Interview: Ray chats with Trevor Matthews, star & producer of JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER

Matt here... introducing a great chat with Trevor Matthews, the cool producer/star of JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER, which is lengthy and ends up being just two guys talking about the current state of the film industry, there shared likes and dislikes. It's a fun interview and oh yeah, GREMLINS gets mentioned but NOT BY US! lol, that must be a first.. Few film lovers (or, sadly, some filmmakers) ever have the chance to achieve their dream of making a feature-length motion picture. Millions of film fans herd into theaters daily to enjoy the latest spectacle, only to grumble that they could do better. Hundreds of thousands of screenwriters toil in the steamy bowels of Hollywood hoping for their big chance. Incalculable numbers of actors and directors labor over that perfect short film that might somehow launch their career. Some lack luck. Some lack talent. Some lack confidence. Some lack opportunity. For all of these starry-eyed dreamers, the story of 26 year-old actor/producer Trevor Matthews just might be that proverbial "kick a dude in the balls when he's already on his back coughing up blood" story that occasionally proves inspirational. Trevor is leading man handsome, the son of wealthy and business-savvy technology tycoon Sir Terence Matthews, and well-educated. But before any jealous bitches start grumbling about "pretty rich boys getting all the breaks," Trevor shows he has staying power with a wealth of movie knowledge, a love of the art form, and a grasp of business acumen that would make Donald Trump's combover become semi-erect. With the impending DVD release of his first feature-length movie, JACK BROOKS, MONSTER SLAYER, Trevor took some time to talk with Obsessed With Film about his quick success, the movie business in general, and his plans to grow his burgeoning production company, Brookstreet Pictures. OWF: Trevor, first of all, congratulations on your first feature length film. That's great, huh?

Trevor Matthews: Oh yeah, it's fantastic. I went to film school, and talked with a lot of my buddies from film school, and it's definitely an accomplishment to be able to complete your first feature. When we started making short films, I always knew we were going to make a feature, but you never know how that's going to turn out.

OWF: I loved STILL LIFE (a short film starring Trevor and directed by production partner Jon Knautz), and watching it again, I couldn't recognize you in it. It didn't even look like you in the title role. I thought to myself, "Gee, it doesn't even look like the same guy."

TM: Yeah I know, I get that lot. Sometimes after we go to screenings of Jack Brooks, I come outside, and people don't recognize me from the movie. I look a lot different in a lot of my roles.

OWF: It's not bad to be a shape-shifter if you're going to be an actor.

TM: For sure, man .. for sure.

OWF: Looking into your biographical information, I was surprised to see that you're actually the CEO of Brookstreet Pictures. That's an interesting dual role. Not many people at your age have the opportunity to have that kind of experience or financial clout.

TM: I have been really lucky.

OWF: In which industry role are you more interested? The acting side or the production side?

TM: Probably more acting and writing at this point as far as my personal interest, but I look up to my Dad a lot, and he's a venture capitalist who has done really well. At a really early age he said, "There's nothing better than being a businessman." So that's my goal as well. I want to make him proud and be a successful businessman, too. Whether it's making movies or making consumer electronics, it's a business. I don't really want to take that stand on it, but fortunately I can be in the business of what I have a passion for, which is the arts.

OWF: Now what happened to anthropology? You were studying that in college at one point before you turned to movies.

TM: Well, when I was younger I had five of my friends die in a car accident, and I was pretty lost for a few years, and I started doing a lot of adventure travel ... I backpacked across Austria for three months, I lived in a mountain hut in the Alps, and then after a couple of months of backpacking I spent another three months sailing across the Atlantic, and that was the birth of my passion for adventure travel, and learning about your part in the world by seeing the planet. When I got back, I wanted to start an adventure travel business. But then after a few years of university, I met Jon Knautz, worked on a few short films with him, and redirected my life a little bit and found a passion for the arts.

OWF: And Jon Knautz seems like a hell of a director, too. His action directing in JACK BROOKS is amazing. In fact, I was wishing there was more action in the film, because he's so good at it.

