CineSnob

Category: Interviews

  • Dermot Mulroney & Stephanie Scott – Insidious: Chapter 3

    Dermot Mulroney & Stephanie Scott – Insidious: Chapter 3

    In “Insidious: Chapter 3,” a prequel to the first two “Insidious” movies that hit theaters in 2010 and 2013, actors Dermot Mulroney and Stephanie Scott play Sean and Quinn Brenner, a father and daughter whose lives are torn apart when an evil supernatural entity takes over their home and enslaves Quinn’s body. During an interview with me last week, Dermot and Stephanie talked about what drew them to the horror genre and what makes stories about possession so scary. We also talked about the new fad that is Charlie, Charlie Challenge and working with the Godmother of Horror, Lin Shaye.

    Dermot, you’ve starred in films with dark themes before, but nothing like a horror film like “Insidious: Chapter 3.” What led you to this genre?

    Dermot Mulroney: To be honest with you, I think we’ve all watched horror movies become more and more popular. They’ve come closer to the mainstream. For me, I was watching everyone else have fun out there doing horror movies, so I figured it was high time for me to jump in. I had the good luck of hooking up with [director] Leigh Whannell and this awesome series of “Insidious” movies. I was thrilled. I mean, I was late to the party, but really happy to get there.

    What about you Stephanie? You were known in the past for your role on the Disney Channel show “A.N.T. Farm.” Was it important for you to break out and show audiences you could do something darker?

    Stephanie Scott: I definitely think it was a different part of my life when I was on the Disney show. For me that was in high school. Now I’ve graduated and want to be free and experiment. It was really exciting to go to a dark place and play a fun, twisted character. I had so much fun on this film. I was really lucky I got this role. It’s a really great character. [Quinn] is a completely different person by the end of the movie than she is in the first scene. For me, I’m really grateful that I got to do that.

    DM: You know, I had worked to with [producer] Jason Blum who runs Blumhouse [Productions] on a movie called “Griffin & Phoenix” – a very low-budget, heartfelt romantic comedy – a few years ago. And then I saw his horror business taking off. When he called me, I was really thrilled to be working with a great producer and join this genre with him.

    When it comes to horror movies about demons, there are some moviegoers who enjoy horror films that would never see a movie like this because they don’t want to mess with anything associated with possession. Do you think films about possession are inherently scarier than your average monster movie?

    DM: That’s a really interesting question because what I’ve learned coming into this movie is that there are different branches of the [horror] genre and different preferences. Because there have been so many choices in the horror genre, people get to pick what they like the most. I definitely like films like this the most. The “Insidious” movies may have their own unique kind of impact because they’re not relying on blood and stunts and special effects and makeup, at least not to the extent that slasher movies are. I think it feels realer even though what’s scaring you is this obsessive demon. Something like that is a lot different than a slavering, lunatic ax murderer.

    What do you think about this new game that is trending with kids this month called Charlie, Charlie Challenge? Is that something you would’ve tried when you were younger?

    DM: I haven’t heard of it, but now I’m interested. What is it? Tell us briefly.

    Well, basically it’s this game kids are playing where they can apparently summon a demon with a piece of paper and two pencils?

    DM: It’s not a bad idea for a horror movie. (Laughs)

    SS: For me, I don’t really mess with that stuff. I think it’s too risky. Ouija boards kind of freak me out a little bit. I never really got into that.

    DM: Me neither. But I have to admit, now that I know this game is taking over, I’m kind of curious about it.

    SS: (Laughs) Yeah, I feel that one is probably safer to do that an Ouija board.

    DM: If you hear something went horribly wrong with Dermot Mulroney and this Charlie thing, that’s going to be on you, pal!

    Dermot, you were actually born on Halloween. Did being born on a holiday associated with ghouls and monsters affect your childhood in any way?

    DM: (Laughs) I do recall being really interested in monster makeup, but more in a hobby kind of way. Kids would buy those little kits and try to turn their brother into the Wolfman. Being born on Halloween definitely becomes a lifelong theme. It was great growing up. It was a great reason for a party. It’s funny now because my kids just think it’s awesome that their dad was born on Halloween. Two incredible holidays on the same day! It’s really exciting for them. They’ll go to school and say, “You know what! It’s not just Halloween. It’s also my dad’s birthday!”

    SS: Aww!

    DM: Yeah, I have a little one who is in the first grade. When she was in kindergarten she basically announced it to the whole class. I have to admit, the other five year olds were pretty impressed.

    I got a chance to interview Lin Shaye back in 2013 for “Insidious: Chapter 2.” Since she was in the first two movies, what does she bring to this third installment?

    DM: Ah, the Godmother of Horror! She was definitely our inspiration every day she came to work. She was as excited as the person I’m sitting next to, even though their ages are very different.

    SS: We bonded over the excitement. I feel like we had a really cool connection.

    DM: For me, you definitely see that in the movie. It’s a great formula in the movie where both their characters need each other. I don’t know of another horror movie where you really see two females from different generations paring up like that in order to confront this demon. Lin is the finest of actresses. She loves her work. She really brought energy to the set.

  • Juliano Ribeiro Salgado – The Salt of the Earth

    Juliano Ribeiro Salgado – The Salt of the Earth

    In the Academy Award-nominated feature documentary “The Salt of the Earth,” co-director/co-writer Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, alongside veteran documentarian Wim Wenders (“Pina,” “Buena Vista Social Club”), follows his father, acclaimed Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, as he travels to some of most unblemished parts of the world to photograph immaculate landscapes. The film also revisits a lot of Salgado’s more harrowing work from his past when he would work in dangerous places like Rwanda and the Middle East.

    During an interview with me at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival, documentarian filmmaker Salgado talked about going on a long trip with his father to capture his process as a photographer and describes why he thinks his father is so good at what he does.

    What was your father’s initial reaction when you told him you’d be going on this trip with him?

    Well, actually, I didn’t want to go. He kind of forced me. I was really scared of being so close to him for such a long time. We had this complicated relationship and he had to force my hand so I could follow him into this Amazon. But it was a great experience.

    What did he think about your work as a filmmaker and how you captured him as an artist?

    When he saw the footage, he was very touched by it. When you film someone, it says a lot more about the person who is filming than the person who is being filmed. Sebastião saw how his son saw him. He was watching this footage I took of him and his eyes were full of tears. That was an intense moment for both of us.

    What do you think it is about your father that makes him stand out from other photographers?

    Sebastião has a massive capacity for adaptation. We would land on this airstrip that was in the middle of nowhere and walk two days to get to this village across forests and mountains. We would meet someone along the way and in 10 minutes, even though we didn’t speak the same language, there is already something happening between them. I think that’s the big difference between him and other photographers. He gets integrated into the communities and is capable of being a part of it really quickly. When he makes his photos, he’s not illustrating a fact. He’s photographing a relationship.

    Is there anything specific you learned from your experience on this trip?

