Bob Zemeckis
The "Flight" Interview with Kam Williams

Born in Chicago on May 14, 1951, Bob Zemeckis won an Academy Award for Best Director for the hugely successful "Forrest Gump." The film's numerous honors also included Oscars for Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Picture. The Library of Congress recently selected the film to join the esteemed National Film Registry.

Zemeckis re-teamed with Hanks on the contemporary drama "Cast Away," the filming of which was split into two sections, book-ending production on What Lies Beneath. Earlier in his career, Zemeckis co-wrote and directed "Back to the Future," which was the top-grossing release of 1985, and for which Zemeckis landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

He then went on to helm "Back to the Future, Part II and Part III," completing one of the most successful film trilogies ever. In addition, he directed and produced "Contact," starring Jodie Foster, based on the best-selling novel by Carl Sagan; and the macabre comedy hit "Death Becomes Her," starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis.

He also wrote and directed the box office smash "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," cleverly blending live action and animation. And he directed the action-adventure hit "Romancing the Stone," pairing Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

In March 2001, the USC School of Cinema-Television celebrated the opening of the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts. This state-of-the-art facility is the country's first fully-digital training center, and houses the latest in non-linear production and post-production equipment as well as stages, a 50-seat screening room and a USC student-run television station, Trojan Vision.

Here, he talks about his latest film, Flight, a combination special f/x and legal thriller starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman and Melissa Leo.

Kam Williams: Hi Bob, thanks so much for the interview.

Bob Zemeckis: You bet.

KW: I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. I loved the film and found it fascinating. I told my readers I'd be speaking with you, so I'll be mixing my questions in with theirs. What interested you in making Flight?

BZ: I thought it was a wonderful, beautifully-written screenplay with some really interesting, complex characters, including Denzel's, obviously. I found it to be very bold and very courageous.

KW: Did your being a pilot play into your decision to make it?

BZ: No, not at all. But I would think that just being a pilot was helpful in creating a sense of realism to the incident on the airplane.

KW: When I saw the film, I sat next to a pilot friend who explained to me that everything that was going when the plane lost its hydraulics was technically accurate. That prevented me from being at all skeptical.

BZ: Well, that's good.

KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What did you do as a director to show Whip Whitaker's [Denzel Washington's character] inner struggle to the audience?

BZ: Most of the credit for that has to go to Denzel. He really has an amazing talent, and was able to evoke the inner pain that the character was dealing with on a constant basis. I think his entire performance is sort of shrouded in the internal misery that Whip was feeling.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How does a director who is truly gifted in the use of special f/x prevent them from overwhelming the performances of a great actor like Denzel?

BZ: Well, I use special f/x in exactly the same way that I use a camera. They're simply an extension of the camera, and they're there just to complement what the actors are doing?

KW: How do you balance storyline versus special f/x?

BZ: Like I said, the special f/x are there to serve the story. Just like the camera is there to serve the story, and the cast is there to serve the story. I think that's the only way that I approach it.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What message do you think people will take away from Flight?

BZ: I don't like to use that word "message." My feeling is, if you want to send a message, you should Twitter. I think the movie is a very human story that everyone can identify with on some level and that, at the end of the day, is a very hopeful story.

KW: Patricia also says: I believe that the word "can't" should not be addressed to people, especially children, when they share their dreams with the world. They have all their lives ahead of them and nobody can predict their destiny. I am sure that in the past you met many naysayers while you wanted to be involved in the movie industry. What is the best advice you can give to aspiring filmmakers?

BZ: Yeah, I think the best advice is to get a video camera and just start making movies, little movies... youtube videos... and write. We're in desperate need of good screenplays.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: How did you achieve that breathtaking effect of a plane flying upside-down?

BZ: It's all digital.

KW: Bernadette would also like to know: What is your favorite charity?

BZ: Gee, I have a lot of them.

KW: Documentary filmmaker Kevin Williams asks: Do you feel any pressure to measure up to your ever increasingly-impressive body of work every time you make a movie?

BZ: I really can't worry about that sort of thing. All I can do is just keep doing what I've been doing, which is to do movies I'm attracted to. If the screenplay is an interesting story, just go for it.

KW: Kevin has another question: What film most inspired you to become a director?

BZ: Bonnie and Clyde. I saw it when I was in high school. I was being moved emotionally, and I thought, "Well, this is pretty powerful stuff." And I wanted to find out more about what it was a director actually did. That sort of put me on the path.

KW: Professor/Author/Documentary director Hisani Dubose says: I love all your movies but found Cast Away especially fascinating as a great example of product integration with FedEx. I would like to know if FedEx was part of the original script.

