Welcome!

David Limacher and Rick Swift got to briefly, well not really briefly, chat with Adam Rifkin and Ali Cobrin of the Showtime series, “Look”.   Listen to the whole interview here!

We broke the interview up into sections below, because we know how few people listen to a full hour interview – even if it is the best damned interview you ever heard!  So, click on the snippets (section titles) you feel are worthy of your time, but definitely listen to the section where Adam explains what Look is all about, below:

What is “Look”?

Adam Rifkin:  “Look” explores the things that people do when they don’t think they are being watched.

What the show does is explore the intersecting lives of about six different main story-lines all from the point of view of surveillance cameras, but not just big brother it also incorporates “little brother” – cell phone cameras, webcams, flip cams, and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube all the different ways we voluntarily put ourselves under surveillance through these new medias.

Chicago born?

David Limacher:  I read that you are both from the Chicago area.

AR:  It’s true; we are both graduates of the Chicago Academy of the Arts High School.

DL:  So, how did you make your moves from Chicago to Hollywood?

AR:  I had always wanted to be a film-maker, ever since I was knee high to a cricket, as they say.  For as long as I can remember, that is all I have ever wanted to do.  I made films with my friends while growing up in Chicago, so as soon as I was old enough I high-tailed it to Hollywood to make real movies.  It’s just that simple.

AC:  My story is exactly the same, except in front of the camera side.  I grew up in the valley world and the theater world in Chicago, and when I graduated high school I came right out to Hollywood.

How is “Look” shot, and why do the actors feel it is more theater than film?

Ali Cobrin:  In a typical TV show or movie, you know the cameras are there, so you are acting for the camera, standing on marks, and worrying about sight-lines.  But in this show you are shooting while walking around and having dialog and engaging in natural conversations as students are walking around not knowing we are shooting.

AR:  One of the ways we shoot the show, unlike conventional means, like Ali was saying . . . we actually hide the cameras, and we never close the locations – the actors were wearing radio mics and would be off by themselves, saying their dialog, but it just looks like they were having a conversation.  Most of the time, people had no idea anything was being shot at all.

Why isn’t the show listed under “Series” on Showtime On Demand?

[Editor's note, right about here is where the NSA took a strong interest in our interview and tapped into the conversation (you'll hear hellacious feedback and echoes) - that is my story and I am sticking to it!]

AR:  It’s not in the Series section, because it isn’t a Showtime original series – how the series came about, the evolution is inside baseball stuff.  The series is based on the film I did in 2007 which was really popular in the college art house scene in 2008.  The series being on Late Night has more to do with how it got captured by Showtime and not an original series of theirs.

Ali, can you talk about the character you play on the series?  Molly

[Note, the NSA dropped us, but the TSA picked us up, probably wanted to hear more about Molly too, so I am transcribing word for word what Ali said, below.  –Swift]

AC:  Molly is a girl in high school and she starts off the year like this is going to be a totally new year for her.  She has new friends and is hanging out with like the popular girls, the jocks, and that type of thing.  And, she’s a little naive, and she’s kind of the pet project of the typical mean queen of the high school and she goes through a wild ride her, I guess, Junior year in high school.

About the acting, is the show completely scripted?

AR:  The show is completely scripted; I do give the actors freedom to make the lines their own.  You know with most shows, you write the episode and you shoot it, but I had the luxury of knowing I was going to be writing and shooting every episode.  So, I wrote the series like a five and a half hour movie and instead of going to the mini-mart 11 times, we went there once and shot it in two days, all 11 episodes worth.  We did that with the entire season, and it really lets us get a really big look, with lots of characters and lots of locations on a modest budget.

AC:  Well, Adam was really great about, I know, from watching the episodes I have heard from here or there that I had a feeling were not in the script.  There’s one line I know that I said that was not in the script, “My hair looks like a frizzball.”

AR:  That was between takes, and we used it.

How did iRATEfilms hear about “Look”?

DL:  I stumbled across “Look” on On Demand on the convenient mart concert.

AC:  That was fun, that was a fun day on set.

AR:  Can I say something about you saying that?  One of my closest friends is a film-maker also, Valerie Breiman, she wrote and directed the movie “Love and Sex” with Jon Favreau and Famke Janssen.  And I was showing her some of the rough-cuts of the series way back when we were still editing them, and she said with the episode with the concert in it and while watching the concert scene, “People are going to stumble on this when they are switching channels and go, ‘what the hell is this’ and keep watching.”  You just proved her right!

