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Sparks fly between Kate Hudson and Michael Shannon in a PEOPLE exclusive first look at their new movie Shriver

And here's the story on People magazine for anyone interested. That means you @jorahssquire. 😋

#shriver #michael maren #kate hudson #michael shannon #coming soon #any release date?#film #cinema

New Post has been published on Cinephiled

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/interview-bryan-greenberg-stars-linda-lavin-poignant-family-comedy-short-history-decay/

Interview: Bryan Greenberg Stars with Linda Lavin in Poignant Family Comedy ‘A Short History of Decay’

Nathan Fisher (Bryan Greenberg) can’t seem to quite get it together. He’s a struggling writer living in Brooklyn, temping at an ad agency, and bouncing from plays to novels to screenplays without ever finishing anything. When his ambitious girlfriend (Emmanuelle Chriqui), about to publish her first novel, finally gets fed up and decides to leave him, Nathan resolves to get down to some serious work once and for all. But life intervenes. After getting a call that his father (Harris Yulin) has had a stroke, Nathan heads to Florida where he’s called upon to deal with his father’s failing health and his mother’s (Linda Lavin) early-onset Alzheimer’s. Nathan gets a crash course in love, loyalty, family, and forgiveness in this poignant film, written and directed by journalist Michael Maren. A Short History of Decay also features Kathleen Rose Perkins, Rebecca Dayan, and Benjamin King. I spoke with Bryan Greenberg (How to Make it in America, One Tree Hill) about this moving and sometimes dark comedy.

Danny Miller: I think it’s impossible for anyone to see this film without immediately thinking of their own parents and what may be in store for them down the road. Do a lot of people come up to you and start sharing their own stories after they see this film?

Bryan Greenberg: Absolutely. You know, when I first read the script, I thought, okay, this is not a “big” movie in terms of what is happening on the screen, but it’s so relatable because it deals with something that we will all to through to some extent in such a smart and funny way. I loved the way Michael Maren approached it — it’s not heavy-handed or melodramatic at all, it just seemed so real and delicate. This is not a film that hits you over the head.

I think it’s so interesting that we only visit with this family before things get really bad. While the characters all go through a lot of growth, we know that some of their situations are only going to get worse.

It’s true. Michael realized that these changes don’t happen overnight — it’s a gradual process over time. He wanted to explore the period where things are just beginning to change — when the fabric of this family’s dynamic is just starting to fray. You can sort of see where the story is going and how the characters will deal with what’s going to happen in the future but we only see them at the beginning of that journey which I think is so cool. How many people have the balls to tell a story that subtle? That’s what made we want to do it.

I was familiar with Maren’s work as a journalist but I wasn’t aware that he was making films, too.

I’ve worked with a bunch of first-time directors and to me, it’s all about being a good storyteller and having a clear vision, that’s all that really matters. Michael had a very clear vision from the get-go. He also had Milos Forman as an executive producer who was very helpful. I felt like I was in amazing hands. As an actor, all I want from a director is a clear point of view. Tell me what story you want to tell and I’ll help you do it. If you don’t know what you want to tell, we’re all going to be lost. For me, making a film should not be a democratic process, I think the director has to have the vision. That’s why I gravitate so much toward independent films because there aren’t too many cooks in the kitchen and it’s more of an auteur’s medium. I was very impressed that Michael knew exactly what he wanted but at the same time, he also let us play. It take a lot of trust and belief in your story to let the actors take it off the page and find real moments, and he trusted us completely.

How could he not with such an extraordinary cast? I would imagine that doing scenes with Linda Lavin and Harris Yulin must be like having an acting master class.

That’s hilarious that you would say that because when I was a theater student at NYU, Harris Yulin actually came to do a master class with us! It was a very cool 180-degree moment to be able to act with him in this movie years later. He brings so much emotional depth to everything he does.

And Linda Lavin’s performance is so complex — she could have easily gone over the top but she never does.

Exactly. To show someone at the beginning of early-onset Alzheimer’s is a very difficult task. She had to show the lucidity mixed in with the frustration of those beginning stages. It’s a fantastic performance.

What I also like about the film is that there are no real “good guys” or “bad guys,” everyone is shown with their various strengths and flaws. Even Nathan’s girlfriend who cheats on him and dumps him at the beginning of the film is later shown to have a lot more depth than we initially think.

I agree. She’s clearly not right for Nathan, but she helps him start to re-evaluate his life and where he’s developed a lot of “decay.” And then we see Nathan’s brother who seems like he’s very together but who we learn is just as messed up as everyone else. Those are the kinds of movies I like — where people are not one-dimensional. I think most people will be able to relate in some ways to this family’s dynamic.

That scene in the Brooklyn coffee shop with all those real-life writers acting as extras must have been crazy to shoot.

Yeah, it was! Those were friends of Michael’s who all came in to help him one Saturday morning — great writers like Michael Cunningham, Jennifer Egan, Nick Flynn, Roxana Robinson, Philip Gourevitch, John Burnham Schwartz, Gary Shteyngart, and Jane Green.

Not your typical group of extras!

Definitely not. I think they’d all prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it. It was strange at first, but once we got going, they just started working on their novels and articles — they were probably all lost in the next great American masterpiece!

A Short History of Decay is available on VOD and DVD.

#A Short History of Decay #Bryan Greenburg #Harris Yulin #Linda Lavin #Michael Maren #Interviews

Portraits of the Artist: Actress Linda Lavin and 'A Short History of Decay'

Portraits of the Artist: Actress Linda Lavin and 'A Short History of Decay' #Alzheimer's #films

Award-winning actress Linda Lavin in A Short History of Decay

There’s a remarkable scene in A Short History of Decay, the début film by writer/director Michael Maren, that will be familiar to anyone whose life has ever been touched by illness—which is to say all of us. Sandy Fisher, played with exquisite nuance by award-winning actress Linda Lavin, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and aware…

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#A Short History of Decay #Alzheimer&039;s disease #Films #Linda Lavin #Michael Maren #Theater

UNDER THE INFLUENCE: WRITERS ON FILM MEG WOLITZER TALKS TO MICHAEL MAREN MONDAY JUNE 17TH AT 7PM

Meg Wolitzer will screen TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, the 1983 Oscar winning film starring Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson and Debra Winger. Following this Michael Maren will talk to her about her latest novel, The Interestings and the influence film has had on her writing career.

WHEN: MONDAY JUNE 17TH 2013 AT 7PM\

FILM: TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

WHERE: THE SCREENING ROOM, CROSBY STREET HOTEL, NEW YORK

TICKETS: $40 per person which includes the screening, Michael Maren's discussion with Meg Wolitzer followed by cocktails and canapes.

For reservations contact the hotel directly on:

T: 212 226 6400

E: [email protected]

#meg wolitzer #the interestings #michael maren #terms of endearment

Interviewing Martin Amis at Writers on Film, 4/16/12. Amis presented Alan Clarke's The Firm with Gary Oldman.

#Martin Amis #Gary Oldman #Michael Maren #The Firm #Writers on film

It's possible to view Abdi's nonchalance as the epitome of Mogadishu cool. Some of the other journalists employ gunmen who relish the part: Ray-Bans, turbans, cowboy antics (jumping in and out of moving vehicles) and lots of attitude. But Abdi, I tell myself, is the Clint Eastwood of gunmen, ready to blow away the bad guys and go right on munching khat. Whatever doubts I have about Abdi's willingness to put his life on the line for me are irrelevant. You don't need a handbook to tell you it's not a good idea to tell a man with a gun in a country with no jobs you're not satisfied with his performance and his services are no longer required.

#december 1993 #journalism #michael maren #somalia