Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Movie Tavern
City/Town: Denton, TX

Gordon and the Whale Dot Com will be hosting a FREE screening of the movie Walk Hard on December 12 at 7:30pm at the Movie Tavern in Denton.

The screening is free but you must pick up a pass and arrive early in order to get a seat.

Pick up your pass at the Movie Tavern in Denton or be on the look out next week for us passing them around the UNT campus. If you can't seem to get a hold of any, contact us!

Also, the Movie Tavern will have $1.50 Domestic Drafts, so come have some fun with us!

Directions to the Movie Tavern here.

Walk Hard official trailer here.

Thanks to Kevin Simon, Ryan Manchester, Markus Diffee, Micah Newsom, Drew O'Rear, Wicky and Cameron Sanderson for taking the time to help us with this.

Hey Sonic Youth fans, look for Kim Gordon's cameo!

Jeff Bridges will be at the Angelika Dallas at Mockingbird Station on Friday, December 7th to participate in a Q&A immediately after the 7:30PM showing of THE AMATEURS. Tickets must be purchased through the Angelika Film Center. Only ticket holders for the 7:30PM showing of THE AMATEURS will be able to remain in the theatre for the Jeff Bridges Q&A.

In THE AMATEURS, down-and-out divorcee Andy Sargentee (Bridges), with the help of his five motley friends, brainstorms a genius idea to make their dreams come true. They are going to rally their small town to produce an amateur film! They think they’ve found the road to fame and fortune, but their fantasy quickly turns into a hilarious misadventure as they encounter more than a few bumps in the road. THE AMATEURS is rated R and also stars Ted Danson, William Fichtner, Patrick Fugit, Lauren Graham, Glenne Headly, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Isaiah Washington and Judy Greer.

We are promoting this film heavily for several reasons. Most important is the onscreen chemistry with the cast, which made this a lovable film. Our review, including the interview with William Fichtner, will be posted the day the film opens, December 7th.

Ps. I would like everyone to know that when googling the poster for this movie, I had to scroll through several amateur pornography pictures. Vomit almost followed.

We are judging a film festival on December 9. Come out to the Denton Movie Tavern to view the films. An all day pass is only $5.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FILMMAKERS!

We were lucky enough to get in on an interview session with William Fichtner who is in town promoting his new film THE AMATEURS. His interview, followed by our review (which is a very positive one), will be posted when the movie opens December 7th. Here is a clip (filmed with a macbook) of one of the most down to earth actors giving us a shout-out.

PS Please disregard my double chin and bad hair. I apparently forgot to brush before the interview.

PSS Today is William Fichtner's birthday. Send him some e-flowers!

Watch the trailer for The Amateurs here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May you be in Heaven for half an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.

This sentence flashes on the screen early on in Before the Devil Knows you're Dead letting you know the reason for the title and setting the tone of this bleak but compelling film.

Before the Devil Knows you're Dead examines what seemingly average moral people will do or think of when they see no other way out. This desperation is the driving force that allows two brothers Andy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) to decide to rob their parent’s jewelry store. As you would expect the robbery doesn't go well. What is left is an unbelievable mess for two brothers already dealing with severe monetary and family problems. Also, created out of the wake of the disaster is a father whose overcoming grief soon turns into a consuming desire for revenge.

This isn't a pleasant film, but is still a very entertaining and well-made one. The audience will be fascinated by what these ill-fated characters will think of and do next. The characters are made even more captivating by the quality of actors playing them. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Andy, the big husky brother, whose pride will never let him admit when he is beaten. A pride that drives Andy to commit one unbelievably stupid act after another. Mr. Hoffman expertly balances the right amount of sleaze and vulnerability to create a character that the audience is never quite sure if they should root for. Ethan Hawke’s likeable loser, Hank, is never over powered or out matched by Mr. Hoffman’s Andy.
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Rating: 8.5/10

Director, Writer: Roy Andersson
Cast: Jessika Lundberg, Elisabet Helander, Bjorn Englund
Studio: 9.5/10

I've been sitting here for the last twenty minutes trying to think of clever ways to write about and explain YOU, THE LIVING, but I just can't. This is one of those movies that's that good, that I'm coming up blank with how to start off. The next few paragraphs are collected thoughts on how I feel about this film.

