WORDPLAY is a film about obsession and there are no better representatives of that phenomenon than filmmaker Patrick Creadon and crossword puzzle-maker Merl Reagle. The particulars are all things word, as Reagle demonstrated by anagramming my name, but there is a universal quality to it. Creadon and Reagle proved conclusively during our talk on May 25, 2006… Read More »
Brian O’Halloran & Jeff Anderson are CLERKS 2
June 15, 2006, the day I spoke with Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson about CLERKS 2, the sequel to Kevin Smith’s indie cult classic, CLERKS, was marked by a tremor at 5am. Brian had been lathering up in the shower (as he put it), Jeff had been sleeping peacefully, and they were both disappointed to… Read More »
Chris Paine & Dean Devlin Ask WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
I didn’t know where to begin when I spoke with Chris Paine, writer and director, and Dean Devlin, producer, of WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? on April 21, 2006. The film had raised a host of issues that had somehow been overlooked by the mainstream press, and what it had been that made them want to make… Read More »
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris & LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Johnathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are partners is life (as in married) and in business (as in successful makers of commercials for umpteen years). Maybe it took such a combination to bring LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE to the screen without slighting either the family angle of the story, or the sly visual vocabulary used to portray… Read More »
STEP UP to Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum is game for a challenge, whether starring in a film that requires serious dancing, or tackling a multi-city press tour. When I talked to him on July 21, 2005, his boyhood on the bayou seemed like a fun place to start before moving on to the dangers (to him) of dancing with a car,… 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 »
THE LAST KISS of Zach Braff
Zach Braff had been to the Emmy Awards show the night before flying into San Francisco for THE LAST KISS’ press day on August 28, 2006. With little sleep, he was still very funny and very thoughtful as he pondered the film’s themes of love, commitment, and the definition of surprise, as well as what… Read More »
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Coaches THE GRIDIRON GANG
When I talked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on September 7, 2006, time was of the essence. As befits his pop culture icon status, everyone wanted to talk to him. There was time enough, though, for us to cover crunching bones, popping tendons, and the turning point in his life, all of which he discussed… Read More »
Eric Steel’s View from THE BRIDGE
Eric Steel didn’t exactly make it easy for himself with his directorial debut. THE BRIDGE not only tackles suicide, but it also does so in a direct, visceral way that can’t help but provoke controversy. He, like his film, is quiet and thoughtful on the subject, but also partisan in what he feels are the failings in society… Read More »
Nia Vardalos & John Corbett & MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Unlike most interviews I do, this one took place several weeks after the film in question opened theatrically. The studio decided to capitalize on the momentum generated by the word-of-mouth on this sweet romantic comedy by sending its stars on a belated press tour. Vardalos, who also wrote the script from her one-woman show of the same… Read More »