    You know, what amazed me was that when we would go to these places and meet people, it couldn’t be more foreign and distant, but very quickly you realize that we are all the same. Even though you don’t speak the same language, you can joke with them. They have a concept of the outside world. You can have a great conversation with them.

    It’s amazing that you were able to create these relationships with these natives without words. What did you find universal in your language?

    (Laughs) You know, it’s funny because I remember at the end of the day one of the [natives] took this little piece of wood and started rubbing it with another piece of wood and smoke started coming from it. Then he put the stick on these dried out plants and made a fire. I’m there filming that thinking, “This is essential. This is humanity. This is the beginning of everything.” I was so touched. I felt I was filming this important moment. I was all emotional. Suddenly, they started doing something with their hands. I didn’t know what they’re doing. They started rolling these leaves and start smoking tobacco and chatting with their friends. I thought, “Oh, wow, these guys are doing what I do when I’m out of my editing room in Sao Paulo.” From there, that feeling of distance was gone.

    When did you know your father had an occupation that wasn’t like most fathers?

    When I was a little child, I knew my father was doing something unique. I would get that from my teachers and my parents’ friends. They would ask me where he was and would look at me astonished when I told them. So, I knew he was doing something that was different. When I was five, he brought home photos that depicted the death of children. I saw the pictures and he had to explain the world to me and tell me how the world was a different kind of reality than the one we had living in Paris. I always understood what he did played a good role somehow.

    When you watch your father work and see how passionate he is about his craft, what does that do for you as an artist?

    Watching him inspires me a lot. He travels to all these different places and has these different life experiences. His job was to be in between important events, which would become historical, and the audience. I felt his work was making a difference and allowing people to open up to the world. That’s why I set out to be a documentary filmmaker, however big or small.

    Have you ever had conversations with your father about how photography has changed so much over the last few years through technology and how everyone who has a cell phone thinks they’re a photographer?

    The technique has changed, but I think Sebastião isn’t very open-minded. When he realized he could get a better result with a digital camera, he went to digital. He’s not one of those guys who thinks the past is always better. The fact that everyone can make a photo nowadays is interesting, but it was like that before with Polaroids. Everyone would photograph with a Polaroid camera when we grew up. What has changed is that the important medium is not the newspapers anymore. The internet is the news media now. Maybe photographs have lost their impact in this way.

    Have you ever seen your father take a selfie?

    No, he hates selfies. He doesn’t get that. I’ve tried to take a selfie with him before, but you can tell he’s forcing a smile.

  • Tommy Wiseau – The Room

    Tommy Wiseau – The Room

    After my interview with Mike, Kevin, and Bill from RiffTrax last week, I received the rare opportunity to travel to downtown Los Angeles for an interview with the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau, writer/producer/director/star of the cult classic “The Room” to talk about the film ahead of the RiffTrax show beamed live to theaters in the United States and Canada on May 6, 2015. We also talked about Tommy’s new sitcom running on Hulu, “The Neighbors.”

    To purchase tickets to see “The Room” riffed LIVE in theaters by RiffTrax on Wednesday, May 6, click here: http://riff.me/RoomTickets or visit RiffTraxLive.com.

    Special thanks to Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and Jeff Whitton at RiffTrax for making this happen, to Greg Sestero for his guidance, Norm Harper for shooting it, and Jonathan Walton for giving us a great place to shoot.

  • Daniella Alonso – Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

    Daniella Alonso – Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

    In the comedy sequel “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,’’ actress Daniella Alonso plays Divina Martinez, the straight-edged general manager of Las Vegas’ Wynn Hotel where title character Paul Blart (Kevin James) and his mall cop colleagues hold a national convention and get into some trouble.

    “Everything moves smoothly under her command until Paul Blart and all these other mall cops show up,” Alonso, 36, told me during a phone interview last week. “I really liked the character because she has a great arch. She starts off very in control and a little rigid. She runs into Paul and he turns her world upside down.”

    During our interview, Alonso, who has starred in such TV shows as “One Tree Hill,” “Friday Night Lights,” and “The Night Shift,” talked about working with James and told me which classic comedy star he reminds her of. She also spoke about her career as a Latina actress and whether or not she got the chance to ride a Segway like her co-star.

    Talk about working with Kevin James and sharing some scenes with him. What does he bring to the table as a comedian?

    It was wonderful working with him. He has so many ideas. He knows his character inside and out. He’s been working on this script for six years. He knows it better than anyone else. He’s very generous. When you’re working on a scene with him, he gives you so much. He never gives you half of anything. It’s a full performance every single time. He makes sure you’re happy with what you shot. It was very freeing to work with somebody who is so funny. He’s absolutely hysterical. He would make everyone laugh every single day.

    A lot of his comedy includes slapstick. Is that kind of comedy something you find entertaining personally?

    Yes, of course. He always reminded me of Jackie Gleason. He has that style of humor. It’s his slapstick and his delivery that makes me laugh. I appreciate all kinds of humor. The world needs more of it. I think this film brings that for everybody.

    So, what kind of comedy speaks to you the most? What makes you laugh?

    I guess I like more of a dry sense of humor. I think “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is one of my favorite shows. I also like the show “The Comeback.” I like shows that are kind of based on reality, but with people that are a little off and quirky and crazy. Those are the kinds of characters that make me laugh.

    Were there any opportunities for you on the set to get on a Segway and ride around like Paul Blart?

    You know, I’m so bummed because there were, but I was wearing these five-inch stiletto platforms and I was scared of falling off! The last thing I wanted to do was get on the Segway and break my leg. But if we have one at the premiere, I’m getting on it!

    Talk about Raini Rodriguez. She’s a young Latina actress in Hollywood. Did you have any advice for her on the set since you started in the industry at the same age she is now?

    I love Raini. She is one of my favorite people in the world. She’s so positive and full of energy and life. She makes me smile. She is so talented. I actually went to visit her on the set of her [Disney Channel] show “Austin & Ally” where she directed her first episode. And she’s only 21! She is very inspiring to me. She is a great role model for young girls. If anything, I learned from her.

    You’ve worked in a lot of different genres in the last 14 years. How comfortable are you in comedy? Have you figured out all the intricacies of it and how to make something funny?

    Comedy is hard. I figured out I have to be the straight person in a comedy because I love to laugh and I love to be entertained. As a straight person in a comedy, you have to be even more serious than you would be in a drama. Kevin is the one that does the humor, but I loved it. I definitely got bit by the comedy bug. What I learned on this set is to always try different things. If it doesn’t work, it’s OK. The most important thing about comedy is to be ready to play.

    What have you learned about yourself as an actress over the course of your career?

    It’s funny because when I first started, I trained at [the] Lee Strasberg [Theatre and Film Institute]. The teacher told me that it takes 20 years to be a real actor. Back then I thought, “20 years?! No, I need to be an actor now!” But finally I feel like it’s my job. This is my career. I have this confidence now, which is fantastic.

    How do you use that confidence moving forward? Is there anything in this industry that you want to do or a dream job you want to book?

