My Interview With Jeff Tremaine, Director of 'Jackass: Best and Last'

Jeff Tremaine is one of the chief architects behind Jackass. So why doesn't he get any respect? For Filmmaker, I had a long talk with the auteur -- god, he would hate being called that -- about the long-running series, fighting with the MPAA, kidnapping Brad Pitt, and never growing up. Hope you enjoy. 

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Happy 100th Birthday, Mel Brooks

I was very happy to be on KCRW yesterday to talk to Madeleine about Mel Brooks' birthday, and why he's the embodiment of American comedy for the last 75 years. You can hear my segment below.

My Interview With Werner Herzog, Director of 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'

Cave of Forgotten Dreams is back in theaters, now in IMAX. It seemed like the perfect time to talk to Werner Herzog, who gave me his thoughts on art, 3D, ghosts and albino mutant crocodiles. Always enjoy speaking with him: You can read our conversation here.

My Interview With Matty Wishnow, Director of 'The Last Critic'

Ever since I picked up Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s in 1990, I have been a fan of the man who calls himself the Dean of American Rock Critics. So I was delighted that a documentary about Robert Christgau, The Last Critic, premiered at SXSW. Even better, the film is quite good, winning a special jury prize at the festival. For Documentary Magazine, I interviewed Matty Wishnow, who directed the film. We talked about Christgau's famous surliness, the future of music criticism, and the Dean's abiding love affair with his wife (and fellow writer) Carola Dibbell. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Gus Van Sant and Austin Kolodney, the Team Behind 'Dead Man's Wire'

Dead Man's Wire is one of Gus Van Sant's strongest films in years. And it's writer Austin Kolodney's first big-screen credit. For Screen International, I talked to each of them about this long-in-the-works real-life thriller ... and how a comment made by Werner Herzog helped influence the final product. You can read our conversation here. 

Bela Tarr, 1955-2026

A couple years ago, I had the immense pleasure of moderating a Q&A with Bela Tarr after a screening of his final film, The Turin Horse. He was great. Today for Rolling Stone, I pay tribute to an iconic filmmaker. You can read my piece here. 

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Rob Reiner's Impact on Movies and Politics

When someone in the film industry passes, Madeleine Brand will often ask me to come on the show to talk about that person's legacy. I was touched to go on Press Play to eulogize Rob Reiner, both as a filmmaker and as an activist. My segment was up first, if you'd like to listen below.

Rob Reiner, 1947-2025

What a terrible way to end a terrible weekend of sad news. For Rolling Stone, Althea Legaspi and I wrote about Rob Reiner's legacy. 

My Interview With Imran Hamdulay and Keenan Arrison, the Team Behind 'The Heart Is a Muscle'

For Screen International, I spoke to writer-director Imran Hamdulay and star Keenan Arrison about The Heart Is a Muscle, which is South Africa's submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. We talked about masculinity, fatherhood and depicting Cape Flats in a more nuanced way than it's usually seen on screen. You can check out our conversation down below or read excerpts from it here.

My Interview With Julia Loktev, Director of 'My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow'

At the end of last year, I caught My Undesirable Friends: Part I, which premiered at the New York Film Festival. Spanning five-and-a-half hours, the documentary chronicles about four months in Moscow, from October 2021 to February 2022, as director Julia Loktev follows a group of independent Russian journalists facing the threat of imprisonment by Putin. The movie was shattering, gripping and stunning, and this Friday, it opens in New York. My Undesirable Friends feels like an alarm bell for Americans in the midst of Trump's authoritarian takeover. For Rolling Stone, I spoke to Loktev about her essential film and the lessons we should take from it. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Embeth Davidtz, Director of 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight'

Embeth Davidtz has been acting in movies since the late 1980s. (Of all her great work, I'll always be partial to her in Junebug.) But until she read Alexandra Fuller's memoir of growing up in what is now Zimbabwe, she had never thought about directing. Why did the book resonate with Davidtz so much? Because it stirred up unresolved feelings about her fraught childhood in South Africa and the racism she encountered there. 

