Behind The Lens

The joys of live broadcasting are on full display this week with #BTLRadioShow as we shifted gears on the fly when our live guest failed to call in. But that is all to the benefit of JAKOB'S WIFE as instead of only 20 minutes or so with one exclusive interview, the entire show became all about JAKOB'S WIFE!! One of my "Must See" films of 2021, JAKOB'S WIFE is beyond delicious. Quite a tasty treat, if you ask me. The story of Anne and her husband Pastor Jakob, Anne has kind of faded into the background after 30 years of marriage. Ever the dutiful, community-spirited pastor's wife, she has lost "Anne" somewhere along the line. But after a bit of temptation and a surprise "embrace" by something, Anne's entire world shifts. She comes alive!! And while she also becomes a timeless fashion plate and a woman with confidence who has found her voice again, she fears silver and craves blood and doesn't do too well in the dental chair. But what about her husba

Fun and sci-fi fantasy come together in this expanded episode of #BTLRadioShow as we take a look at VIKES with writer/director TENNEY FAIRCHILD, and VOYAGERS with writer/director NEIL BURGER. Joining us live is writer/director TENNEY FAIRCHILD talking about his coming of age romp, VIKES. And while VIKES may have some sweet charm to it, the film also deals with some timely and topical issues and themes which are even more important today than in 2016-17 when the film was shot. Listen as Tenney talks about his process for story development and subsequently taking the words on the page and translating them into visuals, the casting process, shooting location, the importance of visual detail, and more. And we're talking VOYAGERS thanks to two of my favorite filmmakers, writer/director NEIL BURGER and production designer SCOTT CHAMBLISS. Listen to my prerecorded exclusive interviews with each of these gentlemen as we dig deep into the genesis of the film and Neil's process for crafting a world for a mu

Focusing more on the reality of life and the world today with this episode of #BTLRadioShow, our special guests, STEVEN ALLERICK and JESSE NOAH KLEIN, each has a powerful story to tell through film. First up, and let just say, "He’s baaaaaack!", actor/writer/director/producer STEVEN ALLERICK returns talking about his latest project – VARIANT – and the IndieGoGo finance campaign for film funding. Listen as Steve talks about the impetus for the project and why this is such a personal film, plus why he will be stepping behind the camera with his directorial debut. And find out how you can become a part of the VARIANT movement. Then writer/director JESSE NOAH KLEIN is on hand to talk about his new film, LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE starring Sarah Sutherland. An emotional exploration of a woman who returns "home" after a two-year absence, filled with some Malick-esque notes and nods, Jesse discusses the genesis of this story, the film's construct, and his visual and emotional style in bringing t

This week on #BTLRadioShow we go from Philly to the UK with w/d AOIFE CREHAN talking THE LAST RIGHT, plus take a listen to our exclusive interview with w/d RICKY STAUB talking CONCRETE COWBOY! And we also chat about NY Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline and her new historical novel (already a bestseller), ETERNAL! http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

It's another jam-packed episode of #BTLRadioShow as we go from the Atlantic to the Pacific thanks to our special guests, ALEX NOYER and actor JASMIN SAVOY BROWN, fresh off their world premiere at SXSW talking about their frightening and intriguing new film SOUND OF VIOLENCE, and director/co-writer PAOLO PILLADI who makes his narrative feature directorial debut with the delightfully engaging and fun LAST CALL. First up we head to Philly with PAOLO PILLADI and LAST CALL, a fun film that focuses on lifelong friends and family, "the old neighborhood", gentrification, redevelopment, and the nostalgic warmth of neighborhoods and the mom and pop shops of our youth. Shooting in Bayonne, NJ as a perfect stand-in for the suburban Philly neighborhood of Upper Darby ("Darby Heights" in the film), this is the story of Mick, a guy who wanted more than what he thought the neighborhood could give him and moved all the way to Rittenhouse Square and Center City (about 10 miles) to become a mover and

