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Under discussion:

8 1/2  (1963)

It's The Rage  (1999)

...So Goes the Nation  (2006)

The Brothers Bloom  (2009)

Easy Virtue  (2009)

An Education  (2009)

Every Little Step  (2008)

Adam Del Deo and James Stern didn’t start out thinking they’d get into the documentary business, but Every Little Step marks their fourth documentary together as co-directors. It’s an emotional film that follows several hopeful dancer/singer/actors who hope to get cast in the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line” on Broadway. I honestly didn’t think this would be too interesting of a film for me, having never seen the musical or the Michael Douglas movie version, but it was extremely compelling without taking a turn for a reality television style, which I’d feared would happen.

Stern, who also serves as the CEO for Endgame Entertainment, had earlier produced Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods which was a reality show about casting the “Legally Blonde” musical, and I still can’t believe that even exists. He’s worked on Broadway for many years, which helped him secure the legendary reel to reel recordings that consisted of show creator Michael Bennett in conversation with dancers. These tapes not only helped Bennett to create A Chorus Line, but they also serve as the backbone to the film.

Read on after the break to find out what it was like making this film, how they got the tapes, and what they think about the current state of documentary filmmaking in America.

What inspired you guys to get involved with this?

James: First is, I was doing an interview with one of the trades, and they were saying, “How can you do another documentary? Documentaries are so tough.”

And I said, “Would you say that about a feature that I do?”

And they said, “No.”

I said, “Why not?”

They said, “Well there’s all sorts of different kind of features.”

I said, “Ah, interesting. So, you’re saying there’s not all different kinds of documentaries.” I said, “Now, you’re asking would we have done a documentary on Abu Ghraib or Darfur, and if we had would we feel nervous.” A) I don’t know if we would do that, because those are great, but it’s not necessarily we wanted to do this, but B) yes, we would be very nervous.

We wanted to do a commercial film.

We wanted to do a film with a real heartbeat. So, that’s what we were looking to do, and we were really thrilled when we got this opportunity. It’s important for us that we did a film that was about something, but was at the same time commercial. What separates this film from the reality television is the historical underpinnings which lend context to the yearnings and the attempts of these young people within our show. And it gives you an understanding of why it’s all important, why it resonates with America so much, and the rest of the world too.

So, all that went into it. So, for us, it’s not reality television. At the same time, we’re really visually commercial film.

Adam:  Yeah, we didn’t look at it as reality television. The play is sort of a phenomenon, so iconic. What we really like about the play and the movie, the potentially really interesting movie, was that we were going to be following thousands of dancers that were struggling, trying to get a job on Broadway, and in doing that, revealing who they were personally, what it meant to work for that. But, that’s what the play was about.

So, there’s this parallel that needs to be turned into. So, Jim and me talked to her a lot about creating Fellini’s 8 1/2 following that type of a prospect and then applying it to this Broadway. So, that was really fascinating.

Did you guys know about the revival in advance and then plan this out, or did it sort of come together happily?

James:  The revival is really part of it. John Breglio, who produced the revival and was Michael Bennet’s lawyer and great great friend, had seen my prior film So Goes the Nation. I produced on Broadway. I produced 15 shows in New York. So, I think, the subset of Broadway, producers of musicals and documentary filmmakers is probably one. So I was a natural for John to call once he loved that other movie. So, that was very much part of this, going into it.

Did he also provide the access to the archival material?

James:  Yeah. He provided the access to the tapes, which was so critical. Without the tapes… the tapes are the stuff of legend. As a Broadway person, I heard for years about those tapes. People talked about them, and nobody ever heard them. So, the fact that we actually had access to those was a huge bonus as well.

What surprised you most about this documentary? I guess every documentary has its own surprises. Was there something that just really surprised you when this was coming together as a film when you were shooting it?

Adam:  I think, for me at least, Jim has so much more experience on Broadway than I do, which is really zero. But, to me, it was just the amount of people, I mean, the waves, we captured that in the opening five minutes of the film, thousands of people come to these auditions. When you do the math in your head, it’s just like, gah!

James:  It doesn’t surprise me at all, because this is my life. I’ve seen this so many times. You’re right, for years.

Adam:  So overwhelming, that if they get the job, they get paid not a lot of money, that the people dedicate their lives, they need to perform.

James:  That was really what I did for love, you know.