Roy Andersson successfully broke every mainstream rule and carefully lead his cast into a well-crafted film. YOU, THE LIVING doesn't need much explaining. None of that, "you have to think outside the box" bullshit. There is no central plot, everything is completely random, and without main characters. It's just a series of vignettes that focus on people's everyday lives. Some are tragic, some are hilarious and some are quite depressing. The pasty dry colors influence the audiences' reaction to each actor's bad luck. Everyone can relate to this because everyone dreams big and everyone lives these types of lives.

My favorite thing about this movie is the camera work. It's nothing spectacular, but the camera is stationary so the only movement we get are the actors. That's also saying something about the acting as well. There needs to be some pretty damn good acting to keep the viewers attention - YOU, THE LIVING has achieves this without flaw. Each scene seemed right out of a play, perfectly rehearsed. With some longer than others, the only cuts are the ones that introduce a new one. One can appreciate the time and effort the director and actors put into this.

YOU, THE LIVING is an experience. I'm not too sure which genre this fits in. It isn't a comedy. It isn't a drama. It is comedic. It is dramatic. It is something you need to see.

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Xavier Gens
Writer: Skip Woods
Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scoot
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox

Synopsis: Adapted from the hit video game, HITMAN stars Timothy Olyphant as the asexual, bald, and well-dressed assassin named Agent 47 bred from childhood to do one thing-- kill. We soon learn he is framed by his employers. Agent 47 gets mad, and lots of bullets are thrown in the mix. John Woo would be proud.

Review:
Production for this movie was shortly delayed due to the fact that they couldn’t decide who was going to play Agent 47. Vin Diesel was the primary choice for the role, and I was a bit bummed when I found out Timothy Olyphant would lead the movie, I just didn’t see him as a bald killer. But after seeing this, I have no complaints. (Side note: Vin would have stuck out like a sore thumb in this because the other hitmen looked around 5’9’’ and weighed about a buck fifty.) Timothy did a fine job playing a guy who is supposed to appear without feeling or emotions. He does however, pull off a one liner that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger very happy. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.
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Gordonandthewhale.com's video review of Finishing the Game.

Watch the official trailer here. Look for MC HAMMER.

Bee Movie (not to be confused with 70's horror movies with bad acting and terrible fx).

Let me guess, you saw the picture above and thought to yourself, "Bee Movie? I forgot that was even out." Well, that's kinda how I felt. It was so forgettable that I even forgot to write the review. So days later, here I am.

When I go to see animated movies I always hope to leave thinking that the movie could have easily been marketed to adults only. I love when there is enough subtle adult/intelligent humor that it's easy to enjoy and get a few laughs out myself. This movie was the complete opposite. I left the theatre and immediately forgot I had seen it. Actually, I felt like I hadn't even seen it at all.

I think it was a mixture of to many side stories, no character development, a plot that was shortchanged and no background on these Bees that made it so hard to get involved in the movie. Now, I understand that this type of movie was made for kids and I'm sure they will love it. But what happened to movies like Toy Story? That was a good animated film.

This film climaxed when it's trailers where still being played before movies. It was a good idea that but a terrible follow through.

We waited three years for this?

Southland Tales is the long awaited and continuously delayed second feature for Richard Kelly. This is the same man who connected with a generation full of maladjusted and disinterested teens with his first film, Donnie Darko. After a disastrous Medellin like run at Cannes, Mr. Kelly decided to make some cuts to the film, as it was shortened from almost three hours to two hours and 24 minutes. After watching this contrived and disaster of a movie, I am absolutely terrified of seeing of what Mr. Kelly felt not worthy of or necessary for this film.

Southland Tales is full of ineffectively bizarre moments and story so gratuitously complex that after a while you become bored with even trying to follow along. The film deals with WWIII, time travel, a government conspiracy to control an upcoming election, a neo-Marxist movement helped run by a porno director and assisted by a porn star, the apocalypse, and all of this is connected to a action film star with amnesia and disgraced police office with a twin brother. In between trying to connect all the unnecessary dots, there are plenty of weird moments that add nothing to the plot, only to the confusion of the viewer. The scene where the film’s hero is reunited with his wife is clearly going for an over the top soap opera feel, which it achieves. But what is the point? The scene is just another pointlessly silly moment that doesn’t add any real content or drama to the film. (more...)

Cholera:
An infectious bacterial disease of the small intestine.

Love:
An intense feeling of deep affection.

Javier Bardem:
An air compressor wielding psycho murderer.

