Author: lockep

Interview: Greta Gerwig, Star of Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress

April 12, 2012

When writer-director Whit Stillman’s smart, wry Metropolitan appeared in 1990 it heralded the arrival of a fresh, new cinematic voice. Stillman continued to mine his favorite topic–the comedic hand-wringing and navel-gazing angst of the “urban haute bourgeoisie“–in Barcelona (1994) and The Last Days of Disco (1998). But then the film maker dropped off the indie-cinema … More Interview: Greta Gerwig, Star of Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress

Interview: Jeff Who Live At Home's Co-writer-director Jay Duplass

April 5, 2012

I was late to the Mumblecore bandwagon (or conversely the “anti-Mumblecore” counter-bandwagon), so I hadn’t seen a Duplass Brothers film until 2010’s oddly sweet Cyrus completely snuck up on me and on repeated viewings become one of my favorite films of the year. Cyrus, which stars John C. Reilly as a lovable loser falling for … More Interview: Jeff Who Live At Home's Co-writer-director Jay Duplass

The Hunger Games: How a Real Film Emerged from the Deadly Arena of Young-Adult Movie Franchises

March 29, 2012

If we must have long, over-hyped film-franchise adaptations of annoyingly popular young-adult fantasy/sci-fi books (and it appears we must), then The Hunger Games from director Gary Ross and his co-writers trilogy author Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass, State of Play) have figured out the way to do them. Some flaws aside (see below), … More The Hunger Games: How a Real Film Emerged from the Deadly Arena of Young-Adult Movie Franchises

John Carter of Disney

March 20, 2012

Watching Disney’s cinematic red-planet boondoggle, I suffered a semi-serious film-critic/fan-boy crisis. Every time I tried to write about the film last week, my efforts derailed quickly into a frothing Inside Baseball rant about budgets and marketing and Industry Schadenfreude instead of the film itself. So does my lack of heartfelt interest in the relentlessly hyped … More John Carter of Disney

Interview: Being Flynn's Writer-director Paul Weitz

March 14, 2012

At one point in our interview, writer-director Paul Weitz described his directorial career as “a checkerboard.” A game of Twister might be a more apt metaphor. Weitz and his brother Chris hit it big in 1999 when they co-wrote and directed the original American Pie. They went on to also co-direct the Chris Rock vehicle … More Interview: Being Flynn's Writer-director Paul Weitz

W.E. Unhappy Few

March 13, 2012

You’ll be hard pressed to find a funnier line in a film this year than “Directed by Madonna.” Technically W.E. is not Madonna’s directorial debut—in 2008 she helmed Filth and Wisdom, a “comedy/drama/musical/romance” about a cross-dressing Ukrainian dominatrix with rock-n-roll dreams that made it to ten theaters in the United States. I was unaware of … More W.E. Unhappy Few

Interview: Friends with Kids' Writer-Director-Star Jennifer Westfeldt

March 9, 2012

Actress and writer Jennifer Westfeldt made her mark on the film scene in 2001 when she wrote and co-starred in the indie romantic comedy Kissing Jessica Stein about a young, straight woman who, frustrated by her dating opportunities with men, falls into a lesbian relationship. In her latest comedy, Friends with Kids, Westfeldt is once … More Interview: Friends with Kids' Writer-Director-Star Jennifer Westfeldt

Oscar Hangover: Afterthoughts about Art and The Artist from the Cool Bathroom Floor

February 28, 2012

It’s been a day and a half since the 84th Academy Awards wrapped up in a flurry of gooey love for a Gallic mash note to the Hollywood of 80 years ago, and I’m just now waking up on the bathroom floor, covered in regurgitated self-congratulatory awe. (Not entirely sure if it’s mine or the … More Oscar Hangover: Afterthoughts about Art and The Artist from the Cool Bathroom Floor