It's a busy episode of #BTLRadioShow as we're talking Oscar nominations, plus. . . ALEXANDRA LORETH and KEVIN PONTUTI are live talking about their new film making its world premiere at the virtual Cinequest Film Festival, THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Mesmerizing and hypnotic, the film dazzles with its meticulous and methodical sound design and rich cinematography. Take a listen as we dive into not only the excitement and anticipation of a world premiere but "the making of" THE YELLOW WALLPAPER, starting with the challenges of adapting this acclaimed gothic feminist horror story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman which essentially takes place in the mind of the protagonist, giving a fully tapestried identity to her, and then crafting meticulous tactical visuals that bring the story to life. In addition to discussing the stunning and metaphoric visual design both from a cinematographic and production design standpoint, we delve into the use of sound and the film's overall soundscape, all of which f

It's a fun episode of #BTLRadioShow this week thanks to director CRAIG BREWER and writer/director LESLIE THOMAS. First up we're taking a little trip back to Zamunda with director CRAIG BREWER as we go in-depth talking about the hilarious COMING 2 AMERICA in this prerecorded exclusive interview. Hear my review of the film and listen as Craig talks about casting, incorporating touchstones to the original film, finding the heart of the film, the comedy beats, cinematography and working with cinematographer Jody Williams to capture familial intimacy within the comedy canvas as well as staging those incredible production numbers, the production design of Jeffrey Sage, and the award-worthy costume design of Ruth E. Carter (hand her the Oscar 2022 now). And then writer/director LESLIE THOMAS is live talking about her new film, HONESTY WEEKEND, where the age-old adage of "honesty is the best policy" is put to the test with laughter and love. Leslie covers the gamut from story to casting an ense

It's a jam-packed extended show this week thanks to our special guests, filmmakers and co-directors ANDRE PHILLIPS and CHARLES VUOLO, plus some very enlightening and fun prerecorded exclusive interviews with writer/director NICHOLAS JARECKI and writer/director LOUISE LINTON. First, take a listen to our exclusive conversation with writer/director NICHOLAS JARECKI talking about his latest film, CRISIS. Much like his first film, "Arbitrage", Nicholas delivers a hard-hitting and riveting film, this time centered around the opioid crisis and the business of drug trafficking…through the Northern borders. Listen as Nicholas discusses at length his approach to the script and working with his actors in its development following the "first draft", casting, his extensive research into the various elements of the opioid crisis which set the stage for the three narrative threads which compromise the story, cinematography and finding visual tonal bandwidth through color and light, location selecti

This episode of #BTLRadioShow takes us from the social consciousness of A TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE in Chicago to the wild and wacky world of WILLY'S WONDERLAND. First up is our exclusive conversation with director KEVIN LEWIS going in-depth on the wild and wonderful world of WILLY'S WONDERLAND starring Nic Cage! Who doesn't love a Nic Cage film – especially when he's being Nic Cage at the top of his game. And that's exactly what we get from him in WILLY'S WONDERLAND. Listen as Kevin talks about his attraction to G.O. Parson's script, working with Cage in developing the character of "The Janitor", Molly Coffee's detailed production design, cinematography and developing extreme dutched angles and explosive use of color and light in collaboration with his cinematographer David Newbert, scoring by Emoi, and so much more. Then we shift gears as director/producer JASON POLEVOI joins us live talking about his documentary A TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE which had its world premier

It's a full house this week on #BTLRadioShow thanks to our special guests, filmmakers STEPHEN JANIS, DEANNE FOLEY, and LATONIA HARTERY. Plus, some quick review bytes on two new films streaming everywhere right now – ME YOU MADNESS and PARADISE COVE. One of my fave films of the year already is ME YOU MADNESS, written and directed by LOUISE LINTON and starring Linton and Ed Westwick. Irreverant, politically incorrect, high octane, glamorous, breaking the fourth, rapier wit-filled darkly comedic action movie love story, ME YOU MADNESS is delicious dark decadent fun from start to finish. Linton shows good command as not only a wordsmith, but as a storyteller (much of which I believe we can credit to her trial advocacy skills as a lawyer) is well constructed and structured. Visually, Linton knocks it out of the park with polish and color thanks to cinematographers Reinhart Reschke and Boa Simon, whose lighting and lensing only serve to elevate the already sumptuous production design of Allura Johnson and Tra

