With origins in Chicago’s Second City Theater, appearances in films like One Crazy Summer and The Artist, and TV shows like “Dharma & Greg,” “Mad Men” and “Shameless,” actor Joel Murray has seen many different aspects of Hollywood. A self-professed character actor, the hardworking Murray (brother of Bill) now has a lead role in God [...]
Category: "Interviews"
‘God Bless America’ interview with writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait
Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait stepped out of his Police Academy shadow with his first directed film Shakes the Clown in 1991, in which he also starred as the title character. Since then, Goldthwait has put more of his focus on becoming a filmmaker, releasing absurd cult favorites like World’s Greatest Dad (starring Robin Williams), Windy City [...]
‘The Raven’ interview with actor John Cusack
In the newest film from Ninja Assassin and V for Vendetta director James McTeigue, actor John Cusack plays the famous American author Edgar Allan Poe in a horror story that mixes biographical fact with Poe’s own fiction. The end result is something like your great-great grandfather’s version of the Saw saga, with people using fancier [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘Damsels in Distress’ interview with actress Greta Gerwig
With a start in independent films like Nights and Weekends with “mumblecore” director Joe Swanberg, actress Greta Gerwig has recently expanded her quirky prowess to larger films, both from the independent and Hollywood scene. Recently, she played Russell Brand’s on-screen love interest in Arthur, playing the part once made famous by Liza Minnelli. Now, she’s [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘The Raid: Redemption’ interview with writer/director Gareth Huw Evans
Gareth Huw Evans does not look like the type of guy who has directed an awesome Indonesian action movie. For one, he’s Welsh. On top of that, he’s a giggly tall man with proud roots as an action fanboy, especially for the films of John Woo. Evans’ third feature film The Raid: Redemption tells the [...]
’21 Jump Street’ interview with actors Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum
Considering their past roles and the “types” they have previously played, Oscar-nominated actor Jonah Hill and four-time “Teen Choice Awards” winner Channing Tatum make for an unlikely duo both on-screen and off. In their latest film 21 Jump Street, in which a former geek (Hill) and former jock (Tatum) go back to high school as [...]
‘Being Flynn’ interview with writer/director Paul Weitz
In the latest movie from About A Boy director Paul Weitz, actor Paul Dano plays Nick Flynn, a young writer who starts working at a homeless shelter. Nick is forced to face himself and his background when his estranged father Jonathan, (Robert De Niro) a downward spiraling writer, comes to stay at the shelter. Being [...]
‘Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie’ interview with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim
Comedy duo Tim and Eric have garnered quite a cult following with their previous shows on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, “Tom Goes to the Mayor” and especially “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” Now the two are poised to dominate the world of film with their absurdly funny Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, [...]
‘Project X’ interview with actors Jonathan D. Brown, Oliver Cooper, and Thomas Mann
The geeks continue their mission to reach the summit of acceptance with Project X, a rambunctious found footage movie produced by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon, among many other films). The adventurous geeks, who eventually turn a birthday night into a life-changing event, are played by unknowns Oliver Cooper, and Jonathan [...]
‘The Artist’ interview with actor James Cromwell
A golden member of Hollywood, the very tall James Cromwell has played almost every part in the business. With more than 150 film/TV roles to his name, Cromwell has embodied princes, majors, presidents, vice presidents, doctors, and manipulative geniuses. Despite the positions of power he usually plays, he received an Oscar nomination for playing Farmer [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘Newlyweds’ interview with actor/writer/director Edward Burns
The latest film from Edward Burns focuses on a couple, Buzzy and Katie (Burns and Caitlin Fitzgerald), who receive an unexpected visit from Buzzy’s sister Linda (Kerry Bishe). The fight-less chemistry of the two newlyweds is tested by Linda’s reckless behavior. At the same time, Buzzy and Katie witness the crumbling marriage of their two [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘In Darkness’ interview with actor Robert Wieckiewicz and director Agnieszka Holland
In the Oscar-nominated film In Darkness, Robert Wieckiewicz plays a cynical sewer worker named Leopold Socha. Based on a true events, Socha tries to hide a group of Jews in the sewers of Polish city Lvov during the Nazi occupation. The film, which features many scenes shot in complete darkness sans for a single flashlight, [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘Man on a Ledge’ interview with Sam Worthington
Action star Sam Worthington has been to the top of the world with his lead role in Avatar, and now he’s on the edge with his new film, Man on a Ledge. In the film featuring Jamie Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie and Edward Burns, Worthington plays an ex-cop named Nick Cassidy who pretends to [...]
