It would be easy to dismiss the dual casting of Paul Dano and John Cusack as the younger and older Brian Wilson respectively in LOVE & MERCY as a stunt. And it certainly garners attention, but it’s anything but that. It’s one of the things the film’s director, Bill Pohlad, discussed when I spoke with him… 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 »
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 »
Neil Burger Unveils THE ILLUSIONIST
When I spoke with Neil Burger on July 31, 2006, it was impossible to not start with his previous film, INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN. Both that film and THE ILLUSIONIST deal with what is real and what is a clever bit of misdirection. His newest film, though, boasts not just a fiendishly clever plot, but also… Read More »