Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payneis an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, known for the films Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, and Nebraska. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne is a two time winner of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and a three time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth10 February 1961
CityOmaha, NE
CountryUnited States of America
To be fair-not that I really care about being fair to anyone, ever-but to be fair, I'm sure that same ratio of bad films to good probably exists in every studio.
I'm attracted to short screenplays. Nobody really wants a film to be over two hours, or at least I don't.
I want all of my films to belong to me.
Joe E. Lewis said, 'Money doesn't buy happiness but it calms the nerves.' And that is how I feel about a film being well-received.
Hollywood films have become a cesspool of formula and it's up to us to try to change it... I feel like a preacher! But it's really true. I feel personally responsible for the future of American cinema. Me personally.
But it's just that the whole country is making generally lousy films these days and has been for quite a while. That's the big problem that we all have to think about.
I always wanted 'Sideways' to be like a great 1960s Italian film.
As the years go by and I make more films, I am increasingly interested in capturing place as a vivid backdrop for my films.
I'm hoping one day I can make one really good film.
I like voice-over in films, and most of my films have been voice-over films.
I like to think of film-making not just as an act of personal self-aggrandisement but rather as an act of public service.
In the moment of making films, I want to share my observations of life, not of other films.
There is an audience out there for literate films - slower, more observant, more human films, and they deserve to be made.
The most heinous shift in American films is that they reinforce good things like 'couples' and 'relationships.'