Two interviewers in search of a subject. That's the best way to describe this natural-feeling yet sometimes artificial two-person show.
That's the downside of this otherwise intriguing independent film. Through no fault of the actors, partly because of those illogical moves it feels like an exercise, at times, rather than a voyeuristic glimpse into two lives that briefly intertwine. And their time together ends almost as abruptly as it began. Those are my complaints.
But Buscemi and Miller run with the snappy dialogue. Sometimes they seem like warriors, lobbing sarcastic grenades at each other with refined and composed fierceness. Other times, it's a "dance," or a mutually probing and confrontational discussion that makes them look like two interviewers in search of a subject. And still other times their rancorous riffs seem to take on the improvisational quality of jazz musicians trying to show up the other. There are more head games going on in this 84-minute film than you normally see in a half-dozen movies. Ultimately it's interesting, but not always believable.
Video:
I've been watching so much HD lately that standard def feels like a "def" sentence. DVDs can look surprisingly ordinary in their visuals. "Interview" has a decent-enough picture, but there's a slight graininess throughout. Colors are well-saturated, though, and the graininess is there mostly if you're looking for it. Relax and enjoy this dance, and you probably won't even notice any shortcomings in video quality.
Audio:
"Interview" is almost all dialogue, so it's tough to gauge the effectiveness of an audio track, except perhaps to say that there's no apparent distortion, and the sound quality seems perfectly natural. There isn't much in the way of rear-speaker action, but that's to be expected. Everything comes from the center speaker and front mains. Subtitles are in English (CC) and Spanish.
Extras:
There are only a handful of extras. Buscemi's director's commentary is pretty interesting. He talks about why he got involved with the process, and why he had to audacity to cast himself as the lead. Turns out he directs through his acting, and so it seemed a natural for him. Miller was fine with that, we learn on one of the other very short bonus features on "behind the scenes" and "Triple Theo, Take One." There's mostly basic information here, nothing that would make you raise your eyebrows or applaud.
Bottom Line:
Two interviewers in search of a subject. That's the best way to describe this natural-feeling yet sometimes artificial two-person show. Despite a few illogical leaps and the feeling that at times you're watching two actors act out an improv situation for class, "Interview" is still a fascinating 84 minutes. Buscemi's and Miller's performances are enough to make me go to a 7 on this one.
But Buscemi and Miller run with the snappy dialogue. Sometimes they seem like warriors, lobbing sarcastic grenades at each other with refined and composed fierceness. Other times, it's a "dance," or a mutually probing and confrontational discussion that makes them look like two interviewers in search of a subject. And still other times their rancorous riffs seem to take on the improvisational quality of jazz musicians trying to show up the other. There are more head games going on in this 84-minute film than you normally see in a half-dozen movies. Ultimately it's interesting, but not always believable.
Video:
I've been watching so much HD lately that standard def feels like a "def" sentence. DVDs can look surprisingly ordinary in their visuals. "Interview" has a decent-enough picture, but there's a slight graininess throughout. Colors are well-saturated, though, and the graininess is there mostly if you're looking for it. Relax and enjoy this dance, and you probably won't even notice any shortcomings in video quality.
Audio:
"Interview" is almost all dialogue, so it's tough to gauge the effectiveness of an audio track, except perhaps to say that there's no apparent distortion, and the sound quality seems perfectly natural. There isn't much in the way of rear-speaker action, but that's to be expected. Everything comes from the center speaker and front mains. Subtitles are in English (CC) and Spanish.
Extras:
There are only a handful of extras. Buscemi's director's commentary is pretty interesting. He talks about why he got involved with the process, and why he had to audacity to cast himself as the lead. Turns out he directs through his acting, and so it seemed a natural for him. Miller was fine with that, we learn on one of the other very short bonus features on "behind the scenes" and "Triple Theo, Take One." There's mostly basic information here, nothing that would make you raise your eyebrows or applaud.
Bottom Line:
Two interviewers in search of a subject. That's the best way to describe this natural-feeling yet sometimes artificial two-person show. Despite a few illogical leaps and the feeling that at times you're watching two actors act out an improv situation for class, "Interview" is still a fascinating 84 minutes. Buscemi's and Miller's performances are enough to make me go to a 7 on this one.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]22696[/release]