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Interviews
in issue 66
Just Say Oui: An Interview with the Yes Men
"I'm shitting bricks, thinking he's onto me."
By Damon Smith
Film and Film and Film: An Interview with Jonas Mekas
"One who knows how to, as they say, 'read' the images, can tell everything about me."
By Jon Lanthier
in issue 65
The Miracle Worker: An Interview with Arthur Penn
"If the system is inimical to you, then you do whatever you can to alter your relationship to the system."
By Damien Love
in issue 64
"Strong, Righteous, and Rustic": An Interview with Joel McCrea — "I told Hitchcock, 'I do miss my horse.'"
Impressions of an Auteur, Tehran Today: Talking with Iranian Director Khosrow Sinai — "This situation requires the filmmakers to be more creative in handling their mostly simple stories, which sometimes are so simple as to seem very modern and minimalistic."
Return of the Obsessed: James Toback Steps into the Ring Again with Tyson — "And then he said, 'It's like a Greek tragedy. The only problem is, I'm the subject.'"
in issue 63
Of Bullies and Blood Drinkers: Talking to Tomas Alfredson about Let the Right One In — "I think the most horrifying images are the ones you make yourself. Is there someone standing behind the door, or is it just two shoes standing there?"
Maps and Motels: Talking with Deepa Mehta — "I think it's really important for you, or anybody who wants to be a filmmaker, to really be honest with yourself."
in issue 62
The Last Mistress: An Interview with Catherine Breillat — "When I make movies, nothing is limited."
in issue 61
The Kids Are Not All Right: Larry Clark on Wassup Rockers and More — "For me it was like, How do I manipulate this kid so he can do this and he's comfortable?, which is all part of directing."
Paradise Betrayed: Talking with Terence Davies about Of Time and the City — "You can't stop time. It stops you."
Object in Mirror May Be Closer Than It Appears: Stuart Gordon Talks about Horror, the Absurd, and Stuck — "These two people are stuck in life."
The Mole Man: Going Underground with Alejandro Jodorowsky — "I think Spielberg is the son from when Walt Disney fucked Minnie Mouse."
"The Best Jewish Cowboy": An Interview with James Caan — "Hard times will make a monkey eat red peppers."
in issue 60
A Quiet Storm: Charles Burnett on Namibia and His Post-Killer of Sheep Career — "Each film requires for me its own approach."
From a Line of Ancestors: Talking with Doris Dörrie and Natasha Arthy — "We in the West trample on them."
Birds Do It, Bees Do It: Isabella Rossellini Talks About Bug Sex,
Human Sex, and Green Porno — "A laugh and information!"
Man with a Movie Camera: Visiting Jonathan Caouette — "I could somehow control my own story"
in issue 59
Rebel, Rebel: Gregg Araki Reflects on The Living End and His Totally F***ed Up Career at Sundance 2008 — "My whole thing, all my life, was march to your own drummer."
in issue 58
Beyond the Fifth Generation: An Interview with Zhang Yimou — "I know myself, and know that I can't really be separated from the land where I grew up."
Made in China: Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky on Their Travels Across Manufactured Landscapes — "We've created a world that buffers us from nature."
Monsters, Inc.: An Interview with Ray Harryhausen — "I wrecked Washington, and I wrecked New York, and San Francisco. That got rather tiresome after a while."
in issue 57
Constructive Empathy: Speaking with Kadri Kousaar About Magnus — "People can die without love."
Stay Well, or Else . . .: Michael Moore's Sicko — "What these Americans have could happen to us. And this is frightening."
Silent Light or Absolute Miracle: An Interview with Carlos Reygadas at Cannes 2007 — "I hate the idea that film is actually telling a story!"
Back to Basis: Talking with Paul Verhoeven — On Black Book and his recent Hollywood defection
in issue 56
Nearer My Corman to Thee: Roger Corman Remembers, and Roger Corman Remembered — Give us another naked nurse and some more explosions!
Our Time of Troubles: Ken Loach on War, Irish History, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley — "But I was accused of enjoying walking up and down the red carpet! Their rage knew no bounds."
in issue 55
Inherit the Wind: Talking with Peter Bogdanovich and Joseph McBride About The Other Side of the Wind — Life with the restless ghost of Orson Welles' last movie
The Accidental Auteur: A Dialogue with Abbas Kiarostami — "The fruitful tree bends."
Spirit in the Dark: Barbara Kopple on Filming the Group That Wouldn't Shut Up & Sing — "Just put your sneakers on and go. Go on the journey."
Reflecting the Theoretical Beyond: The Quay Brothers Talk About Art, Life, and The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes — "It's hard to be intuitive when you've got 42 crew behind you and they're like, 'Look, they don't know what to do here. They're panicking, look at them!'"
Caveh Zahedi's PSA: Talking with the Auteur of I Am a Sex Addict — "Not only is it personal — it's downright embarrassing."
in issue 54
Cruising with Camille: An Interview with Camille Paglia — "Please note that even Margo Channing, threatening a 'bumpy night' for her hapless guests, merely fumingly forecasts. It's a gesture of mind, not body."
Returning to Life: Talking with Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, and Carmen Maura at Cannes — "I do not have the serenity of women. But I admire it."
What's Wrong with Fast Food? A Conversation with Richard Linklater and Eric Schlosser on Fast Food Nation — With additional comments by Catalina Sandino Moreno and Ethan Hawke
in issue 53
Acts of Revenge — Director Park Chan-wook Discusses Lady Vengeance and More — Grand Guignol, Korean style
"How My Brain Works" — An Interview with Michel Gondry — "I didn't want to live under the shadow of other films. I want to exist on my own."
