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 »
Ewan McGregor & Mike Mills are BEGINNERS
BEGINNERS is based on writer/director Mike Mills’ experience of having his father come out as gay when he became a widower after forty years of marriage. The film is fictionalized, the father is Hal, played by Christopher Plummer, the son is Oliver, played by McGregor, as far as the details go, but is emotionally true… Read More »
Emma Stone Helps THE HELP
When I talked with Emma Stone in July 11, 2011, the issue of Vanity Fair with her on the cover had just hit newstands. It seemed wrong not to acknowledge this milestone in a career that is relatively new, but has already shown so much versatility. Bouyant but grounded, Stone spoke with engaging conviction about… Read More »
Tate Taylor & Octavia Spencer Bring THE HELP to Life
Tate Taylor and Octavia Spencer have a special insight into THE HELP. The novel on which Taylor based his script, which he also directed, was written by his lifelong friend, Kathryn Stockett. Spencer was Taylor’s roommate when she got to know Stockett, and was the inspiration for the character she plays in the film, Minnie.… Read More »
Dylan Kidd and ROGER DODGER
With ROGER DODGER, writer/director Dylan Kidd has taken the war of the sexes in a whole new direction, one that disempowers the male of the species. It’s anti-hero, the cynical and glib Roger, fancies himself a major player in that war. Yet in the course of one awful day which culminates in Roger trying to help… Read More »
Rich Moore Gives WRECK-IT RALPH Serious Depth
Rich Moore spent a healthy part of his youth playing video games, which ultimately paid off when the time came to come up with the story for WRECK-IT RALPH. When I spoke to him on October 17, 2012, the first thing I wanted to know was how he got from video games in general to existential… Read More »
Ursula Meier Finds A Brother for SISTER
Ursula Meier knew she had found her muse in Kacey Mottet Klein when she discovered him in 2008, casting him in her film HOME. When I spoke to her on October 29, 2012, we talked about his evolution as an actor, and how she managed to keep that unselfconscious quality that he had shown in… Read More »
Simon Barrett & Adam Wingard Say YOU’RE NEXT
Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett take the art and craft of the horror film very seriously. And when I spoke to them on April 28, 2013, it was not all fun and games. They were refreshingly cerebral about horror, and about what they wanted to accomplish with YOURE NEXT. In little things, such… Read More »