Cinema Royale #75- Reliving the Year's Best Interviews

For Cinema Royale's landmark 75th episode we're looking back at some of the best celebrity guests of the past year! Locke director Steven Knight talks about working alongside Tom Hardy; Jason Bateman joins Cinema Royale to talk about his directorial debut, Bad Words; and Godzilla director Gareth Edwards reveals all about the king of monsters!

Cinema Royale is part of the Hashtag Studios Broadcast Network and brings you movie reviews and news straight from the Nation's Capital! Go to www.cinemaroyaleshow.com and subscribe, and while there consider signing up for the premium service for more content and to be entered in our monthly prize drawing.

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Interview: Daniel Schechter Talks Elmore Leonard Adaptation 'Life of Crime'

Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Jackie Brown...many have brought the popular crime novels of Elmore Leonard to the big with varying degrees of success. But none of them had the guts to adapt one one of his books on a whim and pray the author liked it enough to green light a movie. That's what Daniel Schechter did with Life of Crime, which the author gave his stamp of approval to before passing away shortly thereafter. Based on Leonard's book The Switch, a sorta-prequel to Jackie Brown, the crime comedy stars John Hawkes, Yasiin "Mos Def" Bey, Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins, Isla Fisher, Will Forte, and Mark Boone Jr. in the story of two petty criminals who plot to kidnap a rich businessman's wife and claim the ransom. When they realize the mark has a sexy young mistress it becomes clear he'd be perfectly happy if his wife disappeared forever.

Life of Crime marks the biggest film from Schechter, who last directed the charming indie Supporting Characters. I had a chance to talk with him about making the move to a much larger studio effort, his love for Leonard's work, and whether he sees a similarity between his film and Tarantino's Jackie Brown.

Listen to my interview with Schechter below, then check out my review here. Life of Crime is in theaters now.

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Interview: John Ottman Talks Editing and Composing for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

X-Men: Days of Future Past made a huge splash at the box office this past weekend (a $111 million splash, to be exact), and if the quality that was put into this film stays intact for all the future films, then there's plenty to look forward to in the X-Men universe. The film is everything you love about the X-Men movies and more. 

A film this good, however, doesn't make itself. When talking about the original X-Men films, Bryan Singer's name immediately comes up, but John Ottman should be a name you should appreciate as well. Ottman, who's worked with Singer on most all of his films, serves as the editor and composer for Days of Future Past and does a fantastic job at both this go-around. Ottman's worked on several films including X2, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Apt Pupil, and both Fantastic Four films, just to name a few of several. 

Ottman spoke to me about how he started working with Singer, the only director he works with as editor and composer, the hardest sequences to put together in the film, and how he manages the process of two very different jobs. 

The film and the soundtrack are out now, so be sure to check them out! You can read the entirety of my interview with Ottman below. 

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You and Bryan Singer have been friends for a long time, and he's the only director with whom you collaborate with as both film editor and composer, which is quite a feat. How did this all get started and what's your collaboration 

process like? 

If you want to go way back, it started when we met at film school, when he was a PA [personal assistant] on a little movie and I was helping out a director friend of mine on the project. I ended up coming on and recutting the film, and Bryan befriended me and we started working together. Basically, I would edit his projects that he was working on. Our first feature film, Public Access, the composer dropped out in the eleventh hour and I had been dabbling in music as a hobby. And I said, "Look, I should score this movie. I know these characters more than anybody," so I wrote the score and the score and the editing were singled out. So when we did The Usual Suspects together, I was like, "I just want to score the movie. I like scoring films," and he [Bryan Singer] was like, "no," [laughs] "you're not scoring the movie unless you're the editor." He kind of depended on me in that regard, so the blackmail continues to this day [laughs]. 

Well, that works out great since you do a great job at both. I was listening to the soundtrack and the intensity in the music parallels the movie. I especially loved "Hope (Xavier's Theme)" and thought that was particularly beautiful and moving. 

Well, thank you! That was the cornerstone for the score for me because Charles Xavier never had a theme and this movie is all about him and rekindling the hope that he's lost. The hope that his character's known for. I saw his music as really being the through-line to the movie and so that was one of the first things I ever wrote [for the film]. 

So when you sat down to start composing for this film, was there anything specific that triggered your inspiration for the music?

