The year was 2007. Their names were Chase Whale and Rusty Gordon, two guys who love to discuss, and argue, all things film. Chase was soon hit with the idea of a movie website centered around reviews done in video. Rusty responded simply with “gordon and the whale dot com.”

With that, the site was launched that same year on October 12th, 2007. Now with a staff of 17, we are still going strong giving you the latest news and reviews, sponsoring advance screenings, throwing movie parties, attending film festivals, and interviewing today’s top creative minds in the film industry.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out GordonandtheWhale.com! Your voice and opinions are highly recommended here, so comment away! E-mail us at chase@gordonandthewhale.com for questions, suggestions, or if you just want to say hello!

GordonandtheWhale.com is:

Chase Whale

Owner/Editor-in-Chief/Co-Founder/Writer/Video Editor

Most likely you’ll catch me napping, eating, or editing. I fell in love with film when my wonderful mother – whom I call “Mo” – took me to see TERMINATOR 2 in the second grade. In 2003, I directed/shot/edited a Dallas skateboard film called THE CINEMATIC APPROACH. There are probably three copies in circulation. When I’m not Gordon and the Whaling it up, I’m editing videos for Dallas Observer, ENVY Magazine, and anyone else that throws a project in my path.

Films that changed my life are: CITY OF GOD, HALF NELSON, CHILDREN OF MEN, YOUNG GUNS, YEAH RIGHT!, BRAVEHEART, and anything P.T. Anderson.

Oh, and I listen to a lot of Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Van Morrison, The Microphones, The Clash, The Smiths, and Joy Division.

Last modified on 2010-02-27 01:23:47 GMT. Top.

Rusty Gordon

Executive Editor/Co-founder/Film Critic/News Writer

Since the age of ten there have been two constant interests in Russell Lee Gordon II’s life: football and movies. Rusty’s interest in movies was excelled by the fact that he saw some of cinema’s best offerings long before he hit the recommended age, including Pulp Fiction at ten and Natural Born Killers at age eleven. Much of these great films’ content went over young Rusty’s head, but the films struck a strong chord with him. Since then, Rusty has been consuming movies at a rapid pace, sacrificing the possiblities of relationships and a balanced social life for the glimmer of a theater screen. Rusty’s love for film caused him to pursue a degree in film, and eventually achieved this goal by receiving a degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of North Texas. Rusty currently works a standard office job, but cinema still remains his passion.

Last modified on 2010-02-08 01:58:44 GMT. Top.

James Wallace

Managing Editor

A / S / L?
24 / M / Dallas!

My life began on December 29th, 1984 as I was forged from a fiery pit deep in Mount Doom, in a very nice upscale area of Mordor. I was then taken across the galaxy to live on a farm in the desert with my aunt and uncle (shout out to my kin folk on Tatooine). That is until tragedy struck and they passed away from being murdered. Left with only hopes, dreams and a passion for magic, I decided to pursue my life long dream of getting a formal education. Succeeding in my dream, I am a recent graduate of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which I earned a bachelor’s degree in Magic Arts & Science. I now reside on the beautiful Isla Nublar, in the very pleasant suburb of Jurassic Park: Site 2. I am accompanied by my lovely paleontologist fiance, our two adopted children and hundreds of dinosaurs.

In my free time I enjoy recovering lost artifacts and putting them in their rightful place…a museum! I also enjoy traveling back in time with my kooky, older but wiser best friend, hunting killer shark, finding replicants, busting ghosts, and riding bikes with my homeboy Extra T.

My pet peeves are species that think they can get all in your face, implant their views into you and then just use you only to get rid of you and all your other space marine friends.

I am also a huge supporter of equal rights for humans and the fight to oppose the fascist government Skynet.

Last modified on 2009-09-08 19:13:06 GMT. Top.

Kate Erbland

West Coast Editor/Film Critic

At age five, Kate was famous in her first grade class for having seen DIRTY DANCING twelve times (a distinction which was only overshadowed by her other infamous trait of constantly running around with her skirt over her head). While her tastes have turned considerably more refined in the intervening twenty years, Kate still carries a serious torch for dance movies (and for skirt-head). She’s seen every James Bond movie in theaters since 1985 (A VIEW TO A KILL), has never walked out of or passed out during a film (CLOVERFIELD), truly believes movie theater popcorn should be its very own food group, and once told David Gordon Green, “You’re my very favorite director in the whole wide world.”

