THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT is a clever and wise deconstruction of dogma and patriarchy. Taking as its premise that God (Benoît Poelvoorde) is real, but less than benevolent, it gives us the story of his other child, the one who didn’t get her own book and who doesn’t like the status quo and takes it… Read More »
Amy Schumer is No TRAINWRECK
Turning gender roles neatly on their heads, Amy Schumer has created a screwball comedy of considerable substance. Taking sure aim at the abomination of the formula rom-com, she satirizes not just the genre, but the state of contemporary single-hood. Starring in a script of her own devising, she is fearless, relentless, and completely unapologetic as the titular hot mess, also named Amy, with commitment issues and a healthy libido.
David Cross Takes the HITS
David Cross was off coffee because of a stomach ailment when I talked to him on February 5, 2015 just before his film, HITS, kicked of SFIndieFest. Opting for tea, and overcoming his distaste for the bergamot in his Earl Gray, he was a lively conversationalist as we discussed his maiden effort writing and directing a feature film.… Read More »
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE says Justin Simien
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 »
SAVED!
What would Jesus do? That’s the theological conundrum at the heart of SAVED!, a smart, sharp, and ultimately compassionate consideration of just that question. And before anyone jumps to any conclusions, consider the biblical injunction to judge not lest ye be judged. Open your mind, the way many people in this film just won’t, and… Read More »
NO MAN’S LAND
NO MAN’S LAND, Danis Tanovic’s black comedy about the absurd futility of war, is a prime example of why I adore films from the former Yugoslavia and have since before it was a former. They are like a knife to the gut, they are beautiful, and they are poetic with their shattering intensity. They are… Read More »
Laurent Tirard Brings MOLIERE to Life
Laurent Tirard proved to be as philosophical as he is imaginative. His film being MOLIERE, the subject of comedy as a serious business naturally came up when we talked on July 10, 2007, but it was his lively musings on what makes a good script, how to imitate a horse, as well as his citation of Joseph Campbell that… Read More »
Paul Weitz Lives AMERICAN DREAMZ
Paul Weitz has gone from teen farce with AMERICAN PIE to sophisticated and thoughtful slices of social commentary with ABOUT A BOY and IN GOOD COMPANY. With AMERICAN DREAMZ, though, he’s created a tidy synthesis, combining inspired silliness with a satire that cuts to the bone of American culture. When I talked to him on… Read More »
Jason Reitman Wants to THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Jason Reitman is smart, puckish, and thoroughly delighted with his first feature film, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. He should be. The adaptation of Christopher Buckley’s skewering of politics and political correctness is a perfect reflection of its writer/director. There is something to offend just about everyone in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, even foodies, and that’s… Read More »
Andrew Niccol Reveals the LORD OF WAR
Andrew Niccol’s dry wit is on display to perfection in LORD OF WAR, which he both wrote and directed. It was also on display during our chat on August 26, 2005 where he sported combat boots and a stylish ensemble that wouldn’t be out of place on Rodeo Drive. From a succinct consideration of the media’s… Read More »