    I think confidence gives you the freedom to play more. I’ve just given up trying to control things and hope for certain roles. I’m just open to whatever comes my way. If it’s the right thing for me at the right moment, I’ll do it. For me it’s all about the work and never taking it for granted and being in the moment. It’s very fulfilling.

    How much more challenging is it as a Latina actress? I’ve interviewed plenty of Latina actresses over the years and some have told me they are pigeonholed all the time. Some have even taken roles they really don’t want to do just because they want to work. Have you gotten to that point where you can say no to things? If so, can you give me an example of something you’ve said no to?

    At this point, I want my family to be proud of what I work on. I’ve said no to a couple of films and TV shows with nudity and stuff. I just don’t see the point in it for me. I’ve not done certain projects because of it. In terms of being a Latina, there has definitely been a lot of progress over the course of my career. At the same time, sometimes when I audition for certain things it’s still for the sexy girl that breaks up the couple who’s in love. Or you’re the best friend of the lead role. It’s starting to change though with Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria and directors like Guillermo del Toro. There are people who are giving opportunities to other Latino actors. But we still have a ways to go.

  • Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett – RiffTrax

    Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett – RiffTrax

    Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett – veterans of the cult hit TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000” – keep the jokes coming with Rifftrax, a web-based repository of downloadable short films and B-movies feauring humorous commentary from the riffing trio. This May, they’ll be back in theaters taking on the disaster known as “The Room” in a special live event being beamed to theaters across the country.

    As a life-long fan of Mike, Kevin, and Bill, I tried not to geek out too hard during our interview this week.

  • Gilbert Gottfried – comedian

    Gilbert Gottfried – comedian

    Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, best known for the scratchy voice work he has used to create such characters as Iago the Parrot in the classic 1992 Disney animated film “Aladdin,” and as the former spokesduck for Aflec Insurance commercials, will be performing stand-up at the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club in San Antonio from April 10-12. I caught up with Gottfried, 60, earlier this week on the phone to talk about his new podcast, how the entertainment industry has changed over the years, and why he would never accept an offer to eulogize someone.

    Do you remember the last time you performed in San Antonio?

    God knows. I totally lose track of places I’ve been to. Whenever they show those clips of a politician or rock star yelling out, “I love you, Oklahoma!” and they’re in a totally different state, I completely understand how that happens.

    Well, when you think of San Antonio, Texas, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

    I think of a tumbleweed going by. (Laughs)

    San Antonio sounds like a pretty boring place!

    (Laughs) Yeah, maybe an occasional shootout happens, too. I’m used to it though. Usually during my shows someone pulls out a gun.

    You started your podcast Gilbert Gottried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast about 10 months ago. So many comedians have taken this route in recent years. What made you want to do it?

    I don’t really know. People were telling me to do it and I don’t really give things that much thought. It’s what everyone is doing nowadays, so I thought I would start. I didn’t know what I would talk about, but I really like talking about stuff that has to do with old show business. So, I aimed for that for the most part. So, we’ve had people like Boris Karloff’s daughter on the show. We had [TV and radio personality] Joe Franklin on right before he died. We’ve had Henry Winkler and Adam West on.

    Yeah, so far your guests have been pretty diverse. What do you look for when you’re deciding who to bring on?

    I look for guests I find interesting to me. Usually the guests that I have on are ones that people haven’t heard of. It was a surprise because I thought no one would like the podcast if they didn’t know the person. But I’ve been getting all these Tweets from people saying, “I had no idea who you were talking to or the people you were talking about, but I loved listening to it.”

    Did it ever cross your mind that maybe they love listening to it because you have such a great voice for podcasting?

    (Laughs) Yeah, I think I have that classic radio voice. It’s always between me and Morgan Freeman.

    Have you ever been asked to do any voiceovers like Morgan Freeman? Would you ever eulogize someone, maybe?

    I think one time someone ask me if I would do their eulogy. But I’m afraid those gigs don’t pay much.

    That’s why you have to ask for the payment before the guy dies.

    Oh, yes. As soon as the guy starts coughing, I want to get paid.

    You started as a stand-up comedian in New York City when you were a teenager. Are comedy tours still fun for you or does it feel like a job now?

    Sometimes when I’m coming into a new town with my suitcase, I feel like Willy Loman. So, it depends. Sometimes I enjoy it. Other times I just have to force myself.

    When you come into new cities, do you try to craft your material for those audiences?

    Not that much. Every now and then I’ll say something that has to do with the city. It varies if something hits me. I was lucky enough to be booked in Toronto when the mayor, Rob Ford, was in trouble with drugs and God knows what else. So, I was there right on the day that scandal started. So, all you had to do was say his name and people started laughing and applauding. It’s like the jokes didn’t even matter. Hopefully some big official in San Antonio will be found with a dead hooker when I get there.

    Well, the only controversy in San Antonio right now is that our city council won’t allow Uber to operate in city limits. Not sure if you can do anything with that.

    (Laughs) See, that’s already funny.

    Do you ever think about your comedy legacy as your career progresses?

    I’ll have these people say to me, “Isn’t it great that years after you’re dead people will still remember you as Iago the Parrot?” I always think, “Well, I’d rather they totally forget about Iago the Parrot and I just stay alive forever.” (Laughs)

    You’ve gotten in trouble for things you’ve said or tweeted in the past. You were famously fired from your gig as the Aflac duck for making what the company thought were disrespectful remarks about the Japanese tsunami in 2011. Do you have a filter as a comedian or is controversy not really something you worry about?

    Well, now when think about saying something, I think twice and say it anyway. (Laughs) I guess I’d be more gainfully employed if I thought about it.

    Do you feel people are too sensitive when it comes to comedy?

    Oh, yes, especially on the internet. I always say the internet makes me feel sentimental for old-time lynch mobs. At least a lynch mob had to actually go out and get their hands dirty. (Laughs) Show business used to be separate from everything else. If we had the internet back then, we’d probably see Clark Gable tweeting that “Gone with the Wind” sucked.

    As someone who appreciates how Hollywood functioned back in the day, what do you think about people who get YouTube famous?

    It’s scary. Show business years ago featured actors and singers who were big stars. There were newscasters and columnists and writers you’d look up to and listen to. Now, it’s everybody. It’s a weird thing. Nowadays being a star means you filmed yourself squeezing a blackhead and 20 million people watched it on the internet.

    Now that you have your podcast going, is there anything else you’d like to try or learn about when it comes to new media or technology?

    I have a cell phone that I barely know how to make calls and get calls. I still haven’t figured out how to put people on hold. The technology of podcasts or anything like that, I don’t know what I’m doing.

    But at least you can work a toaster, right?

    (Laughs) I’m starting to get the hang of that, yeah. Maybe when I’m 80 I’ll know how to make a good piece of toast.

