Imagining the exact moment of rock 'n' roll's birth Feb 1, 2008
His intellectual curiosity, always firmly coupled to his liberal sensibilities, has let him roam far afield, from radical politics ( The Return of the Secaucus 7) and social allegories ( The Brother from Another Planet) and baseball scandals ( Eight Men Out) all the way to Third World adoptions ( Casa de los Babys). The topics may vary, but his consistent strength is a keen ear for dialogue that, whatever the subject or genre, gives his work a hard naturalistic edge. (Globe and Mail)
Film Weekly goes to America - and cries Jul 29, 2007
There's very few films that don't make me cry (with a strong exception for the Paul Haggis oeuvre and anything involving prisons, both of which make me snort nachos), however John Sayles' Casa de los Babys is the only film whose _trailer_ had me crying -- don't know whether it's the use of "Decara a la Pared" by Lhasa, the abandoned babies, or Maggie Gyllenhaal in tears, or the rhythm of the images as they fade in and out to the song. Eve watching it on YouTube makes me well up. (Guardian Unlimited)
Gosling, Weaver join list of celeb-filled screenings Jul 6, 2007
But Sayles has significant independent-cinema cred from his previous films such Casa de los babys and City of Hope, which may placate some doubters. Also on the festival's list yesterday was Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of actor Helen Hunt, who also stars as a schoolteacher who faces divorce and the emergence of her lost birth mother, played by Bette Midler. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Finding a connecting thread Apr 8, 2007
The remaining feature, "My Mexican Shivah," directed by Alejandro Springall -- producer of "Casa de los Babys" -- from a novella by Amherst professor Ilan Stavans , sports an original score by the Klezmatics and is billed as a comedy (screeners for this April 14 "sneak preview," which was well received at the New York Jewish Film Festival, were unavailable as of press time). David Vyorst's documentary "The First Basket," which opens the festival on April 14 , is definitely on the light side. (Boston Globe -- Living)
Hollywood chameleon Sep 25, 2006
" The busy young actress can also be seen in the romantic comedy Trust The Man co-starring David Duchovny and Julianne Moore. She also tackles heavy drama in Oliver Stone's powerful World Trade Center. The movie is a true story based on the lives of two New York Port Authority policemen (played by Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena) who were trapped underground after terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Centre in New York on September ll, 2001. Gyllenhaal plays Pena's pregnant wife who... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
