Super Troopers 2 is out on 4/20 in theaters nationwide. Prior to the nationwide release, the cast of Super Troopers rolled through Chicago for the premiere of the film. Reel Talker Jim Alexander was there to cover the red carpet festivities.
Here is the full version with me asking silly questions. Please bear (no pun intended) through the audio. It was chaotic in the claustrophobic red carpet.
Chicago based Kartemquin Films is represented well at the 80th Oscars. Steve James’ feature documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail and Laura Checkoway’s documentary short Edith+Eddie. I had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Laura about her film and what she took away from it.
REAL TALK:
Laura was so sweet and nice. She was shy and endearing. I really enjoyed talking to her. Such an accomplished person, yet so humble. She really seemed invested in the film and I could tell the passion she had for it as she spoke about it.
The film Edith+Eddie is an incredible story of an elderly couple who marry in their 90’s and sadly things don’t go well from there. It’s a sweet story of love, but it’s also heartbreaking. It’s really a must-see documentary. Such a powerful story told so well in just 30 minutes. Fingers crossed Laura comes away with a deserving Oscar.
Steve James is one of the best documentary filmmakers around. He directed acclaimed docs such as Hoop Dreams and the Roger Ebert movie Life Itself among many other. His latest movie Abacus: Small Enough to Jail just was nominated for an Oscar. Recently I had a chance to sit down with Steve to talk about Abacus, his Oscar nomination and a lot more.
REAL TALK:
I’m grateful for a fantastic opportunity to talk to a filmmaking legend. Steve had a lot of interesting points that he made. It was great to pick his mind on what he looks for in a project and how it affects him. As you can tell Steve seems to be a humble guy who really has deep passion for his projects. He has affected many lives. I sure hope he ends up with the Oscar, but either way he’s a winner already.
Steve, hope you enjoyed that sandwich I was keeping you from eating.
Congrats to Chicago based Kartemquin Films for representing Abacus: Small Enough to Jail and the documentary short Edith + Eddie
Check out my interview with Amy Jo Johnson. We discuss her directorial debut with “The Space Between” and of course we talk Power Rangers!
For more video content check out the Reel Talker YouTube page.
Office Christmas Party came out on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD this week and Chicago was the spot for the home entertainment release event. Fortune Feimster, who plays the Jennifer Aniston’s hilarious Uber driver, was on hand to talk about the movie and celebrate the release, while people lined up to try winning some cash and prizes in the money booth. I spoke to Fortune about the film, doing stand-up comedy and which drivers are better, Uber or Lyft? Check out the interview below:
MY TAKE:
Fortune was so down-to-earth and nice. She was very accessible and blended in with all the people there. What I mean by that is that she was so friendly and zero ego. Talking to her felt as if I was talking to a friend I haven’t seen in a while. I appreciated her candidness and willingness to answer any question and have fun with it. Prior to my interview she was in the money booth taking questions from fans via Facebook Live.
There is a funny story fortune told me off-camera about her meeting Jennifer Aniston for the first time. It wasn’t on set for this movie, it was actually at Thanksgiving dinner at Chelsea Handler’s house. Fortune ended up doing the bold thing and sitting next to Aniston, but yet got starstruck when she started talking. Apparently Aniston made a salad and brought it by. She must have had a blast filming this movie with Aniston and the comedically talented cast. I wasn’t surprised she found T.J. Miller to be the funniest person on set. That guy is something else. I was surprised to find out that Jillian Bell (also hilarious in the movie) was her longtime close friend and they started up at the Groundlings together. I don’t get to do too many video interviews, but was glad I had this one with Fortune. It was a blast.
Check out Office Christmas Party out now on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD & Digital HD
