Coming soon here: Kevin Costner, Spike Lee,
Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin (again), Gus Van Sant,
Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Alison Pill
Samuel L. Jackson,
star of "Soul Men" October 2008 (5 minute excerpt)
In this roundtable interview, the ever-present Samuel L. Jackson (four films in
2008) is playful, funny and full of quick-fire one-liners as he talks about his
role in the film "Soul Men", directed by Malcolm Lee. Mr. Jackson also
talks about working with the late Bernie Mac. There are four excerpts from
the interview, including two questions asked by Omar, which prompt some amusing
responses from Mr. Jackson. "Soul Men" opened in the U.S. and Canada on
November 7.
"American Beauty"
Oscar-winner Alan Ball, the director of the film "Towelhead" and the HBO series
"True Blood" August 2008 (14 minutes)
Alan Ball talked to Omar about the controversy surrounding the title of his
feature film directing debut; the excitement surrounding "True Blood", and the
state of America in 2008. "True Blood" debuted on HBO on September 7, and
"Towelhead" opened in theaters in North America beginning on September 12.
Julie Rubio, writer and filmmaker of "Six Sex
Scenes And A Murder" May 2008 (22 minutes)
The filmmaker talks about her new film "Six Sex Scenes" which opened in late
May, and her views about sex and how sex is depicted and interpreted in American
society.
Errol Morris,
director of "Standard Operating Procedure"
April 2008 (9 minute excerpt)
Oscar-winning documentary
filmmaker Errol Morris ("The Fog Of War", "The Thin Blue Line", "Fast Cheap And
Out Of Control") talks about his latest documentary "Standard Operating
Procedure" and the blame game by the Pentagon of the seven privates and other
lower-level military for the torture U.S. military personnel committed against
innocent Iraqi civilians in Abu Ghraib prison in 2003.
Dora Morrow and Jack Schnepp of the Young @ Heart Chorus
March 2008
(19 minutes)
These two members of the Massachusetts-based Young @ Heart Chorus talk about
love of song, ageless energy and being strong when times are tough. They
are featured in the film "Young @ Heart", which opens in New York and Los
Angeles on April 9, 2008 and in numerous other cities including San Francisco
beginning on April 18. The film will also be opening in Canada on April
18.
Bob Cilman, Young @
Heart Chorus Director March 2008 (12 minutes)
Bob Cilman has directed the Young @ Heart Chorus since 1982. The
Chorus is based in Northampton, Massachusetts. Mr. Cilman plays a
prominent role in Stephen Walker's documentary film "Young @ Heart", which will
be released on April 9, 2008 (NY/LA) and April 18 (San Francisco and other
additional U.S. cities) and in Canada.
Joy Bryant of "Welcome
Home Roscoe Jenkins" January 2008 (15 minutes)
Joy Bryant has big fun talking about her acting career, diversifying roles,
comedy, and working on "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins".
Pietra Brettkelly, documentary filmmaker of "The Art Star And The Sudanese
Twins" January 2008 (44 minutes)
The New Zealand filmmaker talked to Omar at the Sundance Film Festival about
"Art Star", interracial adoptions and the film's sometimes challenging main focus, the performance artist and
activist Vanessa Beecroft.
Denzel Whitaker, Jurnee
Smollett and Nate Parker of "The Great Debaters"
December 2007 (8 minutes)
This trio of young actors talked
about working with Denzel Washington, who acted with and directed them on "The
Great Debaters", plus their experience with another Oscar winner, Forest
Whitaker, on the film.
Alexandra Maria Lara, "Youth
Without Youth"
December 2007 (16 minutes)
In this telephone interview, Alexandra
Maria Lara talks about working with on "Youth Without Youth" with the film's
director Francis Ford Coppola.
Josh Brolin, "No
Country For Old Men"
October 2007 (17 minutes)
Acting sensation Josh Brolin sat down with
Omar and talked about what would become the Oscar-winning film "No Country For
Old Men"; his role in "American Gangster" and his busy career over the last few
months.
Robert Redford, "Lions For Lambs" October 2007 (12 minutes)
Robert Redford, "Lions For
Lambs" October 2007
(12 minutes)
The legendary actor, director, activist and philanthropist talks about the
challenges of promoting his new film "Lions For Lambs" and about the state of
today's America and the youth that inhabit it, along with the need to be
politically active to change conditions in the United States. "Lions For
Lambs" is directed by Mr. Redford and stars Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom
Cruise. The film opens across the U.S. and Canada on November 9, 2007.
Amy Ryan of "Gone Baby Gone" October 2007 (15 minutes)
Amy Ryan of "Gone Baby Gone" October 2007 (15 minutes)
The actor talks about her role as Helene, an unsavory character in Ben Affleck's directorial debut film, "Gone Baby Gone", which opened on October 19, 2007 in the U.S. and Canada. Ms. Ryan also appears in "Dan In Real Life" and "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead", both of which opened in the U.S. on October 26, 2007.
Terry George, director of "Reservation Road" October 2007 (15 minutes)
Terry George, director
of "Reservation Road"
October 2007 (15 minutes)
The director of such films as "Some
Mother's Son" and "Hotel Rwanda", and writing partner with director Jim Sheridan
("In The Name Of The Father", "In America", "Get Rich Or Die Trying") on three
films, talks about directing "Reservation Road", which opened on October 19,
2007 in the U.S. and Canada.
