“Every studio, major and minor, rejected it” – McQuarrie on The Usual Suspects
McQuarrie discusses two of his early films, The Usual Suspects and The Way of the Gun, and the frustrations of trying to get a project off the ground.
By David Konow. When The Usual Suspects came out in 1995, it was a movie that took all the rules of film noir and turned them upside down. The film’s success was a hell of a big break for Christopher McQuarrie. Not only did it immediately establish him as a hot screenwriter, it also won him […]
Writing in a Very Dark Room – Oliver Stone revisits Scarface
An in-depth interview with controversial writer and director, Oliver Stone.
By David Konow. “All I got’s my two balls and my Word — and I don’t break them. For nobody.” -From the Screenplay of Scarface, by Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone knew he was headed for trouble when he wrote the remake of Scarface, and trouble he got. The film was blasted by the critics upon […]
“I wouldn’t send any impressionable young woman I know to see Thelma and Louise”
Callie Khouri looks back on working with Ridley Scott, and the strong reactions to her Academy Award-winning debut film.
By David Konow. One day, as Callie Khouri was walking down the street, an old man drove by and sexually harassed her. Khouri became completely enraged, and if she had acted on her anger with a firearm, her life could have been forever altered in a second, just as Thelma and Louise’s lives were altered […]
Humanizing Criminals: Goodfellas and Casino
He said, “My name is Marty Scorsese, I’m a movie director.” I said, “I’ve been waiting for this phone call all my life.” An in-depth interview with writer Nicholas Pileggi.
By David Konow. Nicholas Pileggi barely knew who mobster Henry Hill was when he accepted the offer to write his story, but it turned out to be the best decision he ever made. The resulting book, Wiseguy, became a best-seller that Mario Puzo himself called, “One of the few true pictures of the criminal life.” […]
Subverting Expectations in Big Hero 6: A Family Film with Emotional Depth
Writer/Director team Don Hall and Chris Williams talk about the new Marvel superhero film, Big Hero 6.
By David Konow. If you’ve seen the ads for Big Hero Six, it’s a bit hard to tell exactly what it is at first glance. There’s this big, white, inflatable robot that looks a little like the Michelin Man, or a bit like the Stay Puft Marshmellow man for that matter. How does he fit […]