Nothing that I went to for inspiration really. It's surprising to some people probably, but I don't cut to music when I'm cutting the scenes internally. I wait until I have an entire editor's cut together and watch the whole film dry, then I add the temporary music, or the temp. score as they call it. Then I sort of sit there and think about what kind of score it needs and then I search for that kind of music when I'm temping it because there isn't time for me to write anything at that juncture. All I can do is find different scores that are of the ilk that I'm thinking of in my head. 

So sitting down to do both editing and composing, because they're two very different things, do you have specific mind sets when thinking about one over the other?

Survival [laughs] and the deadline on the wall. Those are very inspiring. This one was a darker score and we did want it to be a little more modern than X2 and bring it forward 12 years later filmmaking-wise. So I built in a lot more synthesizers into the orchestra for it. And it's hard to answer that because this film already has a pre-existing theme that I wrote for X2 that I resurrected, so I didn't have to think a whole lot about what the theme of the film is going to be, because I had already established it in my mind. 

I especially loved the scene with Quicksilver in the Pentagon kitchen. It was very well done. 

The idea of Quicksilver came very late in the process because it originally was a different character. So it was a tremendous hardship on the production because it wasn't planned for until we were in the middle of shooting. So we had to design that sequence and we had zero time to shoot it. The kitchen scene was the last scene that we shot before we packed up and went back to LA. 

You can't tell. The entire shot of him going around the kitchen and the camera

panning around with him is fantastic. 

A lot of that was done in post [production]. We just got a shot of him running around the kitchen quickly and then packed up and left [laughs]. 

Was that one of the harder scenes to edit? Are there any that stand out for you in particular when you think back on all the scenes you put together?

I would say that was a very difficult scene in that it's really just a guy walking down the hall with a tray and there's not a whole lot of action that's occurring. For some reason, you feel excited because of the stakes and what he's doing and he's a fun character. To keep that moving and making it feel like there was a lot more than what it was was challenging. But I would say the most difficult sequence for me was the Paris sequence. When I was getting the footage in, I was calling it the "Paris Clusterf**k" because it's this nine and a half minute sequence in Paris where all these simultaneous things are going on. So, it was a very difficult thing to keep all the parallel action constantly going and when adding the score it was the same nightmare, keeping the whole thing going and exciting. It's weird, because it's not an action sequence per se, and the way this movie is is that you're engaged because it's character driven and it's driven by incidental things that are happening to the characters, but you wouldn't call the Paris sequence an action sequence even though it feels like one because it's moving so quickly and there's so many things going on. 

That's true and you hear that in the music because it starts out slow and then gets more intense and moves faster around the two minute mark. 

Right, exactly.

Is it easier for you to compose for a film you know so intimately as an editor? Or do you feel there's more pressure?

I always say it's a wash. I know the film more intimately than any composer will know a film and I know the problems it has because I'm a filmmaker, but the time I have to write the score is so little compared to what a composer would have if he walked into a film. So, it sort of evens out for me. There was never a time where I could say, "So long movie, I'm going to go write the score now." I'm just constantly dealing with a million frayed ends, whether it's ADR or visual effects issues, or recutting for test screenings, and the countless barrage of things that I have to managerially contend with while writing the score. So, I'm never able to shut the door and go into a room to compose, it's really difficult. And it's something I worry about from day one when I arrive at where ever we're shooting, even though writing the score is months and months away, I'm petrified about how I'm going to edit the film and write the score at the same time. It's something that keeps me up at night until it's finally written, so there's a massive amount of release for me when I woke into the scoring session, because the creative aspect is behind me. 

You combined themes from past 'X-Men' movies. I heard the 'X2' theme and Magneto's theme in there at some point. Was that something you had in mind to do from the get-go?

Yeah. I'm surprised you recognized Magneto's theme in there. But I touched on Magneto's theme very briefly in X2, but he never had a full fledged moment thematically in the first movie and so I took that and built upon it in X2. There's also a tiny little nod to [William] Stryker, who had a theme in X2, so that was fun to bring back. It's not so inlaid in there because this film doesn't have as many of the old characters, but it's much more simpler in terms of themes than in X2, where there's far more themes for characters. This movie is more of Charles Xavier, Raven, and Magneto. Those are the three prominent themes, in addition to some of the old themes. 

Do you have any future projects in the works right now? Either editing or composing? 

