When the DVD for CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME dropped on to our desk at TGUK Tower, we thought we have to speak to the brains behind the outfit. Madeleine Olnek is a film director hailing from NYC. We caught up with her to ask about Lesbian aliens.
1) Where on earth (or outer-space for that matter) did the idea for the film come from?
Well, first came the idea for the title. Once I had the title, I had to write a movie to match it!
2) Who or What were the comedy influences for the film?
The main comedy influences were New York romantic comedies. And it’s an obvious homage to sci-fi B-movies, the ones from the 1950’s, which are often funny without meaning to be. I also wanted to parody earnest lesbian movies, the kind that we both love and hate.
3) Do you believe there are lesbian (or otherwise) aliens in the world?
In the universe, which is so wide– statistically I think there’s a chance of it. I have a hard time believing they’d bother to come here, though.
4) What do you think aliens would think if they came down to earth today?
I don’t even know how to answer that question– but watch my movie for some ideas!
5) Are you happy that Obama won the US election? What do you think would have happened if Mitt had won?
I was very happy when Obama won. We made a lot of fun over here of one of Mitt Romney’s debate answers, when he talked about getting “binders full of women” to try to fill some staff position in his job as governor. He explained that the key to working with women is that you have to be more flexible, and let them go home early to make dinner for their family.
6) We recently interviewed Elvira queen of the B movie – Who are your B movie heroes?
Pam Grier and the cast of “Black Mama White Mama,” especially the extras from the Philippine village. There’s a shower scene to die for that contains a mix of actresses and locals. I found it hilarious.
7) Your top 5 spoof movies are?
Well, I have three Christopher Guest movies on that list: “A Mighty Wind,” about formerly famous folk music singers who have a reunion concert, “Best in Show” about Dog show enthusiasts, and “Waiting For Guffman” about a small town musical theatre production. Christopher Guest is the king of capturing (and spoofing) the particularities of rarefied worlds. The performances are out of this world– he has assembled quite a group of comedians. Another broadly comic film I really love is the film “SoapDish”– that spoofs the world of Soap Operas. Sally Field plays a soap opera star trying to hold on to her stardom– it’s hilarious. And I think one of the most amazing spoof movies is the disaster movie spoof “AIRPLANE.”
8) What was the funniest moment in the movie to film?
We had a movie theatre scene where one of the aliens is laughing too loud and gets hit in the head with a popcorn bucket. I kept missing and/or the bucket wouldn’t bounce off her head at the right angle (so it was like 17 takes!). There was also a moment between the two government agents who are trailing the aliens, where one of them talks about their phobia of crème donuts– that we kept cracking up during (but thanks to the magic of the editing room, we could remove all the laughing!)
Madeleine Olnek9) Which Earthling in real life would make a super Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien?
Martha Stewart.
