brief interviews with hideous men Tagged Articles at Cinematical

By: James Rocchi, reprinted from the Sundance Film Festival, 1/22/09

Writer, director and actor John Krasinski isn't knocking himself out trying to be cool about the debut of his film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (which Scott Weinberg reviewed here) in the Dramatic Competition at Sundance: " Being at Sundance, I think, is the greatest honor I could ever have for this movie, truly. Sundance has always been -- before I got the show (The Office), before I came to Sundance -- it's always been to me, that place where film making is done for film lovers. There's a feeling here that people appreciate taking chances and doing bold things, and I think my cast and crew took big chances. ..." Krasinski spoke with Cinematical in Park City about adapting a seemingly unadaptable book, his respect for the late David Foster Wallace, casting Julianne Nicholson (Flannel Pyjamas) as the woman facing an army of Hideous Men, and much more.

You can listen to the interview here at Cinematical by clicking below:



You can also download the interview in full right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

By: Scott Weinberg, reprinted from the Sundance Film Festival, 1/21/09

I'd heard a few unpleasant rumblings regarding the Sundance title Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, in addition to numerous opinions on how the source material (a collection of stories by the late David Foster Wallace) had been labeled more or less "unfilmable." But that's pretty much the same stuff I heard about a Sundance title from last year called Choke ... and I ended up really liking that flick. Plus, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men marks the directorial debut of the very likable John Krasinski (yep, good ol' lovable Jim from The Office), AND it boasts a very colorful cast, a scant running time, and a premise that sounds pretty interesting.

But ... unfortunately I'm going to side with the "unfilmable" naysayers this time out, because, despite a few (early) sections that deliver some chuckles alongside some slight-yet-interesting insights into the male psyche, much of Mr. Krasinski's first feature is an aimless, pretentious mess. Well-intentioned? Sure. Intermittently entertaining? I suppose. But a full-bore movie movie? I'd say no.

The title is pretty accurate: Our lead character is a lovely graduate student played by the lovely Julianne Nicholson, and it's her goal to delve deep into the male personality ... exactly WHY we're not entirely sure, and as the interviews progress, a viewer would be hard-pressed to see the value in these self-serving diatribes. The movie wants to be some sort of Vagina Monologues for Males (the Penis Debates?), but aside from the few interviews that are played for laughs, the material is considerably more grating than it is insightful.

Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....

Paranormal Activity (pictured) is finally coming to theaters after premiering two years ago at Screamfest. It's a simple horror concept: married couple believes their house is haunted; sets up camera to film the things that go bump in the night; pants-wetting ensues. Cinematical's Kim Voynar was terrified by it when she caught it at Slamdance 2008, and our Eugene Novikov was similarly enthralled at Telluride this year. At Rotten Tomatoes, all but one of the reviews are similarly positive. Hooray for low-budget indie thrillers! Now playing in Seattle, Boulder, Tucson, Baton Rouge, Columbus, Orlando, Ann Arbor, Madison, Wis., and Santa Cruz, Calif.

The Boys Are Back stars Clive Owen as a newly widowed father of two boys. It's directed by Scott Hicks, who made Shine and Hearts in Atlantis. Cinematical's Monika Bartyzel had praise for the film when it premiered at Toronto, saying it's occasionally great and often very sweet. At Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of the reviews are positive -- not a smash, but very solid. Playing in New York and L.A.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is based on douchebag-and-proud-of-it Tucker Max's memoirs detailing his escapades as a carousing womanizer and general tool. Matt Czuchry plays Max in the film, which takes the form of a road-trip buddy comedy. Now playing in about 120 theaters nationwide. Only 22% of the reviews so far are positive, with most critics calling it juvenile, derivative, and unfunny.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Ten years after the original, we've finally got a sequel to Boondock Saints. Parts of the trailer grabbed me (especially that song) but I can't help thinking this ship has already sailed. The saints will be marching in on October 30.

