#dan persons

You'll hear it in the show, and I'm not going to hide it: I was kinda intimidated talking to Richard Lewis. A brilliant comedian with a lightning-fast mind, Lewis has bested interviewers with far more supple intellects than yours truly. To add to my anxiety, I went into the discussion having watched DRUNKS, the 1995 feature film in which Lewis reveals a rarely seen facility for soul-searing drama. Fully aware of his range and his skill, I knew this discussion was going to be working at a wholly different level than my typical, cozy little chats.

And, bless him, Lewis was great. Our conversation focuses on RICHARD LEWIS: BUNDLE OF NERVES -- a just-released two-disc set that includes DRUNKS, as well his acting debut, DIARY OF A YOUNG COMIC, a new-to-DVD HBO special, MAGICAL MISERY TOUR, and a bonus, documentary feature, HOUSE OF A LIFETIME. In the course of the conversation, Lewis discusses his inspirations, explores his ambitions, and just in passing points out that the host of a certain, film-centric podcast shouldn't presume that everything can be filtered through the wisdom of Cahiers du Cinema. Click on the player to hear the show.

Sometimes doing the job is reward in itself. That’s what it was like for me to talk with Greg Nicotero. From DAWN OF THE DEAD to BREAKING BAD, from ARMY OF DARKNESS to OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, from HOSTEL to SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR, his vivid and creative makeup effects work has brought the fantastic, the grotesque, and the sometimes-just-plain-realistic to a dazzling kaleidoscope of film and TV projects.

Dan Persons says:

It’s raining sharks, hallelujah! Or maybe whether you’re making that exclamation depends on how highly refined your appreciation of irony is. Yes, SHARKNADO 2: THE SECOND ONE is here, moving the mayhem to New York (to the producers’ credit, largely the real New York), larding the proceedings with copious cameos (hallloooo Andy Dick, Perez Hilton, Al Roker, etc, etc.), and wasting no time in throwing airborne maneaters at hapless victims (why are there sharknados? Who cares — look, SHARKS!).

This is a trivial question, but it’s been bugging me, so let me get it out, okay? Why is the sequel to RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES called DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES? I mean, “dawn” suggests a beginning, right? And you can’t actually rise until you begin, right? So shouldn’t the titles of these films be reversed? Then again, that first film wasn’t really focused on the planet of the apes beginning, but on the events that eventually led to that beginning. And this newest film isn’t so much about the planet’s rise as one glimpse into how humanity loses its foothold to the newly born society of intelligent simians. But then, I guess EVENTS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING AND HAVING A DIRECT IMPACT UPON THE DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and ONE CHAPTER THAT WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES wouldn’t quite pop on movie posters, would it? Never mind.

Hm? What did I think of the film? Oh, I loved it. No, let me clarify that: I LOVED IT. But it’s not really as simple as that, so listen in to my review for the HOUR OF THE WOLF radio show to get my take on this thoroughly entertaining summer blockbuster. Click on the player to hear the segment, or right-click the title to download.

It would be hard to overstate the excellence of DOCTOR STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB. Stanley Kubrick’s masterful dark comedy took the grimmest of concepts — the world on the brink of the apocalypse as a rogue American general (Sterling Hayden) orders a nuclear strike on Russia — and played it for laughs without managing to dilute any of the horror of the situation. With Peter Sellers serving triple-duty in three incredible performances as the noble Captain Mandrake, ineffectual American president Merkin Muffley, and the sinister ex-Nazi science adviser Dr. Strangelove — given considerable support by George C. Scott as the gung-ho General “Buck” Turgidson and Slim Pickens as the too-committed B52 pilot T.J. “King” Kong — DR. STRANGELOVE comes about as close to cinematic perfection as the field will ever see, and remains a potent cautionary tale fifty years on.

All things considered, there are definitely worse ways to see out the year. 47 RONIN, the historical fantasy mash-up that sees Keanu Reeves inserted — along with witches, dragons, and mystical warriors — into the legendary tale of a samurai revolt, may not be the high-water-mark in fantastic film for 2013. But in its gripping story, its fine cast — including Hiroyuki Sanada as a  samurai seeking vengeance on the duplicitous Lord who disgraced his master, Rinko Kikuchi (late of PACIFIC RIM) as a scheming witch, and Kô Shibasaki as a doomed love-interest for Reeves — and its ability to respect the legend and the culture of feudal Japan while still delivering up the kinds of fantastical creatures and fleet action sequences that can satisfy modern audiences, it certainly makes for some corking entertainment.

The Cinefantastique Spotlight: HER

And, after all the paranormal activities and interstellar warfare and superhero histrionics and marooned astronauts and rampaging monsters and quasi-mythical heroes and super-powered teens (soooooo many super-powered teens…), it comes down to this: One man, broken but beautiful, who in the near future finds himself falling in love with his computer’s surprisingly human operating system.