Retrospective Interview: Jean-Claude Van Damme
There are three actors in this world who I will always have an adoration for, and Jean-Claude Van Damme happens to be one of them. Growing up, I was a scrawny kid who got his ass-kicked a lot and Van Damme helped me escape to the fantasy world and believe that one day I’d grow up to be just like him - big, tough, non-shit taker. That day never came but I still loved all the films he made pre-STREET FIGHER. It wasn’t until JCVD that Van Damme got back to what he initially seemed to have lost, his passion for film.
Two weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to interview Van Damme on behalf of his latest film, ASSASSINATION GAMES. After punch-dancing my happiness (I’m serious, that really happened), I did an interview with him via email. Unlike a lot of the straight-to-DVD movies he has done in the past, ASSASSINATION GAMES has some heart to it. In the film, Van Damme plays a lone assassin who teams up with another gun for hire (played by Scott Adkins) to take down a vicious mob boss.
Among the things we talk about in the interview, I got Van Damme to open up about his brilliant and somewhat candid performance of himself in JCVD, why his last few films haven’t had his signature moves, and where his career is heading. Check it out after the break!
A Whale of a Writer: HitFix.com Film Editor Drew McWeeny
“Whale of a Writer” is a new feature at Gordon and the Whale in which our very own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, picks the minds, souls, and keyboard-clenched fingers of other writers in the movie blogging industry. Each new WoaW interview will be uniquely tailored for its subject, with fresh questions each time around, questions that aim their harpoon right for the heart of what makes each subject special and what makes each of their contributions unique, interesting, and informative.
Two years ago when I first attended Sundance, I had the idea of interviewing fellow bloggers, writers, and journalists who I looked up to; it really intrigues me how a person got into this business and managed to make a living out of it. At the time, not many people knew who I was, and therefore my soul wasn’t courageous enough to ask anyone if I could pick their brain. After some exposure and gaining trust and friendships, I decided it was time to execute this column and I’m very proud to announce my first subject: Mr. Drew McWeeny, Film Editor for HitFix.com. McWeeny has been around the blogging world for a very long time and has put a lot into the success of Harry Knowles’ Ain’t It Cool News and his new home, HitFix. In this 48 minute audio interview, McWeeny talks about some of his favorite film festivals, the movies that first opened debate with him, how he got started in writing, some of the frustrations (as well as rewards) of being a blogger, and a few other topics that are hopefully as interesting to you as they are me. This is my first of hopefully many “Whale of a Writer” entries, and I must tip my hat to McWeeny for allowing himself to be my guinea pig in this hopefully successful project.
For awesome updates about Drew’s journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!
Source: GATW
A Whale of a Writer: Film Critic Eric D. Snider
“Whale of a Writer” is a new feature at Gordon and the Whale in which our very own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, picks the minds, souls, and keyboard-clenched fingers of other writers in the movie blogging industry. Each new WoaW interview will be uniquely tailored for its subject, with fresh questions each time around, questions that aim their harpoon right for the heart of what makes each subject special and what makes each of their contributions unique, interesting, and informative.
I’ve been aware of Eric D. Snider and his work for a few years now, but it wasn’t until Sundance 2010 that I officially met him. Snider is one of those guys who’s very easy to strike up a conversation with - he’s friendly and knows how to throw a good joke into the conversation (most of the time). I remember first chatting with him in the “Internet Cafe” at the Yarrow hotel; Rusty (Gordon) asked him to read over his most recent review and, sure enough, Snider did. At that time, nobody really knew who we were, just a couple of misfits who got a chance to attend Sundance, so it was nice to get beneficial feedback from someone Rusty and I had both admired for some time. With all of that, I thought it was appropriate to have Snider on as my second guest for this experiment. Also, if I fucked up, he would laugh, make a joke of it, and I’d beat myself in the chest like Mark Wahlberg did in FEAR. (Thanks for not laughing at my questions, Eric.) In this interview, Managing Editor Kate Erbland confesses her love for Snider via me, we dive into Snider’s life growing up as a journalist, and how he first started getting paid to write (which I found extremely interesting). We also discuss how he balances comedy and information in his reviews without going overboard. Oh, there are some other fun questions asked, too.
For awesome and hilarious updates about Snider’s journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!
Source: GATW
A Whale of a Writer: Film Pundit Matthew Patches
I met Matthew Patches (or, as he’s known in the blogosphere, just “Patches” or “Sad Patches” if you’re into Twitter alteregos) through Twitter from seeing hilarious tweets about him from my dear friends and colleagues Katey Rich and Erin McCarthy, who coined him as “Sad Patches” - I still don’t know what that means or where it came from, but I like it. So I followed him (wise decision) and we finally met at Sundance 2011 - briefly, and on a crowded bus. I like Patches and was so happy when he agreed to try out this experiment with me. Patches is one of the youngest and most successful freelance movie journalists (he’s 24, but turning 25 on June 1st!) working in the business right now. Much like the previous two WOAW interviews I’ve done, I talk to Patches about his background in journalism and how he fell into the blogging. Along with that and other interesting topics, we discuss some pros and cons of freelancing writing, and his thoughts on up-and-coming websites. Enjoy.
For awesome and hilarious updates about Patches’ journalistic life, follow him on the Twitter!
Source: GATW
