Archive for category Film
Raja Fenske and Fernanda Romero on Pendejo / Official Trailer Online
Article first published as Raja Fenske and Fernanda Romero on Pendejo on Technorati.
A couple of months back, I interviewed writer/director Jairaj Walia about Pendejo, his romantic comedy starring Danny Trejo, Raja Fenske and Fernanda Romero, while the film was in post-production. More recently, the Pendejo team granted Technorati the exclusive premiere of the film’s official trailer (featured above) along with brief interviews of Fenske and Romero. My thanks to Fenske and Romero for their time. Current plans are for Pendejo to be released in 2012.
Five Questions with Raja Fenske
Were you nervous the first day on the set, or are you too experienced to get nervous any longer?
Not so much nervous. More anxious and excited to take on the role and begin shooting. It was my first experience being the lead in a film and I loved the idea that I would be in a position to carry a film.
Bittersweet Moments: TCM’s Remembers (Those We Lost) in 2011
Posted by admin in Film, streaming video on December 15, 2011
There’s two levels to my enjoyment of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Remembers (acknowledging those who died) 2011: seeing some of my favorite actors/directors/screenwriters/what-have-you being remembered (I love that TCM picked a clip of Wenders’ Wings of Desire to honor Peter Falk, as well as The Princess Bride) and being introduced to great talents I had never known about it.
I respect the fact that TCM tries to update the clips for people who die late in the year, also. Thanks to Bill Brioux’s TV Feeds My Family for the tip.
Kevin Avery on The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson and Conversations with Clint
Article first published as Kevin Avery on The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson on Technorati.
The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson
From the 1960s to the early 1980s, Paul Nelson was known for writing passionate, insightful criticism of folk and rock music that showed a partiality for singer-songwriters. He, and his record collection, was of great importance to Bob Dylan early in his career. As an editor at Rolling Stone, he influenced many great critics, such as Charles M. Young and Mikal Gilmore. But suddenly, in the early 1980s, when editorial decisions at Rolling Stone ran contrary to his thinking, Nelson walked away from music criticism. In fact, he dropped out of criticism entirely, choosing to spend his remaining years in relative obscurity, working at a video rental store. He died in 2006, but not before writer Kevin Avery contacted him about a potential biography. After Nelson’s death, Avery was tapped to compile this new Fantagraphics book, Everything Is An Afterthought: The Life And Writings Of Paul Nelson, in which Avery documented Nelson’s career as well as collecting his writing. In addition to discussing this book, Avery also discussed his other Nelson-related book that he edited, Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983 (Continuum Books). To mark the release of both books, Avery recently allowed me to interview him via email.
Not to toss a large question your way, but how did Paul Nelson help to shape present day rock criticism?
I’m probably the wrong person to ask. As a result of immersing myself in the music and criticism of the Seventies and Eighties, I really don’t follow rock criticism much anymore, but what I do read bears very little resemblance to the kind of writing that Paul did. Paul’s writing was more contemplative and expansive—in contrast to some of what I read today, which is dictated by time and space constraints (some of the very things that brought Paul’s tenure at Rolling Stone to an end in 1982).
Ryan Stoner on MoPix
MoPix
I’ll be the first to admit, I know next to nothing about film distribution. But when I caught wind of the plans for MoPix, a film and video distribution platform set to launch in January 2012, I wanted to find out more about it. A few emails later, I was in contact with MoPix founder, Ryan Stoner, who was more than willing to educate me in the ways of digital distribution and technology. My thanks to Stoner for his time.
Tim O’Shea: When and how did MoPix initially get conceived?
Ryan Stoner: MoPix was conceived in late 2010. We were developing entertainment apps for the likes of Warner Brothers, Disney and entertainment moguls like Anthony Zuicker the creator of CSI. We had just finished building the Dark Prophecy app, and were exploring creating an ePub authoring solution for publishers looking to enhance their books with a layer of context aware content, transforming an ordinary ebook into a full sensory experience, complete with audio, visuals, discoverable content, special effects, and other content to enhance the reading experience. We quickly realized the pitfalls of transmedia content rights for back catalogues and shifted our focus to the film work. We saw an opportunity to replace the income lost from traditional distribution outlets by creating a platform for filmmakers to release their work. We also saw it as an opportunity to enable users to experience more than just the film, such as, photo galleries, behind the scenes, and any second story content created around the film.
David Lynch on His Films
Posted by admin in Film, streaming video on December 1, 2011
An interesting series of clips (courtesy of AFI) featuring David Lynch, as well as some of the actors (Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern) that have worked with him, discussing his approach to creating his films.
“The idea of handcuffing yourself to a genre is … pretty absurd.” is a great core approach, and one that can be applied to non-film creative pursuits as well.
Writer/Director Jairaj Walia on Pendejo
Article first published as Interview: Writer/Director Jairaj Walia on Pendejo on Blogcritics.
While writer/director Jairaj Walia has made several short films, he is currently in the midst of post-production on his first full-length feature film, the romantic comedy Pendejo. Walia recently took time out of his busy schedule to discuss pursuing a project of this scale with a cast that includes Danny Trejo, Raja Fenske and Fernanda Romero. The comedy focuses on a partying son (the pendejo [or "idiot"] of the film) forced by his father to work for the family company as a janitor or end up disinherited. Walia conceived of the film after heeding the advice of a former professor to “write what you know”. In this interview, the writer/director is quick to emphasize that the film (due for release in 2012) is loosely based on his life experiences. My thanks to Walia for his time.
