There are many things to admire in R.J. Cutler’s astute documentary, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. Yet, for all the moments, large and small, of revelation by its subject, Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, the image that most struck me did not involve her at all. It involved Vogue’s creative director, Grace Coddington, a model ensconced in haute couture, and a cherry tart. Such… Read More »
Michael Hoffman at THE LAST STATION
Idealism and living those ideals in the real world is only one of the intriguing issues that screenwriter/director Michael Hoffman wrestled with in adapting THE LAST STATION from the book by Jay Parini to the screen. When I talked to Michael Hoffman on January 6, 2010, he explained how he used Anton Checkov to get… Read More »
George A. Romero Insures the SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD
When I talked with horror icon George A. Romero on May 13, 2010, it was hard to know where to begin, considering his first feature, 1968’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, earned a place on the Library of Congress’ film register in 1999. I decided to lead with the metaphorical aspect of his latest film, SURVIVAL OF THE… Read More »
Laura Poitras Takes THE OATH
Laura Poitras spent two years in Yemen shooting footage for THE OATH. What began as an investigation into the military prison at Guantanamo Bay became instead a remarkable portrait of two brothers-in-law and their separate journeys in the wake of the American invasion of Afghanistan. Abu Jandal, now a Yemeni taxi driver, was bin Ladin’s… Read More »
Jay Duplass Creates CYRUS
Filmmaker Jay Duplass channeled the close relationship he shares with brother, co-writer and co-director, Mark, into the sweet but insular relationship the 21-year-old title character of their film CYRUS shares with his mother. As part of the Mumblecore movement, their particular brand of indy filmmaking, their goal is to capture the an emotional immediacy and… Read More »
Idris Elba and TAKERS
Idris Elba has several thriving careers going for him, not the least of which is giving powerful performances in both feature films and on television. When I spoke with him on August 8, 2010, he explained how his career in music informs his thespian efforts, how and why he wanted to make his TAKERS character, a daring… Read More »
Vikram Jayanti Explores THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF PHIL SPECTOR
Vikram Jayanti’s documentary about legendary music producer Phil Spector does the unthinkable. It presents Spector in all his eccentric, mean-spirited glory, yet still manages to humanize him. When I spoke with the director on September 10, 2010, the first thing I asked about was how he had pulled that off. Jayanti then went on to reveal how he… Read More »
Nev and Ariel Schulman & Henry Joost Catch A CATFISH
When a painting arrived for photographer and filmmaker Nev Schulman at his office, he couldn’t have imagined the journey it would take him on along with brother Ariel and business partner Henry Joost. The painting was a rendering of a photograph of Nev’s that had appeared in the newspaper. The artist was eight-year-old Abby, and… Read More »
Ryan Reynolds is BURIED
Ryan Reynolds has had many challenging roles in his career, but spending 17 days flat on his back playing a man buried alive was unique among them. When I spoke to him on September 20, 2010, he described why he wanted to take it on, how he used the lesson of a skydive gone wrong… Read More »
Randall Wallace Trots Out SECRETARIAT
Soft-spoken with beautiful manners and a languid drawl to his vowels, Randall Wallace is the epitome of Southern gentility. When he speaks about the mysterious nature of horses in general, or about making the life story of arguably the finest race horse who ever lived, SECRETARIAT, and the turning point in the life of his… Read More »
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- …
- 13
- Next Page »