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Your new movie Stand
Up Guy - in a few words, what is it about?
Stand
Up Guy
is about Roman (Michael Riccio), the son of a mob boss who at one
time ruled the city. Roman was supposed to inherit the empire, but had
been set up and put in jail for 15 years by his childhood friend Angelo
(Joseph A. Halsey). Now that Roman's out, he begins looking for revenge and
to take back his family business.
With Stand
Up Guy being a gangster movie - is that at all a genre you're
especially fond of, and some of your genre favourites? I’m
very much attracted to crime movies. Not necessarily just gangster films.
I like the idea of people trying to make it rich quick any way they can. I
am interested in the behavior of criminal activity. In some cases it may
be clear that money or power is the motivator, but there is usually some
other reason that motivates as well. In Stand
Up Guy, Roman lost
everything he knew, his friends, his family, his inheritance. Those are
the motivators for his quest. As for other genres, I like almost
everything -- action, comedy, sci-fi, drama, western. I am pretty much all
over the spectrum. (Other)
sources of inspiration when writing Stand
Up Guy? And to what extent can you actually identify with both
Angelo and Roman?
The
Good, The Bad and The Ugly was a major influence for this film. I had
written the stories for two other gangster films: Send No Flowers and
The
Blue Lizard. This was my shot at a gangster trilogy. I tried to fit the
FBI agent, the gangster and the gangster wannabe to that mold.
Michael Riccio |
I
can relate to both Roman and Angelo. Roman had everything he could want in
the world and was betrayed by his best friends. The betrayal is something
I can relate to. And Angelo was jealous of his longtime friend who had
everything. Another area where I can relate.
As far as I know, Stand
Up Guy was your directorial debut - so why did you choose exactly
this story? Yes,
it’s my first time out as a director. I had directed some informational
commercials for one of my companies. Internal use only. When I met Michael
Riccio a year or so ago, we discussed doing a project together. He
mentioned to me a few ideas that inspired me to write. Michael also wanted
me direct and I had asked a few other people what they thought and was
supported by director Steve Sage Goldberg and director Fred Carpenter. What can you tell us about your directorial
approach to your story at hand? I
really just wanted a lot of anger to push though as well as give a feel
for manipulation. Roman is extremely angry, but he is also being
manipulated by Agent Cappelli (Russ Camarda). Angelo thinks he is
manipulating everyone so he can stay on top and getting away with it. He
is also angry he’s had to fight so hard to get to the top.
Agent Cappelli is trying to manipulate everyone, not caring who is
on top. He wants to look good to his superiors and get them off his back. Do talk about your cast,
and why exactly these people?
Performances
are extremely important with short films. Not that they aren’t with
features, but a short has very limited time to grab the audience. So cast
is really something I don’t want to mess with. At least that’s how I
feel more and more each time I’m on a project.
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Joseph A. Halsey |
Comfort
level was one of the reasons why we cast the actors we did. I knew
everyone we cast was great at their craft and that makes a guy like me
feel good when going into a project. I’ve worked with all of the other
actors prior to Stand
Up Guy. Joseph A. Halsey was in Junkie
Heaven, Russ
Camarda was in Send No Flowers and Bullified, Tony Kost was in
Send No
Flowers and Robert Hellmers was in pretty much everything I’ve worked
on.
Michael
Riccio was the newest actor to our fold. He did amazing work as Roman. We
worked on the character from day one and he was so excited about being
part of the film. A few words about the
shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
atmosphere was very professional. Steve Sage Goldberg and Cecily
Mihok-Trenka had my back every step of the way. It was one of the best
sets we ran together and the crew was totally on the ball. Thanks to the
whole crew for supporting and working on the film. Anything you
can tell us about audience and critical reception of your movie yet? We
started rolling out the trailer at this point. The reaction to that has
been great. It received a nomination for best trailer at the Long Island
International Film Expo. We should be submitting the completed film to
festivals within the next few weeks. Any
future projects you'd like to share? Sure,
I have two short film projects which I co-wrote. One is called Remember
Me?, directed by Cecily Mihok-Trenka. That one is a dramedy. The other is
called Hunter’s Moon, directed by Sean Q. King. That one is an intense
drama with horror elements. Both
films are outside my crime genre and I’m really appreciative to be a
part of them.
Lee directing Joseph A. Halsey |
As far as I know
you entered the filmworld as a screenwriter - so what can you tell us
about Lee Kolinsky the writer, and did you receive any formal education on
the subject? I
was a production assistant once on an independent Liev Schreiber film. It
really didn’t work for me. Other than that I’ve always been a writer.
I went to school for filmmaking and screenwriting. I have several feature
scripts written and my heart is certainly in the creating of great
concepts and turning them into scripts. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Stand Up Guy? I’ve
made four films prior to Stand
Up Guy. Two of them were features, both
directed by Fred Carpenter. We met through a mutual friend. Fred read one
of my scripts and decided to take a shot and brought me into his film
family. The Blue Lizard was made in 2002 and can be seen on idriveinmovie.com. The second,
Send No Flowers, can be seen on demand on Timewarner, Comcast and
Cox Pay Per View. The other two films were shorts
directed by Steve Sage Goldberg. They are Bullified
and Junkie
Heaven. Bullified
can be seen on DirectTV and AT&T Universe.
Junkie Heavenn is
hitting the film circuit.
How
would you describe yourself as a writer and as a director?
I’m
a patient filmmaker who wants to move fast and efficiently. If that makes
sense. Filmmakers,
writers, whoever else who inspire you? In
no order, David Mamet, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, William Goldman,
John Hughes, Wes Anderson and a whole slew of writers/flimmakers. Family
and real world experiences also inspire me. It’s pretty much the basis
for my work. Attitudes for characters come from that. Your favourite
movies?
In
no order: Highlander, Flash
Gordon, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Kelly’s
Heroes, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The
Wild Bunch, Miller’s Crossing. ... and of course, films you really deplore? I
don’t really deplore any movie, but I’m not a fan of editing where I
can’t catch up with the story. Any movie I walk out of the theatre with
a headache.
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Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.Lkolinsky.wix.com/lkolinsky
https://www.facebook.com/Standupguyshortfilm
https://www.facebook.com/SendNoFlowers
www.facebook.com/junkieheavenmovie
www.facebook.com/Bullified2013
http://www.idriveinmovie.com/bluelizard-full.htm
Anything else
you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thanks
For the interview. Appreciate it. Thanks
for the interview!
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