Hell no! [laughs] I think I'm one of the only people filled with dread when their agent calls [laughs]. I'm going to take a break, yeah. This was on the heels of Jack the Giant Slayer, so it was three years of unrelenting pressure, so it's really surreal right now for me. I'm kind of lost right now [laughs]. It's like walking out of prison and not knowing what to do. 

Is there a moment when you sat back to watch the finished film and thought, "I can't believe I did all that and that it's over?" 

Yeah. You do watch it and think that. Or when I write a score for one of these films, it's done so quickly and under such duress that when it's all done and I listen to it, it's like, "how did all this get written?" [laughs]

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Interview: 'Lord of the Rings' Actor Sean Astin Talks 'Moms' Night Out' and How it Reflects His Own Life

A long time ago, Sean Astin played Mikey in The Goonies and wormed his way into audiences' hearts. Astin was able to do it again when he portrayed the lovable Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy almost two decades later. He's been in dramas, done some comedy, and is currently voicing Rapheal on the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, among several other projects he's currently working on.

Astin took the time out to talk to me about his newest film Moms' Night Out, out May 9, where he discussed how he got the part of Sean, how the film mirrors his life, and whether he prefers drama over comedy. 

You can read the entire interview below! Moms' Night Out opens in theaters May 9 and also stars Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins, and Patricia Heaton.

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So how did you initially get involved with "Moms' Night Out"?

Well, my friend Kevin Downs, who produced this movie and directed me in another movie

and said, "Today, we're doing something we're really excited about, do you want to be in it?" and I said "sure," so I didn't really have to do anything about it [laughs]. Then, as it got closer and closer, he sent me the script and I read it, and it felt like I was reading a depiction of what happened in my living room the night before [laughs]. Less of a depiction and more like reality, so the fact that the character was named Sean and the father of children, and a husband and found himself in a situation where the mom was feeling a little underappreciated or at least a sense of her own identity, I kind of felt like "ooh, wow, I get it!" 

So you really connected with the script on a personal level. 

Yeah. Connected makes it sound like there was something to connect to. It almost felt like a part of me. It's a weird sensation to try and describe, but my inclination was to work with my friend., but it was like being given a suit that fit and you didn't even have to try on. 

In the movie, you're very much the doting husband and at the same time your character doesn't really have any idea of what he's doing, because he's there and he's the dad, but not as involved as the mom is and so as you were reading the script, was there something else in particular that stood out for you? 

Yeah. I think that the Erwin brothers, who wrote and directed it, were clearly writing it from their own personal experience. And I think the idea that people can be in love, they can have a family, and things can be, on paper, just great, but in some way, things aren't necessarily perfect. Them writing from the point of view of a father who loves his wife, loves his children, but doesn't always know where he is or what he's doing, or doesn't know how to offer support or to be engaged with the kids that's as good as you want. And feeling unsure of themselves is something that I think a lot of people will identify with and certainly I identified with. 

I believe I'm a loving husband and father, and that I care a lot. And I also believe that I'm often uncertain of what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go and how I'm supposed to do it. So this movie, in that sense, from the guy's point of view, just resonated as authentic. 

The film's message is about not trying to be the perfect mom, to just let things be. Do you feel like dads in the audience watching the film will relate to that message as well?

Well, I think that both moms and dads will be able to look at each other while watching this movie and go, "See? That's what I've been trying to explain!" [laughs]. One of the more powerful moments in the movie is when Sarah's [Drew] character says, "You know, I have everything I want and I'm still not happy," and the dad just looks exasperated. A dad can look at this and think that the thing to take away from this moment is how exasperated we are that we can't help more. 

And a mom can say, "I'm not alone. That's how I feel sometimes." So I feel like it's a very immediate, contemporary piece that reflects the genuine feelings that people have, and I think that fathers will be able to pick up some good tips [laughs], and everybody will be able to feel like our lives are being depicted. We're able to laugh at ourselves and at the same time, give ourselves a break. This movie basically says this is funny, silly, it's wacky. This is the kind of stuff that's going on. So hopefully this movie will give people that experience. 

 

Were there any challenges that you faced as an actor with this film? Any scenes you found more difficult to shoot than others? 

I was so comfortable inside the skin of this character because it was me that I was playing, basically. There was nothing in particular that stuck out. In fact, the whole shoot was fun. Everything that we did was fun and funny and alive. Everyone was happy to be there. This was an ideal experience. 