  • Patrick Brice – The Overnight & Creep

    Patrick Brice – The Overnight & Creep

    In the first two feature films of his career, director/writer Patrick Brice finds a way to create comedy out of uncomfortable circumstances. In “Creep,” a freelance videographer (played by Brice himself) answers a vague ad on Craigslist about helping a guy shoot a video. The job becomes a lot more sinister than anticipated. In “The Overnight,” a husband and wife (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling) and their young son accept an invitation to dinner and a family “playdate” at the home of a well-to-do couple and their kid. The evening, however, doesn’t play out like anyone imagined.

    During an interview with me at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Brice, who earned his BFA in Film from the California Institute of the Arts, talked about what he looks for when he writes comedy and what his goals are as a new filmmaker. “The Overnight” is currently playing in theaters. “Creep” can be found on VOD platforms.

    How do you approach comedy as a writer? Your two most recent films “The Overnight” and “Creep” have comedic elements, of course, but there’s a dark sense of humor to both of them.

    For me it’s just a chance to indulge in my own taste. I’ve always found a lot of humor in darker situations that, when put in a movie, would incorporate a lot of narrative tension. It’s not a stretch for me coming up with this stuff in both of these movies. It’s a chance to play in different sandboxes, whether it’s a found footage horror movie or a flat-out comedy. Both of these movies have that kind of same comedic sensibility. Making “Creep” was a lot of fun because that was an improvised film from a 10-page outline. We made it in a short amount of time. It was just [actor] Mark [Duplass], me and a movie camera. Having that experience of discovering a film during the process of making it was helpful going into “The Overnight.” It was just a matter of listening to and following my own instincts.

    You wrote both “The Overnight” and “Creep.” When you’re writing a screenplay, how do you like to work? Do you have to lock yourself away from everyone and everything to get it done?

    I think it’s hard because there are so many more distractions nowadays. Committing to a project that takes more time is difficult. It’s taking a leap of faith going into writing a script. The scriptwriting process, unless you’re Superman, is going to take a few months. It’s going to be something you devote a lot of time to. You have to be your own critic while you do it. For me, it’s hard to get rid of all the distractions and get to that point where you can write something. I usually start with an outline then do a sort of brain dump and structure the script from that point. There are certain beats you have to hit. I want to make sure I’m hitting them in the outline phase before going into writing the script. It’s harder to work around the script once it is fully formed.

    As someone who is new to the industry, what is going on in your head when you start getting calls that actors like Adam Scott and Jason Schwartman want to be in your movie?

    I did not think I was going to be able to get performers of that level. It was all a nice surprise. It’s nice that all of them read the script and responded to it. Each person we offered the part to said yes. It was hugely validating as a writer to have these guys respond in the way they did. It’s not normal. What helped is having Mark Duplass as a producer and his track record with these kind of movies and the way he makes them and puts them out in the world. It can be enticing for an actor, for sure. Once we met with each other, it was a really fluid process. Because we shot the movie so quickly, we had no rehearsals. The creation of the tone and any discussions about character stuff all took place in maybe one or two individual meetings with the actors. It was cool because it almost made it feel like we were creating a play. The film has that feeling to it.

    You’re talking about the tone of “The Overnight” coming from a natural place. Did that include some of the more uncomfortable sexual scenes that happen? How did you confront those scenes?

    For us, everyone was super professional. It was such a small crew and production that we were all on the same page from day one. It was never really uncomfortable. I think all that discomfort kind of existed in the movie through the characters and the performances. I think the last scene of the movie – not to give anything away – is kind of an intense scene. I think everyone was sort of nervous about that and leading up to it. But once it got to the point where we had to shoot the scene, it was just a natural thing. We were able to craft a moment like that to feel as real as it could. It wasn’t like we were forcing anything. Anything we felt was forced was tossed away.

    What about the uncomfortable nature of “Creep?” Would you feel disappointed if someone came out of that film and thought of it as a straight horror movie instead of one that had comedic elements sprinkled throughout?

    I guess people are going to react to both of my films in different ways. I think there is a lot of different factors involved like where people watch the films. “The Overnight” is quite fun to watch in a theater. “Creep” is something that is going to be discovered at home at this point. It is definitely a creepier and more uncomfortable experience watching it at home. One thing I’ve realized making these movies is that a lot of filmgoers are just masochists. They love that feeling of getting toyed with a little bit. I think both of these movies kind of do it in a way that’s really inclusive. If you give into the conceit of either of these movies, there’s a strong likelihood you’re going to have a good time. If you approach either of these movies saying, “Impress me” or “I’m not buying it from the get-go,” they’re not going to win you over. With that said, for the people who like this kind of thing, I think they both are a lot of fun. My goal is to make something that is entertaining and fun to watch. That’s my No. 1 goal as a filmmaker: to make something that is engaging and feels new for people. If that involves creating the potential to make people feel uncomfortable, then I’m willing to take that risk. At the end of the day, if you want to make something that feels new, you have to put yourself out there.

    When is the last time you laughed at something in the theater that maybe others didn’t think was necessarily written with comedic intentions?

    It’s funny because I was just thinking about this the other day. I don’t do that too often, but I remember going to see the movie “Jackie Brown.” I was probably 13 or 14 at the time and I went with my dad and his girlfriend and my grandfather. The moment when Robert De Niro, out-of-the-blue, shoots Bridget Fonda in the parking lot, my grandfather, who is not an outgoing guy or anything, just burst out laughing. That moment is seared in my memory. Maybe it’s something that influenced what I would be doing later on. It was a horrible thing happening in the movie, but maybe it could be funny, too. It’s this unexpected element. I love that moment in the movie.

    When it comes to comedy, do you think people are too sensitive nowadays? Do you think all issues and themes should be fair game to joke about or is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed?

    I feel like everything is up for grabs, for sure. But I also feel like it depends on where you’re coming from and how you’re handling the material. If I feel like I’m in the hands of someone who is being thoughtful about what they’re putting out there, even if it’s something grossly offensive, there is a strong likelihood I’m going to respond to it. If it’s something that is gross or negative or a joke at someone else’s expense, I’m not going to appreciate it as much. I feel like all the humor in “The Overnight” exists to push boundaries. It’s there to serve the story and characters at the end of the day. It’s obviously there so I can be goofy and have all this ridiculous stuff in the movie, but at the same time, if you’re not with the characters on this journey and if you’re not buying it, it’s just not going to work for you. I try to be thoughtful and cautious when it comes to that kind of stuff, even though this is a movie I could see potentially being way too awkward for certain people. For anybody that is willing to give in a little bit, I feel they will have a good experience watching it. It’s fun to watch people cackling and cringing.

    Where is Peachfuzz (the werewolf mask in the movie “Creep”) today? Do you keep it in your closet at home?

    Yeah, I have it in my closet! It’s going to probably come out next month. We’re going to do a special screening for the movie and will bring the mask. But, yeah, it lives in my closet.

    Have there been any requests to mass produce the mask? I know with a horror movie like “The Babadook,” people were requesting the studio to produce that handmade pop-up book and they obliged. Maybe Peachfuzz will get the same reaction.

