rick_schwartz

That's true, I suppose everyone is a critic in some form or another. I don't really pay that much attention to critics - professional or otherwise - I'd imagine it would be pretty paralyzing. I root for everyone to make great content, film, tv, digital, etc. just purely as a fan. If someone doesn't like Lip Sync Battle they shouldn't watch it.

I do feel like attributing the death of culture to a 23 minute tv show is overstating things a bit.

It was really fun and interesting to work with Robert Rodriguez and his team. He shoots all of his stuff at his own private studio in Austin Texas and has a great rapport with actors. Kind of a producer's dream. Super easy, very clever and creative, and took me out for the best barbecue I've ever had.

I guess my favorite moment was on Robert DeNiro's first day. Danny Trejo had been shooting for weeks at that point, and when Bob came on set, there was a respectful hush. I was going to introduce them but wasn't quite sure how, when DeNiro came running over to Danny and gave him a huge hug. They'd worked together years earlier on a great movie called Heat and had great respect for one another.

So cool to see a veteran actor like Danny, after all those years of character roles, finally stepping into the spotlight.

The Departed is a remake of a great film. If you watch them side by side, you'll see it's hardly a shot by shot comparison. That being said, many films are inspired by other films - even Scorsese himself often cites major influences in his work. I love the original Infernal Affairs; just because a film is great, doesn't mean remaking it in another language is either easy or will work.

I personally loved the original Oldboy but didn't care for Spike Lee's version. They're all different and unique, filmmakers and actors bring their own voice along for the ride.

As a kid, I didn't even know that producing was a job. I dreamed about sports and girls, and not in that order.

It's a much more acceptable way to make a living now, working in a creative field. My parents are still disappointed I'm not a doctor. Or an accountant. Or anything they can understand and explain in 1 sentence.

Good question, I've been trying to figure that one out for a while, along with many other producers. Some films I've been a part of - like The Others or Black Swan - were made for under $20m and I don't think they would have gotten made today. The audience for "low budget" commercial movies has shrunk considerably; even the box office returns of successful ones like Spotlight and The Big Short pale in comparison to the Marvel flicks.