Interview with Alan Menken

If you know anything about Disney and its music, you surely know the name Alan Menken. Alan has created the songs and music from such timeless Disney classics as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin”, “The Little Mermaid” and the list just goes on. His last work is on Disney’s new hit film “Tangled”. With the awards season around the corner and Alan’s score and songs for “Tangled” is already buzzing up a storm. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Alan about his music and his process for creating such memorable songs.

Click here to purchase Alan’s scores

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you originally got involved with Disney?
Alan Menken: I originally got involved through my late collaborator Howard Ashman. The contact to Disney though really came from a number of directions. One the main directions was David Geffman, who produced our “Little Shop of Horrors” movie and a close associate to Jeffrey Katzenberg. They were looking for talent young composers and work on their animated musicals.

MG: When you are collaborating on a song, which comes first: the music or the lyrics?
AM: What comes first is us giving ourselves a clear assignment. We have a lot of questions we want to have answers for ourselves and the coordination with the directors, before I touch the piano or my collaborator touches the PC.  But generally these days I would say the music comes first. Often we will have a title and I will write a piece of music around that title. I always will write with my collaborator in the room to structure what I am thinking musically. That way it is in total coordination with his imagination and he is able to figure out what he wants to say.  How much we wants to say? What the dramatic impulse will be? How long he wants the sentences to be? So, generally music first but with a strong tense of what will be said in mind as I write the music.

MG: How do you you feel the music in “Tangled” differs from other Disney films?
AM: At least in a couple of places it is more guitar and folk rock orientated than any of the others. That was the intention, when I looked at Rapunzel with her long hair and her urge for freedom. I wanted to think what fresh vocabulary we could give to this that hasn’t been heard before but still compatible to the classic Disney sound. I thought about Joni Mitchell and the song ‘Chelsea Morning’ and I felt folk rock as something that would be a good place to go.

MG: Tell us what was your favorite track on the “Tangled” soundtrack?
AM: Well I love ‘I See The Light’. The song is a great moment in the film and I am very happy with the beauty and simplicity of the song. ‘Mother Knows Best’ is a track I was very pleased with. Honestly, I was happy with the whole thing in general. To bring up the score tracks, ‘Waiting for the Lights’ is one of the best score moments I believe I have ever written.

MG: When do you start to create the music? Is prior to seeing footage or is it when you have a script?
AM: I get to be involved at the very top of the project and the very end of the project…and everything in between. In the very beginning when we are writing songs, there is nothing but an empty room with some sketches around. We have some story ideas and we all sort of start together. It is very important. We are hired not only to write but to also consult as to where songs should go and how they should function. We also need to make sure the score has a life of it own but at the same time be totally compatible with what the characters in the story are doing. Then I get to be at the very end, when I am really there working with the directors and fulfilling their vision of how they want to finish the movie.

MG: How was it working with directors Nathan Greno And Byron Howard on “Tangled”?
AM: Actually they where very hands on. They are younger and they had a strong vision of what they wanted. They actually forced me to go to places I haven’t gone before, as far as the score is more live-action. The underscore that is. They were very concerned about wanting to keep the songs contemporary. They definitely guided me in a different direction and I was very grateful for that.

MG: I personally grew up listening to your music for “Aladdin”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid”, how do you feel that your music has affected so many people?
AM: It is incredible! I look back at it as those where the years of my life when I first started regularly in Hollywood and I enjoyed that time. It was great. As to the affect it had on people, that was obviously something that went far beyond what any of us could have predicted. I feel blessed, I think is the best way to look at it. I feel like I was just doing what I do and I was very fortunate.

MG: Of all the films you have worked on, do you have a favorite?
AM: Not really. No, I don’t. Honestly I can say truthfully every one of them are scores that I am equally proud of. As a movie and as a general experience, the one that did not receive the success it deserves was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. That was clearly the most ambitious of our projects.

MG: How does it feel to have won more Academy awards then any other living composer in Oscar history?
AM: Actually, its any living person [laughs]. I was winning at a time when my scores we getting sort of two for one. We were getting recognized for scores and also as individual songs. It was new form that was very dominate. I am very proud of what we did but I think it is a fluke that I have won so many.

MG: Any truth to the rumor of a live action “Beauty and the Beast” film?
AM: There was but it is now shelved. We were actually working on it though. Doug Wright had written a new Umberto and I wrote a new song for Tim Rice. Who knows it may find the light of day.  But at the moment, no.

MG: Are you still planning to adapt “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Newsies” for the stage?
AM: Yes it is. Those are on the way. Actually we have basically four or five stage musicals in the works at the moment and a number of them are actually adaptations of films.

MG: Do you find that more different to adapt music for the stage than for the screen?
AM: Well stage is definitely more hands on. There is no point where is it “finished” since it is constantly being rewritten and constantly being reinterpreted on stage every time it is being performed. Where as with film you get it right once. You can walk away and let others do what they do and enjoy it. The technique of what we do as writers is very much the same though. We still have to tell the story, speak through the characters and use the same type of dramatic techniques that we use on stage and in film.

MG: What do you feel the future holds for films with music in them like in “Tangled”?
AM: It is hard to say, it really is. I am always pleased and a bit surprised when they come back and say they want to do another. There is always an issue with doing full out musicals. First since there is a whole other layer of expense and work that has to happen in order for a musical to work correctly. Also because the public’s appetite for musicals waxes and wanes, you know it comes and goes. I would say when “Tangled” was supposed to be released, I figured we would be pretty much done with musicals for a while. I think the success of “Tangled” has been a revelation and a surprise and therefore I think there will be at least another one. But I do not know what it will be or when it will be. But luckily, knock on wood, we kept the form alive to fight another day.

Click here to purchase Alan’s scores

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: alan, interview, menken

Interview with Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat is a French film composer that has had one heck of busy year in 2010.  Not only taking over the final two films in the “Harry Potter” franchise.  Alexandre also composed this fall’s “The King’s Speech”, as well as “Tamara Drewe” and “The Ghost Writer”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Alexandre about working with “Harry Potter” and his real passion for what he does.

Click here to purchase Alexandre’s scores

Mike Gencarelli: Did you feel any pressure stepping into the established franchise of “Harry Potter”?
Alexandre Desplat: Of course I did. Yes.  I am not a super man.  When you are following one of the masters like John Williams and you are taking over a franchise, you have to be humble and yes a bit worried.  You want to make sure you are going to work harder than ever to make the right score and make it shine, as it should be shining.  So yes, it was a lot of pressure but it was me putting on the pressure.  The producers and the director were very kind and supportive.  It is such a global event it spans across countries and you need to give as much as you can.

MG: When scoring “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”, did you refer back to the six prior scores to get any inspiration?
AD: No.  I tend to avoid these kind of things.  On “New Moon”, I didn’t listen to the score for “Twilight”.  I try to keep myself as fresh as I can.  I knew the earlier scores from having seen the “Harry Potter” films.  I knew themes and and the energy that John Williams had conveyed.  From that, I knew where I wanted to go with the film.

MG: How long did it take to complete your score for “Part 1” and when do you start work on “Part 2”?
AD: The first one took me all together three months both writing and recording. I am starting “Part 2” next month.

MG: What is your favorite track on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”?
AD: I think ‘Oblivate’, which is the first track.  I think it would be one of my favorites, yes.

MG: Besides “Harry Potter”, you also scored the film “The King’s Speech”, what was your inspiration while working on it?
AD: That is a movie that I really cherish.  It is so moving, subtle, delicate and strong.  It is a movie about friendship, which is really rare.  You see a lot of love stories and romantic comedies.  But a story about a friendship between two men is not so common.  The director, Tom Hooper did a great job there.  In the film, the king has this speech impediment, he suffers and can’t express himself.  Therefore the music has to go beyond and bring out emotions and express what he can’t express.  You have to replace the world with music and try to have the audience feel how difficult it is for him to express himself.