A Frontline Guy — An Interview with Burt Young — "Get Burt!"
in issue 52
Camping out with James Bidgood: The Auteur of Pink Narcissus Tells All — "I don't live in a harem either, but well, God, I did for awhile . . ."
in issue 51
Expanding the Possibilities: Peter Chung Talks About Aeon Flux,
Matriculated, Dark Fury, and More — "The more you're able to project your own world
upon the work, the more power it has."
in issue 50
The Immortality Blues: Talking with Fruit Chan About Dumplings — And other tasty subjects
Revisiting
Satyajit Ray: An Interview with a Cinema Master — "Everybody has access to me,
anyone who wants to see me. . ."
On Caché (Hidden): Talking to Michael Haneke at Cannes 2005 — "All of us have these hidden moments in our lives . . ."
in issue 49
The Human (Tragi)Comedy: Talking to Arnaud Desplechin — Of Kings and Queen and other subjects
The Kid Behind the Camera: Chatting up Darren Stein — Put the Camera on Me's queer wunderkind speaks
At War with Myself: A Word with Lars von Trier at Cannes 2005 — On Manderley and more
in issue 48
Two Weeks in Another Town: Interview with Douglas Sirk
George Zuckerman and Albert Zugsmith on Douglas Sirk
in issue 47
"Plant Your Feet and Tell the Truth": An Interview with Clint Eastwood — On Million Dollar Baby and a million-dollar career
What Is Love? Mania Akbari Talks About Life, Love, and 20 Angosht (20 Fingers) — This first-time director from Iran inspires cheers — and controversy
Talking to Hirokazu Kore-eda: On Maborosi, Nobody Knows, and Other Pleasures — "I simply want to look at people as they are."
"It's Amazing I've Survived": An Interview with Bill Plympton — "The football game where the chicken mascot runs around crazy with an erection was inspired by a story that someone told me..."
in issue 45
The Ballad of Stella Stevens: An Interview — In which Stella tells all — or at least most
"I Changed My Socially Constructed Sexual Identity!" Jenni Olson on The Queer Movie Poster Book — "The butler did it ... to everyone!"
in issue 44
"You Look Pretty Splendid Yourself, Orson: A Conversation with Curtis Harrington — On unfinished projects and friendship
in issue 43
Over Forty: An Interview with Stanley Kauffmann — A legendary film (and theatre) critic looks back over a 40-year-plus career
in issue 42
Keep on Truckin': An Interview with Joe Gage — A gay-porn pioneer speaks
in issue 40
"Fabulous Gowns but No Pussy!" An Interview with Holly Woodlawn — A superstar talks Trash and papayas
in issue 37
Talking with Margaret Cho — The "All American Girl" on her new movie, her influences, and the joy of high colonics
in issue 35
Sure, I’ll Do It: An Interview with Robert Wise — This movie master is still busy after all these years
in issue 34
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Wizard of Gore — Wit and wisdom from the man who created one of cinema's most enduring genres
in issue 31
An Evening with Jackie Chan — Jackie spills his guts — verbally, this time. A 1993 interview from the Bright Lights archives.
Interview with John Woo — Hong Kong's master of balletic blood 'n bulletplay speaks! A 1994 interview from the Bright Lights archives.
in issue 30
Interview with Béla Tarr — The Hungarian director discusses his film Werckmeister Harmonies
in issue 29
Russ Meyer — Russ Meyer talks about The Supervixens in this 1974 interview from the Bright Lights archives
in issue 28
Louise Hassing — The Dogme actress (The Idiots) tattles on the Dogme boys
in issue 27
Roger Corman — In a 1974 interview, the godfather of "New Hollywood" discusses his beloved low-budget exploitation company, New World Pictures.
in issue 26
Federico Fellini — In an interview conducted after his last film, the Master speaks on life, art, and his strange dealings with the mysterious Carlos Castaneda.
in issue 25
David DeCoteau — The auteur of Petticoat Planet and Retro-Puppetmaster weighs in with his kinky leatherboy arthouse epic, Leather Jacket Love Story.
in issue 24
Sylvia Miles — Sylvia Miles discusses her Oscar-nominated performance in Midnight Cowboy, her peerless rendering of a washed-up B-movie star in Paul Morrissey's Heat, and dumping a plate of spaghetti on critic John Simon's head after a particularly nasty review.
in issue 17
Allan Dwan — A 1980 interview with silent movie pioneer Allan Dwan. His thoughts on Fairbanks, Shirley Temple, Ronald Reagan, and all the "pansies and poseurs of Hollywood." No one was safe from the cruel barbs of the Great Auteur!
in issue 16
Russ Meyer — Behind that mountain of oversized tits-and-ass that make up Russ Meyer's 'body' of work is an extremely intelligent, charming, and funny man, well-versed in cinema history and pop culture.
Annie Sprinkle — Our chat with sex guru and performance artist Annie Sprinkle, who tells us, "In the future, everybody will be so sexually satisfied, there'll be an end to violence, rape and war. We will establish contact with extra-terrestrials and they will be very sexy."
in issue 15
Gregg Araki and the Cast of The Doom Generation — Araki talks about his film-school influences — Godard, Bresson — and the violent "nightmares" he thoughtfully brings to audiences.
in issue 14
Allie Light — Our conversation with the director of Dialogues with Madwomen. Using a mixture of home movies, archival footage of psycho wards, re-enactments, and interviews with her subjects, Light has created a complex, moving portrait of women in whom depression, schizophrenia, and multiple personalities coexist with powerful, sometimes inspired levels of creativity.
