Behind The Lens

A very extended episode of #BTLRadioShow this week thanks to my very special guest, journalist and entertainment reporter turned author SCOTT HUVER discussing his true crime book, BEVERLY HILLS NOIR: CRIME, SIN & SCANDAL IN 90210, plus my exclusive interview with PAUL REISER & COLM MEANEY talking about their new film THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE.

First up, is my exclusive interview with PAUL REISER and COLM MEANEY talking about THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE. Needless to say, there are plenty of laughs in the film and in our interview. These two bring so much experience and talent to the table and listening to them feed off of one another is a pure laugh-filled delight.

Then, my friend and colleague, entertainment reporter/columnist turned author, SCOTT HUVER, joins me at the 30-minute mark of the show to discuss his new true crime book, BEVERLY HILLS NOIR: CRIME, SIN & SCANDAL IN 90210. Spanning almost a century of some notable crimes on the mean streets of 90210, there is something for everyone in this book and Scott leaves no stone unturned when dishing the dirty details, some of which were inspired by stories he covered in his days on the crime beat for the "Beverly Hills Courier".

With chapters devoted to the Greystone Mansion murder-suicide, the infamous jewel thief Gerry Dennis, that notorious love triangle involving classic film star Joan Bennett and Walter Wanger, the shocking Van Cleef & Arpels robbery turned hostage situation in 1986, a "barroom brawl" at the Polo Lounge with a few notable Rat Packers, and more, there is something for everyone and Scott and I cover it all during our interview.

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The spooky season continues on BEHIND THE LENS this week as filmmakers DREW GARCIA and NATE GARCIA discuss their narrative feature directorial debut (as well as handling the editing and cinematography), for the the wonderfully entertaining TREASURE TRACKERS. Filled with just enough Halloween spookiness, adventure, friendship and fun, TREASURE TRACKERS is perfect for the whole family. It's a fun-filled conversation as we break down the cinematic and story elements of the film as well as talk about the need today for more films like TREASURE TRACKERS with a nostalgic family throwback.

But before Drerw and Nate, listen to my exclusive interview with director ELLEN KURAS going in-depth discussing her new film, LEE, starring Kate Winslet and Andy Samberg. A chapter in the life of famed Vogue photographer Lee Miller, LEE dives into the WWII years when Lee was in the trenches and battle-ravaged towns, up close and personal, photographing the horror and the humanity of war as a war correspondent for Vogue Magazine. It is fitting that an award-winning cinematographer like Kuras who has made a name for herself with her visual imagery and grammar, would be the one to tell this story of Lee Miller. Award-worthy on every level. An interesting and insightful conversation as Ellen and I dig into the "making of" LEE breaking down the cinematography, tone and tonal shifts, authenticity, location, casting, recreating some of Lee Miller's most famous photographs (yes, Lee Miller in Hitler's bathtub is brought to life in LEE), and so much more.

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We're diving into the darkness this week on BEHIND THE LENS and getting the jump on some Halloween horror thanks to three terrific filmmakers, CHRIS CARTER, JESSICA MORGAN, and RJ DANIEL HANNA, and some scary new films from each of them, NIGHT OF THE HARVEST and SUCCUBUS.

One of the great elements of today's conversations is the discussions with Chris and Daniel about cinematography, lighting, and color with their respective films. Very insightful hearing their approaches to visual grammar as it pertains to each film.

Kicking things off are writer/director/DP CHRIS CARTER and writer/director/actor JESSICA MORGAN talking about their new film, NIGHT OF THE HARVEST, "a spine-chilling thriller where masks and costumes aren't just for fun—they're part of a terrifying ritual. Prepare for a journey into the heart of fear, where every shadow hides an unknown threat and each twist reveals the mysteries behind the Harvest."

Then, writer/director RJ DANIEL HANNA joins us discussing his chilling new film, SUCCUBUS, the tale of "Eddie, a young father going through a marital separation who joins a dating app, and matches with a beautiful but mysterious young woman…whose powers of seduction and manipulation entangle him in a mystery more horrifying than he could have ever imagined… [As] his curiosity gets the better of him, and he finds himself getting sucked into her world even as his own life falls apart, the powers of this mysterious young woman grow, finally revealing her harrowing true nature."

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Interesting conversations and filmmaker insights on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS as director ALYSSA RALLO BENNETT joins us going in-depth about her new film THE ARRIVAL, and you'll hear my exclusive interview with producer-turned-director BOB SALERNO discussing his feature directorial debut HERE AFTER.

