On Thursday, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss announced details of their long-rumored reunion album Raise the Roof. It’s a 12-track collection that features their original tune “High and Lonesome,” as well as covers of Lucinda Williams’ “Can’t Let Go,” Calexico’s “Quattro (World Drifts In),” and Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Word Blues.”
In a statement, Krauss said she knew it was time to re-form the duo when she heard the Calexico song. “[That] was the moment I knew we’d make another album,” she said. “We wanted it to move.
In a statement, Krauss said she knew it was time to re-form the duo when she heard the Calexico song. “[That] was the moment I knew we’d make another album,” she said. “We wanted it to move.
- 8/12/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Thirteen years after the release of their surprise hit album Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have finally reunited for a follow-lp, Raise the Roof. It comes out on November 19th, and you can check out leadoff single, a cover of the 1998 Lucinda Williams song “Can’t Let Go,” right here.
Raise the Roof was produced by T-Bone Burnett, who also worked with Plant and Krauss on Raising Sand. It features songs by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, the Everly Brothers, and Bert Jancsh in addition to their original tune “High and Lonesome.
Raise the Roof was produced by T-Bone Burnett, who also worked with Plant and Krauss on Raising Sand. It features songs by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, the Everly Brothers, and Bert Jancsh in addition to their original tune “High and Lonesome.
- 8/12/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Season 1 of “Homecoming” is still the gold standard for podcast-to-tv adaptations. Next week, people involved on both sides of that process will try to capture the magic in audio form.
Below, you can listen to the trailer for the latest Spotify and Gimlet drama, “The Final Chapters of Richard Brown Winters,” starring Catherine Keener, Parker Posey, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Waterston, and Darrell Britt-Gibson. Written by “Homecoming” co-creator Eli Horowitz and “Sandra” writer Kevin Moffett, the new series not only shifts its gaze to a fictional author, it trades in an episodic structure for a feature-length audio tale.
The story follows a young fan (Britt-Gibson) on a quest to confront reclusive writer Richard Brown Winters (Waterston) about why he’s disappeared from the public eye for a decade. When he and a group of fellow enthusiasts travel to Winters’ desert home to extract the truth and push him to finish the...
Below, you can listen to the trailer for the latest Spotify and Gimlet drama, “The Final Chapters of Richard Brown Winters,” starring Catherine Keener, Parker Posey, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Waterston, and Darrell Britt-Gibson. Written by “Homecoming” co-creator Eli Horowitz and “Sandra” writer Kevin Moffett, the new series not only shifts its gaze to a fictional author, it trades in an episodic structure for a feature-length audio tale.
The story follows a young fan (Britt-Gibson) on a quest to confront reclusive writer Richard Brown Winters (Waterston) about why he’s disappeared from the public eye for a decade. When he and a group of fellow enthusiasts travel to Winters’ desert home to extract the truth and push him to finish the...
- 7/23/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Thursday night, as Georgia trended toward a historic victory for the Democratic party in the 2020 presidential election, Jason Isbell mulled the idea of sweetening the event with a new recorded project. Rather than a batch of original songs to follow 2020’s Reunions, though, Isbell says that if Joe Biden takes the state, he’ll be putting his spin on tunes originally recorded by Georgia artists.
“If Biden wins Georgia I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs- Rem, Gladys Knight, Vic Chesnutt, Allmans, Cat Power,...
“If Biden wins Georgia I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs- Rem, Gladys Knight, Vic Chesnutt, Allmans, Cat Power,...
- 11/6/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Sara Bareilles is back at the Grammys with the eighth nomination of her career, but it’s the first in the Americana field, where she’s up for Best American Roots Performance for “Saint Honesty,” a song she co-wrote with Grammy-winning country songwriter Lori McKenna. Will the change of scenery finally win her her first Grammy 11 years after she broke through at these awards?
Bareilles first made the cut in 2009 when she was a newcomer nominated for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her breakthrough hit “Love Song.” Then came two more pop performance nominations for “King of Anything” (2011) and “Brave” (2014), plus a surprise Album of the Year nom for “The Blessed Unrest” (2014).
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After that she took a detour to Broadway by writing the score for “Waitress,” which earned her a Best Musical Theater album...
Bareilles first made the cut in 2009 when she was a newcomer nominated for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her breakthrough hit “Love Song.” Then came two more pop performance nominations for “King of Anything” (2011) and “Brave” (2014), plus a surprise Album of the Year nom for “The Blessed Unrest” (2014).
