David Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos" makes his feature directing debut this fall, with Not Fade Away. (Technically his feature writing debut came in the form of a 1972 horror movie called Grave of the Vampire.)Starring John Magaro, James Gandolfini, Will Brill, Jack Huston, and Bella Heathcote, Not Fade Away takes place in the 1960s and tells the story of a local garage band. Inspired by the Rolling Stones, they have visions of making it big and changing the world, though real life, jobs, girlfriends, education, and other things eventually get in the way.
Chase presents the movie as a mood and memory piece, mainly, which essentially means that it has no plot, that the characters never really come to life, and there's no real emotional pull to the material. The actors are mostly unknowns, and it's difficult to tell them apart or remember who they were afterward.
At one point, two of the main characters go to the movies to see Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up. One of them complains that nothing is happening, while the other tries to find the mystery between the plot threads.
If Not Fade Away aspires to be that kind of movie, it really isn't. It's the kind of movie where, in a scene where something actually happens, like a motorcycle accident, the entire event stands out so much that it's not surprising at all.
I suppose that if you were alive during this time and have a visceral connection to it, you might enjoy the film, but for younger viewers, it's a bit dull. It plays like a slow-moving coming-of-age film with some cool old tunes on the soundtrack.
In any case, seeing the film gave me the chance to interview Mr. Chase. Following is my article as I submitted it to the San Francisco Examiner.
It's fairly evident from watching "The Sopranos" that David Chase is a rock 'n' roll fan, and he has brought this love to his big-screen directing debut, Not Fade Away, which opens this week in Bay Area theaters.
Chase is best known for his career as a writer in television, working on shows like "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and "The Rockford Files" before creating the groundbreaking "The Sopranos," which ran from 1999 to 2007.
Yet, though Chase likes to watch "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire" today, he considers himself more of a movie guy.
Not Fade Away tells the story of a 1960s-era, Rolling Stones-influenced rock 'n' roll band that never achieved success, but still generated its fair share of drama between band members, family, and girls.
Chase describes his own experience playing bass and singing in a band. "Like in the movie, [our band] pooled our money and made a demo. And that was it," he says.
"Other than that, we never did anything," he continues. "We never played a date in front of people. It would have ruined it. We played in the basement. We were our own audience. We considered ourselves a big supergroup in our town. It was all in our head."
Not Fade Away is unique in that it's not plot-focused and has no stars, though "Tony Soprano" himself, James Gandolfini, appears in a small, pivotal role.
While making his movie, Chase considered movies from the era, like Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up -- a clip of which is featured in Not Fade Away. Two characters watch it in a movie house and ponder its moods and mysteries.
"I respond to movies where there's a great deal of mood and texture, and plot kind of comes out of the behavior," he says.
To tell his story, Chase didn't specifically channel specific events from his past, but rather looked to memories. "The events of the movie are not exactly the events of my life," he says. "But the feelings and the emotional weight of it, how I felt about things at the time, how it felt to be in love, how I felt about music. That's all there."
He says that the music of the time played a huge part in shaping everything. "It's extremely powerful," he says. "It really comes down to the whole human experience. Are we going to go with our worst or our best instincts? And rock 'n' roll has both."
I'm not exactly sure what the title The Intouchables means, especially sounding so close to The Untouchables. But it's a warm, wonderful movie, and it was shortlisted today for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (It's one of nine finalists that will be winnowed down to the final five nominees.)
Up to now, the outrageously talented writer/director Quentin Tarantino has made both tightly constructed, polished gems (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), as well as outrageously sprawling works of near-insanity (Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds).
It's hard to imagine how such an exciting book became such a boring movie, especially since producer Francis Ford Coppola has been trying to make it since 1979. 
Mark gets approached by a newspaper to write about people with disabilities and sex. He begins by interviewing others, but eventually decides to enlist a sex therapist to help him experience his own personal sexual revolution.
In all of her scenes, Hunt immediately disrobes - we're talking full frontal nudity - and carefully slides into bed next to Mark. Over the course of their sessions, she coaches him on how to discover what's pleasurable, how to sustain that feeling and how to make his excitement last. Not surprisingly, in this process, Mark falls for Cheryl. What was surprising is that Cheryl also falls for him.
John Hawkes is unequivocally the star of "The Sessions." How he contorted his body like that and portrayed that disability with such conviction, I will never know. As Mark he was kind, funny and vulnerable. You truly rooted for him.
Inside the lobby was decked out in red and green for Christmas.
On the second floor there was a sitting area I dubbed "the Christmas corner." I love how warm and cozy it feels.
I arrived with a friend and we planned to share a room. When we approached the check in desk the greeter gave us our keys and asked us to read the hotel's policies and sign them. This is not something I am used to doing, so I read it word for word.
In the hallway each room's door is accented with a fountain shaped decoration.
At the time we arrived, our room was bathing in sunlight. We had two queen size beds, a sitting area, a desk and a walk in closet. Please also notice the two gold chandeliers.
The bedding was simple with crisp white sheets.
We had a nice annex with a table, chairs and an almost full length mirror.
Our bathroom was small, but did get great sunlight. Unfortunately it did take the shower a good 10 minutes to get hot and that hot water only lasted about five minutes. Not ideal.
My favorite part of the whole room was that the toiler paper was a fixed to the bathroom door. Why have I never thought of this? What an excellent space saving solution. Also, for all my friends who have cats (you know who you are) they would love this!
Our room was an excellent place to get ready for the wedding and an even better place to crash into bed after hours of dancing. Don't you worry, we obeyed the silence rule and managed not to get kicked out. In fact, when we stepped off the elevator on our way back to our room we were greeted by a giant poster on an easel that read, "Shhhhh! Quiet hours are in effect."
