FOLLOWING FILMS

  Welcome to another episode of the FOLLOWING FILMS podcast. A movie podcast that takes you on a weekly journey into the world of cinema and the minds of the talented individuals who shape it. I'm your host, Chris Maynard, and today we have a very special guest joining us: the immensely talented actor, Ethan Suplee. Renowned for his incredible performances in films like "Remember the Titans" and "American History X," as well as his memorable roles in television series such as "My Name is Earl," Ethan Suplee has become a true force to be reckoned with in the world of acting. Today, I have the honor of diving deep into his latest collaboration with Nick Cassavetes, a powerful and disturbing film titled GOD IS A BULLET. GOD IS A BULLET follows vice detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as he searches for his kidnapped daughter. Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered by a satanic cult and his daughter kidnapped by those same cultists. Hightower eve

SLEEPWALKER is the latest film from director Elliott Lester. Troubled by bouts of sleepwalking and disturbing nightmares, graduate student Sarah Foster goes to her university's sleep research center for help. When she wakes up after her first night of being monitored, the world she lives in seems to have changed in subtle, Twilight-Zone-esque ways. In fact, every time she goes to sleep now, she wakes up in a slightly different version of her world. With the help of sleep researcher Dr. Scott White, she tries to work her way back to the reality she started in. But when they finally succeed, it’s revealed that Sarah’s world is not what she thought at all. Today my guest is one of the stars SLEEPWALKER, Richard Armitage. Tonight we talk about his work on that film as well as his work as Thorin Oakenshiled in The Hobbit Films, as John Proctor in The Crucible, and his upcoming films Ocens 8 and the Julie Delpy directed film My Zoe. Sleepwalker is Now Available on Digital HD and

What is Crimes of The Future about? In 1966 I saw a Danish movie called Sultwhich means hunger in Danish, and it was based on a famous Danish novel by Knut Hamsun, which was directed by Henning Carlsen. In that movie a poet, a sort of a broken, unrecognized poet who wanders the streets and has adventures and tries to create himself as a legitimate poet, a literary force. At one point he’s on a bridge and he’s scribbling something in a pad that he carries with him, and you have a close up of it and it says “crimes of the future,” and that really struck me. I thought I want to read that poem. Of course, he never writes it, but later I thought, well now that I’m starting to become a filmmaker I think I would like to see the movie Crimes of the Future, and so in 1970 I made an underground film, very low budget to say the least, called Crimes of the got written title really provoked me, and I think that 1970 low-budget, sort of underground film didn’t ever really satisfy all of the things t

 He's a Canadian, British, and naturalized American citizen. He started in amateur theatre and operatic societies as well as community cable television while still in high school. The first film was as an assistant makeup artist on "Joshua Then and Now" and continued working as assistant makeup on numerous projects including "Anne of Green Gables" 'The Fly" "The Believers" and "Frontier" While just in his twenties he was makeup department head on "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future" winning a daytime Emmy nomination in 1988 and continued to department head several network miniseries and movies of the week.  He works extensively with out-of-kit techniques in casualty effects. His stellar credits as a department head and personal make-up artist in all aspects of feature film and television make-up from the period, corrective, casualty, beauty, and straight makeup, as well as tattoo cover, have been seen in countless

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/

Actor Barlow Jacobs is best known for his work on A GHOST STORY, THE MASTER, and SHOTGUN STORIES. I had him on the podcast to discuss those films as well as his upcoming film THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, a film that marks his third collaboration with director David Lowery. THE OLD MAN & THE GUN is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman (Sissy Spacek), who loves him in spite of his chosen profession. THE OLD MAN & THE GUN will be in select theatres on September 26th. To hear my interview with Barlow click play on the embedded player below.

In the 20's, there was The Lost Generation, the 50's, The Beat Generation, and in the 90's...The Suicide Generation.  NO ALTERNATIVE  is a teen drama set in the world of grunge-era teenagers in the early 90s. Thomas Harrison is determined to start his own alternative band after the suicide of Kurt Cobain -- it's an obsession that blinds him to what's either the mental collapse or the eruption of musical genius, of his little sister, Bridget. Bridget boldly rejects her brother's music, and the music of an entire generation of slackers, by taking on the persona of a gangsta' rapper named "Bri Da B."  Today I had the chance to chat with William Dickerson about his film NO ALTERNATIVE that will be premiering at DANCES WITH FILMS on Thursday, June 7th at 8 pm. How are you today? I’m doing well. I’m also doing a lot of running around, preparing for our premiere at Dances With Films, but it’s the kind of running around that I love doing!

