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Archive for the 'Interviews' Category

Interview with No Escape’s John Dowdle and Drew Dowdle

Interview with No Escape's John Dowdle and Drew DowdleI was super excited to get the opportunity to chat with the brains behind No Escape!  The director/writer John Dowdle and co-writer Drew Dowdle were so awesome and easy to talk to!  It’s always great to talk with filmmakers who have a genuine passion for what they do!  I really enjoyed this movie!  Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it totally throws you a whole new shocking curve ball that leaves you wondering what could POSSIBLY happen next!  After watching this movie I really can’t wait to see what new projects “The Brothers Dowdle” have in store for us! Continue reading ‘Interview with No Escape’s John Dowdle and Drew Dowdle’

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Interview With A Faster Horse’s David Gelb

Interview With A Faster Horse's David GelbOne of the biggest perks of this gig here at Why So Blu is the access it gives me to chat with choice talent that I highly admire in the world of filmmaking.  Couple that with a 15-minute conversation about one of the most passionate subjects in my life, Ford Mustangs, and you have my heart and complete undivided attention.  Yep, that’s right.  My fifteen paragraphs of text wasn’t enough in my A Faster Horse film review a few days back over here.  Oh no!  I needed to have more!  It’s like having two beautiful Ford Mustangs parked in your garage.  What’s one more?  Hell, why not go for a Shelby, right?  Exactly!  However, I digress.  We’re here today to talk with David Gelb, the director of my new favorite documentary, A Faster Horse.  I think you can already tell where this conversation is going to go.  Oh yeah!  Pure muscle car nirvana.  Come on!  Let’s get started. Continue reading ‘Interview With A Faster Horse’s David Gelb’

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Exclusive ‘Detroit Rock City’ Blu-ray Interview w/ Director Adam Rifkin

KISS - Adam Rifkin InterviewYou wanted the best, you got the best!  Finally heading to the Blu-ray party today, after many years spent missing in action, the 1999 cult classic Detroit Rock City will be making its presence known by shouting it out loud in living rooms everywhere courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/New Line Cinema.  If you know what Detroit Rock City is all about, then hopefully my little “shout it out loud” play with words didn’t go right over your head (sound the failure trumpet).  On as serious note though, this former Cleveland, OH resident, which this film fictitiously starts out in, and lifelong KISS fan couldn’t be happier about this news as being a Blu-ray snob I sold my DVD version of the film many moons ago and have been anxiously waiting for this day to come.  That magic day in KISSTORY, which I have been referring to all paragraph long thus far, is TODAY!  Yep that’s right, the boys are back in town today and to celebrate this hotly anticipated day in KISSTORY with fans everywhere I thought what better way than to sit down and partake in a chat with the man ultimately responsible for bringing the Carl V. Dupré vision to life onscreen, the multi-talented Mr. Adam Rifkin and a few other surprises. Continue reading ‘Exclusive ‘Detroit Rock City’ Blu-ray Interview w/ Director Adam Rifkin’

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‘Black Sea’ Interview with Director Kevin Macdonald

black sea whysoblu kevin 2Black Sea is a heist film with an interesting twist.  It features Jude Law as a submarine captain, who is recruited to lead a crew of men in one submarine to the bottom of the Black Sea in order to recover lost Nazi gold from a sunken U-Boat.  I have a review for this film HERE, but Black Sea is a solid entry into the heist genre, with an emphasis on how obsession and distrust can overtake logic and reason, even in the most dire of scenarios, when teamwork is most important.  The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland), who I had the pleasure of interviewing.  Continue on to learn more about his influences for the story, his favorite submarine movies, the nature of filming with real submarines, and more!

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SDCC 2014: Out Now Presents A Comic Con 2014 Recap

2014 WSB Comic Con CoverageSo there are plenty of ways I could go over the various panels I saw throughout my time at Comic Con.  I have done so in a number of articles already, but all of this work certainly takes a lot of work.  So, with that said, rather than recap the same panels in written form, which have been covered on the day and read by thousands already, I figured I would publish a couple podcast episodes featuring myself and friend/fellow movie lover/Comic Con veteran Alan Aguilera.  The two of us took the time, during Comic Con, to go over our experiences from Wednesday through Saturday.  These were recorded on Friday and Sunday mornings, with part 2 being a good example of how exhausted we were, after seeing so much.  Continue on to listen to a couple bonus episodes from Out Now with Aaron and Abe (the podcast I co-host), which features discussions of Marvel, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Sony Pictures, Sin City, Batman the TV Show, 24, Sleepy Hollow, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and many other panel presentations, along with various stories, showroom floor experiences, and the craziness that was the Hall H line this year.

