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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Wayne Kramer
Aired February 07, 2004 - 09:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In Los Angeles, the countdown to the 46th annual Grammys is well underway. The awards show begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow night at CBS. The network will broadcast the show with an enhanced tape-delay system. Hmm. I wonder why? An apparent attempt to avoid any revealing moments like those seen in last weekend's Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson. Meanwhile, Jackson, who was supposed to be a Grammy's presenter, now says that she will not attend the show.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN ANCHOR: From music to movies. In just about three weeks, the Academy Awards will have its own toast in Tinseltown. So on the list of nominees, who is hot and who is not?
Here to help us is the director of a movie getting a lot of buzz. Wayne Kramer directed "The Cooler," and he joins us live from Los Angeles to talk everything Oscar.
Wayne, I've heard so much about you from our mutual friend, Greg Canes (ph), the great CNN photographer. It's nice to finally meet you on TV.
WAYNE KRAMER, DIRECTOR, "THE COOLER": Well, thank you. You too.
BUCKLEY: So which movies were Oscar-worthy this year, do you think?
KRAMER: Well, I loved "Lost in Translation." I think Sofia Coppola did a wonderful job with that film. It's very subtle and textured. And "Mystic River" I thought was a terrific thriller, you know, again, wonderfully directed by Clint Eastwood, fantastic performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
And "Seabiscuit" from the summer is still one of my favorites. I thought Gary Ross (ph) did a wonderful piece of Americana with that film, and the whole look and the feel of it is, you know, it's classic Hollywood.
BUCKLEY: I thought in the overlooked category was Peter Sarsguard (ph) from "Shattered Glass." What about you? What other films are overlooked?
KRAMER: Well, absolutely, I agree with you about Peter Sarsguard. I think he definitely should have been nominated. And I loved "Shattered Glass." I thought the movie itself, of Billy Ray for the writing, was nominated too. I thought "Down with Love" was a fun movie, that Peyton Reed (ph) did a terrific job on, and it had wonderful performances by Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger.
And I'm trying to think of the -- I know another one that is being nominated in the foreign picture category, is "Evil," which I hope people go out and see. It's a very effective film about -- I believe it's a Swedish high school in the '50s, it's still feeling the fallout of anti-Semitism. And it's got a guy who's been bullied and pushed into a corner, and if he lose -- if he gets expelled from the school, he has no future.
It's -- McCarrell Hellstrom (ph) directed that film, and I thought it was really good.
BUCKLEY: I'm curious. As a filmmaker, you must watch films in a way that's slightly different than when we go. Is it difficult for you to disconnect from your role as a filmmaker to just watch the film as a filmgoer?
KRAMER: Well, I think if the film sucks me in, if it's doing its job, I tend to forget that it is a film. It's only when I'm -- I don't find it very compelling, is, then I start to deconstruct it. And while I'm sitting there, I say, Well, boy, what I would have done if I could use a different film score. Or, This is really overbearing.
But if it's a movie that, like "City of God," which is nominated for directing this year and the adapted screenplay and a couple of other awards, is probably the best movie of the year. I mean, it's just so compelling.
And when I actually saw it last year, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, you know, coming out of, I believe it's Brazil, and having very little money. But the technique and the acting, by mainly amateur actors, you know, out of -- in the slums of Brazil, I think it's just -- people should go see this movie if they want a really, really harrowing original experience.
BUCKLEY: All right, Wayne Kramer, director of "The Cooler," we appreciate your time, and thanks very much for joining us.
KRAMER: Oh, you're welcome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 7, 2004 - 09:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In Los Angeles, the countdown to the 46th annual Grammys is well underway. The awards show begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow night at CBS. The network will broadcast the show with an enhanced tape-delay system. Hmm. I wonder why? An apparent attempt to avoid any revealing moments like those seen in last weekend's Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson. Meanwhile, Jackson, who was supposed to be a Grammy's presenter, now says that she will not attend the show.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN ANCHOR: From music to movies. In just about three weeks, the Academy Awards will have its own toast in Tinseltown. So on the list of nominees, who is hot and who is not?
Here to help us is the director of a movie getting a lot of buzz. Wayne Kramer directed "The Cooler," and he joins us live from Los Angeles to talk everything Oscar.
Wayne, I've heard so much about you from our mutual friend, Greg Canes (ph), the great CNN photographer. It's nice to finally meet you on TV.
WAYNE KRAMER, DIRECTOR, "THE COOLER": Well, thank you. You too.
BUCKLEY: So which movies were Oscar-worthy this year, do you think?
KRAMER: Well, I loved "Lost in Translation." I think Sofia Coppola did a wonderful job with that film. It's very subtle and textured. And "Mystic River" I thought was a terrific thriller, you know, again, wonderfully directed by Clint Eastwood, fantastic performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
And "Seabiscuit" from the summer is still one of my favorites. I thought Gary Ross (ph) did a wonderful piece of Americana with that film, and the whole look and the feel of it is, you know, it's classic Hollywood.
BUCKLEY: I thought in the overlooked category was Peter Sarsguard (ph) from "Shattered Glass." What about you? What other films are overlooked?
KRAMER: Well, absolutely, I agree with you about Peter Sarsguard. I think he definitely should have been nominated. And I loved "Shattered Glass." I thought the movie itself, of Billy Ray for the writing, was nominated too. I thought "Down with Love" was a fun movie, that Peyton Reed (ph) did a terrific job on, and it had wonderful performances by Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger.
And I'm trying to think of the -- I know another one that is being nominated in the foreign picture category, is "Evil," which I hope people go out and see. It's a very effective film about -- I believe it's a Swedish high school in the '50s, it's still feeling the fallout of anti-Semitism. And it's got a guy who's been bullied and pushed into a corner, and if he lose -- if he gets expelled from the school, he has no future.
It's -- McCarrell Hellstrom (ph) directed that film, and I thought it was really good.
BUCKLEY: I'm curious. As a filmmaker, you must watch films in a way that's slightly different than when we go. Is it difficult for you to disconnect from your role as a filmmaker to just watch the film as a filmgoer?
KRAMER: Well, I think if the film sucks me in, if it's doing its job, I tend to forget that it is a film. It's only when I'm -- I don't find it very compelling, is, then I start to deconstruct it. And while I'm sitting there, I say, Well, boy, what I would have done if I could use a different film score. Or, This is really overbearing.
But if it's a movie that, like "City of God," which is nominated for directing this year and the adapted screenplay and a couple of other awards, is probably the best movie of the year. I mean, it's just so compelling.
And when I actually saw it last year, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, you know, coming out of, I believe it's Brazil, and having very little money. But the technique and the acting, by mainly amateur actors, you know, out of -- in the slums of Brazil, I think it's just -- people should go see this movie if they want a really, really harrowing original experience.
BUCKLEY: All right, Wayne Kramer, director of "The Cooler," we appreciate your time, and thanks very much for joining us.
KRAMER: Oh, you're welcome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
