Episode 1 4
This Week in Movies #14 with Raymond De Felitta
Sundays at 8pm PDT
Hosts
Farrell Roth
Roger Erik Tinch
Lon Harris
Guest
Raymond De Felitta, Director of “City Island”
Introduction
Tinch was gone last week as he was attending Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. It’s the largest “genre” film festival in America.
He was enjoying fried pickles at the event, which intrigued Farrell. It’s a delicacy at the Alamo Drafthouse.
His favorite of the festival was “Kidnapped.” It reminded him of “Amores Perros.”
Trailer Talk
Lon is a huge fan of the trailer. Tinch noted that the film is an update of the novel, not a remake of the ’60s version of the film with John Wayne.
Farrell is excited for the movie and thinks Ben Affleck is having a huge year. She called him “The Comeback Kid.” She also thinks the trailer looks Jason Reitman-esque.
In Theaters
Farrell loved the movie and felt that the opening scene was amazing, and thrust her right into the action.
Tinch “liked” the movie a lot. (That’s a little Facebook humor).
Lon also enjoyed the movie a great deal, and praised in particular the performance of Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. He noted that the film adapts a book that’s really about the formation of a business and turns it into a personal tragedy about an isolated man who’s unable to relate to people. (Read Lon’s full review on his blog here.)
Farrell felt this American remake of a Swedish horror movie was better than the original. She noted in particular the haunting score.
Tinch felt it was a bit too slick and Hollywood, and the original was better served by being gritty and darker. He felt the new movie was too “X-Files”-ish.
“You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”
Farrell loves Woody Allen and felt like this was revisiting an old friend, right from the opening credits. As a film, though, she feels like this is not one of his strongest. She liked the entire cast, particularly Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts. She thinks Lucy Punch will be a new breakout star. She just wished there was more to it. It felt a bit loose and too easy for Allen.
Tinch said he didn’t really like Woody Allen movies, an opinion that Lon didn’t really appreciate.
Hollywood Headlines
Emma Stone to play Mary Jane Watson?
The “Easy A” star is rumored to have been offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in the forthcoming “Spider-Man” reboot. No word yet on whether or not she was accept the role.
Maggie Grace to Appear in “Breaking Dawn”
Actress Maggie Grace, best known from “Lost,” has been cast in the new “Twilight” film “Breaking Dawn” as Irina, a traterous member of the Denali coven.
Josh Halloway to appear in “MI:4″
Another “Lost” star, Josh Holloway, will appear in Brad Bird’s new “Mission Impossible” sequel as a member of Ethan Hunt’s Impossible Missions Force.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, released in March of 2010, chronicling Abraham Lincoln’s secret second occupation as a vampire hunter, will be filmed in 3D for a forthcoming adaptation. Tim Burton will produce and Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) is set to direct.
Interview with Raymond De Felitta
- Andy Garcia’s daughter in the film? Was that Andy’s idea?
Of course it was. Andy and Raymond started working on the movie 3 years ago, and he knew Dominik García-Lorido, his daughter, was a great actress.
Raymond also told Tinch that he needs to watch more Woody Allen films. He’s a legend and we’ll all be bereft when he stops making movies.
- Farrell loved “City Island” but also found it crazy and bizarre, particularly the story of the teenage son and his fetish for obese women. Where did that come from?
The nice part of the movie in Raymond’s head was the fetish for obese women. He’s fascinated by anyone who is extreme in any way. The obese community is the last openly discriminated-against community.
He feels like it doesn’t fit into the movie, but had to work it in because the BBW community fascinated him.
- What didn’t make the movie? What’s on the cutting room floor?
Nothing substantive. He only had a month to shoot it, so he tried not to waste time on stuff that would get cut.
- Was it hard for Andy Garcia to play a bad actor?
Andy was excited to play that scene. It’s enjoyable for an actor to show you their interpretation of someone who ISN’T a great actor.
It reminded him of Christopher Walken doing a “bad dance” in the film “Search and Destroy,” despite being a great dancer.
- Talk about the casting of Steven Strait
He has a really good agent and Strait loved the script. Raymond hadn’t seen him in anything, and he doesn’t like auditioning actors.
After meeting Steven, he thought he’d be great. Then he saw “10,000 BC” on an airplane and realized it was him in the movie. He feels like, though it’s a bad movie, he really acquitted himself well. He figured he can do anything if he can do well in that movie.
- Talk about the casting of Juliana Marguiles
She had worked with Andy in “Man from Elysian Fields.”
She wasn’t the first choice; they were going to go with Marcia Gay Harden. She feels like there are parts written for middle-aged women, but no one wants to play them. He writes these kinds of roles and then everyone turns him down.
He thinks it takes a while for actresses to accept the idea that they should play “a mom.” They want to be hot and 27 forever.
Raymond then talked about his blog – Movies ’til Dawn – where he documented the making of “City Island.”
- Did you go to film school? Did that prepare you?
He went to AFI. It was great for him in 1987. Now, it doesn’t have a ton of meaning. It’s a brave new world. If you’re going to make films, you have to find new ways to do it. He’s a complete futurist.
- Tell us about making “The Thing About My Folks” with Paul Reiser.
Paul wanted to direct it, but needed to bring in a director. They had liked Raymond’s previous film, “Two Family House.” But the film was all figured out already in Paul’s head, so they had to collaborate closely.
It’s not easy to direct Peter Falk, until he learns to trust you. He does have his own way of doing things, and assumes that he’s going to get it right.
- Do you get intimidated as a director on set ever?
All directors are nervous, because it’s a very stressful job. The only thing he’s really scared of is screwing up someone’s intuition. He doesn’t want to give anyone bad advice or to confuse anyone.