BORN GUILTY is the story of a lonely and frazzled New York social worker (Rosanna Arquette) who can’t resist the urge to intervene in her son Marty’s life. Meanwhile, Marty (Jay Devore) is trying to be creative in his advertising career and manage a romantic relationship at the same time, on top of constantly talking his mother off the ledge. When Marty’s free- spirited Aussie pal Rawl (David Coussins) shows up, Marty hires Rawl to see Judy and “restore her to health” — any way it takes. Director Max Heller’s heartfelt, ensemble comedy is filled with wry, sly, funny and sexy connections reminiscent of Nora Ephron, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, The Farrelly Brothers and Rob Reiner’s romantic concoctions. BORN GUILTY is currently available on iTunes . For more information on the film go to: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bornguiltymovie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BornGuiltyMovie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bornguiltymovie/ To hear my conversation with Max, click

LOST IN AMERICA is a feature documentary on the issue of youth homelessness in America, following the director Rotimi Rainwater, a former homeless youth, as he travels the country to shine a light on the epidemic of youth homelessness in America- highlighting issues like: human trafficking, the foster care system, youth rejected because of their sexuality, domestic violence, abuse, and more. It also examines what many organizations, politicians and other public figures are doing (or not doing) to help these youths.  Featuring interviews with Jewel (was homeless, EP on the film), Rosario Dawson (EP on the film), Jon Bon Jovi (founded the JBJ Soul Foundation in NJ to help homeless families), Halle Berry, Sanaa Lathan and Rebecca Gayheart, the project has captured the attention of dozens of organizations and members of Congress that have since become involved. More than a film, Lost in America is a movement.  It started with one man’s journey to shine a light on the realities o

In ALL SQUARE John (Michael Kelly) is a small town bookie having a hard time collecting on outstanding debts. After a one night stand with an ex-girlfriend, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with her 12-year old son, Brian, and develops a plan to recoup the money owed to him by taking bets on Brian’s Youth League Baseball games. The film also stars Josh Lucas, Tom Everett Scott, and Yeardley Smith. I had Yeardley on the show to discuss her work on ALL SQUARE as both a producer and star, we also discuss her role as Lisa Simpson in THE SIMPSONS, and her work in films like MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN, and AS GOOD AS IT GETS. ALL SQUARE will be having its premiere at this years SXSW, for dates and showtimes go to https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/films/119595 To hear my interview with Yeardley click play on the embedded player below

Adam is a Christian Arab living in Nazareth – member of a vanishing minority within a minority in the Holy Land and the Middle East. His wife Lamia is a strong, beautiful and progressive Arab woman, who runs a foundation for women’s rights. When Adam hears that Lamia is pregnant and his father falls very ill, he evaluates his life and realizes that he has not achieved much. Despite all his business ideas failing so far, he gives one last try to make it big. And what’s better to sell in the Holy Land other than the very air that Virgin Mary breathed during her annunciation? But in order to, as one priest tells Adam during confession, bring such product into the market he needs to find allies from the three cultures ruling over Nazareth – the Jewish politicians, the Muslim mafia boss and the Catholic church officials. In a politically unstable world where religion is just another merchandise, can the Holy Air be Adam’s salvation or is it just an illusion? Today I had the cha

Jameson Brooks is a writer, director, and editor originally from Amarillo, Texas. He is a former BMX and skateboard enthusiast. I had Jameson on the show to discuss his feature debut BOMB CITY . The film is a crime-drama, about the cultural aversion of a group of punk rockers in a conservative Texas town. Their ongoing battle with a rival, more-affluent clique leads to a controversial hate crime that questions the morality of American justice. BOMB CITY will be in theaters and available on VOD/Digital HD Feb 9th. To see if it will be playing at a theatre near you or to find it on demand go to bombcityfilm.com To hear my conversation with Jameson press play on the embedded player below.

Today my guest on the show is the co-writer and star of KATE CAN'T SWIM Jennifer Allcott. Kate is almost thirty, almost engaged, almost settled in her career as a writer—but deeply dissatisfied. When Kate’s best friend Em returns from Paris with a surprising new lover in tow, Kate and her boyfriend Pete spend a weekend in upstate New York with the new couple. As Kate struggles with her suspicions about Em’s new lover, dormant feelings about her own life arise. Confronting new personalities, old promises and sexual fluidity, Kate must decide to stay on her current path or burn it all down and forge a new one. KATE CAN'T SWIM can be purchased on iTunes here . To hear my interview with Jennifer press play on the embedded player below.

