Jeremy Brunell

"Might I have the pleasure of your name....before I have you run through?" "Course, can't put much stock in a man who spends most part of a conversation talkin' to a bear." "You know what will be said about this in Spain, don't you?" "I collect swords, you see. I take them from the men I've killed." "Childhood's over the moment you know you're gonna die." "You ask God for help and I'll stop the moment he shows up."

WARNING: THERE ARE VIDEOS AND PHOTO GALLERIES ON THIS PAGE AND IT MAY LOAD SLOWLY

It is said that Michael Wincott is an actor who "lives the character" and he himself says, "You have to be careful so you don't make your character dull and predictable. Sometimes you have to bend the script a little". Well, just watch three different movies and you'll see three different characters, but not Michael. He blends in like a chameleon. Mind you, a gorgeous one.

This section of michaelwincott.org delves into some of the memorable characters Michael has so deftly brought to life. There are screen capture photo galleries, Flash videos, and my review of the film.

A film director with a mind of his own . . .

Jeremy Brunell from What Just Happened

What Just Happened to making movies for the story and the art?

A review by Laura November 9, 2008

[revised November 14 thanks to some wise advice from a "friend"]

I’ve found the answer to what has gone wrong with Hollywood. . .Brain damage from overuse of cell phones. It’s amazing that any film gets completed and distributed when you think about it. The two major stumbling blocks are EGO and MONEY.

What Just Happened directed by Barry Levinson brings this to light rather clearly. Despite the slightly nauseating lack of a steady-cam for way too many half body and head shots, which, I am sure was intentional to make you feel how out of control everything is in the business of movies, I really liked it. However, in a way it made me dislike all things connected to movies. Maybe that’s what Art Linson was trying to do with his story of a couple of weeks in the life of an A-list producer.

Robert DeNiro as Ben, the over-extended and under-loved producer, is great as usual. The patience it must take to be a Hollywood film producer is astounding. DeNiro conveys this well. It’s all about the money. What Just Happened makes this clearer than ever before. In fact, only a couple of times does anyone refer to the artistry of filmmaking. One of those is English director, Jeremy Brunell, played with vivid fervor and careful skill by Michael Wincott.

Jeremy writes and directs a dark and gruesome film which stars Sean Penn. [Normally I like Sean, but found him completely unnecessary to this film. He barely speaks/mumbles, and I thought he was simply inserted as name-drop fodder for the selling of the movie. Which is actually like a left jab at the film industry within one. JMO.] Well the ending of Brunell’s flick, Fiercely, doesn’t go over so well with the stuff shirts and studio bitches. He is asked/ordered to change his art to suit the sales pitch. The film shows the graphic shooting of a dog during a preview screening. It is really horrendous, but what I found odd was the audience didn’t seem to care about the hero (Sean Penn) being shot. I took this as a statement about audiences getting more and more numb to graphic violence. Maybe the goal really was to shock people into feeling something. [That being said, as someone with three dogs, I say BOOOO!]

Michael’s cockney accent and demeanor were, to quote his Dad, William, “Dead on.” I felt like he’s known a bloke like that at some point in his career. Wardrobe was great, no doubt overseen by Michael himself, and he conveyed the artist’s desire to create freely. When the studio’s chief bitch Lou (Catherine Keener) tells him to re-cut his film or she would do it for him, Jeremy throws the appropriate misunderstood director temper tantrum, saying “You’re asking me to eviscerate my film so that you can lose a little less money?” That sort of says a lot about Hollywood…it is all about money and egos.

Ben’s ex-wife is sleeping with a hack screenwriter, Solomon, (Stanley Tucci) whose latest pitch is for a thriller about a florist. He claims Brad Pitt is solidly in. More proof that the marketing machines can turn any crap into a blockbuster by hiring an under talented, over paid actor and manipulating the trailers into making people want to see a movie about a florist. Case in point is Ben’s other pressing problem. Fat bearded Bruce Willis. [I adore Bruce, always have since Moonlighting.] The film Bruce is slated to begin shooting in a couple of days does not call for his “Grizzly Adams” beard or beer gut. Another coldhearted studio chief tells Ben to get him to shape up and shave or the movie is off and they’ll sue everyone for damages. Bruce won’t have it and throws a way over the top tantrum. His agent, Dick, (John Turturro) is too afraid of his own client to help out. Hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars ride on the star’s decision to shave or not to shave. Sad isn’t it?

Back to Jeremy. With medicinal help and some lovely feathers in his adorable spike hair, he edits the film into a more suitable ending where Sean Penn is shot, but the dog lives to loyally lick his face as the credits roll. All is well with the world of greed, until the Cannes film festival where Fiercely is to open. Brunell addresses the audience in the traditional French, [yummy] and it is evident he has sobered up and returned to his previous state of strong will. The crowd cheers his audacity and tenacity. As the film is shown, Jeremy puts on his dark glasses and let’s a gentle smirk cross his face.