My first South By Southwest was actually my second film festival ever. But I had my festival partner (Erik Childress!) there, as well as a bunch of movies to watch, so it's not like I was worried or miserable or anything. The year was 2003, and I was just about to meet Matt Dentler. Only a few weeks removed from my first Sundance, I simply wasn't prepared for the Austin hospitality. Once Mr. Dentler knew who Erik and I were (online film critics, big woop) he never stopped being a prince. Thanks to Matt and his awesome girlfriend Jarren, Erik and I became SXSW superheroes almost overnight. So it only took about six years for me to come up with the idea, but here's an interview with my friend Matt Dentler, powerfully good guy and ridiculously hard-working producer of the South By Southwest Film Festival.

Cinematical: You've been the producer of South By Southwest for the better part of a decade now, and the festival has seen huge growth in that time. How'd you score such a sweet gig, and (more importantly) how do you keep the festival chugging along year after year?

Matt: I've only been the producer since 2003, but I did start working at SXSW in 1997 as an office intern. I've seen the festival go through various stages of growth and it's really exciting. I guess I got the gig because I worked my way up the food chain and was just relentless about doing a great job. I dunno what it is, but something about this place and this job fit really well with me. The great thing about each festival, year to year, is that there are always new films and new filmmakers and new audiences. That keeps things fresh all the time, and you never feel like you're just doing the same job over and over. It really does feel like a new challenge each year, especially as we've grown.

Cine: How important is it for a festival producer to be a hardcore movie freak? Does your love for cinema ever start to wane when you're faced with 45 brand-new screener discs?

Matt: A programmer at another festival once used this analogy and I think it's appropriate: To do this job, you have to love movies like it's a marriage. You have to love it through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer or poorer. You have to be ready to embrace it during the good times and bad. And, that's very true. It can be a daunting gig, but I don't take it for granted. I love the idea of discovering great new films or a great new voice. That keeps it constantly interesting and usually entertaining.

Easily one of my favorite films from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, A Complete History of My Sexual Failures follows Chris Waitt; a jobless slacker who attempts a quest to find out why he's been dumped by every girlfriend he's ever had. As I said in my review, it's like the documentary version of High Fidelity, if that film had stayed in the UK where the novel was originally set. Throughout the doc, we follow Waitt from one ex-girlfriend to another, from an S&M Mistress to the streets of London -- all in the hopes he will finally learn why he sucks at relationships and, maybe, find a new love at the same time. Cinematical sat down with Waitt during this year's Sundance fest to find out what the hell he was thinking when he set out to make this very personal, yet extremely hilarious documentary.

Note: There are spoilers contained within this interview, so read at your own risk.

Cinematical: Ya know, I have to admit it's a little awkward talking to you an hour after watching you butt-naked, being whipped in the balls by an S&M Mistress. I mean, dude -- what was up with that?

Chris Waitt: [laughs] At that point, I think I had the realization that I had lost sight of what I was doing. And we cut from it, but I kept looking at the cameraman, sort of 'Can you do something to stop this?' And of course I was just there with the cameraman and he wasn't going to stop it -- he found it hilarious. The camera kept shaking; we had to cut between the bits because his hand was shaking so much. But yeah, she got really carried away ... that woman. But I was actually in that dungeon for two hours -- we had two hours of footage from that. Deeply painful.

When I started at Cinematical, I had never conducted an interview before. I bought my first digital recorder with trembling hands, and in my first interview I stuttered more than Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda. But I pulled through it, didn't embarrass myself, and got smoother with practice. What I've learned is that no matter how intimidating the interviewee may be, as long as you are reasonably pleasant, professional, and well-prepared, the discussion won't go totally off the rails.

For an example of an interviewer not being well prepared and a discussion that does go totally off the rails, I direct you to this hilarious clip of a young woman (judging by the youtube comments, she's a communications student at USC) starting an interview with John Cusack. I won't spoil it for you, I'll just say it's safe for work, it's brief, and it's as cringe-inducing and awkward as anything on The Office. You will be screaming at this reporter to just...stop...talking. Enjoy! And friends, please, do your research!

(Note: This interview was originally conducted back in October when Persepolis was screening at the New York Film Festival. We are publishing it now to coincide with the film's theatrical release this week.)