You've excelled doing drama and emotionally-heavy roles as well as lighter roles in the past. Is there a preference that you have? One that's easier for you to do? 

It changes over time. You develop techniques for being able to deliver any of the parts that you do. But, if you're doing a drama, and I've been drama lately, you develop a comfort level with doing them. Comedy has its own challenges, but I love it. It changes over time. It depends on how old you are, depends on what's going on in your life, but at this particular moment in my life, my preference is to be doing comedy stuff right now. And I never usually say that, but in my heart of hearts, I'd love to be doing a family comedy television show or something. I love the rhythms of it, I love laughing. I'm at this point in my life where laughter's really useful. 

You've directed in the past. Is that something you'd like to do again?

Yeah! I'm always developing, always trying to find the next thing. Been developing a movie in particular that we've been trying to make for a long time called Number the Stars, based on the Lois Lowry book. I've got my political show, and I'm pretty excited at this moment that this movie [Moms' Night Out] is coming out and I've got an FX show [The Strain] coming out in the summer time, which is based on Guillermo Del Toro's vampire books. So this is a good, exciting time for Seany boy [laughs]. A lot going on! 

Is there anything you want audiences to know before going to see this movie? 

That Moms' Night Out is a great night out! See what I did there? [laughs] It's just fun. If you're married with kids, they'll absolutely see their lives in some measure depicted onscreen in a way they might find amusing. We made it from our hearts, we made it for families. It's like a love letter to families, to husbands and wives, and hopefully that'll be clear. 

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Interview: Vanessa Hudgens Talks 'Gimme Shelter' and Tackling the Role of Apple

Vanessa Hudgens has had an interesting career so far. While she started acting in 2002, she didn't get her big break until Disney came calling in 2006 and High School Musical, the Disney Channel TV movie, put Hudgens on the map. After three movies and a few hit and get-stuck-in-your-head songs, Hudgens was so associated with the role of Gabriella that she really needed something different to shake off her previous image.  

And in the last few years, and several varying films that include Frozen Ground and Spring Breakers, Hudgens has proved herself an actress to look out for. She's shown that she isn't willing to rest on her former Disney fame and has taken risks that have served her well in her career. 

This time around, Hudgens stars as Apple in the new movie Gimme Shelter, about a pregnant teenager on the run from her verbally and physically abusive mother. The film is based on a true story and is directed by Ron Krauss. 

I got to sit down with Hudgens and a few of my colleagues for a round-table interview a couple of weeks ago. The actress talked about her experience living in a shelter for a few weeks, the emotional journey this film took her on, and working with director Ron Krauss. 

You can read the interview below! And you can watch Hudgens in Gimme Shelter when it opens in theaters on January 24.
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What was your initial reaction when you read the role and what made you want to tackle it? 

Just what a strong character she was. The fact that she was a real survivor and that she took her future into her own hands. I just love strong women, so I think that's definitely something I got right off the bat with her. And I always loved the idea of transformation. Charlize Theron in Monsters. It's just amazing to watch an actor and not see an actor, just to see a character and be an audience member. So, I've always loved that aspect of acting and I knew it was going to require that when I read this script. 

Photo by Mae Abdulbaki

So your scenes with Rosario Dawson are excellent. Some of the best in the film. Before you filmed them, did you have a chance to talk about them with her and rehearse, because I know you gave her the script. 

Not necessarily. Everything was really present and in the moment. We're kind of just discovering as we went. Of course, the fighting scenes we tried to block out a little bit so no one's actually hurt, but I feel like she just understood the role and I had been studying it for awhile. We knew our place and we already had a good relationship together as people, so we just went in and did our thing. 

The girls in the shelter when you were living there, obviously because of their experiences they must have a lot of trust issues. And one of the things they have to learn in the shelter is to place their trust where it's deserved. How did you get them to trust you?

I don't know. [laughs] I think they saw the fact that I was there and I wanted to do justice to their story, you know? I really wanted to be a glimpse into their lives and not be an overdramatazation. And they saw my passion for the project. They knew that I was really invested in it and that this wasn't something I was just going to take lightheartedly. I stayed in the shelter for a couple of weeks before we started filming and was doing the chores with them. I didn't put myself on any different level, except for the ones that they were. I tried to just stay with them consistently. Sure enough, they slowly opened up to me. And the one who opened up to me the most is Darleshia, who Apple's events with her mother actually happened to her. And I was surprised, honestly, how well she opened up to me and how she was so uncensored talking about it. And I was really close to her son [laughs], so I feel like that if he trusted me then she could trust me. 

