Brendan Gleeson

The “Calvary” Interview

with Kam Williams

It’s Gleeson Season!

Dublin-born Brendan Gleeson is a former teacher who left the profession to pursue a career in acting, his first love. His rise to fame began when he appeared in Jim Sheridan's THE FIELD, followed by a number of small roles in such films as FAR AND AWAY and INTO THE WEST.

He landed his first starring role in I WENT DOWN, which was followed by an acclaimed outing in THE GENERAL. But it was his role as Hamish in BRAVEHEART that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

In 2009 Brendan was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for his work in Martin McDonagh's IN BRUGES opposite Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. That same year, he won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the HBO movie "Into the Storm."

His screen credits also include PERRIER'S BOUNTY, GREEN ZONE, THE GUARD, SAFE HOUSE, ALBERT NOBBS, THE VILLAGE, COLD MOUNTAIN, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, TROY, BLACK IRISH, THE TIGER'S TAIL, BEOWULF, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, TAILOR OF PANAMA, COUNTRY OF MY SKULL, 28 DAYS LATER, GANGS OF NEW YORK and several installments of the HARRY POTTER franchise. In just the last year, he’s appeared in EDGE OF TOMORROW, THE GRAND SEDUCTION, and THE SMURFS 2.

Here, he talks about his latest out as Father James Lavelle in Calvary, a modern morality play written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.

Kam Williams: Hi Brendan, thanks for the interview.

Brendan Gleeson: Not at all, Kam. How are you?

KW: Fine, thanks. I’ll be mixing in questions from fans with my own. Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: I have visited the South of Ireland and loved it, including the capital, Dublin. What does it mean to you to advocate for the Irish language, Gaelic?

BG: Yeah, people often ask, why are you interested in the Irish language when it’s dying? If your momma’s dying you wouldn’t want her to die alone. So, I think the Irish language is a great gift, and it’s still hanging in there, if people want it. It’s a connection to a long, rich, deep culture. There’s 2,000 years of it. And when it’s lost, it’ll be gone for good. Those doors are not going to be open anymore. I value it, and it’s up to everybody to wise up about it. It’s not something I necessarily want to revive as the spoken first language of the country. I just think it’s fantastic, and a great cultural gift to have.    

KW: Patricia also asks: What message do you want people to take away from the movie?

BG: I don’t know. I think everybody has their own relationship with this movie, which is the triumph of it, really. Different elements of it access different people in different ways. From my point of view, I would hope there’s a sense that the struggle is being carried on to maintain some life in the world in whatever way that manifests itself, whether religiously, spiritually, or just philanthropically, and that people are worth it in the end. But I don’t know. There’s an awful lot of pain. One of the achievements of this film is to make clear that child abuse is a life sentence. That it’s not something you can just get over and forget after receiving an apology. 

KW: What was the difference in being directed by John Michael McDonagh, whom you also worked with in The Guard, as opposed to being directed by his brother, Martin, who directed you in In Bruges?

BG: Not a whole lot, to be quite honest. They’re both very calm, very assured, very prepared, and very cinematic in their thinking. They’re also very actor-friendly and collaborative. So, I love working with either of them, frankly. That’s not to say that they’re simply two sides of the same coin. While they have similarities in their working style, their worlds are very different.

KW: Larry Greenberg asks: Brendan how hard was it to perfect that County Sligo accent?

BG: [LOL] I didn’t have to, because my character wasn’t from there.

KW: Patricia also asks: How would you describe your character in Calvary, Father James Lavelle?

BG: As somebody who believes the best, in spite of all the evidence. [Laughs heartily] I just came up with that one. He’s someone who’s committed to optimism, despite all evidence to the contrary. He insists on it. And I think people need to know that that kind of struggle, and that kind of beauty, and that kind of optimism is possible in the world, because we’ve got a lot of cynicism confronting us everyday making it easy to feel that there’s nothing worth believing in. 

KW: Environmental activist Grace Sinden says: Brendan, you have courageously tackled a controversial subject in Calvary. Are you concerned about any political blowback you might receive from the Catholic Church as a consequence?  

BG: No, not at all.

