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#29: “We Need the Indiana Jones Character”, Says Novelist Max McCoy

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Just like in our last episode, today’s guest is not a filmmaker but a novelist. In our last episode, I spoke to Rob MacGregor who wrote several Indiana Jones novels at the beginning of the Nineties – this time, I’m talking to writer Max McCoy who continued the series from 1995 to 1999 with four original Indiana Jones stories, starting with INDIANA JONES AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE and continuing with INDIANA JONES AND THE DINOSAUR EGGS, THE HOLLOW EARTH and THE SECRET OF THE SPHINX.

Before his Indy series, Max had already written several novels in the Western genre, including THE SIXTH RIDER, SONS OF FIRE and its sequel HOME TO TEXAS and THE WILD RIDER. After the Indiana Jones books, he wrote several other Western novels like HELLFIRE CANYON, DAMNATION ROAD or the Ophelia Wylde Paranormal Mystery series and the Ghost Rifle series, but also thrillers like HINTERLAND, non-fiction books like ELEVATIONS: A PERSONAL EXPLORATION OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER, and the novelization of the Steven Spielberg-produced TV series INTO THE WEST. Max has won not only several awards for his novels, including three Spur Awards, but also for his investigative reporting – because in his other career, Max also works as a journalist and for many years taught as a professor of journalism at Emporia State University in Kansas.

In our conversation, Max recalls how he became involved with the world of Indiana Jones, and how he distilled the ideas of George Lucas into a series of stories that feel very close to the original Indy movies. He discusses the importance and the appeal of the Indy character, the input from Lucasfilm and some ideas that didn’t make it into his novels. He also talks about his research process, his literary influences, and much more.

The interview was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, please check out episode #64, which features an in-depth discussion of the Indiana Jones novels by Rob MacGregor, Max McCoy and Wolfgang Hohlbein. Also, make sure to listen to my interview with Rob MacGregor here on Talking Pictures – the novelist who six original Indiana Jones novels in the early 90’s.

So without any further ado, here’s Max McCoy!

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photos courtesy of Max McCoy
Editing: Christoph Schwarz
Music: Clark Kent

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#28: Mythology and Spirituality: Rob MacGregor on his Indiana Jones Novels

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Today’s guest is not a filmmaker – but his best-known work is closely connected to one of the most popular movie series of all time. It is novelist Rob MacGregor, who wrote the novelization of Steven Spielberg’s third Indiana Jones movie, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE – and then went on to write six more original Indy adventures shortly afterwards, starting with INDIANA JONES AND THE PERIL AT DELPHI in 1991 and then continuing with DANCE OF THE GIANTS, THE SEVEN VEILS, THE GENESIS DELUGE, THE UNICORN’S LEGACY and INDIANA JONES AND THE INTERIOR WORLD throughout 1991 and 1992.

Rob also wrote many other novels, including the Will Lansa Young Adult series which started with PROPHECY ROCK in 1995 and the Nicholas Pierce series which started with CRYSTAL SKULL in 1991. He also published many other mysteries, adventure stories and sci-fi & fantasy stories, including SEVENTH BORN and TULPAS; he wrote books together with Peter Benchley and with Billy Dee Williams and he wrote novelizations for movies like THE PHANTOM and SPAWN. He also wrote numerous non-fiction books, many of them with his wife Trish MacGregor – including books on synchronicity, psychic powers and paranormal mysteries.

In our conversation, Rob recalls his early days as a writer and his journey into the world of Indiana Jones. He talks about working on the six Indy novels and the connections between the stories, the input of George Lucas and Lucasfilm, the popularity of the Indy books and some of his influences in terms of mythology and writing.

The interview was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, please check out episode #64, which features an in-depth discussion of the Indiana Jones novels by Rob MacGregor, Max McCoy and Wolfgang Hohlbein. Also, make sure to listen to my interview with Max McCoy here on Talking Pictures – the novelist who continued the Indiana Jones novel series with four more books in the late 90’s.

