JFK – We Are Movie Geeks

JACKIE – Review

JACKIE focuses on First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Natalie Portman gives an amazing performance, capturing Jackie’s soft, breathy voice and mannerisms and portraying a woman in the public spotlight and facing an enormous historic task while enduring unthinkable private pain. Her Oscar-worthy performance is not the only thing that makes this film worthwhile for more than just history buffs. JACKIE is an impressive film that should remind viewer (or let them know for the first time, in the case of some younger people) why Jackie became such a respected, even revered figure in the years after the assassination.

It is a pivotal moment in time from the country, filled with iconic images of both the assassination and the funeral but JACKIE is not a conventional biopic. Instead, this haunting drama focuses on a particular moment in history but peaks beneath the surface of the iconography to look at the private person, the Jackie behind her image. The director is Pablo Larraín, a Chilean who is legendary in his home country and internationally as a daring filmmaker. Larrain has another film out this year about a historic figure, NERUDA, about the poet and political activist Pablo Neruda, an iconic figure in his native Chile. Since Larrain is not an American, he brings a different viewpoint to the subject. This is a story and person we think we know well but Larrain shows that maybe we don’t.

The film spotlights Jackie as she works to ensure JFK’s legacy through his funeral, a ceremony full of remarkable imagery and evoking Lincoln. At the same time, she also was faced with her private pain at the loss of her husband, consoling her young children, and leaving the home she had lovingly restored.

The film is structured around a famous interview that Mrs. Kennedy gave in the weeks after the funeral, in which she created the Camelot image of her husband’s presidency. But the film also shows her focus in ensuring JFK’s legacy with the funeral, her chain-smoking, her private grief, isolation and moments of madness in days immediately after. The film has a non-linear structure, as well as great production design and cinematography.

JACKIE opens with a touching shot of a grieving Jackie, with music that shifts to a minor key and suffused with dissonance that mirrors her shock and pain. The striking score is by Mica Levi, and adds greatly to the film’s haunting nature.

Billy Crudup portrays the unnamed journalist interviewing her in days after the funeral, which forms the frame around which Larrain builds the film. Supporting cast also includes Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kennedy, Greta Gerwig as Jackie’s assistant and friend Nancy Tuckerman, and John Hurt as a priest in whom she confides. JFK is played by Caspar Phillipson, John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon B Johnson and Max Casella as LBJ staffer Jack Valenti.

Larrain shows the private person behind the familiar public persona, and her understanding of her task. Jackie aimed to make JKF unforgettable through the funeral, something that had eluded presidents assassinated since Lincoln. John Kennedy had shown a remarkable grasp of the power of the relatively new media of television during his presidency, and Jackie shared that grasp of it importance to history. After the assassination, Jackie refuses to immediately change clothes, knowing the emotion impact her blood-stained pink suit would have on camera. She leaves nothing to chance, speaking to the American people and history through the perfect images she created.

But the film also shows her loneliness, wandering the White House alone, as Lady Bird Johnson literally measures the drapes. It shows her carefully hidden her cigarette smoking, her private grief, isolation and moments of madness in days immediately after. The film jumps back and forth in time, also including the tour Jackie gave of the White House, the first time television cameras were allowed inside the private residence part of the house. Director Larrain skillfully integrates archival footage

JACKIE is certain to earn award nominations for Portman and her moving performance, but Larrain’s film deserves attention for its remarkable power as a piece of cinema, a portrait of private and public mourning and the individual who was responsible for sealing a historic legacy.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

WAMG Interview: Actor Michael Rooker – GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Walking Dead

Pop culture comes to life in St. Louis next month! It’s the Wizard World COMIC CON May 22nd through the 24th at America’s Center downtown (701 Convention Plaza – St. Louis, MO 63101). As usual, Wizard World has an impressive line-up of celebrity guests including Elvira, Christian Kane, and George Romero, but the star I’m most excited to meet is actor Michael Rooker.

