One of the allures of Comic Con is the opportunity to speak with some illuminaries in the science-fiction world, along with the many fans that flock to San Diego to attend. In the case of Edgar Wright, Jessica Hynes, and Simon Pegg, the director and creators of the BBC comedy Spaced, you get both. You might know Pegg from his work in the hilarious films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Before that, he was working in small roles on London comedies when a little project with Hynes and Wright struck gold back in 1999. The series Spaced was a comic success in England, a bit of an underground gem in the US, and has finally made its way onto DVD. We had the chance to sit down and talk with the trio about the short-lived, but much beloved show.
Entries Tagged 'Interviews' ↓
Spaced Invaders: An interview with Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Jessica Hynes
August 8th, 2008 by Ryan Keefer — BBC, Behind the Scenes, Interviews
Future Pulse: A post-Galactica interview with Jamie Bamber
August 5th, 2008 by Michael Stailey — BBC, Interviews, scifi channel
While Comic Con tends to be kamikaze journalism for those of us foolish enough to throw ourselves into it, some of the hidden gems are the small interview opportunities that pop up throughout the weekend, and this is a perfect example. Best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, a relaxed Jamie Bamber was tucked away in the Genius Products booth at the back of a manic Saturday morning convention floor doing small press for Pulse: Afterlife, a film he shot during hiatus last season, and arrives on DVD September 30. But as these interviews often go, the conversation strayed into some fascinating areas.
TV Verdict: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (Kairo)…
Jamie Bamber: Thank you for mentioning it.
TVV: Of course. The film was a fascinating J-Horror metaphor for our increasing anxiety over technology dependence…
JB: You know, I loved it. I just loved it, from the very first shot of these people in this sort of plant nurturing place which is on a building… like a nursery within an office building… it’s just a patio… and they’re so distant from each other… and it’s just about how disconnected we actually are. We think we’re connected by this technology, and that’s an illusion. And then people get haunted by the illusion, and ghosts come through and it takes over their lives… I thought it was mesmerizing, really mesmerizing. I have to say that’s why… Pulse 2, a sequel to a film I really liked… that’s why I decided to do it. To see if we could do something a bit more faithful to Kurosawa’s piece. I have no idea whether it is or not. It probably wasn’t one of the aims of the producers to be honest… to be faithful… because foreign films that leave the camera rolling on wide shots and don’t cut into it every two seconds are just not particularly en vogue in America right now. But I think we’ll learn and we’ll wake up that that’s actually more dramatic than being slapped around the head with a bat and told you don’t expect this, but you do and here it is.
Shall we play a game? An interview with director John Badham
August 4th, 2008 by Michael Stailey — Interviews, NBC, USA
Chief Justice Michael Stailey had the pleasure of sitting down with producer/director John Badham to discuss the relevance of Wargames in today’s technologically advanced world, the joys and pains of working on two current hit television series — Psych and Heroes, and how television directing has evolved from the late ’60s when he first got into the business.
TV Verdict: Two of your films have recently been given the Special Edition DVD treatment — Wargames to coincide with the release of the follow-up WarGames: Dead Code and Short Circuit to capitalize on WALL-E…
John Badham: We think WALL-E is capitalizing on Short Circuit. (He laughs)
TVV: Do you look at these films differently now, twenty years later, than you did when you were making them?
JB: Gosh, no. I love both of these movies and you hope that every movie you work on you’re going to be that excited about; that thrill, because you know it’s such a great script. In the course of your life, you’re gonna have to work on some stuff that maybe is not the greatest — for one reason or another — and reading both of these scripts, I’ll always remember my reaction to them, which was so positive and strong. “Whoa man, this is great!” Feeling that they both turned out really well even early on, that’s the strength of the script being decently done by the actors and the director. But if you don’t have a good script, you’re never gonna have something you’re happy with. All you can do with a bad script is dress it up and try and dance around it; do what Bob Fosse called “all that jazz,” to try and conceal the weaknesses of it. But when you get down to the heart of it, it’s still a piece of crap. But that’s not the case with these movies. You know, these movies stand because the characters are strong. Number 5 is a strong character. David Lightman is a character you just go “Aw man, I care about this kid. He’s in a lot of trouble. How’s he gonna get out of this shit?”
Comic Con Update: MST3K Interview
July 25th, 2008 by Michael Stailey — Comedy Central, Interviews
Just finished up a great interview with Joel, Trace, and Jim. While I wasn’t able to get through all of the questions I had, we did cover a lot of ground… Frank being the guy who screened and selected the films, the process of writing the series, performing in a vacuum, the first inkling that the show was catching on, the influence of the internet, content still being created for the 20th Anniversary DVD box set — a three-part documentary detailing the show’s history, new interviews, tonight’s Comic Con panel — and much more. I’ll be transcribing it this afternoon and hopefully post it before the panel.
Interview: “Mad Men” star Elisabeth Moss
July 15th, 2008 by Michael Stailey — AMC, Interviews
From her early voice work on animated series (Animaniacs, New Adventures of Batman and Robin) and holiday specials (Frosty Returns) to recurring roles on Picket Fences and The West Wing, 25-year-old actress Elisabeth Moss has crafted quite the impressive resume. But it wasn’t until landing the role of unassuming wunderkind Peggy Olson on AMC’s Mad Men that she truly came into her own. Elisabeth sat down with Chief Justice Michael Stailey to talk about the hit series, her character’s storyline, and what we can expect to see when Mad Men returns for Season Two.
Interview: “Dexter” star Julie Benz talks about her work on Stallone’s RAMBO
June 9th, 2008 by Michael Stailey — Interviews, Showtime
Most fans will forever remember her as the vamp who sired Angelus on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later Angel, but today the 36 year old former US Champion ice skater and wife of The Crypt Keeper (John Kassir) is best known to television viewers as the partner to yet another dark and devious anti-hero on the Showtime series Dexter. Actress Julie Benz stopped by to chat with Chief Justice Michael Stailey about her role in Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo and what we can expect from Season Two of her hit television series.
Q: I heard Sylvester Stallone is a fan of Dexter and sought you out for this role. Is that true?
JB: Yes. Yes, actually he loves the show and I got a phone call one day from my manager saying Stallone is casting his new movie and he’s a big fan of yours and would love for you to come in a take a meeting with him. And I was like… “Really??? Okay!”
Q: How was he as a director?
JB: You know, he’s really an amazing director. I think he’s a great filmmaker, and as a director he’s… very demanding, but he doesn’t demand anything out of you that you don’t see him delivering himself. And it made me realize what it takes to be a film icon. He’s so committed to every frame of every movie and his own performance. He’s really honest, which is great. I love a director that’s very honest, doesn’t sugar coat, and tell you exactly what he’s thinking. Because then you have a trust there.
