Behind The Lens

We're showcasing a variety of films this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we welcome BRIAN JOHNSON who discusses his film POPULATION PURGE. Plus, my exclusive interview with ASIF AKBAR talking BONEYARD, and you'll get my mini-review of HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1.

First up, I can't help but talk about one of my favorite films of the year. A truly epic masterwork from Kevin Costner, HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1. Co-written by Costner and Jon Baird, Costner's love of the Old West and man's ever-evolving attempts to tame it, settle it, develop it, cherish it, even destroy it, is once again evident here. Authenticity reigns supreme from costuming to set dress, as do the Utah locations in this emotional tale of a journey that begins in 1859 two years before the start of the Civil War, and over the course of the anticipated four chapters will span a total of 15 years.

Then we switch gears and you'll hear my exclusive interview with director ASIF AKBAR talking about his new thriller BONEYARD, inspired by the true life, and as yet unsolved, crimes known as the West Mesa Murders. Boasting solid production values and a superb cast (Mel Gibson, Curtis Jackson, and Brian Van Holt to name just a few), Asif talks about not only his approach to this film and the challenges inherent to a reality-based story but also his responsibility to the victims of this serial killer and other missing women and girls the world over. A wonderful and interesting interview.

Rounding out the show, we go from expanding and building the American West to dystopian destruction of the United States as writer/director/cinematographer/camera operator DP BRIAN JOHNSON joins us, discussing his new thriller POPULATION PURGE. Listen as Brian talks about the genesis of the story, how he crafts a story around his selected locations, the abandoned locations used in the film (so visual and so cool), casting, directing and doing the lighting and lensing in some unforgiving spaces, and much more. Plus, he gives us some tidbits about his upcoming project.

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It's another full house this week on #BTLRadioShow as we welcome MEREDITH YINGER talking SCARS UNSEEN and STEVE BALDERSON talking his new streaming series, BLOODY FAMOUS! PLUS, thanks to Steve being late with his call-in to the live show, you get the added bonus of my exclusive interview with JOSH MARGOLIN talking the fun-filled and unforgettable comedy THELMA.

First up, writer/director MEREDITH YINGER joins us to talk about her new feature, a powerful documentary on domestic abuse but with a new perspective that we haven't seen before, SCARS UNSEEN, which makes its World Premiere on June 30th at Dances With Films in Hollywood!

Then hear my exclusive interview with writer/director JOSH MARGOLIN as he talks about his new film THELMA and 94-year-old June Squibb – Action Hero! THELMA is not only fun but warm and wonderful; a sentimental journey of action and aging!

And finally, the uber-talented writer/director/author STEVE BALDERSON joins us again for the fourth time (!!!!) talking about his latest venture, and something new for Steve, the streaming series BLOODY FAMOUS! Talk about wicked, dark, twisted, satiric fun! I am in love with this episodic and hope that Steve gives us a Season 2. Think "The Bachelorette meets The Hunger Games" but ramped up to the Nth degree! Who will be the victor in this deadly game of love?

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It's a trifecta of festival films this week on BEHIND THE LENS and all three are "MUST SEE FESTIVAL FILMS" with "Must Meet" Festival Filmmakers at the upcoming Dances With Films film festival in Hollywood – THE PICKUP, THE EXPOSED, and TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER'S PARADOX.

First up, take a listen as husband and wife filmmakers NICHOLAS ACOSTA and XENIA LeBLANC join us in talking about their respective films, THE PICKUP and THE EXPOSED. While Xenia wrote and directed the thriller, THE EXPOSED, she also starred in Nick's action-heavy film THE PICKUP. Both shorts are superb with THE PICKUP packing in action and humor while THE EXPOSED turns on a dime with a shocking reveal – and in only 5 minutes! Listen as each talks about their approaches to each of their films.

And then get ready for writer/director STIMSON SNEAD and his feature film, the fabulous TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER'S PARADOX! A visual delight. A storytelling joy. Science is key. Visuals dazzle. And how can you go wrong when you've got Danny Trejo, Joel McHale, and Keith David popping up along with the Herculean efforts of Samuel Dunning who will have you seeing double, uh, triple, uh, twenty-something! This film is some of the most fun you'll have at the movies, be it at DWF or other film festivals or in theatres or at home when Stimson gets a distribution deal. Listen as Stimson dives into the genesis of TIM TRAVERS, his tonal approach, homage to the past, and his time-traveling approach that avoids the "typical" emotional metaphors of human discovery.

