Edinburgh International FILM FESTIVAL
Die Laughing Niki Boyle speaks to Jonathan Ames, creator of autobiographical HBO comedy series Bored To Death, ahead of the show’s Cinematic TV special screening
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J onathan Ames is a writer of books, graphic novels, movie scripts and TV shows. He’s just finished a HBO comedy series called Bored To Death which follows a fictional writer and magazine journalist who, finding himself dumped by his girlfriend and struggling to finish his second novel, turns to private investigation to pass his time. The character’s name, by the way, is Jonathan Ames.
magazine editor George Christopher (a never-better Ted Danson). ‘Ted exceeded all expectations,’ says Ames. ‘His comic timing is wonderful, he’s a great person to work with; he’s just so immediately funny and . . . unusual.’ ‘Unusual’ is right – he owns some of the comic highlights of the series, including a devastating missive to a rival magazine editor (‘He has the penis of a hermaphrodite’), and a rhapsody about Penelope Cruz’s nose.
‘After you get past the name, the similarities drop off,’ says Ames (the real one). ‘I write a lot of fiction and a lot of non-fiction – when I wrote non-fiction, people were like, “You made this up!” And when I wrote fiction, people said, “Why don’t you just call it a memoir!” I couldn’t win, so I decided to write a short story in the tone of my essays, and use my real name to confuse the issue.’
Fittingly, Ames chose to write these short stories in a neo-noir style – a genre that makes confusing the reader one of its cornerstones. The short stories were eventually turned into TV episodes for Bored To Death but the noir elements were preserved.
They’re also quite strongly flagged up; in the series it’s Raymond Chandler’s crime classic The Big Sleep that provides the fictional Ames with the inspiration for his new career. Film noir references pepper the show, from the slinky intro theme (written by Schwartzman and Ames) to the title font. ‘I tried to mix it up,’ says Ames, ‘just do little nods to the noir genre without it being a parody – just hints of it showing the fantasy that this young man, this writer, is living out.’ Played in the series by The Darjeeling Limited’s Jason Schwartzman, the fictional Ames works his cases with the aid of illustrator friend Ray Hueston (The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis) and demented
‘I TRIED TO MIX IT UP AND JUST DO LITTLE NODS TO THE NOIR GENRE’ Aside from the inspired casting and sharp script, the series has garnered attention for its stellar line-up of cameos, including Oliver Platt as the aforementioned rival editor, Jim Jarmusch as, um, Jim Jarmusch, and a bevy of female clients including Kristen Wiig, Olivia Thirlby and Parker Posey. All of which gives the series the necessary star-studded credentials to warrant its EIFF description as ‘Cinematic TV’. HBO, who have done well in the past by showing television premieres such as True Blood and In Treatment at the EIFF, have a strong history of producing movie-quality TV shows, and are obviously hoping to add Bored To Death to their list of successes.
‘I’m very excited,’ says Ames, who has not one but two projects screening at the festival this year. ‘It was unexpected, but I’m extremely pleased. I’m honoured that two things that I wrote – the movie The Extra Man [starring Paul Dano, Kevin Kline and John C. Reilly] and Bored to Death – will be showing at the festival.’ With this many great projects, Ames has got little
left to yawn about.
Bored to Death, Filmhouse, Wed 23 Jun, 5pm. The Extra Man, Cineworld, Thu 24 Jun, 9.30pm & Fri 25 Jun, 6pm.
MAI MAI MIRACLE From the protégé of Hayao Miyazaki comes a fantastical animation about childhood dreams, and how we outgrow them. Cameo, Sun 20 Jun, 1.30pm & Fri 25 Jun, 3pm.
CIGARETTE GIRL A dark, retro- comic book aesthetic and a dangerously sexy lead come together in a dystopian future where cigarettes are outlawed. Filmhouse, Tue 22 Jun, 9.15pm.
THE SENTIMENTAL ENGINE SLAYER Daring debut from Mars Volta front man Omar Rodriguez Lopez, featuring identity crises, doppelgangers, and junkies. Filmhouse, Tue 22 Jun, 8.45pm & Thu 24 Jun, 8.30pm.
LOLA From the Palme d’Or-winning director of Kinatay
comes this tale of a mother who must choose between vengeance and clemency. Cineworld, Wed 23 Jun, 5.50pm & Fri 25 Jun, 8.45pm.
THE GOOD HEART Paul Dano and Brian Cox pair up as mismatched inhabitants of the same hospital ward. Cineworld, Wed 23 Jun, 6pm & Thu 24 Jun, 8.30pm.
MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE? David Lynch
produces and Werner Herzog directs this dark, weird true story. Filmhouse, Wed 23 Jun, 9.50pm & Fri 25 Jun, 5.55pm.
28 THE LIST 10–24 Jun 2010