I I M Festival

$■ ■>* / ■ ■ m%ijSW llliii; 11111 J B lM l ■ i I §§1 ■- ■ ^ ""^^K w r *« v r a c e s , ■ ¡ 1 1 W m m ! ■ J k . ■ ijL * M m f h : 7 m '*■' * <cvw >* / >i '■Tp. ’• i I m festival M i « hum anspeal Matthew Leutwyler / Interview” / Rim Director ■ I’ve met and interviewed more than my share o f “new and up-and-coming directors.” I have to admit, I expected Matthew Leutwyler, vriiose new film “Road Kill” (starring Jennifer Rubin, from m m m m x “The Crush” and “Screamers,” Erik Palladino from “Can’t Hardly W ait,” and Billy Jayne from “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”) has its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, to be another one. But in fact, I would have no hesitation saying that he is the most talented and learned of the new directors I’ve met. Though I wasn’t permitted a copy o f his film to review, I did get to see a couple o f clips that show a technicaljrroficiency on his part, as well as latent w it In person, he’s quite articulate and surprisingly enthusias tic, not just about his work, but the work of others as well. Even though he’s more than got his foot in the proverbial door of show biz, he’s still modest enough to bullshit about Artsw eek What’s your film ‘Road K ill” about? films. And despite almost killing him with my driving, he was gracious enough to loan me a copy of a great student film a friend of his at The San Francisco Art Institute made. Matt Leutwyler: It’s a black comedy about a failing film student who finds that there is a hitwoman living in his apartment building. H e convinces her to let hit® drive cross country with her on her final hit before she retires. He does his documentary thesis on her. See K IL L , See KILL, pdA 2A Thursday, March 11,1999 Daily Nexus give me. I can do something that somebody else has written, KILL but I haven’t found anything great yet. ■ CoaUnai fhM p,lA Do you see some identifiable career trajectory f i r yourself? Wbat drove you to that topic? ... nope. I f you want a short answer. That’s tire problem Oh, I don’t know. It just lands came to me. It’s a bizarre right now. M y agents have been hoolting me up with produc idea. I’ve always wanted to follow a filmmaker along on his ers, and everyone always says “W ell, you have these two films journey; it’s been done so many times — this is a different and they’re so different.” “Road Kill” is a black comedy, and way of doing it. “TSBU” is a romantic comedy, and they basically have no Wbat brought you to film in general? thing in common. People in Hollywood always want to pi W ell, I’ve always had an interest in it I went to acting geonhole you as a certain type o f filmmaker. I like all sorts o f school when I was a kid. And I started — well, it’s a typical films. I like black comedies, so I’ll make one. I like romantic start— malting films when I was 9 years old with the Super 8 comedies, so HI make one o fthose. I like thrillers, so now I’m camera. Then I went to film school, the Art Institute in San working on a thriller. I wouldn’t put it past me to do an action Francisco. Then I moved to L A ., did a short film, then film at some point “Road Kill,” and then my new film 1 just shot this summer, Wbat brought Jennifer Rubin to the part? called "This Space Between Us.” I’d seen a film called “Delusion,” which was a road picture, Wbat work have you done up until this point? and also one o f her pictures. So when I was writing it; I was I did a short film called “This Space Between Us” in 1996. thinking o f her, and I said “W hy don’t we try to get Jennifer The characters in the feature film are loosely based on that. It’s 20 minutes long. Five people in their mid-20s, having dinner; it’s a real time conversation. There’s no real plot; just a slice-of-life basically. It went to some festivals and won Ugly Duckling / "Interview” / Hip-Hop some awards. "... know what the And ‘Road KM '? “W e are definitely ju st trying to have fun and create a good On “Road Kill” I gave the producers (M arde Letz and Ri human vibe that will be memorable,” says Andy Cooper, o f die up- chard Jastrow) the script. It was made for $108,000 — like and-coming hip-hop