KW: Editor Lisa Loving says: This movie looks incredibly heavy. Irish people have suffered a lot throughout world history, have had front row seats to a lot of other peoples’ suffering – like the Irish mariners ensnared in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade – not to mention the Potato Famine, the Troubles, and the discrimination against Irish immigrants in the United States in the 19th and part of the 20th Century. There were also the horrible atrocities committed by Roman Catholic nuns who ran the “homes” for unwed mothers and the orphanages in Ireland, and the Church’s sex abuse silence. Do you feel that the Irish suffering serves as a symbol of a universal aspect of the human experience in a way which resonates with oppressed people of other cultures?

BG: I would hope so. I would hope that while we made a movie about faith, that it’s not necessarily only about Catholicism. And I’d also hope that the notion of disillusionment wouldn’t be seen as the exclusive province of the Irish. The context is the Irish landscape, and the Irish story of the moment, with all of the treachery in terms of the spiritual, economic and political leadership. There have been horrible shortcomings, with hurt and pain being inflicted upon people. But I don’t think that’s exclusive to the Irish. Many people find it difficult to believe in leadership anymore. What do you replace it with, though? That’s kind of what the movie’s all about. The idea of replacing flawed leadership with cynicism and despair isn’t a barrel of laughs, either. So, I hope the film is thought-provoking in a generalized way as opposed as to being read as simply specific to the Irish point-of-view. 

KW: Professor/Filmmaker/Author Hisani Dubose says: You have played so many rich characters. Which one has been your favorite?

BG: Comparisons are odious. So, I don’t really come out and put one against the other. But this one might have been the most challenging. This experience was certainly one of the top five in terms of recovery. It definitely stayed with me and took a little while to get over this one. So, I put Father Lavelle up there.

KW: What actor did you admire growing up?

BG: I was very fond of Gene Hackman.

KW: Kate Newell says: Brendan, I loved Calvary. I hope you've written your acceptance speech for the Oscars.

BG: [Chuckles] No, I think we can leave that on the back burner. Those expectations are awful because, if it doesn’t happen, then you suddenly feel like a loser. By the same token, when you do happen to win something, I never question it. I just take it at face value. But I hate the notion that there would be losers associated with any production where great performances have been recognized. I’d be honored if it happened, but I ain’t looking that far down the road.

KW: Kate was also wondering whether you’ve been back to Belgium since playing a hit man in In Bruges? 

BG: Back to Belgium, yes, but not to Bruges. I think I might find it difficult to walk through Bruges without having to stop quite often. At some stage, I might like to go back since I had a great time there. But I think I have to let it sit for a little bit.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: Brendan, you’ve played extraordinary fantasy roles and amazing biographical roles—thank you for Mad-Eye Moody and Winston Churchill. 

BG: Cheers! Thank you, Harriet!

KW: She asks: What’s the difference in preparing to inhabit a role that doesn’t exist except in the fantasy world versus portraying an icon that is already so clear in everyone’s mind?

BG: Well, there’s a certain freedom in both that doesn’t accrue to the other. The freedom in playing an historical figure is that you don’t have to suspend disbelief. This stuff happened. As they say, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Otherwise, a lot of the time, you would have to work very hard to convince people. For instance, who would think that after the Battle of Dunkirk there could ever be a resurrection of the fortunes of the British in the Second World War? But the fact that it did happen releases you from having to prove it. It happened. And it can be incredibly interesting exploring how life can be so extraordinarily surprising in that way, turning expectations on their head, and trying to figure some version of how that might have happened, and how people may have responded in the face of overwhelming odds like that. With a fictional character, by contrast, you start with a blank canvas, you have the truth of the imagination to guide you. And you can bring it anywhere you want. They’re just different challenges, but they each have their own freedoms, as well as their own limitations, if you like. I try to find the freedom possible in each type of role, but in different ways.

KW: Harriet also asks: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

BG: Does she mean a remake of one of my own films, or of other films? I generally don’t like to do remakes. I don’t really want to second guess any film that’s achieved what it set out to do. You need to have a legitimate reason beyond just wanting to make money from a remake, like a desire to bring a story to a broader audience. Regrettably, so many of them are ill-advised. I just did a remake of The Grand Seduction, which was a whimsical story set in Newfoundland. I made an exception for this one even though it was, beat for beat, the same story, because it was set in a different place where I’d never been, and I wanted to find out more about Newfoundland.