Adam:  They need to perform. It’s such a powerful… if you get that genetic whatever that is, instincts to have to be a dancer, performer, there’s people who have to do that to feel that their lives are defined in the way that they want them to be.
Did that help in the film making process that you just sort of brought a new eye to it? This is old hat for you, but you’re experiencing it sort of for the first time.

James:  I think 100%, and I don’t think it’s old hat for me. But, I do think that getting the history of it right, and getting the underpinnings of the show right, was really critical to me. And Adam as an equal counterbalance to making sure that it was something that was accessible to people that didn’t have my background was absolutely critical.

Adam:  Yeah, we had different versions of the film, some of which were more audition based. What I mean by that is following the audition process. And there were other versions that were more historical based.

So, we ultimately came to the conclusion that in terms of a target audience, not the entire audience, but just our target, was someone that had seen the show on Broadway.

And they had these feelings and memories that they’ve never let go, that it was such a powerful experience that they could relive that. And to add some information for the insiders and to keep it accessible enough that we could get a broad term audience when it comes out in theaters. To go after them and have all that not be too exact.

Why has “A Chorus Line” endured for so long? It’s amazing.

James:  It’s endured for several reasons. Outside of the fact that it’s just got a phenomenal, hummable score, I mean the songs are iconic. You also have a construct which is about yearning and dreams, and that’s something that’s very relevant.

Additionally, it’s probably the first bit of confessional commerce ever done in America, so that, before Oprah Winfrey or before Mona Simpson was writing confessional novels, for goodness sakes, there was “A Chorus Line.” And I think that that comes, you know, I think that people can relate to all that, and people can really relate to individual characters in the show and think, you know, I can do that, essentially.

Was there ever a moment when you guys were shooting this and you thought, we don’t know if this is going to work, if this is going to be interesting?

James:  Yes.

 [laughter]

Adam:  I think, we always knew it was there, I mean, finding the movie, I mean, we have so much respect for any documentary filmmaker that makes a good movie, and all the filmmakers that are here. We know what it’s like to sit in that edit room on, you know, a cold Sunday night in the middle of winter, and you’ve got a big week ahead of you, and nothing’s going to work, and you’ve got to figure it out, you know? You’ve got to go through that 400 hours and you may take it one step at a time, because I think if you knew how difficult the process was, you’d be very intimidated.

It seems like it would be.

Adam:  It’s a massive amount of work. We work with great people, and we’ve been lucky so far; I think we made a few pretty good movies.

What do you think about the current state of documentary films? The American market seems glutted, currently, with documentaries. Everywhere you turn, there’s a new documentary on every possible subject. What do you guys think about the landscape of documentaries?

Adam:  Well, we’re aware of it, so we try to pick commercial, broad subjects.

James:  I mean, there’s great, great work out there right now which is very serious, and what distributors would think of, and we’re not distributors. We’re everything that is not commercial material.

 I come from the theatre. I never thought that I’d make a documentary; this is my fourth. So, you know, I come from, all about writing, all about words, all about dramatic structure, and Adam comes from a narrative world as well. We came from place of wanting to do commercial films.

I think that everything is difficult right now.

I think, features are difficult right now. I think that there’s a glut on the marketplace due to an excess of capital from Wall Street, which I’m sure will not be there in a couple years because of what’s going on with Wall Street today.

And I think that films that take word of mouth to develop aren’t real strong because there’s so many different releases every week, and people’s, you know, and there’s so much other ways to, you know, use your disposable time that that’s just really…

Now, I think that out of this, something else is going to develop, whether it’s documentaries online, whether it’s documentaries in some sort of form of television online, blah, blah, but the problem that we’re having right now that we’re in that inbetween time.

Do you guys both sit in front of the monitor, are you trading off, is someone closer to the set, and the other person’s back in video village?

Adam:  We’re usually doing it together.

James:  I think that we do things together. I think that Adam is going to take more of a lead in terms of shooting on the ground, you know, on the verite stuff. I might take a little more of a lead in some of the interviews. So, we split things up pretty well.

And we’re in the edit room at the same time, although there are times when we’re doing different things in the edit room based on where we are in the cut.

Do you think the success of High School Musical will benefit your documentary?

James:  Yes, 100 percent. 100 percent sure. I think that’s good, but I mean, the fact that my kids, you know, who are 12 and nine are inundated with the idea of seeing musicals makes this something that they are going to want to see, and not just someone who is my age. So, I think that’s all to the good, and for my purposes, as somebody who still works on Broadway every year or so, that’s great. I mean, the more that people are going to be exposed to different forms of art and culture, the better.

