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- Does This Final New G.I. Joe Trailer Convince You to See It? (109 Comments)
- Profile on Marvel Studios with Big Updates from Kevin Feige (80 Comments)
- Must Watch: First Trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (79 Comments)
- Visual Effects Supervisor Charles Gibson Directing The Goblin (Jun 21, 2009)
- Sony Dumps Steven Soderbergh's Moneyball Movie Last Minute! (Jun 21, 2009)
- Producer Joe Gatta Updates Rodriguez' Red Sonja Movie (Jun 20, 2009)
- Latest Updates from David S. Goyer on The Invisible Man (Jun 19, 2009)
- Sly Stallone's The Expendables Could End Up Being PG-13? (Jun 19, 2009)
| Inglourious Basterds | 8.5/10 |
| Star Trek | 9/10 |
| Monsters vs Aliens | 5/10 |
| Sin Nombre | 8.5/10 |
| Duplicity | 7.5/10 |
Interview: Transformers 2 Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
If you've been reading the site since January, you know that I love to talk with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. I had a long interview with them in January and then talked with them on video in May about all things Star Trek. Now I'm back again with another interview, this time focusing on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which hits theaters tonight. Once you've seen it, let's just say that, there are a lot of questions to ask these guys. And I tried to address some of those and get an idea for how this screenplay came together in the midst of the writer's strike. This full interview is, for the most part, spoiler free!
Interview: The Hurt Locker's Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow
Hidden amongst the big blockbusters this summer are a few indie gems. One of them is The Hurt Locker, a fantastic look at the life of bomb techs in Iraq. Don't worry, this isn't another "Iraq war movie" with a political message, it's a great action movie that just happens to be set in Iraq. It's directed by Kathryn Bigelow, of Point Break and K-19: The Widowmaker previously, and is written by Mark Boal, a journalist who took his own experiences in Iraq and wrote them into the script. A month ago I talked with both Kathryn and Mark and it was one of the most fascinating and revealing interviews I've done. Read on!
Cannes Interview: Agora Director Alejandro Amenábar
When I stepped out of Agora at Cannes last week, I knew I needed to talk with director Alejandro Amenabar. While the performances were great, it was the production design and the directing that was really one of the best parts of Agora. I had so much to ask him regarding taking on such an ambitious project, how much research and work went into it, and more. Luckily I was given the chance to sit down with Amenabar for 15 or so minutes on the Croisette in Cannes to talk about Agora. Not only did we cover a lot of ground, but a special guests shows up at the very end to put a cap on it all. Watch and enjoy!
Interview: The Brothers Bloom Director Rian Johnson
There's an exceptional indie film that needs all the support it can get. The Brothers Bloom is the second feature film from auteur Rian Johnson, who broke onto the scene in 2005 with the high school noir thriller Brick. Bloom debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year (where I saw it for the first time) and has since played numerous other festivals all the while leading up to its opening this upcoming weekend, May 15th, starting in limited theaters. In honor of that release, I was able to sit down and chat with Rian for a good 20 minutes to delve into everything Brothers Bloom and beyond. You don't want to miss this!
Talkin' Trek: Eric Bana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood
J.J. Abrams' USS Enterprise finally takes flight tomorrow. Commanding the ship on its maiden voyage is Captain Christopher Pike, played by Bruce Greenwood. Piloting it is Hikaru Sulu, played by John Cho, and handling both communications and navigation is Pavel Chekov, played by Anton Yelchin. But not all is right in the universe, as they encounter a quite pissed off Romulan named Nero, played by Eric Bana. A few weeks ago, after finally seeing the new Star Trek, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk Trek with these four actors, and it was quite an experience. I don't think I need to say much more, so dive right in.
Interview: Star Trek Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
After finally seeing Star Trek, and in honor of its release this weekend, I sat down with screenwriters Roberto Orci (left) and Alex Kurtzman (right) at their offices on the Universal lot. First things first, yes, that's an actual Tron arcade machine in the background. There's no hiding from the truth, these guys are as big of geeks as everyone else (they had a life-size Han Solo frozen in carbonite statue in the other corner). I've interviewed Bob and Alex before (here), but I was excited to catch up with them again to talk about J.J. Abrams' Star Trek after having seen it and to discuss the plot and the development of their screenplay.