group Ugly Duckling. Ugly Duckling no money. And they managed to raise the money, I think it is a three-member group that derives its funky, groovy style was $150,000 originally. I gave them the script and we were from other old-school groups such as Erik B. and Ralam, shooting six weeks later, and we shot for about 15 days. But Rubin,” which I didn’t think was possible considering the older Biz Markie, and the Jungle Brothers, among others. then we ran out o f money, and post-production took about a budget, but it worked out Ugly Duckling isn’t just three white guys trying to get a leg in year. So I actually finished “TSBU ” only about three months A nd Are other actors? the hip-hop scene, though; they skillfully combine smooth after I finished “Road Kill.” I’d played on a softball team with Erik in L A . W hen I was rhymes, dope beats and catchy samples to create a sound that Wbat about tfier TSBU ”? writing, I was land o f envisioning him. His career hadn’t re jets you on the floor, hands in the air, ready to dance. I’m working on a bigger budget film that I’m writing with ally busted open, and I knew that he’d want to do it, so weju st Originating from the racially diverse city o f Long Beach, my brother right now. I fs about the human-genome project, started talking. And Billy came in to audition. W hile he was Calif., this trio has been paving its way in die underground which is the mapping o f our whole DNA. Basically it’s about outside, Erik and I were talking about this guy, he was unbe rip-hop scene for over five years. Andy Cooper, M C Dizzy, what the insurance companies are going to do with the infor lievable. W e didn’t realty see anybody else. rnd D J Einstein combine their expertise to forge pure, un- mation. They can find out that you have a predisposition to Where else are you going to take the film ? tommercialized hip-hop with fiesh new rhymes and old cancer. Are they going to hire you, because they’re not going Now we’re going to hit a couple o f festivals. I think we’re ¡azzy samples and beats. They were signed by 1500 records to want to pay the insurance. It’s a scary proposition for what going down to Newport Beach in a couple weeks. W e’re after executives stumbled upon an Internet debate in a hip- the future holds when the human-genome project is done, waiting to hear from L A . Independent and some other film hop chat room about who was better, Ugly Duckling or Jur which I think the government has picked out 2003. It’s actu festivals down the line. assic 5 . ally the biggest project since the Manhattan Project in terms Since then, the group has released a musically innovative o f what the government is spending. They’ve spent about $3 — John Flake C D , Fresh Mode, reflecting styles similar to De La Soul, billion on it so far. M ost people don’t know what the human- Black Eyed Peas and Tribe Called Quest. Ugly Duckling genome project is. “Ro a d Kiir w ill have its world prem iere tonight at 9 at the takes a journey back to die roots of hip-hop, giving props to When is it going to be done? Fiesta Five. It w ill also show.on Saturday, March 13, at3p.m . the old-school artists all along the way. I got a chance to ask I hope to shoot it in August or September, and be done in at the Fiesta Five. Leutwyler w ill be there in person with bis Cooper a few questions about the group and ended up chat about six weeks. Pm also reading scripts that my managers star, Rubin, and producers M arde and Richard Jastrow. ting for almost an hour. G r j e a i Prices Technical Service on all your favorite stuff! •Free Email »Free Web Building & Computer •Prepaid Phone Cards «Retrieve final •Free Internet Access Computer Stuff Com paq Repair Presario 1255 K6-2 •333 MHz AMD K6-2 w/ 3D Now • 12.1" HPA Display •56K V.90 Modem / 24X CD Ram Sale: i-Mac / G3 •32 Meg RAM / 4GB Hard Drive 4mb. Vram: $29.00 Call for Ram Prices!! % Oft EVERY ^ Apple Certified Technicians a D A Y ! Olhàr Books -- ® Hardware Repair & Upgrades ot GREAT Prices! A • Network Support &Consultation Billboard TOP 40 CQMWCT $8& ® Desktop, Laptop, LaserWriter, DISCS EVERY k.

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