Disney turned that into such a franchise, and they actually have a reality show now based on the making of high school musicals at high schools across the United States. If this film is a success and they go on and say, we want to do a reality show around casting Broadway shows or even “A Chorus Line”…

James:  Actually, I just did, I just did. I produced Legally Blonde.

Oh, you did?

James:  Yeah, so I mean, we just did that one.

OK. So, you’re already, you’re familiar with it.

James:  I’m already there, yeah. We already did this with Elle Woods, The Search for Elle Woods.

Was that a difficult process, or was it difficult making that?

James:  No, you know, I mean, everything is and isn’t. I don’t think it was backbreakingly difficult. I mean, I think that, you know, I always say that making products that you really care about is the Lord’s work, and selling it is the Devil’s. And I think that anything that gets people’s attention for good work, I think, is great.

So, what else are you guys working on? I loved The Brothers Bloom by the way. Great movie.

James:  Thank you. Thank you very much, thanks.

What else are you guys currently working on, what’s your next project?

James:  Well, we have Easy Virtue here, which opens tonight, and The Brothers Bloom. We also have An Education which was written by Nick Hornby, which will be premiering later this year, an r-rated comedy. Endgame looks to be doing four to five films a year. Adam and I will be doing another one later this year.

The great news about doing a film like this is that it’s commercial, and that it’s got such a core, and it’s got such a commercial following. The bad news is, we have to find something that’s just as good. 

[laughter] So we’re not quite certain about what it’s going to be, but it’s going to have to be something that really lands for us.

It’ll be a documentary?

James:  Not necessarily.

Have you guys worked on a narrative before together?

James:  Yeah.

Which film?

James:  It’s a film called It’s The Rage which starred Gary Sinise and Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and Adam actually produced that and I directed it. That’s how we met.

So, would you ever co-direct a narrative together?

James:  Sure. Sure. Sure.

Adam:  Yeah.

James:  Sure. Absolutely.

Great. Well, I wish you guys success.

James:  Thank you very much.

Adam:  Thanks so much.

Under discussion:

Barton Fink  (1991)

Blood Simple  (1984)

Dick Tracy  (1990)

Miller's Crossing  (1990)

Raising Arizona  (1987)

Palookaville  (1995)

Fargo  (1996)

The Rock  (1996)

The Big Lebowski  (1997)

Office Space  (1999)

Wild Wild West  (1999)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?  (2000)

Donnie Darko  (2001)

The Man Who Wasn't There  (2001)

88 Minutes  (2008)

No Country for Old Men  (2007)

Burn After Reading  (2008)

A Serious Man  (2009)

Everybody remembers the bigger name Coen Bros. regulars, such as John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Billy Bob Thornton and now George Clooney. And of course, there are the one-shot stars, like Nicolas Cage, Gabriel Byrne, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Moore, Paul Newman, Albert Finney, Woody Harrelson, Tim Robbins and now Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. But who ever talks about Michael Lerner? He received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Barton Fink, yet he never seems to get the same kind of respect that Javier Bardem gets, and it’s not just because Bardem won the award for No Country for Old Men.

With their new film, Burn After Reading, the Coens have again recast some lesser known character actors that I hope get the recognition they deserve. Both Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons have previously appeared in the Coens’ films, but each has seriously risen in notability since their last collaboration with the filmmakers. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be cast by the brothers.

Obviously, all my favorite Coen Bros. actors can’t be in every Coen Bros. movie (especially since some of them are dead). And interestingly enough, the brothers’ next film, A Serious Man, is being cast with (so far) only actors they’ve never employed. So, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the less-recognized actors and actresses who have done tremendous work for Joel and Ethan, not so much in the hopes that they’ll be re-employed (some can’t be) but in the general interest of giving them some much-needed praise.

Tony Shalhoub (Barton Fink; The Man Who Wasn’t There)

At the rate he’s going with his Coens film appearances, he’s due for another role come 2011. And seeing as his hit TV series Monk may be in its final season, the guy is probably going to be available. I’ve highlighted his performance as the defense attorney Freddy Riedenschneider, from The Man Who Wasn’t There, above, but be sure to also take another look at his portrayal of movie producer Ben Geisler, from Barton Fink, which can also be seen on YouTube.

Stephen Root (O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Ladykillers; No Country for Old Men)

I got so excited when I saw Root in No Country for Old Men, but he was again underutilized. After appearing in three of the Coens’ films, the actor best known for playing Milton in Office Space and Jimmy James on TV’s News Radio, is due for a more substantial role. In fact, he really needs to be getting better parts in general, not just in the works of the Coens. In the video above he can be seen as the blind character credited only as “Radio Station Man.”

Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing; Barton Fink; The Hudsucker Proxy; The Big Lebowski; The Man Who Wasn’t There)

He’s been really great in five Coen Bros. films, so it’s a shame he’s not as well-known as Turturro or Buscemi. For some reason, only the Coens seem to employ him in worthwhile roles, and even they haven’t been able to give him as juicy a part as he had in Miller’s Crossing. He really shines here, and he’s got some memorable lines (”did somebody hit you?”; “always put one in the head”). In the selected scene, Polito opens the film with a monologue about ethics. I love it when he gets so angry that his whole bald head turns bright purple. For a great montage of his work, produced for his reception of a special award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, check out this other clip, too.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski)

Obviously by including Hoffman on this list I don’t mean to claim he’s an underappreciated actor. He’s certainly recognized as one of the best we’ve got. But his bit work in The Big Lebowski often goes forgotten, despite it being yet another fine performance by Hoffman, even for such a minor role as the Big Lebowski’s assistant, Brandt. The Oscar-winner more recently worked with the Coens for a radio play titled “Sawbones,” but it would be great to see him work with the brothers again on camera.

Trey Wilson (Raising Arizona)

One of my favorite scenes in my favorite Coen Bros. movie (Raising Arizona) is the one in which the late, great Trey Wilson, as Nathan Arizona, gets extremely frustrated with the police investigating his son’s kidnapping (best line: “They were jammies. They had Yodas ‘n’ shit on ‘em!”). Wilson’s part isn’t huge, but he makes it seem like it is. And considering how many talented character actors appear in the film, it’s no small feat to deliver such a standout performance. Unfortunately, none of his scenes are separately available on YouTube, but the above clip is at least primarily the police investigation scene.

M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple; Raising Arizona)

I must confess something horrible: while compiling this list, I discovered that M. Emmet Walsh is alive. See, I’ve always confused him with J.T. Walsh, who died ten years ago. And when planning out this piece, it was constantly in my mind that I was featuring two deceased actors — Trey Wilson and M. Emmet. I guess it hasn’t helped my confusion that M.E. Walsh hasn’t really done much of worth in the decade since we lost J.T. (Roger Ebert’s “Stanton-Walsh Rule” was said to be broken after Walsh appeared in Wild Wild West). Anyway, I’m ecstatic that he’s still around, and my desire to celebrate his Coen Bros. roles isn’t changed one bit. In an even smaller part than Wilson’s, Walsh is also quite memorable in Raising Arizona as H.I.’s machine shop co-worker who won’t stop yapping (”… his sandwich in one hand, the fuckin’ head in the other…”). But it’s for his more prominent role in Blood Simple, as a scummy private dick, that the rarely leading actor should be remembered when he actually does pass on. I’m always astonished that after giving such a terrific performance in their debut, Walsh wasn’t utilized by the Coens more. Also, they probably should have worked again with Dan Hedaya, another great character actor who can be seen opposite Walsh in the selected clip from Blood Simple above.

Michael Badalucco (Miller’s Crossing; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Man Who Wasn’t There)

It was great seeing Badalucco cast in a major role for The Man Who Wasn’t There, but I get more excited over his short but recurring stint as George “Don’t Call Him Babyface” Nelson in O Brother. His portrayal of the in-and-out, seemingly bipolar bank robber, he’s like a regenerating firecracker, exploding then fizzling then later exploding again. I wish there were more of his scenes available online, but since his police chase bit seems only to be found in Italian, I’ve highlighted his final appearance in the film, which can be seen near the end of the above clip.

William Forsythe (Raising Arizona)

If you were to judge Forsythe based on just any random role, such as his FBI agent from last year’s 88 Minutes, you might accept him as simply a serviceable supporting actor, hardly someone to honor in even one-tenth of a list on a blog. But look at a more selective sampling of his work — specifically his performances in The Waterdance, Dick Tracy, Palookaville and Raising Arizona — and you’ll see that he has more range than he’s probably given credit for. While watching him as the rather simple-minded Evelle Snoats in Arizona, in fact, I often forget that he’s the same guy that was later reunited with Nicolas Cage (as a fellow FBI agent) in The Rock. Though he’s somewhat overshadowed by his onscreen big brother, played by John Goodman, he does get in a good amount of memorable lines and actions, as you can see in the clip above.