MG: Do you think you will be competing with yourself come award season?
AD: I am happy that I have at least three good scores or have done at least three good movies this year.  I would be satisfied if only one get recognized for the music [laughs].  It is great that two or three of them have been noticed already.  I think “The King’s Speech” is really a great one because it is not a franchise.  It is a different object.  It is not a big production but still it looks fantastic.  Everyone on this film really tried to bring even more emotion and depth.  I would think that “The King’s Speech” might be the one to get the most notice.  It is a new object compared to just new “Harry Potter” film.

MG: Do you enjoy working on original films more than franchises?
AD: It is just a different kind of energy.  On a more indie film like “The King’s Speech”, you have to think differently.  The way you play specifically because your work with the orchestra is not a huge epic.  It is like racing on a sailboat or going a cruise ship.  The franchise is a huge cruise ship and it is a long journey.  The other one is a fast race with a little boat and you still have to be very competent.  You can’t really compare but you just bring a different energy to the game.

MG: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was one of my favorite scores of 2009, tell us about working on that film?
AD: Again, it is not a huge epic film.  Wes Anderson likes to try things that have not been tried before.  He was actually in Paris at the time and was only a block away from my studio.  We would meet every morning, scratch our heads and try and figure out what we could use.  I think the idea was to have this minimal orchestra.  I thought lets try and use little instruments and stay away from a huge orchestra.  We used a lot of the mandolin and all these other miniature instruments.  We wanted it to feel really gentle, intimate, cozy, sweet and fun.  We have a brass section but it is a very small brass section.  Our string section is only one of each.  That is it.  We created something very different.  Not all projects allow you to play that way.  We really enjoyed playing together on this project.  Obviously it shows that people, like yourself, can feel that the score was special and different. We tried to challenge ourselves to make something really different.

MG: What has been your most challenging project to work on?
AD: Well definitely “Harry Potter” was one.  “The Golden Compass” was one.  They were the two big epic scores that I have done recently.  “The Ghost Writer” was a very tough one also because Roman Polanski was not present at the time.  Roman Polanski’s filmography is so outstanding.  His music in his films are so special, strong and so smart.  One of my favorite scores of all time is “Chinatown” from Jerry Goldsmith.  It was challenging.  When I started working with Roman on this film, I knew it was a dangerous path.  I knew I had to be bloody good [laughs].  He has great ears and knows exactly what he wants done.  He was one of the greatest directors I have worked with.  He had us push ourselves over our limits and helped us find something special and different.  He pushes you but also wants you to surprise him and bring something he hasn’t thought about.  It was a great experience for me.

MG: What other projects are you working on?
AD: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” is the next projects that is signed for me that I can talk about.  The other ones I have are still in the air.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: alexandre, desplat, interview

Interview with Jake Kennedy

Jake Kennedy is currently working on directing his third film, “Reversal”, but needs your help.  Jake is using the website, Kickstarter to try and get the film started.  He was even able to secure some great talent for the film including Danny Trejo and Vinnie Jones.  Movie Mikes had a chance to ask Jake a few questions about his career and his process for making his latest film.

Mike Gencarelli: You have done quite a bit of work in the horror genre is that one of your favorites?
Jake Kennedy: Pretty much. I went crazy for horror as a kid. I think the defining moment for me was at 10. I was at a boarding school and I took a friend home for the weekend. We watched “The Exorcist”, then that night back at the school, 2am he awoke screaming and freaking out from nightmares. It happened for three more nights. It woke most people up in the school. It was like he was having his toenails ripped off. I thought at the time: ‘holy shit, that movie fucked him up, I want to do that!’, or something like that.

MG: Going from directing short films to your first feature “Days of Darkness”, what was your biggest challenge?
JK: The biggest challenge was working with 2 producers who were also the financers. They had their ideas, I had mine. But they hired me to do a job (write, direct and put my vision on the screen), and that was tough at times. But it made me stronger as a film maker. Baptism of fire I call it. Working with a studio now will be a piece of cake!

MG: How was it working with such great talent like Michael Rooker, Tony Tood and James Duval in your second film “Penance”?
JK: A dream. Apart from people like Rooker being just about the nicest and thoughtful guy, the rest were fantastic. My first day, first scene was with Tony. That was quite intimidating. The first few takes were a battle of the wills. But I had to lay down the law about what I wanted, and then he accepted me as a director and we are now good friends. We recently spent a wonderful Halloween together drinking fine whiskey in Vegas. I was there with him (and Ken Foree) at the Palms watching all the amazing women walking past in their outstanding costumes talking film shit. Then I had to pinch myself and I remember thinking – ‘I’m here in Vegas, on Halloween, with the fucking CANDYMAN!’ It’s a geek film lovers moment that I have been very lucky to experience. James was great too.

MG: Tell us the process for how you came up with the scripts for your two films?
JK: Days was one of those surreal moments where I sat down with one of the producers and he said: I want to hire you to write a zombie film. All I ask is that everyone is drunk, killing zombies at the end of the film’. So that kind of set the tone, and everything I wrote had to gear up to that last scene making sense in the context of the film. Hence it’s a little out there and a little B-Movie-esque. But I embraced that, had my tongue firmly in cheek, and still laugh when I watch the final film, as we achieved our desired outcome! For “Penance”, I had the end goal of creating a bloody little film with extreme moments of nastiness, with the sole intention of selling it to Dimension Extreme. Then when I was in Australia, I read about this character that was just unearthed who was an OBGYN who mutilated the privates of over 300 women and was never caught (until then). That set the tone and the basis for “Penance”.

MG: Tell us about your latest film “Reversal”?
JK: It’s more of a psychological action thriller (I’m going more mainstream!). Think “The Strangers” crossed with “Memento”. So it has that non linear approach like “Memento”, but with the tension and dread of “The Strangers”. It’s basically like my first film: ‘We All Fall Down’ that was very successful for me (13 international awards), but without the creepy Asian ghost girl.

MG: How did you you get Vinnie Jones and Danny Trejo involved?
JK: Danny was as simple as working with my casting agent for “Penance” who knows him. He really responded to the script. Vinnie is a wish list actor. I wrote the role for him. I’ll be approaching him when the film’s funded. Eve Mauro was in “Penance” and loves the script too.

MG: Tell us about your process with the website, Kickstarter?
JK: Basically, I like the idea of taking more control over my destiny. To apply that to film making, that means being more in control, not just creatively, but over the funding and distribution process. But of course that’s very hard to do with this traditional model we are all working within right now. So I tried to think outside the box and work out the best ways to utilize the power of the internet to make the changes I wish to see with my next film. No small feat. Then a friend sent me a link to a short he was raising $10k for through Kickstarter. And he was successfully funded. Then I thought – wow. This is the future. But we will all need to change our model of film making to accommodate the way Kickstarter allows us to take control. And I mapped out a plan that is almost internet textbook – create a community around the film. Get people involved in the process and also the film making. Make it their film as much as yours. That’s why people can write lines for Danny Trejo, write music for the film, act in it and even write and direct a scene in it. It’s out there. And I have 23 days to get people to buy into the idea and get them on board.

MG: What is your next step once your film gets funded?
JK: Then it’s straight into pre-production – 4 weeks of hard work with a 2 week shoot. I wrote the script to be shot for $100k. one location, 4 actors. So the budget won’t be a constraint. Vinnie Jones’ day rate might be though!

MG: How can people help?
JK: If you like my films or really just like films or want to be involved in a Hollywood film, or just get experience on a real film or just get a credit etc,  then spread the word on Twitter, Facebook. If people like the idea, all they need to do is post something like: check this out etc. My plan will only work if people tell their friends and they then tell their friends. I don’t have millions of dollars to drive traffic to Kickstarter. So I am trying to harness that social media power, and I need your help!

