Two films about slavery in the United States have been released barely a year apart. One is by a renegade American auteur starring American actors; the other, based on a memoir, brought to the screen by a British video artist and a cast led by Brits playing American. Despite their similar subject matter, they are so vastly different in every other way that they barely deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence. However, their production, consumption by audiences, and subsequent responses raise important questions regarding contemporary society’s relationship to history.
The films in question are Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti western revenge epic Django Unchained, which sees the titular slave join forces with a German bounty hunter to rescue Django’s wife from an evil plantation owner, and Steve McQueen’s adaptation of the Solomon Northup memoir 12 Years a Slave, which recounts the trials faced by a free black...
The films in question are Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti western revenge epic Django Unchained, which sees the titular slave join forces with a German bounty hunter to rescue Django’s wife from an evil plantation owner, and Steve McQueen’s adaptation of the Solomon Northup memoir 12 Years a Slave, which recounts the trials faced by a free black...
- 11/8/2013
- by Misa Shikuma
- SoundOnSight
In "Lee Daniels' The Butler," Oprah returns to the big screen in her first major movie role in more than a decade. Oprah plays Gloria Gaines, the wife of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), a White House butler who served during eight presidential terms over the course of nearly 35 years. Director Lee Daniels, Oprah and Whitaker recently sat down together for an exclusive Oprah.com Q&A about "The Butler" and opened up about filming the movie -- including moments from Oprah's love scene.
Moderated by Gayle King, the Q&A takes an intimate turn when King asks Daniels what it was like to direct Oprah, someone who likes to be in control. He explains that Oprah had a lot of questions about her scenes.
"Too many damn questions!" Daniels says. "Oprah is just full of questions. I couldn't answer enough freaking questions."
He uses Oprah's love scene with Whitaker as an example.
Moderated by Gayle King, the Q&A takes an intimate turn when King asks Daniels what it was like to direct Oprah, someone who likes to be in control. He explains that Oprah had a lot of questions about her scenes.
"Too many damn questions!" Daniels says. "Oprah is just full of questions. I couldn't answer enough freaking questions."
He uses Oprah's love scene with Whitaker as an example.
- 8/1/2013
- by Lisa Capretto
- Huffington Post
A few weeks ago HeyUGuys along with a few other international journalists were invited to the 20th Century Fox lot to sit down with Director James Mangold and screen 18 minutes of footage from the forthcoming release “The Wolverine”. There are mild spoilers below.
Showcasing mainly the first act of the film, the footage establishes Mangold’s unique take on the Wolverine character by removing the titular character from the larger world of mutants and focusing instead on the internal pathos of a man who can never die. Wolverine’s mutant power is shown not so much a gift but rather a curse, resembling most similarly to the depiction of Logan seen in Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film. The question of Logan’s near immortality and his pain plays heavily into the majority of the film’s plot and tone.
While the trailers highlight the action beats of the film,...
Showcasing mainly the first act of the film, the footage establishes Mangold’s unique take on the Wolverine character by removing the titular character from the larger world of mutants and focusing instead on the internal pathos of a man who can never die. Wolverine’s mutant power is shown not so much a gift but rather a curse, resembling most similarly to the depiction of Logan seen in Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film. The question of Logan’s near immortality and his pain plays heavily into the majority of the film’s plot and tone.
While the trailers highlight the action beats of the film,...
- 7/5/2013
- by Brenden Toda
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
People can, at times, simultaneously feel conflicting emotions of love and hate towards any person they have an intimate relationship with, particularly their parents. While it can be difficult to understand other people’s motivations, people learn to come to terms and understand the actions others take as they mature. This is the intense motivating factor in director Daniel Algrant’s new drama, Greetings From Tim Buckley, which is based on the true story of the title musician. In the film, Penn Badgley plays Tim Buckley’s son, Jeff, who doesn’t fully understand the respect his late father garnered until he truly looks into his father’s past.
Greetings From Tim Buckley follows young musician Jeff Buckley, as he rehearses for his public singing debut in 1991 at a Brooklyn tribute concert for his father, the late folk singer Tim Buckley. As he struggles with the legacy of a father he barely knew,...