Concert scene, controlled chaos?

AR:  We had to run a pretty tight ship; we had very little time to shoot 11 episodes.  I mean, anytime you are doing any sort of production . . . it is chaotic.

DL:  See, that scene really interested me and made me want to get more into the show and watch it more and more.  That was one of the only times, that I can recall, where the main characters were all together, for the most part.

AR:  That’s the idea, the fact that all these character’s lives intersect whether they are aware of it or not.

AC:  It also happens a few more times throughout the series, which I think is really rewarding dramatically – if you watch the entire series through.

DL:  The way these people’s lives intersect, it shows that people are in other people’s lives more than they realize.

What’s the deal with the Security Guards?   Can I drink beer all day and ogle women too?

AR:  Those guys are based on real guys!  We were doing research at several locations, from government buildings to shopping centers, these guys were based on real security guards we found at a certain mall who were actually submitting images of their favorite security grabs to YouTube.

We now live in a society where we are constantly being monitored, it is just a matter of fact now.

AR:  In the old days, a mini-mart video would only be stored as long as it took to reset the tape, now every bit of footage is stored forever, somewhere, digitally.  You might not be doing anything that someone’s going to want to dig up ten years from now, but it is there if someone wants to find it.

Everything that is caught on camera is permanent!

AC:  When people look at their Facebook, they need to realize it is stuck there, permanently.

AR:  Right, every piece of our lives is retrievable now.  What we do with the show is to only use retrievable data, even the text subtitles are based on the fact that these digital texts are stored, permanently, somewhere  –  so we can use them in the show.

Why the time stamps on the footage?

AR:  You look at actual surveillance footage at a mall or a mini-mart and you are going to find the time stamps – all the different shots reflect all the way these surveillance camera films would look.  We perfected it after working on Look the film, in 2007.

As film-makers, are you for or against the extremely voyeuristic society we live in now?

AR:  The numbers of cameras are growing exponentially, and the amount of personal surveillance we put ourselves under is in no way slowing down.  With the series, and the movie, but specifically with the series I did not want to take a stand and say I am all pro-camera or I am all anti-camera.

I think there are compelling arguments for both – we’ve seen the London bombers get caught because of these cameras.  But, conversely we had that poor kid who just killed himself at Rutgers, because his roommate posted him having a gay tryst online – and he was completely humiliated.  The issue is so complex; it is impossible to say it is all bad or all good.

The TSA is only the beginning.

AR: I am sure you guys are aware of the current controversy of all the airport scanners that take pictures of you under your clothes.  Well, that is gonna play a big part in season two.

AC:  Adam, also, now you can be on the NET while flying, season two definitely needs characters skyping on the plane.

DL:  It is good to hear you talking about season two.

AR:  Well, I will tell you it continues to be the number one show for its time slot on Showtime, last week’s viewership spiked 84%, which is spectacular; I am so excited.

Has the knowledge of all these cameras made either of you change the way you live your lives?

AC:  Surveillance wise, no, because you are captured on countless cameras just walking to the bank or buying groceries.  But, what I am worried about and I am aware of is online stuff.  I remember growing up and hearing “The internet is a scary place; consult your parents, blah blah blah.”

AR:  Tell them about tweeting photos.

AC:  The new thing is to let everyone know where you are and geo-tag pics you send immediately, meaning there is a location and a google map and it like lets you know if you are on the same block and everything.

AR:  Even if you remove that geo-tagging setting, the URL itself is geo-tagged, so it will forever be tagged to the URL, so wait a little while before tweeting your location if you don’t want anyone to know where you are.

AC:  Oh, wow, I didn’t know that.

AR:  Even if you have just watched “Look” you can’t be constantly vigilant about all the different ways you are being monitored – so, eventually you just live your life.  I will say this; it is like the best time in the world to be a stalker . . . they have really come into their own now.

What the heck is Facebook Stalking?

AC: I have a lot of friends in college, and a favorite past-time they have they literally call it Facebook stalking – for sure, people are checking up on ex’s and friends seeing who they are with.  That’s Facebook stalking.

GET ME TO THE GODDAMNED LOOK!

DL:  Today’s age of technology, people can give you instant feedback.

AC:  Exactly.

AR:  That’s awesome.

DL:  For me personally, it’s like I have to wait for a new episode every Sunday night – Dexter, you are just re-hashing season’s one through three – just get me to the God-Damned Look!

AR:  You are our hero!