Based on the popular graphic novel, Persepolis tells the story of a young girl coming of age during the Islamic Revolution. The film was France's selection for the best foreign language Oscar, and Persepolis was just recently nominated for a best foreign language Golden Globe. Originally written by Marjane Satrapi (based on her own life growing up), the brilliant adaptation was penned by Satrapi and her best friend Vincent Paronnaud, both of whom also directed.

On screen and in the books, Marjane comes off as a lively gal full of questions and good-natured spirit. In real life, she's exactly the same way; she speaks fast, with passion and brutal honesty, and makes sure to remind you that she's an artist first and foremost. Cinematical sat down with both Satrapi and Paronnaud shortly after France announced Persepolis was their Oscar submission, and what follows is our conversation. Keep in mind their accents are thick (Paronnaud spoke only in French, which was then translated for me by Satrapi), and so the transcription is a bit rough around the edges.

Cinematical: Congrats on being selected by France as their submission for a best foreign language Oscar. How does that feel?

Marjane Satrapi: Well, it was incredible. Out of the fact that you're always happy you're movie is selected, it's very nice. It also means this border -- this line between who is French and who is not -- it becomes more international in a way. If you live in a country, you can come from a different background and still be French. Which I think is a very good thing. In this time of life when everyone is extremely nationalist, and you know, is going back to the roots, it's very archaic in a way to have countries deciding that even if a movie doesn't happen in their country, it can come from their country. This is a very good thing.

Cinematical: How did the graphic novel originally come about? Why the decision to write about your life in that form?

MS: It's not so much about my life, you know, I use myself as a basis to talk about the other one. If I didn't use myself, it would become like a political or a sociological or a historical statement, and I'm none of that. I'm just one person, and you see what I saw. It's not a statement. This is an artistic work. The graphic novel form became an obvious choice because words are not enough for me. I love to use the image -- ya know, I make art school. And why not? So yeah, it was an obvious choice.

In the spirit of "better late than never," over the weekend I watched a couple of the films that were released on DVD last Tuesday and also found a review of one of the more obscure titles that came out. As I noted in my Indies on DVD post, Steve Buscemi's Interview received mixed critical notices; after giving it a spin I can understand the reservations but I feel it's worth a rental.

Buscemi plays a reporter who's miffed to be assigned to interview a rising starlet (Sienna Miller). He arrives to their interview totally unprepared, matched by her arriving more than an hour late. The scene seethes with realistic resentment, after which the film segues into an extended fantasy in which Miller takes Buscemi back to her apartment to recuperate from a minor traffic accident. It's as though Buscemi's journalist, suffering from a slight head injury, dreams about all the questions he would ask a celebrity if there were no holds barred. Buscemi's character is not as important or superior as he thinks he is and Miller's actress is not as innocent or sympathetic as she imagines herself to be. Forget about realism and it's easy to get lost in the dramatics of two people who clash more than they mesh. As director, Buscemi keeps things fresh with his imaginative staging.

Latitude Zero, an English-language production made by Japanese filmmakers in 1969, which I wrote about in my Asian Films on DVD post, sounded like it might be a risk to rent if you're allergic to cheese. Glenn Erickson (AKA DVD Savant) at DVD Talk gives a complete rundown on the film -- which he calls "the most eclectic, disorganized thriller Toho ever produced" -- and the features. It's a great, detailed, respectful review, and an excellent example of Erickson's genial, informed writing style.

Ready to explore the wonderful world of indie films you've heard about but haven't seen? Me too! Though I haven't seen these particular titles, the first two come well recommended by others, starting with Moolaadé, the last film by the esteemed director Ousmane Sembene, who passed away earlier this year. Cinematical's Kim Voynar described it as "a film about courage, survival, and the strength of the human spirit ... perhaps one of the most socially relevant" of the decade. The DVD from New Yorker Video includes a "making of" feature, interviews and additional material, and a deluxe collector's booklet.

Whisky Romeo Zulu is an Argentinean film that dates back to 2004, when it debuted at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. My curiosity was piqued at the time by Deborah Young's review in Variety, which described the intriguing premise revolving around an airplane accident: "Former pilot and whistleblower Enrique Pineyro expertly recounts a crash in full behind-the-scenes detail in his double role as director and main actor (playing himself)." Andrew Wright of The Stranger also had a positive reaction when it played at the Seattle film festival. The film was never picked up for US distribution, but Home Vision has now released it on a bare bones DVD, evidently with just a trailer, that sounds worth seeking out.

