Film Junk » Behind The Lens

Behind The Lens: Charlyne Yi, Co-Writer and Star of Paper Heart

Sean — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:26:09 +0000

Behind the Lens is a feature where we pose a series of short, offbeat questions to inspiring filmmakers, actors and artists in order to get to know them a little better. Charlyne Yi is a comedienne, musician and actress who up until now was best known for her small role in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up, but with the release of the indie comedy Paper Heart this month in select theatres, she is finally getting her chance to be in the spotlight. We loved the movie when we saw it at Sundance earlier this year (you can read my review here), as Charlyne and director Nicholas Jasenovec use a hilarious and charming blend of documentary and fictional storytelling to explore what it means to be in love. Paper Heart is currently playing in select theatres in North America. For more info on where you can see the film, visit the official website, or follow PaperHeartMovie on Twitter. Don't miss out! Now, check out our quick Q&A with Charlyne after the jump. What movies have most influenced your work over the years? I'm actually not sure to be honest. I suppose movies that make me both laugh and cry. Movies that take me on a journey as well as an emotional one. Wow, I sound cheesy. But it's true. I want to feel something when I watch a movie. I want to care. Otherwise I don't like investing my time in experiencing the film. Because much more than watching, it is an experience. Eternal Sunshine [of the Spotless Mind] is a great one. I laughed, I cried, I was amazed how real I felt their relationship was even though there was this element of surrealism with the erasing of the mind concept. I really loved this movie. I remember as a kid, whenever I would write something it usually be something a bit strange and surreal. So it was comforting to experience something that was strange but great at the same time. And not too strange that there wasn't any substance like some of those weird artsy films. There are so many movies where there's a guy character who is a bit introverted and a free-spirited woman. And every story has been told. But the way the story was told, and how this movie was executed with the characters and such... was great. Just great... What are your current addictions? Food. I have to eat food every day or I'll just die! Oh and water! Recommend a movie that more people need to see and why. A great documentary called, Murder on a Sunday Morning. The people in this film are amazing, and the it's a crazy adventure because they're all real. I can't believe they captured something so incredible. I don't want to give anything away so I can't describe what happens. Personally, I like watching a film blindly and not know what it's about. I like the surprise. What is your most prized possession? My big brain? What is your biggest pet peeve? People who are rude. Name someone living or dead that you would most like to work with. Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky. List a few songs or bands currently in rotation on your iPod playlist. The Dirty Dancing Soundtrack, Man Man, Alden Penner, Beirut, Edward Scissorhands Soundtrack, Becoming Jane Soundtrack. What upcoming projects can we look forward to from you? I am writing a comic book with Oni Press and an incredible artist, Paul Maybury. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. And a woman must save what's left of the world against the devil.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Behind the Lens: Duncan Jones, Director of Moon

Sean — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:46:25 +0000

Behind the Lens is a feature where we pose a series of short, offbeat questions to inspiring filmmakers, actors and artists in order to get to know them a little better. Moon, the debut feature film from Duncan Jones, has been getting a lot of great buzz ever since it premiered at Sundance earlier this year. With a cerebral plot and an impressive solo performance by Sam Rockwell, not to mention amazing special effects on a shoestring budget, many critics have hailed it as the return of science-fiction for the thinking man on the big screen. The film is currently playing in select theatres in the U.S., and it will premiere in Canada starting this Friday. For more info on where you can see Moon, visit the film's official website, or follow Duncan on Twitter. Now, after the jump, check out our Q&A with writer-director Duncan Jones! What are your current addictions? Cupcakes and twitter. I now its weird, sad, I don't know what. But for me right now, cupcakes are a big deal. I don't know if its the chocolate, or the sugar rush, but they are just this little treat that puts a smile on my face when everything else seems so serious and important. As for twitter, its part job, part fun, all addiction. I dont know how Im going to break the habit, but Im going to have to at some point, cause I am on there WAY too much. Recommend a movie that more people need to see and why. You need to see Robert Altman's Mash, and the reason you need to see it, is that it is the progenitor for all bro-mance movies. It has the ultimate friendship in it, and some of the most real, beautifully rounded relationships ever put on film. Not to mention its just damn funny! What is your most prized possession? The torc around my neck. Its Celtic, older than Britain itself and was given to me by my dad at a time in my life when I really felt no sense of home. Im no spiritualist, but psychologically, my torc has given me a tether to a time and place, and makes me feel connected to something and at home, wherever I am. Name someone, living or dead, that you would most like to work with. Oliver Reed. Talk about raw charisma! Ever since I first saw that magnificent beast of an actor, I have cursed his death, and the fact that he was not born 30 years later so i could have worked with him in his prime. He was and always will be to me, the definitive British Alpha Male, and no one else even gets close. its unfair there's no one even on the horizon like him. What upcoming projects can we look forward to from you? That is a question! Possibly the question. As it stands, there are two possibilities, though a third has recently popped up. Either a sci-fi companion piece to Moon called Mute, that is a thriller based in a future Berlin, or a WW2 submarine story called Escape from the Deep that is based on an utterly amazing true story of a handful of American submariners who escaped their submarine at the height of the Pacific war while being depth charged by the enemy.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Behind The Lens: Michael Paul Stephenson, Director of Best Worst Movie

Sean — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:38:04 +0000

Hey folks, we're introducing a new feature here on Film Junk called Behind The Lens. The idea is to pose four or five questions to one of our favourite filmmakers, actors or artists, in order to get to know them a little better. Don't expect anything too serious and in-depth, but hey, you never know what secrets may be revealed! To kick things off, we caught up with Michael Paul Stephenson, one of the stars of the cult classic Troll 2, and director of the Troll 2 documentary Best Worst Movie. Best Worst Movie is playing at Hot Docs in Toronto this weekend. Don't miss out! What movies have most influenced your work over the years? American Movie, King of Kong, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. What are your current addictions? Sour Patch Kids and Green Tea. Recommend a movie that more people need to see and why. How about an entire series? Planet Earth. It's beautiful and entrancing. We're constantly running this rat-race called life and it's nice to sit back and let the beauties of the natural world wash over you. It's like a therapeutic escape for your mind and soul. Close second would be, Carnival Magic. I dare you to not fall in love with the inept and heartwarming story about the powers of linguistically gifted primates. What upcoming projects can we look forward to from you? Well, Troll 2: Part 2, of course. I'll give you a little taste:

After the gruesome death of his wife, "Farmer Waits" (George Hardy) has become a back-woods recluse with a grisly beard and a rusty shotgun that has the word "Hospitality!" hand-carved into the gunstock. The only life left life in him is spent plotting revenge against the goblins that ruined his family's trip to the countryside.

It's in development. Claudio and Rossella are penning the script. All of the original cast is returning, even the dead ones. Patton Oswalt is attached to play "Ancient Lord of Stonehenge Magic Stone." Apart from Troll 2: Part 2, I've recently been asked to direct a film that takes place in Tokyo, titled "KAIJU". It's a beautiful father-son "underdog" story that is charming, humorous, warm and full of heart yet dysfunctional enough to feel real and meaningful. Nothing is confirmed yet, it's still in the early stages of development and I want to make sure that I'm the right-fit for this story as I keep my eyes open for "that next project." Whether it's another documentary or a narrative, it's inconsequential to me. Simply, I'm interested in genuine and heartfelt stories; Stories that resonate with the human spirit. My next project has to grab hold of me and make it impossible for me not to want to put my heart into it. Whatever my next project may be, I know that I can't rest until George Hardy is on Dancing With The Stars.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!