Greetings From Tim Buckley follows young musician Jeff Buckley, as he rehearses for his public singing debut in 1991 at a Brooklyn tribute concert for his father, the late folk singer Tim Buckley. As he struggles with the legacy of a father he barely knew,...
- 5/28/2013
- by Karen Benardello
- We Got This Covered
Director Robert Altman.
Robert Altman: Eclectic Maverick
By
Alex Simon
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the April 1999 issue of Venice Magazine.
It's the Fall of 1977 and I'm a bored and rebellious ten year old in search of a new movie to occupy my underworked and creativity-starved brain, feeling far too mature for previous favorites Wily Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Return of the Pink Panther (1975), and wanting something more up-to-date and edgy than Chaplin's City Lights (1931). I needed a movie to call my favorite that would be symbolic of my own new-found manhood (and something that would really piss off my parents and teachers). Mom and Dad were going out for the evening, leaving me with whatever unfortunate baby-sitter happened to need the $10 badly enough to play mother hen to an obnoxiously precocious only child like myself. I scanned the TV Guide for what...
Robert Altman: Eclectic Maverick
By
Alex Simon
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the April 1999 issue of Venice Magazine.
It's the Fall of 1977 and I'm a bored and rebellious ten year old in search of a new movie to occupy my underworked and creativity-starved brain, feeling far too mature for previous favorites Wily Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Return of the Pink Panther (1975), and wanting something more up-to-date and edgy than Chaplin's City Lights (1931). I needed a movie to call my favorite that would be symbolic of my own new-found manhood (and something that would really piss off my parents and teachers). Mom and Dad were going out for the evening, leaving me with whatever unfortunate baby-sitter happened to need the $10 badly enough to play mother hen to an obnoxiously precocious only child like myself. I scanned the TV Guide for what...
- 2/15/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
The good news? The London Riots seem to be abating. The bad news? Pm David Cameron is being a bit of a sh*t bird about the whole thing. The ugly news? Irreparable damage and violence was done. (The Big Picture)
That photo of the older gent in his ruined barbershop? That's sadness on a stick. But let's return, if we may, to the theme of David Cameron's sh*t birdiness. Listen the rioters, looters, criminals? Out of line. Reprehensible. But for David Cameron to Ban them from social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc is so gaspingly unself-aware I can't even begin to fathom it. Look inward, Cameron. Look to the deep problems in your community. Try some healing rhetoric and ease up on the name-calling and punitive threats. You're not their father, you can't just confiscate their mobile and expect things to be all better. Also? Stop being a sh*t bird.
That photo of the older gent in his ruined barbershop? That's sadness on a stick. But let's return, if we may, to the theme of David Cameron's sh*t birdiness. Listen the rioters, looters, criminals? Out of line. Reprehensible. But for David Cameron to Ban them from social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc is so gaspingly unself-aware I can't even begin to fathom it. Look inward, Cameron. Look to the deep problems in your community. Try some healing rhetoric and ease up on the name-calling and punitive threats. You're not their father, you can't just confiscate their mobile and expect things to be all better. Also? Stop being a sh*t bird.
- 8/11/2011
- by Joanna Robinson
In the wake of PBS’ announcement of a Mr. Rogers next-generation spinoff featuring a descendant of Daniel Tiger, I set out to recall exactly who Daniel Tiger was by watching a few clips of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on YouTube. (Because that’s what the internet, and my work days, are for.) The show was not much like I remembered — the rhythm, dialogue, and messages seemed absolutely foreign to me. Do you ever go back and watch a children’s show after 20-25 years and it’s just completely different? And you think, wow, maybe I should be learning anew from this kiddie crap every day?...
- 8/2/2011
- by Annie Barrett
- EW.com - PopWatch
March is winding down. Only three more Readers of the Day. Please let us know if you'd like to see future Reader Spotlights, albeit less frequently, in some capacity. Today we're talking to Kyle by way of Ohio and now South Carolina.
Nathaniel: When did you start reading the Film Experience?
Kyle: I started reading in 2004. I appreciated your love for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The Oscar coverage, witty writing, and overall admiration for cinema kept me coming back. I've visited the site at least once, every day, for the past six (almost seven) years.
I love to hear that. Okay, what was your first movie / movie obsession?
Kyle: The first movie I definitely remember seeing in a theater was Jurassic Park and I totally fell asleep! I remember my eyes slowly closing right after the T-Rex attacked the kids in the car.