Click here to help Jake’s film “Reversal” get made

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Interview with G Tom Mac

Gerard McMahon aka G Tom Mac is the musician who sang the song “Cry Little Sister” from the 80’s classic film “The Lost Boys”. Since then Gerard has been had a bunch of albums and even scored some films. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Gerard to chat with him about his music and whats to come in the future.

Click here to purchase G Tom Mac’s music

Mike Gencarelli: You have been attending the convention circuit recently, how has it been getting out there and meeting your fans?
Gerard McMahon: I had been offered in past years to attend these conventions to sign autographs and perform. So in 2008, I thought “Why not”! I found it to be a brilliant experience and a way to have a closer relationship with my fans.  You tend to see the fans on going throughout the weekend during each convention. So yes it’s been great! I’ll do more in the future.

MG: It has almost been 25 years since “Cry Little Sister” was released, do you ever get tired of performing it?
GM: It’s always a new experience it seems anytime I perform “Cry Little Sister” live. It’s one of my songs that has a habit of feeling fresh to me still. There is nothing more inspiring then an audience singing the chorus along with me.

MG: How do you feel about the song being remade for “The Lost Boys 2”, which was recorded by Aiden?
GM: Well it’s always a gratifying feeling when another artist covers your song. However I didn’t like the “Lost Boys: The Tribe” film and I thought Aiden did a fair job with doing the cover. The whole thing just seemed cheap to me, from the movie to the song cover, just not the level of quality I set standards at. But thanks Aiden for putting more money in my bank!

MG: With all the various versions covered by various band, do you have a favorite?
GM: There are some cool versions out there, bits from Seasons After, the singers voice was cool. But I love how Eminem sampled it in “You’re Never Over” on his “Recovery” album, it’s nominated for a Grammy this year you know.

MG: Have you ever considered remaking the song yourself?
GM: I actually have made a few newer versions myself of “Cry Little Sister”. I did a version for the bonus DVD video of “Lost Boys: The Tribe”. Warner’s asked me if I would consider it, I did what I called a Cave Club version. It’s on my “Thou Shalt Not Fall” album. Another version is on my G Tom Mac album in 2000. There was also a dance version I agreed to do with Lost Brothers DJ in England that version was # 1 for 6 weeks in the UK.

MG: Besides “The Lost Boys”, what is your second favorite project to work on?
GM: Hmm, that is a good question. I love coming up with songs for the variety of TV shows that I’m fortunate to write for. It’s hard to say what’s my second favorite, I am writing a musical presently & that’s challenging. I have to say as long as it’s interesting & challenging I’m in!

MG: With your musical knowledge, have you ever considered scoring a movie?
GM: I have scored a few films, which people say I should do a lot more often. This year I scored the independent film “Emerging Past”.

MG: What else are you currently working on?
GM: I have a company with a partner who was the former President of Warner Pictures music, that we just started a year ago, designed to produce music driven film projects. We have two films going into production this year and a TV series in development. I’ll be doing a tour this summer around the globe in support of my new album releasing in June.

Click here to purchase G Tom Mac’s music

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: interview, mac, tom

Change Places! An Interview with Mike Gencarelli of MovieMikes.com

Mike Schneider recently sat down with MovieMikes.com to be interviewed about ‘Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated’.  After completing the interview Mike decided to turn the table and stage an interview of his own, with MovieMikes.com co-founder Mike Gencarelli.

Mike Schneider: How did you get started doing reviews/interviews?
Mike Gencarelli: I started submitting reviews to various sites back in 1995. These included interview questions and reviews to myvideostore.com (now Video ETA) and user reviews to DarkHorizons.com. I finally launched my own site, BoxOfficeWizard.com, in 1997. ‘Box Office Wizard’ was devoted to my movie reviews and box office reports. It ran off and on for over a decade until last year when I launched MovieMikes.com with my partner Mike Smith. I’ve always been a big fan of movies so reporting on them just felt right.

MS: When did you launch MovieMikes.com ?
MG: MovieMikes.com officially launched in February 2010. Not even a year old, our site has grown at an unbelievable rate from 50-100 unique visitors per week to 20,000-25,000 unique visitors per month… and still climbing. My old site, BoxOfficeWizard.com, wasn’t even a blip on the map… but this… this has been one crazy year.

MS: How long did it take before companies were willing to send you review copies and/ or giveaways?
MG: For the first 6 months, I was making all the calls and responses were sparse. Once I got their attention, it’s been like a snowball effect.

MS: Do you still need to solicit giveaways and review copies or are they offered to you?
MG: It all depends on what I’m looking to promote. I have developed some solid relationships with studios. Some of them are very loyal, providing us with a steady flow of prizes to giveaway and films to review… but there are always new relationships to be made.

MS: Have you ever turned down an offer for a review copy and/ or giveaway?
MG: We try to accommodate all requests but if it becomes overwhelming then we might need to be more selective in the future.

MS: If given a review copy, do you feel obligated to watch it through and review it?
MG: I have honored many requests and wrote reviews whether the movie was bad or good. I did, however, have one situation where the film was so unbearable that I couldn’t finish it and trust me, I have a HUGE tolerance for bad movies. If it’s so bad that I have to turn it off, I don’t think it’s fair to write a review.

MS: What are the best and worst things you’ve ever reviewed?
MG: The site is relatively new, but I’d say ‘Monsters’ was my most enjoyable so far. ( The review practically wrote itself. ‘Monsters’ is a must see with a breathtaking score by Jon Hopkins. ) The worst, hands down, was ‘Jonah Hex’. ( ‘Hex’ was a 75 min. piece of shit. )

MS: Who was your first ‘big’ interview? How did it go?
MG: When I started the site, I said I wanted Denzel Washington for my first interview and guess who I got? He was on Broadway in New York doing press and when I asked about interviewing him, they said yes. I had my face to face with Denzel and it was amazing. Coolest guy ever!

MS: Have you had an interview which went so poorly that you couldn’t post it?
MG: There have been a few stinkers. Maybe it was their mood or maybe it was my questions but with the magic of editing, I’ve been able to make every interview work.

MS: Do you ever feel pressured to be supportive of a film after you’ve dealt with the studio/ people involved?
MG: I want the reps be happy with me but nobody wants to just read positive reviews. If I did not like something, I’ll let that show.. plain and simple.

MS: Have you had anything you wrote come back to bite you in the ass? If so, did you retract it, take down the article or stand up for it?
MG: The only issue we’ve had, so far, was someone revealing something in the interview that he contractually shouldn’t have. We were asked to take the interview down and in that case, you have to respect their wishes. If it was a matter of opinion, I would stand up for it but, in that situation, it wasn’t our wrong.

MS: Do you prefer to work with large studios, independent labels, or directly with creators?
MG: It really depends. Working with the talent directly is easy and I’ve made some good friends from it. Dealing with studios and reps is sometimes harder because I’m not EW or Variety so I can’t push too hard. In general, everyone has been very kind to me.

MS: What kind of people are you interested in interviewing?
MG: I personally love the genre of horror but interviewing is interviewing. We cover everything ranging from ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’.

MS: Are you open to people sending you review copies or giveaways from their projects (maybe even offering themselves up for interview)? If so, how should they get in touch with you?
MG: We love review requests and giveaways. It’s always great to help promote upcoming or current projects and talk with the talented people involved in them. They can get a hold of me via email ( mikeg@mediamikes.com ) and we’ll go from there.

MS: Finally, being someone who writes on the web, do you see print press such as magazines having a future in the entertainment industry?
MG: I used to wait for magazines like ‘Entertainment Weekly’ to read the latest news and information but now with Facebook, Twitter, and social media, we have more information then we can process… seconds after it happens. Print will always be around but, most likely, in a different form.

You can read our interview with Mike Schneider here

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: bone, film, review, winters

Interview with Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore started his acting career right out of college at the age of 25. His first role was in Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July.” Tom has since been in several blockbuster movies such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down”. Movie Mikes recently had a chance to talk with Tom about his career his recovery from drugs and alcohol and his new film “White Knight.”

