Your upcoming movie Scrooge in the Hood - in a few words, what's it
going to be about?
It's literally A Christmas Carol, but told through the eyes of our version of
Scrooge, who is a pimp that made his name in the 1970s. It follows the orginal
storyline pretty closely, except of course, the plot takes place in a very
crime stricken, messed up city called Cockton.
Why did you of all things choose Charles Dickens' A Christmas
Carol as the basis of your film, and how close are you going to stick
to the source material?
I always wanted to bastardize a
famous work that was taught in school. I really wanted to do something
Shakespeare, but Scrooge as a pimp was far too funny to pass up. And aside
from the Jewish mafia trying to kill Scrooge, the plot is very similar to
Dicken's play.
Any other sources of inspiration
besides the Dickens-story?
Alcohol consumption. How would you describe your
directorial approach to the material? I'm trying to make
the film look as ridiculous as possible. The characters are as over the
top as could be. Every traditional character is now a ghetto version of
the orginal. As far as I know,
Scrooge in the Hood is going to be a comedy. A few words about the film's
brand of humour?
George Raynor |
Crude and potentially offensive.
Scrooge in the
Hood's cast features a few quite recognizable names, right? What can you tell
us about your cast and crew?
I've made a handful of feature
films with this crew; we have good expierence working with ultra low
budgets. As far as recognizable cast, fans of the B-horror genre should
recogize Tina Krause [Tina Krause
interview - click here] and Seregon O'Dassey [Seregon
O'Dassey interview - click here] as appearing in many releases
nation-wide. And you can't overlook our lead actor, George Raynor, a
hardcore pimp himself.
Seregon O'Dassey |
The $64-question of course,
when will Scrooge in the Hood be released onto the public? It
should premiere near Boston for a December release - hopefully someone
wants to distribute it. I think the world needs to see this version of the
story. Let's
go all the way back to the beginning of your career: How did you get your
start in the film industry, and did you recieve any formal education on
the subject? And is it true you actually started out as an actor? I
didn't recieve any training as an actor or director, but made bad films in
college and that led to producing lower budget films around town. Been
doing that for 6 years now. I actually started out as a writer. What
can you tell us about Richard Chandler, the actor, and what do you prefer,
directing or acting - and why? Well, acting is fun. I'd act
more if I could. Directing is very hard - no one likes the boss. But both
are rewarding. You have directed quite a
few shorts throughout your career. A few words about those?
I
recommend fans of horror/sci-fi to check out Hangar 18 - the full movie is
on imdb. Other than that, well, much like a college student, I
experiemented with everthing.
A
few words about your debut feature, Sons of Perdition? It
was actually Our Kingdom Come which came first and Sons second. But no
one's keeping track, haha. It's a bit rough around the edges but probably
the most popular film we've shot.
Heaven and Hell |
In
Sons of Perdition you play a character called Attorney Zimmer, who
also pops up in your movies Our Kingdom Come and Heaven and Hell.
What can you tell us about these two movies and of course your character
in them? The character of Zimmer, is a neo Nazi who is
working for Lilith, the main villian. I enjoyed playing Zimmer; it's not
often you get to be that evil and get away with it.
Sons of Perdition |
Titles like Sons of Perdition, Our
Kingdom Come and Heaven and Hell all suggest some kind of
religious connection. Is there any truth to that assumption?
Yes,
definetly. The trilogy's plot incorperates demonology and other biblical
characters borrowed from the Christian religions. Some of the characters
include The Holy Spirit, angles, demons, and of course Satan. With
the film Legless though, you seem to leave any religious context
far behind. A few words about that one? Haha, yes, Legless
is a drinking comedy. I think with the Lilith-trilogy, we tackled religion
enough, and it was time to shoot a lighthearted silly comedy. Any other films
you'd like to talk about, any future projects?
Gilgamesh |
Currently,
we are attempting to raise money for a large sci-fi project, called Gilgamesh. Apart
from making your own movies, you also work as what I would term as a
"filmmaker for hire". What can you tell us about that aspect of
your career?
I'm available if another production company
needs a director, but I've been mostly hired to shoot music videos and
planned events.
... and you are also a published writer. A
few words about your novels? They're very dark. Dark Nation
(sci-fi) and Streets of Rage (crime). Directors who inspire you?
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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Martin
Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
Your
favourite movies?
Empire Strikes Back, Kill
Bill, Departed. ... and of course, films you really
deplored? Cabin
Fever. If you have a big budget, why copy
crappy b-horror humor and plotlines?
Your website, Facebook, whatever else? www.richardchandlerp.com
and of course, Boston Film Family, LLC is on Facebook. Anything
else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Nope,
we're good :) Thanks for the interview! Thanks
for the interview!
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