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‘Eclipse’ is a Dawning for ‘Twilight’s’ Stewart and Lautner

As “Eclipse” is welcomed into theaters worldwide by its legions of fans eager to see Bella Swan and Jacob once again, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner share that they are still learning about the popular characters they play.

“My character has changed incredibly,” says Lautner. “In the first film, he was just a normal, easygoing guy. In 'New Moon' he begins to change, and in 'Eclipse' he's much more mature.”

Stewart feels that her character, too, has changed the most in this third installment of the series. “In the first [film], Bella abandoned herself to the unknown and lived a dream, a fantasy. But at a certain point she must grow up, face reality.” It’s an important change, she points out. “In this episode, Bella finally comes to a crucial realization — also because she is soon to be married — opening her eyes and seeing her best friend as someone who can offer her something more.”

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Chaske Spencer: Tribal Focus for ‘Twilight's’ Werewolf

In “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Chaske Spencer reprises his role as Sam, introduced in last year’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” “I like to figure out characters and situations … try and find myself in the role,” Spencer says of his acting style in the deep and slightly raspy voice that perhaps made him a natural choice for the older and more mature Sam.

In addition to his role in the “Twilight” saga, Spencer appeared in the 2003 movie “DreamKeeper” and Steven Spielberg’s 2005 television miniseries “Into the West,” playing Native-American characters in both. In fact, nearly all his roles, “Twilight” series included, have been Native-American characters.

“All I was allowed to play before were Native Americans,” says Spencer, a Lakota Sioux, who added that he is just now being offered roles that are not Native-American-specific. While there are not many Native-American actors working in Hollywood, there are even fewer roles available, making competition all the more intense.

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Iran Uncensored: Underground Filmmaking Worth the Risk

“Dog Sweat” is unique in that it shows how young Iranians really live. Yes, there are restrictions, but young people have such vitality that they live the way they want despite restrictions. Because Iranian films are normally censored, we took great risk and shot the whole film underground. Some people have claimed that we wanted to insult or challenge the government, but that is not the case; we are just filmmakers who wanted to give voice to a new generation of Iranians and celebrate their vitality.

It is almost shocking to think of Iranian teenagers as preoccupied by sex, parties and social status. Why haven’t we seen these images before? This is because Iranian media, which is controlled by a religious fundamentalist government, allows only images of a nation of pious believers. The Western media, which is preoccupied with the threat that Iran poses for the West, compounds this by never showing what lies beneath the veil.

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Magic Pervades ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

Though the film is a frothy confection, the filmmakers were aware of the serious history of alchemy and how it’s marketed for today’s audiences. Three of the main players behind the “National Treasure” movies — director Jon Turteltaub, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Nicolas Cage — reunited to reimagine the iconic “Fantasia” segment in which Mickey Mouse allows his magic powers to get away from him. With their history (Cage and Turteltaub even attended Beverly Hills High School together — so they go way back — and when they both auditioned for the high-school production of “Our Town,” Turteltaub actually beat out the future Oscar winner for the lead; Cage was relegated to the role of Constable Warren), the three have a chemistry that is one component of the magic of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” So when they gathered in the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on a soft summer day to discuss the film, there was an easy rapport between them.

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Taking the Pulse of Russia’s Rule of Law

“Vlast (Power)” was never intended as an expression of advocacy for or against any individual or cause. In fact, the moment of deciding to organize a project pivoting around the life of Mikhail Khodorkovsky arose as he was well on his way to becoming the richest man in Russia, controlling of one of that country’s largest oil companies — a point at which there was little or no reason for advocacy of any kind. That his circumstances then devolved to the point of long-term incarceration and loss of his business empire as he became, arguably, Russia’s state enemy #1 only further substantiated his role as an inadvertent bellwether of what was to come in Russia and created a greater impetus for telling the story. And, in simply documenting the progression of which Khodorkovsky is emblematic, “Vlast” necessarily became an exposition on the absence of the rule of law and the creeping return of totalitarianism in Russia.