    If there is a demand for it, we could probably make that happen. I love the mask. It’s goofy but is also really scary under the right context. I love that duality.

  • Robert & Luciana Duvall – Wild Horses

    Robert & Luciana Duvall – Wild Horses

    Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall (“Tender Mercies”) returns to the director’s chair after 13 years with the independent family Western “Wild Horses.” In the film, Duvall, 84, plays Scott Briggs, a Texas rancher who decides it’s time to write his will before he passes away. Ready to make amends with his estranged gay son Ben (James Franco), he invites him back to the ranch to divvy up the land. A past crime, however, comes back to haunt the Briggses when a Texas Ranger (Luciana Duvall, Robert’s real-life wife) reopens a cold case that could spell disaster for the family.

    During an interview with Robert and Luciana Duvall at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival, I got a chance to talk to the couple about their new film and what kind of director Duvall has become after more than a decade. We also talked about whether Duvall is still interested in acting after earning his seventh Oscar nomination this year for “The Judge” and learn about a movie he hopes to make into a TV miniseries very soon.

    You made your last film as a director in 2002 with “Assassination Tango.” What motivated you to get back into the saddle again for “Wild Horses?”

    Robert Duvall: I read a script with a lady [Texas] Ranger and I wanted to see [Luciana] play a lady ranger. I figured we could make a movie, but we had to work for about a year and a half to really make a script out of it. We kept a few things in the original script and went out and got some wonderful actors like James Franco and Josh Hartnett and Adriana Barraza.

    Luciana, Robert directed you in “Assassination Tango.” Did you see any differences in his approach as a filmmaker this time around?

    Luciana Duvall: No, he’s very subtle in what he looks for, but very specific at the same time. If he knows you’re in search of something, but you’re not quite there, in a very indirect way he will let you know. (Laughs)

    RD: Yeah, but after 13 years, she’s harder to direct now than she was then.

    LD: I think what he wants is for [actors] to be in touch with themselves no matter what. If I’m going to throw a purse or yell or walk away, that’s fine as long as you’re in touch with yourself, meaning that you’re not trying to force something. You do it and you feel it.

    RD: Let the process take you to the result rather than going straight for the result.

    LD: Yeah, by not having the pressure that you have to do it right or perfect, it almost becomes improvised, even if it has imperfections. In this film I was more helpful and more involved than before because I was playing a role that was very complex. I think that’s what is fascinating about working with Bob. There was this one scene and [James Franco and Josh Hartnett] didn’t have enough time to spend with each other, so when you see them off camera they weren’t connecting. James was reading and Josh was doing something else and [actor] Devon [Abner] was being…

    RD: Shy.

    LD: Shy. So, Bobby allowed an environment within the scene in which they became very close. I think that allowed them to improvise and to go anywhere they wanted.

    RD: A guy like [Marlon] Brando used to watch “Candid Camera” to try to make [his performances] as lifelike as possible. People might say, “Oh, he’s just playing himself.” I say, “Try it.” It’s not always an easy thing. [Actor] Wilford Brimley used to say, “Well, when they say ‘action,’ you better come up with something by not trying to come up with something.”

    Well, speaking of acting, you just came off your seventh Oscar nomination for your role in “The Judge.” Is that acting bug still biting?

    RD: Maybe. I was supposed to do something with [director] Terry Gilliam, but it wasn’t a good script [“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”]. I don’t know if they’re going to still do it. I was going to play Don Quixote. I read that when [Larry] McMurtry wrote “Lonesome Dove,” he was very much influenced by [“Don Quixote” author] Miguel Cervantes – men saving women, horseback, you know. I don’t know if you saw this wonderful movie called “Wild Tales.”

    The Argentina film? I have.

    RD: The director (Damián Szifrón) and I talked. He said he was doing a Western and said he maybe wants me to be in it. He’s a very interesting guy. So, I still get a few [offers]. I also have the rights to “The Day the Cowboys Quit” by Elmer Kelton. He was voted the greatest Western writer of all time. A lot of people in Texas have never heard of him. He wrote for the Stockman’s Gazette in San Angelo. He knew the land and the air like nobody else. The only movie he ever made was with Tommy Lee Jones, “The Good Old Boys.” [“The Day the Cowboys Quit”] is a story based on fact about some cowboys that weren’t allowed by the big ranch owners from the east to have their own small herd of horses or cattle, so they went on strike. So, we’re working with AMC to try and get a two-night miniseries. It could be one of the greatest Westerns ever made if it’s done right.

    So, where is the Don Quixote film at right now?

    RD: I don’t know if it’ll ever happen. You daydream about certain things. Some things you plan and then something comes around the corner and surprises you and it’s better than what you planned. So, we’ll see. We’re really trying to inch forward with “The Day the Cowboys Quit” with AMC. Hopefully [screenwriter] Charlie Mitchell from “Get Low” will get it. Because of “Get Low” I got “The Judge.”

    Why did you choose James and Josh to play your sons in this film?

    RD: We were very fortunate. First we had Josh playing one part and then we had Franco playing the part. We had to apologize to Josh to play the other part, which he was better for anyway. Then we got [Oscar-winning screenwriter] Horton Foote’s (“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Tender Mercies”) son-in-law (Devon Abner) to play the other son. Then I said I didn’t want anybody to play the Texas Rangers except the Texas Rangers. They do undercover work, so they’re actually good actors. These guys bring an authenticity, even if it’s in a small way. There’s a melding process of using actors and non-actors. It was a nice mix. Maybe you couldn’t do that with theater, like Shakespeare or a [David] Mamet play, but in film you can do a lot of things, which is nice. I saw a film [at SXSW] two years ago called “The Dynamiter.” It was a film where they just took kids off the street. It wasn’t amateur, but it was very rudimentary. Two nights later, I saw the original “Bonnie and Clyde” and I couldn’t stand it. [It was] fraudulent, compared to this little teeny movie. Just because something comes from Hollywood doesn’t mean anything.

    You and Clint Eastwood are the same age. Do you ever wonder how he’s able to knock out one or two projects a year?

    RD: He’s become the poor man’s version of Franco. (Laughs) Franco’s gonna do four movies this year. [Franco] can take a [script] and memorize it in 10 seconds – photographic memory. I think that’s the reason he can work fast. [Eastwood] directs a lot. He keeps going. You know who I’d like to get for “The Day the Cowboys Quit”: [Oscar-winning director] Katherine Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”). Oh, man, she’s terrific. I love “The Hurt Locker.” It’s my favorite movie of the decade. I love what she did with [“Zero Dark Thirty”], too.

  • Oscar Isaac – Ex Machina

    Oscar Isaac – Ex Machina

    Screenwriter Alex Garland (“28 Days Later,” “Sunshine”) makes his directorial debut with the sci-fi film “Ex Machina,” the story of a young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) who is chosen by a reclusive CEO (Oscar Isaac) to participate in a series of experiments where he must interact with an artificial intelligent robot built to look like an attractive young woman. During an interview with Isaac at the South by Southwest Film Festival, I talked to him about his popular dance sequence in the film and discuss what a “bro billionaire” actually is.

