Jami Bernard on New Yorkissa asuva elokuvakriitikko, jonka uran varrelle on sattunut monenlaisia tapahtumia. Hän on toiminut mm. New York Postin elokuvakriitikkona ja nykyään hän toimii New York Daily Newsin elokuvakriitikkona. Hänen kolumnejaan ja artikkeleita on julkaistu mm. Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Allure, Starlog, Fangoria ja Glamour -nimisissä julkaisuissa. Hänen elokuva-aiheisia esitelmiään on painettu myös National Society of Film Critics kokoelma-julkaisuissa The A-List ja Flesh & Blood. Hän on myös esiintynyt televisiossa (Oprah, Good Morning America, HBO Entertainment News jne).

Hän on julkaissut yhteensä viisi kirjaa, joista yhteen kiinnitämme tänään hieman enemmän huomiota. LIKE:n kustantama Tarantino on Tarantino (Quentin Tarantino: The Man And His Movies) on ollut monille Tarantino-faneille todella arvokas lähdetiedon hakuteos.

Olin sen verran onnekas, että pystyin tavoittamaan tämän arvostetun kriitikon sähköpostin välityksellä. Haastattelu ja vastaukset ovat englanniksi (haastateltava on myös korjaillut kysymyksiä hieman "sanastoa" vastaaviksi).

BOOK QUESTIONS

Jarmo Hänninen: Your book about Tarantino was first published at 1995. Who had the original idea of doing this book? You or publisher? Or some other person?

Jami Bernard: I had met Quentin several times at film festivals, and had lunch with him at the Cannes Film Festival after the debut screening of "Pulp Fiction," so I was the right person at the right time. I also had access to and cooperation from Miramax, the studio that released "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs."

JH: Was it easy to start writing about "the man and his movies"?

JB: It took a while to figure out the structure of the book. Quentin hadn't made that many movies at that time, and yet he didn't come out of nowhere. He had really spent his life working toward the goal of being not only a movie director, but a famous movie director. So I broke up his life into blocks of "effort," starting with his childhood and also concentrating on the collaborations he had with his friends from the video store where he worked.

JH: How about the interviews? Was it nerve-wracking or exciting? And which ones were most difficult to get?

JB: It was certainly nerve-wracking, because I did 90 interviews for the book, as well as writing the whole thing, in the space of three months, while I was still working at my job at the N.Y. Daily News. Once Miramax and Quentin agreed to cooperate, it was relatively easy to get people to talk to me. But the hardest part was scheduling them so they wouldn't bump into each other. His mother and his friends from the video store, for example, could talk for hours, but Bruce Willis and John Travolta were only available for short periods of time. And, even though I have met many celebrities, I am still a little shocked when Bruce Willis calls me at home to chat. While I was on the phone with Willis, his youngest daughter took her first steps, and he interrupted our conversation with squeals of delight and pride.

JH: Would you recommend this kind of work for others?

JB: I'm not sure what you're asking here, but writing a biography is very hard work, and I'm not sure I ever want to do that again! Writing any book is hard, but you have a large responsibility when you're writing about someone else's life. Quentin loved the book and took me to dinner at the Toronto Film Festival to discuss it with me after it was published, but he respectfully disagreed with some of the conclusions I came to about him.

JH: What is the best way to start writing this kind of book?

JB: To write about a celebrity, you need to know you will have access to him or her, and therefore to their friends and colleagues. It's hard to get into that position, but it's more possible just before they become too famous. So if you're a writer and you know someone who has a lot of talent, and you believe that one day they are going to be "big," start taking notes early!

JH: After the Kill Bill-movies and the possible Inglorious Bastards, is there going to be more up-to-date edition of the book?

JB: I don't know, because the rights to this book are tied up with my former agents, and I have not received any payments or book statements from them on this or three other of my books in about five years.

TARANTINO QUESTIONS

JH: Would you prefer to think of yourself as a fan of Quentin Tarantino or of his movies?

JB: I love most of his movies and I have a lot of faith in Quentin's talent. But I would prefer the term "admirer," because "fan" sometimes means that you love someone's work without question or reservation.

JH: What is your favourite QT movie and why?

JB: "Pulp Fiction" is my favorite, for many reasons. But the main reason is that I remember that first screening of it at the Cannes Film Festival. It was a delirious, totally fun, unprecedented experience for me! I was laughing and screaming and howling, while next to me was a European journalist who was cringing and hated every second of it. In that sense, it really was like being on a roller coaster, where some people are having the best time in the world, and others are afraid and feeling a little sick. It's not often a movie can have that kind of visceral effect!

JH: The ordinary fans in Finland have never met QT "live". Could you describe him as a person? Is he nice or does he treat the fans like in the beginning of From Dusk till Dawn "documentary" Full tilt Boogie? ;)

JB: He's very nice and spontaneous. In fact, he treats his fans better than anyone I've ever seen. He'll sit and talk to everyone and anyone, and you can see he enjoys it. If you start talking about an obscure movie, he'll get right into it and never looks at his watch. (The way he's always late to things, I'm not sure he wears a watch.)

JH: Any news and rumours about QT you happen to know and share with us?

JB: Well, anything JUICY that I know I have to keep to myself!

JAMI BERNARD QUESTIONS

JH: Some of Tarantino fans here in Finland know you mainly for your book, but you are also a columnist and movie critic in NY Daily News. Tell us how you end up doing that kinda job?

JB: I've been a film critic in New York since 1986. I was in the right place at the right time, so I was very lucky to be able to combine my writing skill with my love of movies. I advise other writers who are just starting out to try to get some published articles in smaller newspapers or magazine, and use those to get bigger assignments.

JH: What is your relationship to the movies? Total fan or cold analyst?

JB: I probably fall somewhere in between those two. I'm more of a fan than an analyst, but it's harder today to sit through bad movies than when I was younger and didn't as many artistic standards. Even though I see hundreds of movies a year, I still go out to the movies on weekends just for fun, where I pay for my ticket like everyone else and buy popcorn.

JH:. You were just at the Sundance Film Festival (2004). How was it?

JB: Most journalists hate Sundance, but I adore that festival. I love snow! In fact, I have a "fetish" for snow! I'm a terrible skier, but I like to ski anyway, so I combine movies with skiing, and it's heavenly. I also start very early in the festival asking the other critics about movies they loved and hated, so I don't have to waste my time at bad or mediocre movies. When you make good choices at Sundance, you feel really positive about the movie business in general. And then you enjoy the parties more, too.

JH: Did you saw Finland's "Screaming Men"? Did you like it or hate it?

JB: I totally wanted to see "Screaming Men"; it sounded so outrageous! But it was playing opposite a dinner for Robert Redford, and since they sat me next to Redford, I had to give up "Screaming Men." I will, however, see it soon, because the publicist promised she'd get me a videotape.

FINAL QUESTION

JH: Do you want to say something to your fans and QT in Finland? Now is your chance!

JB: One of the reasons Quentin is so popular is that he LOVES traveling and really getting into the spirit of new places and meeting new people. If you invited him to Finland for some movie event, I'm sure he would come, and you would see him walking around and having a few drinks at the bars and restaurants. He also does some of his best writing when he's away from the United States - he loves to write in Amsterdam, for example - so if he visited Finland, one day you would see evidence of that in one of his movies!