Click here to purchase Tom’s movies

Adam Lawton: What made you want to get into acting?
Tom Sizemore: (Laughs) that’s a big one! I really loved movies when I was growing up. I had started in my teens trying to figure out how you actually went about acting. I went out for a play at my high school and I really enjoyed it. From there I went on to college as a theater major. I really was pretty good at it from the beginning. I think because I wanted to do it so badly and the fact that I worked at it very hard resulted in my success so early on. By the time I was 18 years old I was fully committed to becoming an actor. It’s funny because I never looked at acting as a career choice. As it got closer to my high school graduation and before leaving for college is when I started to investigate if I could actually become an actor. I had found that there were a few grad schools such as Temple University that had what were called League of Professional Actors Training Programs. In order to get into one of these schools you had to audition. I went and auditioned and was accepted to a few different schools. When everything was said and done I chose to attend Temple University due to it being close to New York.  By the time I was 25, I was making my living as a professional actor.

AL: How was your experience on “VH1’s Celebrity Rehab/Sober House”?
TS: It ended up being a very good one. I didn’t really like it when it was happening but the end result has been great.  I had worked with Dr. Drew previously, however things did not work and I returned to using each time. Prior to being asked to take part in the show, I was having a really tough time. I called Dr. Drew and told him I was in bad shape and needed help but I didn’t have any money for treatment. Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest came to my house and told me they would help me at no charge. They also asked if I would be interested in taking part in the show. They weren’t being manipulative by any means! I have known both Dr. Drew and Bob for quite some time and they truly wanted to help me. I agreed to do the show and it worked!

AL: Do you think having the cameras on you all the time during your recovery process helped or hurt?
TS: It must have helped mine because I had never completed treatment or remained clean. This time I have. I think either way with or without the cameras I would have remained successful in my recovery because I truly wanted to get clean this time. About mid-way through the recovery process I just ignored them because I was so focused on my recovery. I didn’t care what was going on around me. It was time for me to get myself together.

AL: For you which process was harder, the rehab portion or sober living?
TS: Sober living was much tougher. Even more so was that after the show was over, I went on to another sober living facility that was an additional 90 days. During those additional 90 days, I had no cameras or anyone following me around. I had total freedom. It was extremely hard! However I had to get back out into the world and reintroduce myself. This was very humbling and hard for me and there were times where I wanted to say “Fuck it…let’s get high!” But I didn’t as it was really time for me to put my best foot forward.  If I was using Dr. Drew told me that I wouldn’t be putting my best foot forward.

AL: You have had the opportunity to be a part of some really great movies. Is there one that sticks out as a favorite?
TS: That’s a tossup. I was in some really great movies!  “Natural Born Killers” because of its subject matter.  At the time, I think it was a type of movie that had never been made. The way that movie was made was just totally unique. Probably the best time I ever had, was the series I did called “Robbery Homicide Division”.  I had so much fun working with Michael Mann.  I worked very closely with him on that show. I love all my roles and always have a good time.

AL: What was it like getting to be part of such a great cast in the movie “Heat”?
TS: The caliber of people involved in that movie was so high combined with Michael Mann being such a brilliant director.  It really made working on that film a pleasure. The scenes were all great as well as the characters.

AL: You had the opportunity to work with Oliver Stone very early in your career. Do you think that opportunity had an effect on your career as a whole?
TS: I learned very quickly that films were a director’s domain. The director has pretty much the final say as to what is going to be on the screen. Oliver made a really great impression on me. Going into my first film I had no idea that shooting days could be 18 hours long. Nor did I realize all the work that went into a film after the shooting had wrapped. The way Oliver approached film making really had an effect on me.

AL: Did your previous work with Oliver kind of impact his decision about having you in “Natural Born Killers”?
TS: Yes. Oliver had been following my work after “Born on the Fourth of July.” I went in and met with him as there were a few other names being considered for the role such as James Woods and Gary Oldman. They weren’t really looking for a white trash guy or an all American guy.  They just wanted a normal everyday mid western type.

AL: Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?
TS: “White Knight” is a really great movie that I just completed with Stacey Keach and Kevin P. Farley. It’s a comedy based around the character I play being imprisoned. I also have some other things in the works but I can’t say too much about those at this time.

AL: Was ‘White Knight” your first film after rehab?
TS: Yes it was. It was about 5 or 6 months after I finished sober living.

AL: How was that experience?
TS: It was very hard however it went very well.  I wasn’t used to being clean. My confidence was somewhat shaken but after just a few hours on set I started to have fun again. Act 2 is going to be even better than Act 1!

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: bone, film, review, winters

Interview with Chris Carnel

You may not know the name Chris Carnel since he is usually behind the screen doing stunts.  Chris is probably known best for his role of The Miner in “My Bloody Valentine 3D”.    Movie Mikes had a chance to ask Chris a few questions about his films and what he does besides movies.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you get started in movies and working stunts?
Chris Carnel: I got started in movies by having a misspent youth. When I was a kid I was called crazy. there was no name for the things I was doing like jumping motorcycles and riding skate boards in pools. Now it is called extreme sports and people make a living at it. I am making a living in the movies biz as an actor and a stuntman. My martial arts skills are the first thing that got my foot in the door in the biz, but everything comes into play on a regular basis!

MG: Of course I have to ask, what was the hardest stunt you have performed?
CC: For me all the stunts have been hard. I am a stunt double generally. If it was easy, the actor would do it. Because of the degree of hazard involved in the shots I get called for it is because somebody is going to get hurt! I have no family in the biz so when I get a call it is because it is going to hurt. Going down a flight of stairs backwards always sucks but hey! It is just another day at the office. The car I rolled in the Crazies was pretty difficult because I had never done this stunt before and I had everybody convinced that I could do it, but there is always that chance!!! They only had one car and one shot at this so if I fucked it up the level of disappointment in me would be unbearable for me! To this day, that was the best day of my career!

MG: Do you have a favorite movie that you have worked on?
CC: Usually my favorite move is the one that is feeding my family at the time. But I have to say that “My Bloody Valentine” has to rank up near number one because it put me on the map in the horror world. Up to that point, I had not gotten any recognition or notoriety. I had the most screen time in “MBV 3D” but I had the most influence on “The Crazies” for sure. All the action, fights, fire, car work is all me and my crew!!!

MG: You have worked on quite a few horror films, is that one of your favorite genres?
CC: I love horror cuz horror loves me! The fans are off the hook loyal and super cool to me at the conventions! I love em!!!!!

MG: How was it playing the role of The Miner in “My Bloody Valentine”? Did you watch the original to get any inspiration or tips for the role?
CC: The director of “MBV 3D” did not want me to watch the original because he wanted me to bring a fresh very different look and feel to our version!!! Of course when I was through with my version, I studied the original and loved Peter Cowper’s work immensely! That was a super cool film and a great cast!

MG: Tell us about your work on the upcoming “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”?
CC: “Transformers III” looks very cool. But that comes at a price. The level of action is extremely high and people get hurt when the don’t have to! It should be a very exciting film to watch because of this high level of action. I played a Lennox guard. There are hundreds of these guys, but there were 5 of us that really did some huge action. Glad to have walked off of that set every day in one piece!!!!!!

MG: Where you aren’t working movies and doing stunts…what are you doing?
CC: Surfing, yoga, mountain biking, pilates, and training to stay in shape for the next adventure. I have a two sons one named Tyler that in in a band called Wicker. You can visit their MySpace page here. He is the drummer in that band. Also, I have a son named Wyatt that is in high school. he wrestles and plays lacrosse. Great athlete!  My wife Kim puts up with all of this and is an angel! Her nickname is Cookie!!!

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CC: Of course when I was through with my version, I studied the original and loved Peter Cowper’s work immensely! That was a super cool film and a great cast!

