Kelly Macdonald

Interview: Tom Bastounes on Michael Keaton For ‘The Merry Gentleman'

PatrickMcD — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:30:55 -0600

CHICAGO – “The Merry Gentleman” is enhanced by an unusual police detective character. Tom Bastounes plays Dave Murcheson: a vulnerable protector of society who’s caught in his own self delusion. The film is Michael Keaton’s directorial debut.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Keaton also stars as Frank Logan, a professional hit man whose dark thoughts after an assassination job lead him to the brink of suicide. When a delicate office worker, Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald), witnesses Keaton’s near death attempt, an unlikely coalition forms between the two fellow travelers (Kate has run away to the city from an abusive husband).

Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald of ‘The Merry Gentleman’
Photo credit: Matt Dinerstein, Samuel Goldwyn Films

Bastounes, as the cop assigned to find Logan, awkwardly attempts to woo the emotionally upset Kate, and the three desperate souls meander through the early winter urban landscape searching for redemption.

HollywoodChicago.com got the privilege of interviewing Bastounes recently, who also served as executive producer for The Merry Gentleman.

HollywoodChicago.com: Besides your role as executive producer of this film, had you always intended to play the role of Dave Murcheson, the cop?

Tom Bastounes: I wasn’t initially cast as Murcheson. The screenwriter, Ron Lazzeretti, goes through the process of creating and after the script was done we both felt that maybe I would be a good choice to play the character. Maybe I was in his head when he wrote it, I don’t know.

We needed to get the name actors at the top. We didn’t want to make a film without a star, so once we had Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald signed on, that’s enough star power, so now I could take the role.

HC: Your approach to the character is one of extreme vulnerability, but with an eye toward your professional duty as a detective. How did you find the right balance for the character in these opposing emotional states?

TB: I just tried not to “cop” it up. Cops in movies are what cowboys in films used to be and there are cops on TV every night of the week. There is a caricature of how cops act and I thought it would be interesting not to play to that at all, forget about all the stereotypes, put the gun and the badge on, and be a normal, problematic guy.

HC: The sacrifice of personal life for this cop character is on display within the narrative. What kind of motivation did you use for the sadness behind this sacrifice?

TB: Just loneliness. Just being isolated and being alone. That’s enough. Any more would be too much.

HC: What traits are most prevalent, in your estimation, for playing a recovering alcoholic and how did you, Ron Lazzeretti and Micheal Keaton discuss the scene where Murcheson breaks down and has a drink?

TB: I played him as if he never stopped drinking. Clearly he’s just a liar. He lies about smoking, drinking, his life. Yes, he’s a likable liar, and I got the sense that he was trying not to do these things, but the lying is part of the character.

Tom Bastounes, Executive Producer and Co-Star of ‘The Merry Gentleman’, in Chicago on April 27, 2009
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

HC: There was the thin line of sanity representing the “protectors” of society both in your cop portrayal and Bobby Cannavale’s police character. What were you and the filmmakers communicating with these darker representations?

TB: When we say an occupation, whether its neurosurgeon, garbage man or cop, generally we want to pigeonhole the occupation and think a certain way about the person doing them.

The reality is even though you may be a cop protector, it doesn’t necessarily make you a nice guy. It’s a job. It’s like going to the doctor and thinking he’s always right, just because he is the “doctor”. We’re all human.

HC: What did your character see in the relationship he was trying to establish with Kelly Macdonald’s character? Was it the idea that as a cop you are most qualified to protect her obvious vulnerabilities?

TB: He’s interested in her because he’s lonely. And all the men in the film are attracted to her because she seems like someone who can offer up forgiveness.

My character would do a better job as a cop just because he’s seeking both her and that forgiveness as well.

HC: Kelly Macdonald is establishing a notable reputation as a high octane dramatic film actress. How was the experience for you working with Macdonald in the actor’s give and take? What were you giving each other, in cooperation with director Keaton, that turned up the volume on the awkwardness and misunderstandings in the couple’s misconnection?

TB: I think those were hard scenes for both of us. I’m sitting with the woman and obviously I want her to like me, and clearly she is agitated when she figures out why she is there. At the same time I’m a cop trying to get information from her and that makes the situation more awkward.

The awkward moment is interesting to watch, because you don’t see it that often in films. It’s like hitting two discordant notes on a piano.

Kelly is a wonderful actor, because she listens in her scenes to the other actor and then responds. She is a great listener.

HC: Since the elements of filming this movie included an unpredicted switch of directors, how did the ensemble cast react towards Keaton’s approach as a first time director and how did you help him as executive producer?

