With fierce conviction to tell stories that some might consider offensive or taboo, director Steve McQueen has twice proved himself to be an unflinching filmmaker. He gave us Hunger, then followed that with Shame and now his latest film 12 Years A Slave, adapted from the novel of the same name, tells the incredible true story of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped in 1841 and forced into slavery at a Louisiana cotton plantation. Facing cruelty from his slave owner, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter…
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Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave' Opening Pushed Up To October
Steve McQueen is an astounding up and coming filmmaker, full stop. With only two films to date (one of which, his first, is in the Criterion collection) he’s made a name for himself as a visceral storyteller who takes a lot of chances in both a visual and narrative sense. His upcoming film 12 Years A Slave (one of our most anticipated films of 2013) was originally set for a Christmas time release but Fox Searchlight will move the opening from December 27 th to October. The film tells the story (written by John Ridley from the book by the actual Solomon Northup) set in the pre-Civil War United States where Solomon Northup…
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G-S-T Review…World War Z
Good news for fans of World War Z, Max Brooks’ brilliantly crafted mock-oral history detailing the events and aftermath of a worldwide zombie holocaust: Brad Pitt and Marc Forster have made their adaptation of the text in name only. World War Z, Pitt’s misguided attempt at building his very own action franchise through his very own production company, borrows little and less from the source, cherry picking only a handful of moments from a very short list of its innumerable perspectives and locations; readers will immediately recognize the material that made the cut, though the film veers such a sharp left from the book that they may also be left…
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Sweet Trailer…'World War Z'
When last we checked in on the film adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel World War Z things didn’t look all that great. Not only for the cast, which includes Brad Pitt, but also for us film fans. It seemed that nearly every message board on the web was ablaze with less than favorable opinions. Commenters complained about the shoddy CG, the fact it looked like a terrible sequel to I Am Legend, it doesn’t look at all like the book (or follow its numerous plot lines) and a few other snide comments we won’t bring up here. Well this new trailer might win over some naysayers. Also, as Olympic-sprinter Zombies are all…
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“What’s New on Blu?” – Week of 03/25/13
Whether you rent or buy movies, Blu-ray offers the ultimate in sight and sound. Streaming is convenient, but if you plan on watching the movie more than once, you need Blu. So, What’s New On Blu? you ask. Well, good, bad or indifferent, Go,See,Talk offers up a trio of titles that are being released each week. Check out what’s hitting the shelves this Tuesday… ——————————————————————————————————————————— In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. Lincoln is an incredible movie and even if you don’t buy it on Blu-ray, you should…
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Warner Bros. Taking Homer's Odyssey to the Moon
I can honestly admit that while I read an absolutely enormous amount of Greek mythology as a lad– courtesy of taking Latin as a language through middle school and high school– I never wondered what Homer’s Odyssey would look like as a space opera. Fortunately, there are dreamers in the world with grander imaginations than my own, because it sounds like Warner Bros. wants to push the Greek poet’s vision out of Ithaca and Scheria (and countless other locations) into the final frontier with the aid of screenwriter James DiLapo, author of the screenplay for the blacklisted period thriller Devils At Play. Is this good news or bad news? I still have a bad…
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G-S-T Review…Killing Them Softly
Not every crime film has to appear the same. There can be grace and beauty, even in death, and time and time again, director Andrew Dominik proves this in Killing Them Softly. Raw, thought-provoking in unexpected ways, and supremely well acted, this is a crime film that stands out from the crowd for good and bad reasons. There’s a filthiness to one character in particular who you actually root to get knocked off. In fact, he gives such a disgusting and down-and-out performance you are left with a bad taste in your mouth. The amount of perspiration he seems to conjure up compared to everyone else is mesmerizing and loathsome…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 11/30/12
When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- THE COLLECTION When Elena’s friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an…
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Sweet Podcast…The Matineecast: Episode 41
Last time I chatted at length with my old cineblogging friend Hatter, we waxed poetic and raved about the stellar indie kidnapping flick The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Needless to say it has been too long since we picked up that sweet science. So after getting some well deserved rest from his extensive coverage of this year’s TIFF, we both stepped to the plate for my second trip to The Matineecast. This time around we looked at a host of fun and quasi-intellectual movie related tidbits before digging in taking a good look at the new Brad Pitt film Moneyball. So have a listen to Episode 41 of The Matineecast and enjoy. If you like…
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G-S-T Review…Moneyball
moneyball [muhn-ee bawl] noun 1. A derisive name for a sport (especially baseball) in which skill and fans seem secondary to money, esp. a sport in which teams, hoping to secure winning seasons and the resulting broadcasting and merchandising incomes, negotiate expensive contracts with desirable players. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it right? Well in 2001/02 Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane didn’t believe in that old adage. In charge of the one of the MLB’s most under funded ball clubs he was tired of getting beat; not just by the team on the field but by the big dollars behind the team and that’s the game in which Beane could never compete. So, it’s not…