TM: For sure, man. I get along really well with Jon. And I really believe he is a talented director. The same way he has faith in me that I have potential as an actor, I have faith in him that he has potential as a director. I'm the CEO, and he's the Vice President. My core focus is that Brookstreet Pictures is a profitable company, and a sustainable business that can make multiple films. And Jon is right there with me. We really work together as a team to grow the company and make films.

OWF: That's the thing, though. Financing. It's hard for Hollywood or other studios to take risks like that, you know? I've talked to plenty of directors and studios about various projects, and they're always hesitant to finance films because they want draws and name-recognized properties. That's what struck me about JACK BROOKS: it's a pretty risky movie to make in this day and age. It doesn't fit into the pre-fabricated, poll-tested boxes that Hollywood seems to have these days.

TM: It is different. This is truly an independent film; I financed the whole thing myself.

OWF: What was the budget, by the way?

TM: Around $2.5 million. I looked at this film as a test for us, so we figured we would do something like a creature feature that would allow us to experiment and it would be forgiving as well.

OWF: As far as the practical effects (there are no CGI effects used) in the film, was that a creative or a budgetary decision?

TM: It was a conscious, creative decision to use practical effects. We didn't feel that CGI fit in with a movie like this. We didn't have the budget for it, and really, practical effects are the best, man. Being able to act off of a real monster in the room is great. The whole process of creating the monsters is just a lot more fun. Right off the bat, when we were in development, we said, "Fuck CGI. Let's just make the monsters, ya know?"

OWF: I agree wholeheartedly. You watch a movie like VAN HELSING, and you can't even hardly stand to look at it because it doesn't look real.

TM: Yeah, I don't like it at all. I think it just looks so obvious when you have a real actor and a computer-animated image overlapping ... it doesn't look real. Even if you have a huge budget, the best directors use a mixture of practical effects and CGI.

OWF: If they're smart, they'll do that.

TM: Right. CGI is a tool. And you should have a bunch of tools in your toolbox when you're making films ... but don't forget about the practical effects, too. It looks so much better.

OWF: As far as influences on the film ... what films directly helped shape the film or had an influence on its production?

TM: FROM DUSK TIL DAWN was one influence. Also David Cronenberg's THE FLY was another one.

OWF: Really? THE FLY?

TM: Oh yeah, definitely. When the professor goes through this metamorphosis, when he's slowly getting sicker and sicker. We wanted to do something like Jeff Goldblum in that movie, when he's slowly turning into the fly. Other movies were, of course, the EVIL DEAD films, and even BACK TO THE FUTURE in that we wanted to make a kind of adventure movie.

OWF: Well I definitely picked out the EVIL DEAD movies, especially the character arc Ash goes through in that series from being a normal guy to an anti-hero, an almost mythical figure.

TM: Yeah, that one was a huge influence. Also, another big influence was GREMLINS.

OWF: It's funny you should mention that one, really. When I was watching the film, I thought to myself that it's a shame that films like this one or GREMLINS can't be made in the Hollywood system anymore. You would never see a film like GREMLINS made today.

TM: Yeah, we decided to go back and make something like that. There's a whole demographic of people that still like that stuff, and can still appreciate physical effects and gore and monsters. This film is like that, a movie during which you can turn off your brain and have fun.

OWF: I miss those kinds of movies. You think back to the summer of '82, when studios took chances on movies, and now you have crap like TRANSFORMERS 2 and SPIDERMAN 15.

TM: The age of the blockbuster, man. But that won't last forever. I love Sam Raimi; I thought Spiderman 2 was the best. But with these movies there is an oversaturation, and the costs of these films are too high. People end up losing money or their jobs.

That's why with Jack Brooks, we wanted to make something low budget so that we avoid that problem. And we're developing JACK BROOKS 2, and it will have double the action and double the fun.

OWF: Do you want to stay in this genre? Do you like this genre?