David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen of "Eastern Promises" on the question of innocence in the film August 2007 (9 minutes)
The director and actor talk about innocence, in a response to Omar's question
about themes in "Eastern Promises", which opened in the U.S. and Canada on
September 14, 2007. "Eastern Promises" is their second collaboration
together, after Mr. Cronenberg's 2005 film "A History Of Violence".
David Cronenberg and Viggo
Mortensen of "Eastern Promises" on the question of innocence in the film
August 2007 (9 minutes)
Kasi Lemmons, director of "Talk To
Me", starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson and Martin Sheen
June 2007 (17 minutes)
Kasi Lemmons, director of "Talk To Me", starring Don Cheadle,
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson and Martin Sheen
June 2007 (17 minutes)
"Talk To Me" is Kasi Lemmons' third film as a director ("Eve's
Bayou", "The Caveman's Valentine".) "Talk To Me" stars Don Cheadle
(pictured above) as Washington, D.C. talk radio host Petey Greene. Lemmons
has appeared as an actor in such films as "The Silence Of The Lambs".
Actor-director Vondie Curtis Hall ("Grid'lock'd" - Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth), who
appears in all three of Lemmons' films, is her off-screen husband. "Talk
To Me" opened in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles on July 13 and expands to
theaters across the United States on August 3.
Brenda
Blethyn, actor, and Cherie Nowlan, director of "Introducing The Dwights"
June 2007 (22 minutes)
Brenda
Blethyn, actor, and Cherie Nowlan, director of "Introducing The Dwights"
June 2007 (22 minutes)
Multiple Oscar-nominee Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets And Lies", "Little Voice") will
likely receive a third nomination, for her acting in "Introducing The Dwights",
which is directed by Cherie Nowlan (right). The Australian director and
the British actor sit down to talk about the process, plus about a certain
someone named Jean, in this multi-part audio interview. "Introducing The
Dwights" opened in Australia on June 28, 2007 and in New York and Los Angeles on
July 4, and then in about a dozen other U.S. cities on the following week.
The film, originally titled "Clubland", also stars Khan Chittenden, Emma Booth,
Richard Watson, Frankie J. Holden and Rebecca Gibney, among others.
Jennifer Fox, documentary
filmmaker, producer, writer and director of "Flying: Confessions Of A Free
Woman"
June 2007 (10 minute-excerpt)
Jennifer Fox, documentary
filmmaker, producer, writer and director of "Flying: Confessions Of A Free
Woman"
June 2007 (10 minute-excerpt)
In this ten-minute excerpt from the tail-end of an hour-long telephone
conversation, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Fox converses about monogamy and
her own personal experience, as well as her relationship with her boyfriend
Patrick, a cinematographer featured in Fox's latest documentary "Flying:
Confessions Of A Free Woman", which played for two weeks at Film Forum in New
York City starting on July 4. Fox also talks about men and women in
general, love, sexual attitudes, choice, relationships, commitment, birth
control, trust, historical attitudes, values, realities and perceptions about
men and women, and the way societies at large view the fairer sex.
"Flying" is an in-depth six-hour documentary that is a deep exploration of Fox's
life and the lives of dozens of other women around the globe who are featured.
"Flying" investigates what it means to be a modern-day woman. The film
played at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and is to be released in England
theatrically later this year. The film will possibly be broadcast on PBS
television in the U.S. within the next year or so. "Flying" appeared at
Sundance in January 2007.
Lajos Koltai, director of "Evening" and the film's screenwriter, Pulitzer Prize novelist Michael Cunningham June 2007 (20 minutes)
Lajos Koltai, director of
"Evening" and the film's screenwriter, Pulitzer Prize novelist Michael
Cunningham
June 2007 (20 minutes)
"Evening" stars Clare Danes, Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, Meryl
Streep, Toni Collette, Natasha Richardson (Redgrave's real-life daughter), Hugh
Dancy, Patrick Wilson (of "Little Children") and Mamie Gummer (Streep's
real-life daughter.) The film, which Mr. Cunningham adapted from Susan
Minot's novel, opened in the U.S. and Canada on June 29.
Connie Nielsen, actor, dancer, singer, speaker of six languages and star of "The Situation" (part one), [part two] March 2007 (25 minutes)
Connie Nielsen, actor, dancer, singer, speaker of six languages and star of "The Situation" (part one), [part two] March 2007 (25 minutes)
Connie Nielsen, eight months pregnant at the time of this interview, became a mother for the second time, giving birth in May of 2007. The photo above is Nielsen in character as journalist Anna Molyneux in Philip Haas' political drama "The Situation". In part two of the interview she speaks about her "Situation" character's onscreen relationship with the character Zaid, a photo journalist played by Mido Hamada. Among her detailed resume of film roles, Nielsen has appeared in such films as "Brodre", "Demonlover", "The Ice Harvest", "The Devil's Advocate", "Gladiator" and "One Hour Photo". (Photo: Shadow Releasing)
Florian Henckel Von
Donnersmarck, director of "Das Leben Der Anderen" ("The Lives Of Others")
January 2007 (26 minutes)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck holding his Academy Award for best foreign
language film backstage at the 79th Annual Academy Awards at The Kodak Theater
in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 25, 2007, for his debut feature
film "Das Leben Der Anderen" aka "The Lives Of Others" (right), just a month
after The Popcorn Reel's Omar Moore interviewed him. The audio of the
interview can be heard by clicking on the link below. (Photo: AMPAS; film
photo: Sony Pictures Classics)
Florian Henckel Von
Donnersmarck, director of "Das Leben Der Anderen" ("The Lives Of Others")
January 2007 (26 minutes)