Michael Rooker was born in Jasper, Alabama in 1955. He has eight brothers and sisters. His parents divorced when he was 13 years old, and he moved with his mother and siblings to Chicago, Illinois, where he studied at the Goodman School of Drama. Rooker made his feature film debut by playing the title character in the gritty 1985 horror classic HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. He followed this with significant big-screen roles in TOMBSTONE, DAYS OF THUNDER, CLIFFHANGER, JFK, MISSISSIPPI BURNING, SEA OF LOVE, THE DARK HALF, MALLRATS, THE BONE COLLECTOR, SLITHER, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, SUPER and most recently as the alien Yondu in last year’s top-grossing smash GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but it’s his role as Merle Dixon in the first three seasons of The Walking Dead that’s really made him a household name

In advance of his appearance at the Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis May 22^nd-24th, Mr. Rooker took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to We Are Movie Geeks.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman April 22nd, 2015

We Are Movie Geeks: I hear you’re coming to St. Louis soon.

Michael Rooker: That’s the story!

WAMG: Have you ever been to St. Louis before?

MR: Yes I have. I love St. Louis

WAMG: Your buddy James Gunn is from St. Louis.

MR: Indeed he is.

WAMG: How long have you been friends with James?

MR: He directed me in a movie called SLITHER about eight years ago and we became good friends.

WAMG: And you’ve been in all of his films sits then. I thought you were great in SUPER.

MR: Oh yeah, thanks.

WAMG: Do you ever get tired of talking about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and The Walking Dead?

MR: Never, that’s such an awesome TV show and really a great film too so I never get tired of talking about that stuff.

WAMG: When you’re out on the street, what do most people recognize you from?

MR: Usually it’s the The Walking Dead but then after we start talking they realize that I was Yondu in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY which sometimes freaks people out when they make that connection.

WAMG: I’m an older fan. I saw HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER the weekend it opened.

MR: Right on man!

WAMG: It’s one of my favorite movies. How did you get the role of Henry?

MR: I was doing a theater piece in the time in Chicago. The director of that play actually did the prosthetic work for the film and he turned me on to the producers. They were having a hard time casting Henry so he suggested I go over there and meet with them. At that time, I had not acted in a film or any TV shows at all, so this was a great role for me to kick off my career with.

WAMG: Did you do some research on the real Henry Lee Lucas?

MR: A little bit. The director, John McNaughton, had some information for me and I looked up some myself as well. Lucas had done an interview with Barbara Walters and I watched that and I also watched some footage of him being interrogated by some Texas rangers. All that footage and all those interviews really helped me get a good handle on the role.

WAMG: I believe Lucas was still alive at that point.

MR: Yes he was, he died in prison about 10 years later I believe from heart disease.

WAMG: It was a shame about Tom Towles, did you guys remain friends after filming the movie?

MR: Oh yeah, we stayed good friends after the movie. He and I and John McNaughton, we all hung out whenever we were in the same city and we saw a lot of each other when we were at different conventions and fan gatherings.

WAMG: Have your daughters seen HENRY and what do they think about it?

MR: Yeah they’ve seen it. It’s not their cup of tea but they understand it was just a role and they like some of the things I do in it. Most of my friends like everything I’ve done but my daughters are kind of picky.

WAMG: You got some great non-villain rolls after HENRY in films such as THE MUSIC BOX, CLIFFHANGER and DAYS OF THUNDER. I would have thought you would’ve been more of a horror guy. Did you turn down a lot of horror roles after that?

MR: I did. I turned down a lot of roles that were basically the same kind of stuff, the same character. I could have done more stuff like that but I wanted to make sure that I didn’t get too pigeonholed in the horror genre or any genre really. If you look at my resume, you’ll see a lot of different types of films that I was in around that time. I was fortunate to be cast in the movie EIGHT MEN OUT. That was an important role for me to get because that’s the part that ended up getting me my agent and after that my career really snowballed and I kept getting role after role after role often in some pretty prestigious movies

WAMG: I watched JFK again recently. Your part in that film is huge. You have a lot of dialogue.

MR: Yes, JFK was a great role for me.

WAMG: What was it like working for Oliver Stone?

