Buscemi! Extended!

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A lot of ground is covered in this August 2007 interview with Harlan Jacobson: recent movies, past favorite roles, actors, directors… pages of it. He even mentions 9/11. Mostly, though, it’s light and fun:

I like movies where I get to just sit and talk to the girl [pauses, laughs] and not necessarily be plotting to kill them. 

The above quote refers to Ghost World, a film that acted as a cornerstone in my Buscemi appreciation. Up until that movie, I hadn’t had the chance to watch him play anyone even remotely romantic. I’ve seen many more movies since that show a softer, squishier side, though he still manages to come off just a little bit skeevy, regardless of the role. Hey - that’s part of the charm.

Oblivion makes Filmmaker list

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Join director Steve Buscemi as he battles the forces of ego and circumstance to make his indie film. This is probably the gold standard in “filmmaker struggles to make a movie” movies by which all others are compared.

Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion is #2 on the production list of 10 Films about Filmmaking every Filmmaker Should See. Also on the list? Barton Fink, another Buscemi film produced by the absolutely brilliant Cohen Brothers.

Animated Steve

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So the focus of today’s TISB activities was editing down screen caps from Ed and His Dead Mother. I get a little overzealous with the capture button sometimes, which leads to the photo above. Maybe it’s time to get off the computer and take a nice, long walk.

 

 

Animal Factory screencaps

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Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven.

Willem Dafoe shaving in the shower, Mickey Rourke in drag and the late Rockets Redglare make this the film dreams are made of… minus the depraved sex. Animal Factory, Director Steve’s second movie, focuses on the angry, violent and incarcerated. Buscemi himself has a small role, as does his brother Michael, both as jailhouse employees. Dafoe completely steals the entire movie and plays his role beautifully. Because Buscemi has such a small role, I included bonus shots of the other actors to round off a neat 63 screen caps.

Kist deux

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Thomas Kist worked alongside the late Theo van Gogh as cinematographer for Interview. He joined up with Buscemi for the remake, shooting the film in a mere 9 days on Sony XD handhelds, a little luck and a lot of skill and vision.

The cinematographer says the film’s premiere at this past Sundance Film Festival was an emotional experience. “People were standing in line, freezing, for six hours to see it,” he recalls, “and they went crazy for it. They love Steve there, and he took an hour for the Q&A afterward and it felt triumphant. This was why he went to the trouble of doing this remake: to give Theo the recognition he deserves.”

Click here to view the original Interview website, including a trailer link. Klien takes you to WMP, Groot is QuickTime. Below is the 2007 remake trailer. See any similarities?

Rich with innuendo

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Harvard psychology professors - they’re just like us! They watch movies, too:

Buscemi lets a fifty dollar bill peak out of the wallet and suggests, “I was just thinking we could take care of it right here, in Brainerd.” Buscemi’s character hopes to bribe to cop, but chooses to veil his offer.

Stephen Pinker, a distinguished professor at Harvard University, is in the middle of a promotional tour for his book The Stuff of Thought. In a lecture at The Philadelphia Free Library, he used Fargo as an example of innuendo. Saying it without saying it, shall we say.

Thus, the cop is allowed to choose between a relationship of domination and one of reciprocity.

Yes, well… we all know how well that worked out for the cop.

Four word film reviews

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Four Word Film Reviews follows my philosophy on life: get to the point and then shut the hell up.

Buscemi drills his part.
Prisoners find respect, sex.
Midget quits bad movie.

66 Buscemi films are reviewed, from 28 Days (Bullock’s an Absolut disaster!) to Trees Lounge (Steve Booze-scemi.) This website is surprisingly addicting with some greatly amusing quips.

25 Ugliest

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Buscemi ranks at #10 on the 25 Ugliest Celebrities list.

He was Ugly in Reservoir Dogs. He was Ugly in Fargo. And more recently, he was Ugly in The Sopranos. The guy is good.

I’m a little offended, frankly. I’ve always had unusual taste in men (just ask my mother) but what first drew me to Buscemi’s films was his appearance. Years later, he’s become much more attractive to me because I can appreciate his personality, level of talent, giving and selfless nature - not to mention his gorgeous blue eyes and warm laugh. I’d have drinks with him, Willem Dafoe (#14) or Tim Burton (#7) over some Face-of-the-Moment What’s-His-Name from Hairspray, or was it High School Musical 2?

Not only that, but #10? TEN? Surely they’re joking. Buscemi’s made a career out of being creepy, gross and entirely unpleasant, and he’s ranked at only #10? Get real!

Nobody does dangerous-yet-sexy fireside hobo quite like B:

Catching up with B

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At some level, I think he’s pushing buttons. He was there for an hour (in the restaurant) waiting for her, so I’m sure he read the brief that was given him. But he doesn’t own up to it. He doesn’t want to admit that he put in so much time.

I love when actors speak of their characters separate from themselves. It’s cute, but beyond that, it shows they take their role seriously; ‘this is not me, this is just someone I’ve given you, someone I’ve brought to life.’ Buscemi puts a lot of passion into this project, and it’s shown in every interview he’s done. More directing work, please. I so enjoy seeing that proud-papa look in his eyes.

Sample ‘I Love To Walk’

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Hey, would you guys like tickets to the Independent Film Awards?!

WOULD WE!!

Listen to a clip of I Love To Walk from the new Simspons TV soundtrack Testify, along with the 40 other songs on the album. The lyrics are after the jump. Continue reading Sample ‘I Love To Walk’…

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