It’s always delightful and refreshing when a film plays out against type and expectations. All too often we know how something will end well before the halfway mark. But in the case of Peter Hutchings’ romantic comedy, the film has enough twists and turns to keep things exciting and offer a handful of surprises. We sit with director Hutchings to talk about various aspects of the film adapted from the epistolary novel by Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott. One of the most interesting aspects of the production is how the team came up with an innovative framework for the film’s many flashback sequences. It feels appropriate to the conversational nature…
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Interview…Tina Guo on Determination, Being Yourself and Rocking Out
In the sports world there are all sorts of inspirational slogans like “winners aren’t born and they’re made“. You’ve heard them before, seen posters in gyms, yadda, yadda, yadda. But does that translate to the entertainment world, specifically with musicians? Well, if if you look hard enough you might find a few rare instances where it is true, and when it comes to our latest guest, she wasn’t made, she’s more accurately manufactured. Tina Guo is a world-renowned cellist whose talent is nearly eclipsed by her personality. Made in China – this next part is 100% true – and born to musician parents in the communist army, Tina has an…
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Interview…Miguel Ortega on ‘The Voice In the Hollow’
On this episode of the podcast we speak to writer, director and premier visual effects artist Miguel Ortega. His recent animated short has been a hit at every festival it has been to. Yet this tale of two sisters at odds with one another – a take on the Cain and Abel story as it were – has more to offer than an animated re-telling of something you’ve seen/heard before. Well, leave it to Ortega and regular collaborator/co-creator Tran Ma to give you an experience like none other. The Voice In the Hollow is a ghastly and impacting 10-minute animated African horror story; these two are treading new ground with every…
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Interview…Director Phillip Noyce on Character Mortality, Storytelling and Improvisation
Just a few weeks before Christmas, we got a bucket list chance to speak with director Phillip Noyce about his latest film. For almost fifty years Noyce has worked on every aspect of filmmaking (writing, acting, cinematography, rigging) and the result of all that experience is his ability to capture the audience and bring us right into the story. Noyce has given us stunning, remarkable and indelible characters who are on the run from something – their agencies, their enemies/friends or even themselves – and these stories about Jack Ryan, Simon Templar and several others resonate with audiences years, even decades later. The reason? Well, in the words of Mr.…
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Interview…Kellan Lutz on Action, Emotion, Film & Family
In his latest movie, Kellen Lutz gets to do his version of a Liam Neeson Taken movie. The man who has been a vampire, an expendable, even Hercules has had quite a roster of films and TV work since getting into the business less 20 years ago. And he really deserves credit for his emotional portrayal. He’s underrated and remarkably good at playing a character who is broken down, or has had his whole world taken from him. So much so that it would be good for him to land more roles where his character is in crisis. In 2016 he played something similar, albeit in an indie sci-fi opera, as…
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Interview…Production Designer Paul Cripps on Visual Depth, Creativity and Stories From the Set of ‘Ted Lasso’
I’ve often said that I think movie magic is actually music magic. Many times it is the film score that is the heart of the film. But a very close second would be production design. While film and TV are essentially a two-dimensional exhibition of a three-dimensional world, plenty of skilled craftsmen, artisans and stage hands weave their own magic to create a sense of place. Grand cinematic adventures from The Wizard of Oz to The Matrix to Oppenheimer doesn’t physically come through the screen, but visually you still feel the weight, density, and the depth that make those worlds believable. Some of the greatest production designers in history aren’t household…
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Interview…Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival 2023 Recap with Ryan Kennedy, Sam Siske & Aaron Bryan
The Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival celebrated its sixth year in 2023. The goal of the fest is to shine a light on talented, hungry, and up-and-coming filmmakers who are trying to get their name out in the world. The ASFFF shines a light on noteworthy (or otherworldly?) short films from directors/creatives who have something special to say. These creatives can use the short from format as vehicles for TV pilots, proof of concept, or a chapter/snapshot in a larger story. The fun part about Science Fiction is that anything goes, and things are never one-note. Bits of this and that are thrown into the mix in whatever amount the writer…
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Interview…Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis on Season 12 of ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’
The creative minds behind one of Adult Swim’s longest-running and most popular shows are back to make TV watchable again. For more than twenty years, Aqua Teen Hunger Force creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro have dialed into cultural irreverence to make us laugh. So it’s no surprise that they are equally fun to talk to…even if trying to stay in the conversation is like watching Winona Ryder do math. We chatted with Dave and Matt earlier this year for their movie Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm and while they appear to be straight nuts, they love their job, their work, and like seeing how much fun they can have in these junkets.…
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Interview…Alden Ehrenreich and Natalie Metzger on ‘Shadow Brother Sunday’
One of the most enjoyable perks in film journalism is getting to talk to creative individuals about their work. On this site we’ve been fortunate enough to meet with numerous storytellers; we love taking deep dives with the talent at hand to find what inspires them. Some of the best interviews are ones that yield behind-the-scenes stories, triumphs and lessons learned. All in all, the road to bring any production to the public is a long one – but it can certainly be fun. And that’s why people in film consider the work an all-or-nothing pursuit. Last week, we had a kitchen sink discussion with Alden Ehrenreich. He’s been working…
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Interview…Eugenio Derbez and Christopher Zalla on the Honesty and Connections in ‘Radical’
Take a minute to think about this question: who inspires you? For many, there are different answers and several of you can probably cite a laundry list of individuals who fit the role. No matter who helps motivate you – be they real or fictitious, young or old, familiar or not – just one small change can affect the trajectory of our life. It’s probably safe to say we all are and have been inspired by someone in a special or important way. In an era where superheroes dominate pop cutlure, there is another kind of hero we are happy to call attention to in this post: teachers. There are…
