f you ask Alex Garland, writer and director of "Ex Machina," if his goal was to make the film a "game changer" for the genre, he would probably say, "Hell, no." What he's likely to say is that he wanted to make a think piece, a solid science fiction film. And that's exactly what "Ex Machina" is.
Read MoreI really admire Mary Elizabeth Winstead's career choices. She started out as a Scream Queen and then dabbled with big, bad studio movies. Lately her focus has been on roles in smaller films that really make an impact.
Read MoreMaking The Salt of the Earth was a labor of love for co-director Juliano Salgado. If you've seen the film, then you know the subject, Sebastião Salgado, is his father.
Interviewing Juliano was one of the most surreal experiences I've had as a journalist -- you could, at moments, see the pain in his eyes and how much he wears his heart on his sleeve when talking about his father -- who's known for his amazing work as a humanitarian photographer -- and the struggles of making the film.
Read More(Colin Hanks has been defining himself as a solid character actor over the years and his feature directorial debut All Things Must Pass, a documentary about the lifespan of the iconic Tower Records franchise, made it’s debut at SXSW 2015)
Colin Hanks is really started to ramp up his career. He’s a Golden Globe and Emmy Prime Time nominee for his solid performance as Gus Grimly in the Fargo TV mini-series. He’s still in movies, and stars in one of the smartest comedies of all time, Orange County.
Read MoreSXSW really kicked ass this year. We're still rolling out a lot more coverage and lucky for us (and you, I think), most of the films we are writing about we loved and believe you will too.This brings me to Todd Strauss-Schulson. He's a man who makes movies (I checked. Online. Twice.) and his latest played at SXSW.
Strauss-Schulson (the guy who made the only good Harold and Kumar movie, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) teamed up with 80s child star Joshua John Miller (After Dark) to make the epic send-up horror comedy of epic send-up horror comedies called The Final Girls.
Read MoreIf you are reading TwitchFilm, hopefully King David Gordon Green's career isn't unfamiliar territory. If it's your first stop here, I'll catch you up to speed:
He first burst on the film scene in 2000 with George Washington, which is now a Criterion Collection release -- one of the highest honors a film can get these days. He made that film at 25. Think about that that when you reflect on what you've done with your life.
Read MoreRobert Duvall wants you to know that he hates Bonnie and Clyde and The Searchers. But hang tight, we'll get to that.
He was in town for the world premiere of Wild Horses, a movie he wrote, directed, and stars in. Josh Hartnett and James Franco have co-starring roles and the answer to the question you're currently thinking is, yes, Franco is just as weird in it as you would expect. But he'll always get a pass from me -- I like his style and chutzpah.
Read MoreAndrew Droz Palermo's One & Two is my favorite film to come out of SXSW 2015. I watched it cold, was floored by the end, and urged other colleagues to see it, and to see it blind. Our very own Peter Martin listened to my nagging persistence and watched it at the festival. He agrees it's a pretty slick movie.
So naturally, I reached out to Palermo's team and set up an interview -- I had an abundance of question about this film -- there's a whole lot to it. There is also a lot of mystery in One & Two, so let this sentence serve as a heads up that there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this interview. One more time to bring it home: There are major spoilers in this interview. Bookmark it and come back when you see the movie, or if you were smart and watched it at SXSW, read on.
Read MoreGetting hard is not an easy process. There are many painstaking steps one must go through to achieve this deity-like way of life. Luckily for me and whoever reads this article, Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart tell us the way.
The duo were in Austin this week to promote their new film Get Hard, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. I sat down with the boys to chat about the movie, as well as topics too taboo when you've established yourself as a prolific comedian.
Read MoreBeing a villain is hardly new territory for Jean-Claude Van Damme: He started his career as the bad guy in “No Retreat, No Surrender” and “Black Eagle.” Then, good fortune came his way and he was cast in a little movie called, “Bloodsport.” The rest is history.
A few days ago, we went round-for-round with the Muscles from Brussels himself, JCVD, to discuss his role as the rogue in Sylvester Stallone’s new male pattern badness adventure, "The Expendables 2."
Not only does JCVD talk about the upcoming “Bloodsport” remake, “Double Impact 2,” and the signature roundhouse kicks he performs in “The Expendables 2,” he gets up, moves furniture and shows with passionate detail how his kicks are done and why they work. Nothing ever prepares you for moments like this.
Welcome back to the big screen. We’ve missed you a lot.
Thank you sir. I don’t know if [“The Expendables 2”] is going to help me but what do you think?
I want it to. But I have “Bloodsport” framed at my house.
You never know in Hollywood. They’re going to do a remake of “Bloodsport.”
Yeah that’s the rumor.
