Exclusives
[Video Interview] Matthew McConaughey On Going For An NC-17 And The Violence Inside ‘Killer Joe’
LD Entertainment will soon release Killer Joe, which is directed by the man behind The Exorcist and To Live And Die In LA – William Friedkin. This may not sound like a horror film to you – but it is indeed bloody and disgusting. It’s also very entertaining. It’s interesting to see Matthew McConaughey (Failure To Launch, Magic Mike) taking more challenging roles these days, and this is certainly one of them. His “Joe” is an unstoppable psychopath, but he also has some interesting ticks and hold-ups (and of course a creepy fascination with Juno Temple’s “Dottie”).
I recently spoke with McConaughey about what it was like trying to find the humanity inside such a violent character. We also talked about working with William Friedkin, not shying away from the NC-17 rating and some of the bolder career choices he’s been making recently.
“When 22-year-old Chris (Emile Hirsch) finds himself in debt to a drug lord, he hires a hit man to dispatch his mother, whose $50,000 life insurance policy benefits his sister Dottie (Juno Temple). Chris finds Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a creepy, crazy Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer. When Chris can’t pay Joe upfront, Joe sets his sight on Dottie as collateral for the job. The contract killer and his hostage develop an unusual bond. Like from a modern-day, twisted fairy tale, “Killer Joe” Cooper becomes the prince to Dottie’s Cinderella.” The film also stars Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon. It’s based on the play by Pulitzer and Tony Award winner Tracy Letts.
Killer Joe opens in NY on July 27th and in Los Angeles on August 3rd. Head inside for the interview.
A hospital stay grows more nerve-frazzling when memory loss distorts reality in our exclusive clip from This Tempting Madness, inspired by a true story.
The mind-bending psychological thriller will be released in select theaters and on demand on June 12 via Vertical.
Simone Ashley (“Bridgerton”) stars as Mia, who awakens from a coma, grievously injured, her memory fractured. As she puts the pieces of her past together, she starts to question her own actions and her perception of reality.
In This Tempting Madness, “Mia awakens from a coma grievously injured, her memory fractured. As she puts the pieces of her past together, she starts to question her own actions, and her perception of reality.”
Jennifer E. Montgomery makes her feature directorial debut from a script she co-wrote with director of photography Andrew Davis, inspired by Montgomery’s first-hand experience with tragedy involving her best friend.
“Months before the incident, there were signals that her world was unraveling,” says Montgomery. “I could feel the pressure building, though I didn’t know what form it would take. I never could have known what violence would come, and I certainly never imagined making a film about it.”
Austin Stowell (“NCIS: Origins”), Suraj Sharma (Happy Death Day 2U), Mojean Aria (Reminiscence), Amol Shah (“For All Mankind”), and Zenobia Shroff (“Ms. Marvel”) round out the cast.
Smoke Jumper Films and Mango Monster Productions produce in association with Catchlight Studios (Heretic, The Blackening).
This Tempting Madness is rated R for “language, violence/bloody images, and brief sexuality.”