Anna and the Apocalypse may be the only “Zombie Christmas Musical” you’ll ever see, but it will also be the best one. As such, we were thrilled that the lead, one Ella Hunt, was in Texas to promote the festival darling. We had an absolute blast interviewing the actor/singer/zombie slayer about the jolly good, sing-songy ride. John McPhail‘s indie favorite is a love-letter to, obviously, many different genre films. But it’s also a charming endeavor that really offers up something endearing, energetic and substantive in addition to the ingenious zombie kills, witty jokes, and memorable musical numbers. And they certainly cast Anna right. Ella Hunt has a natural, fun-loving charisma that translates…
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Video Interview…Rich Moore and Phil Johnston on ‘RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET’
Of all the Disney movies, princess or otherwise, Wreck-It Ralph is easily my favorite. And why wouldn’t it be? It is entertaining, highly inventive, hilarious, and infinitely quotable. Further, it was cast to perfection, has a fantastic score by Henry Jackman, and then, of course, there’s a great message for everyone – something Rich Moore and Phil Johnston seem to pull off effortlessly. We couldn’t wait for a follow up, but the above-pictured duo took a little detour from Litwak’s Arcade – to the lushly detailed animal kingdom of Zootopia – before outdoing themselves with Ralph and Vanellope’s second adventure on the big screen. But it was worth the wait, and it…
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[Fantastic Fest Interview]…’You Might Be the Killer’ Creative Team Discuss Story and Love of ’80s Slasher Films
In the span of three and a half days at Fantastic Fest this year, I saw eleven films. That might not seem like much, but when you are covering the fest, writing reviews and interviewing talent, you run out of time real quick. To say that going to bed at 4:30 AM became the norm is an understatement. All that aside, I really want to tell you about the best film that played at the Fest this year – or at least my favorite. That honor goes to an ’80s era slasher send-up called You Might Be the Killer. Check out my review here. I was so taken with the…
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[Fantastic Fest Interview]…Director Jim Hosking and Co-Writer David Wike on the Absurd Hilarity in ‘An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn’
In 2014, we spoke with Jim Hosking about his segment ‘G is for Grandad‘ in ABCs of Death 2 (check out that interview here). It was a brief glimpse into his mad style before he began work on the now divisive film The Greasy Strangler. Our good buddy Bryan Kluger (who runs BoomstickComics.com) loved it, so after thoroughly enjoying Hosking’s latest, the hilarious An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, we had to partner up on an interview while Hosking and co-writer David Wike were in town at Fantastic Fest this year. It was just as odd and fun as their film. Enjoy!! An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is written/directed by…
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Video Interview…’KIN’ Writers/Directors Jonathan & Josh Baker on Grounded Sci-Fi and the “Anti-Blockbuster”
Jonathan & Josh Baker are Australian born, Los Angeles based directors. While Kin marks their feature-directing debut, the brothers are established commercial directors, and are part of an acclaimed roster of directors at David Fincher‘s production company, RESET. The Bakers have made a name for themselves telling fanciful stories with a grounded and honest flair. Their naturalistic imagery embraces the bizarre and creates a detailed world that’s often both beautiful and imaginative. The duo craft their first narrative feature, Kin, based on their 2014 sci-fi short, “Bag Man” (check it out here). Throughout film, they keep the tension high, and, in a word, it is pulse-pounding. Their narrative is expertly…
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Exclusive: Video Interview…Ben Dickey on the Life and Times of Blaze Foley in Ethan Hawke’s ‘Blaze’
Seasoned actor, Ethan Hawke, steps behind the camera to direct Blaze, a film about little-known country music star, Blaze Foley. In the film, real-life musician, Ben Dickey, stars as the titular unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw music movement. Dickey, in his first acting role, is simply magnetic as the soft-spoken Foley. We caught up with him at The Adolphus Hotel in Dallas and got an exclusive interview. During our talk, we discussed his prep-work for the role, the dream-like structure of this uncommon biopic, and working with Foley’s wife, Sybil Rosen. Shot in his hotel room, Dickey was open to talking about all aspects of the film. Additionally, an…
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Interview…Joonas Suotamo on Playing Chewbacca in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’
For the third time in as many years, Finland’s own Joonas Suotamo dons the iconic Wookie get-up to continue playing Chewbacca in a galaxy far, far away. Suotamo, at 7 feet, certainly has the height to play the famous walking carpet, but how about his acting chops? Well, if you somehow thought Chewie was still being played by Peter Mayhew, then you can thank Suotamo’s thespian background for the seamless performance. We got to sit with Suotamo (who has a very Star Wars looking name) to discuss the role, the gestural and non-verbal delivery, his inspirations, and his hard to pronounce last name. I fell in to the trap inadvertently referring…
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[DIFF Video Interview]…Matt Schrader Screens ‘SCORE: A Film Music Documentary’ at the Dallas International Film Festival
The 2017 Dallas International Film Festival brought many amazing films and documentaries to DFW, but few hit as close to home (musically speaking) as Matt Schrader‘s feature, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary. Schrader’s film profiles various personalities and titans in the industry to chronicle the history of film music, reaffirm its importance in our culture, and attempt to explain why certain scores continue to resonate decades later. I can honestly say I’ve been a music fan longer than I’ve been a film fan, and as such, forgive the pun, this doc was music to my ears. We spoke to Schrader in 2015 while he was in the middle of interviewing the composers for…
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Video Interview…Nacho Vigalondo On the Large and Small Themes of ‘Colossal’
For years, Fantastic Fest has been a venue for independent and auteur filmmakers to showcase their latest features. 2016 was no different, as we saw stellar debut efforts from some talented directors (Nicolas Pesce for instance) and welcomed back friends of the Fest. Chief among them is a genre filmmaker so famous and beloved, he has been dubbed the unofficial mascot of Fantastic Fest. I’m not sure that anyone ever sets out to be a “mascot”, but Nacho Vigalondo is happy to oblige…he’s even gotten two themed tattoos while at the Fest if that tells you anything. Vigalondo’s style has endeared himself to many a genre fan, but he’s also…
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Video Interview…Dax Shepard and Michael Peña Breathe New Life Into ‘CHIPS’
Dax Shepard and Michael Peña star in CHIPS, the hilarious new film from Warner Bros. While many TV properties make the jump to the big screen and become a parody of the source material, this film stays a little closer to the serious side. Sure, it’s irreverent and raunchy, but CHIPS also has some pretty spectacular action along with some good character building moments, and the film feels like an old-school, R-rated action/comedy. Earlier this month, we spoke to Shepard and Peña about the film – Shepard (taking on directing and writing duties) talks about the tone of the film as well as his love of motor sports, and Peña (who…
