1. Where did you grow up, and what was it like?
according to the World Bank, I grew up in a town (by population) in the West North Central (i.e.
Midwest) United States. My neighborhood was outside the city limits but within the ZIP code, in a semi-rural area of around 30 houses within a mile or so. What was it like? Quiet, very safe, healthy. The sort of place where doors were left unlocked, dogs were left unleashed, and kids were left to roam free. We came inside for meals and major medical intervention, and otherwise played and stayed occupied outside. Our house never had air conditioning while I lived there, and for several years was heated primarily via wood stove. (We did have electricity; don't get any crazy ideas.) We were close enough to town that we never went without necessities, but would often forego luxuries for the benefits of peace and quiet.
2. Was anyone else in your family into movies? If so, what effect did they have on your movie-going tastes?
my dad loves movies, too. Watching classic (i.e. old) movies with him when I was little—the slightly spoiled youngest child with a dad who had more time for a kid than he'd had when my siblings were that age—created some enduring memories and tastes. I like a good Western or Mystery. When a movie gets too scary, I leave it on but leave the room, so I can hear it but not have to see it. I prefer Comedy and Drama movies that rely on (smart) dialog rather than silliness. He also likes to stop the action mid-way for a pie break. All of this continues in my own movie-watching habits. 3. What’s the first movie you remember seeing, and what impression did it make on you?
Rikki Tikki Tavi (1975), though I doubt that I saw it at the theater. I'm the youngest of 3 siblings, and so when I was little I was the recipient of all sorts of pent up Big Sibling jokes, pranks, and subtle torture—including being tormented by the mere idea of cobras. Nag and Nagina scared the bejeezus out of me, but they also intrigued me (as much as a kid that age can be "intrigued" at all). I remember talking about it with my mom, who generally hung out in the kitchen while we watched TV or movies in the living room, and she explained the purpose of antagonists in movies (obviously not in so many words). She must have done a good job, because I've never been excessively afraid of snakes. 4. What’s the first movie that made you think, “Hey, some people made this. It didn’t just exist. There’s a human personality behind it.”
Trust (1990), for sure. I was just starting to understand independent film and all that entails, that it's not a genre or a level of quality, but a sort of fierceness of intent at every level. This is especially apparent when a film is written and directed and produced by one person, as some of Hal Hartley's movies are. He also writes and performs some of the music, which I think deepens the connection between the movie and its sound. Now, having seen several (13! plus some of the shorts) of Hartley's films, I realize that his personality is stamped all over his movies—and I was incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time to get that gift. 5. What’s the first movie you ever walked out of?
the first that I remember is Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) but there were probably others before that. Joe
is the worst of the early, brainless Tom Hanks movies. 6. What’s the funniest film you’ve ever seen?
Top Secret! (1984). It still makes me laugh out loud, even after seeing it dozens of times. Val Kilmer is great, credulous and ingratiating and terribly gorgeous. The rest of the cast is loads of fun, too—like Omar Sharif and Jeremy Kemp!—and the writing is just twisted, borderline scandalous, and utterly hilarious. It's a movie worthy of the best Monty Python and Mel Brooks tradition. I love it.
7. What’s the saddest film you’ve ever seen?
I am a connoisseur of sad film, so this is a tough question. I think it was Le Grand Bleu {The Big Blue} (1988), which still makes me sob.
(See references here and especially here, among many others.) It is prehaps not that sad to a lot of people, but it caught me at the right (or wrong) time, the first time I saw it, and now is indelibly dyed with that shade. Jean-Marc Barr is terrific, and of course Jean Reno is a favorite.
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