Before Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated at the hands of a Muslim extremist in 2004, he had an idea to adapt a trilogy of his own films for Hollywood. Interview (based off van Gogh's 2003 film of the same name), directed by Steve Buscemi, and starring Buscemi and Sienna Miller, is the first . Producers Bruce Weiss and Gijs van de Westelaken have decided to continue with the trilogy (as an homage to van Gogh), and will produce two more; one directed by Stanley Tucci and the other by Bob Balaban.

The story here is pretty simple (and somewhat familiar to those journalists working in the entertainment industry): A political journalist (Buscemi) from New York is refused by his editor the chance to fly to Washington to report on a hot White House scandal. Instead, he's asked to interview the very hot-right-now actress Katya (Miller) as part of a fluff piece for Newsworld. But Katya isn't exactly a "serious" actress; she's more known for her off-screen antics (like getting a boob job for a role) than her on-screen performances (her greatest claim to fame is as the lead in a horror flick called Killer Body 4). Nevertheless, Pierre Peters, our jaded journalist, heads off to a Manhattan restaurant to sit down with Katya ... knowing absolutely nothing about her.

Katya is everything you'd imagine a spoiled actress to be: she's unapologetically an hour late to the interview, asks the restaurant's host to remove a couple from her usual table because she feels "too exposed" at the table she's given, and expects Pierre to know each and every little thing about her -- because, seriously, who doesn't? After a hilarious initial confrontation -- in which Pierre insults Katya in every which way possible -- the actress storms out of the restaurant, cursing Pierre as she exits. He then hails a taxi, attempting to wash the bad taste from his mouth as quickly as possible ... only the cab driver crashes into a parked truck while shouting "Hot Mama" remarks at Katya, who's still walking back to her loft. Katya notices Pierre (and the giant gash on his forehead) sitting in the backseat, pulls him out and rushes him upstairs to her loft to help ice the bruise. And that's when our story really begins ...

In van Gogh's Interview, the journalist heads immediately to the apartment, and there's no restaurant (or accident) scene. Buscemi informed the crowd at the Q&A that such things would never take place in the States -- that no actor or actress would ever invite a journalist to their home unless it was an emergency; thus, the additions. Once upstairs in Katya's enormous loft (which Pierre notes early on could "be turned into an airport" should she move), a bottle of scotch turns into a bottle of wine ... which then turns into some making out, some coke (the sniffing kind), some pain killers and a few aspirin to top the night off. What initially looks like two people getting to know one another under extreme circumstances, later reveals itself as two people playing the usual mind games: he's there to get a story, while she's there to prevent this story from making headlines.

Katya might act dumb, but she's not as dumb as she looks. Same goes for Pierre -- who might act drunk -- but is "together" enough to sneak onto Katya's laptop and email dark and send disturbing poems from her diary to himself. The two take turns insulting, then connecting to each others' hidden needs, desires and secrets -- essentially, their "interview" is therapeutic but, in the end, just as fake as Katya's former implants (yes, she had them removed once the role was over). It's refreshing to see Buscemi in a lead role for a change; on screen for the entire duration of the film; he's able to really stretch his wings as an actor. Some would say Miller is playing herself here -- what with the whole Jude Law/Nanny episode tarnishing her early career -- but, still, she plays scattered and over-the-top fairly well, adding the necessary pizazz to her character. Pic was filmed over the course of nine days (original pic took only five nights!), and Buscemi utilizes three digital cameras -- all shooting at one time -- to capture every square inch of the action. I can't help but think Interview would make for the perfect off-Broadway play, and I sincerely hope someone snatches it up to further keep van Gogh's spirit alive and well.