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Interviews

Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini Talk 'Cinema Verite,' Reality TV & Ethics In Filmmaking

By The Playlist
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April 23, 2011 4:39 AM
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Husband and Wife Directing Duo Also Give Details On Upcoming 'Imogene' Comedy With Kristen WiigIn 1971, PBS and documentarian Craig Gilbert inadvertently birthed reality television thirty years before the culture was ready for it with the 12-episode-long documentary series, "An American Family."

By Katie Walsh
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April 22, 2011 4:12 AM
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Do you hear that? Do you? That's the sound of millions of Google Alerts pinging into the inboxes of the members of Team Edward everywhere. The tenacious and ornery breed of fan that draws their life force from the chiseled cheekbones and tousled locks of Robert Pattinson ironically seem to have the famous vampire in a compromising position: sucking him dry so that they may live to type another heated comment defending their loved one on a snarky blog post reporting a bit of casting news. Did y'all read that Vanity Fair profile? Kinda depressing, no? Think about what you are doing to him, tweens and middle-aged women! This weekend, we'll see if R-patz is able to translate that into dinero in "Water for Elephants." OH, BUT here comes the box office spoiler: Madea. Say what you will about granny drag, Tyler Perry's one-sided feud with Spike Lee, or his directorial capabilities, audiences eat up that Madea. Can't argue with those greenbacks!

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 21, 2011 3:01 AM
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Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini are no strangers to tackling everyday characters and people who are caught within somewhat unreal circumstances. There was Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor" whose own eccentricity made him a star; Kevin Kline's Henry Harrison in "The Extra Man" who as an escort for wealthy widows was an eye-opener for Paul Dano's Louis Ives and even Annie Braddock in "The Nanny Diaries" finds herself in the strange world of the well-heeled in New York City. Thus, with "Cinema Verite," the directors find themselves firmly -- if somewhat a little too comfortably -- in their wheelhouse. The film goes behind-the-scenes of the legendary and groundbreaking PBS documentary "An American Family" which chronicled the Loud brood, largely at their ugliest and most dramatic. Airing in 1973, the 12-part series was both a hit with ten million viewers and a scandal for tarnishing the wholesome image of the typical middle class American family.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 20, 2011 3:19 AM
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EXCLUSIVE: It has often been said that audiences like to see versions of themselves reflected back when choosing something to watch, so the pervasiveness and popularity of reality TV isn't all that surprising. Take a flip through your channels and you'll see something that speaks to you with reality shows now based on almost any niche you can think: losing weight, philanthropy, hoarding, coupon cutting, tracing your family tree, getting a job, making cupcakes, running a restaurant, running a pawn shop, living as little people, bounty hunting, being a rich housewife...it's endless. In fact it's hard to remember a time when there wasn't a constant navel gazing on the behalf of television programs or even when it was considered controversial or revolutionary. But back in the early 1970s PBS broke ground with "An American Family," a 12-part reality series centered around the daily life of the Loud family -- a so-called "typical" American middle-class household, but each member had their own secrets. The show drew 10 million viewers and just as much notoriety but people couldn't stop tuning in. The Louds were first reality TV family and their lives were profoundly and forever changed by the experience.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 16, 2011 9:25 AM
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We're heading out of the winter blahs at the theaters and right into tentpole season, but if big-budget spectacles aren't your bag, HBO might provide some worthy distraction for you. The channel has the highly anticipated mini-series "Mildred Pierce" directed by Todd Haynes hitting in March, and in April, the cable outlet will unveil the intriguing "Cinema Verite" which judging by the brief teaser trailer, looks be a fascinating look at one of the first attempts at reality television.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 11, 2011 7:36 AM
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Also A Look At The Vibrator Comedy 'Hysteria' & Tommy Lee Jones' Cormac McCarthy Adaptation 'Sunset Limited'A few pics of some upcoming films for you from the pages of Entertainment Weekly (pics aren't yet online), focusing mostly on some indie titles that should be picking up steam in the months to come.