Go Go Tales

Last updated
Go Go Tales
Go go tales.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Written by Abel Ferrara
Produced by
  • Enrico Coletti
  • Massimo Cortesi
Starring Willem Dafoe
Bob Hoskins
Asia Argento
Riccardo Scamarcio
Sylvia Miles
Stefania Rocca
Matthew Modine
CinematographyFabio Cianchetti
Edited byFabio Nunziata
Music by Francis Kuipers
Release date
  • 23 May 2007 (2007-05-23)
Running time
96 minutes
CountriesItaly
United States
LanguageEnglish

Go Go Tales is an independent 2007 film by Abel Ferrara. [1] Ferrara based the film on The Killing of a Chinese Bookie , directed by John Cassavetes. [2] It stars Willem Dafoe as a strip club owner and co-stars Bob Hoskins, Asia Argento and Matthew Modine. [3] Ferrara had the cast improvise much of their lines. [2] He described the film as his "first intentional comedy". [4]

Contents

Plot

Ray Ruby, who manages Ray Ruby’s Paradise, is worried about fewer tourists visiting the establishment so he decides to hold a lottery to bring them in. Ray is running out of money but people expect to be paid, including the pole dancers. A landlady by the name of Lillian plans on using the spot for a Bed Bath & Beyond location if she does not receive rent money.

Desperate for money to keep the establishment open, Ray tries to find the winning ticket of his own lottery. His brother Johnnie helps keep the strip club open. The film shows the lives of people who depend on the strip club and what the lack of money does to them.

Cast

Production

The part of Ray Ruby was offered to Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel. [5] [6]

When the film came out, Asia Argento said she regretted she did it because everyone was only talking about the infamous dog-kissing scene. But both director Abel Ferrara and actress Stefania Rocca confirmed that it was Asia herself who wanted to do that scene. [7]

Release

It was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. [8] It has been seen only at selected film festivals, including the Montréal World Film Festival where it competed for the "Grand prix des Amériques". [9] Despite being filmed by an American director, the film rights were never bought in the United States. Its only other United States airing besides the Cannes Film Festival and New York Film Festival was at the Anthology Film Archives, as part of a program titled "Abel Ferrara in the 21st Century". [4] The film was released on DVD in Australia. [10] The film was also screened in May 2019 as part of a 27-film Abel Ferrara retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68%, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. [11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [12]

Ed Gonzalez, writing for Slant Magazine , praised the acting and the music. [13] Robert Koehler, of Variety , said that "Ferrara is in a wonderfully loose and comedic mood after the complex spiritual dramatics of 'Mary.'" [2] A review by The New York Times said, "A lovely drift of a movie, “Go Go Tales” commands your attention even as it lulls you along. Conspicuously inspired by John Cassavetes’s Killing of a Chinese Bookie among other touchstones, it is a sincere and inspired meditation on art and creation, but in a loose, funny key". [4] Simon Miraudo, of Quickflix, said that "all anyone wanted to talk about was the sequence in which Asia Argento’s exotic dancer tongue-kissed a dog onstage". [10] It is a Critics' Pick of The New York Times. [14] Cahiers du Cinéma placed Go Go Tales 7th in its list of top 10 films of 2012. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>New Rose Hotel</i> (film) 1998 American science fiction film

New Rose Hotel is a 1998 American erotic science fiction drama film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe and Asia Argento. It is based on William Gibson's 1984 short story of the same name.

<i>Bad Lieutenant</i> 1992 crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara

Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 American crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. The film stars Harvey Keitel as the title character "bad lieutenant" as well as Victor Argo and Paul Calderón. The screenplay was co-written by Ferrara with actress-model Zoë Lund, both of whom appear in the film in minor roles. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abel Ferrara</span> American film director

Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.

<i>The Killing of a Chinese Bookie</i> 1976 film by John Cassavetes

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following Husbands and preceding Opening Night. Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel, Morgan Woodward, Meade Roberts, and Azizi Johari appear in supporting roles.

<i>Dracula 3D</i> 2012 Italian film

Dracula 3D is a 2012 vampire horror film directed by Dario Argento from a screenplay he wrote with Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, and Stefano Piani. It stars Thomas Kretschmann as Count Dracula, alongside Marta Gastini, Asia Argento, Unax Ugalde, Miriam Giovanelli, and Rutger Hauer.

<i>Mary</i> (2005 film) Italian film

Mary is a 2005 drama thriller film, written and directed by American director Abel Ferrara. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Modine and Heather Graham.

<i>The Card Player</i> 2004 giallo film directed by Dario Argento

The Card Player is a 2004 giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham and is Argento's second giallo feature of the decade.

