I'm pretty interested in expanding my profile as a producer. I enjoy both realizing my own work, and...
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I'm pretty interested in expanding my profile as a producer. I enjoy both realizing my own work, and also being part of someone else's team. I think the thing I really look for in both my own work and others is a sense of some truth that hasn't really been said or explored before. Something as a society we all might know about, but nobody really wants to tackle. In the end, it's not just about being creative. It's about shining a light and maybe helping make a bit of a difference too.
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The cracks and fragility of a bruised ego masquerading itself as someone proud, pompous, arrogant ne...
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The cracks and fragility of a bruised ego masquerading itself as someone proud, pompous, arrogant never ceases to be fascinating to observe - at a safe distance, of course.
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I can't quite wipe the slate clean. Every film you see me direct personally takes place in the same ...
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I can't quite wipe the slate clean. Every film you see me direct personally takes place in the same cinematic universe. There's definitely a chronology there. Each entry isn't chronological in and of itself though, but the narratives are all connected.
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Being from Northern California, I think it's pretty dyed in wool to have some eccentricity.
Being from Northern California, I think it's pretty dyed in wool to have some eccentricity.
I will say this, whatever you see me do directorially will be very personal - and will likely follow...
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I will say this, whatever you see me do directorially will be very personal - and will likely follow a few rules. The first will be that the story, traditional or not, probably will feature some kind of mysticism, and two, the characters will never emerge unscathed, but they will emerge in some way empowered. I believe in empowerment, not a happy ending.
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I owe so much to him (his spiritual mentor). Without him, and without the spiritual practices I have...
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I owe so much to him (his spiritual mentor). Without him, and without the spiritual practices I have learned and the connections I have made, I wouldn't be where I am today. Spirituality is a powerful thing, and if you believe in it, it's the ultimate kind of healing because we all come from the place it's derived from.
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If you can't act, then make believe.
If you can't act, then make believe.
I love genre, and I love art. I don't think one or the other have to be mutually exclusive. When I w...
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I love genre, and I love art. I don't think one or the other have to be mutually exclusive. When I write something, or I make a film, even if it's not something that calls for art, I still think it's possible to create a really poetic, interesting approach while not shying away from whatever the story needs to be.
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Realizing a film is like the beauty and brutality of conception and birth. The latter is what it's l...
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Realizing a film is like the beauty and brutality of conception and birth. The latter is what it's like filming and realizing everything. But editing? Editing is like incredible sex. The thrill of realizing something, literally putting the pieces together, there's nothing like that creatively for me.
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It's good to plan but it's also good to let your actors breathe. You can either strip the spontaneit...
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It's good to plan but it's also good to let your actors breathe. You can either strip the spontaneity out of everything and have something pristine, but in my opinion completely emotionally vacant in a genuine way, or you can take some risks. Things can get a little crazy, a little unorthodox. But at least you'll be running the risk of creating something people can have a genuine, visceral response to.
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In certain dynamics, I've been branded a cynic. I have to admit, that pisses me off more than anythi...
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In certain dynamics, I've been branded a cynic. I have to admit, that pisses me off more than anything. I'm a realist. I'm the kind of person who sees something, and if I get an impulse, I go with that impulse. But I keep an open mind, and am always willing to be proven wrong.
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There is an underlying story and mythology to the Maraisverse. Read my book ("All That Glitters Is N...
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There is an underlying story and mythology to the Maraisverse. Read my book ("All That Glitters Is Not Gold", published 2016), watch the projects, consult the trivia. You might just find out the truth...
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I make my art for myself. Writing and producing is more about the audience.
I make my art for myself. Writing and producing is more about the audience.
Comedians can make the best horror movie villains, and the best horror movie directors. Jordan Peele...
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Comedians can make the best horror movie villains, and the best horror movie directors. Jordan Peele obviously leads the way.
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The emotional violence in August: Osage County is just as intense as visceral violence in genre film...
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The emotional violence in August: Osage County is just as intense as visceral violence in genre films. You're literally sweating and bristling your way through the dinner scene, completely off-guard and on edge for the entire duration of the story. Sometimes that's much more powerful than someone pulling out a gun and blowing someone's head off. The power of such intense hatred, but everything being words - being something you can't grab at or hold onto...
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I've always found people who call themselves "professional" skeptics amusing. Ironically not to beli...
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I've always found people who call themselves "professional" skeptics amusing. Ironically not to believe in something is to believe in something.
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You have to have your own back. People will always tell you, 'It'll get better. Bullies don't get an...
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You have to have your own back. People will always tell you, 'It'll get better. Bullies don't get anywhere in life. Shit happens.' The truth is, the guy you hate will be your boss, the person who stabbed you in the back will land a position at your dream job. People might not necessarily eat you alive, but they'll trample you unless you get in there, and you utilize every opportunity you can get independent of what people think or whatever scores you wish you could settle.
