Director & Writer Jim Fall is best known for his classic movie "Trick" and as the man who brought Lizzie McGuire to the big screen in, what else? "The Lizzie McGuire Movie".
Tis' the season and Jim's latest "Trick" is the Christmas movie "Holly's Holiday" set to air on Lifetime December 8th.
Jim popped by "Entertain Me" for a chat with yours truly, read on and see what he had to say...
MS: You know "Trick" is going to be the film you'll be remembered for don't you?
JF: I assume so, I'm happy that is the one. (laughs)
MS: Most people don't have a signature film, it's nice that you do.
JF: It is nice. That movie was such a labor of love, if someone had told me that twelve years later people would still be thinking about it, enjoying and loving it, I wouldn't have believed them. I love it, it's amazing!
MS: The performance you got out of Tori Spelling was amazing!
JF: Everyone always asks me that. To be honest I gave her an opportunity and she took it. It was the right part at the right time and she was game. I mean of course I directed her, but the performance was all Tori.
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| Jim Fall |
MS: Being a fan of horror and science fiction why is it you haven't directed a movie in either genre?
JF: Yeah, I'm kind of surprised that I didn't start out trying to direct those kind of things, but I just don't.
MS: Well you were a Production Assistant on the horror flick "Bad Dreams".
JF: That was my first Hollywood job, I got it because Andrew Fleming who directed it and I went to school at NYU (New York University) I stood around the Port-A-Potty with a walkie talkie (laughs) Being that it was my first Hollywood job I was thrilled to have it. Years later, I kind of owe my career to Andy, I was trying to find the money for "Trick". I was a little embarrassed to ask him, but I finally did tell him that I could not find the money to get it made and I would just die if I couldn't. So, I sent him the script and he gave it to his agent at UTA (United Talent Agency) who gave it to Howard Cohen gave it his partner Eric who ended up putting up the money, Howard became my agent, I got the movie made and it ended up going to Sundance, and I kind of owe that to the fact Andy helped me that it happened that way.
MS: It was funny to me how you like genre films and you have never done one yourself.
JF: Funny you should mention that, the company that made "Holly's Holiday" also makes other genre movies, I told them I want to make a disaster movie. I've always loved disaster movies, my favorite movies were "Earthquake" and "The Towering Inferno". I pitched them, here's hoping.
MS: So, "Holly's Holiday" is about a mannequin that comes to life, they have a habit of doing that this time of year it seems. (laughs)
JF: One of the main reasons I was excited to do "Holly's Holiday" was when I was young I made a short film about a woman who falls in love with mannequin. I had just broken up with my very first boyfriend, and I was bitter and angry. So, the mannequin really was him, because at the end of the movie the mannequin ends up being an asshole, and leaves her for someone that is more his type. Since I wasn't ballsy enough to make it my first gay film, although in my movie he is literally a mannequin the whole time and in this movie you're not sure whether it is just a dream that he comes to life or not. Lifetime is going to air it on Christmas Eve as well.
MS: Let's hear what your five favorite Holiday Movies, including New Year's as there is a certain New Year's Eve disaster movie that you love, are.
JF: One of the obvious ones is "A Christmas Story" I never get tired of watching that it's so fucking funny! It's just such a wonderful film.
MS: It is.
JF: "It's A Wonderful Life" makes me cry.
MS: Me as well and I'm a hard cry.
JF: Of course "The Poseidon Adventure" (laughs) The strokes in the movie are broad, but the tone is consistent and the characters are so lovable. You love these people and you care when shit happens to them.
MS: True.
JF: "Female Trouble" well it's not really a Christmas movie, but there's that wonderful scene where a Christmas tree falls on the mother. (laughs) There is a tree falling on someone in "Holly's Holiday" too, so maybe that's a homage to "Female Trouble".
MS: Give me one more pick.
JF: "Auntie Mame" that movie has a whole Christmas sequence in it. It's amazing.
MS: What was the shoot for "Holly's Holiday" like?
JF: We shot it in thirteen days, which is really short for a shoot.
MS: Yeah, that is.
JF: It comes out to nine scenes a day which is nuts. It looks really great though you would never know it was a low budget TV movie.
"Holly's Holiday" airs on Lifetime Saturday December 8th and encores on Christmas Eve.