Take a listen to this episode of #BTLRadioShow as we welcome writer/director RAVIN GANDHI talking about the psychological thriller 100 DAYS TO LIVE and co-directors NIKIEA REDMOND & KIRSTEN D'ANDREA HOLLANDER talking their documentary ANATOMY OF WINGS. Joining us live at the top of the show is writer/director RAVIN GANDHI talking about the making of 100 DAYS TO LIVE, a chilling psychological thriller with twists and turns that will have your jaw dropping as we follow the story of a woman grappling with her own emotional fragility who runs a suicide support group. Having rebuilt her own life and found happiness, the rug is pulled out from under her as her fiance is suddenly kidnapped by a known serial killer who has thus far eluded the police. With the clock ticking, she races to uncover the identity of the killer/kidnapper and more importantly, why he kills. Listen as Ravin talks about the genesis of the story, building tension to a crescendo and then pulling the ultimate shocking twist, building char

It's all about the heartfelt enchantment of animation, music, and the love of a father-daughter, plus the power of redemption and family on this week's #BTLRadioShow thanks to special guests YIBING JIANG & JASON KEANE, plus our exclusive interview with director FISHER STEVENS! Joining us live today to talk about the very special animated short film (award-worthy Oscar consideration, folks!!), WINDUP, are writer/director YIBING JIANG and animation director JASON KEANE. Emotionally exquisite, this may well be the best 9 minutes and 55 seconds you ever spent watching a film. It is truly the beating heart of love as we watch the tale of a father and young daughter unfold. Take a listen Yibing talks about the birth of the story and bringing it to life while Jason goes into detail about the animation style and use of color, while each weighs in on the importance of music in not only the creative scoring process as a whole but specifically as to the accompanying animation, not to mention their love

Another big episode of #BTLRadioShow thanks to filmmakers SEAN PATRICK FLANERY and TYLER WAYNE! First up, take a listen to our prerecorded exclusive interview with SEAN PATRICK FLANERY talking about his new film BORN A CHAMPION. While you may know Sean best for all of his work in front of the camera, with BORN A CHAMPION, together with co-writer and director Alex Ranarivelo, Sean does double duty as screenwriter and actor. A passion project that took years to bring to fruition, Sean talks candidly about the screenwriting process, "recollective storytelling", the importance of jiu-jitsu in his life and in telling this story, the cast, hiring real-life jiu-jitsu and martial arts champions for the film, and more. And then writer/director/actor TYLER WAYNE joins us talking about his feature directorial debut with GOODBYE, BUTTERFLY. An intriguing murder mystery that explores a father's grief and rage as he sets out to find the man who murdered his 5-year old daughter. In addition to writing and

It's another big week on BEHIND THE LENS as we welcome writer/director/producer RENJI PHILIP live to the show talking about his new film, THE WAKE OF LIGHT, plus our prerecorded exclusive interview with none other than musician/actor/songwriter and all-around good guy FRANK STALLONE talking about the new documentary about him, STALLONE: FRANK, THAT IS. Joining us live at the midpoint of the show is RENJI PHILIP talking about his new feature film THE WAKE OF LIGHT. Visually and emotionally exquisite, the film has the thematic and emotional feel of an existential Malick, but with more visual clarity (and some fabulous sun flares!). Complementing some beautiful performances and the thematic cinematography is a beauteous score punctuated with the exquisite delicacy of piano music. Take a listen as Renji goes deep into the making of THE WAKE OF LIGHT and the cinematic tools and components he employed to create this emotionally experiential film; working with his cinematographer Rainer Lipske, finding unscri

BEHIND THE LENS is back for its SEVENTH YEAR and what a show we've got for you to start the New Year and Year Seven! First up, is our exclusive interview with the incomparable JASON ISAACS talking about his explosive new film, SKYFIRE, an action-disaster film which finds Isaacs playing an entrepreneur named Jack Harris who has built a luxury resort on a volcano located in the "Ring of Fire", aimed at delivering the ultimate up close and personal travel experience. Adding to the mix is a young team of scientists led by a volcanologist named Meng who has developed an early warning system in the hopes of preventing the kind of loss she suffered at the mouth of a volcano – the death of her mother when Meng was only about 8 or 9 years old. Needless to say, things go horribly wrong when the volcano erupts and Harris has ignored Meng's warnings of volcanic instability. And then take a listen to our prerecorded exclusive interview with one of the best (and a personal fave) action directors, no