KW: Professor Dubose would like to know whether getting an independently-produced Irish film like Calvary wide distribution in the U.S. is dependent on having a prior connection to the Hollywood film industry.

BG: No, I don’t think there was any American money in this film to begin with. What happens is you make your film, and then take it somewhere like Sundance, where the distributors can discover it. Sometimes, it’s nicer to have money from the very beginning, because that makes things easier. But the path most independent films take is that they’re made first, and then they’re sold.

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

BG: An autobiography of boxer named Joe Egan that somebody sent me. I read it very quickly because it was given to me. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/095503941X/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

Another one was “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” which I read as part of my research for the upcoming Ron Howard film based on it.     

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0141001828/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

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

BG: It depends on who I’m playing. [Laughs heartily again]

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

BG: Oh, I prefer not to cook anything.

KW: What do you like to eat?

BG: Almost anything you can imagine.

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

BG: Reading a little book that went, ”Mommy horse and daddy horse are proud as they can be, because they have a baby horse and baby horse makes three.” I remember saying, “That’s me!” I know I was three at the time.

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?

BG: Good roles, like this one in Calvary, and making important films with people who know more than I do. That’s what interests me now. I’ve done a lot of projects that need development where there’s been inexperience involved, which I loved, but at this point in my career, I want to work with people who allow me to learn.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

BG: Do it!

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

BG: Okay, Kam. Cheers! Thanks a lot.

To see a trailer for Calvary, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iBJbcHq-oU 

Keith Robinson

The “Get on Up” Interview

with Kam Williams

Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson!

In a world where talent takes you far, Keith Robinson is ahead of the game. He’s a true triple threat -- having already mastered acting and songwriting, he’s now positioning himself to take over the music world with a velvety voice.

Before he made his way to Tinseltown, the Kentucky native set his sights on music, and attended the University of Georgia. Upon coming to Los Angeles, Keith had a chance meeting with a talent manager who jumpstarted his acting career. Since then, he’s thrived, landing an incredible 50+ projects in television and film while continuing to pursue his musical career-- often placing songs in the acting projects he stars in.

Keith may be best known for his critically acclaimed performance as “C.C. White” in the Academy Award-winning feature film, Dreamgirls. His big solo in the musical, “Patience,” which he also performed live at the Academy Awards, earned an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category. 

After Dreamgirls, he released his debut album, Utopia. On the acting side, he subsequently starred in This Christmas, Dear John, 35 and Ticking, and Hopelessly in June. .

Here, Keith talks about his new film, the James Brown biopic Get on Up, where he co-stars opposite Chadwick Boseman,Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd..

Kam Williams: Hi Keith, thanks for the interview.

Keith Robinson: Thanks for having me.

KW: What interested you in Get on Up?

KR: As a musician, I was heavily influenced by James Brown's music. 

KW: What was it like working with Tate Taylor and such a star-studded cast?

KR: Tate is a really cool director because he has a clear vision of what he wants but still gives his actors freedom to collaborate in the process. That's rare. Working with a cast where everyone is really talented puts you at ease, actually. 

KW: How would you describe your character, Baby Roy?

KR: Baby Roy is the young exuberant one who just really loves to perform and be on stage as much as possible. He's what I like to think as the artist who still has those stars in his eyes and believes it's all about the music and hasn't been tainted yet. [LOL] 

KW: What message do you think people will take away from the film?

KR: That James Brown is the epitome of perseverance. You can never underestimate the magnetic power of self belief.  

KW: Are you a James Brown fan? What’s your favorite song of his?

KR:  Absolutely. "I'll Go Crazy," which I recently remade. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005OH17VA/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20 And "It’s a Man's World," of course.  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004HZDJSO/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

KW: Your big break was when you landed the role on TV as the Green Ranger on the Power Rangers. Did you have a martial arts background?

KR: Not at all. I was just a good athlete and I had been in a few fights.  

