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Sandy Collora created the short film “Batman: Dead End”.  The short is believe to be one of the best adaption of Batman on film.  Sandy recently completed his first feature film, “Hunter Prey” which was just recently released on DVD.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Sandy about his films and what inspires him.

Mike Gencarelli: What were you thinking when you originally made the film “Batman: Dead End”?
Sandy Collora: A lot of things. It was really just a big experiment. So much of what I was attempting to do, had never been done on film at the time. I wanted to present the Batman that I knew and loved from the comics. A dark, brooding, creature of the night, that didn’t need a rubber suit, nipples or a credit card. That’s really mostly what it was all about. A lot of people didn’t believe I could make the cloth and leather suit work. Even simple things like the white eyes, the over-sized cape, the rain, no one had done those things previously in a Batman film. I think a combination of all those elements is what made it unique. I chose Batman because at that point, I had already made a few short films. No one really seemed to care… I thought if I made a short with Batman in it, people would at least watch it. I wasn’t sure if they’d dig it, but at least it would get watched, as opposed to “Solomon Bernstein’s Bathroom” and “Archangel”, which nobody watched. LOL.

MG: Can you believe the reception it received?
SC: No. To this day, seven years later, I still get emails and requests for the film, autographs, interviews, what have you. It seems to resonate… I think the fact that so much time has gone by, especially with the Nolan films being so dark and realistic, people are realizing finally that I was on to something. That little film definitely put me on the map as a director, and eventually led to making “Hunter Prey”. It took much longer than I would have liked, especially with the reaction I got from “Batman: Dead End”, but I got to make a feature length film, that you can walk into a store and buy on DVD. That in and of itself, in this town, is quite the feat.

MG: How does it feel to have created one of the most beloved depictions of Batman?
SC: That’s definitely cool. To have people that I really respect, guys like like Alex Ross, Neal Adams and John Byrne, say that they really dig it and it’s still the best depiction of the character on film, is pretty damn cool. I run into fans all time at shows or the comic shop, who say it’s still their favorite version to date. To be honest, all I did was take what so many talented artists before me drew in comic books, and put it on film… That’s really about the long and short of it.

MG: Would you ever consider doing a follow-up?
SC: No.

MG: How was it working Stan Winston?
SC: That was a very special time in my life. Stan was cool guy… He and all the talented artists working there, kinda took me under their wings and taught me a lot. I learned so much in the time I worked there. I actually miss those days. It was at the beginning of my career. I was 18 years old. So young, so idealistic… So naive. Back then I actually thought this industry was different. I thought it was about making art and that I could make a difference. But it’s really about making money and what I think or what I do, makes no difference at all. Stan had a way of understanding all this, because he was very successful at being both an artist and a businessman. I admired him for that, and always will. Learning that Hollywood is much more of a business, rather than an entity that cultivates art, has been the biggest learning experience for me in my journey through my career.  Stan was really an integral part of that. I really miss those early days of my career and I miss him. Another really cool part of working there, was hearing all the Cameron stories from “The Terminator” and “Aliens”. Those guys all talked about him like he was some kind of God. They showed me his drawings and stuff and told me stories of working with him, and how awesome it was to be involved with a guy who knew so much about FX, creatures, making models.  I absolutely loved those films, but working at Stan’s was where I kinda got my first dose of what a juggernaut Cameron was and how much he knew about every aspect of the filmmaking process. You gotta remember, this is like 1988, there were no DVD’s with all the extensive “making of” features that are so commonplace now. Back then, you got all this stuff through magazines and word of mouth. It was almost like these guys painted Cameron as this unearthly apparition… A character, like Stan, who in and of himself, was such an interesting person. It was just a different time… There was so much more magic to it all then because you couldn’t just pop in a DVD and get the entire story behind the scenes. These days, director commentaries, documentaries, and all the special features that come with every movie, kind of ruin the mystique of the movies. Exposing the man behind the curtain, so to speak.