    Before we start talking about the deeper themes of “Ex Machina,” I have to ask you about my favorite scene of the film — the dance sequence. How did you make it look so…cool?

    Single-handedly I made dancing look cool again! Yeah, it was in the script and it says we disco dance. It was a lot of fun. We had a great choreographer. We rehearsed quite a few times. Alex would come in and watch it. He would even join in once in a while.

    You said the dancing was in the script, but what about the humor you bring to your character? How much of that was already there for you to work with and how much of it was ad-libbed?

    All of it was in the script — the language, the wit, the condescension, the sardonic and biting humor — that was all in there. It was a whole “bro billionaire” kind of thing. There wasn’t a lot of mining to try to find the humor in the character because it was already built in. And sure enough being the hammy actor that I am, I would look to see where I could add more to it in little moments here and there.

    Since you brought up the idea of “bro billionaires,” did you look at any of the young tech billionaires of today for any inspiration on the character or someone who might have that “God complex” that your character seems to be suffering from?

    Usually I’ll go and do that sort of left-of-field thing when I’m building a character as opposed to getting locked into this one-for-one, literal thing. When I was playing King John in “Robin Hood,” I thought of someone like a mix between Robert Plant and Richard Nixon or something that would get your imagination going. With this one, I kind of landed on [reclusive chess champion] Bobby Fischer as someone who had a brilliant mind, but also had an incredibly dark thing going on. He presented certain aspects of himself and hid other ones. [Film director Stanley] Kubrick was another one. I listened to how he spoke. He was so intelligent, but had this sort of roughness because he was from the Bronx. He had this self-taught kind of thing because I imagined he was really bad at school. He was quite brilliant at chess, as well. So, those are the two I really pulled from.

    When it comes to technology, there are some pretty futuristic things happening in this film. In your lifetime, what do you think will be the craziest thing you’ll see come to fruition? Or maybe something you hope to see?

    Oh, it would be interesting to have a breakthrough in terms of longevity – something that allows someone’s life span to get longer. There’s a futurist named Ray Kurzweil who is an incredible optimist when it comes to robots and technology and artificial intelligence. He believes in robots that can live inside us and help us live longer. I’d be interested in that kind of advancement.

    So, would you personally like to live to be 150 years old?

    Yeah, I think battling death, one’s own mortality,  is something that’s in my mind. The inevitability of that is something that humans have grappled with since the beginning of time.

    Some people would argue that just because science allows somebody to do something or create something doesn’t necessarily mean we should. Do you agree with that or do you feel most things in science are up for grabs?

    I feel two ways about it: One, I feel like it’s completely up for grabs. At the same time, you have to recognize that [humans] are damaged. There are elements in us that are not great. So far, the things we have created have pretty much gone out of our control, whether it’s an industry or socioeconomic systems or technology. We create these things and quickly give our power over to them for the sake of convenience or comfort. To think that it wouldn’t happen with artificial intelligence is a little bit naive.

    Can you imagine a film industry in 50 years where actors have become obsolete? Will we get to a point where a studio that wants you to star in their film will just have to upload you into a program and create a performance?

    I don’t think so, but I see the film industry already becoming very robotic where everything is a machine. But I think there is something about human expression, the actual organism of a human expressing it’s existence. That’s always going to be interesting for us. I’d like to think that humans can give something unique to a performance.

    You’ve been in some tech-heavy movies in your career and will be in a huge one later this year. Would you say you enjoy those elements as much as you do in, say, “Inside Llewyn Davis,” where your performance is front and center without all the other extra stuff going on?

    Yeah, I still had a huge camera right in my face when I played Llewyn Davis. You’re dealing with elements all the time on a set. There’s lights, there’s camera, there’s a cat. The nature of it can be slightly different, but it’s all about creating space for your unconscious mind to work regardless of what’s around you.

  • Liv Corfixen & Nicolas Winding Refn – My Life Directed…

    Liv Corfixen & Nicolas Winding Refn – My Life Directed…

    In the documentary film “My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn,” Refn’s wife and first-time director Liv Corfixen points her camera at her husband during the making of his 2013 crime drama “Only God Forgives.” Corfixen hoped to capture Refn’s filmmaking process and what it’s like for director like him to create a film that would be considered by many as one of the most polarizing of his career.

    During an interview with Refn and Corfixen, we talked about what it was like opening up their lives for a documentary like this, what kind of film Refn thinks “Only God Forgives” ended up becoming, and whether or not Refn would ever consider “selling out” in this industry. I first started the interview by asking Corfixen whether or not she ever contemplated taking the advice filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky offered her in the film after reading her tarot cards. He told her she should divorce Refn if she wanted to find happiness in her own life.

    “My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn” was recently released on VOD and on iTunes and theatrically in Los Angeles and New York City.

    Liv, did you ever file divorce papers like Jodorowsky advised you to?

    Liv Corfixen: (Laughs) No, I didn’t. We went to couples therapy instead. We’re still together so it must be working.

    Nicolas Winding Refn: So far.

    Was it challenging for both of you to open up so candidly about your life in a project like this or did you find it therapeutic in a way?

    LC: I think Nicholas found it therapeutic. I did it because I thought it would be more interesting to make a film that showed the downside of being an artist and all the anxieties that you have. I didn’t want to just glorify what filmmaking is. I wanted to show the ups and downs of it.

    Nicolas, you were already putting yourself under so much pressure during the making of “Only God Forgives.” Did you ever think having another film happening at the same time would only make things more difficult for the production?

    NWR: I had no say. One day Liv came to me and said she wanted to make this film. We were already living in Bangkok. I said, “OK.” Because of her friendship with Ryan [Gosling] and everyone else on the set, she was able to do it. So she started doing her own thing. We were both making our own different movies at the same time.

    Looking back on “Only God Forgives” today, do you consider the film successful?

    NWR: I think the movie was personally very successful. I think financially it was also successful. I just think it was a film that divided a lot of people. At the end it became the ultimate counterculture film. What more could you ask for in cinema?

    When “Only God Forgives” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, reports came out that it was booed by audiences. How did you react to that?

    NWR: Well, at Cannes, basically they applaud and boo you at the same time. There’s no either or. What was interesting was that in the morning screening, which was just for critics, there were either very aggressive boos or applause. It created some hostility because people were either loving it or hating it. So, when we got to the night secreting, I was so nervous about what was going to happen. I had heard stories of people reacting harshly at the night screening. But I was so relieved that I got a standing ovation at night. So I knew that whatever I had done was right.

    Do you believe because a film is polarizing makes it more special?

    NWR: I don’t know if you remember but “Drive” was universally hated by a lot of people. It didn’t get very good reviews when it came out and it didn’t make a lot of money. But it hit a nerve. A lot of people didn’t like the movie. The distributors didn’t like the movie. It’s always been like that for me. That polarization has always been there. I love it because that creates thought and reaction and emotion. Emotion brings the world into a better place.