BZ: It was, but not because of any product placement. As a matter of fact, FedEx didn't give us any money at all because, if you remember the movie, the plane crashes. But they understood the reality of what it was we were doing, and said they were okay with it as long as the accident wasn't caused by the incompetence of any FedEx employees. So, they were cooperative with us, which was great because it brought a realism to the movie to use an actual corporation rather than a fictional one.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

BZ: No, I'm good.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

BZ: A little book by Christopher Hitchens called "Mortality." It's a collection of all the essays he wrote during his struggle with cancer.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

BZ: I like to make pizza.

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?

BZ: Getting a hold of a really good screenplay.

KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets," asks: What was the best business decision you ever made, and what was the worst?

BZ: My best business decision was to get all my money out of the stock market. My worst? I honestly don't know how to answer that one. I don't think I've made a bad one yet, other than something small. I've been pretty fortunate in that regard.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

BZ: My father.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

BZ: A thousand more wishes.

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

BZ: A need to express themselves creatively.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

BZ: As a good father.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Bob, and best of luck with the film.

BZ: Thanks Kam, I appreciate it.

To see a trailer for Flight, visit

A Royal Affair
(En kongelig affaere)
Film Review by Kam Williams

If you are a fan of elaborate costume dramas of Shakespearean proportions, A Royal Affair is likely right up your alley. Nikolaj Arcel, who wrote the script for the Swedish-language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, does double duty this time around, both directing and adapting Bodil Steensen-Leth's erotic novel, Prinsesse af blodet, to the big screen.

The epic tale revolves around the love triangle which develops when Denmark's 15 year-old Queen Caroline (Alicia Vikander) falls head over heels for a dashing doctor named Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen). This only makes sense since her considerably older husband she's just met is not only a clumsy lover but stark raving mad to boot.

She and the Royal physician are not only attracted to each other, but share some lofty ideals for the long-oppressed citizenry. So, casting their fate to the wind, the smitten lovebirds soon set about plotting to overthrow the cuckoo king.

Of course, no monarch takes kindly to a coup d'etat, and complications ensue. It doesn't help matters that the recently-arrived Caroline is a sister of Britain's King George III, and Johann is German, which means the insurgency has the potential to turn into an international incident.

While carrying on their torrid affair, the pair contemplates ushering in the Age of Enlightenment, a cultural movement that had already taken hold elsewhere around Europe. While folks familiar with Danish history might have an idea where this all leads, it was definitely fun for this uninformed critic to witness the intriguing play-by-play in the dark as to what was looming just over the horizon at each tawdry twist and turn.

A lust for power revealing, what else, but something rotten in the State of Denmark.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for sexuality and violent images.

In Danish, French, German and English with subtitles

Running time: 137 minutes

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

To see a trailer for A Royal Affair, visit

The Sessions
Film Review by Kam Williams

Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) was left paralyzed from the neck down by the polio he'd contracted as a child. Consequently, he can only breathe with the assistance of an iron lung, although he can use a portable respirator for a few hours at a time.

Nonetheless, the condition has never stopped him from fantasizing, especially about his attractive attendants like Amanda (Annika Marks) who quit when he expressed his desire for her. The sexually-frustrated, 38 year-old decides that the only way he'll probably ever lose his virginity is by paying a woman to sleep with him.

However, this proves easier said than done, between the physical challenges presented by quadriplegia and his having to wrestle with a major moral issue as a devout Catholic. Since his religion forbids fornication outside the sanctity of marriage, Mark consults his parish priest for special dispensation.

Armed with the surprisingly-sympathetic Father Brendan's (William H. Macy) blessing, Mark retains the services of Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a professional sex surrogate with the bedside demeanor, or should I say bedroom demeanor, of a saint. Over the course of a half-dozen, romantic rendezvous, the sensitive therapist gradually helps her patient conquer problems with performance anxiety and premature ejaculation.

En route to consummation, the pair simultaneously forge a friendship in spite her fears that he might develop an attachment to her. After all, she is married. But Mark emerges from the experience, a changed man, as he develops the confidence to flirt with other women and he even ultimately finds a wife (Robin Weigert).

The Sessions' subject-matter might strike some as salacious, given the film's frequent, full-frontal nudity. But the picture actually plays out more as a compassionate tale exploring a variety of themes, including faith, friendship, relationships and the indomitability of the human spirit.

Written and directed by Ben Lewin, himself a polio victim, the movie is based on Mark O'Brien's (1950-1999) life story as chronicled in his autobiography "How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man's Quest for Independence." The late author was already the subject of Breathing Lessons, a biopic which won an Academy Award in 1997 in the Best Documentary category.