MR: He was a really cool dude, and great as a director. If you were in the zone, he would leave you alone. But if you were somebody who wasn’t putting out or being where you were supposed to be, he would let you know.

WAMG: Were you offered the sequel to HENRY that was made a few years later?

MR: They talked to me briefly about it, but by then they couldn’t afford me.

WAMG: Are there any roles that you turn down that you regret?

MR: Yes but the HENRY sequel was not one of them! But sure, there were a few.

WAMG: Yeah, that Henry sequel wasn’t very good.

MR: Unfortunately you have a certain element that makes a good movie work and they didn’t have that element. They didn’t have me! Not to best my own drum, but after you do such an iconic roll like that, you can’t have someone else play that role. And you didn’t have the same director, John McNaughton. He and I were the key to the success of that movie. That combination was a magical one. It just worked.

WAMG: Who have been some of your favorite costars that you have worked with? I know you worked with Gene Hackman in MISSISSIPPI BURNING, and you worked with Kevin Costner.

MR: Oh, I pretty much get along with everybody. I do what I do and I have fun doing what I do but I don’t think I have any favorites.

WAMG: What was Hackman like to work with?

MR: I don’t know. I just had a couple of scenes in MISSISSIPPI BURNING and didn’t get to work with him. It’s unfortunate that Hackman has retired. He’s an incredibly talented actor but I guess if he doesn’t want to work anymore we have to respect that.

WAMG: You were certainly memorable in MISSISSIPPI BURNING.

MR: Thanks, that was a dynamite roll, I played a scary guy.

WAMG: You’re in St. Louis May 22nd–24th for Wizard world, Comic Con. Do you enjoy doing these types of conventions?

MR: If I didn’t enjoy them I wouldn’t do them. Absolutely! They are a lot of fun. There is a lot of energy at these things. They’re sort of exhausting but you’re meeting so many fans and I’ve built up a huge, massive fan base over the years and a lot of that is from meeting people at these things and getting pictures taken and such. It’s great to meet these guys and gals at the shows, if it wasn’t for the fans, actors would have nothing.

WAMG: What do you think of the reception that The Walking Dead stars have been getting at these conventions? I went to Horrorhound convention last year and all the stars had decent lines of fans to meet them but Norman Reedus, his line went outside and snaked around the building.

MR: It happens. The Walking Dead for me and Norman, we became fan favorites right off the bat. As soon as people saw us together and saw the conflicts that were going on, it was just nuts and it still is. My character has been dead since the end of season three yet fans are still all in. Dixon brothers! Dixon power! It just amazes me. Doing the show was great while it lasted.

WAMG: What do you like to do in your free time?

MR: Oh, I do a lot of things in my free time. I’ll tell you what I don’t do. I don’t surf. I don’t swim anywhere where I’m not the head of the food chain. I love to shoot. I love all of the shooting sports. I am an avid gun enthusiast. I really enjoy the process of going out on the range and spending money on ammunition and shooting it all up.

WAMG: Have you had a film role where you had to do a lot of shooting?

MR: Yeah, I started shooting mainly because of the film roles I was getting. I started learning more and more about firearms and safety factors and how to make sure you’re in a safe environment when other people have weapons around you from a movie like TOMBSTONE for example, or any of these other cop dramas I’ve done. I grew up with five sisters so I’m used to looking out for people.

WAMG: What’s next for Michael Rooker?

MR: I think I’m going to do MALLRATS 2.

WAMG: With Kevin Smith?

MR: Yeah, after 20 years! That movie’s fan base is now massive for such a tiny little movie. The fans of MALLRATS want to see a sequel, they want to see these characters come back so we’re going to do it. Kevin, and myself, I think we’re getting everybody involved.

WAMG: I think MALLRATS is a movie that most people did not like when it first came out.

MR: You’re right, it was not well received but it turned out to be just stupid enough that people have gathered around it and supported it and now we’re doing a sequel.

WAMG: Maybe it was ahead of its time.

MR: Oh it was definitely ahead of its time. But a lot of my movies seem to be ahead of their time.

