Joey Magidson
I like the way Todd Bartels and Lou Howe think. Not only are they Anthony Bourdain fans like I am, as you’ll find out, and foodies (a significant portion of my earnings goes towards actually eating well), they’re also Hideo Kojima fans, given their work on an upcoming Metal Gear Solid adaptation. So, the prospect of talking to the pair about their script for Tony was rather exciting. Last month, after having seen the film, I hopped on Zoom to talk Bourdain, Tony, and more with them. My review of the movie went up last week, and now, with the flick about to hit theaters, I’m happy to present my chat with Bartels and Howe.
In my rave review of Tony, found here, I praised the filmmaking on display like so:
Matt Johnson directs a screenplay he’s co-written with Todd Bartels, Lou Howe, and Matthew Miller. He brings a great bit of anarchy to the kitchen scenes and is clearly fascinated with what’s going on inside his protagonist’s head. Bartlels, Howe, Johnson, and Miller make the correct decision to never allude to the tragic end of Bourdain’s life, instead letting an audience member aware of his fate make whatever connections they choose to. Instead, Johnson and company seem fueled by that Bourdain quote from above that kicks things off, letting that be their ethos. While I adore Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, this actually resembles the more structured chaos of BlackBerry, which will come as an exciting prospect to anyone who loved that film. Well paced, the flick has the exact right tone for its subject.
Below, you can hear my conversation with Bartels and Howe. There’s a little Kojima/Metal Gear Solid talk in here, but we mostly are discussing Bourdain and Tony. Between how they opted to present the main while he was still coming of age to what they chose not to include, part of why this flick is so good rests on their early decisions. They also have very nice things to say about Matt Johnson, who came aboard to direct and also co-wrote a draft of the screenplay. So, there’s lots to get into here, and while we didn’t have a ton of time, I think we made excellent use of it. The film is quite good, one of my favorites of the year so far, and well worth your attention. So, listen to our chat, but then definitely check out Tony. The movie is for far more than just Bourdain fans, trust me there.
Here now is my interview with Tony screenwriters Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. Enjoy:
Tony is in theaters this weekend!
Comments
Loading…