One of the most enjoyable perks in film journalism is getting to talk to creative individuals about their work. On this site we’ve been fortunate enough to meet with numerous storytellers; we love taking deep dives with the talent at hand to find what inspires them. Some of the best interviews are ones that yield behind-the-scenes stories, triumphs and lessons learned. All in all, the road to bring any production to the public is a long one – but it can certainly be fun. And that’s why people in film consider the work an all-or-nothing pursuit. Last week, we had a kitchen sink discussion with Alden Ehrenreich. He’s been working…
-
-
Ohhh, Look…Christopher Nolan Shooting ‘Oppenheimer’ on IMAX
When it comes to big time filmmakers, it’s tough to get any more majestic than Christopher Nolan. Looking back over his career, even his more quaint outings were still brimming with grandiose plots and through lines. Since the days of Following and Memento, he’s helped re-imagine super hero films, heady heist films, detective yarns, war narratives, intergalactic family affairs, and techy spy thrillers. One thing is for sure, Nolan films are event films. Case in point. His latest is an epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. It was one…
-
Off the Shelf…’Solo: A Star Wars Story’
In the post-trilogy landscape, there have been some really great Star Wars films that exist beyond the hallowed Episodes IV, V and VI. The Force Awakens, even as a thinly veiled remake of A New Hope is so much fun. Rogue One is the prequel you’ve been looking for, and along comes Solo: A Star Wars Story attempting to flesh out the mythology of everyone’s favorite smuggling scoundrel. Did it work? Let’s just say that in our theatrical review of Solo, we were not very kind (check that out here). But having seen this four times now, I have warmed to this story which is serviceable and quite thrilling in…
-
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…
-
G-S-T Review…Solo: A Star Wars Story
A long time ago, as the story goes, there was a scruffy-looking space smuggler. Well, this story is about that beloved scoundrel, only younger and he had yet to herd nerfs. So goes Solo: A Star Wars Story. Aside from being a film people may have wanted (but audiences didn’t need), you might have heard stories about directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leaving the project (from a script by Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan) and Ron Howard coming aboard. Yup, creative changes certainly abound when putting together a Star Wars story these days. The good news is that the film is steeped in reverence, and a lot of fun. And more…
-
G-S-T Review…Beautiful Creatures
If Warm Bodies is a sly mockery of everything Stephanie Meyer started when she wrote Twilight and assisted in its transition from novel to screen, then what can we make of Beautiful Creatures? The lesson here, I think, is that not every post-Twilight YA movie will improve on the formula; in point of fact, some of them will wallow in it. Beautiful Creatures, lacking all of the heart and wit Levine brought to his own spin on the young adult blueprint, blithely tumbles into the latter category; it’s almost impossible to enjoy even on a trashy, so-bad-it’s-good level, though bless Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson for trying to bring the film to that sort of plateau.…