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: bone, film, review, winters

Interview with Jocelyn Towne

Photo by David Noles

Jocelyn Towne is the Writer/Director/Producer/Star of upcoming independent film, “I Am I”. Jocelyn is producing and starring in the film with her husband, Simon Helberg (“The Big Bang Theory”). Jocelyn is working with the website, Kickstarter, in order to help fund the movie. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Jocelyn about the film. What is really cool is that, she actually reached her donation goal from Kickstarter during our interview.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally find out about the website Kickstarter?
Jocelyn Towne: I had found out about it through my producers. There is a guy by the name of Peter Broderick who does a lot of talks about indie filmmaking and hybrid distribution. In one of his lectures he mentioned the Kickstarter site and my producers then mentioned it to me. I thought it was something that was a really good option being I was a first time filmmaker.

Click here to check out website from photography David Noles

MG: Do you think that this is the future of raising money for filmmaking?
JT: I think it’s going to be huge. There will probably be different models of it starting up. Kickstarter is a donation based site. The down fall with that is that you can’t legally invest in a project through that site. I believe though that as these sites start to grow and be developed more possibilities and options will become available.

MG: Tell us about how you came up with the idea for “I Am I”?
JT: As a child my father often played the music from “Man of La Mancha” and I really loved the story. As I was developing this project I had the idea what if Don Quixote was a more modern character.  I also added that he was Vietnam veteran. The other thing I did was I took the character of Aldonza/Dulcinea who is normally a stranger and made her the daughter. The big thing however is that the father doesn’t remember his daughter. He only is able to vision his daughter as his wife who has passed away. Sancho Panza was also re-imaged into a friend that also lives at the assisted living facility. I was always a fan of unconventional love stories. This one is more of a platonic love story but more so a story of a woman getting to know her father for the first time.

MG: Besides writing, how did you come to directing “I Am I” as well?
JT: I hadn’t originally intended to direct the picture. I had been meeting with my producers about the story and at one of those meetings the idea was presented for me to direct the film. I had never really considered doing both. After thinking about the idea for around two months it became clear to me that because of my passion for the project that I should go ahead and take the director role on. I am really happy that the producers had such faith in me to do both the writing and the directing.

MG: Are you looking forward to working with your husband, Simon Helberg?
JT: I am really excited! We actually have worked together before on some theater projects which were always a joy. At first I was really nervous but over time it really turning into a wonderful experience.

MG: Did you always want to get into film making?
JT: Yes. It’s actually a love hate relationship with writing. I love being able to tell a story. I had always wanted to be an actor and I have been doing it since High School. Lately things have really come together and this will be my first screen play. It took about two years to get this far.

MG: Congratulations on reaching your funding goal, so what is the next step for “I Am I?”
JT: Thank you, well the next step is for us to start on the casting. Simon, Jason Ritter and I are going to be in it but we still have to round out the rest of the cast. I will do a final polish on the script to make sure everything is in line and then pre-production will start. It really is mind blowing that this has become a reality.

Click here to support the movie, “I Am I” at Kickstarter
Click here to visit the film’s official website

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: bone, film, review, winters

Interview with Tony Moran

Tony Moran was the face of Michael Myers in John Carpenters 1978 horror classic “Halloween.” Until recently Tony had left the acting business to pursue other ventures. After a chance meeting with a fan Tony has returned to the acting game. Movie Mikes had a chance to speak with Tony about his role in “Halloween” and a few of his upcoming projects.

Click here to purchase the films in the “Halloween” series

Adam Lawton: How did you become involved with the original “Halloween”?
Tony Moran: Great Story. I was a struggling actor who was at the time sleeping on a friend’s couch. My agent called and started to apologize for the lack of job opportunities. She then goes on to tell me that she did however have a role that was going to be for a B movie horror flick called “Halloween.”  She said that the movie was only going to have around a $300,000 budget but it was going to have Jamie Lee Curtis in it. I went on to tell her that I didn’t have a clue who Jamie Lee Curtis was and I really wasn’t into doing a horror movie. At the time horror movies were not at all popular. She goes on to tell me a little more about Jamie Lee and I was still very hesitant to try out for the part. I was still also unaware of the fact that the role called for a mask to be worn. What ended up really getting my interest in the role was my agent had mentioned Donald Pleasence was also going to be in the film. I was a very big fan of his and couldn’t really believe he was going to be in such a low budget film.  Three days later, I am in an office in the ghetto section of Hollywood for an interview. I walked into this decrepit office and sitting on one side is Irwin Yablans and on the other side is John Carpenter, who at the time had no clue who he was. We met for about 15 minutes and that was it. A couple days later I received a call saying I got the part. I told them “Yeah, so what!” (Laughs).  I never told anyone that I even auditioned because I was embarrassed. The first day on set I find out I have to wear a mask! I had longer thick hair at the time so the crew tells me I should think about putting Vaseline in my hair so when the mask is being ripped of my head the hair doesn’t stick to the mask and get pulled out. I was thinking “Oh great!” I will say that Jamie Lee Curtis was very down to earth and a pleasure to work with.

AL: Did it ever bother you that up until recently you never really received recognition for being the face of Michael Myers
TM: Nope. I didn’t ever really care. I never really followed the horror genre. In 1980, I did get a call asking to use my likeness in “Halloween II” and that they wanted to pay me for it and give me credit. I asked if they were really making a sequel. When “Halloween” was being released, I got an invitation to the premier and just laughed and threw it away. I did however go see it in a regular theater and couldn’t believe that it was actually pretty good! But still I never really followed the genre or sought out the recognition for being in the film.

AL: Shortly after the release of “Halloween” you left the business. What made you decide to do so?
TM: I worked on a bunch of TV shows and things like that until my early 30’s then I decided to split. I was very tired of the Hollywood scene and the people that were involved in it at the time were not the best.

AL: As of lately you have started to re-emerge into the acting scene. What sparked that decision?
TM: About ten years ago a friend of mine told me a story about how he was at a party and there was  a guy there asking about me.  He had heard my name mentioned in conversation. The guy said he was a writer for horror movie stuff and that he had been looking for me for quite some time. After talking with the guy a few times on the phone we set up an interview. Ater the interview he asked if I would sign some things for him.  I said “You want my autograph?” I said “Ok, whatever”. This led to me getting involved with doing movie conventions around the country. People then started contacting me through MySpace offering me roles in their films. One of these requests was from a guy named Kevin McDonald. Kevin had a script that he said was written specifically for me called “Beg”.  If I wasn’t interested in doing the film, he wasn’t going to even make it. I called him back and we are actually partners now along with his wife. I really liked the script and in it there was a role for someone to play my wife. I called Kevin and told him the script was great and that I would do it. I then asked if he had someone in mind for the wife. I told him I thought P.J. Soles would be perfect for the role. Kevin started laughing and said that he had tried to contact her but got turned down.  I told Kevin, P.J. was a friend of mine and that I would try to get her for the role. I sent P.J. the script and she called me back and said it was great and agreed to do the film. This kind of led to a bunch of other people getting involved in the film such as Tony Todd and Michael Berryman. Being involved with Kevin has led to us starting another project called “The Witching Hour.” The movie is going to be four horror shorts based around a radio DJ who takes calls during the witching hour. William Forsythe has agreed to play the DJ and the movie is also going to feature Tony Todd and Michael Madsen.

AL: Are there any release dates for these films?
TM: They are independent releases so right now we are finishing up the little stuff on “Beg”.  I have been talking to some distribution people who are also aware of “The Witching Hour”.  So we will go from there and hopefully go with the highest bidder.

AL: Will we be seeing these at upcoming movie conventions?
TM: Most definitely!

AL: Any other upcoming projects other than what you have mentioned already?
TM: I did a cameo in a movie called “Emerging Past” which also has my nine year old daughter in it! She plays a living dead kid. In one scene she’s on a counter top stroking a Michael Myers mask laughing at the lead actress. She totally nailed that scene.