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This episode of BEHIND THE LENS is all about FUN with a capital "F" thanks to a favorite returning filmmaker, JONATHAN SMITH, and his latest film GUY FRIENDS, and the brilliance of director PABLO BERGER with the oh-so-wonderful ROBOT DREAMS.

First up, take a listen to my exclusive interview with writer/director PABLO BERGER as we discuss his exquisitely magical animated film ROBOT DREAMS. I have long loved Pablo's work going back to his brilliant "Blancanieves" in 2012, and as much as I love his work there, I am in love with ROBOT DREAMS. This is a fun and insightful interview that I know you'll enjoy as Pablo discusses adapting Sara Varon's picture book of the same name, creating an animated film when he is not an animator and "does not draw", making New York a character, score and needledrops, pop culture influences, and more.

And then the wonderful writer/director/DP/editor JONATHAN SMITH returns with a new film – GUY FRIENDS. As if "Batsh*t Bride" wasn't funny enough, wait until you see this follow-up film, GUY FRIENDS. Jonathan is so much fun and I'm so happy to have him back on #BTLRadioShow with his latest project! Shot in block and white, Jonathan makes some interesting choices for the telling of GUY FRIENDS. Going in-depth into the production itself, Jonathan tells all, including but not limited to, his production choices for B&W, editing, etc., wearing multiple hats, the genesis of this story and the inherent comedy that is found within that story, casting (which includes a lead actress who has never acted at all before this film), performances, score, and more.

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We're heading into the great outdoors on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS with films about self-discovery, friendship, and family as we talk about SUMMER CAMP with CASTILLE LANDON and WILD EYED AND WICKED with GORDON FOXWOOD.

First up is my exclusive interview with writer/director CASTILLE LANDON talking about the fun-filled comedic gem SUMMER CAMP which stars legends Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, and Alfre Woodard along with Dennis Haysbert, Eugene Levy, Josh Peck, and Betsy Sodero, just to name a few. Shot on location in North Carolina, the cinematography is as light and bright and textured as the characters and the story. Most impressive about Castille is her attention to detail and emotion in the writing and direction of SUMMER CAMP. I think you'll enjoy hearing what she has to say about the summer fun to be had here.

Then writer/director GORDON FOXWOOD is live talking about his new film WILD EYED AND WICKED. Making his feature directorial debut, Gordon draws on elements of his own life with this story, and shoots the film in the lush open fielded horse region of Malvern, Pennsylvania (which is truly beautiful) which is encircled with woods. Listen as we talk about the genesis of this story and bringing it to life on screen, really cool battle sequences involving armor, broadswords, and demonic supernatural, lighting and lensing, the benefit of this specific location, and more.

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It's a full house on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS as we welcome two multi-hyphenate indie filmmakers, CHRISTOPHER SCHRACK and DANIEL YOON, who discuss their new films, FOR SALE and EAST BAY, respectively, not to mention wearing a multitude of filmmaking hats during a production.

First up, writer/director/DP/editor CHRISTOPHER SCHRACK joins us discussing his new film, the horror comedy FOR SALE. Get ready to laugh out loud and jump out of your skin as we enter the world of narcissist Mason McGinness as he navigates life celebrating himself and cheating people out of anything and everything to further his own gains. But the tables may turn on Mason when he tries tackling real estate and his boss gives him the company albatross of "murder house" to sell. Belieing a very limited budget, FOR SALE is solid filmmaking. Listen as Christopher goes in-depth talking about the various elements of production from location, making the house a character, casting, visual effects, using natural light as much as possible, score, and more.

Then writer/director/editor/lead actor DANIEL YOON is on board to talk about his latest, EAST BAY, a very thoughtful and purposeful film that beautifully utilizes mixed visual grammar and musical composition to metaphorically elevate and engage an already solid story and outstanding performances. Listen as Daniel dives into the nuances of his cinematic storytelling style, character development, casting (including an early performance by Constance Wu before "Crazy Rich Asians"), editing, score, various visual tones and techniques, and more that bring EAST BAY to life, as well as discussing not only the challenges of wearing so many hats but the benefits of time (this film was started in 2010) in order to make this film. A very interesting conversation for filmmakers and those who want to learn more about what goes on "behind the lens".

