Frank Pavich Interview for Jodorowsky’s Dune
What do you think of Jodorowsky’s latest film? I think it’s astounding. I know Brontis [who plays the lead]. We worked together on Dune obviously, he did a play last year that I saw and he’s fantastic in, he’s in a new Mexican film called Tau and he’s fantastic in that. But La Danza is … Read more
Jennifer Lynch Interview
The film is fascinating in the questions it raises about nature vs. nurture. Do you find yourself coming down more on one side of that debate and did making Chained change your views at all or lead you in new directions? Such a great question. I think the dangerous part of nurture vs. nature is … Read more
Douglas Trumbull Interview
There’s a lot to Silent Running in the technology, the story and the ecological message. What first got you excited about making the film? When I was initially thinking about doing any film I inadvertently came across Tod Browning’s movie The Freaks and there was an amazing character played by Johnny Eck, who could walk on his hands. That … Read more
Monte Hellman Interview
At the time the casting of Two-Lane Blacktop was somewhat unconvential. Could you talk a little about how you came to choose the particular actors you used, specifically James Taylor and Laurie Bird. Well, I think that James was probably the first one to be cast and I had been intervieweing just about every young actor in … Read more
Alex Cox Interview
In the booklet for the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray release of Repo Man you comment that you can write ten to twenty pages in a good day. What sort of writing habit do you have? Do you ever get ‘writer’s block’ and if so how do you cope with it? I haven’t experienced writers block. Not that … Read more
Amy Berg Interview for West of Memphis
What was your first involvement with the film and the story? I came in very late. I came in after Peter [Jackson] and Fran [Walsh] had presented all of this new evidence to the judge. Well, they didn’t even get to present it, it was denied immediately. And then had to regroup and decide how to get … Read more
Matthias Schoenaerts, Jacques Audiard & Thomas Bidegain Interviews for Rust and Bone
How would you characterise Rust and Bone? Jacques Audiard It’s a melodrama. We call it ‘Melo-trash’… It’s a love story. What about Matthias Schoenaerts stood out and led to him being cast? Jacques Audiard The part we wrote was tougher than what it is on screen now. A closed character. More like an animal somehow. … Read more
Traci Lords Interview for Excision
Were you familiar with Richard Bates Jr.’s short film before you starred in the feature and what did you initially think of it and the idea? My agent sent me the script and short film. I was intrigued. And after several meetings and a screen test…the role was mine . Was there one thing in … Read more
Eran Riklis Interview for Zaytoun
There’s a balance in the film between entertainment and politics. And possibly more serious subjects that you might usually expect in ‘entertainment’ films. I think that’s at the core of my filmmaking in general. I really think that once you’ve decided that you want to tackle these kind of issues – especially in the Middle … Read more
Rodney Ascher and Tim Kirk Interview for Room 237
Why The Shining? Obviously Kubrick had an obsessive attention to detail, is that the main thing? Rodney Ascher There’s a couple of things. It started with The Shining, it started when Tim sent me an online analysis that was super deep about The Shining. Mind blowing ideas about Zodiac and government conspiracies and Kubrick’s personal … Read more
John Hillcoat Interview for Lawless
Storyboarding/Pre-visualisation. It’s certainly storyboarding as opposed to pre-visualisation, although storyboards are a form of pre-visualisation. What I do is work with the DP in rehearsal. When I rehearse with the actors. I love rehearsing, it’s weirdly the greatest weakness of the entire American film industry because they don’t have enough prep, they just throw money … Read more
Todd Solondz Interview for Dark Horse
The film’s theme of infantilization, particularly of the American male. It is, as I’m sure you’re aware, very popular in TV and films such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and so forth. So you I suppose you could see this as a kind of response, as a kind of alternative to that moviegoing experience. … Read more
Edward Norton Interview For Moonrise Kingdom
Working on Moonrise Kingdom as part of an ensemble. It’s great fun. I came up in the theatre, so it feels a lot like being in a theatre company. I’m still in a theatre company in New York so it’s very familiar and fun. Wes Anderson’s way of working. It’s not that much different… Sometimes … Read more
Roman Coppola Interview For Moonrise Kingdom & A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III
Coming on board Moonrise Kingdom and his role as a “rescuer” (a phrase Wes Anderson has reportedly used to describe him). It’s flattering to be considered a rescuer. We’re friends and we’re always checking in about one another’s work. So I would ask him, and I saw the first 15 pages, but then after a … Read more
Jason Schwartzman Interview For Moonrise Kingdom
Meeting Wes Anderson for the first time and their relationship together. The first time I met him was at the audition for Rushmore. I was very nervous, it was my first time ever in an audition and even acting. I didn’t really know what to expect, I had no other experience and I had no … Read more
Wes Anderson Interview For Moonrise Kingdom
Casting Bruce Willis and whether he experienced any of the same problems that Kevin Smith reportedly did. Different people have such different experiences with the same person, and my experience is, I think it’s safe to say, the exact polar opposite of Kevin Smith and I don’t know why that would be. I had the … Read more
Whit Stillman Interview For Damsels in Distress
Obviously there are sequences with music in The Last Days of Disco but not the kind of musical set pieces that you have in Damsels in Distress. How did you find filming them and did you find any particular challenges? It was terrifying at the start but there was, sort of, four or more very … Read more
Werner Herzog Roundtable Interview For Into the Abyss
How did you come across the subject and choose to make this film, at this time? Well, it was a simple thing. Once I knew I was going to film with inmates on death row I looked at the nature of crimes and this was immediately conspicuous and standing out, because the amount of senselessness … Read more
Sean Durkin and John Hawkes Roundtable Interview for Martha Marcy May Marlene
John, you worked closely on this film with two first timers, as an experienced actor how was that for you? Did you have to bring anything different because of that? John Hawkes: No, I learn from whoever I work with. Some more than others. I was certainly able to learn a great deal from Lizzie … Read more
Michael Shannon Roundtable Interview For Take Shelter
What attracted you to take the part in Take Shelter? I worked with Jeff [Nichols] on Shotgun Stories, his first movie, and I just really think he’s unique. I can’t really think of any other director, young director in America today, who is as focused as he is, has as distinctive of a vision as … Read more