Rather than resort to manipulative sentimentality, the production resists the temptation to follow a Hollywood formula in favor of a realistic plot that Mark undoubtedly would have appreciated. As a journalist and longtime civil rights advocate, he never looked for pity but lobbied for legislation and equality on behalf of the handicapped.

Co-stars John Hawkes and Helen Hunt generate an endearing chemistry, here, turning in a couple of virtuoso performances deserving of serious consideration come Oscar season. A poignant, character-driven drama depicting the disabled as complicated individuals with a full range of emotions.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for graphic sexuality, frontal nudity and frank dialogue

Running time: 95 minutes

Distributor: Fox Searchlight

To see a trailer for The Sessions, visit

Skyfall
Film Review by Kam Williams

007 Returns for Riveting Roller Coaster Ride

Each new James Bond film is fated to be compared to all the prior installments of the enduring espionage franchise. Directed by Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes (for American Beauty), Skyfall earns high grades in that regard, as it pales in the eyes of this purist only in relation to the standard-setting classics starring Sean Connery.

Daniel Craig returns for a third go-round of savoir faire and derring-do as the legendary, British secret agent with "a license to kill" in order to match wits with a maniacal madman played by Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (for No Country for Old Men). Besides the obligatory villain bent on world domination, this 007 adventure arrives complete with such series trademarks as witty repartee, a bevy of Bond girls (most notably Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe), exotic locales and a memorable title song (by Adele) oozing the requisite combination of danger and sensuality.

The movie wastes little time launching into high gear, opening with a daredevil motorcycle chase across roofs high above Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, leading to an even more eye-popping stunt atop a careening freight train approaching the proverbial mountain tunnel. The incident ends with a breathtaking, last-second plunge into a river that ostensibly claims Bond's life.

Back at MI6 headquarters, responsibility for the tragedy is ultimately placed squarely on the shoulders of M (Dame Judi Dench) for failing to find the double-agent in the ranks. Still, she refuses to turn in her resignation when called on the carpet by her unamused boss (Ralph Fiennes).

Of course, 007 isn't really dead, and he soon resurfaces to embark with M's blessing on a revenge-fueled, name-clearing, international manhunt with ports-of-call in Macau and Shanghai en route to a spectacular showdown on an ancestral family estate in Scotland. What makes the roller coaster ride so much fun is a plethora of surprising plot twists it would be a crime to spoil.

Just brace yourself for the best Bond episode in ages, thanks to Daniel Craig's coming of age to make the role his own.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking, violence and intense action sequences.
Running time: 143 minutes
Studio: Columbia Pictures
To see a trailer for Skyfall, visit

Daniel Craig
The "Skyfall" Interview with Kam Williams

Born in Chester, England on March 2, 1968, and raised on the Wirral Peninsula outside Liverpool, Daniel Craig has gone from waiting tables as a struggling actor to playing the legendary James Bond. In between, the versatile thespian has tackled a variety of roles, which is reflected in a resume which includes outings in Elizabeth, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, The Mother, Sylvia, Layer Cake, Fateless, Munich and Infamous prior to his 2006 debut as 007 in Casino Royale.

Since then, the Brit beefcake has also appeared in The Invasion, Defiance, Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and another Bond flick, The Quantum of Solace. Here, Daniel talks about his third go-round as the secret agent with the proverbial "License to Kill" in Skyfall, a riveting adventure which establishes him as the best 007 since the standard was set by Sean Connery back in the Sixties.

Kam Williams: Hey, Daniel. Is that you? I'm surprised, because most celebrities have their publicist place the call and then put them on the line.

Daniel Craig: I can dial the phone myself. Amazing! [Chuckles]

KW: We'll, thanks for the interview. I loved Skyfall. How did you enjoy making it?

DC: Immensely! Immensely! It's been the culmination of a lot of effort by many different people. We've been very busy prepping over the entire, four-year hiatus. I won't lie, it was very hard work and sometimes very intense, but with a cast this good and a crew that's just out of this world, it added up to a great, great experience.

KW: I told my readers I'd be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How is Skyfall different from all the other Bond movies?

DC: I suppose the only way I could say it's different is that it's a modern take. But we've been very careful that, throughout the film, you never forget that you're watching a James Bond movie since that, of course, is what people come to see. And we want you to make all the sort of nods to the past, and to make sure that we not only reintroduce characters that everybody knows by now but also introduce some new ones as well. We had a great story with a unique plot.

KW: Children's book author Irene Smalls asks: Do you feel at all intimidated as the face of such an enduring and beloved film franchise?