Mike Newell:
The Awakening, Donnie Brasco, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Love in the Time of Cholera directed by Mike Newell and starring Javier Bardem:
An epic love story.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first walked into this movie. I had just finished seeing No Country For Old Men (also starring Javier Bardem as a crazy murder) so I was really interested in seeing him portray a character that was 180 degree turn from his last role.
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The National is a unique band to follow.  Rarely can the listener trace a band as they develop and hear them trying to find their voice.  These guys are with out a doubt one of the hardest working groups out right now.  From less than thrilling record sales and concert attendance to no quite developing a sound that clicked as a whole, The Nationals' career so far has not been one to envy.  

Around 2005, they started to get more attention with the album, Alligator, and the song that brought them some attention, Mr. November.  This song is a glimpse to where they were going as far as a signature sound was concerned.  New York appeared to be wanting to keep The National a secret that only the locals and adventurous music enthusiasts knew about until Clap Your Hands Say Yeah came around and challenged the nations' art center.  
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James Murphy is one busy man. He co-manages one of the biggest indie record labels (DFA Records), creates successful music, remixes tracks for some of the best talent in the industry and still makes time to play at parties. With that, one could only ask, "What else can this guy get himself into?" Answer: tap into the mainstream circuit.

Last year, LCD Soundsystem buddied up with Nike (don't call them a sell out when you are reading this in your Dunks) and made one of the coolest mix tapes to date. 45:33 is exactly how it sounds, only running twenty seconds longer . Nike worked out a deal with doctors to enhance the vibrations of the sounds so when it hits the inner core of your ear, it triggers your muscle tissues to bounce, making you want to move. Just kidding. But it was created and tested to enhance your jogging experience.

This mix was a gift to Nike + owners, and could only be bought on iTunes until now. DFA has finally released this on their label, giving us a few extra remixes and treats like "Freak Out / Starry Eyes," which sounds like it could fit well into an old school Kung Fu film.

With original tracks and an extended version of Someone Great, 45:33 is the only thing you need to hear while you are hitting that treadmill or trying to ignore the grunts of over-beefed dudes trying to out bench one another. I know it has helped me through those difficult times. Trust me, I'm no runner, but this gets me moving.

Hey Vince Vaughn, stick to rated R stuff with lots of cussing and sexual innuendos. This movie is full of bad CGI and is not worth writing about.

Synopsis:

Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles upon money, heroin, and lots of trouble. Killing and violence ensues.

Chase thinks!:

When Javier Bardem flips his coin and asks his future friend or foe to "call it," it makes me wonder if he did just that when agreeing to star in this film.

I have never felt so insulted and pissed off after leaving a film. The first half of the movie was fun, entertaining, and pretty intense. It looked like it was heading in a very good direction considering all the reviews I had read, but the second half of this film felt flat fast. I counted at least six plot holes, one after another becoming more annoying than the last.

Also, there were so many unmarked characters in this, I had no idea who was who. “Hey, who is that guy? Oh it doesn't matter, he just got killed. But who is that guy? What’s his role in this movie? Still doesn't matter because he too just got killed.”

This garbage of a would be solid film gets a six for two reasons, and two reasons only. One, the performances of Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem were on point. Josh perfected a Southern boy hell bent on keeping this money, and Javier perfected a mysterious killer hell bent on getting his money back. He scared the hell out of me, and I would not like to run into this guy when he's having a bad day. Sorry, but Tommy Lee Jones will not be added in this because I have seen him play a sheriff in three movies already and the only performance he has ever done that stands out in my head is his role in Under Siege.

Second, I am not sure how many people noticed this, but Kelly McDonalds (Trainspotting anyone?) Southern belle accent was perfect considering the fact that she is from the UK. Let's not forget Don Cheadles attempt in Oceans 11. Sorry Don, you are still a badass in my book.

Everybody is excited about the Coen Brothers since they directed cult hit movies like The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, but let’s not forget about the ones they want slid under the matt, i.e. The Ladykillers. That movie looked like it would suck and it did. This movie, however, has it's own category of "this movie will not suck, but guess what? It did." genre.

Yes, I get it: "We have made successful films off 'not giving a shit' principles, so we do what we want." This proved that doesn't work every time. This film was a mess.

Starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Directed by Robert Redford.

Lions for Lambs is a movie about... War? Peace? Motivation? Laziness? I'm not too sure. Watch the movie trailer and maybe that will help.