Kate came to Los Angeles for the weather and a writing program at Loyola Marymount University that allowed her to spend weeks on the road, pretending to be Kerouac while drinking a lot of cheap wine. She has stayed in Los Angeles because she can’t imagine living anywhere that doesn’t allow her to tell people, “Tara Reid and I go to the same grocery store.”

Kate has a “real” job that inexplicably involves crunching numbers and heavy metal bands in equal parts.

In her free time, Kate enjoys talking about all things important to various species of the living (including, but not limited to, people, hairless cats, and police ponies), the local Los Angeles music scene, yoga, and telling people to see more movies and read more books.

Last modified on 2010-02-12 01:14:55 GMT. Top.

Wilhem Oliva

News Editor/Film Critic

Wilhem Oliva here, long time listener, first time caller. I’m 26 years old and a full-time student at UNT who will be graduating in December! After that, it’s off find fame in Hollywood (you know, because a film degree guarantees fame!). Seriously, though, I will graduate soon and who knows what the world holds for me after that. Some things you might want to know about me: I love PULP FICTION, I’m a vegetarian, I was born in Honduras (so i got street cred), and I enjoy long walks on the beach.

Last modified on 2010-02-08 02:00:06 GMT. Top.

Kacey Close

Coding Ninja/Movie Goer

In his youth, Kacey’s daydreams were all envisioned in CinemaScope with sweeping camera movements and often impossibly dramatic angles. His entire history can be punctuated with powerful scores and soundtracks. Every moment of his life, he has renvisioned in his head as scenes from a film. From humble beginnings in a nearly non-existent town in southern Connecticut, Kacey has found himself deposited in Denton, Texas.

What followed was a wending path to a degree in Radio, Television, and Film with a minor in photography. He has worked on a handful of movies and television shows in the DFW area only to eventually abandon the dreams of becoming a film maker, indefinitely. Still, years after achieving his now disused film degree from the University of North Texas, he has homesteaded in the area and has become a full time computer technician for the same said university.

Established in his safe, middle-class lifestyle, Kacey works a 40 hour job simply to pay the bills and live a simple life with his wife and son. Movies are never far away from him and he is constantly digesting more cinema from all eras and genres. And, most recently, as a member of Gordon and the Whale, he volunteers his talents with web design to help build the best up-and-coming movie site on the net.

Kacey considers himself a film maker, a photographer, a web designer, a gamer, a husband, and a father; not necessarily in that order.

Last modified on 2009-10-07 02:39:26 GMT. Top.

Ronnita Miller

Austin Correspondent/News Writer/Film Critic

Ronnita Miller is a failure at interpersonal relationships. Upon first meeting her, she will charm the pants off you then immediately ask you to put them back on. That being said, she has chosen to live her life vicariously through film and what a roller coaster of a life it has been. Her first known memory involves a high speed bicycle chase as she helped her best friend abandon her forever in pursuit of a place called “home.” All this after he ran up her parents phone bill and polished off the last of her Reese’s Pieces.

Since then, she can hardly bring herself to look at the autumnal colored candies without feeling a stabbing pain in the left side of her chest and finds solace in the fact that they do not sell that confection at most cinematheques these days.

When not watching films Ronnita spends time; writing about film and music, reading about film and music, and updating her Netflix and public library queues- mostly under the guise of menial office work. In addition to those things; she enjoys playing various musical instruments (very poorly I must say), having long conversations about the inner workings of her digestive and excretory systems, and adding to her collection of vintage clothing, shoes, and records.

Last modified on 2010-02-08 01:58:21 GMT. Top.

Allison Loring

Soundtrack Critic

Growing up, Allison was known as a tomboy who could take a punch to the arm or a fall to the ground as good as (if not better) than any of the boys. She was tough, she was feisty, she did not cry. And then a little movie called TITANIC came out and she found herself weeping uncontrollably in a dark theater. What had happened? Had she grown soft? Had becoming a teenager caused her to lose her playground edge? As the credits rolled to Celine Dion (you know the song), Allison wiped away her tears with butter-stained napkins and realized what had happened. It was the music! The theme that played throughout the 2+ hour movie caused her to swell up every time. It was in this moment that Allison’s intrigue by the effect of music in movies began.

This love of music led Allison to Los Angeles, where she majored in “corralling rock stars” (i.e. studying the ins and outs of a recording studio). Not happy unless she is going “Mach 5 with her hair on fire,” Allison also balanced jobs in different aspects of the music industry from record labels to management to concert booking. After a stint in the world of agencies (think Ari Gold), she fortuitously landed in music publishing and now spends her days providing music to different productions including, you guessed it, movies.

