I know "Saw VI" is opening this weekend. And I know it will probably be the #1 movie over the weekend. But if you really want to encourage filmmakers to take risks and make good genre films, I recommend checking out "Paranormal Activity" over the weekend. The little $15,000 movie that could goes into wide release this weekend, and I would love to see it beat "Saw VI."
Still need convincing? Check out my spoiler-free interview with Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston, the two stars of the film here. The two talk about the difficulty of making the movie (long hours, no script, little sleep), the awesome fan support, and even sort of respond to my question about if they got an extra money when the film was bought.
Last weekend I had the honor of moderating several panels at the Creative Screenwriting Expo. This is the only convention I know of for screenwriters and it offers all sorts of contests, workshops, and guest speakers to help people interested in the trade. I've attended it several times and am always impressed at the quality of guests they get and the fact that people fly in from all over the world--there was one lass from Ireland at one of my panels!
One of my favorite panels was on the state of the horror film and it featured a quartet of amazing indie horror film writer/directors: Eduardo Sanchez (who literally revolutionized filmmaking with "The Blair Witch Project" and more recently shot "Seventh Moon," now available on DVD), Ryan Schifrin ("Abominable"), Ti West (whose homage to 1970s slasher flicks "House of the Devil" opens Oct. 30 and you would swear was actually shot in the 70s, it looks so authentic), and Adam Green (writer/director of the popular horror/parody "Hatchet.") Every year, Green makes a short Halloween film in honor of the holiday and I've posted his latest above. If you like it, I highly recommend checking out his other two (made with Schifrin): "King in the Box" and "The Tiffany Problem," also available on You Tube.
Pleased to see that despite many concerns, "Where the Wild Things Are" did so well this weekend at the box office. I don't find the film perfect--my biggest complaint is probably, in the words of my friend Jaime, that the Wild Things "look like Gorgs" from "Fraggle Rock." But I'm all for encouraging smart, original filmmakers to pursue passion projects. Even if some parents find said project to be "joyless" and boring.
I had the pleasure of talking to the trio behind the film--Spike Jonze, Catherine Keener, and Max Records; you can read the interview here. It was, for logistical and personal issues, one of the hardest things I've ever had to write. Logistically, I had to give up a weekend to attend the junket and was unable to corral all of them in a room at the same time due to their crazy schedules. So I ended up sitting down with Keener and Records together, then coming back 8 hours later to talk to Jonze. Personally, it was a difficult story to write because I wanted to do justice to Jonze's years-long struggle and the respect and admiration I have for him and Keener. But I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I learned a few entertaining things about Jonze's directorial methods--which include firing up a flamethrower off-camera and covering Keener in blood to get reactions from his young star.
There's a film opening this weekend that features one of the best performances of the year and deserves to generate some serious Oscar buzz for it's star--yet you've probably never heard of it. That's because the people behind "Trucker" have virtually no marketing budget for their little indie and are relying largely on word of mouth to get the film seen. So here's my word: see it. If you've read our review, you should know I echo critic Pete Hammond's feelings about the film and specifically the star turn by Michelle Monaghan, who plays a female truck driver who finds her life changed drastically when her 11-year-old son re-enters her life.
Monaghan has long been one of my favorite actresses--she's drop dead gorgeous, yet accessible and she'd held her own opposite the likes of Robert Downey Jr. ("Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"), Ben Stiller ("The Heartbreak Kid"), and Casey Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone"). I've never seen her turn in a bad performance, be it comedy or drama. I first took notice of her in the criminally underrated "North Country," in which she played one of Charlize Theron's fellow coal miners who sue the company for sexual harassment. She went on to impress me in the aforementioned films, particularly her heartbreaking final speech to Affleck in "Gone Baby Gone" in which she tells him to make the right--if illegal--choice. Since then, I've gone out of my way to see anything she was in--in fact, I might be the only girl at "Made of Honor" not there to swoon over Patrick Dempsey on opening night.