Hudgens in Spring Breakers

I love that you're this young actress who isn't afraid to take daring roles, like Spring Breakers. And even your role in Frozen Ground is pretty similar to your character in this movie. When you're reading a script, what do you look for that you're like, "I have to do this"?

I'm very selective about the things that I do, but I'm lucky enough to be in a place where I can. I honestly first listen to my intuition and my gut. And if it's giving me good vibes, then I'm down for it. And like I said, I love the idea of transformation, I love being able to be a chameleon and really kind of trip people up when they're watching me onscreen because it seems like such a different person. Someone who has depth and who is real. Just something that I haven't been able to explore in the past. I love, as an actor, that you get to put yourself in situations that you would never have been in. So, I think the further away from, the cooler and the more of a challenge it is. 

In the movie, I noticed that you had different mannerisms that you gave to the character. You ate really fast every time you could eat because she didn't know where her next meal is going to come from. And a different kind of walk. Is there anything else that you tried to do to make your character have a little extra? 

Photo by Mae Abdulbaki

Yeah. In every moment I tried to have something that would set Apple aside from Vanessa. Whether it was playing with the lip rings I had on or just the way that I spoke. The way that I would take care of myself or touch myself... every way possible, basically. In every moment I was trying to search for something that would make it a bit more harsh, and ugly. Because when it is, it's raw and real and vulnerable. So, there was definitely not a stone un-turned, I feel. 

How was the directing process with director Ron Krauss? Did he give you a sense of what he wants and then let you follow your instincts? 

Me and Ron kind of had an instant connection. I don't know why, I don't know how, but we just kind of got each other from the very beginning. And he put me in place. And I put him in place when it was needed. We worked side by side in this magical dance of a way. He, of course, would work with me on the scenes and let me know in his head where I was going. And sometimes he would come up and remind me of those things. We were on the same page. And just because we both had been in the shelter, that became normal for us. So were really on the same page. We both knew the character really well. I set boundaries when I had to and we had a great time. There were times I wanted to punch him but I didn't [laughs]. But no, I love him and I couldn't have ever done this without him. His sheer dedication and motivation. 

So you cut your hair for this movie. You lost 15 pounds and stayed in a shelter to experience what these girls were going through. How has this film been an emotional journey for you?

It's been a hell of a journey. And it's still continuing. I feel like the movie came to me at the time of my life where I myself was going through a transformation. So it was kind of like I was stepping into the world and seeing things in a different light and trying to figure myself out. I think that's what kind of drew me to the characters because she starts off one way and ends up this other way. It's kind of like her turning into a butterfly. And I just got a butterfly tattoo before the film, which was annoying because I had to cover it up the entire time. So it came to me at a brilliant time. 

Vanessa Hudgens as Apple in Gimme Shelter

Going through it, I pushed myself harder than I ever have and I surprised myself. And I feel like it was a big touchstone for me. And then afterwards, it really affected me because I looked in the mirror and all I could see was Apple. I didn't know who Vanessa was anymore. I didn't feel comfortable in my skin and I was kind of a disaster. So that was probably the lowest part for me was just trying to find myself again. And after that, I got back on my feet and continued to work. And now that it's relevant in my life again, the journey is still continuing. I see this movie as a such a god-driven movie and see these signs everywhere I go and has taken on a life so much bigger than a movie and is connecting with women in a way that I never thought it would. And I feel like it's bringing healing and transcended into such a beautiful thing that's been giving wings and it's a gift. 

You brought up the butterfly tattoo and I wanted to bring up Apple's tattoo in the movie. I've seen the movie twice now, so I had a chance to think about extra details. What was she thinking about that image? A very hopeful image and an aspirational image for her to put on her neck. Did you work with the makeup people on it?

Actually, that was all Ron. He just had that image of that tattoo from the very beginning. And me being the way that I was when I came into it, all I saw were stars, which I remembered Rihanna had [laughs]. And I never really got too deep in it. It was just another thing that allowed me to look into the mirror and not see myself. And because it was such a hassle to put on, I would try to not wash it. Which also added to the griminess and the dirtiness I felt on myself in the conditions that my character was in. Just not feeling clean. It just added to the un-comfort-ability of Apple. 

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