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
After that she took a detour to Broadway by writing the score for “Waitress,” which earned her a Best Musical Theater album...
- 12/18/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Guard
Written by John Michael McDonagh
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
United Kingdom, 2011
A black comedy thriller with racism as the major means of laughter doesn’t necessarily sound like a great cinematic experience. Director John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard is just that, featuring an excellent cast, effectively flat and off-kilter framing, and music that embraces the genre and its anomalous locale from Calexico.
McDonagh, brother of playwright and In Bruges director Martin McDonagh, does well to have his protagonist Detective Boyle (Brendan Gleeson, Gangs of New York, In Bruges) be less crotchety old Gran Torino-style racist, and more tongue-in-cheek rebel.
Boyle is the morally bankrupt, superficially naïve, ultimately honorable policeman of a small Irish town. FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda, Crash) comes to town looking for a few big-time drug traffickers and the two men with opposite styles and methods are forced to work together.
Written by John Michael McDonagh
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
United Kingdom, 2011
A black comedy thriller with racism as the major means of laughter doesn’t necessarily sound like a great cinematic experience. Director John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard is just that, featuring an excellent cast, effectively flat and off-kilter framing, and music that embraces the genre and its anomalous locale from Calexico.
McDonagh, brother of playwright and In Bruges director Martin McDonagh, does well to have his protagonist Detective Boyle (Brendan Gleeson, Gangs of New York, In Bruges) be less crotchety old Gran Torino-style racist, and more tongue-in-cheek rebel.
Boyle is the morally bankrupt, superficially naïve, ultimately honorable policeman of a small Irish town. FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda, Crash) comes to town looking for a few big-time drug traffickers and the two men with opposite styles and methods are forced to work together.
- 9/8/2011
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
In the movie world, the last name McDonagh might particularly stand out to those who really enjoyed In Bruges, which starred Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Martin McDonagh made a triumphant debut with his film about assassins on holiday in Bruges. Now, Martin’s brother John has stepped up, with his own film starring Brendan Gleeson called The Guard.
In the film, Gleeson plays a crude Irish sergeant who works with a serious FBI agent (played by Don Cheadle) as they attempt to stop a group of drug smugglers (lead by Mark Strong).
I sat down with John Michael McDonagh at Chicago’s Peninsula Hotel to discuss the film’s Western influences, the creation of the character, and McDonagh’s dream of putting gangsters on a roller coaster.
The Guard opened in Portland on 8/12, and will be expanding across America throughout the end of summer.
Read – Nick Allen’s Scorecard...
In the film, Gleeson plays a crude Irish sergeant who works with a serious FBI agent (played by Don Cheadle) as they attempt to stop a group of drug smugglers (lead by Mark Strong).
I sat down with John Michael McDonagh at Chicago’s Peninsula Hotel to discuss the film’s Western influences, the creation of the character, and McDonagh’s dream of putting gangsters on a roller coaster.
The Guard opened in Portland on 8/12, and will be expanding across America throughout the end of summer.
Read – Nick Allen’s Scorecard...
- 8/18/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
With The Guard out in UK cinemas tomorrow, we catch up with writer and director John Michael McDonagh about the making of the film…
Writer and director John Michael McDonagh’s debut feature, The Guard, could be described as a collision of buddy-cop thriller, western and black comedy. Its blending of slick, bitingly funny dialogue and familiar genre elements is so perfect, in fact, that it’s already made its way into our list of 2011’s best films.
We got to sit down to speak with McDonagh about the making of The Guard, and what he’s up to next.
We’ve been talking, back at the office, about what genre The Guard falls into. How would you describe it?
I call it a black comedy, because I don’t think the thriller element is big enough to call it a comedy thriller. And it’s sold as a buddy-cop comedy,...
Writer and director John Michael McDonagh’s debut feature, The Guard, could be described as a collision of buddy-cop thriller, western and black comedy. Its blending of slick, bitingly funny dialogue and familiar genre elements is so perfect, in fact, that it’s already made its way into our list of 2011’s best films.
We got to sit down to speak with McDonagh about the making of The Guard, and what he’s up to next.
We’ve been talking, back at the office, about what genre The Guard falls into. How would you describe it?
I call it a black comedy, because I don’t think the thriller element is big enough to call it a comedy thriller. And it’s sold as a buddy-cop comedy,...
