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Interviews

Edward James Olmos & Isaiah Washington Star In John Sayles' Next Film 'Go For Sisters'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 2, 2012 5:47 PM
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1 Comment

News

John Sayles is still churning out films on a fairly regular basis, and his most recent effort “Amigo” got its limited release in theaters in August last year. Starring Chris Cooper, Garret Dillahunt and Dane DeHaan (“Chronicle”), the film was moderately well received, but grossed a tiny $184k from its release on a maximum of 10 screens. To say it was small would be an understatement. But such is the state of financing these days where guys like Sayles are left on the sidelines. But, keen to keep his fanbase updated with plans for his next film, Sayles has taken to his blog to speak about his upcoming 18th feature.

By Mark Zhuravsky
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August 17, 2011 11:30 AM
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1 Comment

John Sayles' latest feature, "Amigo," is an intriguing moral fable, marrying historical narrative with a fictionalized tale that takes us on an emotional journey with those on both sides of a conflict. The background is the Philippine–American War of the early 20th century, a well-documented but not widely known (it certainly was skimmed over in our history classes) attempt to "win hearts and minds" of Filipinos. The "amigo" of the title refers to Rafael (Joel Torre), a cabeza (head) of a barrio whose initially envious position becomes his downfall when the Americans unceremoniously occupy the village and attempt to root out guerilla fighters who have taken refuge in the adjacent wilderness. Rafael's brother is the leader of the local insurrection and so the village head finds himself in the ultimate predicament, pacifying the trigger-happy Americans while half-heartedly supporting his brother's revolutionary tactics. "Amigo" succeeds largely because it refuses to simplify the situation or spell out the obvious comparisons a viewer could make to U.S. global politics today. It's also well-acted, handsomely shot with rich scenery and a novelistic approach to character development. In short, it's another fine entry in Sayles' already impressive body of work and should more than please fans of the auteur.

By Mark Zhuravsky
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August 15, 2011 10:58 AM
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5 Comments

Talks Demise Of The HBO Satchmo Miniseries, 'Girls Like Us,' And MoreJohn Sayles is a busy man, a prolific screenwriter and icon of the American independent film movement. Having made his name directing films such “Eight Men Out,” “Matewan,” “The Return of the Secaucus Seven,” "Lone Star," "Sunshine State," and a variety of small but frequently warmly received films, Sayles also made his mark as an occasional Hollywood scribe, most recently co-writing "The Spiderwick Chronicles". With his latest, "Amigo" (our reviewer at TIFF '10 called it "a complex and organically built work that coaxes meaning out of the situations it builds rather than putting the politics first and constructing a story around it"), a look at the Philippine–American War of early 1900s, opening this week, we had an opportunity to talk with the writer/director and had a chance to ask him about the wide variety of projects he has on his slate and here's what he had to tell us.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 22, 2011 3:58 AM
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5 Comments

Katie Jacobs To Make Feature Directorial DebutThough talk quieted since last August when Sony announced they would be adapting Sheila Weller’s “Girls Like Us,” a book about the careers of musical artists Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell and Carole King, for the big screen, the project is heating back up. THR reports that John Sayles, Oscar-nominated writer of “Passion Fish” and “Lone Star,” has been hired to pen the adaptation. Additionally, first-time feature director Katie Jacobs, a producer and director on the hit Fox show “House,” will helm and produce the project, along with producers Lorenzo DiBonaventura, Amy Pascal and Elizabeth Cantillon, all bigwigs of Sony Pictures.