Dupa o pauza de meditatie prelungita, revenim in forta pe micile ecrane de calculator. Si nu oricum, ci cu un material care astepta sa fie degustat cu pofta. De voi cei pentru care American Astronaut este un film-cult si nu cineva care se plimba pe luna prin 69.

Mai jos un fragment cu regizorul American Astronaut, Cory McAbee, un tip care face un act creativ din orice se apuca sa faca, fie ca e muzica, filme sau pazit baruri, dupa cum veti vedea in continuare. Interviul integral poate fi citit in numarul urmator de Oogli, suplimentul cultural de fiecare luna al Igloo. Enjoy:)

Incepem cum se cuvine cu trailerul filmului:

1. Where do you get your ideas for the movies? Which are your sources of inspiration? For American Astronaut for example, the plot is so unusual that I’m quite curious how did that come up as a story.

I wrote THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT after three years of living without a home. During those three years I worked part time filling in as a substitute doorman in bars and nightclubs and living out of my friends’ garages. That film was inspired by the people in my life and my own circumstances at that time.
STINGRAY SAM was written at the end of the Bush administration. The US government had done so many horrible things to the world, the environment, and destroyed America’s economy and reputation. I felt it was important to make a film that would embrace and celebrate America’s culture while criticizing it. I created a science fiction landscape based on the modern US landscape, including privatized prison systems, creating poverty by outsourcing labor, jeopardizing natural resources, abuse of pharmaceuticals…etc. I worked them into a story that incorporated well-loved American-grown genres such as musicals, westerns, singing cowboys, sci-fi serials and cute little girls with classic American melodrama problems. The intention was to make a modern film that everyone could enjoy, and I hope they do. I made it in serialized segments to make it compatible with every way that people watch films today.

2. Does the movie have a certain message or is it pure fiction and thus an artistic form of entertainment?

I don’t claim to have the righteous end-all point of view, so I steer clear of creating propaganda. If I try to push a point that I feel passionate about, the writing usually falls flat. Maybe it’s because I get excited over partial information. My beliefs are written into my stories, but the thing that tends to inspire people of different mindsets is the spirit behind the productions themselves.

3. Since is an unconventional mix between western and one of a kind SF. Probably this is the reason why the way you depicted the outer space was totally different from what I’ve seen in other movies. How did you come up with the unusual way the outer space looks like?

THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT was styled after my family and how they lived. It looks like my father and my grandfather. My dad was a cowboy auto mechanic and my grandfather lived in the desert and fixed anything that came his way. I was close to both of them. I’m still close to my father.
I was fortunate to be working with our production designer, Geoff Tuttle, on some personal projects when the funds were secured. He had never done film work before, but I knew he would understand the look I was going for. He lives out in the desert now making sculptures.

4. Tell me three movies one should definitely not miss.

1. The Wizard of OZ (1939)
2. “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1947) with Gene Tierney & Rex Harrison.
3. Spirited Away (2001) Hayao Miyazaki

5. What would you do if you stopped making movies? And what means compromise when it comes to a movie?

I love making movies. I’m always working on a story in my head, but I don’t get to make films very often. I spend a lot of time distributing my films, writing, drawing, recording music and being a father. As far as a compromise, it would depend on what your intentions are. We all come to it for different reasons. Some people want to be rich and famous. I think that’s a sickness.

6. What’s your next project about?

WEREWOLF HUNTERS OF THE MIDWEST is about an old man who hunts werewolves in a world where no one believes in monsters.

7. Each cinematography age has its own traits. Where do you think the cinema is heading now, in terms of purpose and characteristics?

People will have to consider how their films will look on small screens, like iPhones.

8. And last but not least, what did you wanted to become when you were little?:)

When I was 8 and 11 years old my teachers told me that I was going to be a philosopher. I didn’t know what that meant. Someone told me that it was someone who thought about things. I pictured a man in a suit sitting alone in an office. That made no sense. I just wanted to make the other kids laugh and get through the day without being picked on. I was small for my age.