Rob Zombie's El Superbeasto
I had been looking forward to Rob Zombie's animated feature but this trailer has really killed my enthusiasm. I kind of like the look of it, but not one of the jokes made me laugh. This goes into limited release on September 12.

Leslie, My Name is Evil
A milquetoast chemist serving on the Manson Family jury finds himself smitten with Leslie, one of Charles Manson's followers. No U.S. release dates for this one yet.

Trucker
A tough independent female trucker suddenly finds herself saddled with an 11-year-old son she hasn't seen since he was a baby. Watch for this one on October 9.

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
A synopsis doesn't really do this one justice. Check it out, it looks pretty cool. The film is getting a limited release on September 25.

New on AOL Moviefone:

• Live Evil - A priest with a samurai sword hunts four vampires who are traveling across country looking for pure blood.
• Broken Hill - A young man dreams of leaving the family farm in Australia to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
• Inception - The latest thriller from the director of The Dark Knight.
• Ong Bak 2 - Tony Jaa directs and stars in this sequel to 2003's Ong Bak.
• The Wolfman - Remake of the classic monster flick in which a man is cursed to transform into a wolf-like creature under the full moon.
• The Men Who Stare at Goats - A reporter investigates a group of soldiers trained in psychic espionage.
• The Final Destination - Fourth installment in the horror franchise.

Sundancers enjoyed unseasonably warm weather (41 degrees in the afternoon) as the festival headed toward its concluding weekend.

Deals. After picking up the Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow, IFC Films added another comedy to its roster, acquiring Armando Iannucci's In the Loop just hours before its premiere, according to Mike Jones at Variety. The film stars Tom Hollander, Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini, and Steve Coogan. A 2009 theatrical release is planned, per indieWIRE. But where's the bidding wars for docs? A. J. Schnack of All these wonderful things writes: "For the first time in anyone's recent memory, the first half of the fest had come and gone without a major doc sale."

Reviews/Interviews. Would-be comedy Paper Heart is "partially built around Charlyne Yi's persona," says Eric D. Snider, "and I find her persona boring." Oh, dear. The "typically hilarious" Michael Cera also appears. James Rocchi was busy, interviewing the great Kevin Spacey about Shrink and talking with actor / director / writer John Krasinski about Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. James also reviewed Ondi Timoner's documentary We Live in Public, which he called "incisive, exciting and thought-provoking."

Prison drama Bronson, from Pusher trilogy director Nicolas Wining Refn, has created a fair amount of buzz, and Scott Weinberg knows why, describing it as "raw, blistering, harsh and compelling." Scott also took a bemused gander at Bobcat Goldthwait's World's Greatest Dad, with Robin Williams essaying the titular role of a father dealing with life after his teenage son "dies while masturbating." Yes, folks, it's a comedy! To end on a musical note, Erik Davis caught The Carter, a doc about rapper Lil' Wayne, "a passionate, talented man who's slowly losing himself." You can check out all our coverage at the fabulous Sundance hub at Moviefone.

Blog Talk. After the jump: Woody Allen's soul, Bobcat's schedule, and Paris Hilton.

Writer, director and actor John Krasinski isn't knocking himself out trying to be cool about the debut of his film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (which Scott Weinberg reviewed here) in the Dramatic Competition at Sundance: " Being at Sundance, I think, is the greatest honor I could ever have for this movie, truly. Sundance has always been -- before I got the show (The Office), before I came to Sundance -- it's always been to me, that place where film making is done for film lovers. There's a feeling here that people appreciate taking chances and doing bold things, and I think my cast and crew took big chances. ..." Krasinski spoke with Cinematical in Park City about adapting a seemingly unadaptable book, his respect for the late David Foster Wallace, casting Julianne Nicholson (Flannel Pyjamas) as the woman facing an army of Hideous Men, and much more.

