Skewed & Reviewed

Recently I got the chance to speak with controversial Director Uwe Boll about his feud with Michael Bay as well as the stop Boll Petition and his new film “Postal” and the controversy he has generated. I want to thank Uwe for answering our questions in this exclusive for Skewed and Reviewed.

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GVK: Postal has been generating not only solid buzz but the best reviews of any of your films to date, what is the status of the theatrical release and why has it taken this long to come to theaters?

UB: It’s hard to get screens because a lot of exhibitors think the movie, Postal, is too politically incorrect. They should book it and leave the decision to the audience.

GVK: Can you explain some of the concerns that have been given as why the film is not getting a major theatrical release; especially with the good word of mouth on the film I find this to be a real surprise.

UB: It’s the exhibitors who are blocking it. If you read this interview go to your theatre and ask if they are going to play “POSTAL” and if the answer is NO; then ask WHY NOT.

GVK: The film has been surrounded in controversy since it was first announced, do you find that much of the concerns of the film were unwarranted?

UB: Absolutely .-. The audience loves it. In New York after a screening a young man came to me and said: “My father died at September 11 …and I think your movie is great and necessary! Bush used the victims to start a shitty war against a country which had nothing to do with September 11.!”

GVK: What do you think are the most misunderstood things about your films and yourself by the public and what do you attribute this to?

UB: A lot of people judge my movies without watching the movies. This is absurd. If you see POSTAL, SEED and soon 1968 TUNNELRATS you won’t see the films of my past ………….HOUSE OF THE DEAD and ALONE IN THE DARK

GVK: There have been a lot of shots at you in the media lately over your comments regarding Michael Bay, George Clooney and Others. Do you think that speaking your mind as you do has earned you a tag as a loose cannon amongst the major studios and do you think that exercising your right to free speech may have hinder future projects with the larger studios?

UB: I said what I was feeling at the moment. So what? Clooney is a great guy and I don’t want to trash him …I was only annoyed by “LEATHERHEADS” …why a movie like this gets made and gets a big release and we have to fight for every screen to get POSTAL out …

And POSTAL is maybe the most controversial movie since September 11.

GVK: Is it easier or harder now to be an independent filmmaker as opposed to five years ago, and if so, why?

UB: Way harder. The Major Studios are losing money every weekend because they spend so much money in advertising - they never make the money back and the old rule: for every 10 movies that are made there are 7 bombs but the other 3 make enough money for all 10 —This is not true anymore. 15 years ago you could release a movie with $10 million in P & A (Publicity and Advertising) ..but now medium movies have $ 25 million in P & A invested in them. Now 8 out 10 movies are not even making it after DVD REVENUES to cover their P & A. But the Majors keep going because they are poorly managed and they want to control the market and destroy the competition even if the studios lose money.

If I was a head of a studio, I would not pay any actor more than $ 3 million. And I would film no more than 60 shooting days on picture. So much money gets tanked in the production and distribution costs because the studios hire the wrong people. My “IN THE NAME OF THE KING” cost $ 60 million - the same movie produced by a studio would not cost less than $ 100 million.

GVK: Do you believe that you would not have as much online venom towards your works if they were not based on video games, and why do you think gamers still tend to be overtly critical of your films as compared to other gaming films that do not meet their expectations such as “Doom”?

UB: They think it’s cool to hate me …in 20 years they will all know that I was on their side. To be against me is to be with the PRO HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM …they support the SYSTEM of HOLLYWOOD which gets more redundant and boring every year…with the same movies over and over again. They go against me but I’m an Independent..instead they should go against the Hollywood Studios…….. “JUMPER”, “10000 B.C.” and all the tons of boring and bad movies produced by the Hollywood machine.

GVK: What can you tell the readers about when they may see “Seed” and “Tunnel Rats” released and how would you say they compare and contrast to the previous films you have done?

UB: “SEED” is really hard and disturbing and it will be out on DVD in September. With “Tunnelrats” I hope to get it into the theaters …it’s a very dark, depressing war movie.

GVK: - What is the status of the Tunnel Rats video game and when can gamers expect to see that released?

UB: We are done and just did a deal for Russia. Soon the rest of the world will be able to buy it.

GVK: - Finally, it must be difficult dealing with all of the negative things you have to endure when you promote your films. I have been asked by readers to ask you, what keeps you going as surely there must be days when you say to yourself you do not need all of the crap that goes on. Have you ever given serious thought to getting away from films for a while, or does your boxers mentality keep you in the fight for as long as it takes.

UB: I will always be a fighter —- I will die fighting.

The summer 0f 2008 movie season kicks off in a big way with the release of “Iron Man”, the latest in a long line of popular Marvel Comics superheroes to make the leap to the big screen.

Robert Downey JR. stars as Tony Stark a Billionaire playboy who owns a vast company that is known mainly for manufacturing weapon systems. When the film opens, Stark is ambushed shortly after a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan and is wounded by the attackers who take Stark into captivity.

Using a device to keep the shrapnel from his vital organs and thus keep him alive, Stark is forced to create a weapon for his captors who plan to use the creative genius of Stark for their own nefarious schemes.

Stark turns the tables on his captors and devices a special suit which allows him to escape, and eventually make his way back to America after three long and harrowing months of captivity.

One back in home, Stark starts to take stock of his life and realizes that many of the weapons he designed to protect America are now being used by other factions to kill those they were designed to protect. When Stark announces to the press that he is stopping the manufacture of weapons by his company he is viewed as suffering from the long captivity and finds himself at odds with the shareholders and board of directors, as well as his long time advisor and friend Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

Undaunted, Stark begins to build a prototype suit in his lab, and soon emerges as an iron clad crusader who is obsessed with keeping the bad guys from using the weapons his company created against the innocent.

Assisted by his friend in the military Colonel Rhodes (Terrance Howard) and the lovely Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony Stark soon finds himself caught in an even more dastardly plot, and needs every ounce of his creativity and his latest invention to keep the world safe.

The movie is a pure delight and it was nice to see a summer movie that actually had some plot and character development, and did not try to dumb the material down for the audience or let the film be carried entirely by the special effects.

The movie also has some moments of good humor which work well within the film as much of it comes from the quick wit of or at the expense of Stark.

Robert Downey JR. is perfect in the role as he perfectly captures the character without making him to over the top as often is the case in many comic adaptations. He portrays Stark exactly as he is portrayed in the comics, a hard drinking womanizer, who is forced to take stock of his life, and make changes.

The supporting performances by Paltrow, Howard, and Bridges help make the film stand out as does the solid work by Director John Favreau who clearly has a grasp on the character and story and thankfully took the time to establish the characters and the premise before rushing Downey into the Iron Man suit.

When the action comes it is solid, and shines with modern effects, but never once overshadow the fact that this is a character driven story. The action teases the audience with the full potential of the suit, which I am sure will be explored further in future films.

Many times summer films arrive in a frenzy of hype and expectations only to be little more than thinly plotted films awash in FX that fail to satisfy. I am happy to say that “Iron Man” is the rare exception to the recent trend and is easily one of the best Super Hero Films ever crafted.

4.5 stars out of 5
Gareth Von Kallenbach

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