BOFCA INTERVIEW: 9/20

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After the critical success of the animated movie PERSEPOLIS, directors Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi decided to adapt their next book, CHICKEN WITH PLUMS, in a completely different direction: with live actors. There’s plenty of whimsy and clever storytelling throughout the film, but the theme of the movie is that of losing something that was deeply loved. Think of it as a live-action PERSEPOLIS for grownups, transplanted to 1950s Iran.

The two directors sat down with BOFCA member Monica Castillo to discuss cultural common ground, breaking out of animation, and problems of adapting their books.

Q: How did you decide on your style for CHICKEN WITH PLUMS? You do a very interesting mix of paintings in the background with live action in the foreground with multiple layered effects. How did you plan on using such a wide variety of techniques?

MS: Well, if you have a story that you really want to talk about, and if when you go to pitch your story about a depressed man who decides to die and eight days later he dies, it would seem like the most boring story in the world. It’s really not that exciting. So how do we make that exciting? Not only from the narration but also from the visual style. And there’s something realistic about how we remember things: it’s not always chronological and not all memories appear the same way. Some of them appear full of color and detail; others are completely blank or grey. We wanted to create that and make it exciting visually and narratively, but then how we worked it in was just the result of a lot of work. Cinema is a domain is where we don’t have to limit our imagination, so why should we? But then the big challenge is to make it not look like patchwork. So we should be able to go from one style to the next, and it should feel smooth. So we worked with our cinematographers, set designers, and costume designers to make sure we were all together to make it all one entity.

Q: So speaking about death and to a figure of death is a big part of the movie.

MS: Well of course, we all will speak to death at one point or another. I mean, we live in a society that favors the young, then we get botox to look young, and then we disappear. The reality is that you are young, you are less young, then you are old, and then you die. We are all going to meet death. The fact that we wanted an angel of death that would not be an old man or a skull, we wanted him to have a certain look but could look like a neighbor that would come and visit you.

Q: With PERSEPOLIS, it feels like there’s a bit more of a culture clash: the new school against the old school. CHICKEN AND PLUMS felt a tad more universal in that the main theme seemed to be about loss. Was there a reason behind the jump to explore that in the new character of Nasser?

VP: The reason why we made PERSEPOLIS as an animated movie was to make it universal. We were against a cultural clash, because it does not exist in reality. Cultures are too influenced by each other to really be different. We wanted to explore that in PERSEPOLIS, and we did. By making the whole movie out of drawings, we could get away with an abstract story. But CHICKEN WITH PLUMS is a love story, and that is universal anywhere, so we could just go for it.

Q: So there’s another story coming next in the series, THE ELEVENTH LAUREATE…

MS: Yes, but it is not a book.

Q: No book this time?

MS: No, because I am sick of the word adaptation. It is very boring. Economically, it is very interesting, but in reality, you have to think about the story in one way and then you have to think about the story cinematically, which is not the same at all. So it is intellectually and artistically not very interesting at all. This next one is going to be a script, not a book. Either I will make a book or make a film, but I won’t make a book to make a film anymore. It’s very boring. Why do that?

Q: How long did you work on CHICKEN WITH PLUMS?

VP: Two years and then another year after shooting. We thought, very naïvely, that after PERSEPOLIS’ Oscar nomination that people would give us money for our next film. But that does not work in the real world, when you make an animated film and don’t want to do another animated film. We had lots of time to prepare the movie.

Q: So this was your first time working with actors. How did that affect your directing?

VP: We had a wish list of our favorite choices and basically, we were lucky that almost all of them said yes. But this is one of the major differences with actors: they’ll put themselves in the story and these are things we can’t control. Our actors are very talented, so they pushed the story further. Even as a director, you become a viewer. You’re watching them react to things in the story and sometimes it was something you were not expecting.

Q: Any specific examples?

MS: Oh, it happened all the time. For example Maria de Medeiros, who plays Nassar’s wife, we had a small range of emotions for her: just nasty and bitchy. But then we understand her reasons and we feel compassion for her. She made her character sympathetic like that; because we just thought she would be bad. And then you feel really sorry for her, you feel like protecting her, you fall in love with her. That was not in the script at all.

Q: Have you returned to Iran since the success of PERSEPOLIS?

MS: I haven’t gone back in thirteen years. I have no reason to go back now. If I go, I cannot leave. I like my freedom too much.

CHICKEN WITH PLUMS opens Friday, September 21st.

