asking questions is a subtle art:
all i'm going to say is that if you find yourself in the position to interview someone, don't bee goofy cock.
come prepared, have valid things to ask that are relevant to the interviewee, and above all, if you can sense that your questions are headed nowhere don't keep pushing for an answer that is never going to manifest.
today i had the privilege of attending a Q&A with mr. willem defoe.
he was great, giving out small anecdotes that were honest and personal without being utterly transparent. he has a great level of experience which makes him one of the most ideal persons to discuss what actors call "the process."
it takes an interviewer that is totally out of the loop to not get that he might possibly be pissing off willem defoe. i mean, how could you not pick up on the fact that willem defoe is being at his most respectful and civil while not giving up the ghost for the merry inner-whims of a fanboy sweaty-palmed interviewer?
just do the job well, and let the work speak for itself. be honest and let your instinct be your divining rod. it's that simple. i mean the question man might as well have licked mr. defoe's shoes and prayed to the actor while whipping himself for not being worthy. it was scary to watch.
oh yeah, all of that and the fact that he drank out of willem defoe's water then realized it, then put it back. no doubt trying to steal some of his essence or something gross.
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mini reviews:
23. february 25th - just for kicks, france/usa, 11:30am *****
the only bad thing about this documentary is that they leave you (i think) about an hour too short, and only stay within the sneaker-collector-fetish world of the united states (save a cameo interview with matthieu kassovitz, most likely due to the french connection).
i have a friend named whiz who is a sneaker aficionado. he loves the sneaker. he loves talking about the sneaker universe at great length with a masterful sense of history, aspects of design, a love for the sociocultural impact of them, and all other miniscule information pieces that might cause intrigue and awe.
this documentary is about that sort of interest. it is a documentary that sticks to these sneaker fiends that would go to all ends of the earth to gain more physical pairs of sneakers, and also more information about the secret super limited models of shoe that were/are long out of production.
as i said before, well done and filled with insight and humor; two things that without, would have been more of a strange history channel piece about the "urban fashion world" and its effects on consumer america.
instead, we are treated to a taste of the world of the sneaker and the folks who make it a part of their daily life. interesting and never boring, i only ask that a second part be devoted to the japanese contingent, and we'll have a start on something massive.
*after browsing the official site of the doc, i found out that a longer version of the doc is planned for the dvd version of it, so maybe someone will put in their/my two cents and head over to japan, cause it's just not complete without the collector craze over there. word.
24. february 25th - manderlay, denmark/sweden/netherlands/france/germany/uk, 1:30pm *****
manderlay is a sparse very theatrical film by enigmatic dogme-co-founder lars von trier.i never had the opportunity to see dogville, the first of this planned trilogy (of which manderlay is the second part), but this film stands alone as one of the most theatrically successful films i've seen of the sort in a long time. and by theatrically, i mean films in the vein of theatre, not box officeness, although i'm sure it had its good days there as well.
its a movie that doesn't pull any punches with the acting, which is determined and heavy with a dramatic weight. added to the empty spaces, which our minds fill in like when reading a detailed passage in a novel, is the atmosphere of sound effects which complete an audio third wall to the films lack of physical locations.
it is a psychological experiment to tell a heavy tale which meanders through realms of humanity, enslavery of the body and of the mind, and also tests the audience how far are they willing to share this experience in order to see the story though.
when the credits rolled, i felt like i ran a marathon and was all ready to punch a wall, scream out loud, cry in a fetal position, and smile ear-to-ear all in the same moment. it was immensely satisfying after the first five or so minutes.
to be sure i will have to watch dogville, but i believe that it's not necessary to find yourself thusly engaged so deep in this film. don't let the smatterings of theatre or stylistic choices fool you into thinking that there is no content. in the contrary there is so much more that you will wonder how come this sort of production design is not used more often.
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