I had several movie obsessions when I was younger,...
Nathaniel: When did you start reading the Film Experience?
Kyle: I started reading in 2004. I appreciated your love for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The Oscar coverage, witty writing, and overall admiration for cinema kept me coming back. I've visited the site at least once, every day, for the past six (almost seven) years.
I love to hear that. Okay, what was your first movie / movie obsession?
Kyle: The first movie I definitely remember seeing in a theater was Jurassic Park and I totally fell asleep! I remember my eyes slowly closing right after the T-Rex attacked the kids in the car.
I had several movie obsessions when I was younger,...
- 3/29/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks have admitted that they worry about balancing comedy and realism in their new show. The duo, who appear in The Good Guys, explained that they do not want the series to "jump the shark". "I think [the most challenging part of my character is] trying to find the balance between the realism and the comedy," Hanks told The TV Addict. "I think sometimes we find ourselves kind of - or at least I do - find myself hitting my head a little bit trying to find out exactly what it is I'm trying to serve and which is the best way to do that. Am I trying to serve a sense of reality in which something funny happens or am I trying to serve the comedy in which reality sort of goes out the window and it's just fun and zany and a good time?" Meanwhile, Whitford admitted that he is often (more...
- 5/20/2010
- by By Catriona Wightman
- Digital Spy
By FredTopel
hollywoodnews.com: Colin Hanks, son of mega movie star Tom Hanks, comes to television this summer in the Fox series The Good Guys. In the buddy cop comedy, Hanks plays the young cop paired up with a reckless older veteran (Bradley Whitford). Perhaps it is a recurring tradition in the Hanks family. Tom got his start in a very different buddy series, the cross-dressing sitcom Bosom Buddies. Colin said there’s no connection.
“No, because I’m not wearing a dress,” Hanks said. “I’m carrying a gun so there really wasn’t TV advice.”
What The Good Guys does offer Hanks is the chance to be funny. Films like Orange County and The House Bunny have Hanks reacting to other people being funny. “So much of the stuff I end up reading for or people want me for is the sort of sane guy surrounded by a bunch of crazy people.
hollywoodnews.com: Colin Hanks, son of mega movie star Tom Hanks, comes to television this summer in the Fox series The Good Guys. In the buddy cop comedy, Hanks plays the young cop paired up with a reckless older veteran (Bradley Whitford). Perhaps it is a recurring tradition in the Hanks family. Tom got his start in a very different buddy series, the cross-dressing sitcom Bosom Buddies. Colin said there’s no connection.
“No, because I’m not wearing a dress,” Hanks said. “I’m carrying a gun so there really wasn’t TV advice.”
What The Good Guys does offer Hanks is the chance to be funny. Films like Orange County and The House Bunny have Hanks reacting to other people being funny. “So much of the stuff I end up reading for or people want me for is the sort of sane guy surrounded by a bunch of crazy people.
- 5/17/2010
- by Fred Topel
- Hollywoodnews.com
Comic books have been integrated into our worldwide society for years now. When the comic strip was born with “Tintin”, the blossoming of Japanese manga (with works such as “Astro Boy’”) to the birth of the superhero with “Superman”, we cannot deny the impact they have played on our lives. The storytelling, illustrations and engaging characters that continue to draw us back have kept this medium afloat for decades.
The surprising in adaptations (good and bad?)
During the past twenty years Hollywood has ushered in a new wave of cinema in the form of comic book adaptations. Is that necessarily bad? Each person has a different point of view depending on their take of a single character. From the Reeves’ versions of Kal-El, the Burton-ized style of “Batman” and the burst of big time mainstream blockbuster with Bryan Singer’s “X-Men”, comic book adaptations have become quite the norm in...
The surprising in adaptations (good and bad?)
During the past twenty years Hollywood has ushered in a new wave of cinema in the form of comic book adaptations. Is that necessarily bad? Each person has a different point of view depending on their take of a single character. From the Reeves’ versions of Kal-El, the Burton-ized style of “Batman” and the burst of big time mainstream blockbuster with Bryan Singer’s “X-Men”, comic book adaptations have become quite the norm in...
- 8/31/2009
- by Melissa Molina
- Atomic Popcorn
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