    Liv, is there anything you learned about Nicolas that you didn’t know before making this documentary?

    LC: Well, we’ve been married for 19 years so it wasn’t like I learned something new about him. (Laughs) Every time he makes a movie it’s like this. I just felt like I wanted to show him in this process. I enjoyed it. It was a great experience for me. I really want to make another film, but I haven’t decided what it should be about.

    Nicolas, what is your definition of selling out in this industry? For example, if you were offered to direct, say, the next “Transformers” sequel, is that something you would think about doing?

    NWR: Well, I have a huge admiration for Michael Bay, but I don’t know if I would be the right guy for something like that. (Laughs) I’ve had some great opportunities, but at the end I’ve turned them down because I thought that was the right thing to do. I don’t believe in selling out. And actually, you don’t really sell out, you get points. You just have to ask yourself, “How many points in life am I willing to compromise?” I just like my freedom too much. It’s more pleasurable going to work and making the movie I want to make without any hesitation at all. That’s a very pleasurable experience for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right experience. I’m not the greatest filmmaker in the world, but for the kinds of films I make I’m the best at.

    Is it a misconception that artists like yourself don’t care about the commercial viability of their films?

    NWR: I am very conscious of the commercial situation of my movies. Fortunately, I make very inexpensive movies. “Only God Forgives” made so much money that when it came time to make my next movie, which I’m in L.A. right now to do, I was given a blank check without even having a cast. They felt there was money to be made with me and they want to support that.

  • Adrian Martinez – Focus

    Adrian Martinez – Focus

    In the new romantic dark comedy “Focus,” actor Adrian Martinez plays Farhad, the best friend and partner-in-crime of Nicky (Will Smith), a professional con man who teams up with a femme fatale (Margot Robbie) for a major heist in Argentina where the stakes get a lot higher for all three thieves.

    During an interview with Martinez, who has also starred in films such as “American Hustle,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” we talked about what attracted him to a project like “Focus,” how he approaches auditions after 20 years in the industry, and what it was like working with Louie C.K. last year on his hit TV show on FX.

    So, what were you going for with the look and style of your character Farhad?

    Well, Farhad is based on a real-life Grammy Award-winning producer who is friends with [“Focus” directors] John [Requa] and Glenn [Ficarra]. I can’t remember his name, but that’s basically what he looks like. But then I was able to put my own spin on it. It was lot of fun. John and Glenn let me take chances and make the character my own and were supportive of me being a part of the creative process.

    What initially drew you to a project like “Focus” other than getting the chance to work with actors like Will Smith and Margot Robbie?

    What really drew me to the movie was that the script was full of surprises. You never knew how things were going to play out. That’s so rare these days. Then, you had Farhad, this character I could relate to because of his loyalty to his best friend Nicky, played by Will Smith. Personally, I am very faithful to the people in my own life. I always have their back. I think that’s something that really comes across with Farhad. Nicky relies on Farhad. I see him as a spiritual brother to Nicky.

    Where does a film like this rank for you in your career? You’ve worked on some major movies before like “American Hustle” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” just to name a couple.

    You know, a lot of people saw me in “Walter Mitty” with Ben Stiller. The movie did well and really took on a life of its own when it went On Demand. We’ll, have to see how “Focus” plays out. If it’s a hit, I think it’ll certainly help my career. But if it’s not, it doesn’t matter to me personally because I’m going to keep acting and going after my own projects. But I do feel like it’s a special movie that will really connect with audiences.

    You’re very recognizable in the film industry. Does that help you when you go into auditions? I mean, I know you need to have talent to land some of the roles you’ve received, but does having a familiar face help you in any way?

    I think it helps get auditions that are high profile, but you still have to prove yourself.  Even after Will’s last movie “After Earth,” there were questions if he could make box-office hits, which was ridiculous. The man’s made billions of dollars for studios. It’s crazy. You really do have to prove yourself every time out.

    The last time I interviewed you was back in 2010 and you told me the same thing. Has it gotten any easier in the last five years, or is it still a dogfight?

    Yeah, you always have to keep proving yourself. You’re just proving yourself to more important people. (Laughs) When you’re starting your career, you’re proving yourself to unknown directors. And now I’m proving myself to John and Glenn and Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell, or whoever. You just have to go into your audition and nail it. When you audition you have to make them feel like something exciting is going on.

    For some reason, I don’t see you as someone who really gets fazed by the audition process. I imagine you going in and just laying it all on the table every time.

    Yeah, I mean they’re called auditions, but I call them performances. I prepare as if it was opening night. I go in assuming I already got the role. It’s a chance to act and do my thing. That’s how I approach it. I use the same skillset that I do on set or on the stage. That’s how I move forward. The only time recently where I didn’t have to audition for something was for an episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” where I got to play a mentally disabled person. They just made an offer, which, I guess, says a lot about me.

    Talk a bit about playing the sidekick in a lot of your movies. It seems like you’ve embraced that role.

    To me, it’s basically going to a free film school. When I was working with Will Ferrell [in “Casa de mi Padre”], I learned a lot about discipline. When I worked with Ben Stiller, I learned about how someone works with a lot of stamina. When I worked with Will Smith, I learned about being generous and grateful. I’ve never met anyone who was more grateful for his stature in the business than Will. We shot the film in Buenos Aires and one day he was coming out of this market and people just started gravitating to him and he’d stop for selfies. He spent a lot of time taking photos there. He really enjoys his fame. He’s special.

    Do you ever think about your career 20 years from now and what you’ll be saying about the films you were in 20 years prior? I mean, movies last forever. Twenty years from now, all your DVDs – or whatever we’re watching movies on – will still be floating around.

    Yeah, I do think about doing work that will stand the test of time. I do think about leaving behind a film legacy that my daughter will be proud of. I’ve been blessed. There are a lot of Latinos actors who are coming up now and have had opportunities that 10 or 20 years ago simply did not exist. I like to feel that it’s in part to actors like myself or David Zayas or Paul Calderon or any number of actors in their 30s or 40s or 50s who cleared the path for the new generation. I feel like it’s all good. We helped them and hopefully they help someone else.

    Later this year, we’re going to see you in a comedy called “Sisters,” which stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler about two sisters who throw a big house party. What do you think a house party hosted by Tina and Amy would look like in real life and would you go?

    I would go anywhere they want me to go. I would go in handcuffs. I would go dressed anyway they wanted me to dress. These are two of the smartest, funniest people in the business, period. They have such great chemistry. Time will show that this was one of the great comic teams that people will remember forever.

    Speaking of great comedians, you had a small part in a very ambitious six-part episode of “Louie” last year alongside Louie C.K. What was that experience like being a part of a TV show that was doing such different things no one else had really tried before?