Ugh. Stop pushing my movies back. Looks like we'll have to wait until December, not November, to see "Nine," the big-budget, Rob Marshall-directed musical starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a film director romancing the likes of Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz--oh wow, I just realized that might have been an awkward set with the two former Tom Cruise squeezes.
I'm still having trouble coping with the fact I have to wait four months longer than expected to catch Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island." I can't stop watching the trailer.
Anyone who recognizes the subject header from the "Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 3" Halloween episode is my hero. So "Zombieland" opens today and it's awesome but do yourself a favor and DO NOT read any reviews or stories that threaten to spoil anything. Quite a few callous critics have ruined the cameo in the film, which is completely unnecessary. The cameo is essentially a big star playing himself, and I will tell you who it's not...Ruben Fleisher told me in this week's interview that the role was originally written for Patrick Swayze. When he got sick, they made offers to everyone from Sylvester Stallone to Steven Seagal. Honestly, I think the part would have been funny played by any of those people, but the person they got is simply perfect. And apparently it was thanks to star Woody Harrelson, who called the person up and asked them to do it. There weren't even script pages--it was all improvised in a day. But I've said too much already. Go see it for yourself. --Jenelle Riley
I've been a fan of Woody Harrelson for years--who that grew up with "Cheers" isn't? A few years back, he was visiting Oregon to promote a documentary about his travels in a hemp fueled bus, and stopped off in my small hometown of Salem. My parents went to hear him speak and called me, all excited. Now, I meet a lot of people in my job--I had just met Sean Penn and Clint Eastwood that week--but for the first time in my life, I found myself jealous of my parents. "He was so nice!" my mom told me. "And we told him, 'We have a daughter who lives in L.A. She works for Back Stage Magazine, have you heard of it?' And he said he had! So we told him, 'She should do a story on you!' "
I've steered clear of the current Roman Polanski scandal, because it's a very polarizing topic that I don't feel I'm equipped to speak eloquently on. I think Polanski is a great filmmaker. I think he got a raw deal from the judge in his trial. I appreciate that even his victim believes he should be free. But I was also deeply affected by this excellent editorial from Kate Harding at Salon. She systematically tackles every argument in favor of Polanski--he had a tough life! The girl didn't look 13! The judge screwed him!--and repeats the simple fact that the man broke the law and should not receive special treatment.
Most of you have probably heard of or seen the list of supporters asking for Polanski to be freed. You'll note Woody Allen at the top--probably not the kind of endorsement Polanski was hoping for.
If you happen to be a SAG member, I'll be doing a Q&A on Tuesday night with the great Melissa Leo as part of SAG Foundation's "Conversations" series. You can RSVP here. I've been a fan of Leo's since her days in a corset on "Young Riders," and when she left NBC's series "Homicide," I did as well. Leo should have won the Oscar this year for her gritty, grounded performance in "Frozen River," but here's hoping she gets another shot soon. I can also say, having spoken to her several times and done these Q&As with her, she is not to be missed. She is funny, fierce, and full of great stories. Please join us if you can!
Last night I attended the opening of "An Evening Without Monty Python." If you haven't heard of this (and until last week, I hadn't) it's a collection of classic Monty Python sketches, performed by a troupe of five actors who...are not Monty Python members. (It is, however, co-directed by original Python Eric Idle, seen above in rehearsal.) When I heard about this, I had mixed feelings. Part of me finds people who aren't Monty Python performing Monty Python sketches about as much fun as watching my college roommates quote the show nonstop. Another part of me saw that Alan Tudyk was involved, and instantly bought my ticket. (And when I say "bought," I mean badgered my friend into giving me his comp seat.) Tudyk is one of my all-time favorite interviews (please read it here) and having seen the oh-so-brilliant-and-adorable actor bring Lancelot to life in Broadway's "Spamalot," I knew that he is essentially a long-lost member of the troupe.