- 8/17/2011
- Den of Geek
The Guard
Directed by: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 5, 2011 (Chicago)
Plot: After a group of drug smugglers are revealed to be using Boyle’s town as a place for a massive delivery, Boyle takes it on himself to look for these elusive thugs. To both of their dismay, a top FBI agent (Cheadle) is forced to be his partner, and the two must find some way of cooperating together to make things work.
Who’S It For?: The humor of this movie might sit best with those who had a great time with the Colin Farrell comedy In Bruges (which also starred Brendan Gleeson).
Expectations: I didn’t know anything about this movie before going into it.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Brendan Gleeson as Sgt. Boyle: As the title character, Gleeson is a bit of a crude charm...
Directed by: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: August 5, 2011 (Chicago)
Plot: After a group of drug smugglers are revealed to be using Boyle’s town as a place for a massive delivery, Boyle takes it on himself to look for these elusive thugs. To both of their dismay, a top FBI agent (Cheadle) is forced to be his partner, and the two must find some way of cooperating together to make things work.
Who’S It For?: The humor of this movie might sit best with those who had a great time with the Colin Farrell comedy In Bruges (which also starred Brendan Gleeson).
Expectations: I didn’t know anything about this movie before going into it.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Brendan Gleeson as Sgt. Boyle: As the title character, Gleeson is a bit of a crude charm...
- 8/5/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Chicago – From a classic tradition of abrasive-but-lovable anti-heroes, the lead of writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s “The Guard,” Officer Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), is one of the most memorable leads of the year. Played with trademark wit by Gleeson, Boyle does drugs, sleeps with hookers, and simply doesn’t care what you think about him. When a major drug deal is set to go down in his minor city, Boyle gets involved with an American agent played by Don Cheadle and a very unusual buddy/action movie unfolds. Writer/director John Michael McDonagh sat down with us last week to talk about Gleeson, Cheadle, Walter Matthau, Terence Malick, Ennio Morricone, “Game of Thrones,” and much more.
HollywoodChicago.com: The first natural question that people may have if they look you up on IMDb [and see that your last credit is 2003’s “Ned Kelly”] is why so long between movies?
John Michael McDonagh: In 2000 I made the short film. Obviously,...
HollywoodChicago.com: The first natural question that people may have if they look you up on IMDb [and see that your last credit is 2003’s “Ned Kelly”] is why so long between movies?
John Michael McDonagh: In 2000 I made the short film. Obviously,...
- 8/1/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Three new movies are opening wide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Paul Dano and Sam Rockwell. The film’s music is composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score is now available to download on iTunes and will be released on CD on August 16. To check out the details of the album, visit our soundtrack announcement.
Also opening wide is the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei. Christophe Beck and Nick Urata composed the movie’s score. A soundtrack album featuring twelve songs from the film has been released on Watertower Music. To listen to audio clips and learn more about the soundtrack,...
Opening in most theaters is the sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Paul Dano and Sam Rockwell. The film’s music is composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score is now available to download on iTunes and will be released on CD on August 16. To check out the details of the album, visit our soundtrack announcement.
Also opening wide is the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei. Christophe Beck and Nick Urata composed the movie’s score. A soundtrack album featuring twelve songs from the film has been released on Watertower Music. To listen to audio clips and learn more about the soundtrack,...
- 7/30/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Fueled by an Ennio Morricone-style score by Calexico, "The Guard" is essentially a classic Western set in Connemara, Ireland. If "The Guard" is "High Noon," then that makes star Brendan Gleeson the (much fouler) equivalent of Gary Cooper. Gleefully provoking with comments like, "Why don't you fuck off to America with your Barack O'Fucking Bama?" Gleeson's Gerry Boyle may say--and do--villainous things, but he's the good-hearted soul of this black comedy from director John Michael McDonagh, brother of Martin McDonagh of "In Bruges" fame. Surrounded by corruption, Sergeant Boyle is forced to pair up with a visiting FBI agent (Don…...
- 7/28/2011
- The Playlist
See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.
- 6/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.
- 6/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the movie trailer and images for The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan and Mark Strong! The Sony Pictures Classics comedy thriller opens. John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly) directs and writes the film which was an official selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene and Katarina Cas. Shot by Larry Smith against the epic grandeur of Ireland, the scenery juxtaposes with the inventive soundtrack from Americana/alternative country band Calexico. The Guard marks McDonagh’s feature directorial debut.