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Honestly, filmmaking isn't about the perfect pretty angles and shots, or the immaculate sound design...
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Honestly, filmmaking isn't about the perfect pretty angles and shots, or the immaculate sound design, or the flawless executions, or a bunch of pre-fab, Oscar buzz, 'look mom, no hands' performances to me. It's about making something that makes people feel. If something is great, in my opinion it's because of what it makes you feel. Monster (2003) was a great movie because it got you to empathize with someone on paper you may never have felt you could. The Room (2003) may be crap in terms of execution, but it's been selling out for fourteen years. Movies that endure are movies that make you think, and feel, regardless of all the spare parts.
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I don't think there's one way to correctly interpret the world beyond ours. That's why no one can ag...
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I don't think there's one way to correctly interpret the world beyond ours. That's why no one can agree - ultimately we're all different and we're all going to find different conduits to get in touch with God, the Light, the mystery, whatever you want to call it. For some people, I think being an atheist even means - ironically so - getting in touch with God. You gotta go about it your own way. Not everyone is ready to see beyond the world that's already here.
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I like a really visceral, ambiguous approach, rather than being black and white.
I like a really visceral, ambiguous approach, rather than being black and white.
Whether I like it or not I'm attracted to the darker side of things. There's just so much complexity...
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Whether I like it or not I'm attracted to the darker side of things. There's just so much complexity there, which in terms of cinema and writing is just beautiful.
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I try to be Steven Soderbergh crossed with Panos Cosmatos. I like a really gritty, unglamorous appro...
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I try to be Steven Soderbergh crossed with Panos Cosmatos. I like a really gritty, unglamorous approach, but coupled with this really surrealistic storytelling.
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I like a really good, dark fantasy story. Fantasy is great because it can be so many things rolled i...
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I like a really good, dark fantasy story. Fantasy is great because it can be so many things rolled into one. An adventure story, a horror story, a drama, a romance...It's cool because there's so much metaphor to battling a literal embodiment of adversity.
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What's interesting is I'm not a dark guy in general. In my personal life I'm all about the light, an...
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What's interesting is I'm not a dark guy in general. In my personal life I'm all about the light, and maintaining a positive and productive lifestyle. But there's always been this call to the dark side creatively. Even when I was a young, young kid, and didn't know what a horror movie was, I had these nightmares that sort of signified this is what I'd be doing professionally for the rest of my life. They often included this hooded figure that would stalk me, no matter where I was or what I would do. It was kind of freaky, man!
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It's cool to have people 'get' and recognize your work. When I shoot movies, it's not the same as wh...
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It's cool to have people 'get' and recognize your work. When I shoot movies, it's not the same as when I'm just writing them or producing them. Actual filmmaking for me is very personal. It's my art. Take it or leave it, but when I film, I do it my way. So it's rad that people are digging the more personal side of what I'm doing.
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Hereditary (2018) was an interesting movie. I truly didn't know what to think about it. Either it's ...
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Hereditary (2018) was an interesting movie. I truly didn't know what to think about it. Either it's one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen in my entire life, or a psychological drama about family that had the potential to be one of the best of its kind if there were more scenes to focus on that.
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I'm a pretty spiritual person, so when I approach making these really out there, dark stories, it fe...
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I'm a pretty spiritual person, so when I approach making these really out there, dark stories, it feels like a constant struggle. How far do I go? Is this really necessary? Where do I balance shock value with restraint? In some ways, my beliefs and respect in what's considered supernatural are a great bullshit indicator of when something is needed and when something is excessive.
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To me, Behemoth (2018), Hybrid (2018), and The Abductions of John Doe (2018) really do form a trilog...
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To me, Behemoth (2018), Hybrid (2018), and The Abductions of John Doe (2018) really do form a trilogy of sorts. Each one is sort of video art focusing on different themes that have personal significance to me. Behemoth, arguably, is about trauma. Hybrid is about the fear of conspiracy. The Abductions of John Doe is about comprehension. The approach may be surrealist and stylized, but I think each piece really communicates its chosen theme well to the audience.
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It's important never to overdo things. Don't worry about gore if you don't need to worry about gore....
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It's important never to overdo things. Don't worry about gore if you don't need to worry about gore. Don't do unnecessarily offensive or out there things if it's not justified by the story. Don't preach to the choir if the choir doesn't need to be preached to. Just do things straight, and people will ultimately get what you're going for.
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I don't like the whole finger wag thing or morality questioning when it comes to torture porn horror...
