Two More Interviews with Jamie Bell on Mister Hallam Foe

It would be a huge lie to say Im not at all panicked of late, because I am in fact, quite distracted and worried now that Gustav is about to pay a visit...my beloved old city still hasnt fully recovered, and now, god forbid, more doom on perhaps an even larger and more catastrophic scale, is surely about to befall that place. Family and dear friends drove hours and hours and hours to get out already, but still even now, some are in Baton Rouge which is at least above sea level!, yet I fear they will bear a huge blunt of the storm. New Orleans is below sea level, and when those levies fail, so much was lost-not sure if they will be able to survive this one. Example what would happen if say Venice got hit by a hurricane...The highest danger in all of this is from the flooding that will wreak such havoc on NOLA and the parishes to the south and west (not that 155 mile an hour winds dont pack a hell of a punch either...), so its good that everyone is getting the hell out (im not there but my heart very much is as twee as it is to say) Its also quite easy to tell yourself well tis nothing since youve been through several hurricanes in your life and they can be relatively ok to endure, but this one, I am not so hopeful, as it is especially hard on the elderly and the wee ones too, and its bloody well hard not to be worried..

Right so to distract myself today, got an mail from my friends at the wonderful LA Times about a piece they are running on Jamie Bell. While not sure if they went to the recent junket, its a good read, short but at least its something! (btw NEW DAVID MACKENZIE PHOTO, along with Sophia Myles and JAMIE BELL online at Hollywoodnewswire.net from the recent junket at the Four Seasons Hotel held last week on August 26 -David is looking very zen, with his longer hair and beard, cant help it David -ADORE YOU lol. You can see the non watermarked photos at the excellent SophiaMyles.org too)

Although there is plenty of other film discussions, including his work in the highly anticipated Defiance with Daniel Craig, Jamie does discuss a bit on Mister Foe and working with David in this LA Times piece as follows:

" 'Mister Foe' is a bizarre, twisted, multilayered character study," Bell said. "It deals with very many dark subjects, but David brought this incredible lightness to it as well, comedy elements. There's a sweetness which I think the film really needed. And also, it was the first time I'd explored myself sexually on-screen; especially because of 'Young Adam,' [Mackenzie] definitely does it in a way that's very visceral, very alive with energy."

Bell clearly put a great deal of thought into his title role in "Mister Foe": his motivations before, during and after the film. The complex story involves a young man struggling to understand the death of his mother, touching on voyeurism, suicide and Oedipal themes. "I don't think it's going to gross $40 million in its opening weekend," he said with a smile. "Even in England to some extent it was, 'That's really pushing boundaries.' But I enjoy that. It played very well in Germany!"

Although Bell had been working with top-notch directors such as Clint Eastwood and Peter Jackson on major Hollywood projects, he missed nothing in switching back to shoestring cinema.

"Loved it. Really loved it. Working six-day weeks, freezing Scotland," he said, beaming. "Because my first film, 'Billy Elliot,' was such a collaborative, small, communal experience, that's what I'll always prefer, rather than bigger things. If you're a mechanism in a big machine, of course you care and you put your energy into it, but it's not the same as if you are the machine."


In addition to the Times piece, the Hartford Courier also has an article online, but the discussion on Hallam Foe is quite limited alas. Quotage: Bell describes the movie as the "ultimate troubled boy to young man story" but feels his professional arc to grown-up parts will be near completion with the Holocaust epic "Defiance," out in December. "That's very much young boy to man," he says.

BTW: The official Magnolia site for Mister Foe has added a few new theaters where the film will actually be shown on the big screen. List as of now stands thusly:

Opening

9/5/2008
Los Angeles, CA: The Landmark 12
New York, NY: Angelika Film Center

9/12/2008
San Diego, CA: Hillcrest Cinemas
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Center Cinema
Denver, CO: Mayan Theatre
Seattle, WA: Harvard Exit Theatre

9/19/2008
Chicago, IL: Music Box
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema

9/26/2008
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz 5 Movies

10/10/2008
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema
Gainesville, FL: Hippodrome - Gainesville

10/22/2008
Wilkes-Barre, PA: FM Kirby Center for Performing Arts