So without any further ado, here’s Rob MacGregor – who is unsure whether he should re-read his Indy books after all those years …

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Portrait photo courtesy of Rob MacGregor
Editing: Christoph Schwarz
Music: Clark Kent

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#27: “Nothing Would Ever Top the Ark of the Covenant”: Screenwriter Menno Meyjes on INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE

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Today’s guest is screenwriter and director Menno Meyjes, best known for his collaboration with Steven Spielberg in the 80’s. Menno was born in the Netherlands but moved to the United States in 1972 to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. After writing a script for one of the best-known episodes of Spielberg’s AMAZING STORIES TV series – “The Mission”, starring a young Kevin Costner and directed by Spielberg himself – Menno received an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel THE COLOR PURPLE, as directed by Spielberg. As a screenwriter, he also worked on films like Franklin Schaffner’s LIONHEART, Russell Mulcahy’s RICOCHET and Edward Zwick’s THE SIEGE.

After THE COLOR PUPLE, Menno was brought in to work on the third Indiana Jones movie, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, taking over from writer Chris Columbus whose MONKEY KING script had been rejected. In our conversation, Menno talks about his collaboration with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and how elements like the search for the Holy Grail and Indy’s father were introduced.

He also discusses some of the other films he’s worked on, including his directorial debut MAX, an independent gem starring John Cusack as a Jewish art dealer based in Munich who, shortly after WWI, encounters a young, struggling painter named Adolf Hitler whose anger and disillusionment is slowly finding other, more harmful outlets. Menno also talks about his work on MANOLETE, a biopic starring Adrien Brody as the popular Spanish bullfighter, and he discusses his more recent move back to the Netherlands to direct independent films like THE DINNER and THE REUNION.

So without any further ado, here’s Menno Meyjes recalling how he came on board of INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Editing: Christoph Schwarz
Music: Clark Kent

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#26: CRITTERS, CREEPERS & Other Impossible Projects: A Conversation with Producer Barry Opper

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Today’s guest is Barry Opper, best known as the producer of the CRITTERS series, the tongue-in-cheek sci-fi horror series about furry little creatures from outer space creating havoc here on Earth. Barry started out, together with his business partner Rupert Harvey, as the producer of Aaron Lipstadt’s 1982 sci-fi cult film ANDROID, which was made in collaboration with Roger Corman and starred Klaus Kinski and Barry’s brother Don, who also wrote the screenplay. Barry and Rupert went on to produce the CRITTERS series, which also starred Don as Critter hunter Charlie, and they also made Aaron Lipstadt’s post-apocalyptic film CITY LIMITS and the noir-ish crime thriller SLAM DANCE, both also written by Don. Later on, Barry worked as a producer on the first instalment of Victor Salva’s JEEPERS CREEPERS series and co-produced video director Marc Klasfeld’s feature-film debut, the biting satire THE L.A. RIOT SPECTACULAR.

In our conversation, Barry recalls how he went from working as a teacher in West Africa to joining the Company Theater group in Los Angeles and then becoming a movie producer. He tells numerous anecdotes from his various movies – for example, how a young and unknown teenager named Leo DiCaprio became one of the stars of CRITTERS 3. He discusses some of the problems that the productions ran into – including creative differences on SLAM DANCE and a difficult situation on JEEPERS CREEPERS which led to Barry being fired from the film. Barry also talks about his personal and his creative relationship with his Brother Don, and he discusses some of the projects he is currently working on.

The interview was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, please visit lichtspielplatz.at and check out episode #63, which features an in-depth discussion of Barry’s first film ANDROID. Also, make sure to listen to my interview with ANDROID director Aaron Lipstadt here on Talking Pictures.

So without any further ado, here’s Barry Opper discussing how he became interesting in the world of movies.

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photos courtesy of Barry Opper
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

 

Talking Pictures #25: Aaron Lipstadt, Director of ANDROID

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Today’s guest is Aaron Lipstadt, best known from the mid-80’s onwards as a director on popular TV shows like MIAMI VICE, QUANTUM LEAP, LAW & ORDER, CROSSING JORDAN, THE 4400, BOSCH or ELEMENTARY. As a producer/director, he also worked on shows like THE MARSHAL, THE DIVISION, MEDIUM and GRIMM.