WAMG: What about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2?

MR: There’s been a lot of talk about it. James Gunn just did an interview where he talked about the characters and how he was going to expand on them, And Yondu, my character, is one of the two or three that you will learn more about for the next film.

WAMG: Well good luck with your appearance here in St. Louis May 22-24. I look forward to meeting you.

MR: Oh, St. Louis is going to be great.

For more on the 2015 Wizard World Comic Con St. Louis, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-stlouis.html

Oliver Stone Speaks at SLIFF on the 50th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination

“Back, and to the left… back, and to the left… back, and to the left”

It was the hottest ticket in town on the 50th anniversary of one the most tragic events of the 20th century! Director Oliver Stone, who made the historically dubious, but entertaining as hell JFK in 1991 spent the 50th anniversary of the JFK Assassination here in St. Louis as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. The event was last night at The Tivoli. The sold-out crowd was treated to a speech by Stone reflecting on the historic date. This was followed by a clip reel highlighting his 40-year Hollywood career (but not a single clip from SEIZURE!) and a 15-minute segment from his Showtime documentary series ‘The Untold History of the United States‘. After receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Cinema St. Louis, Stone took to the stage for an interview moderated by St. Louis Post-Dispatch film critic (and fellow JFK conspiracist) Joe Williams. The 40-minute long interview captured a range of subjects, but mostly the topic of JFK’s assassination and its legacy on world history. After that, Stone raced out the side door. No autographs or questions from the audience (my THE HAND poster remains unsigned), but it was an honor to have the director here on a date that was obviously so meaningful to him. After that, JFK was screened, and though I hadn’t seen it in twenty years, it was nothing short of riveting from the start to the finish of its 189 minutes running time. JFK holds up as the type of speculative fiction that still entertains, amuses, and makes the audience hungry for information. A memorable evening in St. Louis!

Of course, We Are Movie Geeks was on hand to snap some photos of the once-in-a-lifetime event:

SLIFF 2013: Oliver Stone Headlines the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival

The highlight of the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), held Nov. 14- 24, (aside from the Ray Harryhausen Tribute November 15th) is an appearance by famed writer/director Oliver Stone. A three-time Academy Award® winner, Stone has written and directed more than 20 feature films, among them some of the most influential and iconic films of the last decades. Stone will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd. Directors who have previously been honored with a SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award include Paul Schrader, John Sayles, Michael Apted, and Joe Dante.

Held on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the program will feature a screening of the director’s cut of Stone’s “JFK.” The evening will begin with a clip reel surveying Stone’s career, the presentation of the award, and a conversation between Stone and St. Louis Post-Dispatch film critic Joe Williams that explores the director’s career generally and “JFK” specifically.

At the conclusion of the interview, Stone will introduce a Kennedy-focused segment from his most recent work, “The Untold History of the United States,” and “JFK” will screen after the excerpt.

Stone served in the U.S. Army Infantry in Vietnam in 1967-68 and was decorated with the Bronze Star for Valor. After returning from Vietnam, he completed his undergraduate studies at New York University Film School in 1971, where he made several short films. Before establishing himself as a leading director, Stone wrote screenplays, many of them controversial, including the Oscar®-winning “Midnight Express” (1979), “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983), and “Year of the Dragon” (1985).

Stone’s films have often reached wide, international audiences and have had significant cultural impact. These include “Salvador” (1985), “Wall Street” (1987), “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989), and “The Doors” (1991). Many of his films have been at deep odds with conventional myth, including “Platoon” (1986), “JFK” (1991), “Natural Born Killers” (1994), “Nixon” (1995), and “World Trade Center” (2006). His other films include “U Turn” (1997), “Any Given Sunday” (1999), “Alexander” (2004), “W.” (2008), “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (2010), and “Savages” (2012). His documentaries include “Persona Non Grata” (2003), “South of the Border” (2009), and a trio of works on Fidel Castro – “Comandante” (2003), “Looking for Fidel” (2004), and “Castro in Winter” (2012). His newest work, “The Untold History of the United States” (2012), is a monumental 10-hour interrogation of the conventional triumphalist narrative of U.S. history.