TB: It was easy to except him because he is a big movie star, and people want to like movie stars, right? (laughs) You want to like him and help him. So everyone was engaged to help make it work. He was open to collaboration, open to everyone to give feedback, so he was confident we were all going in the right direction.

I think it worked for the crew, even though we shot in a very tight schedule. But no one wanted to disappoint Michael Keaton. It made it more fun.

HC: If you were spreading word of mouth about your film The Merry Gentleman, what would it be?

TB: It’s a very smart film, you’ll think about it for awhile and you’ll leave the theater knowing that it was time well spent.

’The Merry Gentleman’, with Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, directed by Michael Keaton, opens Friday, May 1st, 2009. Check local theaters for film and showtimes

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

The Producers: Behind the Scenes of Michael Keaton’s ‘The Merry Gentleman’

PatrickMcD — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:18:04 -0600

CHICAGO – The nature of making an independent film versus a mainstream Hollywood production is evident through the efforts of two Chicago-based producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of “The Merry Gentleman”.

Jones, who also produced last year’s “The Promotion”, works more as a creative producer within the filmmaking process. Duggan, a first time executive producer, handled more of the financial details of the production. Together they helped deliver – for first time director and star Michael Keaton – a stellar morality tale that has echoes of film noir.

First Time Director Michael Keaton with the Crew of ‘The Merry Gentleman’
Photo credit: Matt Dinerstein, Samuel Goldwyn Films

HollywoodChicago.com sat down with both producers, for a fascinating conversation about the parameters and challenges of independent filmmaking.

HollywoodChicago.com: What drew you into this project? Was it the pitch or the script?

Steven A. Jones: It was the script. Ron Lazzeretti [the screenwriter], I knew him tangentially from the advertising side, back when I was a animation director. He asked me if we could make this movie in Chicago. I took one look at the script and thought it was a great one, I’m sure there is some way to do this.

HC: This is your very first executive producer credit for a film. Who or what got you involved with The Merry Gentleman and what drew you to the project?

Paul Duggan: I first went for a free steak dinner at Gibson’s, and it ended up costing me 6.2 million (laughs). I met Tom [Bastounes, producer and actor in the film] there about 3-1/2 years ago and afterwards we started having meetings about the film. We invested in other businesses together and as a trade-off – because I helped him learn about financing – he increased his producing staff to include me.

HC: Your bio states you have worked as producer on films with five different first time directors. What techniques have you developed that make you a good colleague for the sometimes volatile nature of a first time director? How was your experience with first timers crucial in helping Michael Keaton get what he needed?

Jones: I think a lot of what I have to do with first time directors is trouble shoot. Try to anticipate for them what’s going to happen. A lot of it has to with how much time is spent on any given scene in terms of time and money. For example, pointing out that there money would be more wisely spent doing one thing rather than another.

As far as Michael’s directorial debut was concerned, it was his education on the other side of the camera, because he had always been on the actor’s side. Communicating to him that no matter how much he thought he knew what the director is doing, when you get to the other side it’s going to be completely different.

For example, convincing Michael that we could make this film in a short schedule, you have to educate without being off-putting.

Producers Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of ‘The Merry Gentleman’, in Chicago on April 27, 2009
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

HC: As a financial guru, what kind of pitch is most effective for drawing investors in on an independent film like The Merry Gentleman?

Duggan: We went out to a very select group of people and in the spirit of ‘trying anything once’ we collected units of funding for the film. Some did it based on their trust in me and others were large investors who wanted to dabble in show business. We brought together a combination of people.

There are risks in all businesses, like for example making computers. There is not an independent computer business, but there is an independent film business. This is a niche that attracts more interest than in other conventional businesses, with a possible avenue to success.

Jones: You mitigate the risk by bringing on good people to make the movie, and involving them in the approval of lead actor Michael Keaton, which made them a little more secure with this investment.

HC: With the different background coming into the role of executive producer, what observations did you make regarding the contrast in business acumen between the film industry and other, more common types of business ventures?

Duggan: They are very similar in the fact that you are still dealing with lawyers and contracts. You have to have an understanding of business law and how it applies. That doesn’t change whether it’s a real estate closing or a production of a movie.

Actors do have agents…and lawyers, so there are more layers in that aspect of it.

Jones: Those layers are also buffers, you sometimes don’t get the opportunity to talk to the person you really need to talk to. So when you talk to the representatives your inquiry is being filtered one way and it’s filtered when the answer comes back to you. The worse thing that does is chew up time.

HC: What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the film business from when you were starting out with ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’ versus the types of issues you have with The Promotion and The Merry Gentleman?

Jones: Henry was done in the days of videotape rental. Now it is a completely different landscape with On Demand, Pay-Per-View, Satellite Systems and all these other places where an independent film can be shown. With Henry we were just concerned with small distribution and eventual rentals.