- 6/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Guard, directed and written by John Michael McDonagh, was the Official Selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and won ‘Best Debut Film – Honorable Mention’ at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. From Sony Pictures Classic, watch Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson in the trailer for The Guard.
Synopsis
The Guard is a comedic fish-out-of-water tale of murder, blackmail, drug trafficking and rural police corruption. Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang – one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straitlaced FBI agent.
Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleason) is an eccentric small-town cop with a confrontational and crass personality and a subversive sense of humor. A longtime policeman in County Galway, Boyle is a maverick with his own moral code. He has seen enough of the world to know there isn.t much to it and has had plenty of time to think about it.
Synopsis
The Guard is a comedic fish-out-of-water tale of murder, blackmail, drug trafficking and rural police corruption. Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang – one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straitlaced FBI agent.
Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleason) is an eccentric small-town cop with a confrontational and crass personality and a subversive sense of humor. A longtime policeman in County Galway, Boyle is a maverick with his own moral code. He has seen enough of the world to know there isn.t much to it and has had plenty of time to think about it.
- 6/8/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The baseball season has begun, but the weather in most of the country still frustratingly refuses to move forward into actual spring. That's why this weekend might be best spent at your local cinema, and luckily there are plenty of options at your disposal. In addition to some still-around must-sees like "Jane Eyre" and "Rango," there is a lot opening this weekend. You could check out the haunted house movie "Insidious," which is directed and written by the team of James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the first "Saw" flick. There's also "Super," the dark indie action comedy featuring "The Office" star Rainn Wilson as a wannabe masked hero. Another option is "Hop," the animated adventure starring Russell Brand as the Easter Bunny. And if you're tastes are extra-indie, there's the action comedy "Cat Run," the devastating cyber-stalking flick "Trust," the Mexican circus documentary "Circo" (which features music...
- 4/1/2011
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
Reviewed by Bryan Buss
(from the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Aaron Schock
Written by: Aaron Schock and Mark Becker
Aaron Schock’s moving documentary tells the story of the Ponce family, who have run Circo Mexico, a traveling circus, for more than 100 years. Tino Ponce, the ringleader, and his wife, Ivonne, tour Mexico nonstop with their four children, their niece Naydelin, Tino’s parents and his brother Tacho. Parents and children share the work, erecting the tents, selling the tickets, performing the acts and then striking the sets. They live in a camper, the kids don’t go to school, and they are deeply in debt. And their circus being a scrappy affair, they don’t play the big cities for big money. They tour hardscrabble communities, living hardscrabble lives.
Tino performs a delicate balancing act between Ivonne , unhappy and fearing for the futures of their children (they can’t write,...
(from the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Aaron Schock
Written by: Aaron Schock and Mark Becker
Aaron Schock’s moving documentary tells the story of the Ponce family, who have run Circo Mexico, a traveling circus, for more than 100 years. Tino Ponce, the ringleader, and his wife, Ivonne, tour Mexico nonstop with their four children, their niece Naydelin, Tino’s parents and his brother Tacho. Parents and children share the work, erecting the tents, selling the tickets, performing the acts and then striking the sets. They live in a camper, the kids don’t go to school, and they are deeply in debt. And their circus being a scrappy affair, they don’t play the big cities for big money. They tour hardscrabble communities, living hardscrabble lives.
Tino performs a delicate balancing act between Ivonne , unhappy and fearing for the futures of their children (they can’t write,...
- 3/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Bryan Buss
(from the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Aaron Schock
Written by: Aaron Schock and Mark Becker
Aaron Schock’s moving documentary tells the story of the Ponce family, who have run Circo Mexico, a traveling circus, for more than 100 years. Tino Ponce, the ringleader, and his wife, Ivonne, tour Mexico nonstop with their four children, their niece Naydelin, Tino’s parents and his brother Tacho. Parents and children share the work, erecting the tents, selling the tickets, performing the acts and then striking the sets. They live in a camper, the kids don’t go to school, and they are deeply in debt. And their circus being a scrappy affair, they don’t play the big cities for big money. They tour hardscrabble communities, living hardscrabble lives.
Tino performs a delicate balancing act between Ivonne , unhappy and fearing for the futures of their children (they can’t write,...
