FOLLOWING FILMS

Michael Vaughn’s minister father always told him: Better to be an honest nobody than a crooked somebody. But Michael doesn’t see the harm in giving people the closure they need with the dead and travels town-to-town professing his abilities as a spirit medium. One night, Michael is kidnapped. With a knife to his throat, Michael suddenly sees the opportunity of a lifetime in his psychologically unstable captor’s desperation to make contact with the other side. Intent on saving his floundering career, Michael sets out to become a celebrity TV psychic by solving the mystery of a high-profile crime in the national spotlight. A CROOKED SOMEBODY recently had its debut at the LAFF. The film is a throwback to the independent thrillers of the 90's that hooked me on films at an impressionable age. Today my guest on the show is the director of A CROOKED SOMEBODY Trevor White. To listen to our interview w/ Trevor click play on the embedded player below.

2017 Directed By: Daniel Peddle Starring: Mitchell Slaggert, Christene Marzano, Billy Ray Suggs Jr. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is an awkward time. While the physical transformation has occurred the emotional side of things tends to lag behind. We often wear the suit of a man before becoming one. Maturity is a non-linear path with many detours and regressions. Or as Mary (Marzano) would say "once a child, always a child." On his 18th birthday, Moss (Slaggert) is ready to leave home and start a new life. He hopes to escape from what he sees as the oppressive watch of his father(Suggs). He lives in an isolated southern community where there are more Alligators than Starbucks. While life in no way appears to be easy for Moss, there is an inherent beauty and simplicity to his existence. Moss and his friends don't have much in the way of worldly possessions but they do have a generosity and sense of calm that's lacking in suburban America. In...

2107 Directed By: Trevor White Starring: Rich Sommer, Clifton Collins Jr., Joanne Froggatt, Amanda Crew, Ed Harris Producers: Jason Potash, Paul Finkel, Tim White, Wayne L. Rogers Sales: CAA Ambition is a powerful drug that can inspire positive change. It can force you outside of the comfortable boxes you place yourself in. It asks you to stretch and reimagine not only the person you are but the person you could be. Most great men and women have a deep relationship with what they see as their purpose. This is a personality trait never driven by or limited to the pragmatic and there in lies the problem. Logic be damned, when a sense of determination is your north star.  Michael Vaughn (Sommer) is an ambitious psychic on the road promoting a book that no one is buying. Using parlor tricks and audience plants Vaughn helps people "connect" with loved ones who have passed on. Somewhere in between a traveling preacher and a low-rent John Edwards he...

20 WEEKS follows a new couple in their thirties, who after learning that their baby has a very serious health issue in utero after the 20 weeks scan, must decide whether or not to move forward with the pregnancy. It's a drama about how prenatal and genetic testing can now contribute to the choices people face in their pregnancies. Today my guest on the show is the writer/director of 20 WEEKS Leena Pendharker. We talk about her inspiration for the film, pregnancy, family life, and filmmaking. It was a pleasure to chat with Leena about her wonderful film that just had its world premiere to wide acclaim at this year's LAFF. For more information about the film go to their official website . To listen to my conversation with Leena press play on the embedded player below.

The U.S. Fiction Award went to Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and Daniel Powell for Becks , which made its World Premiere at the Festival. The U.S. Fiction Cinematography Award presented by Aputure went to cinematographers Christian Sorensen Hansen and Pete Ohs for Everything Beautiful is Far Away, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. Jury Members: Duncan Birmingham, Riley Stearns and Emily Ting. T he World Fiction Award went to Diego Ros for The Night Guard (El Vigilante), which made its North American Premiere at the Festival. Jury Members: Caroline Graham, Lincoln Jones and Javier Fuentes-León. The Documentary Award went to Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp for Liyana , which made its World Premiere at the Festival. Jury Members: Katherine Fairfax-Wright, Paul Federbush and Matt Holzman. The LA Muse Awards were given to two films, one fiction and one documentary. The LA Muse Documentary Award went to Mark Hayes for Skid Row Marathon , which made its World Premiere at the Fe...

