Culture Fiend

Highlights from ‘An Evening with Gary Oldman’

Acting royalty comes to Seattle for a preview screening of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Dec 12, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

Gary Oldman stars as M16 agent George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Sunday night. SIFF Cinema at the Uptown was packed, sweaty, filled with puffy jackets and buttered popcorn and giddy adults waiting to see acting royalty Gary Oldman. Even Dale Chihuly was there, back row center. If Twilight fans are Twihards, we were…what, Oldhards? Old Men? Or maybe just fans of John le Carre, whose 1974 British spy novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the basis of Oldman’s new film. It’s been called the greatest spy story ever told, a steely Cold War thriller about double-agents that makes Fleming’s Bond series look like chick lit. And at its center is George Smiley, a senior M16 agent tasked with finding the mole within British intelligence whose feeding intel to the Russians.

Actor Alec Guinness has been synonymous with Smiley ever since his turn in the BBC miniseries—it’s the kind of performance people call “definitive,” which is a lovely thing to hear when you’re another actor slated to play Smiley. It took Oldman a month to agree to the part in Tomas Alfredson’s feature-length adaptation. “The ghost of Guinness has loomed very large,” Oldman told the audience at SIFF. “I was really quite terrified, because of the inevitable comparisons… But then I said, Pull yourself together, Gary.”

After all, this is Gary Oldman. The chameleon. The man who’s played heroin-addled Sex Pistol Sid Vicious and a pimp in True Romance; mentored Harry Potter as Sirius Black; manned the bat signal as Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight. “People say I always play these big, extravagant characters, but they haven’t seen the whole career,” Oldman said. Then again… “When I’m wound up and let go, I can be very big,” he added with a smile.

But 53-year-old Oldman is nearly unrecognizable as Smiley. The natural charm is shoved down deep, hiding behind Smiley’s enormous 1970s square-frame glasses. He’s the definition of taciturn, seeming to communicate by blinking, and while the film is so subtle it’s maddening (who is Karla? What’s this “circus” they keep talking about?), Oldman’s silent stare speaks volumes. Seems Oldman got so close to director Alfredson, they didn’t need to talk, either. “By the end, we didn’t even need language,” he joked. “We communicated telepathically.”

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opens in various Landmark Theatres on Dec 25.

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Tags: Film, SIFF, Celebrity Interview

Simpsons Writer Dana Gould Wants You to See Plan 9 from Outer Space at SIFF

“It’s incompetence aspiring to be greatness.”

Posted by: Matthew Halverson on Dec 07, 2011 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Unspeakable horrors! Terrible special effects! It’s 1959’s Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Dana Gould, the quick-talking standup comedian and onetime writer for The Simpsons, does his funnyman thing at Laff Hole at Chop Suey tonight. But he’s sticking around to host a screening of the legendary B film Plan 9 from Outer Space, Ed Wood’s endearingly awful sci-fi “thriller,” at SIFF Cinema tomorrow. He’ll be joined by Mystery Science Theater 3000 alums Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu to provide a running commentary over all those aliens and zombies and…is that Béla Lugosi? Hopefully Gould will include a story or two about his friendship with Plan 9 star Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira. And, if we’re lucky, a few potshots at Waterworld.

What makes Plan 9 so fun to watch?
What’s amazing—truly amazing—about Plan 9 is that it continues to find new ways to be fucked up. Most bad movies get boring. But with Plan 9, just when you think they’ve run out of tricks, they come up with a whole new batch. And the other thing that’s great is that they really were trying to make a good movie—they just did absolutely everything wrong. It was incompetence aspiring to be greatness, which is charming. It’s not like The Postman or Waterworld, where it’s people with a lot of money and a lot of power thinking they’re geniuses and just screwing it up. It’s people aiming for the fences and coming up short.

I gotta admit, I’ve never seen Plan 9. How ashamed should I be?
Not too ashamed. I’ve never seen The Usual Suspects. It’s like when people ask you if you like Yo La Tengo. You just nod and say, “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

How did you get to know Maila?
I interviewed her for the Sci-Fi channel in 1995, for this special I was doing about horror movie hosts. She was very reclusive, but we became friends. We’d go to lunch every couple of weeks. And then over the years, we just stayed friends. When I was on a sitcom called Working —with TV’s Fred Savage—she would always call the next day and say stuff like, “They didn’t give you much this week.”

That’s sweet.
It was. But she was no joke. She was a real sort of gum-snapping beatnik chick. She would say stuff like, “Everybody calls Orson Welles a cinematic genius. But to me he’ll always be that guy who gave my roommate the clap in 1948.”

Plan 9 from Outer Space, with live commentary by Dana Gould, Frank Conniff, and Trace Beaulieu, screens Dec 7 at 7 at SIFF Cinema at the Uptown.

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Tags: Film, Comedy, SIFF, Celebrity Interview

Jodie Foster on The Beaver

And its giggle-inducing title.

Posted by: Matthew Halverson on May 06, 2011 at 09:00AM 3 Comments

Jodie Foster…and Mel Gibson as the Beaver (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Jodie Foster has directed three movies in 20 years, which is to say she’s choosy. And boy, is her latest project, The Beaver, which opens Friday, an…interesting addition to her oeuvre. First, there’s the giggle-inducing title. (Come on, The Beaver? Really?) Then there’s the fact that it stars Mel Gibson in his first on-screen role since he played the part of a ranting, racist misogynist in real life last summer. And then there’s the film’s premise: Gibson stars as Walter Black, a clinically depressed CEO of a toy company who decides to let a beaver hand puppet do all of his talking for him. It’s dark stuff, but at times Foster (who also stars as Walter’s wife, Meredith) manages to play Walter’s dual personality for laughs.

The two-time Oscar winner was in Seattle in April to promote the film, so in keeping with The Beaver’s juxtaposition of humor and tragedy, we asked one serious question and one dumb one.

The Beaver covers some challenging subject matter. What drew you to the story to begin with?

A ton of things. I make movies about people in a spiritual crisis and how they get through it, how they get through an untenable crisis. Do they run in fear, or do they face it head-on? I’m sure that’s a part of why I make movies in the first place—to look at and ruminate on crises on my own and try to figure out how to get through them. And I like family movies. I like the family dynamic and exploring why people are who they are and how they interact.

You had to know that people would comment on the title. What’s the best joke that you’ve heard?

They’re all so fabulously rude. They’re all good. I love it. My friend said to me, “You’re going to change the title, aren’t you?” And I was like, “Absolutely not.” I kind of like looking at people’s faces when they say it for the first time. The film’s a little irreverent, and I think it’s good that there’s a little irreverence in the title.

The Beaver is in theaters May 6.

UPDATED. We’ll have more with Jodie Foster in our June issue of Seattle Met.

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Tags: Film, Celebrity Interview, Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, The Beaver

Rainn Wilson Is a Low-Tech Superhero

The Seattle native and Super star fights crime with a wrench.

Posted by: Allison Williams on Apr 13, 2011 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Rainn Wilson is Super, thanks for asking.

In the era of CGI suits, Rainn Wilson’s new flick Super is a refreshing back-to-basics superhero movie. Average dude (Wilson) loses his wife to a mean drug dealer; average dude adopts the moniker “the Crimson Bolt,” grabs a pipe wrench and slings the catchphrase “Shut up, crime!” Violence ensues, and there’s nothing cartoonish about the splattered brain matter.

The film, from Slither auteur James Gunn, opens Friday and also stars Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page. Wilson, best known as an aggressive weirdo on The Office, returned to his homeland during last month’s Emerald City Comicon (he grew up in Shoreline and wore an old-school Mariners hat to the geekfest). We took a few moments to grill his not-so-inner nerd:

Is Frank, the diner cook-turned-superhero of Super, crazy?
I think he’s crazy and a little bit sociopathic. …Super uses violence because you see all these superhero movies, and supervillains will pick up a bus and use it as a club. You know there are people in there, but it doesn’t show people’s heads being split open. So Super is really about the reality of violence and the thin line between a hero and a vigilante. Between someone who fights for good and someone who’s sociopathic.

Are you a superhero nerd?
Yeah, I certainly grew up reading comic books a lot. I kind of transitioned into fantasy and science fiction books. A sci-fi, Dungeons and Dragons species of nerd. My favorite was always Superman, because no one could ever beat him up. He’s the strongest, he’s the man of steel. And there’s no one stronger than him.

But isn’t that boring? He’s Mr. Perfect.
They always find a way. See, my friend told me that Green Lantern could just make a Kryptonite cage with his ring [to trap Superman], and then I got a little stumped. So then I liked Green Lantern for a little while.

At what point did you decide to play a superhero?
When I read the script, I couldn’t believe the number of things I got to play in the role of Frank. There’s a love story—there’s a couple love stories going on. And there’s great comedy. And there’s a lot of heart and sadness and real emotions. And there’s some badass asskicking action. I’ve always wanted to do that kind of stuff. What young actor doesn’t want to shoot guns in people’s faces?

What would Dwight Schrute [Wilson’s character from The Office ] be like as a superhero?
I think he’d get into a lot of potentially terrible situations and get the crap kicked out of him. Be terribly humiliated.

Who would the ideal superhero be for Seattle?
They need to be impervious to water. And they need to know how to drive a ferryboat. They need a lookout on top of the Space Needle. And they have to gorge on salmon.

Super opens in Seattle theaters on April 15.

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Tags: Film, Celebrity Interview, Rainn Wilson, Super

6 Qs for ‘Rock of Ages’ Star Constantine Maroulis

The ‘American Idol’ alum-turned-Broadway star takes his rock on the road.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Feb 10, 2011 at 04:30PM 0 Comments

I wanna rock! Constantine Maroulis (center) stars in Rock of Ages. Photo: courtesy Joan Marcus.

In the middle of the big-hair ’80s spectacle Rock of Ages —with its cadre of strippers and poop jokes and Whitesnake songs—stands Constantine Maroulis, the show’s rock savior. Gone is the moody pout from his days on American Idol. In its place: a shy smile and a big voice as the musical’s star Drew, the wannabe rocker from Detroit who’s all torn up about a small-town girl he met on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. (Did we mention Journey is a major influence here?) It’s a bit of a surprise that Maroulis is taking the role he originated on Broadway—that earned him a Tony nomination—on a national tour, but we’re lucky he did. He lends coolness to high campiness, and turns the musical into an all-out rock concert, complete with air guitar. (See samples from the song list below.)

Before Rock of Ages finishes up its run at the Paramount Theatre on Sunday, Maroulis chatted with me about being on the road—and antiquing. The man loves antiques.

What made you decide to join the national tour?

You know, I set out and did everything I wanted to accomplish with the show in New York. Taking it off-Broadway, opening it on Broadway, the nominations, a very successful run. I actually was sort of ready to walk away from the whole thing. But when they came to me with the tour idea, I was intrigued, definitely. I thought: This is a passion project of mine that I’ve worked so hard for. Why not? I love touring, so that just seemed right.

You just became a dad recently too, right? Is it too early for the family to tour with you?

Yeah, I don’t answer personal questions about my family, but we are very happy. The baby, she was born December 23, and she and her mom [girlfriend Angel Reed] are both happy and healthy.

How are you liking Seattle? Is it your first time out here?

Not my first time, but I love this city. It’s got a great vibe. I have a lot of friends that came here. There’s a great theater scene here, obviously great music. Great restaurants and antiques and cool buildings and stuff. Pretty girls. It’s a lot of fun.

Had any free time to explore?

Not yet, but I’m going to grab a lunch with a friend today, see some friends after the show tonight. Go to some antique shops and things like that… I love traveling; it’s a big part of what I do, my career and my life. The new people, audiences, energies—it keeps it interesting.

Were you a fan of ’80s rock growing up?

I was, I was. I’m 35, I was born in ’75, so 1985 to 1989—those were really crucial, crucial years for me as far as music.

Did you ever get into grunge?

Oh very much. I was way into Poison and Bon Jovi and Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses, so it got progressively a little harder. But when I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” it just kind of changed everything for me.

What you’ll hear at Rock of Ages: “Don’t Stop Believin,‘" “Any Way You Want It” (Journey), “Cum on Feel the Noize” (covered by Quiet Riot), “Just Like Living in Paradise” (David Lee Roth), “I Wanna Rock” (Twisted Sister), “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Bon Jovi), “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake), "Can’t Fight This Feeling” (REO Speedwagon), “Every Rose Has its Thorn” (Poison), and more…

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Tags: Broadway, musical, Celebrity Interview

Women Are Funny

Talking to Lizz Winstead, cocreator of The Daily Show

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Sep 14, 2010 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Courtesy Mindy Tucker.

When fake news darling The Daily Show caught flack from Jezebel.com this summer for being ‘a boys’ club where women’s contributions are often ignored and dismissed,’ one of the first people to speak out in defense of DS was show cocreator Lizz Winstead. Who’s quite clearly a woman. Jon Stewart has since adopted her baby (“he raised it and it went to Harvard,” she’s said in earlier interviews), but Winstead helped pioneer the next generation of political satire—taking it to Comedy Central, Air America, Off-Broadway (Wake Up World), and on the road as a stand-up act. She’s in Seattle this Friday with her one-woman show My State of the Union, but she shared her love of information, hypocrisy, politics and the media for a Culture Fiend edition of Quote Unquote.

LW: My roots are in stand-up, that’s where I started.

I just feel like there need to be more voices in the world that combat all the insanity—like the crazy racism as we approached 9/11, with the mosque and the Quran burner—and just general media dropping-the-ballery that seems to happen on a daily basis.

It’d be nice if someone invented a fact-checking zap collar—like you put on your dog to make it stop barking—so every time [Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin] said something that was factually inaccurate, they would get jarred. I’m all for it.

The right has jumped on me for saying that—they said I’ve advocated the electrocution of Glenn Beck. If you Google “alleged comedian Lizz Winstead” you’ll find it.