AL: Did your daughter know your association with the Michael Myers mask?
TM: Oh yeah. I think she saw “Halloween” when she was four.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: bone, film, review, winters

Interview with Mike Schneider

Mike Schneider is the man responsible for creating the film “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated”. He not only was one of the many many animators on the project. Mike was also the curator, director, producer, cinematographer and editor on the project. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Mike about his work on the film and the million of other projects he is currently working on.

Click here to purchase “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated”

MG: “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated” is like nothing I have ever seen before, tell us about how it became?
MS: Reanimation, posed by Winsor McCay, was the idea that things develop a new life when translated/ responded to by artists (as opposed to being copied/ remade). McCay, a pioneer cartoonist, quit animation once he observed the field was drifting from artists to industry. As is often the case with pioneers, many of his ideas were left unexplored. Without something tangible to illustrate them, even great ideas are too abstract for most people to grab onto… so I put this one into action. A dead process called ‘reanimation’ would make anyone’s mind flash to the undead… but for a horror fan, like myself, it fixated there and we had our theme. Fine arts or otherwise, I work method ( having the approach speak directly to the subject matter.) Imagining I was searching for the cure to remakes, I followed the lead of Dr. Morgan and locked myself away with supplies, movies and, of course, my work. “Last Man on Earth: Reanimated” was conceived as a solo project that would have taken me little over 20 years to complete. In isolation, I worked day after day, watching videos while media dried, things set, or files rendered. On one such break, I put on “Night of the Living Dead” and it was about where Cooper made his point ‘there’s not going to be 5 or even 10’ that it struck me. I was on the wrong side of the boarded window. Artists aren’t the holdouts… we’re the other… the outsiders banging on every window and door trying to grab an audience. Within hours, the project was restarted as the mass collaborative, “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated”. The entire production was modeled after the ghouls. Countless numbers approached this project from every direction. As they banged away at it, others would hear the noise and move in to join them. No choreography was needed with everyone driven by a shared goal, to cannibalize and transform what once was into their own image. With bare hands and simple tools we ripped and teared at the film until what was left was the shell of it’s former self… staggering across the screen with new life. “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated” was open for artists and animators to come in, grab their favorite scene(s) and respond to it/ them with their own artwork and animation ( in whatever form that might take ). The results were then hung in the timeline (directly on top of the original film) and assembled, those thousands of pieces show ‘Night of the Living Dead’ through a kaleidoscopic lens of responsive art and animation.

MG: Tell us how many animators actually worked on this film?
MS: That’s a good question but one more complex then you would think. Some only assisted and since they did not submit their own art, they opted out of being accredited. Other who did submit their own work also opted out of being accredited to avoid conflicts with other contracts they are/ were under. ( Making your art your way for a project you believe in that celebrates a movies you love is a beautiful thing. Trying to explain love and beauty to a manager or agency… not so much. ) There ever even more who wanted to take part but due to schedules etc were unable to, however, they passed along word to others drawing in both press and many of the artists who did take part. When credits roll you’ll see between 100 and 150 names pass the screen but in reality there are well over 500 which helped in one way or another throughout the project.

MG: Is “Night of the Living Dead” your favorite horror film? If not what is?
MS: Picking a favorite reminds me of that ‘Twilight Zone’ episode, ‘A Nice Place to Visit’. The thrill of winning is beating the odds of losing… so my favorite is always the one I haven’t seen that will offer something new to think about. That said, in terms of storytelling, I’m drawn to movies where isolated autonomous groups of individuals face a infer-ably omnipresent situation. Small groups allow for strong character development while wide spread events allow you to imagine yourself in those circumstances (without specifically being one of those characters or in that particular location ). In terms of film production, I appreciate when a production can find smart ways around their budgetary and technical limitations. On both accounts Night of the Living Dead is a masterpiece that blends the minimal and epic in a way which I find incredibly appealing.

MG: How long did the whole process take to complete? Did it have a budget?
MS: “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated” took 1 year from concept to post, 6 months from post to final version, and 9 months from final version to fully produced DVD. So 2 years 3 months from idea to shelves. As far as budget goes, this project was done 100% by volunteers without money touched at all during it’s production or profits taken from it’s release. Most of the artists used found objects and left over materials, the majority of the work was either done by hand or in freeware software, submissions were sent digitally via free file transfer sites, the project was never edited on a tangible film or video stock and editing was done on a computer made predominately from salvaged parts. Even most of the screeners were submitted digitally as DVD ISOs ( avoiding shipping ), guests at events were whichever artists were close by ( avoiding travel ), festivals we screened at were by invitation ( avoiding submission fees ), the majority of supplemental were self-produced and submitted by artists from the project, and the terms set with Wild Eye prohibit either of us from taking any profits from the release so anything that comes in either gets rolled back into the project (giveaways, promotions, etc) or gets donated to a charity of our choosing at the end of the release contract. A few times during the production, I was offered a budget and despite being broke (and really needing the money) I declined. All too often a little bit of money comes at too high of a price…particularly when the person offering it assumes that their wallet buys them a say in how the project is handled. With future projects, we will be open to non-monetary sponsorship (companies pledging materials, equipment, and/ or services to facilitate the production in exchange for credit, plugs in interviews and promotional space on the release) but money complicates things and these projects are complicated enough on their own.

MG: Any plans to make any more films like “NOTLD:R”, perhaps “Dawn of the Dead: Reanimated”?
MS: Considering the rights issues relating to Dawn of the Dead, there are better odds of the dead walking then us getting the freedom needed to do this kind of project. That said, if the dead do walk, nobody will care about copyright so I’ll have a nice project to keep busy during the final days before our resources run out or homes become compromised. The added bonus there is I’ll be able to use live(-ish) models as a point of reference. I would be interested in trying out the process with another film but it would be nice to have the original film maker somehow involved. Though not based on a film, the truest sequel to ‘Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated’ will be ‘Unseen Horror’. With ‘Unseen Horror’ we are inviting artists and animators to join us in visualizing old time horror radio dramas. TV before TV and independent film before independent film, these radio programs paint a picture in your mind and we seek to let it out. Not only are these some of the best horror stories of their era, they are voiced by a star studded cast including numerous genre favorites from the silver screen. Since there aren’t existing visuals to keep the project grounded, most of these dramas are being approached in 2 passes with the first establishing designs and a loose but present visual continuity ( just enough the audience can follow the characters from one work to the next ). To keep things interesting, the rules and dynamics for each drama will be tailored to the specific drama and the artists involved in it… but as a whole the project is open to artists of all styles and media. If you’d like to take part, drop an email to mike@unseenhorror.com and we’ll get you started.

MG: Tell us about your work with animator Bill Plympton?
MS: In fact, I recently participated in Bill Plympton’s “Guard Dog Global Jam”, where-in Plympton assigned scenes from his award winning short “Guard Dog” to 70 different animators. We each approached our scenes in our own style. My style just happened to be turning the scene into it’s own group project and having a different artist work on each and every frame. In the end, we had over 100 artists in about 4 seconds! … and that’s just 1 of the 70 submissions. “Guard Dog Global Jam” will start screening at festivals come spring but in the mean time you can check out our scene here.

