Roaring into limited release this weekend is Benh Zeitlin‘s bayou fantasy Beasts of the Southern Wild. To call it a unique exploration of familiar themes in extraordinary situations is just a scratch of the surface; Beasts also stands as one of the few current films sure to inspire formal discussion and wide-ranging opinions. Earlier this month I had the chance to sit down with the film’s two stars and director for a roundtable discussion and, below, you can find our chat with the film’s stars Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry — the talk discusses camerawork, improv, and why Henry brought so much passion to his first film appearance. ———————————————————————————————————————- How are you taking to all of these interviews? Were…
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G-S-T Review…Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
There shouldn’t be any surprises within ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. The film is either won or lost largely based on its name. So as an audience member, you can quickly judge whether you will balk at the idea of a young Abraham Lincoln fighting vampires with a silver-edged axe. The real grey area is how much of that time spent will live up to what you have in mind. Director Timur Bekmambetov is known for striking visuals and pushing the limits of what you can comprehend. He certainly does both in this film, with quick cuts around blurred action sequences and a set piece that follows Abraham and his vampire…
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G-S-T Review…The Intouchables
Without a doubt, The Intouchables proves that humor can be found even in unfortunate situations with the right mindset. A film about a quadriplegic and his caretaker shouldn’t be this fun, yet writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano pull it off with the perfect amount of heart, humor, and adventure. Based on a true story, the film follows a wealthy quadriplegic that hires a young man from the projects to take care of him. Despite everything saying that this is a bad idea, Philippe (François Cluzet) thinks Driss (Omar Sy) holds the key to genuine sympathy and a say-anything attitude that is sorely missing in his life. Throughout their journey they grow…
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G-S-T Review…The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Older actors have fewer and fewer roles. Sure, some male leads have consistent roles here and there (often as villains who don’t do any action), but the women have little to show. The Hollywood system is cruel in that it will use you for the best years of your life and spit you out just when you become comfortable. Not so in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Oscar-winning director John Madden’s latest. The film follows a group of retirees in England who decide to take a chance and jump at an advertisement for an exotic hotel in India recently renovated just for the “elderly and beautiful”. These leads to many interesting…
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G-S-T Review…The Five-Year Engagement
By now a Judd Apatow comedy comes with a certain condemnation: they are far too long. That isn’t to say that his films, and the numerous ones he produces, aren’t funny. That’s a knock on the narrative and how it can get long in the tooth, especially in the middle as an important storyline transition is made. I prefaced this review to note that because it applies far too easily to The Five-Year Engagement. This is the second feature film to be directed by Nicholas Stoller and star Jason Segel, who both broke onto the film scene with their hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall, another Apatow production that suffered none of…
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[DIFF Review]…Juan of the Dead
Considering zombies are the walking dead, it’s surprising to see how popular they have become. They are mindless beasts that are incredibly uninteresting. Maybe that’s why they are perfect targets for horror comedies. Juan of the Dead is clearly a riff on the title of Edgar Wright’s horror comedy Shaun of the Dead, yet Juan manages to be creative enough to keep from feeling like a retread and instead makes a case why two films with similar titles and similar premises can exist in the same universe. Clocking in at 96 minutes, the film is perhaps a bit meandering at points but keeps the story moving forward with laugh after…
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G-S-T Review…The Cabin In The Woods
A love letter should feel familiar. They should have a lot of the same qualities one would expect. But what if that letter was also a loving critique? That’s exactly what Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard did with their horror film The Cabin In The Woods. Yet, despite how smart and searing the film can be as a criticism, it stands as equally entertaining for fans and non-fans of horror. All of that isn’t to say that the film is lacking in thrills or blood. The violence is brutal and creative enough to keep from feeling ho hum. Especially in the first half, while the second becomes something else entirely.…
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G-S-T Review…John Carter
Today’s science fiction has a debt to Edgar Rice Burroughs. The man created what is widely considered one of the first alien worlds that leaved and breathed outside of our own realm. He gave them their own language, religion, culture, and feuds. And he did all of this with the first appearance of John Carter in 1912. Before Star Wars, before Avatar, before Star Trek, there was the Barsoom (what we call Mars) adventures and it was pulpy, light, fantastic fare. They inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of writers to dream big. Now, 100 years later, a big budget film version finally exists and I think it’s a worthy showcase…
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G-S-T Review…The Lorax
You would expect a film called The Lorax to feature a healthy amount of the eponymous creature. The lack thereof in the latest animated feature to take on the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss ended up as my biggest complaint. Having no recollection of ever reading The Lorax, I’m not sure if the fault lies mainly with the source material or the filmmakers but creative liberties are a given considering the book is a mere 45 pages and mostly filled with pictures and small blurbs of text. Yet within this 94 minute romp is a gorgeous setting with a quality voice cast but an ultimately disappointing story. The main quibble…
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G-S-T Review…This Means War
The romantic comedy genre usually has one thing down pat: the comedy. Even if you simply roll your eyes at the romance of it, they are usually genuinely funny. Unless they are This Means War, one of the weakest efforts from the romantic comedy genre I have seen in the past few years. That’s a shame because some of the trailers hint at something that takes a different and fresh approach. For instance, what if two buddy spies fell for the same girl, and used all of the tools available to them to take advantage of the situation? That should be an interesting premise. Turns out what is written on…