The running time of the movie was around 80 minutes. I felt like I was watching an extended short film that would never end. Actually, it did end, but without an ending. Confused? So was I.

The movie basically evolves around 3 different stories: A political science professor who is adamantly trying to motive his apathetic, "has potential" student. A journalist who is covering the "war on terror" and being pushed by a Senator to "tell the truth." And two former college students who enlisted and are wounded and trapped in the middle of a snowy valley while the enemy closes in.

The actors did a decent job of portraying their characters and, on several occasions, convinced me that what I was watching was something bigger than it turned out to be. I felt that the film's story was lacking and that everything it had to offer was lost in the compressed/dialogue-dense mess.

After the film, the audience had a chance to respond and this is what some of them had to say:

"The characters all seemed like stick figures with agendas."

"I felt like I was reading a newspaper article on war."

"Tom Cruise is bullshit."

In the end, I don't really recommend this movie. I hate having to say that, but it's true. I wish there was something I could do to make it better, but there isn't.

Vice Magazine is known for covering stories in the most disturbing parts of the world. In this documentary, the Vice crew set out to Chernobyl, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rio, Beirut, Congo, and Bulgaria to document their search for guns, radiation bombs, drug dealing dancers, five legged bears, and dinosaurs.

PLO BOY SCOUTS IN BEIRUT
The footy for this starts off pretty nice. Little kids trying to skateboard in the streets, and then cuts to Shane Smith, Vice Co-Founder talking about a group called Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade thats main function is getting kids to go to Israel and blow themselves up. There, it's well respected to blow ones self up for his/her country. As disturbing as that seems, the children have learned songs for their dedication on suicide bombing.

Take note on the lyrics three children sing about killing all Israelians while their parents sit next to them and clap.

Note to self: Don't ever move to Beirut.

BULGARIAN DIRTY BOMBS
“So that’s how you set off a DIRTY BOMB made out of cessiam or some radioactive material. In New York it wouldn’t kill that many people, maybe a couple thousand people but it would erradiate all of Manhattan.”
-SHANE SMITH (more...)

On November 2, Canadian acts Cadence Weapon and Final Fantasy played a show many people have mixed feelings about including myself.  The first act shall now and forever remain nameless because it was this act that inspired nothing but drunken frustration. Basically, the act consisted of a solo singer/songwriter singing a Dave Matthews style song and just when the audience thinks the first song is over, he samples the chord progression in his laptop and adds layers that could have easily been created by a four-year-old using Garage Band. After about forty-five minutes of this earshattering mess, it all stops and the crowd has a chance to regroup and gather their thoughts. 
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American Gangster is one of those films that when you first hear the details of the project you think the film is destined for greatness. The producer Brian Grazer and screenwriter Stephen Zaillian both have Oscars for their past work. The film is directed by Ridley Scott, the very talented director who has had a tremendous amount of success in many different genres. Including a previous trip into the crime drama genre with Black Rain, a tense and entertaining film about an American cop investigating a personal case in Japan. American Gangster also stars two of the most popular and talented actors currently working in American cinema, Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. Given the talent behind American Gangster anything other than a modern masterpiece could be considered a disappointment.
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Synopsis:

The movie starts off with central character, Zia (played marvelously by Patrick Fugit), who slits his wrists because of his girlfriend and ends up stuck in purgatory with fellow suicide commiters. He now lives and makes pizza in a world much like ours, except nobody smiles and the colors run vague. He pals up with Eugene, who's failed rock career led him to commit the funniest suicide in the film, and soon discovers his girlfriend killed herself weeks after his funeral. They then embark on a road trip to find her. Hilarity ensues.

Chase thinks!:

Casting Directors do not get enough credit, so I am going start by saying thank you to Shannon Makhanian for casting Tom Waits in this film. His performance as Kneller was nothing less than brilliant.

Goran Dukic perfectly adapted Etgar Keret’s short story, “Kneller’s Happy Campers,” without flaw. This dark comedy has everything any successful dark comedy should: a good story (see above), a sidekick (played by Shea Whigham who completely stole the show), a well constructed soundtrack (mixed with Joy Division and Tom Waits with hilarious bits from
There are movies that make me laugh and movies that have me on the edge of my seat. And then there are movies that make me feel something different. There's something it does in the pit of my stomach or maybe my heart. It's like pride swelling up inside or a feeling of joy that makes everything seem ok. Those are the movies that stick with me. Wristcutters: A Love Story is that kind of movie.

