Adult Swim : Time to Waste Time with Uwe Boll

Regardless of what you think of German director Uwe Boll's output -- like big-screen adaptations of videogames like Postal and Dungeon Siege -- his ability to elicit strong audience reactions one way or the other is unparalleled by his contemporaries. To give the provocateur's filmography a little better context, we gave Boll a call -- while he was peeling celery for dinner -- to talk about the movies that have had the most profound influences on him throughout his career. Boll explained why liking Citizen Kane isn't so helpful when bringing BloodRayne to the big screen, and also managed to offer some career advice to someone named Martin Scorsese. We know you're reading, Marty, so grab your highlighter.

Uwe Boll’s “Far Cry” Trailer [Rated R]

When do you first remember being interested in movies?

I grew up in a small town and we had one screen, basically. One movie theater. I had the pleasure to watch a lot of the Hollywood classics in matinee screenings on Saturdays. So Doctor Zhivago, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Citizen Kane, I saw all that stuff actually on the big screen. I was 10 or 12 years-old, and this really put a stamp on me and what movies I admire or what directors I admire. It's more the classics of the '50s, '60s, and in a way, those were my heroes: Orson Welles, William Wyler, John Ford, and Howard Hawks. Those are [still] the most influential people in film for me.

Why did those movies and directors make such an impression on you? Is it just a byproduct of your being young?

I think if you get something into your system when you're very young, it affects you more. At the same time, of course, when I was 13, 14, 15, I started reading books about films, directors, and genres. You start seeing movies with a different eye. Then directors like Alfred Hitchcock, he was one of my biggest heroes for how to do a thriller. When you see the first 30 minutes of Psycho, it's the best 30 minutes of a movie ever.

“When you see the first 30 minutes of Psycho, it's the best 30 minutes of a movie ever.”

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” Trailer

Stuff like this was influential in the beginning. I don't talk about me as a filmmaker -- I'm talking about me as a film fan. Later, when I made the decision to make movies on my own, you have to be a little more modern. You have to get influence from existing movies from the same genre. Not old ones. If you do House Of The Dead, of course you get influenced by the George A. Romero horror movies. At the same time you get influenced by these wild movies where zombies are getting shot in very bloody ways, like From Dusk Till Dawn.

It shifted over the years. When you start doing your own movies, it shifts to a more realistic approach. If you do BloodRayne, it's not helping you that Citizen Kane influenced you. [Laughs.] In a way, you have to be more realistic, what your own situation and abilities are as a filmmaker -- then you take your influences towards more doable things. You look at comparable movies and think, "Okay, how do I want to tell my story? What direction do I want to go?"

So how do you find your compass when making movies based on games? What influences tend to win out more often?

I think as a filmmaker, when you make a videogame-based movie, you cannot be too influenced by the game. You take of course the main character or story idea or wardrobe ideas or production-designer ideas -- but you cannot really put the game on screen. People don't appreciate it. People don't really want to see that. I think the key is to keep some game elements going, where people can identify what it is. I think today, House Of The Dead is one of the closest videogame-based movies. But it's flat; it's boring, has no character, and has no story. But [neither] does the videogame.

How Do You Kill What’s Already Dead? [Rated R]

Of course a lot of the videogame fans, they hate to see this because they love the videogame. Their interpretation of the game was a little different because they put so much effort into playing it, they have so many illusions of playing it. But from the outside perspective, the game is just flat. But I think the most important thing is that people understand the film as a film even if they've never played the videogame.

“I think as a filmmaker, when you make a videogame-based movie, you cannot be too influenced by the game.”

If you feel a need to stay current if you're making films, what's something a little more recent that you found to be inspirational?

I loved Kick-Ass. It was one of my favorite movies from the last few years. It came across as a children's movie from the artwork and posters and everything. I was expecting something totally different. It was really kickass! [Laughs.] The whole Nicolas Cage, how he shoots his daughter in the beginning? This was just great. This was a movie I totally admired. A lot of movies, what I recognize from the last few years, they are partially super -- but they also have some flaws.

Kick-Ass Trailer [Rated R]

I just saw The Fighter. It gives a good feeling for that kind of small-town, white-trash situation. Christian Bale is just great. But overall that movie was mediocre. Why’d that movie get 10 Oscar nominations? Why'd it get hyped up? Sometimes it's just kind of absurd to see. Also I just saw Limitless, with Bradley Cooper? Super-good idea, but the whole ending sucked.

You mentioned Kick-Ass, which is an adaptation of a comic, and The Fighter, which a biographical film. Do you tend to favor seeing adaptations, given you do so many yourself?

I almost watch everything. I really watch a lot of movies, just to get an overview and see what people are doing and what has success. A lot of times it's really about marketing, though. Really good movies aren't always big successes.

“Really good movies aren't always big successes.”

After the classics, I love ['80s and '90s] mafia movies -- even Casino from Scorsese. A lot of these movies [from that time], I admire and I love. When you see a movie like The Departed, of course it was a good movie. Great acting from everybody. But Scorsese did way better movies earlier in his tenure. I think Goodfellas is just way better than The Departed, but that got way more Oscars. But for mafia movies, definitely Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. Wall Street was great, but Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was s***. I think Scorsese, he kept quality up compared to Stone. I think Oliver Stone is a disaster now. Alexander and W, they were all horrific.

“I think Oliver Stone is a disaster now.”

Was there a single movie that made you realize you want to be a filmmaker?

Mutiny On The Bounty with Marlon Brando. I saw that movie very early, I was 10. I said to my mother, "I really want to do movies." [Laughs.] I really liked it. It was more about where the movie played. "If I make movies, I can have this for real."

Mutiny On The Bounty Trailer

That makes sense, because Mutiny On The Bounty is about a big adventure -- which is also true of videogames. So it falls into line that you'd be drawn towards adapting games into films.

Yeah. For example the shootout in In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale was just super. We were out in nature, 500 extras, costumes, and it was just a great adventure and a great feeling to shoot that movie. It made me feel energized. People ask me why I shoot so many movies. Let's say you shoot two movies a year. A lot of directors shoot every three years. But the feeling to be on set, to work with the actors? That's the reason I make the movies. I'm not the guy who loves to sit there and develop projects. I'm not the guy who loves to sit there in the editing room or listening to sound mixes all the time. I do this because it's part of the business. But as a director, what I enjoy most is to be on set.