Russell Gewirtz wrote a fresh, intriguing take on the genre of the bank robbery heist, and I really wanted to do it. Dog Day Afternoon is one of my favorites and this story was a contemporary take on that kind of a movie.
Thank You for Smoking: Interview with Jason Reitman
March 6, 2006 by
I tried coming up with an opening statement that reflects my feelings for the production of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Perhaps I was overwhelmed, but I couldn’t come up with anything profound Рcertainly not after reading Buckley’s piece on creating Nick Naylor. I mean, f***, how am I supposed to follow that Instead, I have decided to present you with five moments of making this film that I will never forget.
Zaza (1939): Cukor on Claudette Colbert as Actress and Comedienne
March 4, 2006 by
Colbert seemed more personal in Zaza. Cukor thought that as a comedienne Colbert used only part of her talent and elegance; her range was wider than she was given chance to display. Zaza was the only film in which Colbert had chance to display her pretty voice. Cukor brought his friend Fanny Brice on the set to coach her. Colbert recalled, “It was wonderful, no other director would do such a thing. That's going a long way and indicative of the kind of director he was.”
School Ties (1992): Robert Mandel’s Probe into Anti-Semitism–Glorious Cast of Young Actors Who Would Become Stars, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O’Donnell, Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp, Ben Affleck
February 21, 2006 by
“The movie is set just after the McCarthy era, when prep schools were becoming more open, though they still excluded blacks. The years of l955-6 signified a new period in American culture, with the beginning of rock 'n roll and youth culture. Setting the movie back, allows audiences to disengage enough to see the bigotry and racism in a more objective way.”
Find Me Guilty: Interview with Director Sidney Lumet
February 16, 2006 by
“It was the longest criminal trial in U.S. history, and you can see why it took two years: there were 20 defendants with 76 charges against them, and 20 lawyers. So the sheer mass of it was unbelievable. Along with DiNorscio‚Äôs irreverent yet sympathetic approach, there was also an undefeated prosecutor.”
Sidney Lumet