DC: Well, I don't know about feeling intimidated. But there is a little pressure in the back of your mind when you've been afforded a chance to make a movie of this stature. But it's a good pressure. It spurs people on. I know that Sam [director Sam Mendes] and I were in total agreement that we just wanted to make the best Bond we could, not only because of the 50 year anniversary, but because you don't have a chance to make one very often. So, we had better make a good one.

KW: Film student Jamaal Green asks: How did you prepare yourself physically and mentally to play 007 this time around?

DC: I just hit the gym for the physical side of it. I'm training about six months before we start shooting. Three months out I kind of up the rate, and try to get as fit as I can. The mental preparation involves long, long, long discussions with the writers and the directors to make sure we're all on the same page.

KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What is the coolest gadget we will get to see you use in the film?

DC: I can't tell you that, Larry. [Chuckles, then pauses to think] The DB5! [The Aston Martin first driven by 007 in Goldfinger] It's still there and it's still one of the best gadgets there ever was.

KW: Director Kevin Williams asks: What did you bring to your interpretation of James Bond to make the role your own?

DC: I don't know, just my knowledge of the way I like to act. I've always felt that I could never be as good as the guys who've gone before, or even like them in any way, shape or form, so I have to kind of try to create something. I always had a grand plan that if I ever had the chance to make a few of these that something would emerge, and I'm really sort of pleased with how things have worked out, because it gave us an opportunity to get into Bond's head a little bit.

KW: Well, I think you're being extremely modest. Yes, Sean Connery may have set the standard as the originator of the role, but I think you've done a phenomenal job and eclipsed all the other Bonds while making the role your own.

DC: Thanks, Kam.

KW: Ilene Proctor says, Daniel. You are such a phenomenally talented actor. What has been your favorite role to date?

DC: Ooh, wow! That's a really hard question to answer. I've loved a lot of what I've done. It's a very difficult question to answer because each individual movie has a very specific memory. I'd have to put James Bond near the top for sure.

KW: I've enjoyed the versatility of your work which ranges from a relationship drama like Mother to the historical thriller Munich to the Holocaust drama Defiance. What a mix!

DC: Yeah, I get around.

KW: Laz Lyles asks: Do we discover anything new about Bond's mental make-up, motivations or fears in this film?

DC: Without giving anything away, Laz, yes we do.

KW: Kate Newell says: I loved your performance with the Queen in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Is she going to be your new Bond girl? Is there any chance of you two working together again?

DC: I shouldn't think so. I believe that was just a one off. [Director] Danny Boyle did such an extraordinary job with it. I was very proud to be part of the opening ceremony and it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to act with the Queen and to go to the palace.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: did you play a role in picking the Bond girls? DC: Oh, no, not really, that's Sam's job, although I certainly encouraged him when I thought he was on the right track.

KW: Harriet also asks. Which was your favorite location to shoot on?

DC: I enjoy them all, but London was the best one this time around, because we shot at a number of places there that you don't normally get to shoot. And I think that plays very beautifully in the film.

KW: Eddie Von Der Schmidt asks: Have there been moments in your career where you personally doubted the likelihood of breaking through and finding success?

DC: I never really had that in mind. I got rid of my desire to make it a long time ago. I actually have just enjoyed working. I've always felt that when you're only trying to strive to be successful, and you're always worried about the grass being greener somewhere else, then you've failed. I've simply enjoyed the experience of working with people more than anything else, and that's where I've put all my energy. Of course, I had a desire to be successful, too, but when I first started acting, all I wanted to do was pay the rent. I counted achieving that as the biggest success.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

DC: God, no! [LOL]

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

DC: Spaghetti vongole. It's spaghetti with clams in a white wine sauce.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

DC: Me, I see me.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

DC: To banish hate. That's a bit of a Miss World beauty pageant question, but I really do wish people would stop hating each other.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

DC: Playing in my backyard. At about the age of 3, I would imagine.

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

DC: The people I admire are the ones who allow the people around them to do their job. The most successful people I've met in my life are the ones who've had the ability to encourage and get the best out of people.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?

DC: I have several: Dr. Bernardo's children's charity... a friend of mine runs a charity called Safe Africa, which is dedicated to the eradication of disease and poverty in Africa... another is the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which I try to help out as much as I can... and a few others. But you know what? It may be a cultural thing, but I kind of keep my charity work private, maybe because I'm English. I think it's a private matter. That's the way I grew up.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Daniel. It's been an honor.

DC: Nice to talk to you, Kam. Bye!

To see a trailer for Skyfall, visit