Michael Golamco is a screenwriter best known for his work on GRIMM and the upcoming Randall Park film THE ACHIEVERS. Today I had the chance to chat with Michael about his work on the film PLEASE STAND BY that stars Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, and Patton Oswalt. PLEASE STAND BY tells the story of Wendy, a young autistic woman who runs away from her caregiver in an attempt to submit her manuscript to a "Star Trek" writing competition. The film will be in theatres and on demand Friday, Jan. 26th. To hear my conversation with Michael press play on the embedded player below.

Mason Parrish once asked his father, writer/director Chris Parrish, if they could make movies together when he grows up. Chris said, "Of course." Making Thrill Ride, the award-winning family-adventure movie from Mason's Movies and distributed by Gravitas Ventures, is Chris' way of keeping that promise. The film is available on DVD, streaming, and video-on-demand via Amazon, iTunes, Target.com and pay-per-view. Thrill Ride is a Mason's Movies Production, named after writer-director Chris Parrish and co-producer Ilisa Parrish's son, Mason Parrish, who passed away at age ten in 2011 from a rare form of pediatric brain cancer. Mason thought of the idea for Thrill Ride and he and Chris began brainstorming. Neither were big athletes. Fathers and sons play catch, but for Chris and Mason their catch was pitching ideas to each other for stories. They kept doing that even after Mason was diagnosed with brain cancer. The disease "took away so much from Mason,&

Isabel Oliver Marcus was the “redheaded mystery girl” in the Season 2 opener of THIS IS US and as such received a lot of attention for her character and the mystery connection to Jack’s death. The music on today's episode is from a synth-based musician who goes by the name Simon Psychosis, you can find more of his work at  https://simonpsychosis.bandcamp.com . Editorial Note: The first couple minutes of the audio from my interview with Isabel were corrupted so the conversation starts midstream where Isabel is talking about what the auditioning process was like for THIS IS US. To hear my conversation with Isabel press play on the embedded player below.

Paul Cameron, ASC has worked on some of the most visually groundbreaking feature films of the past decade. He is best known for his work on Pirates of The Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Man on Fire, Collateral, Gone in 60 Seconds, Total Recall, and The Last Supper. He also shot the pilot of the critically acclaimed HBO’s series Westworld. I had Paul on the show to discuss his latest film The Commuter, starring Liam Neeson that's playing in theatres now. To hear my conversation with Paul click play on the embedded player below

THE ENDLESS, one of my favorite films from last years TriTribecalm Festival, will be opening March 23rd. Following their Lovecraftian modern cult classic SPRING, acclaimed filmmakers Moorhead and Benson return with this mind-bending thriller that follows two brothers who receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure that they couldn’t as young men, they’re forced to reconsider the cult’s beliefs when confronted with unexplainable phenomena surrounding the camp. As the members prepare for the coming of a mysterious event, the brothers race to unravel the seemingly impossible truth before their lives become permanently entangled with the cult. TRT: 112 minutes Country: USA Language: English Directors: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead Writer: Justin Benson Cast: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Emily Montague, Lew Temple, Tate Ellington, James Jordan To hear

AMERICAN JEDI is a documentary film about three candidates for knighthood who must face a reckoning with the darkest issues from their past in order to be accepted into a real-life Jedi community. This film is an empathetic look at people who have found a sense of spirituality and purpose in one of the largest film franchises of all time. Today my guest is the director of American Jedi. Laurent Malaquais. AMERICAN JEDI is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, and all the major VOD outlets. To hear our conversation click play on the embedded player below

Former meat-eating college football player Santino Panico goes on a journey to rediscover the athlete within--this time, as a vegan. As he meets with vegetarian and vegan elite competitors, this story about food and sport expands to confront the social norms and far-reaching impacts of food choices. Today my guest on the podcast is the director of FROM THE GROUND UP Santino Panico The film is currently available for pre order on iTunes http://apple.co/2BKioaY And will be released on Jan 9th  To hear the interview click play on the embedded player below Today’s episode of Following Films is brought to you by The Movie Makers Podcast. Each week Sean and Bill create a movie from scratch with no prep beforehand. They have been professionals in the entertainment industry for over 10 years and are joined each Tuesday by a friend or colleague in the industry to help build the hypothetical tale.  The joy of listening to The Movie Makers podcast is in the sense of discovery,