Tickets for “JFK” with Oliver Stone are $25. They are available in advance at the Tivoli box office and online through Landmark Theatres’ Web site: tickets.landmarktheatres.com.

For more information, the public should visit www.cinemastlouis.org or call 314-289-4150.

Oliver Stone Coming to St. Louis to Screen JFK on November 22nd

As history, it was dubious, but JFK (1991) director Oliver Stone’s version of the Kennedy assassination, was nothing short of riveting from the start to the finish of its 189 minutes running time. It was the type of speculative fiction that entertained, amused, and made the audience hungry for information. And who could forget a cast that featured Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones (his first Oscar nom!), Jack Lemmon, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Walter Mathau, Donald Sutherland, Ed Aser, John Candy, Sissy Spacek, Michael Rooker, and Gary Oldman as ‘Patsy’ Lee Harvey Oswald? Oliver Stone is an inspired filmmaker but JFK is not history, but it is a powerful movie about the emotions of the time, which is just as important as the actual fact that JFK was killed. Costner’s New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison is the collective 1960s American who was optimistic about the direction in which the country was being led and when JFK died, that vision vanished as well. Though the facts are in dispute, the sense of loss and frustration is what Stone captured to perfection.

Now lucky St. Louisans will get a chance to see JFK on the big screen once again, this time with Oliver Stone in attendance to introduce the film and to answer questions about it afterward! It’s part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival put on by Cinema St. Louis which will run November 14th through the 24th at several locations in the St. Louis area. The date of the JFK event is November 22nd, 2013, which happens to be the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy. The venue will be the Tivoli Theater where Stone will be presented a Lifetime Achievement Award by Cinema St. Louis. Start time and ticket prices have yet to be announced but check here at We Are Movie Geeks for more information and announcements about this event and all of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival.

Visit Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/

GARY OLDMAN Film Retrospective in Hollywood, CA

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY STAR GARY OLDMAN RECEIVING 6-FILM RETROSPECTIVE IN HOLLYWOOD;

THE CONTENDER, DRACULA, JFK, PRICK UP YOUR EARS, SID AND NANCY ALSO SCREEN IN FREE 3-NIGHT SERIES CO-HOSTED BY KCRW;

GARY OLDMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN LIVE Q&A ON JANUARY 11th

Celebrating 25 years of one actor’s unforgettable screen performances, the ArcLight Hollywood (www.arclightcinemas.com) will host a 6-film retrospective of movies starring Gary Oldman. Regarded as one of the foremost actors of his generation, Mr. Oldman will be at the ArcLight in person on Wednesday, January 11^th following a showing of Focus Features’ critically applauded Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, in which he stars as tenacious spy George Smiley – the latest in a career full of iconic characterizations.

Focus is co-hosting the free-admission 3-night series with radio station KCRW (www.kcrw.org), 89.9-FM in Los Angeles. Matt Holzman, host of KCRW’s Matt’s Movies screening series, will conduct the live Q&A with Mr. Oldman on the final night of the retrospective, following the 8:00 PM Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy screening on the 11^th. The free tickets will be available only via RSVP through www.OldmanRSVP.com. KCRW will also be offering its listeners a limited number of giveaway tickets to the screenings.

The other films being screened in the series are Sid and Nancy (1986), which starred Mr. Oldman as punk-rock legend Sid Vicious, on Monday, January 9^th at 6:30 PM; JFK (1991), in which Mr. Oldman played the infamous Lee Harvey Oswald, on Monday, January 9^th at 9:00 PM; The Contender (2000), with Mr. Oldman as U.S. Congressman Shelly Runyon, on Tuesday, January 10^th at 6:00 PM; Dracula (1992), starring Mr. Oldman as the title character, on Tuesday, January 10^th at 9:00 PM; and Prick Up Your Ears (1987), with Mr. Oldman as celebrated playwright Joe Orton, on Wednesday, January 11^th at 5:30 PM.

Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

Focus Features and Focus Features International are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

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