I can talk about the independent film business, and tomorrow it changes. For example, independent film has been called dead so many times, but then somebody makes a film for $20 and it makes a 100 million and suddenly independents are alive again.

HC: What was the moment that really made you, as a first time participant, really feel proud in the accomplishment of helping to produce The Merry Gentleman?

Duggan: There was a rush when the room darkened at Sundance and the film starting running, and there was the credit – Executive Producer: Paul Duggan. That’s something I’d never signed up for, it was not on my things to do and I may never do another movie, but…that was cool.

TOMORROW – Tom Bastounes, supporting actor and executive producer, on co-starring with Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald in ‘The Merry Gentleman’.

’The Merry Gentleman’, with Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, directed by Michael Keaton, opens Friday, May 1st, 2009. Check local theaters for film and showtimes

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

Interview: Mike McNamara of the Midwest Independent Film Festival Talks About 2009

PatrickMcD — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:29:00 -0700

CHICAGO – Every month, on the first Tuesday, one of the most unique ongoing film festivals in the country takes place right here in Chicago. The Midwest Independent Film Festival, now in its fifth year, showcases feature films and shorts with an angle exclusively celebrating the Midwestern filmmaker.

Mike McNamara, co-founder and Executive Director of the festival, is the energetic leader of the proceedings, creating a full plate experience for each of the first Tuesdays. Audience members not only get the Midwest-oriented feature presentation, but also can participate in the film panel discussions before the show. Filmmakers – often associated with the evening’s film – share their experiences in producing, financing and even distributing their independent works.

Mike McNamara, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Midwest Independent Film Festival.
Photo credit: Midwest Independent Film Festival

Tuesday, February 3rd, the 2009 Midwest Independent Film Festival kicks off with the a special advance screening of “The Poker House,” the directorial debut of actress and Iowa native Lori Petty.

HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed Mike McNamara about the recent triumphs of the popular festival – including December’s Best of the Midwest Awards – and what future expectations the “Midwest Indy” will reveal in 2009.

“The Best of the Midwest Awards were a unbelievable success for the Midwest Independent Film Festival and will launch us into a very successful 2009,” McNamara said. “I felt it was a superlative celebration for the Chicago independent film industry.”

The coming together of film industry professionals, actors and film buffs every month is a point of pride for McNamara.

“It’s very difficult to combine a serious film event with a vibrant social atmosphere and we worked really hard to get to that point and we have managed to balance and bring those two elements together,” McNamara said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to gain access to other filmmakers and meet some of your peers in an intimate setting.”

He added: “This is a complete evening. There is nothing like this festival anywhere in the country. We have a very high standard for the films we screen at the festival, plus we only consider films from Midwest filmmakers.”

“The Poker House” advance screening kicks off the Midwest Independent Film Festival in 2009.
Photo credit: The Poker House

It is that Midwestern perspective that feeds upon the burgeoning filmmaking scene in Chicago and the surrounding area, and McNamara feels there is a characteristic sensibility in the feature films and shorts.

“The word that comes to mind is ‘honest’. It’s going to be an honest and earnest production. It’s going to be character driven story, there’s not going to be a lot of things blowing up,” he said. “There’s not going to be a lot of frllls, it’s going to be honest storytelling, with a well written script and well executed with talented actors.”

Besides creating a convivial social atmosphere at each festival event – complete with before and after cocktail gatherings – McNamara considers the evolution of the producers panel discussions before the films to be a particular innovation.

“The producers panel has grown into a real anchor for the Midwest Indy,” McNamara said. “What I love about it, I always tell the panel it’s not just a ‘how-to’. This is about how the participant themselves produced their movie.”

He added: “If there is one thing I can grab onto from their story and relate it back to my own film journey, then that is extremely invaluable.”

Asked about festival highlights coming up in 2009, McNamara pointed toward event premiere films and showcases.

On Major Films: “I’m looking forward to the festival’s Midwest premiere of ‘The Merry Gentleman’. It’s Michael Keaton’s directorial debut. It stars Keaton and Kelly Macdonald. The film was shot in Chicago, written by Chicagoian Ron Lazzeretti and most of the cast and production team is from Chicago.”

On Special Shows: “On Tuesday, September 1st, we’re actually going to have a short program of films that are all produced by the Midwest advertising community. Basically, folks who make their living doing commercials, these are the films they have made. I think it’s going to be a rocking shorts program.”

On the Producer’s Panel: “This year, I’d like to have a discussion on self-distribution, distributing your own film and the opportunities out there.”

Mike McNamara concluded with a nod toward the special consideration the feature producers themselves get at the Midwest Independent Film Festival.