(from the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Directed by: Aaron Schock
Written by: Aaron Schock and Mark Becker
Aaron Schock’s moving documentary tells the story of the Ponce family, who have run Circo Mexico, a traveling circus, for more than 100 years. Tino Ponce, the ringleader, and his wife, Ivonne, tour Mexico nonstop with their four children, their niece Naydelin, Tino’s parents and his brother Tacho. Parents and children share the work, erecting the tents, selling the tickets, performing the acts and then striking the sets. They live in a camper, the kids don’t go to school, and they are deeply in debt. And their circus being a scrappy affair, they don’t play the big cities for big money. They tour hardscrabble communities, living hardscrabble lives.
Tino performs a delicate balancing act between Ivonne , unhappy and fearing for the futures of their children (they can’t write,...
- 3/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
By Aaron Schock (director of the documentary “Circo”)
(premiering at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
The inspiration to make “Circo” was a desire to reverse the direction of the documentary lens that has typically looked at Mexico only from the border up and singularly through the subject of immigration. Instead, I wanted to go deep into the Mexican countryside and find a story that could communicate both the richness and the complexities of a vast culture and social order unfamiliar to most Americans. My original plan was to make a film about corn farmers. But one night while I was in a small village doing field research, a traveling circus came to town.
That night I went to the circus. The plan changed.
Over the next several days, I got to know the family that had brought this little bit of magic and diversion to this poor farming town. The...
(premiering at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
The inspiration to make “Circo” was a desire to reverse the direction of the documentary lens that has typically looked at Mexico only from the border up and singularly through the subject of immigration. Instead, I wanted to go deep into the Mexican countryside and find a story that could communicate both the richness and the complexities of a vast culture and social order unfamiliar to most Americans. My original plan was to make a film about corn farmers. But one night while I was in a small village doing field research, a traveling circus came to town.
That night I went to the circus. The plan changed.
Over the next several days, I got to know the family that had brought this little bit of magic and diversion to this poor farming town. The...
- 3/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
By Aaron Schock (director of the documentary “Circo”)
(premiering at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
The inspiration to make “Circo” was a desire to reverse the direction of the documentary lens that has typically looked at Mexico only from the border up and singularly through the subject of immigration. Instead, I wanted to go deep into the Mexican countryside and find a story that could communicate both the richness and the complexities of a vast culture and social order unfamiliar to most Americans. My original plan was to make a film about corn farmers. But one night while I was in a small village doing field research, a traveling circus came to town.
That night I went to the circus. The plan changed.
Over the next several days, I got to know the family that had brought this little bit of magic and diversion to this poor farming town. The...
(premiering at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival)
The inspiration to make “Circo” was a desire to reverse the direction of the documentary lens that has typically looked at Mexico only from the border up and singularly through the subject of immigration. Instead, I wanted to go deep into the Mexican countryside and find a story that could communicate both the richness and the complexities of a vast culture and social order unfamiliar to most Americans. My original plan was to make a film about corn farmers. But one night while I was in a small village doing field research, a traveling circus came to town.
That night I went to the circus. The plan changed.
Over the next several days, I got to know the family that had brought this little bit of magic and diversion to this poor farming town. The...
- 3/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Circo, a documentary that follows a family-run Mexican circus, was shot by a one-man crew made up of first-time feature director, Aaron Shock. After a successful tour of the festival circuit, First Run Features is releasing Circo in New York on April 1st. But, you can get a look at the trailer now:
Synopsis:
Gorgeously filmed along the back roads of rural Mexico, Circo follows the Ponce family’s hardscrabble circus as it struggles to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audiences, and a simmering family conflict. Tino, the ringmaster, is driven by his dream to lead his parents’ circus to success and corrals the energy of his whole family, including his four young children, towards this singular goal. But his wife Ivonne is determined to make a change. Feeling exploited by her in-laws, she longs to return to her kids a childhood lost to laboring in the circus. Through...
Synopsis:
Gorgeously filmed along the back roads of rural Mexico, Circo follows the Ponce family’s hardscrabble circus as it struggles to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audiences, and a simmering family conflict. Tino, the ringmaster, is driven by his dream to lead his parents’ circus to success and corrals the energy of his whole family, including his four young children, towards this singular goal. But his wife Ivonne is determined to make a change. Feeling exploited by her in-laws, she longs to return to her kids a childhood lost to laboring in the circus. Through...
- 3/5/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? Circo Trailer Here in the southwest I think you can take a band like Calexico for granted. They have a dusty, desert charm that draws...
- 2/25/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
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