The next fantasy themed young adult adventure series coming down the pike is based on Cassandra Clare’s best selling series The Mortal Instruments. When New York City teenager Clary Fray (Lily Collins) learns that she descends from a line of warriors who protect our world from demons her world is changed forever. All too soon she gets swept up in a grand quest without even getting a chance to catch her breath as she begins running for her life. Quickly coming to grips with her family’s history, Clary learns she is a “Shadowhunter” – a line of guardians who have the blood of Angels. Their job is to safeguard the mortal…
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G-S-T TV: Low Winter Sun (S1, Ep 2: The Goat Rodeo)
Episode 2 of AMC’s Low Winter Sun continues with the dark storyline and things are looking good for this new series. Following an unauthorized search of Mc Cann’s house by the DPD, Frank finds evidence that could have an immeasurable impact on the dynamic of his world. Elsewhere Maya and Damon find themselves rethinking their previously established plans. It takes a little time to get invested in these characters but there is no denying the charisma and acting power of Mark Strong and Lennie James who are very much carrying the show. Lennie James, as if speaking both for and to the audience, as Joe cuts to the chase and has…
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G-S-T Review…Kick-Ass 2
On the heels of Matthew Vaughn‘s unexpectedly well-received 2010 film (we thought it was OK) comes Jeff Wadlow’s equally zany but lack-lustre sequel. From the get go, Kick-Ass 2 feels like an imitation as opposed to a follow up and the film’s unevenness only calls more attention to the absence of Vaughn. Now that’s not entirely a bad thing as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and their band of colorfully righteous bad-asses do keep things breezy and entertaining. But it feels stiff and phoned in as things don’t click like they should or take the story anywhere worthwhile. You can’t blame Wadlow or the crew too much – this is a property called Kick-Ass after all, it’s not Shakespeare. This sequel doesn’t…
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G-S-T Review…In a World…
On paper, a career in the movie trailer voiceover business doesn’t suggest much by way of glamor, and in truth, In a World…, the feature directing, writing, and producing debut of the multifaceted Lake Bell, doesn’t little to shake that perception. Instead, Bell’s film builds a lived-in and authentic world where people ruthlessly vie for coveted gigs which appear so minor from a distance that their ability to inspire cutthroat competition is almost puzzling; it also happens to absurdly engaging and very, very funny, but the punchlines feel natural, unfussy, and not at all dependent on getting the audience to laugh at the misery and humiliation of the characters on…
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G-S-T Review…jOBS
Joshua Michael Stern’s Jobs has one question to answer, and one question only: can the towering genius of the late Steve Jobs be adequately embodied by Michael Kelso on the big screen? Every critic reviewing the film will inevitably struggle to utter, “yes”, if only because no one wants to risk their credibility by going to bat for an Ashton Kutcher performance. But, miracle of miracles, he’s actually pretty good, good enough at least to warrant real praise instead of yawning skepticism or begrudging acceptance, but not necessarily good enough to raise Jobs above the sub-standard, thoroughly muddled biopic Stern crafts around his lead’s portrayal of Apple’s driven, visionary, and utterly ruthless…
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G-S-T Review…The Attack
Connecting with The Attack presents a challenge: do we dare compare the handful of terrorist attacks on American soil to the pervasive, daily threat of death that’s part of living in the Middle East? Following the horrific suicide bombing that drives his film’s momentum, Ziad Doueiri, formerly one of Quentin Tarantino’s camera assistant and director of the 1998 Cannes winner West Beirut, we may tentatively respond in the negative. If the violent explosion – which Doueiri chooses not to show – echoes with personal familiarity, its context remains wholly foreign to us no matter how much we see reflections of our own homes and lives in the streets of Tel…
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G-S-T TV: Low Winter Sun (S1, Pilot)
Continuing with a hit streak that is very near white-hot, on Sunday AMC debuted the pilot for their new crime drama Low Winter Sun. Starring Mark Strong and Lennie James, two big league players in the British film community, this story of detectives walking a line between shady and legit is gritty, concentrated, and very much in line with the likes of Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. Similar to Netflix’s House of Cards, this is a remake/extrapolation of a previously released series. In this case Low Winter Sun was a TV movie released in 2006 and this AMC revival finds Strong reprising the role of Frank. We at GoSeeTalk are huge fans of Mark…
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G-S-T Review…Elysium
A visual feast for the eyes, Elysium manages to keep its head above water despite a sparse story. I think it’s fair to say that writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s first feature, District 9, gave a lot of filmmakers pause. Here was a fresh story by a new filmmaker told brilliantly. This was blockbuster science fiction on a dime’s budget that wowed audiences and critics alike. So I was eagerly awaiting his sophomore effort, Elysium, and went in expecting anything and everything. I had avoided most of the trailers and details about the film. I wanted a fresh experience, just like District 9, and I’m glad I did. Blomkamp wants to break the…
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G-S-T Review…Planes
There’s no doubt that Disney is a marketing juggernaut. It’s almost impossible to imagine a world without Mickey Mouse and his friends. That being said, not every Disney movie is a huge box office hit. Disney capitalizes on successful films by making follow-on films as direct-to-disc movies. It’s hard to know the criteria that is used to determine if a film should be direct-to-disc, but you typically know one when you see one. Whatever the case may be, Disney has all corners of the market covered. The latest entry in the Disney collection, Planes, almost went direct-to-disc as well. With that in mind, how will Planes fair with moviegoers? Keep…
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G-S-T Review…Drafthouse Films’ The Act of Killing
Describing The Act of Killing as a film unlike any made in the medium’s short lifetime almost feels like the definition of hubris, or at least hyperbole. But Joshua Oppenheimer’s wholly unique exploration of the genocidal horrors lurking in Indonesia’s recent history earns every bit of the praise accorded it since making festival rounds this Spring (notably IFFBoston) and beginning its limited theatrical run in July; if critics describe it as a masterpiece, that’s because it is a masterpiece, an exceptional display of daring that will secure Oppenheimer’s name in the annals of cinema. That The Act of Killing also happens to be one of 2013’s most unsettling and insightful releases should…