First up is my exclusive interview with longtime producer now turned director, BOB SALERNO, talking about his feature directorial debut with HERE AFTER which stars Connie Britton. Some great perspective from Bob as we dive into the diversity of his prior films as a producer to give depth and context for what he now tackled as a director with HERE AFTER. Digging into "the making of" HERE AFTER, Bob discusses the challenges of a limited budget, shooting in Italy, limitations on work hours, casting in Italy and finding actors to embody the supporting characters, visual grammar and developing a visual tonal bandwidth and working with his cinematographer Bartosz Nalazek, working with editor John Lyons, the film's score with composition and orchestration by Fabrizio Mancinelli, lessons learned even by a seasoned producer once he puts his director's hat on.

Then we are joined by director ALYSSA RALLO BENNETT to discuss her new film THE ARRIVAL. Very interesting story with intriguing personalities and plot points that speak to various social themes as we are dropped into several conversations taking place within an upscale bar restaurant. Honing in on each pairing of individuals, we discover the purpose of each in being there and are along for their individual journeys filled with intersecting people and tales. Characters are interesting and engaging thanks to being well developed on the page and brought to life with nuance in the performances. Listen as Alyssa talks about being an "actor's director", casting and rehearsal, and how this script was written by Gary O. Bennett and developed and tailored to specific actors in the story.

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What a fun – and female filmmaker-friendly – week on BEHIND THE LENS thanks to the return of two wonderful filmmakers talking about their latest projects – JENNA ST. JOHN and ANNA ELIZABETH JAMES.

First up is my exclusive interview with the fabulously talented screenwriter, JENNA ST. JOHN talking about her latest project, the fun-filled family film STINKY SUMMER. Regular listeners and readers will remember Jenna from her prior live appearances and call-ins to #BTLRadioShow and will recognize that this new film is a far cry from some of her prior works like "Sexpectations" and "Dinner with the Alchemist" (both in which she also stars). STINKY SUMMER is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of audience and plot, but still built on Jenna's skill for developing story and fully textured characters. What can possibly happen when you've got a skunk, a camp full of girls, and some international spies on your tail? Answer: a whole lotta laughter and Jenna dives into it all in this conversation.

And then writer/director ANNA ELIZABETH JAMES is live talking about her latest movie for Lifetime Television, HELD HOSTAGE IN MY HOUSE. Solid story, interesting construct with the psychological thriller that unfolds, excellent casting, some returning cast and production team from Anna's prior films all make for an interesting and engaging tale. Listen as Anna discusses the idea for the film, creating characters and then casting so that the characters feel real but also are cohesive within the structure of the film.

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It's a fun week of crime and comedy, mystery and drama on BEHIND THE LENS as we take a look at two new films – THE CLEAN UP CREW with director JON KEEYES and CHARLIE TANGO with writer/director SIMON BOISVERT.

First up, my exclusive interview with director JON KEEYES going in-depth into THE CLEAN UP CREW, a terrific crime comedy that boasts some incredible performances, most notably a balls-to-the-wall comedic turn by Melissa Leo and a scene-stealing Antonio Banderas, not to mention fun and action at every turn. Listen as Jon and I go into detail on the cinematography and editing choices, costuming and color, casting, score, and more! What excited me about speaking with Jon is his own sense of humor and joy as he talks about the film, something that comes through loud and clear on screen.

Then writer/director SIMON BOISVERT joins us discussing his new twisty thriller CHARLIE TANGO. An intriguing tale that appears to be one thing, but thanks to Simon's storytelling skill and craftsmanship, turns on a dime and shifts our focus to the real meat of the story, delivering yet another surprise. As you will hear, it's an interesting journey bringing CHARLIE TANGO to life as Simon took two different stories, neither which was sufficient in length to make a feature film, and melded them into one to arrive at CHARLIE TANGO. A big element of the film is Simon's attention to visual detail which he breaks down for us along with the challenges he faced for some scenes while finding tone and tension within the editing process.

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An informative and fun show for you this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we welcome director RJ COLLINS live discussing his new crime thriller CRESCENT CITY. Plus, my exclusive interview with composer BLAKE NEELY, Emmy nominee for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for MASTERS OF THE AIR.

First, we're going for gold, Emmy gold that is, thanks to composer BLAKE NEELY. Emmy nominations are out and voting begins later this week for Television Academy members. One of my favorite nominees is composer BLAKE NEELY who snagged a nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for MASTERS OF THE AIR. In this exclusive interview, Blake and I dive into the essence of MASTERS Main Title Theme and its creation from composition to instrumentation and the importance of capturing the emotional essence of the story through music and creating a unique sound and experience by incorporating different instruments and orchestral elements that add depth and complexity to the piece.

