Mondo employees are a rare breed of cinephiles and artisans – chalk it up mostly to each of them having seen certain films way too early in their lifetime. Having watched those titles countless times, movies are not just a means of entertainment, they are part of their DNA. Who else could make/understand a “little too Raph” joke on a daily basis without missing a beat? In short, certain films defined their tastes for years to come. One such individual is Mo Shafeek. We got to speak to him for over an hour regarding his role as Mondo’s soundtrack production manager. Based in Austin, TX, the Mondo bunch (Mo included),…
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Ohhh, Look…Full Album Artwork for Mondo’s BACK TO THE FUTURE Vinyl Release
Great Scott!! The “future” is just two days away. And similar to May 4th, 10/21/2015 is a date held in high regard by the film and geek communities alike. After living with images of the Cafe ’80s and Pitbull hoverboards in my head for the past 26 years, I’m jazzed that the world is getting closer to that vision of tomorrow imagined by Robert Zemeckis and co. for Back to the Future II. So while some notice/lament the lack of flying cars in “our” future, I’ll gladly take Mondo’s magnificent looking BTTF trilogy score (which includes some Alan Silvestri-composed tracks that are being released for the first time evar!!!) over…
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Exclusive: A Look Into the Mondo Creative Process and Preview of MondoCon 2015
Film fans around the globe are becoming increasingly aware of and familiar with the Alamo Drafthouse’s boutique poster label Mondo. What started out as a small Austin, TX based outfit has quickly become a major player in film circles for simply outstanding movie art – be it posters, vinyl soundtracks, or, recently, toys. While they have built brand awareness by producing a prolific and dizzying array of spectacular releases, Mondo is committed to two main goals: they seek to educate people about films as much as they want to celebrate them, but also, they aim to get film fans to see cinema the way they do. The Mondo team is a uniquely…
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Great Scott!!…’Back to the Future’ Turns 30
This is heavy. 30 years ago, lightning struck the clock tower of an unassuming California town, and the world hasn’t been the same since. Back to the Future is an incredible piece of filmmaking – full stop. Further, it is one of the rare occasions where a film’s legacy is only eclipsed by its fun factor. The landmark film has inspired countless filmmakers, artists, and entertainers…there are even Back to the Future LEGOs if that tells you anything. The impact it’s had on pop culture shows that the property has truly captured the hearts of an entire generation. In fact, years ago, we created a blog event titled “Films That…
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Strange and Wondrous Times: Six Years on the Web and A New Baby At Home
A few weeks ago, Brad Bird’s latest film, Tomorrowland, hit theaters. It’s had a mixed reception but we can’t really weigh in on the consensus. Why? We haven’t seen it yet. How did we not see one of the most anticipated films of the year? Well there’s a reason for that (that little nugget I’m holding in the header image has something to do with it), and, truth be told, I’ve missed a few other very notable films this year as well. I lead off with mention of Brad Bird specifically to bring up a line from his 1999 film which has been going through my head for many months…
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Christmas Pops with The Dallas Symphony Orchestra Couldn’t Be Jollier
Life is all about experiences, and there are very few things that can rival the thrill of live music. For 25 years, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has been putting on incredible shows and performances. This time of year, their Christmas Pops series can put even the most grumpy cat in the mood for jingle jangle holiday festivities. The world-renowned Meyerson Symphony Center, replete with its one-of-a-kind of acoustics, and incredible light display, offer patrons a visual journey as fascinating and vibrant as the auditory one. The playlist for this event (click here to view the full set list) has a plethora of old time Christmas favorites, and a good number of modern musical…
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Exclusive: Director Jorge R. Gutierrez, Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, and Reel FX Creative Team Explain Story, Music and Mexican Heritage in ‘The Book of Life’
Back in August, writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez gave a small presentation to select local press outlets at Reel FX studios. While there, we got to hear all about his film – from its humble beginnings to the nearly finished product – which is a co-production between the Dallas-based animation studio and 20th Century Fox. Last month we posted an article about our exclusive tour of the Reel FX studio, as well as our 1 on 1 interview with Gutierrez and his team. This follow-up post will take a closer look at The Book of Life and explain the design of the film, give insight into the symbolism in the story, as well as touch on…
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Mondo To Release ‘Shaun of the Dead’, ‘Looper, and ‘2001’ Scores On Vinyl
“We’re coming to get you Barbara!“. The 10th Annual Fantastic Fest is a mere two days away, which is reason enough to celebrate. But aside from that, the Fest will also be home to the first ever MondoCon! If by chance you’re a movie fan and have not heard of Mondo (or, egads, the Alamo Drafthouse!) it’s possible you’ve been living under a rock. Not to fear, we’re here to help spread their good word for both those wonderful companies. “Mondo” is an art gallery and online store devoted to a passionate love of film, art, music and toys. They continually champion vinyl releases and as we too are fans of keeping turntables…
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Exclusive: A Look Inside Reel FX and ‘The Book of Life’
Reel FX is a Dallas-based company that has seen their fair share of the commercial animation world. In the last two decades, they have lent their digital magic to a multitude of projects, both large and small. The company also maintains a Santa Monica location but the unassuming brick building here in North Texas houses a multitude of digital artists – ones well-versed in the field of computer animation. Founded 20 years ago, the company began doing service work and were one of the first to have the “Flame” software (their current circle logo is loosely based on that fact). Over time, their projects grew in size, as did their commercial…
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Hollywood Hits and The Music of John Williams with The Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The glamour and excitement of Tinseltown come alive when the DSO presents famous movie soundtracks from films like Star Wars, Jaws, Goldfinger, Silverado, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. Take your seat for the best in entertainment with music that ignites the senses in sonic splendor only heard at the Meyerson Symphony Center. But before the lights go down on the evenings of June 6-8, here’s a little glimpse of what to expect from the world-renowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The following text is from the essay we contributed to the playbill for this Pops concert. The Hollywood Golden era was a wondrous time in cinema history. The period between the…
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Happy Birthday to Us…Go,See,Talk Turns 5!
Yes, you read that right, the little blog that could, Texas’ own GoSeeTalk has hit the 5 year mark. But as joyous as this moment in internet history is, it’s also a bit sad. Well, more like bittersweet as this Dallas-based movie themed website is going to be changing gears, focus, and streamlining our content. You may have noticed more promo screenings since the beginning of this month. Well that’s because we’re changing it up and putting focus on what we believe is important. Reason being is that chasing news stories each day is just too ambitious for the resources and time allotted in the professional and personal lives of…
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So Long and Thanks For All the Fish!
(I write this on the eve of a special site-impacting announcement, because in light of what’s to come, we at Go, See, Talk! want you the reader to be aware of what’s ahead for us. Don’t worry, this isn’t a precursor to doom and gloom – quite the opposite in fact – but we wanted to keep all the information from being lumped into a long catch-all post that may or may not be overlooked. Again good news follows so gather around film fans. Here…we…go.) Five years. That’s a lot of time to account for. Of course, I personally only need to account for part of it; I only began…