Although music is Allison’s first love, she has always harbored a strong desire to write, but had no real outlet to do so. But thanks to fellow GATWer Kate Erbland (real life bestie/ying to her yang), Allison now gets to combine her two loves as part of the GATW family.

Allison also enjoys tennis, playing the piano, frozen yogurt, Robert Pattinson’s hair, and drinking more coffee than is probably legal (or healthy).

Last modified on 2010-02-08 01:56:19 GMT. Top.

Don R. Lewis

Film Critic

Evidently the elder statesman at GATW, Don R. Lewis has pretty much worked his way into the film industry backwards. Starting off some 12 years ago as a volunteer for the Sundance film festival, Don then began writing reviews for local papers. Soon he was recruited by Film Threat and stayed there for ten years while learning and studying everything there was to study about film. Now, four film degrees (including a Masters in Cinema Studies) and two award winning short documentaries later, Don has found a new home inside the belly of Gordon and the Whale.  

Don lives in Northern California with his wife, daughter and dog Igby. In his spare time Don enjoys microbrews, music, baseball (Go Giants!) and his favorite filmmakers include Hal Ashby, Billy Wilder, Kevin Smith and Sam Peckinpah.

BUY MY FILM!!!

Last modified on 2010-02-08 01:55:58 GMT. Top.

John Mulhern

News Writer/Blu-ray Critic

Maybe it was foreshadowing, but when I was four, I would always tell people my favorite director was Steven Spielberg. It might be because my parents took me to see Jurassic Park in theaters, even though I was way too young to see it. My love for film never died! I’m a film geek! I’ve seen Pulp Fiction over a hundred times (easily), I remember the most trivial film facts, I can connect any two actors (that I’m familiar with) through their acting careers (seriously, test me), and I can talk about James Bond for hours.

I’m currently a student at the University of North Texas pursuing a Radio, Television, and Film degree. FUN FACT: John Mulhern won a state award in 2007 for co-writing and co-directing a PSA!

Also, I’m a self professed tea guru, always looking for new teas to try out! If you wanna talk tea, I’m interested. I even have a tea blog, seriously

Last modified on 2010-01-16 19:52:55 GMT. Top.

Drew Tinnin

News Writer

As a writer for Fangoria magazine & as the associate producer for FANGORIA RADIO on Sirius/XM, Drew is still expecting to wake up from his dream job over at Fango Headquarters in New York City. Having been raised in Austin, TX, Drew is thrilled to now come aboard the cruise ship here at Gordonandthewhale.com. He has high hopes that this seafaring expedition will be more Love Boat than Whale Wars and more Ana Lucia than Gilligan. Love won’t hurt anymore. Gordon and the whale is an open smile on a friendly shore. Drew also hates writing about himself in the third person.

Last modified on 2010-02-05 01:30:40 GMT. Top.

Joshua Brunsting

News Writer

Born in the tiny Michigan city known as Holland, and raised in the even smaller city known as Saugatuck, I have been a film geek for the majority of my life, and have known film was my passion ever since the final frame of The Lion King. I’m a romantic with a thing for 60’s pop music (preferably French), John Keats poems, and an even bigger thing for film noir. Currently a Journalism Major at Grand Valley State University, I am using my love of film, and my deathly, ninja-like, skill behind the keyboard to slowly take over the world.

When I’m not writing about or watching film, I’m listening to music, particularly from the likes of TV on the Radio, Best Coast, and Semi Precious Weapons. I play the ukulele, and I also have a deep and intense love for Gustavo Santaolalla and Ennio Morricone, but then again, who doesn’t. I was drum major for my high school marching band for two years, I’m one of the four people who actually watched Dollhouse, and my favorite film of all time is Godard’s Breathless.

I’m a wannabe screenwriter, a wild thing, a nerd, a geek, and most importantly, I’m a lover of film. Oh, and I want to be Captain Planet when I grow up.

Last modified on 2010-02-08 02:09:53 GMT. Top.

Will Schiffelbein

News Writer

I’ve spent the greater part of my life traveling, as children of military parents usually do. Through this fortunate series of events, I have had the pleasure of spending time in nearly every corner of the world, from Australia to Germany. However, I’ve since settled down in Colorado where I’m currently pursuing a degree in Political Science. In the future, I hope to fulfill my idealist dreams of setting Washington ablaze with my passion for politics.