‘Joyful Noise’ interview with actor/singer Jeremy Jordan
A musical theater student from Ithaca College, Jeremy Jordan has risen from a lead understudy in a Broadway production of “Rock of Ages” to a supporting actor in his first film, the gospel musical Joyful Noise. Directed by Todd Graff, who may be known to many musical theater students for his cult favorite Camp, the [...]
‘The Artist’ Interview with Director Michel Hazanavicius
Destined for a heap of Oscar nominations this year, The Artist is a unique cinematic experience. The film is black and white and silent, directly resembling the looks of films from the late 1920s and early 30s. It tells the story of a silent film star named George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who struggles after being [...]
‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ interview with actor Gary Oldman
With memorable roles in movies like The Professional, JFK, and even Air Force One, Gary Oldman has gained a reputation as the villain (who usually) screams a lot. This stereotype of his legacy is now retorted by Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, in which Oldman plays George Smiley, a quiet ex-spy who is assigned to find [...]
‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ interview with director Tomas Alfredson
Slowly walking into theaters is the British espionage hit, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which can be summed up as “the anti-Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” The film boasts the casting of Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds and more, while featuring zero car chases. Based on the book by John [...]
‘Shame’ interview with actor Michael Fassbender and director Steve McQueen
“It’s not about a dude in a rain coat with sweaty hands.” That’s one way to look at the newest film starring Michael Fassbender, Shame, which is directed by Steve McQueen, of Hunger notoriety. The film co-stars Carey Mulligan and centers around a New York bachelor named Brandon (Fassbender) who struggles with his sexual addiction [...]
‘My Week with Marilyn’ interview with director Simon Curtis
Working with Marilyn Monroe must have been quite a special experience for third assistant director Colin Clark, whose brief time with the star has turned into two memoirs, and now a film, titled My Week with Marilyn. Similarly, the experience of working with Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams portraying Monroe must have been something magical for [...]
‘The Descendants’ interview with actress Judy Greer
Judy Greer might be most known for her flamboyant performance in the show “Arrested Development,” or as the “daffy sidekick” in movies like 13 Going on 30 and 27 Dresses. Some might love her as Fatty Mcgoo on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” While Greer does variate from comedy to drama, and usually stays somewhere [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘Like Crazy’ interview with co-writer/director Drake Doremus
With his latest film Like Crazy, Drake Doremus takes a stab at a truth that still stands regardless of how many times it is said – love is tough. Co-writing a screenplay with Ben York Jones, his fourth film (but arguable breakout) tells the story of a young couple (played by Anton Yelchin and Felicity [...]
TSR Exclusive: ‘Like Crazy’ interview with Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones
Like Crazy, the indie romance that earned a Sundance seal of approval from last year’s festival, is a movie that lives and breathes on the chemistry of its two stars, Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Felicity Jones (Brideshead Revisited). Even off-screen, the mojo between the two is just as vibrant. I took part in the [...]
Jake’s Takes: ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ interview with Elizabeth Olsen
Martha Marcy May Marlene Directed by: Sean Durkin Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy Running Time: 2 hrs Rating: R Release Date: November 4, 2011 (Portland) PLOT: Martha (Olsen) leaves a cult and its leader (Hawkes) and stays with her sister (Paulson) and her husband (Dancy). She’s haunted by painful memories and [...]
‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ interview with actress Elizabeth Olsen and writer/director Sean Durkin
A lingering psychological thriller about a young girl named Martha who is disoriented after escaping from a cult, Martha Marcy May Marlene is a true break-out movie. It’s an escape for actress and Elizabeth Olsen from being immediately associated with her famous twin sisters, and a near-perfect dash out of indie film obscurity for writer/director [...]
Jake’s Takes: ‘Puss In Boots’ interviews with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek
Puss In Boots Directed by: Chris Miller Cast: (voices of) Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins Rating: PG Release Date: October 28, 2011 PLOT: Puss in Boots (Banderas) is a sword-fighting cat. He and Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) are in pursuit of a golden goose, in order to clear their [...]