KW: You were signed by Motown while you were still a student at the University of Georgia. What prompted your move from music to acting?

KR: I never really made a "move" from one to the other. Acting came second once I moved to Hollywood on a chance audition for the "Power Rangers." I've been doing both ever since. 

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

KR: Hmmm... I think I've heard them all at this point. [Laughs] 

KW: Would you mind saying something controversial that would get this interview tweeted?

KR: [LOL] Reality shows disgust me. Specifically, the ones that make black people look trifling and super melodramatic. You know who you are. 

KW: Have you ever had a near-death experience?

KR: Only in my sleep, thank God.

KW: Have you ever accidentally uncovered a deep secret?

KR:  Yep. 

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?

KR: Yeah, I've been afraid--usually right before a movie drops. [Laughs some more]

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

KR: Yesterday. 

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

KR: Twizzlers and naked body surfing.

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

KR: Fifty Shades of Grey. I had to see what all the fuss was about… and learn a few new tips. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345803485/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened to? 

KR: "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper. It's on in the background right now. 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00137T7LM/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

KR: Salmon.

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?

KR: Progress.

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

KR: A handsome dude that's come a long way with a long way to go. 

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

KR: Permanent financial security.

KW: Let's say you’re throwing your dream dinner party—who’s invited… and what would you serve?

KR:  Too many to name but it would be the fifty most influential people in the world. It'd be a potluck. I got the salmon and Twizzlers.

KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time? 

KR:  Eating with family, making love to my girl, and praying. 

KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

KR: A derby horse or a dolphin.  Everybody loves them.

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

KR: Me and my brother locking the babysitter outside.  Still not sure how we did it. 

KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question:How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?

KR:  It made me never underestimate the physical power a heartbreak can have on you. 

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

KR:  I have on nicer clothes.  

KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?

KR:  Reading minds. I would always get what I want.

KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

KR: Uptown Saturday Night.

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

KR: Consistency, discipline, and self-belief.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

KR: Consistency, discipline, and self-belief.

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

KR: Boys and Girls Club. 

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

KR:  As an amazing multi-talented artist who told the truth, and as a humble brother who loved his friends and family unconditionally. 

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

KR: Appreciate it, Kam.

To see a trailer for Get on Up, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guOS6ev6hQ0

The Almost Man
(Mir Eller Mindre Mann)
Film Review by Kam Williams

Henrik Sandvik (Henrik Rafaelsen) is a slacker who’s never had to grow up. The 35 year-old underachiever is still doted on by a helicopter mom (Anne Ma Usterud) willing to wait on him hand-and-foot.

His equally-immature BFFs are the same guys he’s hung around since high school. Their boorish behavior ranges from snapping towels on each other in locker room showers, to getting wasted at parties where they proceed to pee off the balcony, flick their boogers, and engage in fistfights and homoerotic horseplay.

None of the above sits well with Henrik’s girlfriend, Tone (Janne Heltberg Haarseth), given how she recently learned that she’s expecting a baby. Her hope is that her beau will finally grow up, now that he’s on the brink of becoming a father. But that might prove easier said than done, considering that his favorite book is Peter Pan.

The impending arrival of the couple’s bundle of joy lurks over the horizon in The Almost Man, a sublime social satire written and directed by Martin Lund. Unfolding against the backdrop of a variety of visually-captivating Norwegian settings, the film focuses mostly on Tone’s escalating frustrations with Henrik, even after he grudgingly takes a confining corporate job.

It’s not enough that he’s bringing home the bacon, when he blames a temptress he’s caught kissing for having seduced him. He even has the temerity to suggest that Tone have an abortion. But that ain’t happening.

And with only a few months to make over a philanderer who freely admits that “I’m not sure how to behave,” the mad mommy-to-be has her work cut out for her. Will Tone run out of patience before reluctant Henrik is ready to accept his responsibilities?

A droll dramedy examining the male metamorphosis from bachelor to family man.

Very Good (3 stars)

Unrated

In Norwegian with subtitles

Running time: 77 minutes

Distributor: Big World Pictures

Zach Braff

The “Wish I Was Here” Interview

with Kam Williams

Zach to the Future!

