FOLLOWING FILMS

Bernardo, a Latin performer of Mexican descent, started acting at his high school in Santa Ana, California, before receiving his B.A. in theater from UCLA, followed by the master’s program at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School in New York City. Throughout his education he trained under notable teachers such as Moctesuma Esparza, Jose Luis Valenzuela, Jacque Heim at UCLA and Ron Leibman, Barbara Poitier, and Susan Aston among others in New York. Since returning to Los Angeles, he has steadily worked in film, television, commercials, and print. Highlights from his TV career include recurring roles on FX Network’s “Snowfall,” where he was directed by John Singleton, USA Network’s “Queen of the South” as the right-hand man of a drug kingpin and TNT’s “Animal Kingdom.”  He has also guest starred in hit series such as “Dexter,” “Weeds,” “Dead To Me,” and “Insecure,” among others. Upcoming for Bernardo is a role in a new Hulu TV show titled “This Fool,” executive produced by Fred ...

  Today I'm joined by director/writer Victor Gabriel to discuss one of the highlights of this years Sundance Film Festival, the short HALLELUJAH. After being stuck with the guardianship of their annoying, bookworm nephew, two brothers in Compton, California, have to decide if they are willing to take on the responsibility of being caretakers.

Josh is writer, filmmaker and Dread Central’s managing editor. He also hosts ‘Development Hell’ on the DREAD Podcast Network where he unearths unmade horror films. Josh was kind enough to sit down with me and chat about the Sundance film PIGGY. We also talk about DEAD END, HELLRAISER, FRIDAY THE 13th, HALLOWEEN, LEPRECHAUN, horror in space and the delightful genre trash we both love. I had a great time chatting with Josh and hope to speak with him again. See the synopsis for PIGGY below: With the summer sun beating down on her rural Spanish town, Sara hides away in her parent’s butcher shop. A teenager whose excess weight makes her the target of incessant bullying, she flees a clique of capricious girls who torment her at the town pool, only to stumble upon them being brutally kidnapped by a stranger, who drives off with them in his van. When the police begin asking questions, Sara keeps quiet. Intrigued by the stranger — an interest that’s mutual — she’s torn between revealing the tru...

Today I'm joined by Rachael DeCruz and Jeremy S. Levine to discuss their Sundance documentary THE PANOLA PROJECT Highlighting the heroic efforts of Dorothy Oliver, who vaccinated nearly 99% of her small town of Panola, Alabama against COVID-19, THE PANOLA PROJECT chronicles how an often-overlooked rural Black community came together in creative ways to survive.

  Today I'm joined by director John Patton Ford to discuss his film EMILY THE CRIMINAL. Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi). Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced not only by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black market capitalism, but also by her ardent mentor Youcef. To listen to our conversation use the embedded player below

  Los Angeles based Editor Michael Felker worked on the Sundance project Something In The Dirt, a film by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. In the film, when two neighbors witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realize documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune into their wasted lives. An ever-deeper, darker rabbit hole, their friendship frays as they uncover the dangers of the phenomena, the city and each other. DIY wonderkids Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson make their Sundance Film Festival debut, serving as co-directors, co-stars, co-editors, writer (Benson), and cinematographer (Moorhead) of this twisted, sci-fi talkie. Their oddball chemistry shines on screen and in the script, as these two isolated and unfulfilled individuals spur each other toward wormholes and away from reality. Something In The Dirt tells a tale of these paranoid times, where every answer imaginable is just a Google search away.

If some films are warm blankets designed to offer its viewers a sense of peace, SPEAK NO EVIL is a flaming burlap sack whose purpose is to deliver an overwhelmingly Ill at ease sense of dread that grows with every moment of its 90 min runtime. While on vacation in Tuscany, a polite, well-meaning family strikes up a fast friendship with a family from the Netherlands. Months later, when an invitation arrives encouraging the Danish family to visit the Dutch in their countryside home, after some hesitation from the mom about the potential for an awkward or uncomfortable trip the husband convinces her it will be fun and they decide to go for it.  Free-spirited and adventurous, the Dutch welcome the Danes for the weekend, channeling an energy that rouses their visitors as drinks flow and they start to let loose. But what begins as an idyllic reunion soon takes a turn as the hosts increasingly test the limits of their houseguests. Now the Danes find themselves caught in a web of their own...

  Today I had the chance to speak with cinematographer Barton Cortright about his work on the Sundance 2022 film THE CATHEDRAL. Starring Brian d’Arcy James, The Cathedral follows an only child's meditative, impressionistic account of an American family's rise and fall over two decades. It was Bart’s job to work with the film’s director, Ricky D’Ambrose, to create a dark film with natural light to highlight the melancholy feel of the film. Part semi-autobiographical portrait and part-catalog of the objects, people, and moments that characterized some 20 years of America, this film is about growing up on Long Island and family dysfunction. Due to the nature of the film, the majority of it was shot inside a home, making lighting vital to the storytelling. Bart was very selective with the lighting choices as he wanted to make the film look as unlit and natural as possible. As such, he worked closely with his gaffer to ensure all of the light came through lighting sources from outsi...

SPEAK NO EVIL While on holiday in Tuscany, a Danish family becomes fast friends with a fellow traveling family from the Netherlands. Months later, when an invitation arrives encouraging the Danish family to visit the Dutch in their countryside home, they don’t hesitate to plan a quick getaway. Free-spirited and adventurous, the Dutch welcome the Danes for the weekend, channeling an energy that rouses their visitors as drinks flow and they start to let loose. But what begins as an idyllic reunion soon takes a turn as the hosts increasingly test the limits of their houseguests. Now the Danes find themselves caught in a web of their own politeness, trying to understand whether their new friends are merely eccentric... or hiding something more sinister. Christian Tafdrup directs a brilliantly provocative and simmering satirical work of horror, indicting the two sides as he sets up his characters for an unnerving descent into darkness. Both wickedly close to home and exceedingly strange, Sp...