Prior to pursuing this film, you almost walked away from moviemaking to work in your family’s business. Is your family supportive of your choice to follow your creative instincts or do they still hold out hope you will work for the family?
My family has always been supportive of my film career. They allowed me a great opportunity by sending me to NYU [New York University's TISCH School of the Arts] to study film. When I started to step away from film, they were disappointed because they felt that I was such a creative person. Of course, if I had wanted to join the family business, they would have supported that as well; but it was actually my parents who pushed me to get back into film. They reminded me how passionate I have always been about films. Truly, without their support, I would have never started writing Pendejo, much less made it into a feature film. I thank my parents for guiding me and providing me the opportunity to make my first feature film.
Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House
Posted by admin in episodic TV, Film on October 19, 2011
Article first published as Interview: Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House on Blogcritics.
Rachel G. Fox
This past weekend [Late September] saw the theatrical release of Dream House, a mystery/thriller directed by Jim Sheridan and featuring actress Rachel G. Fox in a supporting role. Fox recently was more than happy to discuss via email her role in the film, as well as her work on the ABC Family series Melissa & Joey. Not every actress can say they’ve acted alongside Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts in a movie, and as revealed in our discussion, Fox clearly enjoyed playing Watts’ daughter. Many families desire to own the ideal home, and in Dream House, the Atentons (Craig and Weisz) think they have found theirs. But soon the family discover their home was the scene of a murder and that their lives may be in danger as well. Fox plays a member of the Patterson family, who live next door to the Atentons. On the social media front, fans of Fox will be pleased to learn, as of last week, she has joined Tumblr. My thanks to Fox for her time and thoughts.
What was the audition experience like for Dream House, did you have to audition for director Jim Sheridan? Can you talk about what it was like to work with an award-winning director like Sheridan?
The audition process for Dream House started with me sending in a tape to the casting director in New York, through my agent. There were thousands of tapes submitted and the director, Jim Sheridan, chose two girls to meet with in a director session. I didn’t know it was just two of us until I arrived at the director session! At the time, I had heard of Sheridan, but I did not know fully about his work so I researched about him and learned about his projects (Brothers, In America) and his stature.
Interview to Read: T Bone Burnett
O Brother, Where Art Thou
I did not realize until reading this T Bone Burnett interview, but there’s been a re-release of the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, a two-disc edition in fact. But thanks to this No Depression interview, my ignorance of the release ended. I have to tip my hat to No Depression for the interview contest they held. Readers that submitted questions for Burnett, that he picked, would win a copy of the re-released special edition soundtrack. And the website’s readers brought some quirky and informed questions to the mix.
It’s hard to pick my favorite interview snippets. The fact that he once worked in the studio with Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean? Maybe. But I think this non-Townes Van Zandt connection really alarmed me (in a good way).
“I will say that he did most of his recording at Sound Emporium where we have done most of our recording in Nashville including O Brother, Where Art Thou? I’ve seen at least an album of unreleased multitracks in the tape locker. I hope those will see the light one of these days. I’d be more than happy to help that happen.”
Actor Jonathan Kite on CBS’ 2 Broke Girls
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, Film on October 5, 2011
Article first published as An Interview with Actor Jonathan Kite of CBS’ 2 Broke Girls on Blogcritics. It is timely that the interview re-runs today, given that CBS announced it ordered a full season of the sitcom. Congrats to Kite and the cast.
Jonathan Kite
This Monday, September 19, marks the premiere of the new CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls. In anticipation of the new series, actor Jonathan Kite (who plays the role of Oleg the Russian cook) took some time to discuss his character and his interaction with the cast. The basic premise of the show, as described by CBS, is “a new comedy about two girls who form an unlikely bond over having no money and no shame”. In addition to discussing the new CBS comedy, Kite provides details about his work-in-progress (as writer, producer and star) the feature film, The Walk On. I enjoyed getting a flavor of Kite’s sense of humor, particularly with his last answer.
What was it about the show’s script and/or its producers that prompted you to audition for the role of Oleg the Russian cook?
I have been a fan of Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings for a while, so when I found out they were doing a show together, I really focused on becoming a part of it.
How much guidance did you get from the writers and producers on how to approach Oleg, and/or were you given the freedom to shape the character somewhat?
Oleg is a good mix of incredible writing and bold choices. I’ve been given tons of freedom, which is always honed by the show’s creative teams.
Actress-Producer Camille Mana
Article first published as An Interview with Actress-Producer Camille Mana on Blogcritics.
Camille Mana
October is going to be a busy month for actress-producer Camille Mana. First up, she has a supporting role in the feature film Norman, which opens in theatres on October 21. She plays Helen Black, a unique high school classmate who has a crush on Norman (played by Cougar Town‘s Dan Byrd). Secondly, she will appear in actor/playwright Jesse Eisenberg’s new Off-Broadway play Asuncion, which opens October 27 at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre (directed by Kip Fagan and produced by The Rattlestick). To mark the launch of these two latest projects, Mana was kind enough to do an email interview, where we also discuss her plans for new projects allowing her to pursue additional writer-producer opportunities as well as her additional upcoming film releases.
How many pages did you get into Talton Wingate’s script for Norman before you realized you wanted the role of Helen Black?
I’d say that within the first 5 to 10 pages, I knew I would love to be a part of the project. I think you always know within the first 10 pages if you’re attracted to a piece. Just like first impressions in life- you know early on whether or not you’re hooked on something. All good screenplays establish tone and the world of the story in their opening beats. I remember writing my agents, saying I loved the screenplay, because this is exactly the kind of movie that I love to watch!
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