IFC

Interview: Writers/Directors Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore on Playboy-Centric Film ‘Miss March’

PatrickMcD — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:41:18 -0600

CHICAGO – Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore – best known as members of the TV comedy troupe “The Whitest Kids U’ Know” (now on the Independent Film Channel) – make their directorial feature-film debut with the release of “Miss March”.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

“Miss March,” which opens on March 13, 2009, is a sex comedy that also stars Cregger and Moore as Eugene Bell and Tucker Cleigh, a couple of high school goofs who are looking to score. Tucker is the rampant horny boy in the scenario, while Eugene is a purer soul, hoping to lose his virginity on prom night with his girlfriend Cindi (Raquel Alessi).

HollywoodChicago.com sat down with Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore to talk about doing feature films versus sketch comedy world and where the horny boy sex comedy fits in the internet age.

Zach Clegger (left) as Eugene Bell and Trevor Moore (right) as Tucker Clegh in “Miss March”
Photo credit: © Twentieth Century Fox

“I don’t think our audience come to these movies because they want to see boobs,” said Cregger, “we know they can see them whenever they want to.”

“If anything,” Moore added, “seeing that our movie has a hard ‘R’ rating, that’s a signal that no punches will be pulled. It’s more for the outrageous stuff, that it’s going to offend some people. I want our audience to say, ‘that’s the movie for me.’”

Just before entering into carnal knowledge with his true-love girlfriend, Eugene falls into a coma that lasts four years. When he awakes, Tucker shows him that sweet Cindi has become Playboy magazine’s Miss March.

“I was raised in a super conservative household, I was very much like Eugene.” said Cregger. “Eugene’s attitude about sex is very damaging to his relationship with his girlfriend and is really unhealthy.”

“I felt Tucker was based on an amalgamation of characters from ‘The Whitest Kids U Know’,” added Moore. “There was sketch called ‘Tattoo Parlor’ and I felt Tucker was a sweeter, more innocent variation on that character. You can access the clip on YouTube.”

Patrick McDonald (left), Trevor Moore (center) and Zach Clegger (right) in Chicago on February 5th, 2009
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Eugene and Tucker embark on a road trip to the Playboy Mansion in California to find Cindi and fulfill Eugene’s destiny. Along the way they hookup with rapper Horsedick.MPEG (Craig Robinson of “The Office”) and are also pursued by Tucker’s avenging girlfriend Candace (Molly Stanton) and a bunch of angry firefighters.

“Firemen sort of becomes law enforcement in the story,” said Moore. “In a time where they are America’s heroes, and rightly so, we thought that untouchable image would be funny if we made them bad guys. They are the authority.”

“The film does have the idea of consequence to action, which paralyzes Eugene,” said Cregger, “but Tucker is oblivious he just does unlawful things and nothing happens to him.”

Moore added: “Every single sexual act comes with disastrous consequences.”

Cregger and Moore also discussed writing a film for the first time, and harnessing their particular brand of sketch humor in “Whitest Kids” to the big screen.

“With sketch comedy, you get in, you tell the funniest joke you can and then you get out,” said Cregger. “You don’t have to worry about continuity or character development. When you’re writing a film comedy, it has to be funny, but also every scene has to move the story along.”

“There are some advantages between the movie and the sketch work, Moore said. “We really get to know the characters in writing a script. And when something works for that character, it’s immediate. That doesn’t happen with sketch work.”

“If anything we were explaining the scenario was ‘past reality’. It wasn’t the real world, and there is an element of cartoon in it,” he added.

Zach Clegger and Trevor Moore concluded with predictions for their characters beyond the film.

“In my head Eugene and his girlfriend get together for a little bit and then they break up because their relationship becomes different, said Clegger. “Tucker doesn’t get a job as a Playboy photographer.”

“I figure that Tucker doesn’t realize his life doesn’t end up great,” concludes Moore. “He’s just in the moment. And I figure Eugene goes into another coma for thirty years (laughs). His girlfriend has kids with another guy and he has to murder her family (laughs).”

“Miss March” opens March 13th at area theaters. It features Zach Clegger, Trevor Moore, Craig Robinson, Raquel Alessi and Hugh Hefner.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery For Film Independent Spirit Awards With Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba

BrianTT — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:18:49 -0700

CHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains the selected images from the Piaget event at the “Film Independent Spirit Awards” from Saturday, February 21st, 2009. Celebrities photographed include Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Jon Hamm, Aaron Eckhart, Alec Baldwin, Laura Dern, Anthony Mackie, John Waters, Taraji P. Henson, Mena Suvari, Anne Hathaway, Melissa Leo, Michelle Williams, and Andie MacDowell.

