To say that talking with Justin Simien was a master’s class in film and culture theory is understating it. Simien believes that film is the culmination of everything we do as a culture. This is why he invoked Spike Lee, Paddy Chayefsky, George Orwell, and Moliere in our conversation about DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, his bracing look… Read More »
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR for Oscar Isaac
Sometimes in an interview there’s a defining line. And in talking to Oscar Isaac about JC Chandor’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR on December 5, 2014, it came towards the end our conversation, when I had asked what I called the “obligatory Star Wars question”. As Isaac was describing his method for getting into character as an… Read More »
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 — Jay Baruchel, America Ferrara, Dean Deblois & Bonnie Arnold
Interviewing four people at once can be daunting when it comes to getting everyone to join in the conversation, but the gang from the Dreamworks animated film HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 had spent so much time together since the making of DRAGON 1, that they were almost a single entity. When I spoke… Read More »
TAKEN 3
And so once again we are in the company of Bryan Mills and his very specific skill set as brought to life by the incomparable Liam Neeson. The one-man demolition squad, trained by the darkest of black ops, is once again called into action when his family is threatened. Fortunately, this is no irksome… Read More »
Just Try to Resist PADDINGTON
There is a certain trepidation that accompanies any screening of a film released in January. This is the graveyard of films that failed to meet studio expectations, but that for some reason or another, are due a theatrical release. There is even more trepidation when the film is one aimed at children. How bad, one… Read More »
The WHIPLASH of Damien Chazelle
When I met Damien Chazelle, one of the first things I said to him was that his film WHIPLASH had to be one of the sweatiest movies ever made, up there with BEN HUR and COOL HAND LUKE. He laughed and said he was pleased to have filled such a niche market. That’s the kind of guy… Read More »
Laura Poitras Meets CITIZENFOUR
Laura Poitras was hoarse the day I interviewed her for CITIZENFOUR. Her remarkable eye-witness documentary about Edward Snowden leaking NSA secrets to the press resulted in everyone wanting to talk to her. When we spoke, though, her dedication to bringing the truth to light was intact. I started by asking what it was like to… Read More »
Amir Bar-Lev Visits HAPPY VALLEY
Avoiding black holes. Amir Bar-Lev used that term when describing his approach to interviewing a victim of child sexual abuse, and it was a strikingly original way to describe how he wanted to be honest, but not salacious when it came to dealing with the charges against Jerry Sandusky in his documentary, HAPPY VALLEY. What… Read More »
THE OVERNIGHTERS — Jesse Moss
Jesse Moss didn’t go to North Dakota to make a film about the homeless problem that the oil boom brought with it. But when he heard about Pastor Jay Reinke’s program to house people who migrated to his small town of Williston, ND in search of work, he knew he’d found a story he wanted… Read More »
Timothy Spall is MR. TURNER
There is a wonderful juxtaposition in the modesty Timothy Spall evinces about his work, and the enormous talent he brings to it. When I mentioned his winning the best actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, he said with a half-laugh that no one was more surprised about it that he was. He must… Read More »
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