<i>Fear City</i> 1984 film by Abel Ferrara

Fear City is a 1984 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Scalia, and Melanie Griffith. The screenplay was written by longtime Ferrara collaborator Nicholas St. John. It is considered a cult film.

<i>Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans</i> 2009 film by Werner Herzog

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a 2009 American black comedy crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Tom Bower, Jennifer Coolidge, Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner, Val Kilmer, and Brad Dourif. Though the film's title and story loosely resemble that of Abel Ferrara's 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, according to Herzog, it is neither a sequel nor a remake; its only commonality is a corrupt policeman as the central character. Nonetheless, the director of the original Bad Lieutenant film, Abel Ferrara, expressed dismay that the Herzog film was being made. Both Bad Lieutenant films were produced by Edward R. Pressman.

<i>The Blackout</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film

The Blackout is a 1997 American drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Matthew Modine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Chelsea on the Rocks</i> 2008 American film

Chelsea on the Rocks is a documentary film directed by Abel Ferrara about the Hotel Chelsea. The film features Ferrara interviewing people who have and had lived at the hotel, intercut with dramatized footage of some famous events that took place there. During the film's interviews and docudrama Gaby Hoffmann, Ethan Hawke, Dennis Hopper, Robert Crumb, Adam Goldberg, Grace Jones, Miloš Forman, and Bijou Phillips make appearances.

<i>4:44 Last Day on Earth</i> 2011 film by Abel Ferrara

4:44 Last Day on Earth is a 2011 apocalyptic drama film written and directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, and Paul Hipp. An international co-production of the United States, France, Switzerland, and Chile, the film received mixed reviews from critics upon release.

<i>Misunderstood</i> (2014 film) 2014 film

Misunderstood is a 2014 Italian drama film directed by Asia Argento. It was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Welcome to New York</i> (2014 film) 2014 French film

Welcome to New York is a 2014 French-American drama film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara. Inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair when the prominent French politician was accused of sexual assaulting a hotel maid, the film was released on 17 May 2014 by VOD on the Internet as the film failed to secure a place on the Official Selection at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, nor was it picked up for theatrical distribution in France.

<i>Pasolini</i> (film) 2014 film

Pasolini is a 2014 English-language internationally co-produced drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Maurizio Braucci about the final days of Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. It was also screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

A Woman is a 2010 American-Italian drama film written and directed by Giada Colagrande and starring Willem Dafoe and Jess Weixler.

<i>Tommaso</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Abel Ferrara

Tommaso is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama film, written and directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Willem Dafoe. The film had its world premiere at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2019. It was released in the United States on 5 June 2020 by Kino Lorber.

<i>Siberia</i> (2020 film) 2020 film

Siberia is a 2020 psychological thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it premiered on 24 February 2020.

<i>Alive in France</i> 2017 French documentary film

Alive in France is a 2017 French documentary film about American filmmaker Abel Ferrara touring and performing rock and roll with his band. The documentary was directed by Ferrara. It premiered as part of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight.

<i>Padre Pio</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Abel Ferrara

Padre Pio is a 2022 biographical film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan priest who received the stigmata. This historical event is shown in the film. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. During its production, as a result of his spiritual experiences, LaBeouf converted to Catholicism.

References

  1. ↑ Child, Ben (22 October 2008). "Italian government to sell final stake in Cinecitta". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Koehler, Robert (June 8, 2007). "Review: "Go Go Tales"". Variety. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Ty's weekend movie picks for Friday, November 14". The Boston Globe. 14 November 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 Dargis, Manohla (January 6, 2011). "Go Go Tales (2007)". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ Cryptekeeper 044 Abel Ferrara/New Rose Hotel at YouTube
  6. ↑ Tobias, Scott (27 November 2002). "Abel Ferrara". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "Film scandalo, tutti contro Asia Argento". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Go Go Tales". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  9. ↑ "Two Films Tie For The Grand Prix Des Ameriques". Film Festivals. Montreal World Film Festival. September 3, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Miraudo, Simon (November 13, 2012). "Interview: Abel Ferrara (Go Go Tales, Bad Lieutenant)". Quickflix. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ Go Go Tales, Rotten Tomatoes , retrieved 2022-03-20
  12. ↑ Go Go Tales Reviews, Metacritic , retrieved 2022-03-20
  13. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (September 25, 2007). "Go Go Tales". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Go Go Tales (2007)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Cahiers du Cinema Names Top Ten Films of 2012: 'Holy Motors' Reigns, Cronenberg, Ferrara and Coppola Represent [TRAILERS]".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.