MG: What do you have planned next?
MS: Besides the aforementioned, ‘Unseen Horror’, there is always plenty in progress. “What is the Use of a Book without Pictures” is a paragraph by paragraph mass collaborative illustration of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Artists email me (shenlon@hotmail.com) to request a paragraph (paragraphs are handed out in order from front to back cover). They then have 3 weeks to create a 6″x9″ black and white image to illustrate that paragraph. In the end, we’ll have between 500 and 1000 pages of artwork which tells the entire story without words. We’re nearly 2 chapters in, so if anyone would like to claim a page, they should drop me a line soon. We have “Creatures of the Night School” which blends the traditions of educational television and late night horror hosting. Basically artisans, crafters, technicians, chefs, musicians, performers, mechanics, etc are invited to do demonstrations of their process in full horror hosting regalia ( vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc with bad puns and dark humor ). At the end of each demo, while the paint is drying, plaster/ epoxy is setting, food is cooking, file is rendering, etc… they throw the viewers back to the movie. In this show, I am the creature teacher, Vincent Van Gore, and assisting me in the art room are the exquisite corpse ( a lovely female assistant who is frequently offended or killed and, as such, is played by a different women all the time ) and Count Erfeit ( who steals the plot from the featured movie, swedes it and tries to pass it off for his own idea). Anyone with a love of horror and something to teach should drop me a line (shenlon@hotmail.com). I recently had 2 comics featured in the holiday themed zombie anthology, ‘The Undead that Saved Christmas'”. This is a charity anthology with 100% of the proceeds going to the Hugs Foster Family Agency (hugsffa.org) which will use them to buy Christmas presents for children in foster care. They have already announced doing a second volume next year ( 2 books, in fact, with one being zombie and the other vampires). I’m already getting a jump on my submissions for next years volume. The details and call for submissions are available here. “Destroy All Monster Movies'” is a monster mash-up which adapts mythology and classic horror tropes into dai-kaiju stories. Launching first as a series of posters (appearing in the background of numerous independent horror movies), this series will eventually cross-platform into comics and other media. Since DAMM centers around a complex universe of interweaving stories, real world meetings are required. Artists interested in participating must have strong communication and be within reasonable traveling distance of the Poconos (NEPA) so they will be able to attend semi-regular meetings. Finally, I’m constantly collaborating with different artists on short sci-fi/ horror comics. At 1-4 pages they are small enough to be included in a portfolio, submitted as a sample to a potential publisher, or printed in a magazine (being not much longer then an article). All stories are one-shot stand-alones so the characters begin and end in those pages and with non-exclusive printing/ posting rights for each artist involved, you will be able to print, submit, or post the comic wherever you see fit. Again, drop me a line at shenlon@hotmail.com. My inbox is always open. All and all, I’m having a blast working with a myriad of talented individuals on fun and interesting projects. The rest is just details.

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Filed Under: Art/Theatre Tagged With: interview, mike, schneider

Interview with Simon Helberg

Simon Helberg is best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in the hit show “The Big Bang Theory”.  You might also know Simon from his role of Moist in the incredibly popular web series, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog”.  Simon and his wife Jocelyn Towne are currently working together on an independent film made, called “I Am I”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Simon about his hit show “The Big Bang Theory”, as well as his upcoming projects.

Click here to purchase “The Big Bang Theory” on DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: What has been the best part for you working on “The Big Bang Theory”?
Simon Helberg: The best part has been meeting all these wonderful people I get to work with.  They have become some of my best friends.  The other parts are getting to do what I love consistently and work.  Also I able to get recognized for that and have people really connect to the show.  It has been incredible to be part of a show that is so well written.  The cast is so talented, each and everyone of them.  Everyone really puts 100% into the show all the time.  There is not a detail that isn’t scrutinized and labored over.  At the end of the day, we are just having such a good time doing it and shooting it in front of the audience.  We are just very lucky to have this enormous group of loyal die hard fans.  Nerds are really scary when they get into large groups, you don’t want to mess with them.  So it is good to have them on your side like we do.  It is the greatest thing to have such loyal passionate people watching our show, it really fuels us.  It has been pretty amazing.

MG: Do you have a favorite episode to date?
SH: Wow so many greats, but there is one at least so far for this season.  It should be airing soon.  We all go on a road trip and it become farce…like a doors slamming, hotel rooms switching farce.  We are all getting mad at each other and there are fights.  I really loved the dynamics that Melissa Rauch who plays Bernadette has brought to the show and my character.  I have had a lot of fun this season.  It has been fun to see Howard have some humanity, depth and some sensitivity.  I really enjoy those episode when you get to see a little bit of heart in that character.

MG: What can we expect from the upcoming episodes in Season 4?
SH: We are actually only two episodes ahead at moment.  They do not tell us what we are going to be doing or shooting until the day before we do a read-through.  I honestly do not know much.  There will be more with Bernadette and Mayiam Bialik’s character, Amy.  I think they like the dynamic that those girls bring to the show.  It should be great.  The writing has been really great this season.

MG: Your show seems to get more popular every season, can you reflect on that for us?
SH: It is rare for a show to stay on the air.  It is rare to be a hit.  It is most rare to continue building audience.  Usually you plateau at a certain point.  It has been really exciting.  They keep moving us around which I think has something to do with it.  But also that could be the curse.  When they move you it is hard to keep your audience but it in someway helped up because we have gotten more and more people to see it.  Luckily, we are taking them with us wherever we move.  It is like being on a new show every season because we do not know how we are going to do.  We are nervous but it is exciting to see that we are doing well.  Word of mouth is a big part in this.  People might be resistant to watching a show about physicists that are nerdy.  But I think they realize it is not just about that.  We are all kind of nerdy in our own way.  The quality has also been great and we have always had a core audience.  We are just lucky to be picking up followers as we go.

MG: Congratulations on being nominated for Golden Globes awards, you must be excited?
SH: It is incredible.  We definitely haven’t had many nominations for the show for those kind of awards.  We were lucky to won the People’s Choice Award and we recognized by other great associations.  This was definitely something we always hoped we would be recognized by.  We were all thrilled and honored to have that nomination come in.  I can’t wait to go.  We are excited.  It is actually nice it came in the fourth year because we all sort of let go of the idea of it and continued to do that show.  So it was a real surprise because we weren’t even thinking about it.

MG: You have a notable role in the very popular web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog” as Moist, how did you get involved?
SH: I went to high school with the Whedon brothers, Jed and Zack.  They wrote it and did the music.  I knew them a bit and they spoke to Joss about me playing that part.  I just got a call one day asking if I wanted to be apart of this little internet thing during the strike.  It was conceived to combat the studio. When there was no work being done, we proved we could actually do something.  I read it and thought it was amazing.  I heard the music and I was blown away.  I did a bunch of internet stuff so I never expected it to be this colossal with the Emmys and the cover of Time magazine.  It was totally shocking.  You just never know.  It was a brilliant group of people working on it.  I knew it was going to be good.  I just didn’t know how many people will end of seeing it.

MG: What can you tell about your upcoming film “I Am I”, which are are working on with your wife Jocelyn Towne? Also tell us about working with the website, http://www.KickStarter.com?
SH: The movie is called “I Am I”.  My wife Jocelyn Towne wrote it and is going to direct it.  We are going to produce and star in it together.  Jason Ritter is also going to be in it.  Basically it is an independent movie and the script is terrific.  We have gotten a tremendous amount of response from it.  The times are so different and complicated in terms of raising money that we turned to this website, http://www.KickStarter.com.  It is really on the bridge of becoming the next YouTube or Facebook.  It is unbelievable what is going on there.  It is a platform for projects, movies, bands, fashion, jewelry, inventions and all these crazy things.  It is like a launching pad for those people to test out products. They raise money or donations basically to make whatever it is they are trying to make happen.  In our case it is a movie.  We are trying to raise $100,000 dollars by this Friday and we have about $75,000 dollars.  If you do not raise the entire amount of money, all of the money raises goes back to the people who donated.  We put up a video we shot, which is like 4 1/2 minute teaser.  It is all done in one shot and has a lot of us in it, it is really great.  It really shows the nature of the movie.  On the site, it has incentives to donating like for $100 you become an Associate Producer on the movie, with credit at the end of the movie…and so.  We currently have over 500 backers.  It is a way to make people and the fans act as the studio for the movie.  These are the people that are going to see the movie, so why not have them help us make it and actually invest in it. You become a team early on.  It has been a great experience.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: interview, kitties, lander, mercedes

Interview with Anvil’s Steve “Lips” Kudlow

Steve “Lips” Kudlow is the lead singer and guitar player for the band Anvil. Anvil started it’s career in the late 1970’s and recently was thrust back into the spotlight due to the award winning documentary “Anvil! The Story of Anvil.”  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with “Lips” about the movie, the new Anvil record and the bands involvement in the FX original series “Sons of Anarchy.”