I’ll never forget the moment that I fell in love with cinema. Within a single week, I saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and the Coen’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. I was hooked. In those short three years, I’ve devoured every piece of film that’s been put in front of me. My favorite films range from EVIL DEAD II to PLANET OF THE APES to Fellini’s 8 1/2 and nearly every Bergman movie. My taste in film is extremely diverse and if you can describe it, please fill me in because I’d love to know.

I also enjoy Russian literature, a good cigar, back flips, and the wilderness.

Last modified on 2010-02-13 00:54:14 GMT. Top.

Sean Hunter

News Writer

“I was born a poor black child, sittin’ on the porch with my family, singin’ and dancin’ down in Muscatine, Iowa. Pretty soon we moved to the good ol’ Rocky Mountains and I have never looked back.”

- THE JERK

Growing up I knew something about me was different. Once puberty, braces, and glasses hit, I knew I had found my answer: I was a nerd! The first movie I ever bought was POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE and I still love it to this day. My love for comic books, Legos, video games, and film has carried me through the years. While I don’t have braces anymore, I still keep my heart and soul nerd-core.

My day job consists of making and serving smoothies to the masses. When I am not making blended drinks, I am building Legos and watching movies. Some of my favorite films are: I’M NOT THERE, 8 ½, THE DARK KNIGHT, OLDBOY, GHOSTBUSTERS, and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. I will watch basically anything I can get my hands on and am always aiming to watch new and challenging films.

Music is my second passion. As anyone will tell you, I am always pushing music onto people. My favorite artists to kick back and listen to are: Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Why?, Conor Oberst, and Say Anything. If you dare challenge my music taste, I will most definitely strike you down with great vengeance.

I’m a nerd and you will just have to deal with it because frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Last modified on 2010-02-13 00:54:55 GMT. Top.

Lauren Helixon

Editorial Writer

My mother took me to see GOLDEN EYE when I was seven years old while my grade school buddies were giddy with anticipation for ANDRE, and since then, I can’t say I’ve been the same. In all seriousness, I subconsciously thought my undergraduate specialization in Security Studies would lead to a life of martinis, tuxedo-clad men, and a life of luxurious espionage. To this day James Bond is still a guilty pleasure of mine and I know each and every film by heart. Born in Denton, TX, raised in Forth Worth, and (ironically) residing back in Denton as a Masters student in Philosophy, I now spend my days consumed in books of various passions. But when I get a chance, I check out of reality and dabble in fictional writing.

Last modified on 2010-02-28 02:21:30 GMT. Top.

Lauren Lester

Copy Editor/Writer

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Lauren is a goofy, loud talking, all around nice girl. Her love for film came at the age of 14 when her father begged her to go see the movie AMÉLIE with him. Despite her many protests against it (“Why would I want to see a movie where a girl finds a box?!”), Lauren went and the film completely opened her eyes to what cinema, language, and love can achieve for the human spirit. Shortly after this epiphany, Lauren could be found on the weekends devouring films and novels (both old and new) on a desperate quest to read the best books and watch the best movies.

These days, Lauren is striving to get her degree in English Literature but is still exploring all the wonderful things cinema has to offer. Her favorite films are GONE WITH THE WIND (she can quote it from beginning to end), LÉON, and everything made by Wes Anderson. And she loves anything that involves The Beatles, Shakespeare, or her cat Milo.

Lauren is so happy to have a small place in the Gordon and the Whale pod, and is looking forward to helping them with all their grammatical needs.

Last modified on 2010-03-09 15:31:38 GMT. Top.

James Oster

Writer

I hate writing about myself, but I have been threatened at knife point by Cupcake (a.k.a Chase Whale… I am his Muffin) . My name is James Oster aka JimmyO. I am currently the West Coast Correspondent and Theatrical Critic for JoBlo.com and Arrow In The Head.com (which I am also one of the DVD Pub critics). I was given an amazing opportunity by both John Fallon and Berge Garabedian which has lead to some incredibly cool moments since 2006. I’m proud to be a part of that family, and hope to be for as long as I can.

Already, I am starting to feel numb and creepy about writing a bio, but I would be remiss to say that Cupcake and I met at Comic Con and became instant friends. Well, after he got me drunk and planted some roofies in my Mr. Pibb. But after discovering Gordon and the Whale, I was excited to see so much passion and love for all things cinema. It was inspiring, and thus, Cupcake and I talked about me doing a column on his site. I liked the idea and I am thrilled to add another fine website to my list.

Can I stop now?

Last modified on 2010-03-09 04:54:37 GMT. Top.