Joe,
I have a question about Alicia Keys' Character Georgia Sykes. In some of the sypnosis and previews it was said that she was supposed to be a lesbian. When I watched the movie I was confused because she didn't make it as obvious as Sharice did. Was Georgia supposed to be lesbian?

As you did with "Narc". You used a lot of hand held looking camera work in this film. I, a struggling filmmaker, try to keep the camera moving at all times. This in turn makes every take something new and original. This process also can get chaotic if its not planned right and it can create a problem or even a solution to the film on the editing table. This leads to my question. In Smokin' Aces, is the final cut exactly as you envisioned?

Wait a tick...how do we send in? To Devin @ Chud or post'em here? :)

Hello.

Viewed Smokin Aces opening night in the UK. At under two hours, it felt very tightly edited, and I kind of got the feeling that maybe a longer cut exists.

Does a longer cut exist, and if so is there a chance that we'll see it surface on DVD? Or will it just be deleted scenes that you feel were justifiably deleted?

Oh, and thank you!

I had posted my praise and question here,

http://smokinjoecarnahan.com/2007/01/yet_another_fuking_thank_you.php?page=1

but I'll re-post that bit of my post here.

"I'm seeing it again Wednesday (since I work at my local theatre and I get in for free, but even if I didn't, I'd definitely fucking pay!) but I'm not 100% sure on the metaphor you mentioned earlier. Don't get me wrong, I understood 95% of this film and had to slice up the ending just to explain it to my friends, but I'm wondering about the metaphor you were talking about."

And a second question. If you can, can you tell us the current progress on White Jazz, like your current visions, ideas, etc.

Thanks again, Joe.

-Eli

I have a couple.

As an aspiring writer (and possible screenwriter) I'd like to know: Did you plan ahead for the storyline-- such as taking note or thinking very deeply for ideas... or did you just set type to the blank page and blaze away?

I understand that there are some scenes in there that you had to cut out (aren't there always?) like the Tremor Brothers and the clock hallway. I'm wondering how you felt about that.

How did you feel about killing off characters right when they were in the middle of something-- or planning something (I think you know who I'm talking about)?

Did you have to do intensive research on how the hitmen and Feds did their stuff, or did you make up the stuff on the spot?

How does it feel to have yourself and your movie compared with Tarantino all the time?

And one more: Are you planning on a sequel? Because as ingenious as this movie was, I hope there won't be any sequels or cash-in ideas for this. It's your baby, though. Moviewatchers like us have been waiting for originality since forever, and this delivered in spades (pun intended).

Thanks!

Well, "since everyone else is doing it" I might as well post my Q's here then. But I hope these Q's don't come off too aggressive, Joe. I just wanna be fair. Hopefully this relates on a Filmmaker-To-WannabeFilmmaker (you being the real deal, of course) sort of plane, as you're someone I'd enjoy speaking to as a peer, not just as a fan.

As well, as other have said, thank you for putting so much effort into the film. It's an enjoyable ride and I very much look forward to seeing it again. I could critique it, but since we're not on that kind of basis, I won't. :P It's a fun as hell movie, one I will be studying, one that has a lot of my own creative interests in it, particular tthe music selections which are almost exactly the same kind I choose in my own shorts, so it was pretty awesome to see something that reflected my own creative spirit on the big screen. :D Keep making films, doc. You're improving as a filmmaker and I can't wait to see what else you got cookin' up!

Question #1: Was the change to make it Hugo (not Vitoli) that gets taken by Lazlo a sudden change or was it well-prepared? To be honest, both ideas work, but the execution tried to do both and didn't succeed in my eyes. Though, getting to see Tommy getting into character was fantastic. I understand the reason for the Hugo change, but I guess I'm wondering...did it occur to ya to have Soot just shoot Hugo in the kneecap and repeat the process with him thoroughly?

Question #2: Was there anything major cut out of the Tremor Brothers sequence? I was looking forward to this the most and it felt almost like part of a montage. I remembered in the script descriptions of a flame thrower and German Axis grenades. Given there was a dude on fire, was something like that planned or did this end up getting cut down for budget reasons?

Question #3: My dad and I felt the second act was a little sluggish here and there (not that I can remember what all happens in it, haha), my question is are there any elements of the film you feel you can openly admit you like, but feel you can improve upon if given a similar situation?

Question #4: My only major complaint about the film is one my father shares - there's not enough of these awesome characters. Some of the beats from the script (like a bit more with Sykes/Watters) would've been nice, but I have an interesting question to throw out - do you feel you'll do films that take place in this universe again? Telling different stories with the Tremors, the Bailbonds trio, Carruthers and Messner, etc.? I figure, what Smokin' Aces is, is just it and I accept and enjoy it highly for what it is (love the Darwin-meets-Dupree scene ;)), but I'd LOVE to see some of these folks return in prequel/side-story/etc. films. Any plans or do you have too many other stories you're itching to tell us? :)

So how much more action will be on the dvd?

Mr. Carnahan,

I absolutely LOVED Smokin' Aces. I saw it the first day it came out (after
convincing my friend to go see it with me, and promising that I wouldn't
yell in the theaters - which I did anyway). The Tremor Brothers where my
favortire characters. How did you get the idea to have three neo-Nazi
siblings? Did you just think, 'Hey, it'd be cool to have some skinhead
assassins'?

By the way, I totally agree with your earlier post - Chris Pine was the
only person who could've played Darwin. Was it hard for him to get in the
part, or is he usually a psycho?

I'm one of those kids who saw the movie. But I didn't by
tickets to Epic Movie; my friend's dad bought us tickets. I'm so happy that I was able to see this movie. I fully intend on seeing it as many times as I can before it comes out on DVD.

One last question: The Tremors drove a 1969 Dodge Charger, right?

Thanks for your time, and I intend on saving up money to buy Smokin' Aces,
since my mom gets everything on bootleg.

Vicky.

What was the song that the Tremor Brothers were listening to in their car when they shot Hollis?