This space used to be the London Coffee House which dates back to the 1700s. I've lived in New England my whole life and sometimes I forget how special it is that we're on historic ground.
Red's was still decorated for Christmas with lots of wreaths, garlands and plants.
Check out the "R" on the railing!
When you step inside the noise level triples. The Red's dining room is always packed. Every seat. They have two diner-style counters and two full dining rooms of tables and booths. The waitresses know all the locals' names and I overheard one say, "Have a great day, guys. See you tomorrow!"
The hostess walked us to a table in the rear dining room. On our way we passed under this rustic Salem sign.
The Red's menu is classic diner fare - eggs, omelets, pancakes, french toast and a slew of deli sandwiches.
Both of my brunch companions ordered coffee which came in these branded mugs. The Red's waitresses are on it when it comes to the coffee. They appear every 10-15 minutes asking if you need a refresh.
One of my friends ordered the eggs florentine. She marveled, "I have never seen Hollandaise sauce so yellow!" We weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She said, "I really loved the home fries, but I wouldn't order this egg dish again. It was just . . . eh."
Another friend selected the sourdough French toast. It did not come topped with anything - powdered sugar, whipped cream or fruit. He topped it with a generous pour of maple syrup and gobbled it up.
He also requested a side of hash which arrived in a brick! You can't tell from this picture but this block of hash was about seven inches wide!
Hash it normally a bit more . . . what's the word . . . forked? This just didn't look fresh.
Red's is hangover food. Plain and simple. Maybe all these years of Sunday brunch in the city have spoiled me. I just expect more.
If you're in Salem and you need a fix, Red's is located at 15 Central Street.
Inside, Ball Square Cafe is very simply decorated. Most tables are for two or for four. We got a table right away in the back right corner.
The Ball Square Cafe menu is enormous and it tempts you even further by adding photos to each section.
At any point during your visit you can walk up to the self-serve coffee and tea station in the back left corner of the restaurant. They have all kinds of coffee and an insane selection of teas. I went with the vanilla bean which tasted and smelled heavenly.
Since I'd been waiting years to understand what all the Ball Square Cafe fuss is about, I decided we needed to go big. We each ordered a savory item and then chose two sweet items to share. I wanted to get the full experience.
I went with the Athenian omelet which was feta cheese, diced tomatoes and spinach. The omelet was huge and packed with goodies. It comes with your choice of potatoes and bread. I went with a whole wheat English muffin and the house specialty - Omar's grilled mashed potatoes. The potatoes were insanely delicious. Like Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, but with more garlic.
For our two sweet items, we knew we wanted one to be French toast. There was a French toast special that sounded amazing - blueberries and marscapone - but they were sold out! Our second choice was the nutella and banana stuffed French toast. When we ordered it, our waitress asked if we'd like it topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream. Both please!
We got a half order (two slices instead of four) which was definitely the right move because it was so rich. I was afraid it might taste too chocolately, but it was actually just right and one piece per person was perfect.
I appreciate that Ball Square Cafe lets you do half orders (including French toast, pancakes and eggs benedict) because sometimes you just want a little of something. As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "Sometimes a girl just needs a half."
He was equally convincing as the town savior, the man who looks out for the poor and the weak. He also has a great singing voice. I think he had the most numbers and he sang each one like a pro.
Hugh clearly has tremendous commitment to his roles. From filming soaking wet for the opening number, to wading through sewers covered in filth, he does whatever it takes for the good of the part.
Along with Hugh Jackman, the star of the first 30 minutes of the film is Anne Hathaway. I know many people hate her and find her irritating, but you cannot deny her talent in this role. As Fantine she is fiercely focused on protecting her daughter, no matter the cost. She loses her job, sells her hair, her teeth and eventually her body, all to send money to her daughter.
When she sang "I dreamed a dream" I was nervous I wouldn't be into it because it's the song in the trailer and I've seen that over 20 times. But in the moment, while she was singing, I was totally mesmerized. That number is going to win her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I'm calling it right now.
I read a great interview in Vogue with Anne Hathaway talking about her physical transformation for this part. The reporter describes:
The actress who plays the young Cosette also had a beautiful voice. The two as a pair were cast perfectly.
I was super impressed by Samantha Barks who plays Eponine, the daughter of the inn keepers (more on that in a minute). I didn't recognize her from any other movies or TV shows, but she blew me away with her voice. Her character is hopelessly in love with a man who only has eyes for another. You feel her heart break in every song. I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this actress.
Eponine is the daughter of the town inn keepers played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. Perhaps only actors with three names were eligible for these roles? These two off beat personalities were the best choices to play the Thenardiers. Their scenes were comical, kooky and all slightly uncomfortable. I can't wait to see what Sacha does on the red carpet this year (remember last year he dumped an urn full of flour on Ryan Seacrest?).
A major shout out to Aaron Tveit who plays Enjolras, the leader of the French revolution rebels. I first watched him as Trip van der Bilt on "Gossip Girl" but his roots are in musical theater. He has starred on Broadway in Catch Me if You Can, Wicked, Hairspray and more. He has one of the strongest voices in the cast and he gets the chance to really show it off. Too bad they stuck him with that awful wig.
Now, I've saved the best for last, my crush Eddie. I first fell in love with Eddie when he played opposite Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn." Since then I swoon over each and every one of his ads for Burberry. Here, in the role of Marius, Eddie plays a boy whose world is turned upside when he falls in love at first sight. I have to admit, Eddie is not the best singer. He definitely over did it and he moves his mouth and head way too much while singing. It just looked unnatural. But he did totally nail his scenes with Cosette.
At the close of the movie, in the scene where Jean Valjean is dying, the entire theater was crying. All around me I could hear the sniffles and see the movement of people wiping their eyes and reaching for tissues. They really get you there at the end!