In our interview, however, we go back to the beginning of Aaron’s career – to an independent little science-fiction gem called ANDROID, which came out in 1982 and was compared by film critic Roger Ebert to cult debut films like George Lucas’ THX 1138 and John Carpenter’s DARK STAR. ANDROID was produced by Roger Corman and starred Klaus Kinski as a mad scientist working on a life-like robot called Max. The android was played by Don Opper, who also co-wrote the screenplay and then, a few years later, became a cult figure as bounty hunter Charlie in the CRITTERS series. In our conversation, Aaron recalls how he learned the ropes at Roger Corman’s company and how ANDROID came together, he discusses working with Kinski, talks about the ideas and themes of the movie and much more. Aaron also discusses his follow-up film CITY LIMITS, a post-apocalyptic action picture that, as he says, almost killed his career – and he recalls how he became involved with television directing, starting with an episode of MIAMI VICE.

The interview was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, please check out our episode #63, which features an in-depth discussion of ANDROID. Also, make sure to listen to my interview with Barry Opper, the producer of ANDROID and CRITTERS, which will be released shortly here on Talking Pictures.

So without any further ado, here’s Aaron Lipstadt!

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Lipstadt
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

 

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Talking Pictures #22: Nicholas Meyer, Writer of THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION

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Today’s guest is the amazing writer and director Nicholas Meyer. While Meyer is probably best known as the writer and director of the beloved sci-fi sequels STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN and STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY and also as the director of the sci-fi adventure TIME AFTER TIME and the devastating nuclear disaster TV movie THE DAY AFTER, our conversation revolves around his Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1974, Meyer published the bestselling novel THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION, presented as a rediscovered manuscript in which Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective meets Sigmund Freud in Vienna who cures him of his cocaine addiction. Meyer received an Academy Award nomination for adapting his book into a screenplay for the movie version directed by Herbert Ross, which was released in 1976 and starred Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave and Sir Laurence Olivier.

Meyer wrote four more Holmes novels in the following years, starting with THE WEST-END HORROR, in which Holmes and Watson solve a case in London’s theatre district and meet famous artists like George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker. In the third Holmes novel, THE CANARY TRAINER, Holmes works undercover as a violinist at the Paris Opera and crosses paths with Gaston Leroux’s famous Phantom of the Opera. More recently, Meyer wrote THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS, in which Holmes is on the trail of the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a vicious forgery which is supposed to document a Jewish plan for world domination. The fifth Holmes novel, THE RETURN OF THE PHARAOH, is set in Egypt and has an older Holmes working with archeologist Howard Carter on solving a mystery revolving around a previously undiscovered pharaoh’s tomb.

Meyer’s Sherlock Holmes novels and his insightful autobiography THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE.

In our conversation, Nicholas Meyer discusses how he developed the ideas of his Holmes novels and how he found the connection between Arthur Conan Doyle and Sigmund Freud. He talks about the process of adapting the book for the film version of THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION and about his discussions with director Herbert Ross revolving around several changes. We also discuss the other Holmes novels and take a brief detour into Meyer’s STAR TREK movies. Meyer also explains why the job of a psychoanalyst is similar to that of a movie editor, and he shares a story that revolves around his take on the concept of originality.

The interview was conducted in connection with our German companion podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, make sure to check out episode #57 which features an in-depth discussion of the film THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION and all five of Meyer’s Holmes novels.

So without any further ado, here’s the brillant Holmes to my ordinary Watson – Nicholas Meyer!

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photo of Nicholas Meyer: Leslie Fram
Photo of Meyer books: Christian Genzel
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

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Talking Pictures #20: Allan Warnick, Supporting Actor in CHINATOWN

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This is the second part of our CHINATOWN series where we discuss the making of Roman Polanski’s 1974 masterpiece, and today’s guest is character actor Allan Warnick. CHINATOWN is Allan’s best-known role, and if you’ve seen the film, you remember Allan from the perfect and very funny scene in the Hall of Records where he plays the stuck-up clerk who tells Jack Nicholson that “This is not a lending library”.