The guy who wrote “Taken” is writing and the producer is [Ed] Pressman. I want to be in the film as a trainer and I don’t think the writer wants [me] to.
His loss, man.
Nah, he knows that “Bloodsport” is a big film so he wants to get credit with all of that, you know what I’m saying? Like Will Smith, for example, was smart to [cast] Jackie Chan [in “Karate Kid 2010”] — it’s kind of cool. When I did the first “Bloodsport,” it was an independent company and [they] didn’t want bankruptcy so they sold the title all over the place — 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 “Bloodsports” — the remake, I would love to be in. It’s kind of painful but maybe they’ll change their minds. That would be great because I can still kick better than anybody here today.
Let’s talk about that. In “The Expendables 2” you do your signature roundhouse kick. As you’re getting older, do you find it difficult or do you feel like you’ve still got it?
Here was the deal, because of the age and everything, they told me, “Don’t worry, we’re going to cover you well. You’re going to jump and we’ll do a cut.” And I told them, “But guys, let me do the full kick.” They were kind of surprised that I could still do it and I said, “Yeah, it’s the same as before. I’m going to try.”
Lionsgate
I [have been] doing it at the gym so I warmed up with the Bengay and everything and I stretched before the kick. And then I did my full kick the first time … I wanted to go a little more snappy and then I did it [again] the second time and it was no problem. You know that roundhouse kick. And then I have another kick [in the film] and it was like one shot. And then I [needed to do] ADR in Belgium and I’ve got Stallone on the phone and I said, “Sly, I don’t get it … I spent all of that time to do that kick and I asked those guys to put one angle so you can see the full kick like in “Bloodsport.” All we see is like me going like this.” [At this point, Van Damme gets up to pantomime the kick he’s referring to].
From the foot touching the knife. It’s like “BOOM!” and me landing. So I said to Sly, “What are you doing?” And he said “Let me go check in the cutting room,” because he was busy doing another movie. Then he sent me an email saying, “It’s arranged.” I haven’t seen the movie but basically I throw a knife in the air, Scott [Adkins] catches the knife. As soon as the knife was in the air, I didn’t even wait and I did the famous roundhouse kick.
Technically “JVCD” was your big return, but “Expendables 2” is your big return to the action genre. Did you have any hesitations with playing a villain for your comeback or were you just like, “Let’s do it”?
I said, “Let’s do it.” I said to Sly, “What about me playing the villain?” … My father told me, “Be an Expendable, don’t try this and that,” and I said, “Dad, I want to be a villain again.” … Sly loved the idea of me being the villain. But I know it’s only one time, right? So, I don’t know the outcome. Hopefully the studio will like it but that’s what I wanted to do.
What is the biggest change you’ve noticed in the action genre since you first started?
The technical came in — the CGI, the cables, all of that stuff. … With action, you have to be physical because, if you’re not, how can you do it? … With “The Expendables,” we have those groups of people who build their career like that, with those physical moves, without CGI and this and this and that … One film like that every two years where the action stars are going [at it] like the old times — that’s what I believe makes “The Expendables 2” special.
"The Expendables" franchise is a play on older action stars, that they still got "it" and they’re not going anywhere. Do you think there is a time when an action star should throw in the towel and pass the torch?
You know, you have to keep on going. It’s what we have inside of us that’s how we became famous, and it will never die. Look at Clint Eastwood for an example — he keeps on moving the best that he can, it’s great. Don’t give up. Plus we need that to have a nice life, I need to train. Sometimes I did have my life of the Rock ‘n’ Roll life. I fell down, I crashed and came back. Because of training every day or every other day depending on the traveling, the jet lag and everything, we can be this way. If I didn’t have that, I would be very depressed. If I don’t train for a week, I build toxins in my body and I sweat easily. It’s strange.
You’ve been immortalized on screen as the hero and now you’re going to be immortalized as the villain. How does that feel?
It scares me. I directed a movie and that’s why I wasn’t able to be in “The Expendables.” We heard all types of [bogus gossip] stories - me and Jet Li fighting and all of that stuff; I’ve never even met Jet Li in my life. Hopefully we will meet in China because we might be doing a film together … But, I was cutting [the film I directed] and was responsible because I put my own money into that film and it’s a very strange movie. So [I didn’t do “The Expendables”] because I was busy cutting this film - we had to do additional shoots in Bulgaria and then I did a comedy called “Welcome to the Jungle” — you have to see it, I play so dumb.
And then I starred in a film with Peter Hyams, the director of “Timecop,” who made me play a villain. But really a villain, like villain. But I fight, you know when you fight you’re busy with your movement, so when you punch you go [shows how he punches] “BRUUUM!” and you go like “BAHM!” with grace. It was a great, great villain. So I’m doing three movies as a villain. Hopefully I will not be categorized as a villain for the rest of my life [laughs].
