GATW Appears in JANE EYRE, with Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska

One time I was in a movie called JANE EYRE, kind of. Below is the kind and endearing email from the film’s director, Cary Fukunaga (SIN NOMBRE), explaining why GordonandtheWhale.com’s logo appears in the film, and a screenshot of where said cameo takes place. This one was of the defining moments in my career as a journalist when I thought, “I must be doing something right.” 

The GATW sticker I gave him:

And here’s the screenshot from the film. This takes place toward the end when St John Rivers (Jamie Bell) is talking to Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) in the school’s classroom. What  a cool moment in my life.

My pal Weston Green even conducted a hilarious interview with Fukunaga about it.

(Note: Fukunaga’s email was posted after getting his blessing. He’s a really, really nice guy.)

From the GATW Archives: Video Interview: EXTRACT writer/director Mike Judge

I remember first attempting to watch Mike Judge’s BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD when I was in grammar school, but of course the ‘rents shot that down real fast within a minute of airtime. Mike has that humor you don’t want your kids seeing, but boy do you sure appreciate it when you’ve hit puberty.

Last week I sat with Mr. Judge to talk about his new film, EXTRACT. It’s been ten years since he set foot into the work force, and now he’s back, giving us just as many laughs as before. Check out the interview below, where we talk about his inspiration behind EXTRACT and why he loves Texas so much.

I’ve made two version of the interview - a short one with music for all the short attention span viewers out there like myself, and a long one, in which Mike talks about what he’s going to be working on next. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

From the GATW Archives: Video Interview: THE ROCKER actor Rainn Wilson

Interviewed by: Chase Whale
Edited by: Nathan Davis

Last week I got the chance to sit down and talk with Rainn Wilson about his upcoming film, THE ROCKER. Not gonna lie, I was pretty damn nervous - I’ve watched the US version of The Office since day one and got the moms addicted to it - and some close friends and I would get drunk and watch season’s one and two over and over. I made it through the interview and was lucky enough to get a song sung to me about me - by the Wilson himself. Enjoy!

From the GATW Archives: Richard Jenkins/Tom McCarthy interview

I got the luck of having Richard Jenkins and Tom McCarthy (for their film The Visitor) for my first one on one at the W Hotel. As you can see, these two lads give me a warm welcome. The Visitor comes out May 2 in Dallas. I’m not allowed to post my review until that day, but I will tell you that I will be seeing this again in theaters, and then buying it on DVD/Blu Ray/VHS/Laser Disc/8 Track/etc.

PS I almost wrote “one one one” for “one on one.” Type that five times fast.

From the GATW Archives: SXSW 2011 Video Interview: WIN WIN writer/director Tom McCarthy and actor Alex Shaffer

Talking to Tom McCarthy is a real treat. We first spoke back in 2007 for his second feature, THE VISITOR, which became one of my top 10 films of that year. Fun fact: McCarthy and actor Richard Jenkins were my first on-camera 1:1 interview and I made the mistake of telling them that prior to the interview, which led to McCarthy having a little fun with it.

As you probably (most definitely if you’re a GATW regular) see, McCarthy’s back with a new film, WIN WIN, which opened just a few days ago. If you look a few posts below, you’ll see my interview with the two of the stars in the film, Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan. Here I talk to McCarthy and newcomer Alex Shaffer. In the film Shaffer plays a wrestler but only a few may know that Shaffer is actually a champion wrestler in real life.

Check out the video interview after the break, and make sure to watch to the very end where McCarthy tells me a very nice and unexpected surprise.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

From the GATW Archives: SXSW 2011 Video Interview: WIN WIN actors Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan

Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan have grown to become two of my favorite people to watch on screen. They’re funny, awkward, and don’t really need to say much for me to understand what they’re feeling. I spoke with the duo last week at SXSW about their recent performances as a struggling married couple in Tom McCarthy’s very wonderful third feature, WIN WIN. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t a tad bit nervous; it’s a bit difficult to keep composure around two people you deeply admire.

