Categories
Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Adam McKay on Step Brothers

Adam McKay is the director of the new comedy Step Brothers, which stars Will Ferrell and John C Reillyas two siblings who have been living at home too long.

He has had a long career writing and directing comedy, most notably at Saturday Night Live where he made his mark alongside Will Ferrell, with whom he went to team up with on the films Anchorman (2004), Talladega Nights (2006) and now Step Brothers.

I spoke with Adam recently about the film, his time at SNL, FunnyOrDie.com (the website he started with Will which spawned hit viral videos like The Landlord and Paris Hilton’s 2008 Campaign Video), the struggle to get Anchorman made (and the possibility of a sequel), how marketing affects what scripts get green-lit and how he works with his co-writer and star.

Listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Adam_McKay_on_Step_Brothers.MP3]

You can also download it as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here.

Step Brothers is out in the UK from today

> Download this as an MP3 file
> Adam Mckay at the IMDb
> Listen to our interview with Will Ferrell and John C Reilly about Step Brothers
> Official UK site for Step Brothers
> Watch the trailer at YouTube

Categories
Cinema cinema releases

Cinema Releases: Friday 29th August 2008

NATIONAL RELEASES

Step Brothers (15): Will Ferrell and John C Reilly play two step brothers who have been living at home with their parents for too long and the result is a broad but funny comedy from director Adam McKay who also made Anchorman and Talledega Nights. Sony will be hoping for the same kind of solid business that this did in the US, which was overlooked amidst all the fuss over The Dark Knight back in July. Although it’s a busy weekend here in the UK, this looks to be the favourite to top the box office given the marketing and continuing popularity of Will Ferrell. [Opens Nationwide]

* Listen to our interview with Will Ferrell and John C Reilly about Step Brothers *

Babylon A.D. (12A): Vin Diesel stars in this pedestrian post-apocalyptic thriller as a mercenary who has to escort a woman from Eastern Europe to New York. Interestingly, director Mathieu Kassovitz has practically disowned the film, complaining that the studio forced cuts on him during the editing process. Although the film is fairly middling, Fox might expect better than average box office given the marketing and appetite for this kind of action material. [Opens Nationwide]

The Wackness (15): An engaging US indie film set in the summer of 1994 about a teenage pot dealer (Josh Peck) and his psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley). Since premiering at Sundance earlier this year to considerable buzz and acclaim, the US release was something of a box office disappointment for Sony Pictures Classics (as some bloggers had predicted). Here though things might well be different and Revolver (the UK distributor) might expect a decent per-screen-average due to word of mouth and the fact that it is coming out at the tail end of the summer movie season. [Opens Nationwide]

* Listen to our interview with Jonathan Levine about The Wackness *

The Strangers (15): A horror movie starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple terrorised in their home by strangers. For some reason I wasn’t allowed to see it, but it looks a lot like a US version of the 2006 French film Them. Universal will presumably be hoping the cinema release does well enough to help the DVD sales in a few months. [Opens Nationwide]

IN SELECTED RELEASE

Angel (15): Francois Ozon‘s latest film is an adaptation of Elizabeth Taylor‘s 1957 novel about Angelica “Angel” Deverell (Romola Garai), a romantic writer in Edwardian England. Although Ozon is one of France’s best contemporary directors, this film has met with rather mixed reviews since it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Lionsgate will be hoping that the art house crowd embrace it, but given the importance of critical support that will be very difficult given some of the pans this film has received. [Opens at Curzon Mayfair, ICA Cinema & in Key Cities]

Ben X (15): This Belgian drama about an autistic teenager (Greg Timmermans) who retreats into the world of online role-playing games has an intriguing premise and has already garnered some positive reviews. However, Momentum will do well to   [Opens at Odeon Panton St., Richmix, Coronet & in Key Cities]

Badlands (15): A BFI re-rerelease for Terence Malick‘s stunning debut film from 1973 with Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as two young lovers who go on the run in the badlands of North Dakota in the late 1950s. Although it is only showing on two screens, it is worth making the effort to see one of the truly great films of the 1970s with its pitch perfect performances, gorgeous visuals and haunting score. [Opens at BFI Southbank & Edinburgh Filmhouse]

Times And Winds (Beş Vakit) (15): Artificial Eye give a limited release for this acclaimed drama directed by Reha Erdem set in the mountainous region of north-eastern Turkey. It explores the lives of three children in their early teens as they struggle with the day-to-day reality of their lives and has already garnered some rave reviews despite the delay in getting it to UK cinemas (it is already two years old and is available on Region 1 DVD). [Showing at Curzon Mayfair, Renoir & selected Key Cities / Opens in Scotland on 3rd October]

Daylight Robbery (15): Liberation Entertainment release this film at one venue only release for this film about a group of England football supporters who steal millions of pounds from a London bank. [Opens at the Apollo West End, London]

Hijack: Eros release this Indian thriller directed by Kunal Shivdasani and starring Shiney Ahuja and Esha Deol about a [Showing at C’worlds Ilford, Feltham, Odeon Greenwich, Vue O2 & in Key Cities]

Rock On!!: Adlabs Films release this Hindi film starring Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar and Prachi Desai in the lead roles. [Showing at C’worlds Ilford, Wood Green, Staples Corner & selected cinemas nationwide]

Sakuran (15): ICA Films release this live-action film adaptation of the Japanese Manga series about a girl named Kiyoha who becomes an oiran courtesan. [Showing at the ICA Cinema in London & in Key Cities]

Triangle: Manga Entertainment release this Hong Kong crimethriller film produced and directed by a trio of ‘tag team’ filmmakers: Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To. [Showing at the ICA Cinema in London]

If you have any questions about this week’s cinema releases or any upcoming titles then just email me or leave a comment below.

> Get local showtimes via Google Movies (just enter your local postcode)
> Find out about films showing near you at MyFilms
> Check out the DVD releases for this week (W/C Monday 25th August)

Categories
Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Will Ferrell and John C Reilly on Step Brothers

Step Brothers is the new comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C Reilly as two step brothers who still live at home and make life difficult for their parents.

I spoke with them recently about their previous film Talledega Nights, how Paul Thomas Anderson almost ended up as a producer on Anchorman, how George W Bush inspired this film and their possible future collaborations.

Listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Will_Ferrell_and_John_C_Reilly_on_Step_Brothers.mp3]

You can also download it as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here.

Step Brothers is out in the UK this Friday

> Download this as an MP3 file
> Official site for Step Brothers
> Will Ferrell and John C Reilly at the IMDb
> Watch the trailer at YouTube

[Image © 2008 / Sony Pictures]