It's the final #BTLRadioShow of 2020 and we are ending the year with fun! First up, we've got two fantastic prerecorded exclusive interviews for you – writer/director/cinematographer/editor ROBERT RODRIGUEZ and YA YA GOSSELIN & VIVIEN LYRA BLAIR – talking about their new film WE CAN BE HEROES! This is THE family film of the year! And I can think of no better Christmas present from Netflix than premiering this on Christmas Day. Take a listen as ROBERT RODRIGUEZ talks about the genesis of WE CAN BE HEROES, inclusivity, diversity, imagination, inspiration for characters, scoring, family, and more! Then hear what YA YA GOSSELIN and VIVIEN LYRA BLAIR have to say about their characters, Missy and Guppy, respectively; performing their own stunts, the freedom of creativity that Robert gives them as well as treating them like professionals, the fun of the film (including Vivien having an idea that Robert used – a big deal for a 7 yr old), developing their onscreen relationship and more. And the fun

It's all about the women on film this week on #BTLRadioShow thanks to writer/director BRIAN CAVALLARO and his latest film 32 WEEKS, and our prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director JULIA HART talking I'M YOUR WOMAN. We open the show with our prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director JULIA HART talking about her latest film, I'M YOUR WOMAN. (Hart is also the force behind Disney's Stargirl which you can watch on Disney+.) We've all seen mafia crime thrillers before and with rare exceptions, all are told from the male perspective with the wives, girlfriends, and children relegated to background window dressing. Stepping outside of the box, together with co-writer Jordan Horowitz, Hart gives us the story of Jean with Rachel Brosnahan delivering one of the best performances of her career in the role, along with Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arinze Kene, Frankie Faison, and Bill Heck. A mob wife with no skills and no street smarts, Jean is oblivious to what her husband Edd

It's all about family, friendship, and forgiveness on this episode of #BTLRadioShow thanks to our very special guests GENE POPE and ROXI POPE, and our prerecorded exclusive interview with RANDALL BATINKOFF. First up, it's all about THE LAST CHAMPION thanks to RANDALL BATINKOFF who goes in-depth about the film, his character "Bobby Baker", and how his real-life 30+ year friendship with Cole Hauser impacted this role and his performance. Directed by Glenn Withrow and written by Glenn, wife Hallie Todd, and daughter Ivy Winthrow, THE LAST CHAMPION stars Cole Hauser, Sean Scully, Randall Batinkoff, Hallie Todd, and Peter Onorati in this story about a former small-town hero and his fall from grace and the power of friendship and forgiveness. A "must listen" conversation about this "Must See" film! And as an added bonus, how about another "Must See" film starring Randall? Randall also talks about his other film that is also out now, ANGIE: LOST GIRLS, an important

This week we welcome old friends and new with our special guests TYLER Q. ROSEN and JOAN CARR-WIGGIN as they talk about their latest films, DOIN' MY DRUGS and GETTING TO KNOW YOU, respectively. First up, writer/director/cinematographer/editor/producer TYLER Q. ROSEN joins us live to talk about his feature documentary directorial debut – DOIN' MY DRUGS. Now, I bet you're thinking this documentary has something to do with drug abuse. If you are, then you'd be wrong. DOIN' MY DRUGS is an inspiring documentary that tells the story of musician Thomas Muchimba Buttenschon and how he is using his music to help wipe out HIV/AIDS in his native Zambia. Born in 1985 and diagnosed with HIV/AIDS as an infant, Thomas' parents both had the disease and moved the family to Denmark where they could receive proper medical care. Although Thomas' parents both succumbed to the disease, Thomas has been healthy for decades thanks to an antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and has gone on to be a husban

It's an eclectic week showcasing diverse talents on this episode of #BTLRadioShow thanks to our special guest actor/comedienne/author ELAINE BALLACE who joins us live, plus our prerecorded exclusive interview with composer BRIAN TYLER talking about the scoring of CLOUDS. First up, take a listen to our exclusive interview with composer BRIAN TYLER talking about CLOUDS. A definite FYC frontrunner this awards season for this exquisite score, Brian goes in-depth as we talk about musical motifs, instrumentation, his approach to scoring given the original material from musician Zach Sobiech on whose story this film is based, the emotionality of the film and the music, some interesting musical history that led to some of Brian's choices with scoring and instrumentation, and so much more. To see and hear Brian in action as composer, orchestrator, conductor, musician, and providing non-verbal vocals, check out this music video for his ethereal theme from CLOUDS. As you can see in this video, Brian is one of