2014 was certainly a banner year for film. Unlikely properties pulled in record numbers at the box office while Hollywood again learned the hard way that rehashes of established brands, and unnecessary sequels, are not what people want. To be honest, the movies that failed to pull in favorable ticket sales have only themselves to blame. Many were derivative, or poorly written and executed, but one thing was for sure – originality reigned supreme in 2014. One-of-a-kind films, like Boyhood, Birdman, Interstellar, even Nightcrawler and Locke, stuck with movie goers and kept discussions and buzz going weeks, even months later. Risk was definitely rewarded but also, more importantly, these were…
-
-
G-S-T Year In Review – Marc’s 2013 Wrap Up
Now that the holly, jolly dust of the December release barrage has settled, and we are actually able to ponder all the films that have come down the pike, 2013 might not eclipse that golden zenith in cinema – the legendary year of ’84 – but I sure had some fun. Stock in Steve McQueen and Spike Jonze skyrocketed (possibly future-proofing their status as infallible filmmakers from here on in), lots of stellar films with white-hot buzz came unexpectedly out of the blue (Fruitvale Station, Short Term 12), lots of docs wowed audiences and and share stories ranging from inspiring to devastating (A Band Called Death, Blackfish) even Disney was able…
-
G-S-T Year In Review – Grady’s 2013 Wrap Up
Every year there are seasons of movies that have certain expectations tied to them. During the summer we have big budget blockbuster hits that make hundreds of millions of dollars. Over the holiday season, November/December, we see a lot of Oscar contenders as well as family friendly films. In January we see movies that usually can’t compete with the summer blockbusters or holiday season movies. The point is, we as moviegoers have certain expectations and this year it feels as though we had less movie choices or maybe just less movies that were actually good. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great movies, but there didn’t seem to be…
-
G-S-T Year In Review – Andy’s 2013 Wrap Up
Another year, another wrap up. I want to use this preamble space to touch on statistics; I saw more films on 2013’s release slate than any other year since I started this whole crazy film critic’s journey (at least within its lifespan). How many more? Well, permit me to abstain from specifics, because that would just be bragging, but I’ll say “a lot” and leave it at that. Henceforth the final tally will be a secret that haunts your dreams for life. Okay, that’s going a wee bit far. But there is a good reason for me bringing up math: after poring over the trusty (highly classified!) Word document I’ve been using…
-
G-S-T Quick 5 – 2013’s Underseen Gems
Well, well – we’re back here again, are we? The biggest difference between that post and the one you’re about to read, though, is that 2013 has been nothing but gravy through and through, boasting an absolutely absurd number of high quality films of all makes and models; if the early going was slow, things picked up in a big way in late Spring, and that momentum stuck for pretty much the rest of the year following that. Whether you were hitting the big multiplexes or your local arthouse establishment, 2013 had a slew of wonderful movies worth your patronage. Inevitably that means some of them fell through the cracks;…
-
G-S-T Top 10 – Underrated British Comedies
Editor’s Note: In anticipation of Edgar Wright’s upcoming film The World’s End (which hits theaters in August) this Top 10 list is a guest post that comes to us from Zeke Iddon, a writer at the New York Film Academy. Much greater than the loose collection of stereotypes which British humour sometimes gets painted with, its comedy export is a weird and wonderful tapestry which caters to just about every taste. And ‘export’ is a good term for our comedic output, since many British shows are licensed, remade (for better or worse) and studied at film schools the world over. With Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s new film The World’s…
-
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…
-
G-S-T Top 10 – Movies Off the Beaten Path – Round 5
One of the great things about Netflix is the collection of recently debuted independent films. These selections, however, can be hit or miss, so with this installment of “Movies Off the Beaten Path,” we’re bringing you a list of ten independent films worth watching that were released over the last five years – and they are all also currently available on Netflix Instant. How can you go wrong? —————————————————————————————————————————————– Hunger – One of Fassbender’s very best and no one even knows about it…except for the Criterion community of course. It’s also the start of his increasingly brilliant collaboration with Steve McQueen (check out their second film in our review of…
-
G-S-T Quick 5 – Favorite Magic/Heist Themed Flicks
Inspired by the upcoming film Now You See Me, Summit Entertainment’s magic-themed caper flick that comes out this week, we at G-S-T wanted to take a brief look back at some of our favorite as well as some seminal heist/magic based films. Granted this is a broad genre to try and wrap into a single Quick 5 list, so I’ll say right up front that I know I haven’t covered every base I could. After all, what can you do about a genre as large as the heist film and the smaller magical field? Answer: you do the best you can and scour to fit things into a neat list…
-
G-S-T Year In Review – Jessica's 2012 Wrap Up
Being the Indie lover that I am, I’ve decided to stick to independent titles only for my 2012 Wrap Up. After a fairly disappointing 2011, this year brought us so many amazing films it is difficult to chose only ten to discuss here, and with the limitations of the categories below, I am leaving out so many wonderful films, both studio and independent based, that I probably walked out of thinking it was the best film I’d seen to date. That’s what made picking a favorite film for 2012 so difficult. It seemed that the more I saw, the more favorites I had to add to the list. To name…