TM: I love this genre, and will always be open to making movies in this genre. That being said, I have a wide appreciation of films. my favorite genre, above even creature features, is I love epics. I am crazy passionate about GLADIATOR and BRAVEHEART and TROY and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and BRAVEHEART are two of my favorite films. My goal in life is to be involved creatively with a production of that size. About a hero in history, or a war, or a period of history.

OWF: That's why I am looking forward to Spielberg getting back to his production of LINCOLN. I think that could have the scope you're talking about.

TM: Spielberg is unbelievable. Just amazing. He changed the whole industry. I remember seeing JURASSIC PARK, and people were standing. They were freaking out. I mean, Spielberg just grabs people by the balls. That's what I want to learn to do, just grab people by the balls.

OWF: What do you think about hybrid epic films like 300?

TM: I'm not really a fan of 300. I thought Gerard Butler was amazing, but I prefer something more realistic. And that's what I am fighting for with my films. Even though there is some silly stuff in JACK BROOKS, we were always trying to have realistic things in it, whether it's the effects or the style. For me, I want to take the full 3 hours and tell the story. I want to know the characters. Remember the scene in BRAVEHEART when the armies are charging at each other? There are these flash cuts, and inserts, and it's impactful. Heads getting axed into, the blood, cuts of gore. It was really impactful.

OWF: Yeah, but that fight scene contains real effects cut properly. It hits you in the gut. Films like 300 feel lightweight by comparison.

TM: That's right. I mean, BRAVEHEART is fucking scarring. 300 wasn't scarring; it felt like a video game. When I saw BRAVEHEART I walked out of the theater and I felt a little bit different. Like two weeks later I felt different, like it had an effect on me. It's so scarring, that it changes you a little bit. I'll never forget the first time I watched it with my Dad; we were just floored. I was in tears.

OWF: But films like BRAVEHEART have something to say about moral values and noble human emotions that motivate people, as opposed to something flashy and surface.

TM: Exactly. I like coming out of a theater, and you don't feel like talking about the experience. You just want to feel it and let it soak in. That feeling is why I want to be in movies. You don't make BRAVEHEART overnight, but I want to keep working and making movies, until I'm ready and have the opportunity to make a really profound film.

OWF: What was the last movie you saw that made you feel that way? For me, it was NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

TM: Yeah, that was awesome. Lots of people disagree with me, but I really liked ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES. I just recently rewatched BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, and I was just like, "WOW!" Even a movie like CITIZEN KANE, you watch it on the big screen with surround sound, and it is just amazing. That has a huge effect on me. And that's what's so great about good storytellers and filmmakers; if you do it right, you can make something timeless.

OWF: I think that's one of the great motivators of making movies; that you can make something that survives after you. You can do it for posterity. That's what bugs me about someone like Michael Bay. I don't get the feeling that he's trying to make something that will last. With a Spielberg, I think he is constantly pushing himself to make culturally relevant and important films.

TM: Totally. I totally agree. But sometimes you have a weird little marriage of the two. Like Quentin Tarantino ... when I watched GRINDHOUSE in the theaters, I was on the edge of my seat during DEATH PROOF.

OWF: No way. Are you kidding me? I could not stand DEATH PROOF.

TM: I know. I have had this argument with so many people. I'm probably the only person on Earth who loves DEATH PROOF.

OWF: I think you are.

TM: But what about films like RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION? Do you like those?

OWF: Obviously PULP FICTION is the standout, and that he was firing on all cylinders. DOGS, not so much.

TM: I think Tarantino's the master of making people seem cool, like the dialogue he writes, he writes "cool" dialogue. He captures that attitude of the cool kids in high school; that attitude he captures so well.

OWF: I just haven't seen anything out of the guy besides PULP FICTION. I think he's a little overrated. I don't know if PULP FICTION is some sort of one-off miracle from the guy. For someone who is supposedly so great, I don't see an impressive or large body of work.

TM: Yeah, but I like the guy. And (Mel) Gibson. Just a different league. You gotta give that guy credit. He can fucking direct.

OWF: Yeah, I love PASSION OF THE CHRIST. I can't watch that film without crying. I'm not a particularly religious person, but that film just has some shots I can't watch without crying ... like that shot where Mary is holding Jesus' dead body and she looks into the camera. Only Gibson pulls off shots like that.