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A very extended BEHIND THE LENS this week thanks to special guests CHARLEY and VLAS PARLAPANIDES who joined us live for an hour discussing Season 2 of BLOOD OF ZEUS. Plus my exclusive interview with MASTERS OF THE AIR Supervising Stunt Coordinator LEE MORRISON, and we remember ROGER CORMAN.

I've been teasing this week's show for a while now and the movie gods have finally aligned. The Jersey boys are finally back with more BLOOD OF ZEUS!! Brothers, executive producers, and writers CHARLEY AND VLAS PARLAPANIDES are on hand discussing the long-awaited Season 2 of the Netflix animated hit, BLOOD OF ZEUS which dropped on Netflix on May 10th! And what a Season 2 this is as we continue the story of Heron, Zeus' demigod son, in the waging wars over Zeus' throne on Olympus. Executive Producers and writers of the entire series (Seasons 1 and 2).

But first, you'll hear my exclusive interview with stunt coordinator LEE MORRISON talking about the masterful MASTERS OF THE AIR and the challenges faced (and mastered) that go beyond what you might consider "typical" stunt work.

And we kick off the show with a remembrance of the legendary ROGER CORMAN, who regular listeners will recall appearing on #BTLRadioShow as a holiday surprise in December 2022. I pulled excerpts of that appearance with Roger's thoughts on filmmaking, streaming, his personal Corman favorites, and more that you'll hear again here.

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It's a mixed bag this week on BEHIND THE LENS thanks to director DANNY LEE talking about his new documentary WHO IS STAN SMITH? and our exclusive interview with VFX Supervisor MARCUS TAORMINA discussing REBEL MOON-PART 2: THE SCARGIVER.

First up, take a listen as we dive into visual effects and my exclusive interview with VFX Supervisor MARCUS TAORMINA going in-depth about the visual effects work in REBEL MOON-PART 2: THE SCARGIVER. An interesting conversation as we delve into heat signatures and color, shooting ground battles in California where no pyro is permitted due to fire concerns thus putting more on the shoulders of VFX, working with Weta (aerial battles) and Scanline (ground battles), and more.

Then one of the most insightful documentary discussions ever on #BTLRadioShow comes courtesy of director DANNY LEE as he talks about his new documentary WHO IS STAN SMITH?. Do you know who Stan Smith is? Some of you may know Stan Smith as a former tennis champion, not to mention having his own Adidas sneaker complete with his face and name on the shoe (long before Michael Jordan's deal with Nike). But how many know anything about the man behind the racket and the shoe; his life, his innate goodness? It's not often one can describe a documentary as "uplifting", but that's exactly what Danny Lee brings us with WHO IS STAN SMITH?.

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It's a mixed bag of creativity on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS thanks to writer/director/editor PATRICK MEANEY and his new film THE BRINK OF, and MOON KNIGHT costume designer MEGHAN KASPERLIK.

First up, take a listen to my exclusive interview with PATRICK MEANEY discussing his latest film, the sweetly charming "integrated musical", THE BRINK OF. This is a film that will have you smiling from beginning to end while filling you up with wonderful original songs written and performed by lead actors Nicolette Norgaard and Tim Hoffman.

Then you'll hear costume designer MEGHAN KASPERLIK talk about her extensive research and design process for the costume design of MOON KNIGHT just in time for the new 4K UHD and Blu-ray Steebook (complete with plenty of extras) release on April 30. Listen as Meghan dives into the minutiae of the details with everything from the environs and how that influenced costume and color, fabrications, buttons, 3D printing on fabric and more.

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He's baaaaaack! That's right! Musician/singer/director/author FRANK MEYER is back for the fourth time on BEHIND THE LENS. Frank was initially scheduled to be in-studio for the entire hour, but due to a last-minute emergent situation, was unable to be here in person but still joined us via phone for the majority of the show. Fresh off his whirlwind tour with The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs in Spain and with more fun surprises in the offing, Frank talks about it all. Upcoming LP and EP releases, band merchandise (and boy did the fans in Spain love the merch!!), more touring for Frank, some great advice for creatives and particularly musicians/bands/singers about where to place your music for audience consumption so you get more of the money versus an entity like Spotify. Some very helpful insights from Frank.

And if you think Frank was on a whirlwind, how about a short recap of some of my highlights from this past week's TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood celebrating the 15th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival AND the 30th Anniversary of Turner Classic Movies! Plus, hear what John Travolta had to tell me about the importance of TCM.

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