“The satisfaction for me personally is when filmmakers who have premiered their films at Sundance or Tribeca or any other great film festivals around the country, come and present their films through us, and then say this is the best screening and most fulfilling experience they’ve had for their film.”

The Midwest Independent Film Festival has film events every first Tuesday of the month. Feb. 3, 2009 features a special advance screening of “The Poker House”. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. MidwestFilm.com has ticket information and further details. Mike McNamara is also a featured actor in the American Theater Company’s Chicago stage production of “True West.” The theater’s website has more details.

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

Interview: Sam Rockwell Masters Addiction, Redemption in ‘Choke’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:11:55 -0600

CHICAGO – Interviewing actor Sam Rockwell is like experiencing him in one of his many excellent characters. He has been Chuck Barris in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Wild Bill” Wharton in “The Green Mile” and even Guy Fleegman in “Galaxy Quest”. He’s a true performer with a passion that bleeds through in “Choke,” which is his latest film.

Standing and pacing during the Q&A with HollywoodChicago.com, Rockwell made a hilarious theatrical moment out of his frustration while lighting a cigarette. In between all that, he talked about his latest characterization, which is a challenging and exceptional performance channeling an Oedipal and compulsive personality.

“Choke” star Sam Rockwell in Chicago on Sept. 3, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Anjelica Huston in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

“Choke,” which is based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name (he also authored “Fight Club” and “Rant”), involves a sex addict named Victor (Rockwell).

His formerly free-spirited mother (Anjelica Huston) is dying in a local care center.

Between his 12-step sex addiction programs (where he engages in carnal knowledge in the restroom with a female participant) and his job as a character in a colonial theme park, Victor must try to reach a mother who essentially never cared for him.

“I relate to Victor because – like him – early on certain boundaries were broken in my life,” Rockwell said. “I saw things at an early age because my mom was a theater actress. I did a play with her when I was 10 years old. I was backstage with all these naked people and went to bars afterward. Like Victor, I was exposed to things early on.”

Left to right: Gillian Jacobs, Sam Rockwell and Brad William Henke in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

Rating: 4.5/5.0

To acquire money for his mother’s care, Victor has devised an attention-getting scam that involves choking on food so people will “save” him and in that heroism also take care of him. Rockwell offered: “The choking and the sex addiction are all related to trying to obtain intimacy. It’s the same goal.”

Victor’s life gets rearranged by a mysterious doctor in his mother’s care facility named Paige (Kelly MacDonald). She reveals a secret that could lead him on the road to redemption.

“Anjelica Huston and Kelly MacDonald are both really special,” Rockwell said. “Anjelica has such a fresh point of view about acting and doesn’t seem jaded at all. She seems more like a student and yet she is veteran actor who really brings it.”

“You fall in love with Kelly,” he added. “She is really unique because she is cast against type in this film.” Rockwell also talked about his preparation for the film and described how he attended sex addiction meetings in real life.

“Choke” star Sam Rockwell.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

Brad William Henke (left) and Sam Rockwell in “Choke”.
Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

“The sex addict stuff was required research to get inside the head of the guy,” Rockwell said. “All I had to do in the meetings during my research was say: ‘Hi. I am Sam. I’m questioning things.’ I stayed ambiguous without getting too personal. It’s a personal place.”

He also learned something in this analysis. Rockwell said: “Sex addiction is a pretty serious disorder. Anything compulsive can turn into an addiction.”

In working with Clark Gregg – who was directing his first film (and also wrote the screenplay) – Rockwell talked about the particulars in dealing with such a situation.

“Clark Gregg and I are around the same age. He has been an actor and is a writer,” Rockwell related. “But with a first-time director, there is a way to talk about things they might not know. Because Clark was an actor, though, he knew more about the process than most first-time directors.”

When asked about his penchant for playing odd and dark characters, Rockwell recounted a theory he has about general film character types.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Choke” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

“Once you accept that everything in film portrayal has been done already, you kind of think: ‘Well, they’ve done this character already. That is the best version,’” he said. “My question is always how I can improve upon that or make it different.”

Expounding upon that, Rockwell also said: “I like darker characters. I like playing bad guys. I think I’m drawn to them because those were the characters I liked from the movies when I was growing up. I liked ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘The Deer Hunter’.”

Sam Rockwell absorbs this redemption-from-hell character in “Choke” with all the sickness and beauty it requires. The sympathy he evokes for Victor is indicative of the high level of actor he has become. He could almost be describing the character when he related his methodology in approaching all his roles.

“I always do drama,” Rockwell said. “It’s just that some people laugh at it and some people cry.”

“Choke,” which opened on Sept. 26, 2008, is directed by Clark Gregg and stars Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brian William Henke and Bijou Phillips.

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