Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato had already told the story of PARTY MONSTER, about the Club Kid murders, a few years back with their documentary of the same name. Turning it into their first feature film seemed, for them, the logical thing to do. When I talked with them on June 28, 2003, they were being honored at the San… Read More »
Patty Jenkins Dissects MONSTER
For Patty Jenkins, MONSTER was more than a movie, it was a mission. The writer/director took a lot of risks, including the casting against type of the film’s star, Charlize Theron, as real-life serial killer Aileen Wournos. It paid off big time, and did so with a smart film that raises more questions about society than… Read More »
Taylor Hackford Presents RAY
You can’t talk to Taylor Hackford about RAY and not understand why this was a project that he pursued doggedly for over a decade. Given Jamie Foxx’s electrifying performance as Ray Charles, it was worth the wait. Hackford saw the story not just of one man beating the odds personally and professionally, but also as metaphor… Read More »
Bill Condon Studies KINSEY
A word of warning. Like KINSEY, the film he wrote and directed, Bill Condon is direct when discussing the research that his title character carried out on human sexuality. Also like the film, it’s done with erudition, insight, and spiced with a pointed wit. When we spoke on October 28, 2004, the converstation naturally turned to… Read More »
Raoul Peck on SOMETIMES IN APRIL
Raoul Peck is a softspoken man, but the gentle timbre of his voice does nothing to disguise the passion he feels for SOMETIMES IN APRIL, which he wrote and directed for HBO. This look at the Rwandan genocide of 1994, an event that took a million lives in 100 days, was a topic he was… Read More »
David Strathairn Wishes Us GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
The press tour that David Strathairn did for GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK was the first of his career. Considering how many first-rate performances Strathairn has given over the years, this came as something of a surprise to me. From starring roles in such John Sayles’ classics as LIMBO and PASSION FISH to solid supporting work… Read More »
Anthony Swofford Remembers What It’s Like to be A JARHEAD
For someone who has seen action in the Persian Gulf, not to mention survived Marine boot camp, Anthony Swofford is a surprisingly soft-spoken guy. When I spoke to him on October 25, 2005 about JARHEAD, the film version of his memoir of the same name about his time in the Marines, including taking part in Gulf War… Read More »
Q’Orianka Kilcher Discovers THE NEW WORLD
‘When I spoke to Q’Orianka Kilcher, one of the things I wanted to know from the young actress was what it was like to know that she was in a film that would be studied for decades to come. Terrence Malick, an auteur in every sense, has both written and directed just five films in… Read More »
Gretchen Mol is THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE
Call it the curse of having startling good looks: not being taken seriously as an artist. Gretchen Mol was poised for stardom a few year’s back, but instead of glitzy Hollywood fluff, she chose to go the route of live theater and little films of enormous substance that would stretch her considerable acting talents rather than… Read More »
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Coaches THE GRIDIRON GANG
When I talked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on September 7, 2006, time was of the essence. As befits his pop culture icon status, everyone wanted to talk to him. There was time enough, though, for us to cover crunching bones, popping tendons, and the turning point in his life, all of which he discussed… Read More »