Todd Haynes took on an icon when he decided to film MILDRED PIERCE. Even though his adaptation sticks to the James M. Cain novel with a loving fidelity, he was surprised by how much spectre of Joan Crawford in the title role of Michael Curtiz’s classic noir still looms. Addressing that issue when I spoke… Read More »
For Tom McCarthy, it’s WIN WIN
Tom McCarthy returned to his hometown of Provinctown, N.J., for WIN WIN, his third film as a writer/director. The story of a lawyer on the verge of a financial meltdown who makes a rash and unethical choice also gave him the opportunity to revist his favorite high school sport: wrestling. A working actor with a… Read More »
James Wan & Leigh Whannell are INSIDIOUS in the Best Sense
James Wan and Leigh Whannell collaborated on the original SAW and with that film proved that they had a keen understanding that a successful horror film is about mood, tone, and using just the right sound effects. In INSIDIOUS, they use just that approach in making a haunted house story into something with fiendishly clever… Read More »
Joe Wright & Saoirse Ronan Create HANNA
Joe Wright and Saoirse Ronan’s previous collaboration on ATONEMENT resulted in an Oscar(tm) nomination for Ronan. Their latest project, HANNA, casts Ronan as a 16-year-old trained to be the perfect assassin, in a tale that combines elements of fairy tales and sharp social commentary on what our culture does and doesn’t expect from the female… Read More »
Max Winkler’s Piquant CEREMONY
Max Winkler switched coasts for his feature film debut. Born, raised, and educated in California, he envisioned the ambiance of the East Coast as the perfect setting for the comedy of idealistic love gone wrong that he directed from his own script. The interview reveals a man obsessed with details and with a respect for… Read More »
Ewan McGregor & Mike Mills are BEGINNERS
BEGINNERS is based on writer/director Mike Mills’ experience of having his father come out as gay when he became a widower after forty years of marriage. The film is fictionalized, the father is Hal, played by Christopher Plummer, the son is Oliver, played by McGregor, as far as the details go, but is emotionally true… Read More »
Roko Belic Wants You to Be HAPPY
Roko Belic has been making films about people living their dreams, including the Oscar(tm)-nominated documentary, GENGHIS BLUES. That his latest documentary, HAPPY, should be a look at the profound nature of that state of being is no surprise. When we spoke on June 30, 2011, it was at the fabled Roxie Theater in San Francisco… Read More »
Emma Stone Helps THE HELP
When I talked with Emma Stone in July 11, 2011, the issue of Vanity Fair with her on the cover had just hit newstands. It seemed wrong not to acknowledge this milestone in a career that is relatively new, but has already shown so much versatility. Bouyant but grounded, Stone spoke with engaging conviction about… Read More »
Tate Taylor & Octavia Spencer Bring THE HELP to Life
Click here to listen to the interview. Tate Taylor and Octavia Spencer have a special insight into THE HELP. The novel on which Taylor based his script, which he also directed, was written by his lifelong friend, Kathryn Stockett. Spencer was Taylor’s roommate when she got to know Stockett, and was the inspiration for the… Read More »
John Madden Pays THE DEBT
When tapped to direct THE DEBT, John Madden had not seen HA HOV, the Israeli film on which it is based. When he read the script, he decided he wanted to see the original, but only once. The re-make follows the same general outlines, but Madden emphasized that it is its own entity, distinct and with… Read More »
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