She invited me into her home to talk about her film, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, which opens Friday. Hope you enjoy.

(Photo by Matt Seidel.) 

What Makes an HBO Documentary Film an HBO Documentary Film?

To get the answer, I spoke separately to five directors who have recently worked with the studio: Nanette Burstein (Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes), Alex Gibney (Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos), Eric Goode (Chimp Crazy), Lance Oppenheim (Ren Faire) and Matt Wolf (Pee-wee as Himself). These are very different kinds of documentaries, all under the same roof. The results of my conversations can be read over at the Los Angeles Times.

Film Independent: My Conversation With Brendan Bellomo, Co-Director of 'Porcelain War'

A few months ago, I moderated a Q&A with Brendan Bellomo, one of the directors of the Oscar-nominated documentary Porcelain War, which looks at Russia's war with Ukraine through a different lens, focusing on Ukrainian artists who split their time between fighting on the front line and honing their craft. You can check out our conversation down below.

RaMell Ross Breaks Down the Secrets of the 'Nickel Boys' Screenplay

I feel very fortunate this awards season to have gotten to spend some time with RaMell Ross. I've already profiled him for the Los Angeles Times, and I've also moderated a few Q&As with him. Today, I'm happy to unveil this new L.A. Times piece, in which he and I focus on Nickel Boys' screenplay, breaking down three crucial scenes and discussing how they evolved from the script to the screen. I was especially pleased that Ross shared a few secrets about these scenes which, I don't think, have been talked about anywhere else. Check out the piece here.

My Interview With Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes, the Team Behind 'Conclave'

For much of awards season, I've been trying to nail down a time to speak with the director and star of Conclave. This past week, it finally happened. For the Los Angeles Times, I jumped on the phone with Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes to talk about faith, both in a higher power and in the potential of art. I was also especially interested to ask Fiennes about playing spirituality, which yielded an interesting answer. Our Conclave conversation is here.

My Interview With Pedro Almodovar, Writer-Director of 'The Room Next Door'

I loved The Room Next Door, so I wanted to talk to Pedro Almodovar about his bittersweet drama that touches on life, death, global catastrophe and euthanasia. We talked about all that, and also John Huston's The Dead. My interview is live over at the Los Angeles Times.

(Photo by Shayan Asgharnia.)

My Interview With RaMell Ross, Director of 'Nickel Boys'

Over AFI Fest weekend, I sat down with RaMell Ross, whose feature debut Nickel Boys is one of a kind. We talked about empathy, photography and learning how to pivot from tragedy. Loved our talk; my profile is up at the Los Angeles Times. 

(Photo by Ethan Benavidez.)

My Interview With Joshua Oppenheimer, Director of 'The End'

Nine years ago, I interviewed Joshua Oppenheimer for Rolling Stone to discuss his great documentary The Look of Silence. Recently, I interviewed Joshua Oppenheimer for Rolling Stone again, this time to discuss his great new film, the divisive musical The End. We talked about global warming, doomsday bunkers, Trump, and the right and wrong kinds of hope. You can read my profile here.

My Interview With Sav Rodgers, Director of 'Chasing Chasing Amy'

When he was a kid, Sav Rodgers was battling with questions about himself. Then, he saw Chasing Amy, which was the first time he was exposed to gay characters in a film. Now, years later, this trans filmmaker has put together a documentary examining that 1997 comedy and its controversial legacy. For Cracked, I talked to Rodgers about rom-coms, happy endings and what it was like to interview his hero Kevin Smith about his problematic film. Hope you enjoy.

IDA: My Conversation With Ibrahim Nash'at, Director of 'Hollywoodgate'

Earlier in the year, I spoke with documentary filmmaker Ibrahim Nash'at, who spent a year embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan right after U.S. forces left the country. The result of that was Hollywoodgate. I was happy recently to be asked by IDA to do a video chat with Nash'at, which allowed us to expand on that earlier conversation. We talked about war and Wiseman. Hope you enjoy.