Romantic comedies seem to bring out the inner cynic in all of us, since so few of them are able to convince us of the central romance at hand. When the characters come together at the end, we often don’t feel they’ve grown or deserve each other– and isn’t that frustrating? Next to hardboiled action flicks, the “rom-com” is one of cinema’s most disreputable genres, and …
Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions for me. First off, how did you get involved in “The Admiral: Roaring Currents”? What drew you to the material?
Filmmaker Richard Linklater (the Before trilogy, Bernie, Dazed and Confused) ventured to San Francisco earlier this week to discuss his latest film, Boyhood, a family-centered drama filmed over a twelve-year period. A risky proposition by any definition – made even riskier by casting a then six-year-old Ellar Coltrane as the lead …
As one attends more festivals and makes more connections in the film industry, the number of press emails that floods your emails increases exponentially. A good number of them you open, many you barely even glance at and even more you don’t even make it to the end of the subject line. Then there are the opportunities that make you …
I had the pleasure of interviewing Macon Blair and Jeremy Saulnier at Fantastic Fest for their film, Blue Ruin. Macon Blair plays the lead role and Jeremy Saulnier wears many hats as the Cinematographer, Writer and Director of Blue Ruin (among others). At its core Blue Ruin is a film centered on revenge with classic Shakespearian themes: family rivalries, murder, and dark humor and life lessons. We discussed their experience screening the film for an audience, the pressure of playing the lead role and Saulnier offered advice that can only come from many years of preparation and experience.
Sheila Scorned is a short film directed by Mara Tasker. With a tagline that reads, “Sheila’s a trash-talkin’, ass-kickin’ dancer whose moves will knock you out…permenantly,” it would surprise many to know that there’s a twist. The film is modeled after Grindhouse/exploitation films, but it has a feminist drive. The female lead pulls no punches and uses her situation as a way to get what she needs.
It’s always neat to see big stars get a huge reaction from a crowd during the premiere of their new movie, but it’s exponentially more exciting to see new talent get a warm reception from a crowd. It’s no easy feat to steal thunder from the likes of Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn, but first-time screenwriter Andrew Dodge owned the Q&A following the screening of the movie. I was really excited to talk to him the following afternoon, and our interview did not leave me disappointed.
To anyone coming of age in the 1990s, Alicia Silverstone will always be best remembered for her turn as Cher is Amy Heckerling’s eerily timeless Clueless. However, Silverstone’s role as Tammy in William Robert Carey’s new film Angels in Stardust will give pause to those of us with nostalgic inclinations toward Cher as we first witness Silverstone’s range as an actress, and also as we’re forced to abandon our idealized version of the blooming young actress whom we were introduced to in 1995.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Silverstone, who excitedly declared that she was “really drawn to the idea of playing Tammy.” Ostensibly, Tammy could be considered nearly dead last in the running for mother of the year. With her daughter Vallie Sue (AJ Michalka) and her son Pleasant (Adam Taylor), Tammy lives in a makeshift trailer park that occupies an abandoned drive in theater. The Texas desert that surrounds them only lends itself to the desolation, and the missing S on the sign for the Stardust Drive-In figuratively traps them in a pit of desperation, with each character wriggling and wrangling in one form or another to escape.
AKP: Job 27 is an interestingly unique debut feature by director Michael Suan. It’s a silent film set in modern times about a Yakuza hitman (played by Tyce Philip Phangsoa), who has come to Toronto on assignment. He falls in love with a beautiful prostitute (played by newcomer Roxanne Prentice), who reminds him of a lost love. The scenes unfold through a visual collage of travels and are segmented by statements and quotes, setting up each section as moving poems.
I met with filmmaker Michael Suan and actress Roxanne Prentice to chat over a coffee about the process in making the film.
It took quite some time, four weeks to be exact, to set a date for an interview with the London-born actor James D’Arcy, and understandably so. Mr. D’Arcy has been incredibly busy working on multiple projects, having to conduct this particular interview over the phone from London. It was immediately clear from the beginning of the interview that not only was James a magnificent actor, but he was one of the nicest people I’d ever spoken too. A true gentleman.