2017 Directed By: Savannah Bloch Starring: Tania Nolan, Rachel Crowl, Mary Holland, Karan Soni, John Kassir, and Anne Gee Byrd Alyssa (Nolan) wakes up to find her home pillaged and her husband missing. The burglars have taken everything, down to the photos of her husband. The police offer little help so she turns to a friend of the family Eve (Crowl) for assistance. The film is less of a "who done it" and more of a "what happened." The prolonged second act of the film focuses on the relationship between Eve and Alyssa. The suspense of the film lingers in the background while their relationship grows. In fact, clues of what is to come are clearly laid out in a way that allows the viewer to see where the film is headed before it gets there. I'm not sure if this is by design but the effect of having the stories trajectory clearly laid out gives the audience permission to accept this blossoming relationship. Nolan and Crowl both give stunning performa...

2017 Directed By: Brandon Buczek Starring: Ashton Moio, Amir Malaklou, and Cortney Palm Post-college graduation wanderlust has been the subject of more films than I can name. It's a strange time when everyone around you is starting to get jobs, make plans, and look ahead. This is the time of settling. A time when young men and women are told to grow up and relinquish their dreams in the hope that they too may one day be just like mom and dad. Filled with the vigor of youth and facing the looming prospect of joining his dad's company, Brian (Ashton Moio) is determined to carve out his own path and follow his dreams. He recently graduated film school and can't seem to find work in his hometown. He's bombed several interviews and is continually put on the pile of "if something opens up" candidates. Most of us have been put on that pile at some point or another and I don't think I know a single person has received a callback six months down the roa...

BET TO AIR FEATURE FILM FAT CAMP IN JULY Comedy starring Chris Redd, Anabelle Acosta, Mel Rodriguez, and Vivica A. Fox was acquired prior to its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival next week. June 16, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – BET has picked up the comedy FAT CAMP and will air the film this July, it was announced today. The film was picked up prior to its world premiere on June 21 at 9:05 pm PST in the LA Muse section of this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. The film stars Chris Redd (Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, Netflix’s Disjointed), Anabelle Acosta (Quantico, Ballers), newcomer Michael Cienfuegos, Mel Rodriguez (Last Man On Earth, Getting On), and Vivica A. Fox (Empire, Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2). “As the premier destination for lovers of African American culture, BET Networks is committed to supporting independent filmmakers and engaging our viewers worldwide, ” said Maureen Guthman, Senior Vice President, Content Strategy, BET Networks. “We are thr...

A romantic ensemble comedy about modern day relationships, THE FEMALE BRAIN provides insight into the complexities of the male vs female brain at varying stages of love: whether it’s finding the right romantic balance; parenting; expressing emotion, or simply admitting shortcomings when a bathroom remodel goes awry. In the end, detached researcher Dr. Brizendine has to admit that her study of the brain might have a bias that she did not initially consider. THE FEMALE BRAIN is making its World Premiere this Saturday, June 17th at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Cummings directed and stars in the romantic ensemble comedy, alongside Sofía Vergara, James Marsden, Cecily Strong, Lucy Punch, Blake Griffin, and many more. Check out this exclusive clip ahead of the premier.

THE YEAR OF SPECTACULAR MEN is an upcoming film directed by actress Lea Thompson and stars her daughters, Madelyn Deutch (who also wrote the screenplay) and Zoey Deutch. I had Lea on the Show today to discuss her film, the beauty of creating art with your children, how the protracted process of giving birth is like making an indie film, and the type of film Woody Allen would make if he were a 20-year-old girl. THE YEAR OF SPECTACULAR MEN will be having its world premiere at the LAFF on June 16th at 9PM. For more information go to https://www.filmindependent.org/la-film-festival/ To listen to my conversation w/ Lea click play on the embedded player below.

Interview with DESOLATION director Sam Patton DESOLATION is a film about a mother who takes her son and her best friend on a trip into the remote wilderness to scatter his father's ashes; they must confront their fears when a lone hiker begins following them. Today on the show my guest is Sam Patton, a producer and director whose feature film debut DESOLATION will be playing at LAFF on Jun, 21st at 9:30 PM at the ArcLight Culver City 4. I had Sam on the show to discuss his film, George Lucas, Chinatown, and how film snobs like ourselves need to calm down and remember its ok to watch a movie on an iPhone. For tickets to the film go to: https://tickets.lafilmfestival.com Click play on the embedded player below to hear my conversation with Sam.