What do Adam Rifkin and Ali Cobrin think about imdb?

AR:  Love it; before we had to use these things called “books” and they were huge and still only contained a fraction of the information that imdb has.  Also, with imdb, your past is your past, you can’t hide from it.

AC:  As a culture, everyone should be more forgiving and understanding of everyone and themselves, because there are no secrets.

Rick Swift:  Yea, nobody can hide anymore.

Incidentally, here are links to their respective pages for Adam & Ali.

Did you know Adam Rifkin was Writer/Director of 1994’s “The Chase”?

AR: That is correct.

DL:  That is like one of my favorite movies of the 90s.

RS:  Ditto, you know I wanted to ask you a question about that, because as I was preparing for this interview I was thinking about that movie before I even knew you were involved with the film.  Because “The Chase” ties in with where we are now with “Look”.

AR:  I remember calling the Fox rep after the OJ Simpson chase and asking them to re-release it, but they felt it would be in poor taste to exploit the case.  Which, is funny, because that was arguably the most exploited event of the decade.

RS:  I remember actually seeing “The Chase” after the OJ case was unfolding.

AR:  Yea, that movie caught on big once it went to cable.

Did you know he also wrote the script for Zoom?

DL:  Rick Swift and I both liked the plot of “Zoom”.

AR:  Thanks; working on big studio films like “Zoom”, “Underdog”, and “Mousehunt” gives me the opportunity to tackle other projects like “Night at the Golden Eagle”, “The Dark Backward” and “Look”. But, I love working on big projects as well as the more personal projects and feel they both are essential parts in shaping my career.

. . . and directed Detroit Rock City, to name a few others . . .

AR:  Giuseppe Andrews and Miles Dougal are both in that as well as “Look”.  I have known Miles since my days at the Chicago Academy of the Arts high school, and our production designer, Brett Snodgrass, is also from the academy.

In fact, I wrote the roles in Look the movie and the series for Giuseppe and Miles.

Show sounds great, so, where can I find “Look” if I don’t have Showtime?

AR:  It’s all coming.  We don’t have dates, but it is definitely going to be on DVD and Netflix soon, just keep a lookout.

Where can we find out more about the series?

Here’s a link to Ali’s page, just click on the pic!

@AliCobrin

Here is Adam’s page, click on the pic, I mean, by now if you can’t figure that out . . . sheesh.

@AdamRifkin

@Looktvseries

Friends with Benefits and The Hole 3D!

AC:  I have a role in the Joe Dante thriller called “The Hole 3D” and that is out and about for people to see.  And I am guest starring in an upcoming NBC show, “Friends with Benefits”.

DL:  You aren’t a guest star in our eyes, you are a star in our eyes and that is how we are going to promote it, so we got to speak to you before the show releases.  What is that about and does it compare to “Look”?

AC:  Thank you, it’s funny, because you can compare “Look” to everything, because “Look” is about real life.  “Friends with Benefits” is about a group of friends in their mid-twenties who are in Chicago and hooking up and finding the benefits of being friends with benefits.

AR:  It’s a big show coming on NBC.

Goodbye and thanks for sharing your time with us at iRATEfilms.com.

DL:  For everybody who is listening, we have been speaking to Ali Cobrin, who plays Molly on the show, “Look” and Adam Rifkin, who is the creator, producer, director of “Look” and multiple other things that are excellent – the guy has the Midas touch!

AR:  Thank you very much.

AC:  Thank you.

RS:  We are very interested in finding out what else you are going to be involved in, and I hope we can keep in touch.

AR:  Absolutely.  We will.  Thank you, and we will definitely take you up on that and we should all keep in touch; that is really cool.

Check out all the ways to reach us, and we are free for any and all interviews!

Check out “Look” on Showtime now, and follow them on Twitter (@Looktvseries) or at their direct site – (www.looktheseries.com) and, of course, tell your friends – Remember you are being watched . . . always!  Be sure and check back soon, because Rick Swift’s review of “Look” the film will be up shortly!

“It’s all uphill from here.”

+++Head shots, here+++

Swift shot: Planes?  Check.  Trains?  Sorta (one shot), so Check.  Automobiles?  Plenty of ‘em.  But while this may seem like a typical road-trip flick, it pits two of the most sought after actors in Hollyweird today.  They both play off of each other very well, and the dramatic scenes are genuine.  Oh, sure, you could dissect this film shot by shot and over analyze it with a minutia of detailed, nuanced clap-trap psycho-babble bullshit, but you should just sit your ass down and laugh!  Because “The Hangover” was incredible, (read ck’s review here) it set the bar for Iron-Man and the Ri-tard’s first film higher than John Belushi’s epic blowout final curtain-call.  If this one doesn’t make you near piss yourself, let me know here: swift@iratefilms.com, cuz I am adding you to my list of arrogant, pompous a-holes.