It's a movie about life, not death. Please go see it.

Wristcutters opened nationwide today, and is only playing at AMC Cityplace off Haskell and 75 in Dallas. No partying this weekend just Wristcutting.

After dropping out of high school and then college after the first day, you may feel like your life has no direction. You'd be right if you weren't Zach Condon, which you're not, but he is. What Condon did in this situation was go to Europe and live for a while and come back to his home town in New Mexico to introduce his version of Balkan gypsy music via his recording name, Beirut.

In his second full length album, The Flying Club Cup, Condon reveals a wide gamut of influences in addition to the heavy-footed Eastern European waltzes that brought him fame (of sorts). The Flying Club Cup stands on the original Balkan foundation, but also makes stops in other areas of the world, including Brazil.

This new album released October 9, 2007 on Ba Da Bing! Records shows Condon in a more musically mature light both in his voice and his song structure of which the song Nantes is a perfect example. There's still plenty of folkish drinking songs, so get drunk and go buy this album. Finally, something you won't regret after a night of heavy drinking!

All too often in the indie music scene, artists will attempt to outdo each other's quirkiness or wit, which ends up to be musical ideas with no substance or meaning. Then there's the 2007 Sub Pop release, Cease to Begin by Band of Horses, which calls back to the old days of when artists were only concerned with making good music. Cease to Begin is one of those front-to-back albums that is not afraid to elaborate on where indie has been as well as show where it could go.

Using ethereal guitar melodies and vocal lines reminiscent of The Shins, vocalist/guitarist Ben Bridwell takes listeners on a beautifully landscaped journey clocking in at just over thirty minutes of quality tracks. Highlights include Is There a Ghost, No One's Gonna Love You and The General Specific for sheer beauty and unifying qualities that make up Cease to Begin.

This is one of the important indie albums that reminds us all of why we fell in love with this music in the first place, and gives an optimistic look into the future of indie music. Cease to Begin combines fantastic story telling and strong musical gestures to create a fully loaded album as a worthy follow up to Everything All the Time.

Since I’m the horror guy/MAN of the website I decided to do a top 5 horror movie countdown in honor of the holiest of holidays, Halloween. However, many top lists suffer from being too long. So this list will only consist of the top 5 horror films of all time. There will be a new movie added everyday until Halloween. Without further delay, I give you the five films I love more than my future children.



Many people feel Bill Paxton is just a second rate leading man and a first rate character actor, but there is much more to the man. For instance, Bill Paxton directed this criminally overlooked horror film.

Frailty is a combination of a great B-movie script and A-film production values, including Matthew McConaughey as the lead. The film constantly takes chances that always work in the end and contains some very memorable images, including the scene where the angel comes down from Heaven to give execution orders to Mr. Meiks. As a horror movie, Frailty doesn’t contain a lot of jolting scares, but that is not its game. Frailty slowly gets under your skin and is intelligently creepy.

Some people believe in the myth of the werewolf; a mystical creature that is a man during the day but turns into a ferocious half man half wolf creature when there is a full moon. Some people also believe in the myth that there has never been a good werewolf movie made. I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that the second myth is false. There are at least two good werewolf movies and one them is The Howling, the number 4 selection in this horror countdown.
The Howling was written by John Sayles; the indie darling behind Lone Star and Men with Guns. Sales involvement is evident in the fact that The Howling has smarter more developed characters than those that usually appear in horror films. Sayles talent is also obvious in the fact that the film has some clever things to say about cults and lust.
The Howling also has great transformation scenes, some nice nods to past horror films, and suspenseful hunting/chase sequences. However, the main reason The Howling is so dear to the horror heart is because of the horribly fantastic ending. I will just say that it revolves around a live newscast. If you are one of the people that believe in the myth that there has never been a solid werewolf movie, I demand that you watch The Howling.Evil Dead 2 may be classified as a sequel, but it is really more of a remake of the first film, containing the same premise and similar set up as the original. However, despite being a remake there are many fresh and bloody great moments to be found in Evil Dead 2.The film consists of one blood laced sequence after another. Giving the viewer laughing dead animals, bloody chainsaws, and a dancing headless girlfriend.
Besides the gallons of blood and chainsaw induced dismemberments, there is also a large amount of laughs to be found in Evil Dead 2. The film’s joke friendly attitude lets the viewer know they’re suppose to have fun with the film and to just sit back and enjoy the carnage.
Evil Dead 2 does showcase some great horror scenes and moments. Although, the film’s humor is what ultimately elevates the film over its predecessor and what makes it a truly great film.