MG: You have worked in FX on various projects, what was your favorite project?
SC: “The Abyss” by far, even though the guy who ran the FX shop I worked for on that show, was the polar opposite of Stan. He was neither a good artist nor a good businessman, but getting to work with Jim Cameron is still the absolute highlight of my career. I learned so much, just by watching the guy. He’s brilliant. I would sneak on the set even when I wasn’t supposed to be there, just to watch him. I even got to do some pre production art for “Spider-Man” back in the day, when he was supposed to direct that film. In the short time I was around the guy, I learned more about being a director, than I ever have anywhere else, on any other set, or working for any other director. He’s just a pure genius in every sense of the word. Cameron is my hero. Period.

MG: Tell us about your latest project “Hunter Prey”?
SC: Well, I kinda got sick of waiting for a bigger studio movie.  So I just went out, raised a little money and made “Hunter Prey”. I simply thought it was time to make a movie instead of just pitching them. There were a lot of limitations, especially regarding the budget, but I did what I could with the resources that I had. I felt good to kind of get the monkey off my back and actually make a feature film. A film that actually got distribution. A film that you could walk into Target and buy, or a go into a video store and rent. It was a long two years and I sacrificed a lot to make it. A lot of love and hard work went into that little film.

MG: What are you currently working on?
SC: It’s winter in Southern California… When the waves are up, we surf. When the waves are down, we dive for lobster.

Kristin Carey plays the sexy cougar Aunt Meg in the upcoming Farrelly Brothers film “Hall Pass”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Kristin about her role in the film as well as some of her other projects.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your lastest film, “Hall Pass”?
Kristin Carey: It’s an adventure of two guys played by Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis who receive hall passes from their wives…which is good for one week off from marriage. We always think that the grass is greener on the other side, however once these two guys start out on their adventure…they start to realize that this might not really be the case.

AL: Can you tell us about your character?
KC: I play Aunt Meg who is a crazy cougar with an insatiable sexual appetite [Laughs].  I hear about the hall pass through my niece who is Owen Wilson’s characters babysitter. Aunt Meg decides that Owen’s character is going to be her pray. I am one of many characters that the two guys encounter on their adventure.

AL: How was it working with the Farrelly Brothers?
KC: This was my second time working with them, as I had done a Sprint commercial with them previously. They are amazing! They are very down to earth and are interested in getting to know each person they work with on a personal level. We bonded over our love of the Boston Red Sox. It was like working with family but without the arguing. They like to hear your input on the character and scenes. It’s a very democratic set.

AL: How did you become attached to the film?
KC: When I met the Farrelly brothers for the first time, we just really bonded.  They wanted to know everything about me…which was great. I had kept in touch with them after the Sprint commecial shoot was done.  One day I got a call out of the blue to test for New Line.

AL: Had you seen the entire script prior to your audition?
KC: The night I was set to fly out for my test something had happened with the computer and I was only able to see part of the script. I went to the test knowing only a small portion of the script, but after I got the role I read the entire script. I very rarely laugh out loud when I am reading but this script was really funny!

AL: From your work do you have a role that sticks out as a favorite?
KC: I really love my role in “Hall Pass”.  You always hear that there is a little piece of us in each character we play and I think there is a little bit of Aunt Meg in Kristin [Laughs].  I also got to play a National Security Advisor in a play called “The War Room” that I enjoyed. I liked the politics in that play and the role was feisty and intelligent which I loved. I was actually the only female in that cast and I produced it. That play was just a great experience. Another role I did that really sticks out for me was I played an Irish singer in a small indie film. I actually got to go into a studio and record a CD which was a pretty intense experience.

AL: Can you tell us about some of your upcoming projects?
KC: I am attached to an untitled film right now where my character is sort of a younger and sexier version of Jane Lynch. I play a college professor who is sort of a militant lesbian (Laughs).  The film revolves around the experiences my character has with her students. It’s still in the planning process but we should be underway around spring time.

Kyle Bornheimer is the star of NBC’s hilarious new comedy “Perfect Couples”.  The show is really catching on with its audience and is consistently funny each episode since it has premiered. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Kyle about working on the show and what we can expect from it.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about what drew you to the show “Perfect Couples”?
Kyle Bornheimer: What I liked was that it was just such a simple concept for couples. I knew exactly where I taught we could go with the show. When I met with the creators Jon Pollack and Scott Silveri, I just liked what they had to say about what they wanted to do with the show. One question you always ask about when you do a show is “What is this going to be week-in and week-out?” They had a great answers for me and it got me really excited. Not even just for one season, we all had plenty of ideas on what we could do with these couples. In case of my particular character, it just the right neighborhood for me. I was immediately getting ideas and writing them down and playing with the material they had. When something inspires me and makes me go into my office and spend a couple of hours playing with material and coming up with ideas, then I know I am in something that I like.