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INTERVIEW: Director Jeremy Saulnier & Star Macon Blair Of BLUE RUIN

Blue-RuinLast week I was privileged enough to have a phone interview with both the star and director of one of my favorite films this year, BLUE RUIN.  Please note that I don’t much fancy schmancy recording equipment to do all this proper, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.  Its audible and clear, that’s all you need haha.  I had a blast in my short time with these two.  Unfortunately the very last minute is gone forever because my recording device overheated.  All you’re missing me asking them about Murder Party coming to Blu-ray.  They said they want it to happen and have talked about it, but there’s nothing at this time.  But they did say to start getting #MurderPartyBlu-ray going and maybe that would help.  Anywho, I’ll quit typing so you can listen to me yap with them.  I hope you enjoy! Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: Director Jeremy Saulnier & Star Macon Blair Of BLUE RUIN’

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‘BOYHOOD’ Press Conference Highlights And More!

boyhood whysoblu 3-001A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to not only see the new Richard Linklater film, Boyhood, but attend a press conference for it, featuring writer/director Linklater, along with stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, and Lorelei Linklater.  Boyhood was shot intermittently over the course of 12 years, as the story follows a boy, Mason (Coltrane), from 6 to 18-years old, and depicts his life with his family along the way.  I will have a review of the film posted later in the week, but this post contains the highlights from the press conference, along with the audio from it.  Continue on to learn more about the film, the stars, Linklater’s filming process, and more!

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Aging Pilots’ Memories Fly High During The Filming of ‘Old Bold Pilots’

Old Bold Pilots TNThis past Thursday night I finally got the chance to sit down with George Dawe, a 51-year-old actor and stuntman (you can check out his IMDB page here), residing in Fallbrook, CA and talk about his newest project he’s passionately working on.  Now let me back up for one minute before we dive into further discussing this newest endeavor of his.  I have known George for a number of years now and let me tell you the man has quite an impressive resume of accomplishments in life.  Not only is he an actor and a stuntman like I mentioned prior, but he was also once an attorney and a pilot.  I mention the word pilot to cleverly segue into the reason we are all here today to talk about his newest “pilot,” the documentary television series Old Bold Pilots.  And yes, for anyone who’s counting, I said the word pilot three times in a sentence.  I am aware of that, but I digress.  Let’s talk some Old Bold Pilots. Continue reading ‘Aging Pilots’ Memories Fly High During The Filming of ‘Old Bold Pilots’’

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LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival: Gremlins’ Director Joe Dante Q&A

Joe DanteWhile seeing How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a neat departure for the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Film Festival, it seemed fairly in line with the fest to watch a film like Gremlins on the big screen. The holiday-horror-comedy classic celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year and fans were treated to both a screening of the film, as well as a Q&A with its director and horror-comedy fan-favorite Joe Dante. Dante talked about the surprise hit that Gremlins became, the making of the film, a possible reboot, and other things that don’t come anywhere close to nitpicking the rules of the Mogwai.
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LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival: How To Train Your Dragon 2 Q&A

1884116_CA_hero_AC_Hero Complex is essentially a genre media-themed offshoot of the Los Angeles Times newspaper and they have been holding a film festival in Hollywood for the past few years. While the films screened are always classics from the past, this year featured a screening of How to Train Your Dragon 2. I will post a review of this film soon, but following the screening, a Q&A was held with writer/director Dean DeBlois and stars Jay Baruchel (Hiccup) and America Ferrera (Astrid). The trio had plenty of admiration for a series they have heavily involved themselves with for the past seven years and were happy to share their thoughts.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Tony Revolori

The Grand Budapest Hotel whysoblu 12-001The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson.  The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.  The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair.  It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film.  The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with star Tony Revolori.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Jeff Goldblum

jeff-goldblum-the-grand-budapest-hotel-001The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson.  The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.  The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair.  It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film.  The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with star Jeff Goldblum.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Wes Anderson And Adam Stockhausen

The Grand Budapest Hotel whysoblu wes 3-001The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson.  The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.  The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair.  It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film.  The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with writer/director Wes Anderson and production designer Adam Stockhausen.

