Alice Guy-Blaché was a daughter of a bookseller, a mother of two, a dreamer, a divorcée, a French feminist, a secretary, a pioneer, a filmmaker, a fashionista, an innovator, a studio manager, a friend. She was also the first female film director in the motion-picture industry, and one of the first directors to incorporate narrative storytelling into filmmaking, but changes are you’ve never heard of her. Directors Pamela Green and Jarik van Sluijs, along with their filmmaking partners at the Pic Agency, are looking to change that through their documentary – appropriately titled Be Natural, after the auteur’s clever mantra. Green came across Alice’s story from a documentary segment, Reel…
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Sam Mendes Confirmed to Direct 24th James Bond Film
After much deliberation about whether or not Sam Mendes would indeed return to direct the next Bond film, today the film’s producers and executives announced that not only will Daniel Craig be returning as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film, Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan. Great news for James Bond Fans! Mendes recently stated his theatre commitments to direct King Lear and Charlie and the Chocolate Factor would leave him unable to direct the film, but after the success of Skyfall producers were willing to work around Mendes’ schedule. Smart move. The film, titled simply, Bond 24, is set for theatrical release in the UK…
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G-S-T Review…The Way, Way Back
Oscar-winning screenwriting partners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (The Descendants) celebrate their directorial debut with The Way, Way Back, a familiar coming of age story that is sweet, funny and poignant. Teenage angst and the “us versus adults” battle shown from the male perspective are popular themes right now, with film like Mud and Kings of Summer releasing earlier this summer, but as a labor of love project for this filmmaking duo, The Way, Way Back has been a long time coming. It’s a film that manages to be a crowd-pleaser without trying too hard. The title refers to the back seat of a vintage station wagon, where 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James)…
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Interview…’The Way, Way Back’ Writers/Directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
In Fox Searchlight’s The Way, Way Back 14-year-old Duncan is on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and his daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the “Water Wizz” water park. GoSeeTalk got to sit with the Oscar-winning writing/directing/acting duo Nat Faxon and Jim Rash to discuss their coming-of-age story and working with such an ensemble cast. Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash and starring Steve Carell, Liam James, AnnaSophia Robb, Toni Collette and Sam Rockwell, The Way, Way Back will begin its limited release on July 5th. THE WAY, WAY BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan’s (Liam James) summer…
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G-S-T Quick 5 – Favorite Cameron Crowe Films
This summer we’re bringing back our series of posts dedicated to great directors, starting with Cameron Crowe whose first screenwriting effort, the cult classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High, grew out of a book he wrote while posing for one year undercover as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California. Since the film’s release in 1982, Crowe has written and directed several hit features and rock documentaries. While best known for his character-driven narratives, centering on couples in love, Crowe’s style has proven successful in creating a variety of roles and narratives. His journalistic background gives Crowe’s storytelling a unique perspective and heightened sense of realism that…
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Remembering 'Sopranos' Star James Gandolfini
Emmy Award-winning actor, James Gandolfini, best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO drama, The Sopranos, died on Wednesday at age 51. Gandolfini’s portrayal of the often conflicted, New Jersey Mafia boss earned him three Emmy Awards for “Best Actor in Drama” during the shows six season run from 1999-2007. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly included Gandolfini in their list of “The 50 Greatest TV Icons” for his ability to take the Mob boss “through rage, self-pity, love, and depression,” in the course of a single episode, calling his portrayal of Tony Soprano “a weekly how-to manual on Greek tragedy.” Gandolfini began his acting career in 1987, starring in several…
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See ‘MAN OF STEEL’ on 35mm Film ONLY at the Texas Theatre in DALLAS, TX
Those of you who have been patiently awaiting the release of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (and who hasn’t?) have probably heard that the film will be shown in 3D. But if you’re looking for something a little more nostalgic to go along with all those childhood memories you hold so dear and the superhero reminiscing you’ve been doing, you’ll be happy to hear that the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff will be projecting the film in 35mm for the remainder of its run, giving residents of the DFW metroplex a chance to see it in a way that would make Christopher Nolan very happy. “It’s rare to have a new summer release that…
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[OCFF Interview]…’Drinking Buddies’ Director Joe Swanberg
Arguably his best film to date, prolific, independent filmmaker, Joe Swanberg, says he worked harder on Drinking Buddies than on any other film. Swanberg says it’s a movie he made with “a deep desire to connect with an audience, and that hasn’t been true of a lot of my movies.” “I’ve had a couple of big changes in the past couple of years in terms of how I make movies and what I want to put out into the world,” says Swanberg. Whose friend and fellow filmmaker, Madeleine Olnek, influenced some of these changes after sharing her philosophy on filmmakers and comedy. “She said to have the ability to make comedies and not…
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[OCFF Interview]….’Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’ Director David Lowery
This past weekend Dallas welcomed the 2nd Annual Oak Cliff Film Festival to the neighborhood, and with it, a special double feature event with local filmmaker David Lowery in attendance. Lowery introduced director Robert Altman’s Repertory film, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, followed by a “secret screening” that turned out to be Lowery’s latest feature film, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Go, See, Talk caught up with Lowery in the Press room and quickly chatted about the local film community, his experiences growing up attending film festivals, and his involvement in them now. Lowery, who grew up in Dallas and attended festivals like the USA Film Festival and the Dallas Video Fest when they were…
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[OCFF Interview]…'Medora' Directors Andrew Cohn & Davy Rothbart
This past weekend at the 2nd Annual Oak Cliff Film Festival, Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart’s documentary feature, Medora, about a small town in Indiana, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, which premiered earlier this year at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, follows the lives of the boys who make up the Medora Hornets, the local high school’s basketball team, as they attempt to end their three-year losing streak. The team serves as a symbol to the community, and their hope and determination parallels with that of the town itself, as it fights to stay alive. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Check out the Medora trailer from the film’s…
