Category Archives: Narrative

Drama, Narrative, On My DVR, Preview

On My DVR: HBO Movies & Miniseries

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I’m a huge fan of HBO and much of its original programming. In addition to the network’s terrific series that I frequently watch, I also watch as many of its miniseries and original movies—most of the newest offerings are sitting on my DVR. Here’s what I have to look forward to …

Parade’s End

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTDCj9-spF8]

While most of the US is discovering Benedict Cumberbatch for the first time thanks to his role in Star Trek into Darkness, I’ve long been a fan and am excited to see him opposite Rebecca Hall (another of my favorites) in this five-part miniseries.

Logline (courtesy of IMDb): Revolves around a love triangle between a conservative English aristocrat, his mean socialite wife, and a young suffragette.

Director: Susanna White
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens
Runtime: ~ 300 min.

Continue reading On My DVR: HBO Movies & Miniseries →

Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Preview, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Trailer

Official Trailer: Sandra Bullock in GRAVITY

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I have been waiting for this film for a very long time. Originally scheduled to be released last year, Gravity will now open on October 4, 2013. Director Alfonso Cuarón is one of my go-to directors. He has an ability to capture a very real and gritty aspect of life and the “human condition” (there’s that term I hate so much). The director worked on this film with frequent collaborator, DP Emmanuel Lubezki, who just happens to be my favorite cinematographer. If only the film were pushed to a November/December release it might stand a better shot at Oscar gold. Here’s hoping it resonates with voters.

Official Logline:

Astronauts attempt to return to earth after debris crashes into their space shuttle, leaving them drifting alone in space.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufsrgE0BYf0]
Coming Soon, Drama, Horror, Independent Film, Narrative, Preview, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Trailer

Official Trailer: Byzantium

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Official Logline:

Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zu2cW7AhO8]
Drama, In Theatres, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Review

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES: The Year’s First Amazing Film

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It’s not often that I watch a movie and feel compelled to write about it (unless I have to)—that is, write beyond the 140 characters allowed by Twitter. But I recently watched Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines and instantly knew that I had to get the word out. Without knowing much about the film, I knew I wanted to see it (despite a trailer that did not interest me) for two reasons: 1. It’s Derek Cianfrance, and I LOVE Blue Valentine (which topped my annual Top 20 list in 2011), and 2. It stars Ryan Gosling, who, in my opinion, is one of the most talented actors alive today. Now, I watch a lot of movies. A LOT. And it’s hard to come by a truly great film nowadays that can compete with the purity and heart of those from the Golden Age of cinema. So rest assured that I am not half-heartedly slinging around superlatives when I say that The Place Beyond the Pines is one of my all-time favorite movies.

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Actors, Awards, Comedy, Drama, Filmmakers, Independent Film, Narrative, Oscars

2013 Memo to the Academy

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(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

Dear Academy,

You get thanked an awful lot by Oscar winners, but you don’t always make the smartest choices (#justsayin). Allow us to help you along a bit so you don’t make another embarrassing blunder (Affleck, anyone?) come February 24th. Here’s who we say should win in some of the key races.

Your friends,

Dan Quitério

Limité Film Editor

Stephanie Dawson

Senior Film Contributor

Continue reading 2013 Memo to the Academy →

Comedy, Coming Soon, Independent Film, Narrative, Poster, Preview

New Clip, Poster for FRANCES HA

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Check out this clip and new poster for Noah Baumbach’s latest offering, Frances Ha, starring and co-written by Greta Gerwig. The movie made my top 20 list for 2012 (#16). The film is slated for a limited release beginning May 17.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lppZIudsPWc&feature=player_embedded]

Awards, Drama, Narrative, News, Oscars

ARGO Solidifies Front-runner Status for Best Picture

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After some high-profile Best Picture wins at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and AFI, Argo has come ever closer to solidifying its Oscar front-runner status following last night’s Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award win for Best Picture. The PGA Award is often a reliable indicator of the Best Picture winner at the Oscars. The twist here is that the Oscar winner for Best Picture typically also wins for Best Director, but, as has been repeatedly documented, Argo‘s director Ben Affleck was famously snubbed for a nomination. It’s extremely rare for a film to win Best Picture without its director being nominated. The last movie to achieve this was Driving Miss Daisy 23 years ago. It looks like we’re coming closer to repeating this feat in just a few short weeks.

Although Argo is deserving of the Best Picture honors it’s received to date, Affleck’s Oscar snub is perhaps the best thing to happen to the film. It seems that several awards bodies are quick to remind the Academy of its foolish decision to leave Affleck out of the race, and they’re doing it by awarding him and the movie at their own award shows. Had Affleck been nominated, I question whether the film would be receiving this same attention, especially when competing against other deserving films like Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Misérables, and Life of Pi.

So the question persists: If Argo wins Best Picture, who will win Best Director?

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Awards, Comedy, Independent Film, Narrative, Oscars

MOONRISE KINGDOM Interactive Script Released

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An interactive script for Oscar Best Original Screenplay nominee Moonrise Kingdom was recently released. Check it out here. The screenplay was written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola.

Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson and written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, is set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965. It tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore—and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban, and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.
Moonrise Kingdom is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download.  It is also available to view On Demand.
Official Site: moonrisekingdom.com
Animation, Comedy, Foreign Film, Narrative, Oscars, Short Film

Short Film: “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”

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This animated short film directed by Nicky Phelan and written and performed by Kathleen O’Rourke was nominated at the 2009 Academy Awards for Best Short Film (Animated). In my opinion, it was the best of the five nominated films and should have won for its cleverness and use of multiple animation techniques.

Drama, Filmmakers, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Preview

Q&A: Miguel Gomes

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(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

I recently sat down with Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes in Manhattan’s Film Forum, where his new feature Tabu will be screening as of December 26th. The film’s story begins in Lisbon where we meet Aurora, an elderly woman with a seemingly uninteresting life. Following her death, Aurora’s neighbor and maid join to find an old man with a connection to Aurora’s past. As the man begins to tell his and Aurora’s story, we are transported to a former Portuguese colony in Africa, where we witness their youthful, eccentric lives play out.

Tabu is told in two distinct parts: the first half set in Lisbon in the present day and the second set in Africa decades earlier. Both benefit from the classic mode of filmmaking that Gomes employed. His use of black-and-white imagery and a 4:3 aspect ratio hearken back to a cinema of old, honoring a long-forgotten art while emphasizing the film’s theme of lost youth.

This year, the film has screened at the New York Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Las Palmas Film Festival (Spain), and won two awards at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.

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