Category: Films

Spinning Platters Interview: Robert Zemeckis on “Flight”

Robert Zemeckis and Denzel Washington on the set of FLIGHT

François Truffaut once said that a great movie is the perfect blend of truth and spectacle. This is one of Robert Zemeckis’ favorite quotes, and as evidenced by his staggering filmography, a guiding principle in his work. From his 1984 action-comedy Romancing the Stone onward, he has displayed an virtuosic ability to craft culture-defining megahits that use cutting-edge technology to tell unforgettable stories. Comedic VFX-driven comedies like the Back to the Future films, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Death Becomes Her led to such powerfully soul-searching dramas as Forrest Gump (which won him the Oscar for Best Director), Contact, and Cast Away (which came out a few months after his deliciously sinister suspense flick, What Lies Beneath). Zemeckis’ interest in new filmmaking technology then led him on a decade-long detour into animation, and for a time, it seemed like we may have lost the visionary who so radically broadened the horizons of live-action film. But now, twelve years after his last non-animated movie, he is back with Flight.

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Film Review: “Silver Linings Playbook”

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles

written by: David O. Russell (screenplay), Matthew Quick (novel)

directed by: David O. Russell

MPAA: Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

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Spinning Platters Interview: Jackson Rathbone on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”

Jackson Rathbone in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART TWO

How will civilization sustain itself without a Twilight movie to look forward to every fall? I for one will miss my annual trip to the theater each November to watch a Morrissey-looking vampire and shirtless werewolf fight for the love of an unhappy lesbian. One person with an even more personal take on the conclusion of the series is X-Men enthusiast, Civil War buff, and Twilight actor Jackson Rathbone (he plays Jasper Hale, neither the Morrissey-looking vampire nor the shirtless werewolf ), whom I spoke to during a recent press junket.  Looking less pale and significantly less blond than he does in the films (Rathbone had to dye his naturally dark hair blond to match the character description in the books) the charming Texan talked about his illustrious ancestry, his action figures and what might be next now that Breaking Dawn has broken.

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Film Review: “Lincoln”

Daniel Day-Lewis in LINCOLN

starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader

written by: Tony Kushner

directed by: Steven Spielberg

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage and brief strong language

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Film Review: “Skyfall” (aka The New James Bond Movie)

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Judi Dench

Written by: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan

Directed by: Sam Mendes

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking

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Spinning Platters Interview: John Hawkes and Helen Hunt on “The Sessions”

Helen Hunt and John Hawkes in THE SESSIONS

If you think you’ve seen every possible narrative variation on a man trying to lose his virginity, then allow me to introduce you to The Sessions. A cheerful film of irrepressible optimism and remarkable sexual frankness, it is the true story of Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes), a man who was left near-paralyzed following a childhood bout with polio. Having attained local fame for graduating from Berkeley by attending classes on a motorized gurney, Mark now spends the majority of his days in an iron lung. His physical movement is limited to a 90-degree rotation of his neck, which he doesn’t let prevent him from pursuing work as a writer and freelance journalist (and what have you done lately?). When a magazine assigns him a story on sex and the disabled, his research leads him to “sex surrogate” Cheryl Cohen-Greene (Helen Hunt), essentially a physical therapist with an emphasis on sex. Yes, her vocation involves having sex with her clients. With great trepidation, Mark (still a virgin at 36) decides to undergo a series of therapy sessions with Cheryl to see if he is indeed capable of performing sexually.

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Spinning Platters Interview: Matthew Lillard on “Fat Kid Rules the World”

Matthew Lillard (far right) on the set of his directorial debut FAT KID RULES THE WORLD

“Oh, that’s just semen.” Matthew Lillard is trying to put me at ease about a mysterious glob on the chair I’m about to sit in. As I express my comfort with this substance and take a seat, I stare across the table and look directly into one of the most unforgettable faces of my teen years. Between Serial Mom, Hackers, and Scream alone, Lillard is arguably one of the key cult actors of that greatest of decades. Throw in SLC Punk!, She’s All That, Mad Love, and even If These Walls Could Talk, and we’re talking about a bona fide generational icon. By the time he hit paydirt with his uncanny embodiment of Shaggy in the 2002 blockbuster Scooby Doo and its 2004 sequel, Lillard seemed unstoppable. Then, after a decade of steady and successful work, Lillard entered a lengthy fallow period that tested his personal and professional resolve. But with two high-profile acting gigs over the last year and the victorious release of his long-gestating directorial debut, Fat Kid Rules the World, Lillard is back on the scene in a big way.

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Spinning Platters Interview: Sam Rockwell and Martin McDonagh on “Seven Psychopaths”

Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, and Sam Rockwell in SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

Seven Psychopaths may only be the second feature-length film from writer/director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), but it appears that he’s already having his 8 1/2 moment. A fragmented and bizarre but explosively funny crime comedy, it is ostensibly the story of Marty (Colin Farrell), a screenwriter attempting to write his next script, titled…Seven Psychopaths. There’s just one problem: despite the title, Marty has only thought of one psychopath. But when his friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), an aspiring actor and serial dognapper, and his dognapping partner Hans (Christopher Walken), unwittingly steal Bonny, the beloved shih tzu of vicious L.A. gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson), Marty begins to realize that he may actually be surrounded by psychopaths.

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Film Review: “The Paperboy”

Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, and David Oyelowo in THE PAPERBOY

starring: Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray

written by: Lee Daniels and Pete Dexter

directed by: Lee Daniels

MPAA: Rated R for strong sexual content, violence and language

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Film Review: “Pitch Perfect”

Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick in PITCH PERFECT

starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, John Benjamin Hickey

written by: Kay Cannon

directed by: Jason Moore

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references

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