You can listen to the interview here at Cinematical by clicking below:



You can also download the interview in full right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

I'd heard a few unpleasant rumblings regarding the Sundance title Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, in addition to numerous opinions on how the source material (a collection of stories by the late David Foster Wallace) had been labeled more or less "unfilmable." But that's pretty much the same stuff I heard about a Sundance title from last year called Choke ... and I ended up really liking that flick. Plus, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men marks the directorial debut of the very likable John Krasinski (yep, good ol' lovable Jim from The Office), AND it boasts a very colorful cast, a scant running time, and a premise that sounds pretty interesting.

But ... unfortunately I'm going to side with the "unfilmable" naysayers this time out, because, despite a few (early) sections that deliver some chuckles alongside some slight-yet-interesting insights into the male psyche, much of Mr. Krasinski's first feature is an aimless, pretentious mess. Well-intentioned? Sure. Intermittently entertaining? I suppose. But a full-bore movie movie? I'd say no.

It's just about time for myself and a few trusty Cinematical cohorts (James Rocchi, Scott Weinberg and Eric D. Snider) to pack up our bags and head for the mountains of Park City, Utah -- home to, of course, the Sundance Film Festival. Once we're on the ground, we'll be posting reviews, interviews, scene/party coverage, photos, videos and whatever else there is to throw online that way you, our most loyal readers, will feel like you're right smack in the middle of the biggest film festival of the year. And to get the ball rolling, here are our 12 most anticipated films of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Erik Davis already let us know in September that John Krasinski was writing and directing the adaptation of David Foster Wallace's collection of short stories -- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Obviously this is a bit of a jump for The Office star, who is known for being the attractive and likable office co-worker, not the man responsible for bringing desperation drama to the big screen. However, as much as he's moulding this assortment of stories about hideousness, he's still got a little cutie added into the mix -- more specifically, frontman Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.

For those squeeing with glee over the news, I'm not sure how prominent he will be in the feature, but his name is among the top 10 listed. However, since it is a book of character sketches that I have not read, I'm not sure who his character, Harry, is. Are there any Foster Wallace fans out there who would care to elaborate? For those wondering who the hell Gibbard is, I send you to Wikipedia and Amazon to read up and listen. While this is his first acting role, his band's music has been featured in the likes of Wicker Park, Wedding Crashers and Six Feet Under.

Gibbard is actually one of a number of cute people signed on for the hideous roles. Here's a short roll call for the curious: Sex and the City semen taster Bobby Cannavale, Krasinski's Office co-star and daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton -- Rashida Jones, SNL alum and Abe Lincoln's clone Will Forte, Threesome's Josh Charles, Kinsey actress Julianne Nicholson and The Anniversary Party's lovely Denis O'Hare -- just to name a few! Their characters must be extremely hideous because their visages are anything but!

Odds and ends from Monday:

• Looks like someone is tired of his boring office job. John Krasinski (The Office) has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, written by David Foster Wallace. The book itself (which you either love or despise with a passion) consists of twenty-two stories which revolve around -- you got it -- a bunch of hideous men. Pic begins its principal photography this November and, with the exception of Krasinski himself, there have been no other cast announcements.
• IFC Films is looking to dance with the big boys, as they've committed to release four to six films a year with budgets ranging between $4-10 million. As part of the announcement, IFC Films has picked up all North American rights to the dark comedy You Kill Me, directed by John Dahl. Starring Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni and Luke Wilson, pic revolves around an alcoholic hitman who, while taking a break from the killing, decides to become a mortician. Darkish hilarity ensues.
• Man, I love it when these "unnamed sources" decide to stir up crap on the internet. I swear, in my next life, I want to come back as an "unnamed source." Ya know, this way I can make up a ton of stuff and see who actually buys into it. Back on topic, an "unnamed source" told the U.K.'s Life Style Extra that, despite the fact their film sort of bombed with critics, as well as at the box office, Jaime Foxx and Colin Farrell both feel there's enough story present for a Miami Vice sequel. Eh, I can't see Michael Mann or Universal feeling the same way ... then again, stranger sequels have happened. (Ahem, Break'n Revolution?)