Interview: Observe and Report Writer and Director Jody Hill
Hitting theaters this weekend is an outrageous comedy called Observe and Report. You may know that it stars Seth Rogen and Anna Faris, but you may not know who is behind all the madness. Jody Hill is a filmmaker who came out of nowhere (specifically, North Carolina) in 2006 with a comedy called The Foot Fist Way that didn't actually end up in theaters until last summer. It made Danny McBride a star and broke Jody into the business, and now he's delivered his follow-up, a hilarious story about a mall cop who takes his job much more seriously than he should. Read on for my interview with the man behind the madness.
Interview: Alien Trespass Director R.W. Goodwin
One of the more unique films in theaters this weekend is a small, flavorful one called Alien Trespass, directed by R.W. Goodwin. Goodwin is readily associated with "The X-Files," considering he brought audiences more than 100 of TV series' early episodes (as producer and occasional director). Now, however, Goodwin may be better known for achieving the lofty goal of making an authentic 1957 in 2009. Unlike what you might read from the poster, Alien Trespass isn't a spoof or homage to sci-fi films of old. By all accounts, the film is a product of that time, and according to Goodwin he "just happened to make it a little bit later."
Interview: Sin Nombre Writer and Director Cary Fukunaga
With no feature films under his belt, I wasn't sure what to expect when I scheduled an interview with newcomer Cary Fukunaga. But after seeing the writer/director's debut film, Sin Nombre, I knew I'd be talking to one of the industry's next great artists. When I entered the empty bar at the Ritz in Georgetown, Fukunaga was on the phone explaining the difficulty of translating the title of his feature film into English. While "sin nombre" does actually mean "without name" or "nameless," you can't exactly re-title the film without losing some of the intrinsic cultural nuance of the phrase. And this was only the beginning…
Interview: I Love You, Man's Lead Actress Rashida Jones
John Hamburg's comedy I Love You, Man hits theaters this weekend and leading the female side of the cast is the lovely Rashida Jones. Before walking in to see I Love You, Man, I didn't really know who she was, but after walking out, I already wanted to see more of her. Not only is she very funny, but she has such a great charm to her that we rarely see these days with actresses. Luckily I had the chance to talk with Rashida last week while she was out in Austin at SXSW promoting the film. And I've got to say, I don't think ever talked with an actress this nice and this wonderful ever, and I'm so glad I had this opportunity.
Interview: Street Fighter's New M. Bison - Neal McDonough
When it comes to the cast of the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, while I do certainly think Kristin Kreuk is absolutely gorgeous, I have the most respect for Neal McDonough. He's an actor who (I personally believe) hasn't really been used to his full potential over the past years, but has still appeared in numerous unforgettable roles from "Band of Brothers" to Minority Report and beyond. I luckily was given the opportunity to talk with Neal last week in promotion of Street Fighter and was very excited going into this interview. Given that it finally hits theaters this weekend, I thought I'd put this up today.
Interview: The Man Behind Watchmen - Zack Snyder
This is the interview you've all been waiting to see. Zack Snyder, the man behind the cinematic version of Watchmen, who filmed what was said to be unfilmmable, not only an incredible filmmaker, but a visionary and an all-around great guy. This may only be his third feature film, but he pulled it off, he did what most thought was impossible. I've had a long history with Zack, so heading into this interview, I didn't want to waste my time on the usual questions, I wanted to instead focus on the few important things that have been on my mind since I saw Watchmen last week and since I first visited the set of Watchmen back in 2007.
