Yeah, a lot of people didn’t seem to like Dylan Dog, including our own new reviewer, Jeremy Wilson, who gave it a 4.5 score. I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t judge it. I still want it to be good as a fan of the comics (Check out my review of Dylan Dog: Dawn of the Living Dead here). I had a chance at Comicpalooza to interview Dan Braverman, who played Big Al in the movie.
Shawn S. Lealos: Talk about coming to conventions like Comicpalooza and meeting fans of the movies you appear in.
Dan Braverman: It’s like, this is the most relaxation I’ve had in about two weeks. I get to just sit here and watch the passing parade. I see a lot of interesting people doing interesting things and everyone is having a good time. Everything is positive and it’s nice to have people come up and appreciate you and say nice things to you.
Shawn S. Lealos: Dylan Dog. Not a lot of people in America had heard of it. Do you think the movie has helped more people now know more about the comics of Dylan Dog?
Dan Braverman: Yes and no. I’ve had a lot of people come up who have seen the trailer for it, they know about the movie. A lot of them have not had the chance to see the movie yet because it was in theaters a very short time. I think once it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD, which should be about a month or a month and a half from now, that is going to change. I think it’s got built-in cult status because of its association with the Italian comic book. It is doing well in Europe and it did very well in Italy although a lot of people went to see it to see if it was as bad as they thought it would be. It took some liberties with their comic book icon.
Shawn S. Lealos: They eliminated the Groucho character.
Dan Braverman: They did, Groucho’s not in this one. They have a lot of homages to the Marx brothers in the movie but Groucho himself is not in it. That’s sad because I’m a big Groucho fan. But, I think the movie works well on its own merits. It’s a buddy film, it’s a comedy movie, it’s a horror movie. I think this is the kind of movie parents can go with their kids to. It will scare the hell out of their kids but parents can laugh their asses off.
Shawn S. Lealos: I am a Brandon Routh fan and the reviewer from our website was not impressed with Brandon Routh’s performance.
Dan Braverman: I think Brandon Routh’s character is a lot more low key and he’s like an old school, hardboiled detective – sort of a Philip Marlow type or a Maltese Falcon era movie. This is kind of a parody of Film Noir. So, everything Brandon does is deadpan, nothing really seems to scare him, nothing makes him laugh, but he’s the perfect straight man. Then, everybody around him is totally off the wall, especially Sam Huntington, who is phenomenal as Marcus. He had the hardest road to toil since he is not Groucho.
Shawn S. Lealos: After Superman Returns, this is their second time together.
Dan Braverman: Yes, he was Jimmy Olson. It was kind of a coincidence they both got cast together in this. It was not exactly planned that way. The two of them are destined to be together forever. Anyone who doubts Brandon Routh’s comedic ability needs to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World because he was hilarious in that. I just want to see, if you go in to see Dylan Dog, don’t go in with any preconceived notions of what it is supposed to be and I think you will really enjoy it. It is funny, kind of light with little depth. It is a great comedy, buddy, horror, Film Noir.
Shawn S. Lealos: What is next for you?
Dan Braverman: Three things. One thing is Dead of Night, which is no relation to Dylan Dog. This is a Houston production, very low budget. It is a horror comedy where I play Detective Sutherland. We have a premiere for a pilot I shot called Hot Dogs and Hand Grenades, it is premiering in June in New York City, opening for the new Pierce Brosnan-Marisa Tomei film called Salvation Boulevard. That is sponsored by IFC, so we have high hopes for that. After that, I just wrapped a new film called Medallion, which is a Nicholas Cage action adventure movie directed by Simon West, who did Con Air. Things are going well, things are looking good.