Both Interview and The Rocket received mixed critical notices. Our own Ryan Stewart said Interview "turns out to be a mediocre 'night to remember' film in which the half-intrigued, half-bored actress [Sienna Miller] and the caustic journalist [Steve Buscemi, who also directed] try to get the best of each other." The Sony Classics DVD includes an audio commentary by Buscemi and a feature on Dutch director Theo Van Gogh, who directed the film that served as the source material.

The Rocket tells the true story of legendary ice hockey star Maurice Richard, played by Roy Dupuis. I heard good things about the film when it played at the AFI Dallas festival earlier this year; it may be a good bet if you're looking for an inspirational sports story -- or if you're Canadian. The DVD from Palm Pictures features deleted scenes and a tribute to the great Richard.

Good things sometimes happen when you behave in a geeky and enthusiastic fashion. For example, from the minute I heard that four brand-new Futurama movies were going into production, I wet myself a little and then went insane. (Examples of the aforementioned insanity can be found here, here and here.) So not too long ago, I got an email asking if I'd like to express my Futurama obsession in the form of an interview piece, I said "Yes!" Which is how I got to ask a bunch of questions to:

• Claudia Katz -- Partner at Rough Draft Studios and producer of the Futurama movies and TV series.
• Dwayne Carey-Hill -- Director of Futurama movies one (Bender's Big Score!) and three (Bender's Game) and season four of the TV series.
• Peter Avanzino – director of Futurama movies two (The Beast with a Billion Backs) and four (Into the Wild Green Yonder) and seasons one through four of the TV series.

Not bad, eh? So knowing that I was about to chit-chat with three of the more "hands-on" creators, I set out to create some questions that were as interesting as they were amusing. So here's how the conversation(s) went down!

Futurama freaking rocks. Everyone in the universe knows this -- except for the small handful of people who used to work at Fox who canceled it. How painful was it when the final news came down? Did anyone make a beeline for the prototype suicide booth? At that point, did anyone hold out any (REALISTIC) hope that the series would be re-born in some fashion?

Claudia Katz: Well, the sad truth is it took a very long time for the news to officially come down. And even then we were lodged in limbo (between no pick-up and not canceled) and eventually got the hint. I believe, after what seemed like an eternity, they let Matt [Groening] know we were not getting a pick-up "for now," and we all figured it was time to move on. Before we reached this point, I felt it was a good idea to remove the studio's suicide booth. In retrospect, I consider this a very prudent decision. By Season 4 we had assembled the perfect crew [but] unfortunately the series came to an end. At Rough Draft we've always held out hope for its return. Right after the series ended, there was some brief talk of a possible theatrical Futurama feature. This, of course, is my new Futurama hope!

Dwayne Carey-Hill: Futurama came to an end in such a non-definitive way that there was a lot more standing around scratching heads than there was taking of one's own life. It was more like the ending to our Halloween parties. You don't want it to end and a lot of people hang around talking and laughing. But eventually, all the conversations come to an uncomfortable end and everybody just turns and goes their own separate ways.

How many DVDs had to sell before someone (new) at Fox said "Heyyyy, there's still some more money to be made here! Someone politely get Matt Groening on the phone!"? When discussing the new Futurama projects, does the word "vindicated" come up very often? Is it pretty much the same crew from the series that's working on the movies? And do you haze the newbies like in a frat house?

CK: It's very hard to get the numbers on DVD sales, but clearly for Fox to consider producing more, they must have sold well. Understandably for Fox, it come down to a business decision, and we're thrilled they decided to go ahead with the DVDs. We've always had a great relationship with Matt, David [X. Cohen] and the writers, and this time around there's also been a great collaboration with the Studio (Fox). We feel vindicated, but more importantly, it feels like you can go home again. As far as the crew, we're super-fortunate to have a lot of great return talent. In addition to the other Rough Draft partners Rich Moore, Gregg Vanzo and Scott Vanzo, both Dwayne Carey-Hill and Peter Avanzino who directed on the series are back. Scott is back as the head of CG, as well as our lead CG artist Eric Whited. Our color supervisor Samantha Harrison and colorist Rachel Stratton returned, as well as our digital producer, Geraldine Symon, and our associate producer Elise Belknap. Luckily some layout artists returned, but we geared up for the DVDs in the midst of production on The Simpsons Movie. So we hired a largely new crew, which was some initial cause for concern, but they've done an incredible job. I can't release any exact hazing details, but we try to curtail them to activities that don't leave any marks or cause lifelong therapy needs.