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In Their Shoes: ‘Life with Murder’

My latest film, “Life with Murder,” explores the relationship between couple Brian and Leslie Jenkins and their 20-year-old son Mason after he is convicted of murdering his 18-year-old sister Jennifer. Mason continues to protest his innocence, and his parents are suddenly confronted with what may be the most excruciating dilemma any parent has to face in life: whether to break with Mason, virtually obliterating their family in the process (there are no other children) or to accept back into the family the alleged murderer of their adored daughter, a sweetheart by all accounts. It is a dilemma that is almost biblical.
 
I have long been fascinated with the personal relationships of criminals, a subject widely explored in fiction but rarely in documentaries. Films and TV programs such as “The Sopranos,” “The Godfather” and “Crime and Punishment” all explore criminals’ relationships to their loved ones. Many of my documentaries do the same, but my stories are real.

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Uganda in My Lens: ‘Where Are You Taking Me?’

“Where Are You Taking Me?” is an observational documentary that speaks to the beauty and rhythms of everyday life in Uganda. Commissioned by the Rotterdam International Film Festival as part of a special series on African Cinema, the film charts my travels through Uganda, from the kinetic energy of urban life to the tranquility of rural areas. In exploring the nuances of everyday life, the film challenges the dominant and prevailing images of Africa that focus only on the horrors of war, poverty and AIDS. In contrast, “Where Are You Taking Me?” offers unexpected images of a complex country and challenges the viewer to abandon pre-conceived notions of where we are going and what we will find — whether it be a women’s weightlifting competition, a high-society wedding, a film set of a local independent film production or a field trip with kids to the zoo — the viewer is invited to watch, listen and experience the place and people.

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Force of ‘Nature’

A decade ago, journeyman television director and editor Roger Nygard helmed “Trekkies.” This well-received documentary profiled the rabid “Star Trek” enthusiasts who give all other fans a bad name. What did he follow it up with? Well, a sequel. But after that? An investigation into “The Nature of Existence.” Says Nygard, “All my documentaries tend to be, it turns out as I look back, portraits of subcultures and human beliefs.”

But Nygard didn’t just go looking for another subculture to document. The questions he raises in “Existence” have haunted him since childhood. “When I was seven years old, I realized that I was going to die one day,” he says. He realized this when he was reading an encyclopedia article about tuberculosis. “I started to realize, ‘Hey, wait a minute! I cough a lot. I’m fatigued all the time. Maybe I have tuberculosis!’” Then, when he was 13, his dad died, which raised all sorts of additional questions.

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Finally, the Voice of Stonewall

The Stonewall Riots was a natural fit for me, as I have made many films on LGBT topics over the course of the past 15 years. Since high school, actually, gender-based oppression is something I felt affects everyone and should be brought out in the open and combated. My work with the trans community, which culminated with “Southern Comfort,” helped me voice some of the themes I had felt for years.

But Stonewall, in a sense, was the root story from which all of this work — and the struggle for gay civil rights — sprung. It was very exciting to tap into this seminal event and discover that those who were there can speak today with vivid recollections and humor. Amazingly, telling this story through the people who were there had not been done, and it seemed the time had come to place this seminal event in the context of mainstream American history.

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To Catch a Horsethief

“We come from a long line of horse thieves, gamblers and degenerates, so it just seemed appropriate.” So says Tiller Russell of the name of his new outfit, Horsethief Pictures. The truth is, Russell and his partners, former PayPal executive Jack Selby and producer Duncan Montgomery, have been pals since elementary school. The trio reunited years later to put together Russell’s first feature, “The Last Rites of Ransom Pride.”

“Everybody [brought] different skill sets to bear on it, and we really saw an opportunity to work together at a time when filmmaking and the entertainment landscape [are] undergoing radical change,” says Russell, who will serve as the head of creative development of the interactive production, digital distribution and marketing company that grew out of their first film collaboration. “There were some cool opportunities that we thought we could pursue by banding together and teaming up, so that’s what we’ve done.”

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