MG: Do you find on the show, you have a lot of creative freedom?
KB: We have a nice collaboration. We are all committed to making it something really special. The scripts come in incredibly polished and we are working with some of the best writers in the business. Due to that, it makes our job a lot easier. After that it is just us playing around with it and coming up with even more ideas and trying to nail the right tone. For me it is the perfect thing, the scripts are so well done and plus we are still able to play with it during filming.

MG: The cast of the show seems to all have such great chemistry, tell us about working with them?
KB: It is has been great working with such a great cast. We are all hitting our stride as performers. You go to work and everyone is just cracking up. Everyone just wants to do extraordinary work and it is just inspiring. Everyone is really feeding off of each other. I really enjoy the six person scenes personally. We would get really excited when all six of us get to be in the same scene together. Just from a purely hanging out and having fun perspective, it is was fun days. The material was so good and we were playing off each other so well that it was like being on a constant comedy high for a bit.

MG: Besides cast you also seem to have a strong behind the scenes for the show?
KB: Yeah I agree. We are fortunate on this to have just a lot of good people working on it. Jon and Scott have a real rich history of working on television. Andy Ackerman who has directed the episodes, has also directed most of the “Seinfeld” episodes, so we are in good hands. So combined with our inspiration and drive to make it excellent with Andy’s direction and editing team and finally the scripts, we are very lucky. It is fun on the days we are filming and then fun again when we get to revisit it and see it edited together and get to experience it all over again.

MG: What has been your favorite episode to date?
KB: The episode that airs on February 24th called ‘Perfect House’, is one of my favorites. We discover that Dave and Vance’s friendship is like the fourth perfect couple. Once we realize what a great friendship they had…we started really playing with that. Those were some of my favorites scenes. I love the way David (Walton) works and the material that the writers comes up for us together. David is always making me laugh and I love trying to make him laugh during the show. That episode really plays around in a unique way with the intense friendship between these two. In some ways it is more intense than some of the relationships in the show.

MG: I feel that the show seems to get better with each episode, did you notice that during filming…once you all got comfortable?
KB: I felt pretty good early on. It is hard to step away from it though…I can’t be 100% subjective. I was confident we were making a good show. As it was put out there, we found people have to learn about these characters sometimes before the full richness of them could be understood. With comedy once you have learned the characters, then you could follow them a little easier. If we do something funny that goes against character or someone’s character, you would have to know them first to do that. If we would have explored the interesting friendship between Dave and Vance too early, people might not have gotten where it was coming from. That is always the tricky thing with comedy. There are always those legendary stories of show that got off to a slow start like “Seinfeld”…”Will and Grace”…”Cheers”, comedy is harder to get audiences on board right away. I think we have gotten better with each episode as well even though I really like the first episodes. I was just excited to be doing good work and then we start thinking we were getting a hang of it and then by episode three we totally had it. It was just smooth sailing from there.

MG: How does working on this show compare to the other shows you’ve worked on?
KB: Generally, I have been very fortunate. I have worked with really fun and creative people. I have been able to do work that I am proud of and this show is no different. I got very invested and into this project as soon as I started. It has been very family-like working on it. All of us in the cast and crew meet almost every week to watch the episodes together, it is really cool. Even if someone is out of town, we would call them as we are watching it. I think we all really bonded. I literally have like seven seasons of ideas for the show. There is plenty of material when it comes to couples. We are all kind of waiting on the edge of our seats to see if we can get a season two.

MG: Can you give us a sneak preview of the upcoming episodes?
KB: We have teased about marriage between the most intense couple on the show, the fight and make-up couple, Vance and Amy. So that through-line of their wedding has provided a lot of hilarity throughout the season as we go on towards the later episodes.  Anytime we got scripts about the wedding from the writers, we would get so excited since it was since a unique take on a wedding and was always out of left field. I think they knew that it would be natural for a wedding situation to be in the cards for that couple, but they didn’t want to write just a wedding. They wanted to think of it in a different way. I think it is going to work out really well and I am incredible excited about what is upcoming.