The name Doug Bradley might not ring any bells right away -- except of course if you're a serious horror fan. Mr. Bradley holds the distinction of playing the immortal Pinhead in all eight of the Hellraiser films. So when I heard that A) the first four flicks in the series would soon be broadcast in Hi-Def, and B) I'd be able to share a few moments chatting with the British actor ... needless to say, I was more than interested. Below, we talk all things Hellraiser, and ask Bradley if he's involved in the new Hellraiser remake. (Regarding the Hellraiser HD marathon, it'll play on the Monsters HD network on October 27 and 28, beginning at 9pm on both evenings. Click here for more info.) And now on with the conversation...

Cinematical: Pinhead was your first role in a feature film. Did it ever occur to you that the character could go on to have this sort of shelf life?

Doug Bradley: Absolutely not..For two reasons: Firstly, in the first film I'd been paid union minimum rates for a character with no name completely in latex on screen for less than 10 minutes -- so I didn't think it was going to amount to much, but I was excited to play the part. The makeup was extraordinary and the film was so different than any horror film I'd known of. Secondly, as an actor you don't think like that and you shouldn't look at it like that. You should be focused on the work as work and not looking at it as a meal ticket or the next big franchise. If you had told me the first day I started on Hellraiser that 20 years later I'd be here (conducting this interview) and have the type of fans I have, I wouldn't have known what planet I was on.

Cinematical: Do you find that being known as a "horror icon" has prevented you from acquiring roles in different genres? Is there a downside to being a "horror guy"?

DB: I don't think being known as a "horror icon" has prevented me and I've never looked at it as a downside. I suppose if they're casting for comedies, they don't automatically think to themselves that guy who plays Pinhead in Hellraiser seems terribly funny. You have genre roles and genre filmmakers looking for you. I was a fan of horror films long before I even knew I wanted to be an actor, so I definitely don't look at this as a downside. I have no problem with being in this genre and I haven't found a downside. The fans are wonderful and everything is tremendous fun.

He's glorified greed, fended off a psycho ex-girlfriend and even served as president of the United States -- but at heart, Michael Douglas has always been plain ol' crazy. In King of California, a festival crowd-pleaser from first-time director Mike Cahill, Douglas is Charlie, who's just been released from a mental institution and is convinced that there's Spanish treasure buried under the local Costco; Evan Rachel Wood, as his teenaged daughter, plays Dulcinea to his Don Quixote. Though Douglas has always excelled at playing characters who are slightly unhinged (as Kim Voynar notes in her review), Charlie is what you'd call certifiable, and in a way this role brings Douglas back full circle -- he did, after all, launch his movie career by producing an indie about nutjobs called One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. After endearing himself forever to this interviewer by chatting at length about the finer points of Cal football (go Bears!), Douglas spoke easily about his attitudes on directing, his lovely co-star and his recent return to madness.

Cinematical: It's rare to see you in an indie. Do you think that's because you see fewer smaller scripts these days, or do they just not jump out at you?

Michael Douglas: First of all, my whole career began in indie pictures to a large degree. I don't know. You know, I just haven't been been offered ... maybe people just get intimidated. I've had a few, but I haven't made that many movies really since I got married. If you look back, since 2000 I've only done about four pictures or something like that, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Many people may have done more for independent film -- producers who funded groundbreaking work, directors who brought crowds to theaters with groundbreaking work, pioneers who paved the way -- but, looking at the career of writer-director John Sayles, it's hard to think of anyone who's done more with independent film. Each of Sayles's movies is different , yet they all revolve around his central concerns -- life, morality, the struggles and rewards of life in America. His new film, Honeydripper, debuts at this year's Toronto International Film Festival -- a completely independent "rock and roll fable" about the birth of rock and roll, set in an Alabama juke joint in 1950. Sayles spoke with Cinematical in Toronto about re-creating the distant past on a shoestring budget, how he found young guitar man Gary Clark, Jr. , working with Danny Glover and Charles S. Dutton and recommended specific records where you, too, can hear the sound of rock and roll being born. You can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



You can also download the interview right here.