Hyde Park on Hudson recounts the royal visit of King George VI (who you may remember from Colin Firth’s portrayal in The Kings Speech, depicted here by actor Samuel West), and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) to Hyde Park from the perspective of Daisy Suckley (Laura Linney), who at this time has recently become FDR’s (Bill Murry) mistress. Unbeknownst to Daisy, she’s not the only secret Roosevelt is keeping. The screenplay is based on actual events discussed in diary entries and letters that belonged to Daisy. The correspondence was found after her death, and the affair she had kept a secret for most of her life was finally revealed. The royal…
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[BFI London Film Festival Review]…No
Gael García Bernal stars in Pablo Larraín’s third film to reflect on the brutality of the Pinochet regime in Chile during the almost twenty years they were in power. No, examines the inner workings of war propaganda, and is based on the real-life ‘No Campaign’ against Pinochet, that was established during the 1988 referendum. Once Renè is hired to work on the campaign, he quickly does away with the stories of sorrow and bitterness the opposition has made their focus, and replaces them with jingles, advertising clips showing joyful scenes of ‘happy’ people, and a logo that consists of a large rainbow along side the word ‘no.” The campaign proves…
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[BFI London Film Festival Review]…Ginger & Rosa
Sally Potter’s incredible film explores aspects of female friendship from the perspective of 17-year-olds Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert, daughter of director Jane Campion), as they attempt to navigate their way through adolescence during Cold War, 1960’s Europe. Ginger and Rosa epitomize the rebel, Beatnik culture of the 60’s; they even dress the part, and their determination not to become their mother’s, both aging housewives who have been left by the men who once loved them, is a nod to the changing times, as well as one of the many aspirations that serve to bond the two girls. At first this bond appears as though it may never…
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[BFI London Film Festival Review]…Midnight’s Children
Over thirty years after the novel’s publication, Salman Rushdie’s film adaptation of his Booker prize-winning novel has come to fruition. With so many years of waiting and anticipation, the film has a lot to live up to, and the complicated nature of the book is a challenging body of work to attempt to fit into 148 minutes of film. Rushdie wrote the screenplay with Oscar-nominated director, Deepa Mehta, resulting in a whimsical interpretation of an epic tale with beautiful imagery and magical powers that gives the story a fairytale quality. The problem with this approach is one that is common in films with story lines spanning several decades, it often…
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5 Films We’re Looking Forward To At The Austin Film Festival [AFF]
I’ve spent the last year covering independent films both at festivals and from my Netflix queue, and the ones I’m always most moved by are those that explore the many layers of our relationships with one another. Whether we’re family, friends or lovers, relationships are immensely complex, and if I may summarize a quote from an advertisement I recently saw in the tube in London, while love doesn’t make the world go round, it does help make the ride worthwhile. There are so many films being made that counter the typical Hollywood, idealized version of our relationships, and instead present the audience with something real. In anticipation for the kickoff…
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Austin Film Festival [AFF] Opens Today! (Some General Tips For Attendees)
The 19th Austin Film Festival and Conference starts today, and the schedule is packed with eight days of films, lectures and parties that you won’t want to miss. Anyone who’s been to a film festival knows it can be a bit overwhelming to navigate. As a festival connoisseur in the making, I thought I’d share a few of my own tactics with you to help you prepare. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————– 1. Make a Schedule The Austin Film Festival website has created this wonderful, printable calendar of all the events including time and venue, so they’ve made it really easy for you to stay organized. Start by printing this out, so you won’t…
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Video Interview…’The Perks of Being A Wallflower’ Writer/Director Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky has adapted his highly successful and influental novel “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” into one of this year’s most touching and affecting films. The writer/director assembles a trio of highly talented young actors to bring his semi-autobiographical story life and it’s already getting getting good buzz from its run on the festival circuit. Go,See,Talk got to sit with Stephen to briefly talk about crafting this one of a kind coming of age drama and his journey from paperback to the big screen. Written and directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being A Wallflower will begin its limited release this Friday September 21st.
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G-S-T Top 10 – Movies Off The Beaten Path…Round 3
Going just a bit deeper in to my movie memory and scanning GoSeeTalk’s “Sacred Shelves” and Netflix Instant for some recommendations I’ve lined up 10 more films you may have overlooked. Keep in mind that these aren’t snubbed Oscar winners, but they all have something we think makes them worth watching at least once. Hope you find a few unexpected winners in this batch. Continuing the series, I give you the 3rd Round of “Movies Off the Beaten Path“… —————————————————————————————————————————————– The Way of the Gun – More like the under-appreciated little brother of the The Usual Suspects, this Christopher McQuarrie penned film should derive more attention than it gets. Gun was highly overlooked probably because…
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G-S-T Quick 5 – Favorite Nora Ephron Films
For our second installment of posts dedicated to great directors, we’ve chosen to highlight the top five films from the late Nora Ephron. Ephron, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2006 and passed away earlier this summer at the age of 71, was a force of nature. Not only did she bring us classic stories like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, she was also an accomplished journalist, essayist, playwright, producer, director and novelist. So while we want to highlight her work as a director, arguably one of the best female directors of our time, her accomplishments as a writer in so many forms should be highly noted…
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Video Interview…’For A Good Time Call…’ Stars Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor
Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor star in the raunchy but heartfelt film For A Good Time Call…the story of former college frenemies Lauren and Katie who move into a fabulous Gramercy Park apartment. However, as they’re a bit short on funds, the unlikely pair start a phone sex line together in order to make ends meet. Go,See,Talk got to sit with both Miller and Graynor to discuss their experiences in making this hysterical and crass but good-natured comedy. Directed by Jamie Travis (check out our interview with him) and starring Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor, For A Good Time Call… is in theaters this weekend.
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Video Interview…’For A Good Time Call…’ Director Jamie Travis
Jamie Travis directs the hysterical and crass but good-natured film For A Good Time Call…, the story of former college frenemies Lauren and Katie who move into a fabulous Gramercy Park apartment. However, as they’re a bit short on funds, the unlikely pair start a phone sex line together in order to make ends meet. Go,See,Talk got to speak with Jamie Travis to discuss his efforts directing this female-led raunchy but heartfelt comedy. Directed by Jamie Travis and starring Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor (check out our interview with them), For A Good Time Call… is in theaters this weekend.
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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…
