Following Films

With a little over a week to go until this year's LAFF kicks off, we decided to take a look at the films that have us most excited. This is by no means a complete list of all the films, just the ones we have earmarked as the must-see titles.


FUNKE 
Evan Funke was one of the hottest young chefs in Los Angeles when he inexplicably walked away from his critically-acclaimed and wildly popular restaurant, Bucato, leaving behind him a wake of financial and personal upheaval. Years later, as Evan begins mounting his comeback, he reconnects with his maestra, a virtuosic pasta teacher in Bologna, Italy and partners with Janet Zuccarini, a Canadian restauranteur undertaking her first venture in the U.S. Eyeing one of the most competitive and expensive streets in America as a stage for the dying art of handmade pasta, he battles many obstacles on the road to opening a restaurant that he hopes will become his legacy and repair the mistakes of his past.

In his feature debut, director Gabriel T…

When a desperate SOS letter penned by a political prisoner turns up in Halloween decorations sold in Oregon, it sparks a nail-biting chain of events that exposes appalling human rights violations and leads to sweeping labor reform in China.

Today my guest on the show is the director of LETTER FROM MASANJIA Leon Lee. I had Leon on the show to discuss his film, what we can do westerners to do to avoid supporting sweatshop labor, and when we can expect him to make a romantic comedy.


To get more information on what you can do to help support human rights go to: http://www.letterfrommasanjia.com/take-action/

Episode 201

Rather than bore you with this week's German fare, we've decided to bore you with the return of the Top 5 list. We figured that we'd talk about what we know best, drinking, and count down our favorite bar scenes in film.

Atlantic Screen Connection is an online film discussion podcast co-hosted by Jason Michael (filmmaker and essayist) and Lee Brady (screenwriter).

Today I had Jason on the podcast to discuss the impact social media is having on our lives personally and how it is affecting the film industry we spend so much time yammering on about.
To hear the episode click play on the embedded player below. 

THE MAN WHO LOVES TO HURT HIMSELF follows the turbulent musical journey of Today is the Day enigmatic legendary frontman and founder, SteveAustin. Ride along as Austin's first-person account brings balance to these opposing forces, reckoning and stretching himself from the drive to create his musical vision, engaging and performing intense shows around the world, to being home with his wife and children.

Today my guest on the podcast is Steve Austin, I had him on to talk about THE MAN WHO LOVES TO HURT HIMSELF, but we also talk about the impact his music has had on his fans, the importance of being honest, FORENSIC FILES, and of course DIE ANTWOORD.
Press play on the embedded player below to hear our conversation.

Exorcism films do not begin and end with William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST. With entries as varied as BEETLEJUICE, CONSTANTINE, and THE RITE, the exorcism sub-genre of horror films is far more diverse than many immediately recognize.  

With THE SONG OF SOLOMON director Stephen Brio has added a unique take on the possession movie. In his film, the Catholic church attempts to save the soul of Mary (Jessica Cameron) who appears to have been possessed after witnessing her father's brutal suicide.

Mary is off camera while her father takes his own life. In a scene that could play as a confessional or an accusation, the family's patriarch lists off the reasons why he is being forced to use his knife on Mary and himself. He details how they were a good, loving family and he can't understand why she is accusing him of abuse. Using demonic control as a metaphor for trauma survival is something so natural, I can't believe it's not woven into every film of this kind.

Jessic…