Zach Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey on April 6, 1975. He attended Columbia High School in Maplewood where he was friends with hip-hop diva-to-be Lauryn Hill.

Zach studied film at Northwestern University where he earned a B.A. before heading to Hollywood. As an actor, he’s best known as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian on Scrubs, the Emmy-winning sitcom which enjoyed a nine-year run on network TV from 2001 to 2010. As a director, he made an impressive debut in 2004 with Garden State, a semi-autobiographical offering which he also wrote and starred in.

For Zach, Wish I Was Here is the culmination of personal filmmaking at its best. As the movie’s co-writer, director, star and producer, he was involved in nearly every aspect of the picture’s creative development. A decade ago, in Garden State, he perfectly portrayed the plight of a young man trying to find his place in a crazy world.

This go-round, he and his co-writer brother, Adam, examine what it means to have a family today. Zach plays Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor with a wife (Kate Hudson) stuck in a soul-crushing job. The couple have two kids (Joey King and Pierce Gagnon) who are being forced out of private school due to financial constraints, since Aidan’s dad (Mandy Patinkin)is facing life-threatening health issues. 

Despite such harsh realities, the picture nevertheless poetically weaves a wonderful tapestry of an enchanting world worth living in. This is in no small part thanks to the power of the imagination which has fueled Zach’s own evolution from a wide-eyed kid from New Jersey into a gifted filmmaker capable of connecting with his audience emotionally.

Kam Williams: Hi Zach, thanks for the interview. I’m honored to have this opportunity.

Zach Braff: Oh, thanks Kam. It’s nice to talk to you.

KW: I loved the film. Garden State made my Top Ten List for 2004, and Wish I Was Here is definitely one of my Top Ten favorite films of 2014 so far.

ZB: Thanks, man. You just put a smile on my face.

KW: Everybody in the small group I saw it with cried at the end and all the way through the closing credits.

ZB: That’s a good sign.

KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you and they sent in more questions than we could ever get to. Let me start with one who just said: He’s incredibly adorable and incredibly talented. Have fun!

ZB: [LOL] I don’t think that’s a question.

KW: Director Kevin Williams asks: Why a decade between movies?

ZB: It was just so hard. I tried my best, but I didn’t want to put out a picture that I wouldn’t want to put my name on. I didn’t want to let my fans down, and all the scripts that were coming my way were really commercial and felt like something we’d already seen a thousand times. A couple times I had movies put together, only to have the project fall apart because we lost a star or I lost the money. There are so many pieces that have to line up. And I was also still doing Scrubs, so I just couldn’t work it out with a piece of writing that I was willing to put my name on until I was able to collaborate on this original script with my brother.     

KW: Sangeetha Subramanian says: I watched Garden State almost every night for a year when I was in college. Often we see the final product but aren't aware of the creative process that goes into a script or filming. What does your scriptwriting process look like?

ZB: Well, it was different for Garden State, because I wrote that on my own. This one, I wrote with my brother, so we got together for about a month to hammer out the characters and the outline of the story. The main character’s sort of a combination of us. My brother’s about a decade older than I am. We wanted to write about a guy in his mid-thirties, so we were able to attack it from the angle of two men born ten years apart. He’d work on one scene while I’d work on another. Then we’d switch scenes and sort of give each other notes, and debate what was right and where it should go. And little by little, through all these conversations, the whole script took shape.   

KW: To what extent is this film autobiographical, given that it was written by you and your brother, and it’s in part about their relationship?

ZB: A lot of it is… the search for spirituality… the struggle to question how long you’re allowed to pursue a dream, especially when you have mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay. All of those things that my brother and I are asking. It’s also about relationships between fathers and sons and mothers and daughters.  We all have those battles with our parents where we want to be our own person but they’re still saying something else. A lot of it is autobiographical, although our father couldn’t be more supportive of our pursuing the arts, whereas the father in the movie is pretty against it. 

KW: Peter Brav says that while watching the film, he thinks he spotted a flaw, namely, a brochure at a Jewish funeral home offering the option of an open casket.

ZB: If that’s the case, it would be a prop master mistake, and I apologize for that. 