And then, director RJ COLLINS joins me live discussing his new film, the chilling, twisting-turning, serial crime thriller CRESCENT CITY. Boasting an impressive cast with Terrence Howard, Esai Morales, Nickey Whelan, and Alec Baldwin, you will be riveted to the screen when you see this film. An insightful conversation as RJ breaks down the genesis of the story and his decades-long collaboration with screenwriter Rich Ronat, delving into lighting and lensing and the work of cinematographer Alex Salahi to bring this story to life visually and emotionally with texture and color.

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What a fun show we've got for you with this episode of BEHIND THE LENS with something for everyone thanks to the fabulous SIMON PHILLIPS and his new film THE MOUSE TRAP, plus my exclusive interview with director NANETTE BURSTEIN talking her new documentary ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES.

First up, get ready classic film fans, TCM fans, and Elizabeth Taylor fans because we're kicking off the show with my exclusive interview with NANETTE BURSTEIN and her new doc, ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES. Released exclusively on HBO on August 3rd, you do not want to miss this one. And you don't want to miss this interview as Nanette talks about the project, starting with how these 40 hours of previously unheard and unknown tapes came to her; a story in and of itself!

And then…… he's back!!! SIMON PHILLIPS is back with us for the third time and this time it's all about THE MOUSE TRAP as Producer/Writer/ and playing "Mickey"!! In January 2024, Simon released the trailer for this film and blew everyone away as the film contains footage of the first iterations of Disney's Mickey Mouse as "Steamboat Willie" (which entered the public domain on January 1st) with the main character of THE MOUSE TRAP bearing more than a strong resemblance to Willie. But trust me when I say there is nothing Disney-esque about THE MOUSE TRAP! A deliciously delightful horror film that horror fans and beyond are going to love thanks to an original story courtesy of Simon, a lot of fun horror elements, plenty of bloodshed, and perhaps even a bit of magic.

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It's an out-of-this-world full house on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS thanks to our special guests ERIN MACDONALD, PH.D. talking about SPACE CADET, STAR TREK: PRODIGY and astrophysics, and director JAY SILVERMAN talking about his beautiful new film CAMERA.

I'm so excited to have DR. ERIN MACDONALD join us to discuss her myriad of ongoing projects including serving as science consultant to the new fun Prime Video film SPACE CADET which is the story of a female protagonist who dreams of being an astronaut. And if that's not enough, Erin not only serves as science advisor to the STAR TREK franchise, but voices her fictional counterpart in the animated STAR TREK: PRODIGY now streaming on Netflix! Plus, she's one of the forces behind the film IDENTITEAZE.

Adding to the excitement this week is the return of director JAY SILVERMAN who is back for his third appearance on #BTLRadioshow, this time talking about his new film CAMERA. Get the tissues out for this one when you see it. Beyond heartfelt, Beau Bridges and young Miguel Gabriel will melt your heart and bring you to tears while the film's cinematography is breathtaking with every frame. Needless to say, I love CAMERA and had a wonderful discussion with Jay about it.

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It's a jam-packed episode of BEHIND THE LENS as director JEFF CELENTANO joins us live talking about his new film BLACKWATER LANE, and you'll also hear my exclusive interviews with ERIC ROBERTS talking LUMINA while GUY PEARCE discusses THE CONVERT.

First up is my exclusive interview with the one and only ERIC ROBERTS talking about one of his new films (he has so many popping out and on deck), the sci-fi thriller LUMINA. A fun interview with one of my favorite character actors. Giving insight into creating a character including the wardrobe, production design, and location, Eric also discusses his process for accepting roles.

Then director JEFF CELENTANO discusses his new psychological thriller, BLACKWATER LANE. Written by Elizabeth Fowler based on the best-selling novel by B.A. Paris, this is one riveting, twisty-turny tale that (1) doesn’t stray far from the book and (2) is exquisitely visualized by Jeff in the film as he taps into all of our senses.

And we round out the show going overtime with my exclusive interview with GUY PEARCE talking about his new film, THE CONVERT. A powerful, emotional, and thought-provoking film, it's easy to understand what led Guy to this one, not to mention the chance to work with director Lee Tamahori in this rich period piece It's been a few years since we last spoke, so catching up now is just wonderful as Guy talks about what led him to THE CONVERT, the filming experience, and even some similarities with his 2012 film "Lockout".

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