John Carroll Lynch (Fargo)

Norm Gunderson is such a thankless role, especially since it’s so overshadowed by the Oscar-winning performance by Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson. But it came early in Lynch’s career, which is still not rising as fast as it maybe should be, and now it’s time for the understated yet often hilarious and/or creepy actor to properly appear in a more comedic Coen Bros. part. For lack of a precise clip, I’ve featured a montage reel of Lynch’s work, which includes one of his scenes from Fargo as well as some of his more showy roles, like his recurring cross-dressing character from The Drew Carrey Show. Another one of his scenes as Norm can also be found at the end of another montage reel specifically spotlighting his comedy work.

Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men)

You kind of want to hate her for how inadvertently awful her character is in No Country, but the Coen Bros. are too good at giving us such wonderfully irksome characters, like Glen (Sam McMurry) in Raising Arizona, Gaear (Peter Stormare) in Fargo and Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall) in O Brother. And Grant is so good at delivering such delectably despicable performances that her part as Carla Jean’s mother left me wanting more. Considering the Coens rarely reuse previously employed actresses (McDormand is a constant probably more because she’s Joel’s wife than because she’s such a talent, and both Holly Hunter and Jennifer Jason Leigh have just barely been recast), it would be even more of a treat if they someday work with Grant again. Between the distinctness of her physical features and voice and her ability to be so nasty makes her a perfect candidate for future Coen Bros. movies. Because no clips of her in No Country could be found — plus most of her scenes would include spoilers anyway — I’ve showcased her other most memorable and hated character from Donnie Darko.

Under discussion:

Orlando  (1993)

Michael Clayton  (2007)

Tilda Swinton has made a career out of playing interesting characters, although her shrewish portrayal of Katie Cox in Burn After Reading probably won’t endear her to many. She plays the epitome of a controlling woman who has her CIA husband Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) sandwiched squarely under her thumb. Or there could be a cadre of career-minded women out there who’d want to use her as a role model, I’m not sure.

The film has been getting mixed reviews ever since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, although they all seem to laud the performances. Swinton performs adequately enough in the film, but she isn’t given much to do, and seeing her with George Clooney just makes me want to watch Michael Clayton all over again. I might even have to pull Orlando off the shelf and watch it again as well.

Find out what she had to say about working with the Coens, going up against Brad Pitt’s blonde hair, and what winning the Oscar did, or rather didn’t, for her career. It’s all waiting after the break.

How tight was the script?  How were the characters written in the script and how much did you get to play and add to them as you went along?

Obviously they are the Coen brothers.  One of the most fantastic things about working with them is that there is a script, which is so rock solid, mean machine, clean thing to work with that playful is what everybody is.  You just all walk up and play with it, then you go home again, the script is absolutely written down on paper.  You love it because they wrote it so well.  How could you possibly improve it?  It feels like the invitation to play with them is exactly that, it’s come and lets all amuse ourselves with this script.

A lot of actors say that working with the Coen Brothers is one of the best experiences of their careers.  They have a hard time articulating what it is that they like about it.  Can you put that into words a bit?

So easy, really short days.  Lots of laughing, uniquely, my experience laughing throughout the takes, but that’s all credits to Peter [Kurland], the sound guy on set.  Especially when you have them honking like donkeys on your own sound track.  That’s fantastic.  I think it’s your confidence that the audience will be laughing when they laugh.

Did winning the Oscar change anything for you?

I must confess. I’m sorry, but it doesn’t seem to have changed anything for me.  Pretty much everything I’ve done since I was going to do anyway.  Occasionally people remind me that was a peculiar night that happened.  It was sort of a nasty dream.  I’m not so keen on standing up in front of three billion people.  It’s traumatic.  It would be all right if they sent it to you in the post.  No, it’s business as usual for me.

It seems that after Michael Clayton, this film is a continuation of you and George Clooney’s mutual admiration society.  Is it official that you are going to do two or three more movies together?

Swinton:  I’m working on having George Clooney in every contract.  It’s tough but I’m trying.  I’ve gotten the consolation prize of having Brad Pitt in every contract also.  George and I do have the aim one day  to be in a film where we say one nice thing to each other.  Hopefully one day.

Can you talk about the hair thing? Your character in Burn has a very interesting hairdo.

We had a competition on the set going about who had the most ridiculous hair.  I think Brad Pitt might have won that, but we were all going for the Javier Bardem prize.  It had a mind of its own.  It landed there on my head one morning.  It’s gone now.