I Heard You Paint Houses: The Biggest Hit in Mob History for nearly half a decade. So basically, until the production gets put on a schedule and starts shooting in earnest, I strongly suggest taking De Niro’s comments on the matter well-salted– though I will say without hesitation that the promise of both men teaming up to tell the tale of Frank Sheeran’s alleged killing of Jimmy Hoffa is tantalizing…
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Go, See, Thank: The Directors, Movies, and Actors We're Grateful For
We’re a seasonal group here at Go, See, Talk!– one only need go back a month to our Halloween tournament for proof!– and so in the spirit of Turkey Day and giving thanks, we all got together and hand-picked one director, movie, and actor or actress apiece who we’re thankful for. If you know us well enough, then some of these picks should seem right in line with our proclivities and tastes. Then again, maybe we’ll surprise you anyhow. Bill Graham: The director I’m most thankful for is Guillermo del Toro. He lives and breathes monsters, and every time his name is attached to something new, I get a surge…