Check out the quick interview after the break; Giamatti and Ryan talk about how they got involved with WIN WIN, and Giamatti talks a little more about his real life persona channeling his fictional character, Mike Flaherty.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

From the GATW Archives: Sundance 2011 Video Interview: TAKE SHELTER writer/director Jeff Nichols

TAKE SHELTER is a powerful film. In his sophomore effort, writer/director Jeff Nichols tackles many problematic topics in our culture - anxiety, paranoia, fear, trust, and family. Oh, and he meshes them with a possible end-of-the-word subplot, too. There’s a lot to this film, trust me. When walking out of the theater, my dear ol’ pal at Cinema Blend, Katey Rich, nailed what most people, including me, were thinking: “I don’t think I’m smart enough for this movie.”

I interviewed Nichols shortly after seeing the film. When writing down my questions, I couldn’t stop. For the first time in my career with GATW, I had so much to ask and I wanted to/could talk to Nichols about TAKE SHELTER all day. This film is so thickly layered, chances are high for a head scratch or two when discussing what Nichols was trying to say.

After the break is the video interview, minus the last question (we discuss the final scene in the film). I will post that question at a later date when I get a chance. My review of the film will follow shortly. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

From the GATW Archives: Sundance 2011 Video Interview: SUBMARINE co-writer/director Richard Ayoade

I saw Richard Ayoade’s (The IT Crowd) SUBMARINE last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and immediately fell in love with it (my review HERE). SUBMARINE is what HAROLD AND MAUDE  would be like if our rebellious characters met and fell in love in high school. Oh, the teen angst years - I miss them.

When I found out Ayoade would be at Sundance for this film I crossed my tiny chubby fingers that GATW would get some time with him. We did, and you can watch the interview after the break. Ayoade is a very polite, soft-spoken man. He’s the guy who’s soon going to very busy in the feature filmmaking world and will always be very appreciative of all the compliments on his much-deserved success.

Watch as we discuss the prcoess of making  SUBMARINE and who would win in a fight between Doogie Howser and Olive Tate (SUBMARINE’s main character).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!

From the GATW Archives: Video Interview: ANIMAL KINGDOM Actor Ben Mendelsohn

“Don’t look into his eyes because he’s just looking where he’s going to fucking bite you.”
-Ben Mendelsohn (on his character “Pope” in ANIMAL KINGDOM)

The first words spoken to Ben prior to our interview was, “It’s very surreal sitting in front of you. Two days ago I watched you spike heroine into a girl’s arm and suffocate her and now I’m five feet in front of you having a conversation.” He laughed, as any man with a pinch of humor would, and then said “that’s fucking great.” Ben plays the villain “Pope” in David Michôd’s ANIMAL KINGDOM.  He’s not just your average bad guy you’ll see in a DIE HARD flick, he’s the guy that’ll scare the piss out of you just by looking at you (I was five feet in front of that above stare). At the end of the film, you will hate this man. With that, you can imagine the level of difficulty it was holding composure while speaking to him.

That uneasy composure vanished within a few seconds after he started speaking. Like David, he’s just happy to be here. In our interview we spoke about how he got into the intensity of his character. I don’t want to write anything about that conversation here because I want you to just watch and listen. And here me roar, this man will get a heavy number of nominations for his performance, of that I have zero doubt in my mind.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW! 

From the GATW Archives: TRASH HUMPERS Writer/Director Harmony Korine Video Interview

Interviewing Harmony Korine is a rare treat. The 37-year-old writer/director/actor has lived a very strange and interesting life which shows through his work (books, photographs and films). Two years ago we spoke at SXSW’s 2008 festival for his film, MISTER LONELY, which went on to become one of my top films of 2008. This year he’s returned to promote his latest weird fest, TRASH HUMPERS (review can be found HERE), a VHS shot and edited film about three elderly sociopaths who trash (and hump) their town.

Before we got into the interview, Harmony brought out the awesome and drew and narrated a strange but thought-provoking poem on a whiteboard in the room we were in (see pic. above!). We also spoke about possible future projects which include vomiting dogs and a comedy that Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers would want to see. This is without a doubt the most interesting part of my SXSW 2010 trip. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW!