TRIBECA INTERVIEW: Kodi Smit-McPhee

With smaller indies and his recent film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” under his belt, Kodi Smit-McPhee is just beginning his acting takeover.

Though only 18 years old, Smit-McPhee has long been involved in the film industry. Even though his credits include bigger films like “Dead Europe” and “The Congress,” Smit-McPhee noted that he holds a close, personal affinity for independent films.

“I’ve been acting since I was eight and it kind of has flourished from the independent community,” Smit-McPhee said. “I started coming to America when I was around 11 or 12. I did ‘The Road’ and ‘Let Me In.’ Everything I’ve done has been right on that verge between studio and independent and I find that it is because those are the ones that have the really great stories and great genuine people connected to them.”

In his latest film “Slow West,” Smit-McPhee plays Jay Cavendish, a man on his quest to find the girl he loves after she flees 1800s Scotland for the Western frontier of Colorado. Michael Fassbender also stars as the mysterious and intriguing Silas, who accompanies Jay on his journey of love. However, Smit-McPhee described the film as an atypical Western and more so a coming of age tale.

“What I loved about it was merging of these two worlds, this European cinematography into the dirty kind of gritty Western America in the 1800s,” Smit-McPhee said.

Born into Scottish royalty, Jay falls in love with one of his family’s crop workers, Rose (Caren Pistorius), and once she flees Scotland with a bounty on her head, he makes it his mission to find her.

“There’s a fine line, I think ,between being brave and being stupid, and love can make us act stupid but for the right reasons, and that made him brave for the right reasons,” Smit-McPhee said. “I really think that from my point of view the passion of love just got him through absolutely anything.”

Previously, Smit-McPhee has worked with other famous actors, including Ben Kingsley in 2013’s “A Birder’s Guide to Everything.” Despite appearing next to big-name stars, Smit-McPhee said he keeps himself level-headed by stepping away from the lure of celebrity and simply admiring the craft.

“I definitely get starstruck but I try to just act normal and respectful,” Smit-McPhee said. “Once I do, I see that it shouldn’t have been any other way because I see that they’re just a real person and that we’re all just artists doing things within our lives.”

Though “Slow West” will not hit theaters until May 15, Smit-McPhee is already working on his next project, “X-Men: Apocalypse,” where he will be playing the mutant Nightcrawler.

“I literally begin filming in Montreal in three days,” he said. “I’m really excited. It’s not really something I’ve dabbled in, I’ve always done these quiet ‘in a world’ type characters so this will be really cool to do — like a superhero.”

Courtesy of Washington Square News. Online version here. 

Ballet 422: A Review & Interview

Jody Lee Lipes’ newest film “Ballet 422” is hypnotizing and inclusive as it guides its viewer behind the scenes of the revered New York City Ballet. The film is elegant and majestic like the subject it portrays, giving a more distinguished quality to the art of ballet. Shot in cinema vérité style, this documentary shadows the 25-year-old New York City Ballet performer Justin Peck as he faces the challenge of creating the company’s 422nd ballet.

Lipes graduated from Tisch School of the Arts in 2004, and he credits his education there for the production of “Ballet 422.”

“I would not have been able to make this film without going to NYU,” he said. “Many people who worked on this film, I met at NYU. Nick Bentgen, Anna Rose Holmer, Mark Phillips, Joe Anderson and I all met while attending Tisch.”

Lipes first conceived the documentary, after he and his wife went to see Peck’s second ballet, “Year of the Rabbit.”

“After that, we began talking about documenting his next piece, because I knew one day he would become an important choreographer,” Lipes said. “I just know I would have loved to see what renowned choreographers were like earlier on in their careers.” 

Peck is quiet and contemplative in his planning; the gears of his mind are perpetually working to make improvements to his ensemble. He never looks directly at the camera or acknowledges its presence. Like a fly on the wall, we see him but he never sees us.

“The subject matter definitely required [cinema vérité], because ballet is such a physical art form,” Lipes said. “I loved how it was active and able to communicate without people having to talk. With vérité, it’s also like a ticking clock, so I also enjoy the style because you’re able to be physical while having a timeline
for structure.” 

Lipes, who became instantly immersed in the world of the New York City Ballet, followed his subject everywhere. The audience glimpses the entire process of creating a ballet ensemble. From costume design fittings to conversations with the orchestra, Peck controls every aspect of his piece to the best of his ability. 

“Most people don’t understand the inner workings and mechanics of the institution,” Lipes said. “A lot of people outside of the production never think about how many people go into the process, the intricacies, and the costumes. The orchestra, particularly in ballet, is overlooked a lot as a creative partner; the audience doesn’t usually think about its importance to the piece.” 

While creating this new piece, Peck also had to fulfill his role as a dancer in the Corps de Ballet. As soon as the curtains closed on the New York City Ballet’s 422nd production, his responsibility as choreographer came to an end and he returned to his role as a dancer. Like a chameleon, a jack of all-trades, he eases right back into his home onstage.

The film is a subtle portrayal of metamorphosis. Lipes follows Peck’s transformation from beginning to end, as his subject becomes a quiet-yet-masterful butterfly taking on the challenging waters of the New York City Ballet.

Courtesy of Washington Square News. 

Read the online version here. 

Chelsea Peretti's "One of the Greats": A Review

“Do you think it’s worse to wear a fedora or kill fifteen people?”

— Chelsea Peretti

This generation has a new female heroine, and her name is Chelsea Peretti. The Netflix comedy special “Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats” is truthful and undeniably relatable to millennials everywhere. Peretti, who stars as the outgoing and witty Gina on Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” gives her comedic commentary on everything from the #nomakeup tag on Instagram to her desire for a fulfilling marriage.

Peretti’s humor is over-the-top in a satirical way, which adds to her effortless charm. “One of the Greats” begins with an intro that looks like it was taken from the deleted scenes of “Fast and Furious.” Peretti zooms down the San Francisco streets on a motorcycle while a grizzled, overly serious voice-over narrates her journey to the theater. This segment sets the tone for the hilarious hour that ensues.

From her first few minutes on stage, it is evident that the live audience and the Netflix audience are seeing different perspectives of the act. The Netflix audience can look inside Peretti’s mind as various edits show her in the audience or off-stage in a clown costume, mocking herself as a strange version of herself. “One of the Greats” in some ways plays out like a stylized sitcom, one where the in-house audience is also a part of the production. Every cut to the audience is planned and adds to the humor in a bizarre way. Clips of dogs, babies, people sipping tea and even strange janitors interrupt the performance on stage to add their own comedic reactions. It is like a kitschy alternate reality, showcasing that the comedy does not stop where the stage ends, but continues into the velvet seats of the arena.

While Peretti is open and spews out what is on her mind for her audience’s pleasure, she adds relatable commentary for the modern world.  She fearlessly states her opinions on various topics, such as what she dubs “comment culture” and online bullying. In one bit, she makes her audience imagine all of the inventions that would not have happened if people were allowed to comment on social media when Einstein was around. She says that he would have gotten picked on for his “Jew-ness” and mocked for not figuring out the theory of relativity in a timely manner. Through all of the raunchiness and political incorrectness, it is impossible to not be charmed by her truthful perspective on today’s society.

In addition to the incisive commentary, Peretti also showcases her emotional side when she states that she is in love. She is open about her life and her father’s various marriages, and expresses her wish to have a happy life and a long and loving marriage. She covers these desires with humor, but it is endearing to see a confident woman unveil her secret dreams and pains — “I want to be a good person,” she says at one point in front of hundreds of people.

One will find an array of unpredictability in “One of the Greats,” a sarcastic title that holds some form of truth. Peretti is a rare comedic gem who puts on a truly unforgettable performance.

Courtesy of Washington Square News. Read it on the website here

The New Feminism: "Broad City"

Broad City brings a new sense of equality to comedy television — it’s as if Seth Rogen and James Franco wrote HBO’s “Girls,” but better and with an interest in three-dimensional female characters. The show, which premiered on Comedy Central last year, follows two 20-somethings as they navigate post-graduate life in the Lower East Side without stable employment.

Unlike the manic pixie dream girl or sophisticated rom-com sweetheart characters, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson’s protagonists, who share their actors’ first names, singlehandedly break expectations of what is considered ladylike. They are not polite, nor do they have their lives in order, but there is something empowering about the way they behave. Every episode, they are faced with a new quasi-adventure, during which they use their comedic charm to showcase the fact that women can be just as juvenile as men. In one episode, they clean a man’s apartment in their underwear for money.

Every episode of “Broad City” takes down gender stereotypes. As writers and stars of the show, Glazer and Jacobson portray themselves as unsophisticated, goofy and earnestly comedic. They are not trying to fool the world into thinking that they are mature adults — they are just being themselves.

These women are more honest, gross and content with themselves than any other female comedians on television — even “30 Rock’s” Liz Lemon could not have competed with these two. Abbi and Ilana are oblivious to the situations around them, but it is refreshing to see two women trying to navigate young adulthood in the most honest and improper way possible.

Courtesy of Washington Square News: Read it here.

"Obvious Child" or The Unlikely Hero We Find in Pregnant Women

Obvious Child managed to fly under the radar of most moviegoers but resonates deeply with a particular type of twenty-somethings. Writer and director Gillian Robespierre tells the unique story of Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), a comedian who finds herself pregnant after a drunken one night stand.

The film is not sad or judgmental nor is it preachy and overly inappropriate, however in its own heartfelt and raunchy way Robespierre makes a controversial topic relatable to the modern woman. Jenny Slate gives one of her best performances as ballsy and adorable comedienne Donna Stern who becomes one of the most unlikely heroes for this generation of millennial women. 

Unlike Katherine Heigel’s character in Knocked Up or Ellen Paige’s juvenile persona in Juno, Slate’s character decides not go through with her pregnancy and gets an abortion. However, Slate is able to portray a character caught between an intense controversial dilemma with charisma and charm. In the film Stern tells her comedy club audience that she is pregnant by saying, “I remember seeing a condom, I just don’t know exactly what it did.”

There’s an assertive quality about pregnant women in today’s comedies. They tend to be in complete control of their lives and the path they take, and are never apologetic about their decisions. Isn’t that why Juno MacGuff waddles around the cult classic Juno, delivering witty zingers at anyone who tries to undermine her choices?  Or why Amy Poehler in Baby Mama sits around all day carefree while her counterpart Tina Fey runs around stressed? These women hold a confidence that is empowering and comedic, daring and endearing.

In Obvious Child, Donna Stern is independent, unapologetic and determined to live the life she wants. Call it selfish? Call it earnest and strong. 

Courtesy of Washington Square News: Read it here

Dan Harmon: An Interview

I interviewed the comedic genius and overall amazing person Dan Harmon (Community, Rick and Morty) this past weekend at New York Comic Con for his new documentary Harmontown which is in select theaters now! 

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When Dan Harmon was fired  in 2012 from “Community,” the show he created for NBC, he was not going to spend his unemployment pitching scripts. Instead, Harmon filled his time by going on tour for his podcast “Harmontown,” which was then known only by Hollywood locals and the most avid “Community” fans.

“Harmontown,” a documentary that was released on Oct. 3 and shares its name with Harmon’s podcast, is the journey taken by a gang of misfits who set out to help Harmon discover himself and the people who adore him. Harmon, along with his podcast partner Jeff Davis, his now-fiancée Erin McGathy, director Neil Berkeley and gaming enthusiast Spencer Crittenden, went on tour across the United States and recorded the entire process.

“Harmontown” humanizes the “Community” creator — it portrays the internal struggle of a complex man in a comedic way. Through Harmon’s interaction with his fans, his psyche and personal self is illuminated. In an interview with WSN, Harmon spoke about why he decided to go on tour.

“I think I went out looking for those pats on the back,” Harmon said. “But I also think I went out looking for self-destruction, and for people to boo me off stage. I wanted to worship myself, hate myself, love myself and go out in front of people, and succeed or fail and have them judge me for who I was instead of what I’ve done.”

Harmon is as self-aware and brutally honest with himself as he is with those around him. His persona is illuminated in “Harmontown,” and Harmon admitted that the documentary was meant to help him self-reflect.

“I feel like I’m always navel gazing,” Harmon said. “I’m particularly addicted to epiphanies, and I’m really resilient to them as well. I keep announcing things I’ve learned.”

Harmon’s show “Community” has a cult following and offers its viewers a breath of fresh air with its inside jokes, diverse cast and quirky situations. Harmon, who was named the showrunner again before “Community” was cancelled by NBC, stands at the reins for its sixth and final season on Yahoo.

Harmon spoke about the transition from NBC to Yahoo, which has a very different target audience.

“To go from a network where every new boss is like, ‘What is this show and how do we get rid of it without offending crazy people?’ to a home where someone actually paid for us [makes me] feel like little orphan Annie,” Harmon said.

Even though Harmon is often confident in his artistic decisions, he still has his doubts about whether Yahoo will like the show’s sixth season.

“Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I wake up thinking, ‘I’m going to disappoint Yahoo. This show isn’t good enough for them, they love me too much,’” Harmon said.

There is no doubt that “Community’s” loyal fan base will follow the show as it transitions from television to online. Much like Harmon himself, the show continues to please its fans with its unique style, even if network executives or critics are not as happy with it.

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Check out the interview here.

Read the original here. 

Courtesy of New York University's Washington Square News