There is no option for an open casket at a Jewish funeral. For Peter to have detected that he must be able to speed read and have zeroed in on the pamphlet. The casket is always closed in Judaism, although the family is allowed to view the deceased before the ceremony, if they so choose.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles was wondering what auteur message this film and Garden State seek to deliver?

ZB: I believe, personally, that this experience we have on Earth is finite, and that there is nothing else. I know not everyone agrees with me, but that is my personal belief. So, I think that the message is both about trying to celebrate the present, trying to get out of our heads, and about being present with the people we love. For me, that’s the great quest of life, the struggle to be in the moment. That’s why the film is called Wish I Was Here, meaning I wish I was here in the moment.

KW: Why the grammatically incorrect title?

ZB: I have a two-fold answer. First, it’s a play off the classic postcard salutation, “Wish You Were Here,” but switched around to reflect the perspective of the individual sending it. Second, the premise of the film revolves around a father who’s homeschooling his kids but doesn’t know how to teach them grammar. We see his daughter [Joey King] correct her mom [Kate Hudson] on the proper use of “who” and “whom,” and that’s something that he would get wrong as well.

KW: Hadas Zeilberger asks: How would you compare the experiences of shooting Wish I Was Here and Garden State? How many members of the cast and crew worked on both films?

ZB: I tried to reunite all the top creative heads from Garden State, and I got some of them. Others weren’t available. Both my cinematographer [Lawrence Sher] and my editor [Myron Kerstein], who do amazing work and are really good friends, are back for the film, and that was really crucial to me. And my producers were the same. As far as the cast, Jim Parsons is back and Michael Weston, who played the cop in Garden State, is back. And I tried to find as many cameos as possible for people I like to work with. In terms of the shooting, this one was unique because of the crowdfunding aspect of it. We had our incredible backers visiting us on set, serving as extras, and generally hanging around. That was fun because it gave us a chance to show them how movies are made. Ordinarily, you and the crew just get so caught up in doing it that you don’t ever pause to explain the process to people it’s foreign to. But here, you’d look over and see an electrician showing a backer why we are hanging a light a certain way. Or you’d look over and see Kate [Hudson] saying to someone else, “Oh, yeah, this is where my little hidden microphone goes.” The process was very educational for a lot of people.

KW: Kate Newell and Larry Greenberg had a similar question. They ask: Would you use Kickstarter again for your next film project?

ZB: No, this was always meant as an experiment, not as the permanent way in which I plan to finance my films. It was sort of like, “Hey, wouldn’t this be a crazy idea if this worked?” The dilemma in holding onto your artistic integrity is removing any corporate or other sort of involvement that might influence the art. The question for us was: What would it be like if we took that out of the equation? That was my vision, and it worked. So, it proved to be a wonderful experience, although it was always conceived as a one-off experiment.

KW: Hadas also asks: Are you friends with Donald Faison in real life?

ZB: Yeah, he’s my best friend. He truly is my best friend, and we do everything together. He’s so supportive of me that he’s been promoting the movie and making the rounds even though he only has a smart part in it.

KW: Lastly, Hadas would like to know how you got your hair like that?

ZB: [Laughs] My hair? People always like to talk about my hair. It’s just bed head. I often take showers at night. So, when I wake up, my hair’s crazy.

KW: Environmental activist Grace Sinden says:You've had an extraordinarily diverse and interesting career.  If you had to choose one or two of your favorite types of work could you do that, or is it the variety of your professional activities that gives you most satisfaction?

ZB: That’s a great question, Grace. I always think it’s good to shake things up. You know, I’m doing a big Broadway musical [Bullets over Broadway] right now at the same time that I’m releasing this indie movie. They couldn’t be more different from each other. But that’s what makes being a creator of entertainment so much fun. Shaking it up! I would be incredibly bored if I just did the same thing over and over. I like trying new things and really being brave. Doing the crowdfunding was a brave experiment, and singing on Broadway is another brave experiment. I like to attempt things that I’m fearful of.

KW: Grace also asks: Where do you see your career being ten years from now?