Allan worked on several other films during the era, starting with Dennis Hopper’s EASY RIDER follow-up THE LAST MOVIE and then appearing in films like MOTHER, JUGS & SPEED by Peter Yates alongside actors like Harvey Keitel and Raquel Welch, POSSE by and with Kirk Douglas, ROCKY II by and with Sylvester Stallone – and also in the CHINATOWN sequel THE TWO JAKES, directed by Jack Nicholson, where he appears as another snooty clerk. In our conversation, Allan shares his memories of the CHINATOWN shoot and his other appearances as an actor, and he provides a captivating glimpse of the era itself – including a run-in with Charles Manson!

Allan Warnick.

Make sure to also listen to my interview with CHINATOWN assistant director Hawk Koch in Talking Pictures #19. The third CHINATOWN interview, a conversation with editing expert Bobbie O’Steen, the wife of late CHINATOWN editor Sam O’Steen, will be online shortly. The CHINATOWN interviews were conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, please check out episode #56, which features an in-depth discussion of Polanski’s film.

So without any further ado, here’s Allan Warnick recalling how he became an actor.

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photos courtesy of Allan Warnick.
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

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Talking Pictures #19: Hawk Koch, Assistant Director of CHINATOWN

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Our third season starts with three interviews where we discuss the making of one of the most revered New Hollywood classics, Roman Polanski’s CHINATOWN, originally released in 1974 and now considered to be one of the best American movies of all time. Today’s episode features my conversation with Hawk Koch, who worked on CHINATOWN as an assistant director and had previously worked with Polanski as a dialogue coach on ROSEMARY’S BABY in 1968.

Hawk Koch is the son of Hollywood producer Howard Koch, best known as the producer of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and THE ODD COUPLE. Originally known as Howard Koch Jr., Hawk worked as a road manager for the Supreses and the Dave Clark Five before he entered the film business as an assistant director during the New Hollywood era, working with legends like John Schlesinger on THE MARATHON MAN, Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford on THE WAY WE WERE, Alan Pakula and Warren Beatty on THE PARALLAX VIEW and, again with Beatty, HEAVEN CAN WAIT. Hawk later became a producer who was responsible for terrific films like WAYNE’S WORLD, SLIVER, PRIMAL FEAR, KEEPING THE FAITH and SOURCE CODE. Like his father in the late 70’s, Hawk Koch served as the President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences from 2012 and 2013.

Hawk Koch (left) with director Roman Polanski.

 

Hawk Koch with Mia Farrow on the set of Polanski’s ROSEMARY’S BABY.

In our interview, Hawk remembers the shooting of CHINATOWN and working with Roman Polanski. He also has vivid memories of working on films like THE PARALLAX VIEW, Richard Rush’s GETTING STRAIGHT or Peter Fonda’s THE HIRED HAND. We also discuss Hawk’s wonderful Hollywood memoir MAGIC TIME – if you want to know more about his adventures in Hollywood and learn more about the relationship with his famous father, make sure to read it as Hawk is a gifted storyteller.

Make sure to also check out my interview with Allan Warnick, the actor from the famous “Hall of Records” scene, in Talking Pictures episode #20. There will be another CHINATOWN interview online soon, a conversation with Bobbie O’Steen, the wife of late CHINATOWN editor Sam O’Steen. The CHINATOWN interviews were conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz – so if you speak German, please check out Lichtspielplatz episode #56, which features an in-depth discussion of Polanski’s film.So without any further ado, here’s Hawk Koch remembering the changes brought along by the New Hollywood movement.

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photos courtesy of Hawk Koch.
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

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Talking Pictures #18: John Ottman, Director of URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT

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For today’s episode, I had the honor and pleasure of talking to John Ottman, best known as the editor and composer of several X-MEN films – X-MEN 2, DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and APOCALYPSE – and of other Bryan Singer movies like THE USUAL SUSPECTS, VALKYRIE and SUPERMAN RETURNS. In 2019, he won an Academy Award for editing the Queen biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. He’s also scored numerous other well-known films like THE NICE GUYS, HOUSE OF WAX, GOTHIKA, UNKNOWN and NON-STOP.

