Director Jim Mickle is no stranger to genre filmmaking. He’s made films about cannibals, vampires, and psychopaths and won plenty of fans along the way with We Are What We Are, Stake Land, and Cold in July. In his latest, the upcoming Netflix title, In the Shadow of the Moon, he explores the concept of obsession in a multi-generational familial drama. It’s also a murder mystery detective story that has an element of time-travel. So, yes, it’s ambitious to say the least, and it’s also Mickle’s largest production to date. The film stars Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman and Michael C. Hall who all play a part in this massive story line. We…
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Interview…Marvel Studios Concept Artist Anthony Francisco on ‘Avengers: Endgame’
When you go to the movies, the images on screen can bring out all sorts of emotions – excitement, intrigue, humor, fear, etc. Well, before even one frame of film is shot, a team of very talented concept artists works hard to imagine heroes, villains, costumes, vistas, scenes and settings that will one day light up the silver screen. Now as far as being wowed at the cineplex, it’s hard to get more amazing and spectacular than the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One above-mentioned concept artist adding to that experience is Anthony Francisco. His job, in short, is to give movie goers something they’ve never seen before. That’s…
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Interview…’Driven’ Director on Lee Pace and the Life and Times of John Z. DeLorean
To many, John Z. DeLorean is a man steeped in equal amounts of esteem and intrigue. He lived a fascinating life, but after his time with GM, he reached point where all his fame turned to infamy. In the 30 minutes I spent with director Nick Hamm, we discussed the road he wanted to take to bring this character to the screen. Hamm admits that DeLorean’s life isn’t interesting enough for him to have taken the biopic route, and similarly, a documentary might have felt stale. So basing this narrative around the actual events of DeLorean’s attempts to start and save his car company (including the cocaine sting operation that…
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Video Interview…Eugenio Derbez on ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’
This Summer, Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures will release Dora and the Lost City of Gold. To promote the film, Eugenio Derbez came to Dallas. In the acting world, Derbez is about as down-to-Earth as it gets. He’s also charming, and up for anything in the name of comedy. In our interview, Eugenio acts, sings and laughs a lot as we talk about Dora, his nickname, telenovelas, and Barry Manilow (he’s a huge fan). Enjoy! Directed by James Bobin, and starring Isabela Moner, Eva Longoria, Q’orianka Kilcher, and Michael Peña, Nickelodeon Movies will release Dora and the Lost City of Gold on August 9. If you think you know Dora…think…
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Video Interview…David Harbour on Hopper, Horror, and Big Hair in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3
For most of this year, we’ve been getting ready for the upcoming season of Stranger Things. We’re still more than a week away, but one thing that took our mind off the wait was the chance to speak with David Harbour. That’s right, Police Chief Jim Hopper himself was in Dallas as part of a press event to promote the show. While in the Big D, he was treated to some of the best baseball and BBQ we could offer. Hey, it’s the least we could do. Thanks, Dallas, for making David feel at home. He’s already a pretty laid-back guy (I spent close to an hour with him in…
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Exclusive: Interview…Composer David Newman to Conduct 20th Anniversary Concert for ‘Galaxy Quest’
Next month, the San Diego Symphony will put on a live–to-picture performance of Galaxy Quest, the classic sci-fi comedy from 1999 starring Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell and Tony Shaloub. What’s that you ask? Why would a symphony play the music to a comedy? Well, two reasons: One, it’s really great music to a really fun film. Two, it’s really great music written by David Newman. These days, orchestras know they have to inclusive – they can’t be exclusive – and there’s no benefit to being closed-minded. Orchestras used to just play the same canonical works, but now they have really embraced the popularity and the artistry…
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Interview…Composer Miles Hankins on the Musical Backdrop to ‘Long Shot’
Award-winning composer Miles Hankins boasts a diverse body of work spanning the entertainment industry. He most recently co-composed Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s romantic comedy, Long Shot with Marco Beltrami. Additionally, Miles received a Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Direction on the HBO documentary series Being Serena and was recently honored at the awards ceremony in New York. As an exceptionally creative independent composer, Miles has collaborated with Beltrami on several critically-acclaimed scores including A Quiet Place, which received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score, Marvel’s Fantastic Four, Sony’s The Shallows, and Columbia Pictures’ The Night Before. In addition to film, Miles scored CBS’s primetime series, 3…
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Interview…Mo Shafeek on Mondo’s Marvelous Vinyl Releases
At Mondo (the Austin-based boutique poster and music label), Record Label Production Manager, Mo Shafeek, is responsible for plenty of vinyl soundtracks and film scores you probably spin regularly. Shafeek is a veteran of company, a die-hard film fan and can wax poetic about anything horror, indie, or pop-culture related in the same breath. He’s also just one of two (two!) people producing and releasing a staggering amount of albums in any given calendar year. While 2019 celebrates the end of Marvel Studios’ eleven-year cinematic journey with Avengers: Endgame, Walt Disney Records and Mondo are starting something new. Both companies are working together to release a select number of exclusive…
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Interview…Composers Ryan Taubert and Benjamin Botkin Channel John Williams for ‘Blockbuster’ Podcast
From Epicleff Media, Blockbuster Podcast tells the true story of how Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams re-invented escapism at the cinema and forever changed the experience of going to the movies. It was an adventurous and nebulous time in the ‘70s when these visionary directors took their first step into a larger world. And their movies weren’t half bad either. What helps make this podcast so vibrant and immersive is the original score composed and produced by Ryan Taubert (above L) and Benjamin Botkin (above R). Having to write music for this series was already a challenge, but having to do it in a way that embodied the spirit of John…
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Interview…Matt Schrader on Immersive Audio and Pioneering Podcasts with ‘Blockbuster’
From director Matt Schrader and producer Kenny Holmes comes Blockbuster, a six-part, 2.5-hour immersive audio series that traces the young friendship of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas — before Jaws and Star Wars — and before anyone knew their names. It’s a story that took place a half century ago — authentically recreated in striking detail by leading voice actors, award-winning sound designers, and with a sweeping original score. Also, this series features the most advanced sound design ever created for a podcast. Over the course of six months, the Epicleff team utilized prominent, award-winning voice actors from the animation and video game industries, captivating three-dimensional sound design from Motion Picture Sound Editors-nominated designer Peter…