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Adam Lawton: When you were filming “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” was there any point in time where you and the rest of the band decided not to shoot something?
Lips: For the most part we didn’t mind. There were some points where I wasn’t happy about being filmed. Considering how much the cameras were around there was really only one time that I freaked out about the cameras. The funny part was that even after I freaked out about not being filmed the guy with the camera was able to shoot the conversation anyways from around the corner (laughs).   In hind sight that scene added a lot to the plot.

AL: When you were approached about the movie was the original plan to do a large scale release of the film or keep it more indie and smaller?
Lips: When I heard there was going to be a movie and who was making it I expected everything that it ended up being. My expectations were a lot higher than even the filmmaker (laughs).

AL: You had know Sacha Gervasi, the writer/producer of the film, previously correct?
Lips: Yeah. We had actually met him when he was a kid. He was on the road with us for a while and we became friend but we lost touch with him for some time. One day he calls me and says he has been working for Steven Spielberg as a screenwriter and he wants to make a movie about the band. My perspective was that one of Steve Spielberg’s guys wants to make a movie about Anvil! I was convinced that we were going to be stars (laughs).  I was really the only one seeing that vision at the time and even Sacha was saying we have a lot of work to do to get to that point.

AL: How did you and the band get involved with “Sons of Anarchy”?
Lips: We got to do a cameo appearance on an episode from season 2 as gun runners (laughs),  Kurt Sutter, the producer and writer of the show, lives across the street from Sacha and is a fan of the band. He asked if we would be interested in being a part of the show. I was at Sasha’s one day while he was out and I hear this familiar voice calling his name. I turn around and it’s Kurt Sutter’s wife Katie Segal who is also on the show. I was like what the fuck is going on! She had just stopped over to say “Hi”. It was so crazy(laughs).

AL: Can you tell us about the new album?
Lips: The album should be out in March 2011. It will have about eleven or twelve songs on it. We recorded sixteen songs but we are only going to put a certain amount on there. We have an instrumental on there that is incredible! I think it’s something that has never been done before. It’s a cross between big band swing and heavy metal. I can’t believe we created something this cool! It’s something that people have never heard before.

AL: Any chance we will see a sequel to the Anvil movie?
Lips: Probably. But it’s not going to be for a year or two.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: anvils, interview, kudlow, lips, steve

Interview with Castle’s Jon Huertas

Jon Huertas is currently starring on ABC’s hit TV show “Castle”, playing the character of Esposito. “Castle” is currently into its third season already and is as hot as ever. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Jon about his role in the show and about his plans for the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: Did you think that “Castle” would be the hit show that it is still going strong through season three now?
Jon Huertas: When we did the pilot, I had a clue this show was going to be something that people would be hungry for and get into. There were so many “CSI” shows and they were really heavy. I felt that our show had this light quality to it. We have being able to have a lot more fun with our show then the other shows out there. I thought it was an opportunity for us to have a little bit of a run. For me as an audience, I do watch TV and I would watch this show. So, I think we are doing ok.

MG: Tell us about what drew you to the character Esposito?
JH: They were really open to collaborating with me. They were like, Esposito is blank canvas for the most part and they asked “What would you want to do with him?, “Where what you want him to come from? “Who is he?”. They were really open to discussing that with me, which was great. When you go into a TV show, you have so many people involved. You have got the actual creator of the show. You got the director, the staff of writers, then the studio and network executives. So many people have their hands usually in how the show would be. But for this show, they were so open to collaborating. They allowed me to paint the picture of Esposito. It is great to have input on the creative aspects of a character that you are going to be playing for who knows how many years.

MG: How does it feel to get some of the great one liners in the show? Are you behind them?
JH: I think it is a 60/40 split. 60% of them are probably written and 40% we improv. They allow us sometimes to try and put a tag some lines. When we are rehearsing the night before, I will come in a pitch the writers or director on a line. A lot of the scripts come a little empty of the fun light stuff. The network and studio are so married to procedures. They will allow us to sprinkle that stuff in that as actors. Sometimes it may be already there, some of the writers have a great handle on those lines.

MG: You and Seamus Dever must be good friends, you guys have really good chemistry on the show?
JH: Yeah we get a long. Basically the dynamics between Ryan and Esposito are pretty much the same as Seamus and I have. A lot of the time, the writers just listen to us on set. Basically, they record it some how, transcribe it, put our character names above it and put it in the script. The funny thing about Seamus and I, at the beginning, he didn’t do the originally pilot. He was added after it got picked up. They wanted to do a chemistry test between my character and my new partner, but I wasn’t available. But I think it works between with us on the show better then if I would have one of my good friends come on the show.

MG: Any news you can give us coming up in season 3?
JH: We are revisiting Becket’s mothers murder. There is an awesome episode that will reveal some big stuff. One of my favorite writers on the show is Andy Marlowe. He writes some awesome episodes, they are usually pretty action packed. I think the episode we shot with him is the most action-packed episode we have ever shot. There is some hostage taking of some of the main characters of the show, it is pretty awesome. The episode will be coming probably in the mid-end of January. There is also a great episode that reveals who my love interest is. Seamus’ character has a really cool love life change. I do not want to give away too many spoilers. Hands down from the beginning of the series, we have some of the best episodes we have ever shot coming up.

MG: It is rare that we have a show now it is third season that is getting better with each episode.
JH: I think the way that Andrew has developed the characters. He has not rushed into anything. A lot of show rush in and put a lot in in the beginning. Andrew is very patient with the storyline. I think that is what holds the audience and makes the show interesting. So when something new does drop you do not expect it. Andrew is a very calculated type of producer/writer. I actually see the show getting better. The latest scripts are so good. I have been very impressed with our writers this season.

MG: How did you get involved with playing Alberto in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2”?
JH: I am one of the voices and I play a cop. I play a copy who happens to be a German shepherd [laughs]. So, I am somewhat type-cast as a cop. I get to play Andy Garcia’s characters police dog. It was a lot of fun. I have never played a dog before. I have never done a voice for a live action film. I would love to do more.

MG: For having a military background, did that make it easier for you when you co-starred as United States Marine Corps in “Generation Kill”
JH: It was much easier. Two of the guys that ran the boot camp, they would lean on me for help when they needed it. They turned these actors, in two weeks, into legit soldiers. I would have actually gone into combat with some of those actors. They really dedicated themselves to their roles. We were in Africa shooting. It was like we were deployed anyway. It was great that I had that military background. It was generally one of the greatest experiences of my life. Sometimes it is a close toss-up between “Castle” and “Generation Kill”.

MG: Tell us about your show feature “Lone”, which you not only direct but produce and sings the music?
JH: I kind of did that short because I am working with directors on some projects and they weren’t that good. I have always wanted to direct but I thought that I wasn’t ready or good enough. But working with some of these people, I was thinking that I could do it. I wanted to take chance and see if I was any good at it and it ended up being ok. So I think I am going to continue to pursue that. I am actually finishing it up and do the final mix and hopefully will screen it for everyone at “Castle”. Maybe if I could lock down directing a few episodes of the show next season would be cool.

MG: Any plans for more directing, or any other projects in the works?
JH: Yeah I would like to continue directing. I am also working on solo project album. I have a couple of artists working with me. I might release the album in singles around January and February. Then I might release the album in March or April. Yeah, I might also be doing some music for “Castle” also. I am trying to intertwine everything together.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews Tagged With: interview, kitties, lander, mercedes
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