ZB: Well, I hope it won’t be ten years before I make another movie. My hope is to be making a lot more movies in the next decade. It’s certainly what brings me the most joy.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier aks: What was the most challenging scene to shoot in Wish I Was Here?
ZB: Probably those fantasy sequences, because they were very elaborate and we didn’t have much time. We shot the whole movie in 26 days. The fantasy sequences involved a lot of special f/x and a costume built by a great company called Legacy Effects, and all sorts of camera toys. Those were the most challenging, especially since I had to direct from inside the suit, which was really hard. But I did have a body double for when my face wasn’t onscreen,

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

ZB: Wow! That’s a great question… [Pauses to reflect] But I’ve been asked so many questions that I can’t think of one.

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

ZB: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/031622135X/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

ZB: I can’t cook, so I’ll say ice.

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

ZB: Someone who’s extraordinarily tired because he’s doing eight shows a week on Broadway while he’s releasing a film.

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

ZB: I don’t even know. But I can remember my earliest movie memory. My father used to somehow get a hold of 35mm prints and project them on our living room wall way before I could understand them. My earliest movie memory is of my parents having a dinner party and showing Annie Hall which, to this day, is one of my favorite films. 

KW: Thanks again for the time, Zach, and best of luck both on Broadway and with Wish I Was Here.

ZB: Thanks for all your support, Kam. That really means a lot to me.

To see a trailer for Wish I Was Here, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCponfeWNOI

The Purge: Anarchy
Film Review by Kam Williams

Dateline: America, 2023. It’s now nine years since the country voted the New Founders of America into power. High on that elitist political party’s agenda was designating March 21st as the Purge, a day on which all law is suspended, meaning anything goes, rape, robbery, even murder.

Most citizens opt to stay inside for the duration of the annual ordeal, battening down the hatches with a Bible or a weapon in hand, since they can’t call upon the cops to come to their assistance in the event of an emergency. Yet, many turn vigilante to rid the streets of the dregs of humanity, others seize on the opportunity to even the score with someone they have a grievance against.

A couple of hours before the “fun” starts, we find Eva (Carmen Ejogo) rushing home from her job at a diner to be with her teen daughter, Cali (Zoe Soul). In the process, the attractive waitress ignores the crude passes of both a co-worker (Nicholas Gonzalez) and her apartment building’s custodian (Noel Gugliemi).

Elsewhere, Liz (Kiele Sanchez) and Shane (Zach Gilford) are driving to his sister’s while debating about whether to inform her that their marriage is on the rocks. But the two soon land in desperate straits when their car conks out on the highway only minutes before the siren sounds signaling the beginning of the Purge.

That moment can’t come soon enough for revenge-minded Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) who’s itching to get even with the drunk driver (Brandon Keener) that not only killed his son, but got off scot-free on a legal technicality. However, soon after the Purge starts, the police sergeant reflexively comes to the assistance of Eva, Cali, Liz and Shane, all of whom are on the run from a bloodthirsty death squad.

So, he puts his plan on the backburner temporarily to protect the frightened foursome. That endeavor proves easier said than done in The Purge: Anarchy, a stereotypical horror sequel in that it ups the ante in terms of violence, body count, pyrotechnics and gratuitous gore.

Unfortunately, the film pales in comparison to the original, which was a thought-provoking thriller raising questions about poverty and privilege. This relatively-simplistic installment pays lip service to that intriguing theme in almost insulting fashion, envisioning instead a nihilistic U.S. which has merely degenerated into a decadent dystopia where blood-thirsty rich snobs relish slaying the poor purely for sport.

It is, thus, no surprise to witness the rise of an African-American guerilla leader (Michael K. Williams) who’s exhorting the masses to revolt by indicting the Purge as racist. An entertaining enough, if incoherent, splatterfest which unapologetically lifts familiar elements from such apocalyptic classics as The Hunger Games (2012), V for Vendetta (2006), The Warriors (1979), Escape from New York (1981) and Hard Target (1993).

A perhaps prophetic satire celebrating senseless slaughter as a natural national holiday in such a gun-loving country!

Good (2 stars)

Rated R for profanity and graphic violence

Running time: 103 minutes

Distributor: Universal Pictures

To see a trailer for The Purge: Anarchy, visit