An interview with Brave’s Mark Andrews & Katherine Sarafian
I was recently able to sit down for a chat with Disney Pixar’s Brave director Mark Andrews and Katherine Sarafian for Blogomatic3000. Having been thoroughly impressed with their labour of love (have a look of my review for specifics), there were loads of questions I was eager to ask. However, due to time limitations, I was only able to raise a handful, but Andrews and Sarafian were quick to respond with an enthusiasm inherent to those who truly love their jobs.
Though focusing predominately on Brave and how they brought the film together, as a big fan of The Incredibles (which both Andrews and Sarafian worked on), my final question had to be about where things stand with a follow-up to Pixar’s super-est of heroes. So, read on for a peek inside two of the minds that make up the most innovative studio in film-making today.
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Stellan Skarsgård discusses King of Devil’s Island and what lies ahead for him
I recently had a chance to sit down with international film star Stellan Skarsgård, who was in town to promote his new film King of Devil’s Island. Hot off the massive success of The Avengers, we talked his new film, where he sees his career going from here and touched on a couple upcoming projects, including Thor 2.
The whole experience was only moderately terrifying for my first proper interview. Luckily, Stellan was a terrifically friendly subject and I’m thrilled to say he was my first interview. Be sure to check out my review of King of Devil’s Island.
Cosmopolis Q&A with David Cronenberg and Robert Pattinson
Last night Curzon Mayfair hosted a special preview screening of David Cronenberg’s latest feature Cosmopolis. Afterwards the legendary director took to the stage with his leading man, Robert Pattinson to discuss several topics relating to the film and working with the ever-popular Twilight star.
David Cronenberg discusses his latest film, Cosmopolis, alongside lead Robert Pattinson
The full audio of the 33-minute conversation follows the jump, with transcription to follow, if you’re good. Be aware that some spoilers are contained but nothing that would take away from the unique experience this film presents.
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Avengers Assemble London Press Conference Report
Before getting all glammed up for the big European premiere of Avengers Assemble at Westfield London last Thursday 19 April, the cast gathered alongside producer Kevin Feige and executive producer Jeremy Latcham at Claridge’s Hotel to field questions from the press. Here’s what went down:
Edith Bowman (moderator): I wanna direct my question to Kevin and Jeremy Latcham, please first of all. Five hundred Avengers issues over the past 48 years, how and where do you start with this story?
Jeremy Latcham: Well, I mean, part of putting these movies together, especially on this one, was actually taking everything that existed in the movies that we’ve done and having to be faithful to the movies that we’ve already put together. And at the same time having to go back to the comics as well and make sure that we’re faithful to everything in the comics and everything in the movies. So it is a little bit of a challenge trying to find the right source material to kinda be the inspiration, but luckily Joss Whedon, our director and writer extraordinaire, is really, really good at assimilating all that material and he just kinda goes “Oh, just do it like this”. Oh, oh that’s much easier. Read More…
Discussion: Why The Awakening Deserves a Chance *Spoilers*
See enough films and you’re bound to get it wrong every now and then. Critics and those who fancy themselves as such *ahem* are not impervious to missing the point sometimes. Having said that, I need to put my hands up with regards to The Awakening, as going into a second screening, I was ready to label director and co-writer Nick Murphy a charlatan himself. However, what I found was that once aware of the twists, the film holds up and, while there is some deception at hand, it’s far sounder than I (and many professional critics) gave it credit for.
Director Nick Murphy discusses the finer points of The Awakening at Curzon Mayfair 12 November 2011
It may well be that knowing where the story goes allows for enhanced concentration on the details. For a first viewing there is a lot that is revealed within a short amount of time: Thomas is a ghost, Florence lived in the house, her father being Tom’s father as well, her father murdering her own mother, him attempting to kill Florence, actually killing Tom and finally killing himself. All the while visual connections are being made onscreen, such as the shoes, the shattered glass and the toy rabbit. It’s a lot to process initially, especially given the chaos of the unfolding vision. Perhaps it is too much too quickly, but it’s hard to disagree with an approach that rewards further viewings. In fact, a highlight of a second time around is Imelda Staunton’s performance. It’s so nuanced that it takes on an entirely different feel once the twist is known. The look on her face in the moment after Florence speaks to Tom for the first time is perfection.
For his part, in discussion Murphy comes across as perceptive and honest. He immediately owns up to his love of The Orphanage instead of pretending that the influence is non-existent. One gets the sense that he approaches film-making from an audience’s perspective and displays a genuine desire to provide cinema worth discussing. With regards to the twists in The Awakening, Murphy explained himself thusly:
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