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‘The Americans’ Season 1 Blu-ray/DVD Release Party

american thumbIt was a bit humorous that the party celebrating the upcoming release of the FX series, The Americans, was occurring on the same day as the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  For those unfamiliar, The Americans is a series revolving around undercover Russian spies in 1980s Washington D.C.  Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star as a seemingly normal, suburban couple, who are actually lethal KGB agents.  The first season revolves around these two working together to continue their mission, while staying hidden as spies in plain sight.  It also takes a lot of time to expand on the lives these two have shared, making the audience root for these two to keep this fake, but not necessarily non-emotional, marriage alive.  I very much enjoyed the first season and was happy to enjoy the festivities celebrating the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release.  This post details the event as well as the conversation I was a part of, with the producers of the series, who were very happy to talk about it.

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Interview With Rhythm in the Night’s Ann Profeta

Annie2In my opinion, when it comes to the world of Irish dancing, there’s always three names that instantly come to mind, first and foremost, Michael Flatley.   The Chicago native is single-handedly responsible for bringing Irish dancing to the mainstream worldwide audience with his involvement in the second name I want to drop on you, Riverdance.  His next venture in the world of Irish dancing went on to become one of the most popular shows ever created and it’s the third name that I alluded to above, which really needs no introduction, Lord of the Dance.  However, in recent years, a new name has entered my vocabulary whenever I think about the world of Irish dancing and that is (drum roll please) Rhythm in the Night: The Irish Dance Spectacular.  If you are not familiar with that name, don’t fret it.  You will be.  Trust me.  We are going to talk about that and so much more today, but before I forget, let’s add a fifth name to the list that you should think of whenever the thought of Irish dancing conjectures in your head, Rhythm in the Night‘s lead female dancer, Cleveland’s own Ann Profeta. Continue reading ‘Interview With Rhythm in the Night’s Ann Profeta’

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Elysium’s Google Hangout with Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Muyzers

Peter Muyzers - www.whysoblu.comWhy So Blu? was given a special opportunity to “hangout” with Elysium visual effects supervisor Peter Muyzers yesterday morning, as they broadcasted live from Las Vegas at the Cave visual effects convention. Several folks from Autodesk moderated the Google Hangout. Since we’re also going to be reviewing Elysium on this very website soon, it made perfect sense to cover the event, so that we may pair the two pieces together to give fans better coverage of the science fiction epic. Aside from a few technical hiccups during the live feed, the Google Hangout was fun and informative. The following post is more of a free-form post as opposed to a word-for-word transcription. We will also link to the Google Hangout, so that you can also view it at your leisure.   Continue reading ‘Elysium’s Google Hangout with Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Muyzers’

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Lethal Ladies of Horror Interview: Night of the Comet’s Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart

resize_image.phpI was given the chance to interview the two lead stars of the 1984 cult horror-comedy favorite, Night of the Comet.  Both Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart were happy to answer a number of questions, leading up to the screening of the film in Los Angeles at the “Lethal Ladies of Horror Film Fest” on October 17th (details HERE), as well as the collector’s edition Blu-ray release of the film on November 19th (details HERE).  I should note that Kelli and Catherine will be at the horror fest and will be signing cool ‘Comet’ items and happy to take pictures with fans for a small fee.  For now though, read on to see what the ladies had to say about the film. IMPORTANT UPDATE: This Event Has Been Cancelled, which is incredibly unfortunate, but please still enjoy the interview.

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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Q&A, Featuring Steve Blum And Peter Ramsey

Cowboy Bebop-001On August 25th, I was happy to attend a screening of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, which was then followed by a panel discussion featuring actor Steve Blum (voice of ‘Bebop’s lead character Spike Spiegel) and director and illustrator Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians).  As a huge fan of the popular anime series and the film it spawned, it was exciting to see the film on the big screen again (I was fortunate to see the film during its very limited, original theatrical run in America, back in 2003), but also a very fun panel to listen in on afterward.  Continue on to listen to the entire Q&A and learn more about this fun event.

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