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I don't like the whole finger wag thing or morality questioning when it comes to torture porn horror or movies with excess gore. If the context is appropriate and it's all fake, why not? There are some films where you just think, Jesus, someone's trying to be all cute and precocious and go, 'Look at me! Look at me! Look at how hardcore I can be!' That's when it crosses a line, but not ethically.
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Everything I do - writing, producing, making video art - is motivated by this sense of humanity. Wha...
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Everything I do - writing, producing, making video art - is motivated by this sense of humanity. What is it to be human? What is it to be good? What is the fallibility of existence, and how does that impact what it means to be human and this human notion of 'being good'? It's funny how arbitrary things get the more broad you become and the more you zoom out.
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To me, Rodney Ascher's The Nightmare (2015) is one of the scariest films I've ever seen. You want to...
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To me, Rodney Ascher's The Nightmare (2015) is one of the scariest films I've ever seen. You want to get freaked out, watch it with the lights off at night. But what's even scarier than it being people's real experiences is the fear of stigma involved. The idea you can't come forward with these extraordinary claims people all around the world share, because of the arrogance and dismissal of a few.
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Morons exist everywhere. That's why they're morons. They have a purpose. If everyone was smart or at...
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Morons exist everywhere. That's why they're morons. They have a purpose. If everyone was smart or atypical, we would have self-destructed the shit out of ourselves a long time ago.
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(His personal mentality on his making it as an artist) Where I go I do not know. In uncertain future...
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(His personal mentality on his making it as an artist) Where I go I do not know. In uncertain futures my dreams doth reside.
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I come from a family who is fundamentally angry. Angry in every way that you can imagine. And their ...
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I come from a family who is fundamentally angry. Angry in every way that you can imagine. And their interactions largely formulate by dumping that anger on each other and turning everything into a confrontation. It's no wonder why I became a writer.
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I'd like to see Ang Lee do a horror film. He has such a refined, beautiful sensibility. Look at his ...
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I'd like to see Ang Lee do a horror film. He has such a refined, beautiful sensibility. Look at his films, Sense & Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain, Eat Drink Man Woman, Lust, Caution, and The Ice Storm to name a few. There's a delicateness there, a sense of vulnerable creative expression.
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I think I need to stop listening to allegedly real horror stories from Reddit at night.
I think I need to stop listening to allegedly real horror stories from Reddit at night.
The commercial projects I do will still reflect the underlying sensibility in my works as an artist....
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The commercial projects I do will still reflect the underlying sensibility in my works as an artist. If you don't have layers, depth, then there's just no goddamn point.
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Mandy (2018) was terrific. Panos (Cosmatos) is a true artist, a true visionary. He's terribly underr...
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Mandy (2018) was terrific. Panos (Cosmatos) is a true artist, a true visionary. He's terribly underrated. What I'd love to see is him tackle a blockbuster. Although to be honest, the suits would probably never let it happen his way. But imagine The Hulk, or Batman, or Spawn directed by that guy! I mean, fuck!
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Working on Behemoth (2018) was one of my most rewarding experiences, not just artistically but colla...
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Working on Behemoth (2018) was one of my most rewarding experiences, not just artistically but collaboratively. There's nothing more great than you and other artists on the same page, and within those limits being able to express yourselves and be free.
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Some of the scariest movies aren't horror movies.
Some of the scariest movies aren't horror movies.
I love filmmakers who also are artists. Panos Cosmatos is a particular example of this. Beyond The B...
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I love filmmakers who also are artists. Panos Cosmatos is a particular example of this. Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010) is one of my favorite films of all time. A lot of people don't get it, and seem to want to heap hate on it because it's too slow, or it's too this, or too that, but you probably won't see another movie with quite as much emotion and limitless imagination as that one. As far as I'm concerned, if you want to make transcendent experiences at the cinema, it's mandatory viewing.
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I don't envy what the kids of celebrity parents have to go through. You look at these magazines boas...
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I don't envy what the kids of celebrity parents have to go through. You look at these magazines boasting stories about so-and-so saying this, such-and-such doing that. I mean, if folks followed all of us so-called 'normal' people around, twenty four-seven, believe me - we don't have that much more humility!
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I'm fairly used to being told what to do, and being assigned this role people close to me always wan...
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I'm fairly used to being told what to do, and being assigned this role people close to me always wanted me to be. The older I got, the less of that role I was, and the less genuinely interested in who I really was they became. I think in a sense it really turned me on to preconceived dynamics, and what real relationships actually can be.
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I come from the elevated horror school. I don't have anything against gore or extreme violence, I ju...
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I come from the elevated horror school. I don't have anything against gore or extreme violence, I just don't find it very disturbing when it feels inserted.
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I try not to let the cat out of the bag too fast, that's a big problem in genre pieces these days.
I try not to let the cat out of the bag too fast, that's a big problem in genre pieces these days.