Our conversation, however, revolves around John’s feature film debut as a director: URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT from 2000, the sequel to Jamie Blanks’ successful neo-slasher film URBAN LEGEND. Where the original film focused on killings inspired by urban legends, John’s sequel was set in a film school where the students are murdered because of their connection to a certain movie, so the film features numerous creative sequences which playfully comment on the mechanisms of making movies and the tropes of horror movies.

In our interview, John recalls how he got on board as a director, how the project developed and how an added scene changed the tone of the movie. He talks about working with a young Eva Mendes, discusses how his own experiences in film school found their way into the film, how he ended up editing the movie himself, and much more. John also recalls how he missed out on the very first X-MEN movie because of his commitment to URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT, and he discusses a new project currently in development with him as a director.

John Ottman with the cast & crew of URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT.

The interview with John Ottman was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, check out episode #51, which features an in-depth discussion of the first two URBAN LEGEND movies. Also, make sure to listen to Talking Pictures episode #17 in which I talk to the director of the original film, Jamie Blanks.

So without any further ado, here’s Talking Pictures with John Ottman!

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

Photos courtesy of John Ottman.
Photo credit for Ottman portrait: Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (9953559dr) John Ottman at Variety’s Music for Screens Summit at NeueHouse Hollywood on October 30, 2018. Variety Music for Screens summit, Los Angeles, USA – 30 Oct 2018

Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.
Thanks to Michael Hollands from Sound of the Movies.

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Talking Pictures #17: Jamie Blanks, Director of URBAN LEGEND

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Today’s guest is Australian horror movie director and genre aficionado Jamie Blanks. Jamie made a name for himself with his 1998 feature film debut URBAN LEGEND, a neo-slasher movie that came out in the wake of Wes Craven’s SCREAM movies and which told the story of a madman whose killings are based on popular urban legends. With a great cast of people like Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson, Robert Englund and Brad Dourif and a keen sense of style, the film became a hit which spawned two sequels.

Jamie then made another stylish slasher movie, VALENTINE, which took its cues from the Italian giallo movies and again featured an excellent cast of actors like Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw, Denise Richards and Katherine Heigl. Jamie directed two more movies in his home country, the grim, intense backwoods horror movie STORM WARNING, and a remake of an Australian 70’s cult classic, LONG WEEKEND. In recent years, he’s worked as an editor and composer, most notably for popular Mark Hartley B-movie documentaries like ELECTRIC BOOGALOO or NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD.

Jamie Blanks (left) with URBAN LEGEND producer Neil H. Moritz (middle) and star Jared Leto.
Jamie Blanks discussing a scene with URBAN LEGEND star Rebecca Gayheart.
In our conversation, Jamie discusses how he got the opportunity to direct URBAN LEGEND after he was originally briefly involved with another well-known horror film of that era, he talks about his stylistic choices and the screen history of some his actors, and he recalls receiving some very good advice from Wes Craven himself.

We also discuss Jamie’s other movies and talk about how his student short film SILENT NUMBER paved the way for URBAN LEGEND, we talk about the feminist tendencies of VALENTINE, the extreme aspects of STORM WARNING, the challenges of remaking LONG WEEKEND, his influences, the appeal of Australian horrors, and much more. Jamie even teases a new project he’s working on a as a director.

On the set of VALENTINE, with star Marley Shelton.
Directing a particularly gruesome sequence on the set of STORM WARNING.
The interview with Jamie Blanks was conducted in connection with our German-language podcast Lichtspielplatz, so if you speak German, check out episode #51, which features an in-depth discussion of the first two URBAN LEGEND movies. Also, make sure to listen to Talking Pictures episode #18 in which I talk to the director of the URBAN LEGEND sequel, renowned editor and composer John Ottman.

So without any further ado, here’s Talking Pictures with Jamie Blanks!

The mp3 file can be downloaded HERE.

All photos courtesy of Jamie Blanks.
Thanks to Dr. Wily, my Lichtspielplatz podcasting partner for audio editing. The music was created by Clark Kent.

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