Interviews
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Interview: Slavoj Žižek, ‘The Pervert’s Guide’
“What is this? Is that what I think it is?” Slavoj Žižek husks while approaching a monochrome gadget in the corner of the room. He stares at the object before jumping back aghast. It’s a premium lager tap system. Clearly ruffled by its presence, the Slovene philosopher launches into a sprawling and hilarious critique on…
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Interview: ‘Elysium’ star Sharlto Copley
District 9 director Neill Blomkamp returns to cinemas this month with his eagerly awaited follow-up, Elysium (2013). Set in 2159, in a future dystopia where the wealthy live on man-made space station Elysium and the rest of humanity inhabit a ravaged Earth, the film centres on the story of Max DeCosta (Matt Damon). After an…
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Interview: Brian De Palma talks ‘Passion’
Starring Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams, Passion (2012) sees American director Brian De Palma return to his favourite stomping ground of the overblown psychosexual thriller, a sub-genre which he made his own with such schlocky delights as Body Double, Dressed to Kill and Blow Out. The 71-year-old director spoke with John Bleasdale at last year’s…
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Interview: Carlos Reygadas, ‘Post Tenebras’
Mexican auteur Carlos Reygadas’ fourth film, Post Tenebras Lux (2012), has been described by some as his masterpiece. It’s a bracingly intelligent and formally daring picture; a confrontational, yet moving work of subversive autobiography which is open to many interpretations. It’s a film that bridges the personal and the political, using one Mexican man’s personal…
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Interview: Nicholas Jarecki, director of ‘Arbitrage’
After sampling US writer, filmmaker and producer Nicholas Jarecki’s thrilling narrative debut, Arbitrage (2012), featuring the acting talents of Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling and Tim Roth, CineVue’s Russell Cook had some questions for the man behind the lens (and pen, in this instance). Despite the film’s serious tone concerning the global economic crisis,…
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Interview: Cristian Mungiu, ‘Beyond the Hills’
Available to own now on DVD and Blu-ray from world cinema distributor Artificial Eye, Beyond the Hills (2012) is director Cristian Mungiu’s remarkable follow-up to his 2007 Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days; the film that crystallised the Romanian New Wave. It’s a stark, sobering film, rich in allegory and nuance. While…
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Interview: Kleber Mendonça Filho, ‘Neighbouring Sounds’
Brazilian writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho is the discovery of the year. His feature debut, Neighbouring Sounds (2012), is a provocative chronicle of urban angst played out against an intriguing narrative of social change. The film’s remarkable sound design – reminiscent of Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) – is both ominous and propulsive, pulling viewers along. It’s…
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Interview: Olivier Assayas, ‘Something in the Air’
Olivier Assayas fidgets endlessly. On the finer nuances of 1970s radicalism, the French director swivels around with unflappable urgency and a staccato delivery to his response. Such as the characters in his semi-autobiographical movie, Something in the Air (2012), Assayas exudes this infectious youthful dynamism, coupled with a profound understanding of leftist politics. While not…
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Interview: Hal Hartley, director of ‘Amateur’
Hal Hartley is one of the true originals of modern cinema. A consummate stylist, his work is erudite and eccentric, defiant in its singularity. After making first film The Unbelievable Truth (1989) for just $75,000, Hartley went on to quietly change the face of independent American cinema with his deadpan dialogue, brimming with arch and…
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Interview: Chris Kenneally, director of ‘Side by Side’
Side by Side (2012), the excellent documentary from Christopher Kenneally, arrives at a crucial time for the ever-evolving medium of cinema. Featuring stellar interviews with some of the most important directors working today, including Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, Danny Boyle and Chris Nolan, the film charts the history and processes of celluloid filmmaking…