Kevin Lally on Film

Louis Malle in 1987: ‘My Time Is The Most Precious Thing I Have’

One of my very favorite interviews was with the great French director Louis Malle. In December 1987, he welcomed me into his lovely apartment on Manhattan’s Central Park South and was the essence of charm. We talked about Au Revoir, Les Enfants, his most personal film and his triumphant return to France after a successful decade…

gkevinlally

January 23, 2023

Filmmakers, Malle, Louis

Roman Polanski in 1994: ‘I Don’t Think I Made My Film Yet’

I’ve been hesitant to post my 1994 phone interview with Roman Polanski, for obvious reasons. The now 89-year-old Polish director is arguably more controversial than ever after the emergence of the “Me Too” movement. His sleazy targeting of an underage girl in 1977 (one of several sexual abuse accusations) is inexcusable, but I can’t deny…

gkevinlally

January 9, 2023

Filmmakers, Polanski, Roman

Revisiting ‘Fargo,’ the Coen Brothers’ ‘True Crime’ Classic

The Coen Brothers lied to me. Promoting their 1996 dark comedy Fargo, the filmmaking siblings told the press their crime tale was based on a real incident. The movie itself begins with the statement, “This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the…

gkevinlally

December 30, 2022

Coen, Joel and Ethan, Filmmakers

Thelma Schoonmaker and Michael Powell’s Off-Screen Movie Love Story

I find it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 28 years since I met Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorsese’s longtime editor. The occasion was a retrospective of films by her late husband, the great Michael Powell, and the restoration of one of his masterpieces, A Matter of Life and Death. Since our 1995 interview, Schoonmaker has been…

gkevinlally

December 15, 2022

Filmmakers, Schoonmaker, Thelma

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon Transform a Personal Crisis Into a Witty Romantic Comedy

It was such a pleasure to meet Kumail Nanjiani and his wife and writing partner Emily V. Gordon at CinemaCon 2017, shortly after they introduced footage from their film The Big Sick. The $5 million comedy went on to gross $44 million in the U.S. and Canada, and earned the pair an Oscar nomination for their…

gkevinlally

December 10, 2022

Filmmakers, Gordon, Emily V., Nanjiani, Kumail, Showalter, Michael

Billy Wilder’s ‘The Apartment’ Is My Kind of Christmas Movie

I was pleased to see Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning The Apartment prominently featured in CNN’s 2022 special “Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen.” A Christmas Story is great, but this is a film I’d happily watch in a Dec. 25th marathon. To celebrate the wonders of The Apartment, here is my chapter on that masterpiece…

gkevinlally

December 1, 2022

Film Appreciation