Official press release about the event: “For the second time, the swiss watchmaker and jeweller Piaget, renowned for its High Jewellery collections and exceptional lines of watches, has further strengthened its longstanding ties with Hollywood by deciding to sponsor the Independent Spirit Awards. Since its founding in 1874, Piaget stands for unique watchmaking and jewellery know-how allied with a pioneering spirit. The exceptional talent of Piaget’s craftsmen lies in their ability to constantly reinvent age-old watchmaking techniques and to make people dream by creating emotions around gold and diamonds. Today, art continues to find the most varied forms of expression; and boundaries are progressively shattered. Design, video, film, music and fashion are all creative territories that Piaget explores and integrates into its collections. Thus, it was only natural that Piaget team-up with Film Independent to celebrate for the second time, the best of independent films through sponsorship of the Spirit Awards.”

Read about the winners of the “Film Independent Spirit Awards”.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are courtesy of Piaget and image.net. All Rights Reserved.

ISA_01: Jon Hamm
ISA_02: Jon Hamm
ISA_03: Aaron Eckhart
ISA_04: Aaron Eckhart
ISA_05: Aaron Eckhart
ISA_06: Jessica Alba
ISA_07: Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke
ISA_08: Jessica Alba
ISA_09: Jessica Alba and Alec Baldwin
ISA_10: Laura Dern
ISA_11: Anthony Mackie
ISA_12: John Waters
ISA_13: Taraji P. Henson
ISA_14: Jessica Alba
ISA_15: Mena Suvari
ISA_16: Anne Hathaway
ISA_17: Melissa Leo and Michelle Williams
ISA_18: Laura Dern
ISA_19: Andie MacDowell
ISA_20: Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Sobering Documentary ‘At the Death House Door’ to Premiere in Chicago From ‘Hoop Dreams’ Filmmakers

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:36:15 -0600

CHICAGO – The Texas “killer burger” is literally sold right across the street from a state-mandated death house that brings convicted felons to their legal demise.

While the death penalty is believed by many to serve a sort of justice to the guilty the majority of the time, what happens when the wrongly accused fall prey, too? Moreover, is it ultimately right to even treat the guilty with such eye-for-an-eye repercussion?

The documentary “At the Death House Door” from “Hoop Dreams” filmmakers Steve James and Peter Gilbert will have a one-week engagement in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning on May 10, 2008.
Image credit: The Independent Film Channel

The United States has wavered back and forth in its stance on the death penalty. Advocates for and opponents against it are large and fervent on both sides of the fence. Some 18 years later, Chicago Tribune reporters Steve Mills and Maury Possley in 2005 began investigating inconsistent evidence in the case of Carlos De Luna. He was executed in 1989.

Pastor Carroll Pickett in “At the Death House Door”.
Image credit: Kartemquin Films

De Luna’s investigation has prompted pastor Carroll Pickett to speak up. For 15 years, Picked served as the death house chaplain at the infamous “Walls” prison unit in Hunstville, Texas. As Pickett presided over 95 executions – including the world’s first lethal injection – he was each person’s sanctuary in their final moments.

The story of Pickett, De Luna and countless others is being told now in the “quiet powerhouse” documentary “At the Death House Door”. The film’s message is now heating up the country’s burners after its world premiere on March 9, 2008 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival.

“At the Death House Door” filmmakers Steve James and Peter Gilbert already have potent storytelling power with audiences after the landmark 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams” (in which James directed and Gilbert produced). Gilbert is a Chicago native.

They’re bringing “At the Death House Door” to Chicago for a one-week engagement at the Gene Siskel Film Center starting on May 10, 2008 at 8 p.m.

For that screening, James and Gilbert will be in attendance along with executive producer Gordon Quinn (a founding member of “At the Death House Door” production company Kartemquin Films). The Tribune Company is also a production company for the film, which is being distributed by the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The film will air on IFC on May 29, 2008 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

With more than 405 executions under its belt since 1976 alone, Texas is far and away the leading state in the U.S. for executions by way of the death penalty. Since 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, 38 states have adopted the practice. Today, 37 states use lethal injections to execute inmates. Nebraska still uses the electric chair.

The film is prompting discussion for potential change. According to IFC: “On March 5, 2008 at the Texas capitol in Austin, a team of legal experts, elected officials and religious leaders met to discuss current issues surrounding the death penalty including lethal injection, criminal justice, wrongful conviction and the role of religion and values in executions. Each discussion was introduced by a clip [from] ‘At the Death House Door’.”

From 1976 to Sept. 28, 2007, 1,099 inmates were executed, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Following a seven-month national moratorium, the first Texas executions have been scheduled for this summer. Charles Dean Hood is scheduled in June 2008 and Larry Donnell Davis is slated for July 2008.

Stay tuned for the HollywoodChicago.com interview with directors Steve James and Peter Gilbert as well as seminal “At the Death House Door” interview subject pastor Carroll Pickett.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com