In homage to ck being no more, allow me to use his format for this review.

The Storyline

Peter Highman (yes, they went there) played by Robert Downey Jr. is heading home to L.A. from a business meeting in Atlanta.  About to be a father, he is leaving nothing to chance to get home.  Peter is one of those execs who plans for everything, but no plan can survive Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) and his walking Pig Pen chaos cloud, with his coiffed perm, acid washed, over-tight jeans (complete with a brush in the back pocket) and special friend, Sonny.

Immediately, Highman detests and attempts to avoid the walking freak show, but within minutes of crossing his path, Highman is kicked off a plane and is on the no-fly list.  Now, desperate to get home, and with no money (because the airline sent his luggage without him) he turns to the only person that seems able to help.  Offering to share a ride to Hollywood, Tremblay swoops in with a Subaru Impreza.

The story takes the characters on an Odessy to get to L.A. in time for the due date, as Highman’s wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is scheduled to have a c-section.  I won’t go into great detail here about all the crazy shit that happens to them, but suffice it to say, poor choices by Tremblay, and his little dog too, keep the journey entertaining from beginning to end.

The Cast

The casting is everything in this film, if the leads push too hard, it is painful, but the give and take of these superb thespians is fascinating to watch.  Plus, they take inside jabs at their profession throughout – which I loved.  No one needs a special introduction to Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, they are both masters of their craft with decades of experience between them.  Their two characters, Peter and Ethan are complete opposites, Peter is a by-the-book architect who deals in fact and has little time for make-believe.  While Ethan Chase . . . I mean Tremblay, literally takes life one hit at a time – a pot induced decision maker at every stop, he has two simple goals, get to Hollywood, become famous and lay his father’s ashes to rest.

Sanity enters the picture when Peter reaches out to his old college buddy, Darryl (Jamie Foxx) to save him from Ethan and help him get to L.A. in time.  Foxx does an admirable job in his (Just Passing Through) JPT role in the film, and Monaghan is really an after-thought.  This is a dick flick though, so her character’s absence should serve as no surprise.  The real female surprise is Juliette Lewis, who is back to form with Downey Jr. as a pot dealing, trashy mom of two stuffed in a two bedroom shack in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Good, Bad, and Indifferent

What makes this film so fantastic is the chemistry of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis and the comedic timing and push and shove throughout.  As roles change from the serious to the buffoon and the vice-versa, we really get a treat watching their a-games on the screen.  There are brilliantly delivered lines which will, no doubt, be quoted ad nauseum by college students and movie geeks like me, probably for decades.  There are shocking things that happen throughout, and the previews don’t give away all the laughs – thank God.

Why six stars?  Because I want to watch this film six times, haven’t felt like that since I saw Kick Ass – which got six stars – plus, because it was so damned funny and enjoyable, it is worth every Penny!

The Bottom Line

Simple plots often make for the best films when the actors are perfect together, Due Date embodies this truth – go see it!!!

David Limacher was at the 2010 Wizard World Comic Convention in Chicago this past weekend, and screened the EXCLUSIVE five minute clip of the upcoming suspense-thriller “Devil” in theaters September 17. The clip also included a brief Q & A with Director Drew Dowdle and his brother and Producer of the film, Drew Dowdle. The teaser clip was careful not to divulge anything important, and David had the chance to personally interview the Dowdle Brothers and got answers to some questions about their backgrounds and answers to questions that will make you want to see their new film even more.

David Limacher: I just wanted to thank you both for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions for the readers of iRATEfilms.com today.

John Dowdle: You’re welcome.

Drew Dowdle: Pleasure is all ours to talk to you.

DL: So we’re going to talk about the movie you recently completed “Devil” here, but first I wanted some background information on you both. I heard in the session that you’re from the same home town as the Coen Brothers, are they mentors of yours to become filmmakers?

JD: Actually, the Coen Brothers are from Minneapolis and we’re from St. Paul, but it’s the Twin Cities and we just kept the answer short.