    Yeah, Louie is a special writer. He’s special because he’s not afraid to be himself and not afraid to take chances. He doesn’t write his characters to be funny. He just writes real people and puts them in funny situations. Everything is really grounded. That’s one of the things that sets him apart. He doesn’t go for the easy laugh. He goes for the truth. Sometimes the truth is pretty funny on its own.

    How did you get the role in that last episode anyway?

    I was sitting in my apartment in the Bronx and I got a call at 8:30 on a Friday night. It was from the associate director of “Louie.” He said, “Hey, I’m so and so from ‘Louie.’ Louie wanted you to come down and do an episode.” I didn’t believe him. I said, “Well, Louie will have to get on the phone because I really don’t know who you are.” (Laughs) So, Louie got on the phone. His voice was unmistakable. He was like, “Hi. This is Louie. I want you to come out here. We’ll get you a car. You’re going to be screaming in the rain naked. I don’t know what you’re going to be saying. Can you do it?” I was like, “Sure! Of course!” That’s exactly what happened. Next thing I know I was in a car and then on a sound stage screaming in the rain naked. That’s how these things happen. Someone says, “We need someone to do this role, but we don’t have time to audition anyone. Who can we get to scream in the rain naked?” And someone says, “Adrian Martinez.”

  • Daniel Garcia & Rania Attieh – Recommended by Enrique & H.

    Daniel Garcia & Rania Attieh – Recommended by Enrique & H.

    It’s only February, but Daniel Garcia and Rania Attieh have already had the kind of incredible year every independent filmmaker dreams of. The duo premiered their sci-fi drama “H.” at the Sundance Film Festival last month and are also nominated for a 2015 Film Independent Spirit Award in the “Someone to Watch” category.

    A native San Antonian, Garcia graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1997 and went to the University of Texas at San Antonio where he earned his degree in philosophy. It’s at UTSA where he met Attieh in a drawing class. She had moved to San Antonio from Lebanon.

    After making a handful of short films together in Texas, Garcia and Attieh attended graduate school in New York City — Garcia at New York University and Attieh at City College. Both graduated with their degrees in film. Their first feature, 2010’s “Ok, Enough, Goodbye” is a coming-of-age film set in Attieh’s hometown of Tripoli. The project put them in the spotlight in 2011 by Filmmaker Magazine, which named them one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”

    Garcia and Attieh followed “Goodbye” with two films last year, “H.” and “Recommended by Enrique.” In “H.,” peculiar things begin to happen in the lives of two women when an alleged meteor hits their town of Troy, New York. In “Enrique,” a pair of strange narratives play out in Del Rio, Texas when an aspiring actress and a mysterious Mexican man show up in the border town — one to star in a low-budget horror movie, the other to meet someone for an undisclosed reason.

    During an interview with me this week, Garcia and Attieh talked about how Enrique is loosely based on an experience they had when they were first trying to break into the industry, and why making original films is critical to them both.

    See if Garcia and Attieh win the Spirit Award (and the $25,000 grant that goes along with it) when the award show airs live Saturday, February 21 at 4 p.m. on IFC. Also, make sure to check out “Recommended by Enrique,” which is screening at CineFestival on Wednesday, February 25 at 8 p.m. at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.

    What inspired the narrative for “Recommended by Enrique?”

    Daniel Garcia: It was inspired by an experience we had working on a film in Del Rio. Neither of us had worked on a feature film before. I got a phone call from a friend of a friend who said there was a film happening in Del Rio and asked if we wanted to go and help on it. So, we did. It’s a long story, but what ended up happening was the filmmaker was a con man. He was a guy saying he was affiliated with these major studios, and he ended up conning all these people in Del Rio out of something like $100,000. It was an interesting and bizarre experience that I really think helped us move forward and shaped who we are as filmmakers.

    So, you decided to go back to the scene of the crime and shoot the film there to make it more authentic?

    Rania Attieh: We thought it would be great if we could go back and re-create the scenes where it actually happened. When we got there, we talked to the Chamber of Commerce about what we wanted to do. A lot of the locals really embrace the film and helped us out by giving us locations.

    DG: I’ve been going to Del Rio since I was a kid to visit family. Half of my family lives there. I think we always had some idea in the back of our minds that we would go back and film something inspired by those events. When we found the time to actually do it, we jumped at the opportunity.

    The film is such an original story. It feels like you made every attempt not to create something we’ve seen before.

    DG: Yeah, I think we are always trying to make something fresh and original even if it’s just for ourselves. We try to surprise ourselves before we try to surprise other people. I always try to make a conscious effort not to be cliché or make choices that others have made before.

    How do you think “Enrique” is different thematically to other Latino films?

    DG: When it comes to Latin American culture in modern films, the stories seem to all be the same. They all deal with cliché topics like immigration, border crossing, race relations, poverty, drugs and crime. That wasn’t my experience growing up. The time Rania spent in Texas before we moved to New York wasn’t her experience either. It wouldn’t be truthful if we started writing stories like that.

    RA: I think Latinos identify with a story like Enrique more because they recognize the culture.

    Do you consider “Enrique” a “Latino film?”

    DG: I still think it is very much a Latino film, but the perspective we’re coming from isn’t stereotypical or a pop-culture version. That is definitely something we wanted to avoid.

    The two storylines in “Enrique” really never intersect. Was that the plan when you first started working on the story?

    RA: The main thing we wanted to do was create a new experience for people. In other stories, everybody is waiting for these two people to meet. We didn’t want to make that film. From the very beginning we wanted to make a film about two people who have two completely different experiences.

    Are you influenced by any other independent directors or writers right now? I felt a little Shane Carruth in there, but you tell me.

    DG: I think our influences are very wide ranging. I wouldn’t be able to name screenwriters off the top my head. I think we’re just looking for something that’s unique and bizarrely entertaining. Even between Rania and me, we have different tastes even though they overlap on a lot of things.

    It sounds like you don’t like the comparison.

    DG: I mean, it’s nice to have people think that our films remind them of other directors, but I don’t necessarily think we want to be a version of previous filmmakers.

    You found your lead actress for “Enrique,” Sarah Swinwood, on YouTube. Do you consider it a good resource as filmmakers?

    RA: We’re big fans of YouTube. If you dig deep into it, you can find a lot of different subcultures and characters. People really put themselves out there. Sarah has a YouTube channel where she does these acting drills. We were fascinated by her for a while. Her role as the actress in Enrique fit her so well. Our latest film H. is also based on this subculture we found on YouTube of these women who take care of plastic dolls. All the research for the film was done on YouTube because it’s the only place we can get access to these women. What they say and what they think and what they want you to know about them.

    With the three feature films you’ve made so far, do you think you’ve found your voice? Do you know what kind of filmmakers you are yet?

    DG: I think we know, maybe, where were headed. We like to change from project to project. Our next film could be widely different from our previous films. We have three feature films now and the third one is as different from the second one as the second one is from the first one. In the future and throughout our careers, we would like to have a body of work that people look at and don’t necessarily know it’s by the same filmmakers.