Contents

Bill Paxton Interview

Bill Paxton has starred in Titanic, Twister and Apollo 13. Prior to Frailty though, he'd never gotten behind the camera to direct. Chris Neumer speaks to Paxton to get the story on being a first time director, how to create a ruse and the positive aspects of serial killing.

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Brian Herzlinger Interview

Brian Herzlinger is the most upbeat filmmaker in the world. He took his winnings from the gameshow Taboo, bought a video camera at Circuit City and spent 30 days filming his attempts to land a date with Drew Barrymore. Now his warm, delightful film is getting a nationwide theatrical release. Chris Neumer talks to Herzlinger about life, love and happiness.

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Bruce Brown Interview

Director Bruce Brown's seminal film, On Any Sunday, remains the best motorcycle movie ever made several decades after its initial release. Brown chats with Chris Neumer about filming life in the (racing) pits and what it took to get this Oscar nominated film made... namely Steve McQueen's checkbook.

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Bruce Campbell Interview

Bruce Campbell is one of the most charismatic actors and tireless self-promoters on the planet. In between conversations about Sam Raimi, hitting Gene Hackman with a 2x4 and dealing with fans, Campbell pushed his new book, his old book and rewatching The Evil Dead. And, dammit, if they aren't all worth a look.

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Chris Eyre Interview

Writer/director Chris Eyre is the only Native American filmmaker to have entered the mainstream. He talks to Chris Neumer about why Indians can wear things other than loin cloths, what patriotism is and why voyeurism is so damned fascinating.

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Conrad Vernon Interview

Conrad Vernon directed the third highest grossing film in American history and you've never heard of him. Shame on you. Chris Neumer shares a margarita with Vernon and gets into why Vernon calls the experience "absolutely horrendous".

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Dana Brown Interview

Documentarian Dana Brown comes from a family of surf filmmakers. His father, Bruce Brown, made The Endless Summer and his son, Wes Brown, produced Highwater. Chris Neumer sits down with Dana Brown to discuss filming waves, getting away from the image of Spicoli and what Wisconsin has to do with surfing.

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David R. Ellis Interview

CHRIS NEUMER:  Thanks for taking some time out of your schedule to chat.

DAVID ELLIS:  No problem.

CHRIS NEUMER:  I’ve got to admit that I was a little bit excited about this.  Maybe that seems a little unusual to you.  …

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Duncan Jones Interview

Writer/director Duncan Jones' feature debut was the stunning, sci-fi tale, Moon. Jones chats with Chris Neumer to talk up Sam Rockwell, get into why studying philosophy can make you miserable and how certain types of acting are like jazz.

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Fernando Meirelles Interview

CHRIS NEUMER: There’s a lot of interesting stuff out there, it’s just exciting and vibrant, and bold.  It seems pretty synonymous with the way you go about things. It’s a different color scheme, and a different style of shooting, and …

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Hans Petter Moland Interview

Director Hans Petter Moland's first English language film, The Beautiful Country, was fraught with so many problems and issues--it was shot on two different continents, involved water, children, animals and lots of extras--that it is hard to believe it came together. Moland talks to Chris Neumer about the perils he encountered.

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Harald Zwart Interview

Thus far in his career, Norwegian director, Harald Zwart, has carved out a niche for himself directing commercials. He recently got to do his first studio feature, One Night at McCool's, and was amazed at how wonderful working in Hollywood was. Chris Neumer and Zwart discuss abrupt endings, playing against type and why it's always beneficial to have people encouraging you to spend more money.

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Jeff Nathanson Interview

Jeff Nathanson made a name for himself scripting Rush Hour 2, Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal. Moving from behind the laptop to behind the camera for the first time on The Last Shot, Nathanson talks to Chris Neumer about the craziness that is today's Hollywood and when the right time is to bring in a rubber chicken.

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Kimberly Peirce Interview

Writer/director Kimberly Peirce has been working on her latest film, Stop Loss, for more than five years. Peirce talks to Chris Neumer about this process and gets inside why the 'truth' is out there and discusses the concept of an audience member breaking up with a director.

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Larry Clark Interview #2

Larry Clark is the most controversial American director in mainstream cinema. Chris Neumer sits down with Clark to talk about skateboarding, what Paris Hilton had to do with his latest film, Wassup Rockers, and what would happen if Clark attempted to direct Sweet Home Alabama 2.

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Lou Diamond Phillips Interview

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips got his big break in 1988 in the Richie Valens biopic, La Bamba. Since then, Phillips has been involved in projects of every type, good and bad, big and small, as a star and in cameos. Chris Neumer went to lunch with Phillips to get the full story on his career.

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Luc Besson

Renowned French writer/director Luc Besson is retiring. There are, however, enough asterisks and footnotes to that statement that the movie-going public doesn’t need to worry about an absense of Besson in any conventional sense.

From very early on in his …

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Luc Besson Interview

Luc Besson is one of the greatest cinematic talents ever to have come out of France. From Big Blue to The Professional to The Fifth Element, Besson has carved out quite a reputation for himself. He chats with Chris Neumer about retirement, casting British actors and the pains of paying to make things look worse.

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Matthew Vaughn Interview

MATTHEW VAUGHN: Where’s your revenue from? Mostly from advertising?

CHRIS NEUMER: Both. We have… if we sell our cover ads, that’s it we’re done.

MATTHEW VAUGHN: You’ve only got three cover adds.

CHRIS NEUMER: That’s what I’m saying. It’s nice.…

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Patrice Chereau Interview

French writer/director Patrice Chereau has a wonderful new film out, Intimacy, that investigates the unique nature of relationships. Only, no one is talking about that. They're only talking about the blowjob scene. Chris Neumer talks to Chereau to get the low down on the movie, its origins and, yes, its sexual content.

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Phil Alden Robinson Interview

Director Phil Alden Robinson created one of the most touching and well made baseball movies of all time in Field of Dreams. In honor of the film's 15th anniversary, Robinson spoke with Chris Neumer about life, work and what makes Kevin Costner tick.

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Richard Kelly Interview #1

Writer/director Richard Kelly tapped into the zeitgeist of American culture in his debut project Donnie Darko. Critically acclaimed and almost universally loved, Kelly talks to Chris Neumer about the stresses of being an extremely young director, why Drew Barrymore is a life-saver and the challenges of marketing one of the most unusual films in recent memory.

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Robert Altman Second Interview

CHRIS NEUMER: Based upon how well our last interview went, I said I have to go see The Company. So I was in New York six to seven weeks ago and saw it up there. I was really impressed …

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Stacy Peralta Interview

CHRIS NEUMER: I was really surprised when I heard about your film.  The first time I heard about Dogtown, I thought it was about the barrios. 

STACY PERALTA: Oh that’s great, I’m stoked.

CHRIS NEUMER: They asked if I …

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Todd Solondz

CHRIS NEUMER: Yup, the last interview we did was 10 years ago… and by phone.

TODD SOLONDZ: Wow.

CHRIS NEUMER: I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile either.  So I was looking forward to that too. …

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Todd Solondz Interview

Todd Solondz is one of the film world's most off-beat writer/directors. He is the only filmmaker Chris Neumer has ever spoken with who professes an utter disdain for his line of work. "Some people love the process of making a film," Solondz states in his near trademarked, high-pitched voice, "I just don’t happen to be one of them." Neumer investigates.

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