Catching Up with Uwe Boll

Skewed and Reviewed got the opportunity catch up with independent film director, producer and screenwriter Uwe Boll. Best known for adapting video games such as Blood Rayne, In the Name of the King, Postal and Far Cry into movies, the controversial German filmmaker talks about his most recent work.

Skewed & Reviewed: What can you tell us about some of the projects you have been working on recently?

Uwe Boll: DARFUR is a movie about the genocide in Sudan and we shot it with real Sudanese refugees. PHASE 4 will release that movie in June in the theatres and I think its a very important movie. Right now on DVD out is STOIC – a movie about a torture murder case in a German prison.

SKNR: It has been reported that a third Bloodrayne is pending. Can you confirm this and if so, will it be set in World War 2?

UB: Yes. Right now I answer your questions on the set in Croatia of BLOODRAYNE-THE THIRD REICH

SKNR: What are the main differences between Directing and Producing and do you have a favorite?

UB: I like directing, the creative process of it.

SKNR: Your recent films have taken on a more serious and political tone. Does this indicate a shift away from the horror and video game themed films with a new focus on drama and original stories?

UB: I love doing movies I develop on my own, but sometimes the genres movies are necessary because they get the financing.

SKNR: President Obama has been in office just over a year now, what would you say are the pros and cons of his tenure and how would you compare his work to that of George W. Bush?

UB: I think Obama is way better than Bush because he is not an ultra-Christian psychopath who loves war. But compared to his big speeches, he totally failed in putting his words into action. Lets give him the next 2 years to get out of Iraq and Guantanamo.

SKNR: What are some of the films you have seen recently that you liked and what do you look forward to seeing?

UB: HANGOVER was funny. HUNGER about the IRA was good. AVATAR was a visual revolution . I want to shoot IN THE NAME OF THE KING 2 in 3D next.

SKNR: It had become fashionable for the online community to take shots at you, but of late, that seems to have lessened. Do you think that people are growing tired of the bashing?

UB: Yes, and I did some really good movies starting with POSTAL, SEED, STOIC, RAMPAGE and DARFUR

SKNR: We have talked in the past about the difficulty with mainstream Hollywood and the negativity around you and your work. Do you ever wonder how things would be if you were to do a film for a major studio?

UB: I think the studios will do less and less movies and they will get more and more expensive. AVATAR created a new big idea for tentpole movies but also a big problem for the studios. To match AVATAR would cost a lot of money. Movies like 2012 or FANTASTIC FOUR would never get produced anymore because they suck visually big time against AVATAR.

SKNR: If you were given a chance to do a major summer film for a big studio, in what ways would your style differ from the formats used by people like Michael Bay, and say James Cameron?

UB: I have my own way of making movies. People will at one point recognize that.

SKNR: What have been some of the changes in your life good and bad in the past year and how have they shaped your as a filmmaker?

UB: Tons of work. Tons of stress. Less money out of a lot of countries.

SKNR: Final question, you are rumored to be doing a boxing film, what can you tell the readers about this and any of your upcoming projects?

UB: I did the MAX SCHMELING movie with Henry Maske , an ex-world champion, as MAX. We have great boxing in the movie.