These are my top 10 films of 2018. And yes, I did see Roma, Green Book, The Favourite, and Bohemian Rhapsody, among many others.
For all annual top films lists from 2002 to the present, click on the “Annual Top Films Lists” tab above.
Category Archives: Sci-Fi
2018 Memo to the Academy
Dear Academy,
You have enough on your plate. Nominee luncheons. Press releases. Etc. I get it. You don’t have time to watch all the nominated films. No worries. I’m pleased to step up to the plate, watch the movies, and offer my (informed) opinions. I know you’ve looked forward to this memo for the last nine years, so how could I possibly disappoint you by skipping a year? So attend your lunches and write your press releases lauding improved diversity numbers among your ranks. Leave the Oscars to me. I’ll take it from here.
Your Friend,
Dan Quitério
Short Film: “Doodlebug” by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s first IMDb credit came for writing, directing, shooting, editing, and set designing his 3-minute short film, “Doodlebug” (1997). The black-and-white, noirish film was made while Nolan (then credited as “Chris”) was studying English literature at university. Its lone performer, Jeremy Theobald, later starred in Nolan’s feature debut, Following (1998), another black-and-white noir just a year later.
It doesn’t take much to notice the early stages of Nolan’s evolving “film mind” in this brief piece. The various levels of reality at play here are fully on display in a greater form in Nolan’s 2010 film, Inception.
Now, see how it all began for the modern master…
2015 Limité Film Guide: Staff Picks
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Breathe deep. Following lackluster box office numbers of late, 2015 is aiming to usher in a wealth of cinematic riches with an onslaught of proven tentpoles. Such films scheduled with 2015 release dates includeFurious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Pitch Perfect 2, Jurassic World,Ted 2, Spectre (“Bond 24”), <exhale> The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, and Mission: Impossible 5 <exhale>. But in case that’s not enough to quench your appetite, there’s Peanuts coming in November. That doesn’t hit your sweet spot? Fifty Shades of Grey bows in February.
Each of Limité’s Film writers presents 10 of her or his most-anticipated films of 2015. Check out their picks, then tell us what you’re looking forward to seeing in the new year.
All synopses are courtesy of IMDb.com, unless otherwise noted. As films are in various stages of production, information is subject to change, including release dates.
Click here to view the full guide.
Limité Must-See: Another Earth (2011)
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
by Daniel Quitério
Coming Soon: Transcendence
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCTen3-B8GU]
Johnny Depp. Rebecca Hall. Paul Bettany. Kata Mara. Morgan Freeman. Cillian Murphy. And above them all, Wally Pfister.
After a terminally ill scientist downloads his mind into a computer, he discovers unimaginable powers. Depp sheds the heavy makeup for this sci-fi action pic, which doesn’t usually bode as well for his films’ box office receipts. However, this time he has Wally Pfister, the Oscar-winning cinematographer behind Christopher Nolan’s films, to guide him in Pfister’s directorial debut. After standing behind the camera for dozens of critical and box office favorites, it should be interesting to see how much of Nolan’s influence—if any—bears on Pfister’s turn in the director’s chair.
Transcendence is slated for an April 18 bow.
Official Trailer: Sandra Bullock in GRAVITY
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]Official Trailer: Byzantium
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]2012 Fall Film Guide
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
September 5, 2012
Labor Day has passed, and now it’s time to consider this year’s crop of what will inevitably be considered some of Oscar’s biggest fodder. It’s no surprise that when it comes to the Academy Awards, the movies that are most likely to be honored with a nomination are those that are released towards the end of the year. Some of this year’s frontrunners appear to be Argo, Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Hyde Park on Hudson, Life of Pi, Lincoln, The Master, Les Misérables, Silver Linings Playbook, Wreck-It Ralph, and Zero Dark Thirty. Of course, there’s plenty of other flicks to look forward to, spanning all genres and audience interests.
Note: All non-authored pieces’ loglines are courtesy of IMDb.com.
Continue reading 2012 Fall Film Guide
Q&A: Team from Oscar-Nominated Film “Time Freak”
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Among this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Short Film—Live Action is “Time Freak,” the comedic story of a neurotic inventor who creates a time machine that he uses to travel around yesterday so that he can obsessively correct his social foibles. The short is the only American film nominated in its category. I had the chance to pick the brains of the film’s masterminds, including writer/director Andrew Bowler, his producer wife Gigi Causey, and lead actor Michael Nathanson, just before their big day in Hollywood.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_DLkVR7hK0]Where were you when you found out about the nomination?
Michael: I actually was sound asleep. My wife is a public school teacher in NYC, and she had been up early and found out at work. When she woke me up by screaming into the answering machine, I knew it was good news.
Andrew: We were at home when we heard the news. We got up at 4:45am, unable to sleep anymore. The telecast did not come on ’til about 5:50am, and then the results were posted online shortly after that. We wanted to share the possible moment with our friends and family in different parts of the country, so we shot it.
(Watch this video of Andrew and Gigi finding out they have been nominated for an Oscar.)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnwiOYhIExU&feature=youtu.be]Continue reading Q&A: Team from Oscar-Nominated Film “Time Freak”
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