DD: I like that you asked this question, because I feel that we’re going to get a lot of this coming our way. The truth is we do enjoy the work of the Coen Brothers, but when we were growing up we had different interests. It just so happens that after college and such we both found we could help each other more working together, rather than separately. We didn’t exactly plan on our lives taking this direction, but I believe I can say for both of us, we are glad it did!

(more…)

(more…)

Passion without pretense.

***Some sexy, choice images await you here***

“Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” portrays an affair between two of the most recognizable, egocentric geniuses of the 20th century. They both revolutionized their industries: Chanel in fashion and Stravinsky in music. They were also both under the harsh lens of public scrutiny, who didn’t always understand what these two artists offered.

The film commences with a recreation of the 1913 Parisian opening of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” In it, the bourgeoisie are introduced to his jarring and uncomfortable tune that appears to spit in the face of everything they’re used to (“Swan Lake” and similar engagements). They boo, hiss, and start fights. The cops are called in. Suddenly, an elegant night at the ballet feels more like a soccer riot. All of it gives viewers some insight into how Stravinsky’s music first influenced the world and the type of people it attracted (the contemplative and modern Coco Chanel, for one).

Seven years pass, and Europe is licking its wounds after World War I. Coco Chanel is mourning the loss of her lover and financier, Boy Capel, and Igor Stravinsky, his wife Katherine, and their children have been exiled from Russia. Chanel invites them to stay at her Chateau in France, to which the composer agrees. And, so, we have the perfect arrangement for a tense and sexual ménage.

Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen portray Chanel and Stravinsky, respectfully, in a way that isn’t commonly seen on screen. They flaunt the aspects of their characters’ personalities that audiences generally would like to ignore – Egoism, arrogance, and something of a god complex – in favor of creative brilliance. In one scene, Katherine asks Chanel if she ever feels guilty, to which the designer simply responds, “No.”

The relationship between these two characters is an interesting one because it is so simple. These two people are attracted to the creative power they both wield, and this becomes cause for a physical relationship that suggests passion, though never reaches a peak amounting to more than lust. Essentially, it’s all just fucking, pure and simple.

It would almost be too much to handle if it weren’t for Katherine, who is a passive force in a household of strong wills. The affair is pretty much out in the open, and Katherine knows about it from the beginning. She also knows that there is no love at work, and that her husband has been more creatively active than ever before. She allows it to happen, to a point, and is able to ground the two titular characters before they float away on their high horses.

While the affair in question falls short of its emotional mark, though it successfully says what the director wants, the film flourishes as a feast for the eyes. Chanel’s home is decorated in a way that will make design nuts go gooey, and it couldn’t have been any other way. Her favorite room, composed mainly in black and white, is an homage to her sense of style and a representation of the cold and composed aura she walks around with. The costuming, too, is perfect. Mouglalis, also a model for the current Chanel line, wears old gowns from the company that you simply can’t look away from. She’s gorgeous and when she speaks, her deep, sultry voice demands attention.

This film is one that should be watched with some prior knowledge of the characters, because director Jan Kounen leaves their pasts mysterious. All that is really on display here is their affair and the creative endeavors they were both able to pursue because of it. When boiled down to its roots, it’s a very simple film; one that has more power than you might expect, but less than its potential offered.

Sergio Diaz encountered more than Michael Welch as he was introduced to the Miami Twi-hards.

Walking into the Gusman center for the first time, the first thing I notice is the amazing architecture and the way the entire place is dramatically set up – just awesome. Complete with a really neat green-screen photo booth where fans are able to take photos immersing them into the Twilight universe.  The locale is abuzz with excitement and everyone scuttles left and right erratically, like roaches, snatching things from either the merchandise table or the concession stand.  I see one fan that is literally jumping with excitement as her boy dons Vampire eyes *cue Twilight screams*.  {Click here for images from the event} I rip her politely from the merchandise line and she is more than happy to give me an interview.

Fan Interview with Arrienne – here

Spinlight City’s music blazes through the entire house.  It’s my first time hearing them but I must admit they are pretty damn good. You can find them on the Eclipse soundtrack, of course. I walk down into the massive auditorium/theatre area and it is vast – two floors and every wall covered in highly detailed statues with what looks like an aqua light shining on them revealing the elaborate gold/gold-plated trim. Where the hell am I again? “ahhhhhhh!” The screams bust my ears as a Y100 (the local radio station) DJ walks on stage and immediately introduces Michael Welch.

FAN QnA with Michael Welch – here

SergD’s 1 on 1 interview with Welch – here