Interview: Watchmen's Comedian - Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Of all the people involved in Watchmen, the one actor I really wanted to interview was Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays The Comedian. Not only is he a great guy in person (I've met him before), but his character is one of the darkest and most complex in the entire movie. Yesterday afternoon I sat down with him to talk about Watchmen and what it's like being a part of something so incredible. And because we're all very excited about Watchmen, I thought I'd put up my video interview for your viewing pleasure. Be careful, this isn't exactly spoiler free, but it should be a fascinating interview to watch - at least I think so!
Interview: The International Director Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer is one of those directors where whenever I see or hear his name, I'm immediately interested. Before The International, he directed Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior, Heaven, and my personal favorite, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. He hails from Germany and is a very visual director with a gritty style that I love seeing on the big screen. So when I was given the chance to talk with him a few weeks ago about The International, I jumped at the opportunity. Here is the result and my lengthy interview with Tom Tykwer that primarily focus on The International and what went into his latest film.
Interview: Coraline Writer and Director Henry Selick
What goes on in the mind of a brilliant stop-motion filmmaker? Well, why don't you find out! Last week I sat down with Henry Selick, the writer/director behind not only the upcoming Coraline, but also Nightmare Before Christmas. After seeing Coraline in 3D just the day before doing the interview, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to spend just a few minutes talking with Henry. It's taken him years to craft the world of Coraline and the result the end is something so visually astounding and beautiful that it's hard to appreciate every last detail in one viewing. So without any further ado, let's get into this!
Sundance Interview: Moon Writer/Director Duncan Jones
One of my favorite films coming out of Sundance is Moon, the sci-fi flick starring Sam Rockwell. The man behind it all, Duncan Jones, made both his writing and directing debut with Moon and proved that he's definitely a filmmaker to keep an eye on in the coming years. Immediately after screening the film, I frantically confirmed that I had an interview with Duncan, because there was so much I wanted to ask him. So here is my rather fascinating interview with him. Lastly, I should mention a big spoiler warning for this video, since we talk about some of the big plot elements that a few of you might not want to know.
Sundance Interview: Adventureland Director Greg Mottola
One Sundance film that already has quite a bit of buzz is Adventureland, primarily because we've already seen a trailer for it and also because it's director Greg Mottola's follow-up to Superbad. I sat down with Greg Mottola up at his condo the other day to chat about his film and this is the interview. Mottola and I talked about his inspiration for Adventureland, which is based on his own experiences, as well as casting choices and simply putting together a story like this. I've also already reviewed the film, so this is is just the final compliment and last bit we have on Adventureland from Sundance. Check it out below!
Sundance Interview: 500 Days of Summer Director Marc Webb
Everyone has already heard about 500 Days of Summer by now, the film that is well on its way to becoming the breakout hit of Sundance this year. First-time director Marc Webb is one of the key people (obviously) that made it such a brilliant film. What he was able to do with it and turn it into is why it's becoming such a beloved indie gem. Ever since I first saw it was showing at Sundance, Webb was one of the filmmakers I really wanted to interview while I was out here, in order to talk about his filmmaking process. Luckily I had that opportunity yesterday and the resulting interviewed turned out fantastic.
Sundance Interview: The Killing Room's Jonathan Liebesman
One of the more underrated films here at Sundance that has been on my mind ever since I watched it is The Killing Room. The film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman, only known so far as the guy who directed both Darkness Falls and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. With this film, though, he's showing us that he's a much better director than you might have thought. I talked with Liebesman earlier today at Sundance about his films, including the upcoming Battle: Los Angeles, not only because I really wanted to chat about The Killing Room, but to give him a chance to redeem himself, as you'll see.
Kicking Off 2009 with Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci - Part Two: Transformers 2
Now that we're well into 2009, it's time to start looking ahead at some of the big movies coming up this year. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, whether you're familiar with them or not, are directly responsible for two of this year's most highly anticipated summer features. Alex and Bob (as he's better known) are the screenwriters (and producers) behind J.J. Abrams' Star Trek as well as the writers of Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So to kick off 2009, I talked exclusively with the two of them about everything from how they got into screenwriting, to their work on Trek and Transformers, to their plans in the future. Today, we finish our chat with Transformers 2 and beyond.