Stone Group Pictures
Picasso had his blue period - this is your villain period. Let’s go back to your “Double Impact” days. In an all-out brawl again, who would win in a fight Chad or Alex?
Alex.
I was hoping you’d say Chad. He’s got the legs!
Yeah but Alex has the headbutt! “Mr. California, Mr. Silk underwear… BOOM!”
I have no franchise. I lost “Bloodsport,” “Lionheart,” I told you “Double Impact” [would be] a great franchise because today Chad would be like the guy in “JCVD” and Alex would be the guy like “The Expendables” and, with the experience with the acting, I came up with a great story set in Los Angeles. He’s playing a producer, making pictures with a big house behind him. Alex is gonna go on vacation and has some problems with the Triads. Why? Because Chad went to Hong Kong and to get some money using [Alex’s] face, all of that bulls**t. Alex comes [to Los Angeles] to see Chad and he’s full of s**t, has a girl pregnant and she’s the sister of the big boss from South Central. It’s like “Double Impact” in Los Angeles.
That’s amazing.
Yeah, I wrote the script with a friend of mine, Sheldon. He did “Bloodsport” and “Double Impact” with me. Hopefully, somebody smart enough, like an agent or a producer, can put that back together … I’m excited about it, you know?
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Deadbeat father. Quiz Kid Donnie Smith. 70's porn assistant director. Down-on-his luck car salesman who hires the wrong goons to kidnap his wife to collect some ransom money. These are some of the many prominent characters actor William H. Macy has played on screens big and little. Now he has something new to add to his prolific portfolio: filmmaker.
Last year, his directorial debut Rudderless had its world premiere at the renowned Sundance Film Festival. It had a small theatrical run and tomorrow it's available on DVD. I reviewed it while at Sundance and recommend adding this film to your collection.
Read MoreBlue Ruin is the biggest success story to come out of (Warning: pun ahead) the blue this year. Tapped out on funding to finish the film, writer/director Jeremy Saulnier took to Kickstarter. Shortly after, he met his goal of $35K (and a few grand more). After he finished the final cut of the film, it went on to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight, where it won the FIPRESCI Award (fun tidbit: winning this prestigious prize puts Saulnier in the same company as Paul Thomas Anderson, Jean-Luc Godard, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick, Aki Kaurismäki, Pedro Almodóvar and Michael Haneke, to name a few(. That’s a pretty damn good start if you ask me.
Blue Ruin started making the festival rounds and it’s all I heard about after it screened at Fantastic Fest. “Blue Ruin! You must see Blue Ruin!” pounded Twitter. Walking into it blind, I finally got my chance to see it at Sundance. This unconventional revenge movie is so violent and relentlessly suspenseful… if you can sit through it and not have that holy-shit-something-insane-is-about-to-happen squint on your face once during one of its extreme scenes, dear reader, you’re a lot tougher than I.
Read MorePorn. Masturbation. Scarlett Johansson acting sexier than ever. A pot-smoking Julianne Moore. Tony Fucking Danza. Sex. Sex. Sex. Everything you’ve always wanted in the directorial debut of Boy Wonder Joseph Gordon-Levitt is here, and it’s called "Don Jon’s Addiction."
The film tells the story of himbo Don Jon (Gordon-Levitt in the titular role), who only cares about a small number of things in his life: his body, his pad, his ride (classic SS Camaro), his bros, going to church (seriously), fucking as many women as he can, and most importantly, masturbating to porn roughly 15-20 times a week. Yeah, it gets weird. But it's also sexy, hilarious, and awesome. Read our review of the movie here.
Multihyphenate Josh Radnor is a rarity. So many films are made every year, but few that leave a powerful impression on its audience. Radnor's directorial debut, HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE, is one of those rare few films that left me in awe. I saw HTYMP two years ago when it premiered at Sundance, and I've since been waiting for the rest of the world to get a chance to see it, too. Starting this month, that's about to happen, as HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE is set for a theatrical release.
Read MoreInterviewing Ned Vizzini was a dream come true for me. I first read his third novel, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” about three years ago, when my mom bought it for me for Christmas. The kind of funny story on my end is she thought I would relate to the main character Craig, and I really did (high school was rough, man). I fell in love with this book and read it over and over and over.
Read MoreNever in my life has a film put me on the edge of my seat and had my heart racing during its entire running time. That streak ended when I saw Sean Byrne’s THE LOVES ONES. Made and released in Australia last year on June 1, 2009, THE LOVED ONES made its festival premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, then went on to play at AFI in L.A., and Austin’s SXSW. This is where I first heard of the film, where the only thing surrounding it was strong buzz.
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