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/14

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ARBITRAGE

“Watching that facade crack, and watching a good actor at the top of his game portray a man losing everything is absolutely fascinating.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Isn’t it compelling enough to watch Gere engineer a high-stakes fraud without a dated melodrama hogging all the foreground?” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The weird murder mystery is a bit much. I’d rather just stick to the numbers and personal drama for once, which is probably the first time I’ve ever written such a statement.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

 

FINDING NEMO 3D

“The compositions still exhilarate, and the smooth ocean renderings still amaze. It’s all just a little bit dimmer.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

LITTLE WHITE LIES

“And then there’s the films debilitating length, which is never – not even for a stretch – earned by the content.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION

“An extended, mostly slow-motion gun battle that serves solely as a set-up for, yes, another sequel. Now that’s evil.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“You either enjoy an hour and a half of buff female and male characters in tight, form-fitting outfits shooting at zombies and each other, or you don’t.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page
 
“I have very low expectations with a movie like this. I just want to be entertained and stare at Milla Jovovich. And I did.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Look, it’s September. Let’s just try and ride this crappy season out until the good stuff starts to hit in a week or two.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/7

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BACHELORETTE

“An invigorating shock – a comedic gut punch that reminds you that movies can be uproarious without needing to be lazily constructed.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s chock-full of drug use, casual sex and some astonishingly inventive flights of profanity. I laughed myself sick.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“This movie’s got a bitter soul that’s ready to go, and has about as much heart as a freezer filled with ice and cyanide.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Making the audience sit through almost two hours of harpy-level screeching to get to the point is unforgivable.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

THE WORDS

“It’s not that this is a bad movie, necessarily; it’s just hard to know what to make of it.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“Simply a mishmash of narratives never fully realized or fleshed out.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The elements seem to be there to tell an interesting story, but the way they are presented is the problem.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A compelling drama that may not have a lot of things to say, but it is certainly about the way we say things.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“More so than some movies, this is one that turns on how you relate to the players.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If you’re an introspective person, you’ll appreciate what THE WORDS has to say, even if you feel a bit downtrodden after watching.” – Evan Crean, StarPulse

 

THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY

“Sigourney Weaver is the only one having any fun. That includes the audience.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“More sooner than later, the rest of his family is taken hostage, and Willis exits the picture on the lookout for the nearest check-cashing place.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
 
BRANDED
 
“Borderline offensive and overly dense, the movie is unsure of what it wants to be: a sci-fi thriller or a socialist parable.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
“If you want to understand what ‘pretentious’ means, you’ve got to check out BRANDED. Or rather, don’t.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/31

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OSLO, AUGUST 31ST

“A devastating film. Anders moves through the picture like a ghost, while Danielsen Lie’s performance grows increasingly closed off and enigmatic.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The movie captures moments of lyrical beauty. As the final shots mirror the first, you reflect on how life goes on, with and without us.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“You leave the film overwhelmed by the skill behind its craft and simultaneously demolished by its stark, compassionate, yet ultimately hopeless vision of the struggle against the darkness within.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

LAWLESS
 
“A strong cast and a fresh spin on the gangster film help overcome a script that occasionally lapses into cliché.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

“One of those curious misfires in which a lot of talented people are nowhere near their comfort zones. And I still couldn’t understand a word Tom Hardy said.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“What should be a classic modern-western gets derailed by schizophrenic direction in John Hillcoat’s hilariously uneven depiction of a lawless world.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Pearce’s role is a perfect example of the over-the-top theatrical performance that Awards Voters love, because Awards Voters are usually stupid.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It’s curious, but we now seem to find ourselves waxing nostalgic about times when the people in power were merely corrupt. Nowadays, they’re practically cannibalistic.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“LAWLESS is not going to win any prize for breaking the story mold, but that’s okay because it revisits this well-trod ground enthusiastically.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…

“Other than Kevin Smith, is there anyone more toxic to a film than Nia Vardalos? Well, get ready, because first-time feature director Jamie Travis has them both.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“A movie so unfunny it makes SCHINDLER’S LIST look like SUPERBAD. The characters swear and talk about sex like young kids who just discovered both things exist.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It constantly ducks away from any semblance of adult sexuality, while director Travis indulges in garish colors and giggle fits.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly 

 

 THE BULLET VANISHES

“As far as cheap knock-offs go, it’s a fairly flattering imitation.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

“But you don’t need to spend $11.75 to see an infomercial. It’s under-thought, overdone, and presented without the slightest hint of visual panache. It’s repellent.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“And while the deadpan delivery of the series of unfortunate events is amusing, it can grow tiring. It’s also easy to feel frustrated with Mike’s character, as the leading man, he doesn’t quite mature from the start of the film.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Nobody bothered to outsize this interior monologue into an actual motion picture. So, from the get-go, it’s like we’re watching some overblown, under-photographed version of a story we’ve already heard.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 

BOFCA INTERVIEW: 8/30

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Matt Bondurant’s 2008 bestseller THE WETTEST COUNTY IN THE WORLD was based on a family legend that his family never told him about. This wild historical novel chronicling Prohibition Era moonshine wars in West Virginia’s Franklin County has just been adapted for the big screen by director John Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave as LAWLESS, with Shia LeBeouf starring as the author’s grandfather, Jack.

Bondurant sat down a couple of weeks ago with BOFCA members John Black and Sean Burns. Here are some highlights from their conversation:

Q: Loved the book. But it’s billed as “a novel based on a true story.”  So how autobiographical –or I guess maybe just biographical– is it, really?

A: Well, there are several incidents that we know to be historically accurate that the book is sort of framed around. There’s not a lot of evidence what any of these guys were doing on any given day from 1920 to 1935, unless they show up in the newspaper. And that happens when they get shot, so that’s kinda all you have.

 Q: It was such a closed community, and these guys barely talk to each other.

 A: They’re tight-lipped people. We had a vague sense that my grandfather was involved in moonshine growing up, but nobody talked about it. It wasn’t really until about fifteen years ago we found out that he was shot, and that’s when we found the newspaper article. They’re quiet, stoic people. There’s not much of a storytelling urge.

 Q: So after all those years working on this book, what does it feel like handing it over to Nick Cave?

A: It’s very impersonal, the transaction. Your agent calls you from L.A. and etcetera, etcetera. Then you sign contracts and it kinda goes away. It’s happening somewhere else and you don’t think anything of it for a long time. And then when Hillcoat becomes attached, then Nick Cave… like a lot of people, I loved THE ROAD but I wasn’t aware of THE PROPOSITION yet. I was of course aware of Nick Cave as a musician, but not as a screenwriter. It was really cool because from the very beginning I felt like I was in good hands, with Hillcoat and Cave as a team? And Shia LeBeouf was attached, so I thought that was great because he has some weight to pull around and maybe he could make things happen. And he did. He stuck with it. Even after people came on and dropped off, and it went into turnaround and Columbia Pictures dropped it. I don’t understand how this stuff works.

Q: We were going to ask you to explain it!

A: Yeah, I have no idea. There were four or five production companies, and somehow somebody picked it up, but really Tom Hardy started the snowball effect when he signed on. All of the sudden everybody else jumped on there too. I think a lot of people wanted to work with Hillcoat and Cave. I saw a couple of iterations of the script, and I thought it was pretty cool. I don’t have much experience looking at scripts. They’re kind of weird to look at. I’m used to novels so it’s a weird sort of framework of a story and it’s all abbreviated and shortened and it seems strange. But I could tell that he had some good lines in there, and he used a lot of my lines, too – so I was really happy about that!

Q: What did you make of that Guy Pearce performance?

A: It’s pretty wild.  That’s probably the most significant change from the book. Hillcoat explained to me that they wanted to demonstrate the difference between Charlie Rakes and everybody else — bringing in an outsider from Chicago and making him more menacing. Of course, as films do, they amped him up and made him a straight villain. In the book I tried to provide a more complicated picture, that he was a person who was troubled by his own personal demons. But you can’t really do that in the film. They’re already trying to get these three brothers down, so the villain’s just gotta be the villain. It’s a crazy sort of look Guy had going on there, and apparently he came up with a lot of that on his own. Hillcoat told me Pearce just came out of the bathroom one day with this shaved line in his head. The eyebrows were gone and they were like, “Holy shit!”

Q: It looks like he’s doing PINK FLOYD: THE WALL.

A: Oh yeah! It was pretty freaky. He chews up the screen. You can’t take your eyes off him.  It seems like the reactions from audiences – they hate him, they want him dead.

Q: So back to the tight-lipped people, what does your family think of the movie?

A: My Dad’s the only living person who is in the film, and he’s that little boy sitting on Shia’s lap at the end. When I was doing this in D.C. last week he came to the screening and saw the film for the first time, then participated in the Q&A, which was pretty cool.

Q: How’d he like it?

A: My Dad’s eighty years old and hasn’t seen a movie in a theater in thirty years, easy. My Mom said she can’t remember the last time he stayed awake through an entire film. But he stayed awake through this one!

LAWLESS opened yesterday in Boston area cinemas.