Every once in a while you will find yourself at the video store looking at a movie that you’ve never heard of but looks like it could be a solid film. You don’t know anything about the film other than the quick synopsis on the back and that it probably wasn’t released at the theaters, which is not a good sign. You debate whether or not to take the risk with your $3.99. The worst that can happen? You’re out a few bucks and two hours of your life. The best? You discover a true treasure made even better by the fact that you were expecting almost nothing from the film. The latter is the case with the gloomy horror gem Cemetery Man.
Even though Cemetery Man was never released in American theaters and took several years to even make it out on DVD, there are couple elements that add validity to the film even before first viewing. The film was directed by Michele Soavi; the protégé of Italian horror director and icon Dario Argento. Cemetery Man also stars Rupert Everett, who was already a fairly respected actor when the film was made
Rupert’s chance worked out because the film is fantastically bleak and bloody. The filmmaker’s love for blood is evident by many gruesomely great scenes, including a memorable battle between the lead and his recently deceased love by the pond. At times, Cemetery Man uses its horror premise to say some meaning full things about life and love. The film contains multiple love stories that involve the deceased and the living and all of them containing a decent amount of heartache and horror. Cemetery Man does a fine job of blending humor, horror and drama all together to create a unique cinematic experience, while never losing sight of its nihilistic vision.

Sorry Exorcist, I know you are use to being number one on any horror countdown, or at least top three, but not this list, not this time. The Exorcist is more of a drama about a mom dealing with her daughter’s severe condition with moments heavy on shock value scattered along the way. Number one deservedly belongs to the frighteningly realistic Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
A film that is a brutal and gruesome exercise in horror; shot with a documentary style, making the audience feel even more uneasy about the images on the screen. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre boats an iconic villain and startling moments of true terror. When Sally is running in the woods from Leatherface you truly believe this woman is running for her life. Watch this scene then another chase scene in a horror film and you will understand why this film is number one.

Neil Gaiman's highly-acclaimed book,Coraline, is two parts Tim Burton, two parts Roald Dahl, and one part Lewis Carroll. Stir in your most frightening childhood nightmares, and you're starting to get the idea.

Pick up this short, brilliant read aloud story for Halloween. You'll find yourself sympathizing with young Coraline when her disinterested, preoccupied parents send her away to count windows and doors. One door is not what it seems.

The first time Coraline ventures through it and enters the "other world," you will find her mirrored parents delightful. They're invested in Coraline. She's the center of their world, and they want her to stay forever. Over time, the other world reveals itself to be a menacing, frightful place; her other mother's dark button eyes and papery skin allude to their darker side.
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Jason Schwartzman, co-writer and star of the film The Darjeeling Limited visited the Angelika Film Center in Dallas on Tuesday for a special screening of the film.

It was the same movie theatre I had sat in time and time before. The same movie I saw a week ago. The same short film I downloaded on iTunes.

The lights dimmed and the movie started. I laughed at the same parts, plus some. The guy in front laughed the hardest. He knew who was going to be there. I wondered if he was just sucking up. Probably.

The movie was over and most everyone applauded. The lights began to fill the room.

"Blah, blah, blah. I work for The Quick. Blah, blah, blah. Without further-ado, Mr. Jason Schwartzman." More applause.

"Hi, I'm Jason."
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This Almost makes up for Forces of Nature and Bounce

Gone Baby Gone is one of those films where you have to wonder about its journey to the screen. It’s easy to understand the studios wanting to green light another project based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, the author behind the critical hit Mystic River. The directing of the film by Ben Affleck is not as easy to explain or understand. The former A-List actor has never directed before, or done anything in his performances to make you think he is capable of handling a project demanding of such a skillful and mature hand. However, Affleck has won an Oscar for writing and co-wrote the adaptation of Gone Baby Gone. I suppose the people involved in producing the film weighed the ability Affleck showed as a writer with Good Will Hunting against the lack of talent Affleck has shown in his film performances and decided to take the risk.

Gone Baby Gone is a carefully crafted noir set in Beantown that is enhanced by the intelligent decisions made by the director. The actors playing most of the secondary characters in the film look and talk exactly like the people that would live in the film’s neighborhood; this casting greatly enhances the film’s realism and helps the audience accept some of the secondary character’s quirky behaviors.

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