GordonandtheWhale.com

A Whale of a Time: Saying goodbye to GordonandtheWhale.com

Chase Whale — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:00:40 +0000

Well, this is the hardest article I’ll ever have to write, but it has to be done. Next month, Gordon and the Whale will be closing its digital doors as a daily website. You will be able to access our archived articles, but come August 31st, there will no longer be fresh content.

No related posts.

Video Interview: ANOTHER EARTH co-writer/director Mike Cahill and co-writer/star Brit Marling

Gwen Reyes — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:21:58 +0000

First-time co-writers Brit Marling and Mike Cahill have been getting a lot of buzz recently for their new film ANOTHER EARTH. A story of a young girl, played by Marling, whose life changes the night a duplicate earth is discovered in the night skies. What follows is a year of sadness and self-awareness as Rhoda attempts to atone for her past. Marling and Cahill sat down with me to talk about the anticipation of meeting oneself, creating a strong yet flawed heroine, and why they chose to make ANOTHER EARTH themselves.

No related posts.

Soundtrack Review: FILM MUSIC OF HANS ZIMMER VOL. 2

Allison Loring — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:06:39 +0000

Hans Zimmer is one of the definitive composers of the past four decades having composed the scores for such films as CRIMSON TIDE, THE LION KING, GLADIATOR and more recently THE DARK KNIGHT, INCEPTION and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES. Zimmer’s name is practically synonymous with film scoring having also created his own company, Remote Control Productions, in which he works with a variety of composers from Steve Jablonsky (TRANSFORMERS: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON) to Harry Gregson-Williams (COWBOYS & ALIENS) and John Powell (KUNG FU PANDA 2). Zimmer’s ability to infuse electronic elements into the more traditional orchestrations expected of film scores has given him a distinct sound and made his music an integral part of the films he has been a part of. Even out of context, one only needs to hear the “bong” sound Zimmer created for INCEPTION to know what film it belongs or the string elements of SHERLOCK HOLMES let audiences know that those two madcap detectives are at it again.

No related posts.

Sundance 2011 Review: BELLFLOWER

Chase Whale — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:35:37 +0000

Editor's note: this review was originally published on January, 2011 as a Sundance Film Festival review.

Writer/Director: Evan Glodell
Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson

When I first walked out of BELLFLOWER, I was transformed into that cranky film critic you've once read about. A Sundance film about a young hipster who gets his heart broken over a girl? I saw that last year when it was called BLUE VALENTINE, and I even saw it the year before that when it was called (500) DAYS OF SUMMER. I've even seen it on VHS, because I wasn't born when ANNIE HALL was released in theaters. But what hit me over my big, stubborn head is this: BELLFLOWER is a visual spectacle of real independent cinema. Sure, the story isn't original, but my job is to report if I like what I saw, and dear reader, I'm here to tell you this: BELLFLOWER has blossomed into one of my favorite flicks of Sundance 2011.

No related posts.

Sounding Off: The (Sometimes) Misleading Nature of Music in Film Trailers

Allison Loring — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:35:15 +0000

Trailers are a fantastic way to get an audience excited or intrigued about an upcoming film release. I used to love watching trailers and would frequently go online to view them in handfuls at the beginning of each month. This led me to some movies that I ended up enjoying as much as I thought I would, but it also tricked me into seeing some movies that I did not end up liking at all.

No related posts.

Film Culture in the Time of Recession

Sean Hunter — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:45:42 +0000

So I was thinking about my parents. Thinking, more specifically, about the era they grew up. Both my mom and dad were born in the early 1960s, a time I often think would tragically appeal to some hipster tendencies I wear proudly today. Everyone's got to have a clique to call their own, right? Well, the thing that really messes with my mind is that for upwards of 40 years, my parents lived in an age without the Internet. I know this makes me sound juvenile, but it's really fucking hard for me to imagine living without the Internet. The only memories I have of non-Internet life involve sandboxes and Ahh! Real Monsters. I tend to get overwhelmed by this; by how integral the Internet and social networking are in my understand of day-to-day life. Though recently, I wonder if it's not such a terrible thing after all.

No related posts.

SXSW 2011 Review: ATTACK THE BLOCK

Ryan Mahoney — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:58:45 +0000

Editor's note: this review was originally published on March 16, 2011 as a SXSW Film Festival review.

Writer: Joe Cornish
Director: Joe Cornish
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Nick Frost, Luke Treadaway

No related posts.

GATW Podcast Ep. 55: Super Serumed

John Mulhern — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:36:38 +0000

After talking about it endlessly, and praying to the gods of Asgard for the CAPTAIN AMERICA movie to come out, it has finally hit the big screen. This may not be Marvel's first attempt at bringing THE FIRST AVENGER to the big screen, but this is easily the quintessential version. We've all seen it, and we were very happy to dig right in.

No related posts.

The Chronicles of Horror Movie Night: VIDEO VIOLENCE 2 (1987)

Damon Swindall — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:27:09 +0000

After starting in Washington D.C. nine years ago, Horror Movie Night has expanded to include chapters in Austin, Dallas, and Chicago. GATW’s own Brian Kelley is the originator and programmer of this illustrious weekly Wednesday night tradition which features a “classic” horror film. Each week I will be reviewing/commenting on the past week’s selection so do your best to find the film, most of which have not made it past VHS, and follow along. Better yet, start your own chapter!

No related posts.

Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: LIFE DURING WARTIME

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:43:20 +0000

When it comes to directors that one would assume would be well represented in the Criterion Collection, Todd Solondz is one of those filmmakers. However, despite Solondz being a highly influential auteur within the indie film world, it’s taken over 570 releases for the director to finally hit the collection. And it’s a sequel no less (well, kind of a sequel, at least).

No related posts.

Blu-ray review: THE FUNHOUSE (1981)

Damon Swindall — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:10:12 +0000

It’s no surprise that director Tobe Hooper is most well known for a small indie horror flick from 1974 called THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. This film shocked audiences the world over and became one of the most influential and frightening films of the genre. But before he would strike box office gold with Steven Spielberg on POLTERGEIST in 1982 he made a few more films with varying degrees of success and cult status. One such film is a creepy carnival centric picture from 1981 called THE FUNHOUSE and now Arrow Video has decided to honor this overshadowed film with a fantastic Blu-ray release.

No related posts.

Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: LEON MORIN, PRIEST

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:26:22 +0000

LEON MORIN, PRIEST is not the first film that pops into one’s mind when discussing the life and career of iconic auteur Jean-Pierre Melville. Best known for films like LE CERCLE ROUGE, ARMY OF SHADOWS, and LE SAMOURAI, Melville is one of cinema’s most beloved directors, and also one of its most influential. Thirteen features to his name (as well as one short), Melville was quite prolific over his career which spanned from the 1946 release of his short, VINGT-QUATRE HEURES DE LA VIE D’UN CLOWN until 1972 with the release of UN FLIC. LEON MORIN, PRIEST is one film that has seemed to have been forgotten when having discussions of Melville’s career. However, thanks to The Criterion Collection, we now have a crisp and beautiful Blu-ray of this absolute masterpiece.

No related posts.

Presenting IHeartCinema.net (@IHeartCinemaNet), your new source for advance screenings in Dallas and Austin

James Wallace — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:28:18 +0000

While Gordon and the Whale has sadly reached the end of its journey, a new one begins. Many of you who looked to this site as your source for giveaways and advance screenings in Dallas and Austin are probably wondering where you can now look to in order to fill your cinematic needs. Well, look no further...

No related posts.

Giveaway: Win a poster from THE WHISTLEBLOWER signed by Rachel Weisz

James Wallace — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:16:52 +0000

UPDATE: We've been notified by the studio that this is just signed by Weisz.

Gordon and the Whale has teamed up with Samuel Goldwyn Film to give our readers the chance to win a poster from their new film THE WHISTLEBLOWER, signed by star Rachel Weisz, director Larysa Kondracki, and the film's real life inspiration Kathy Bolkovac.

No related posts.

Giveaway: Win a poster from THE GUARD signed by Don Cheadle

James Wallace — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:07:40 +0000

Gordon and the Whale has teamed up with Sony Pictures Classics to give our readers the chance to win a poster from their new film THE GUARD, signed by stars Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson.

No related posts.

Comic-Con 2011: KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM debuts hilarious trailer and explains LARPing

Kristal Bailey — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:55:57 +0000

The Live Action Role Playing movie is ideal for a Comic-Con debut. Where else will you find so many real LARPers in one place? The cast and crew for the new film, KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM, came out to Hall H to debut the trailer and talk about the film. This was one of the films no one really knew anything about before the 'con, so the panel was a happy surprise in terms of just how funny this film looks to be.

No related posts.

Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2011: Wrapping up the festival’s second half

Damon Swindall — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:48:08 +0000

This year’s Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) has a wonderful line-up of films representing all manner of countries in the East. Unfortunately there’s just not time enough to see them all. I am the lone GATWer covering this festival so instead of doing full reviews of all the films, which would take forever, I’ll be giving shorter critiques in a couple of recapping posts to give you a wide look at everything this ten-year-old fest has to offer.

No related posts.

Giveaway: Win a copy of David Schwimmer’s TRUST on DVD

Chase Whale — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 15:28:42 +0000

THIS CONTEST IS NOW OVER. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL TO SEE IF YOU'VE WON!

Gordon and the Whale has teamed up with Millennium Entertainment to give our readers the chance to win a copy of TRUST on DVD (available on Tuesday, July 26th). For your chance to win, all you have to do is fill out the form after the break. Deadline ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 28th. On Friday, July 29th we will select five winners via random drawing and notify them by email. Good luck, movie lovers!

No related posts.

Comic-Con 2011: MACHETE KILLS AGAIN…in space, and more news from Robert Rodriguez

Kristal Bailey — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:49:32 +0000

Robert Rodriguez is a very busy man. Head of his own film production company, Quick Draw Productions, he’s got a ton of projects in the works and they’ve got that certain flair that he is known for but now have a new focus on the artist and the art itself.

No related posts.

Comic-Con 2011: IN TIME shows promise with new trailer

Kristal Bailey — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:47:27 +0000

The often title challenged flick IN TIME got its Comic-Con debut yesterday and Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Andrew Niccol were on hand to excite the masses.

IN TIME is an action/thriller and the child of GATTACA, the genetic engineering has just gotten better. In this world, you stop aging at 25 and then only have 1 year left unless you can buy, trade, or steal more. The rich can live forever, while the poor die too soon. With this system, the world doesn’t really evolve because the poor have no time to invent anything new and the rich have no incentive or motivation to do so either.

No related posts.