The one question writer/director Gareth Evans hates is the one about how a Welshman became the leading light of Indonesian cinema. So I didn’t ask. There was too much to discuss anyway about his masterpiece, THE RAID 2: BERENDAL. According to both men, it was all about the details, From choreographing a stunning prison riot that… Read More »
Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari – Rosewater
As God is my witness, I thought that Jon Stewart knew that Aryan had more than one definition. He didn’t, but it made for a lively way to start my conversation with both him and Maziar Bahari on October 22, 2014. As Bahari pointed out, Iranians are the original Aryans, and he went on to… Read More »
THE GUEST — Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
I admit that I have been waiting for the next film from Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett since seeing their last one,YOURE NEXT. The pair have a way of creating astute character studies while also embracing genre films with a piquant elan. I was not disappointed. THE GUEST is smart, scary, and a fascinating exercise in the psychology of… Read More »
Rebney, Jack & Ben Steinbauer — WINNEBAGO MAN
The lesson filmmaker Ben Steinbauer learned by making WINNEBAGO MAN was that the smartest thing he could could do was follow where the story leads. It’s a great story, and Jack Rebney, whose outtakes of his very bad day as a Winnebago pitchman became must-see YouTube, one of the great documentary subjects. All preconceived notions and… Read More »
Wim Wenders Pays Tribute to PINA
When I spoke to Wim Wenders about his 3D documentary, PINA, on December 12, 2012, he was looking forward to seeing what Martin Scorsese had done with 3D in HUGO. Wenders, now that he’s discovered the subtleties of 3D, and has solved the technical issues that come with using it, is planning on using the technology… Read More »