I don’t think there are topics that are off-limits. It’s all about how you choose to frame your comedy. For example, if you were to tackle 9/11, you wouldn’t take on the victims, you might take on, say—like when the Onion launched their 9/11 page and it just said “Holy Fucking Shit!” I think that really summed it up.

You mean, what news sources do I read to make me smarter, versus the ones I read that make Americans dumber? I have to get through both.

I’ve gotten myself a little up-to-date on the Dino Rossi/Patty Murray crazy train. It’s awesome to come to a state where your governor and two senators are women—although there’s not a lot of excitement coming out of those three. It’s very stable.

First of all, I think Jezebel is completely dishonest. They send out all these reporters who know nothing about how television is made, and then write about a show that has done nothing but champion all people—40 percent of the staffers at The Daily Show are women.

Being somebody who hired the first batch of writers, I can tell you I got 150 writing submissions and only three from women. Since then, all names are stripped off the writing submissions, and you don’t know the gender of the person. It’s based purely on submission.

The fact of the matter is, it’s not a boys’ club or a girls’ club—it’s a nerd club. To be able to write in the voice of that show, you have to be equal parts historian and news junkie, and then be as funny of a writer as you are a complete news nerd. There just aren’t a lot of people who can do that. If there were, there would be more shows on television like those shows.

My State of the Union: An Evening with Daily Show Cocreator Lizz Winstead is Friday, September 17 at 8 and 10 at Theatre Off Jackson. Tickets are $15 on brownpapertickets.com. Winstead will also hold a political satire writing workshop on September 18 from 11 to 2 at Theatre Off Jackson; registration is $40 at brownpapertickets.com.

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Tags: Comedy, Celebrity Interview, Quote Unquote

Talking God with Gbenga

Star of The Wire and Intiman’s new play The Thin Place gets real, on stage and in person.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on May 25, 2010 at 12:00PM 1 Comments

Nigerian-American actor Gbenga Akinnagbe plays 11 Seattle residents in solo show The Thin Place. Photo courtesy Stuart Isett.

Gbenga Akinnagbe stands alone atop a raised wooden boardwalk, utterly vulnerable, his back to the audience. In the course of The Thin Place, now on at Intiman Theatre, he’s played 11 characters exploring their faith: everyone from a young Muslim woman to a 60-year-old Vietnamese man who found God inside an isolation cell. The stories he tells, he embodies, are real, based on interviews of Seattle area residents. But now, we start to hear the voices that have been rattling around Akinnagbe’s head for the last 90 minutes, piped in over loudspeakers:

God existed before Christianity.
I love Jesus…and I like to sin.
Terrorists hijacked my religion.
The teachings don’t make sense.
It’s hard. It’s personal.

It certainly is. To say Sonya Schneider and Andrew Russell’s The Thin Place is moving would be an understatement. If you don’t leave thinking to yourself, “Why do I believe what I believe?” then I dare say you were napping during the play. In a testament to its potential as a conversation starter in our so-called churchless state, nearly 75 people stayed after the show on Sunday for a Q & A with its star. But I had a chance to sit down with Gbenga (pronounced “Ben-ga”) before opening night—and let’s just say that honesty informs everything the New Yorker does.

You’ve starred in The Wire, and you’re flying between here and New York to film The Good Wife. But how does it feel to do your first solo show?

It’s crazy. They handed me the script, and I instinctively started looking for my parts to highlight, and Andrew [Russell, the director]’s like, no no no, they’re all your parts. It’s wild.

Do you think this play is more about religion or spirituality?

I think it’s about 70 percent spirituality, 30 percent religion. … Religion is something different. Religion is rules to instruct people how to get to the spiritual side. What I think a lot of people are recognizing is that they don’t need those rules to get to the spiritual side.

Have you been doing your own self-reflection?

You can’t help but do it. But I feel at peace with where I am, my belief in God, and a lot of that is also because I realized I’m not in this world alone. I’m not even just talking about God, but I believe strongly in this idea of a global citizenry, so I feel very connected to my brothers in China, my sisters in Argentina. I feel like anywhere I go is home. … I went to Israel a few years ago when I was considering Judaism, and I [loved it]. I was tempted to join the Israeli military at the time.

Really? What made you decide not to?

I did this whole search for religion. I was going to pick a religion—this was when I was 13, so there was Buddhism, the Mormon church, other sects of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, atheism, being agnostic. I boiled it down to two, which at the time were surprisingly similar: Islam and Judaism. And then I came back and I decided not to have a religion—to just believe in God.

The Thin Place, in its world premiere, runs through June 13 at Intiman Theatre. Check out Gbenga’s blog and behind-the-scenes photos and stories at thethinplace.com.

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Tags: Theater, Intiman Theatre, Celebrity Interview, Final Weekend, Final Weekend