TM: Yeah, he's amazing. APOCALYPTO has some shots like that too.

OWF: But back to JACK BROOKS. I was curious as to why your performance as Jack was pitched lower than a lot of the other cast members. Robert Englund's performance - and others - are more over the top. Was this a conscious decision to be low-key?

TM: It probably has a lot to do with the fact that it was my first feature film, and I didn't want to go over the top with it because I was nervous. Since I was the lead character and also producing it, I didn't want to go too far with it. I was holding back, just to make sure that, at the bare minimum, it will work as the central character. It was my first time acting in the role. For the next film, I would like to try and explore more of Jack's rage issues and expose more of myself in the role. I also want more dry comedy, like in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, were stuff is more hardcore yet still comic relief.

OWF: I really liked the Jack Brooks character. In fact, I thought he was interesting and almost didn't need monsters. But he was so low-key, that toward the end he almost seemed to melt into the background of all these wild performances.

TM: Yeah, and the next go-round we can fix those things. It's great that we got distribution for the first film through Anchor Bay, and hopefully we can break even on the project. I'm really looking forward to growing as an actor in the second film, and I'm sure Jon is looking forward to showing off some of the new tricks he's learned as well. I'm really looking forward to the next film, and I'm really trying to grow our business as well.

OWF: What's the status of the sequel?

TM: We're in the treatment stage. We have an outline, and worked on that for a month, and then a treatment. Then we'll give it to our screenwriter, and he'll go off and write it for us. Hopefully we'll have a first draft very soon. We want to have JACK BROOKS 2 in production by next summer.

OWF: And you're not dabbling in any other projects in the meantime?

TM: No, we have a couple of other projects we're working on as well. After JACK BROOKS, we we're wondering, "what will we do next?" We had finished this huge production, and then suddenly nothing. So what we're doing now with the company is I have organized a development committee, and they're working on JACK BROOKS 2, but they're also working on several other projects. One is an independently-made Western film, kinda with the tone of DELIVERANCE, a real survival story set in the Old West in the time of cowboys and Indians. We also have a couple of biographical movies about a few interesting characters. So the idea is when the script is completed for JACK BROOKS 2, the development team will be working on the next projects while me and Jon are making JACK BROOKS 2. That way we are constantly developing and producing new projects.

We made some mistakes with JACK BROOKS. When we finished that film, we kinda just sat on our asses for six months unsure of what we were going to do next. We didn't have a business plan and we we're organized. But that is something I have totally fixed now, so that we can keep rolling as a business.

OWF: Now do you want to primarily film in Canada, or do you want to go elsewhere to shoot on occasion?

TM: I go where the script dictates. I travel the world, man. I go where the film is set. If the script says Mexico, then you shoot in Mexico. I love adventure travel, so I love to travel the world. Like John Huston.

OWF: Was it hard to get Robert Englund on board for JACK BROOKS?

TM: Not really. He read the script and liked it, and he was great.

OWF: Since you love horror films, were you nervous about meeting the guy?

TM: I was definitely nervous, but for Jon, it was amazing. When he was a little kid, the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET scared the shit out of him so badly that his Dad actually made him watch it again and explained it to him. In fact, that first Freddy movie was the reason why Jon wanted to be in films in the first place. For me, it was great to meet Robert Englund, but for Jon it was amazing.

OWF: Well, I could talk to you all day, but I'd better let you get back to work. It sounds like you have a great business plan in the movie business ... it's hard to do.

TM: Thanks Ray.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank Trevor again for the terrific conversation, as well as Rob Hyde over at JAM for all of his tireless arrangements to make it possible. In an industry renowned for horrible diva attitudes and phony bullshit, it's refreshing to meet genuine people with genuine talent Seriously. Thanks, guys!

JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER is available on DVD from $15.99 at Amazon U.S. from October 7th or at £7.98 from Amazon UK from September 29th. You can read Tom Fallows' original review of the movie HERE.