Movies In Focus

#11. Writer & Journalist Abbie Bernstein Discusses Her Book Master Of Horror: The Official Biography Of Mick Garris

Writer and journalist Abbie Bernstein is the author behind many great film and television books such as The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road, Godzilla King of the Monsters, and The Cabin in the Woods: Official Visual Companion. A Los Angeles resident, she writes for such titles as Assignment X, Fangoria, and Buzzy Mag.

Her latest work is Master Of Horror: The Official Biography of Mick Garris, a book which looks at the life and career of the iconic horror writer-director, Mick Garris. It’s a brilliant  book which gives you everything that you would want from a biography of a great filmmaker.

Abbie joined the Movies In Focus podcast to discuss the publication of the book and to talk about her long and varied career on the entertainment beat.

#10. Writer, Director & Master Of Horror Mick Garris

Filmmaker Mick Garris has ticked nearly every creative box that there is in the industry. From his career beginnings working in the Star Wars production office through to his work on Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories to his many Stephen King adaptations including the smash television mini-series The Stand and The Shining. He’s also the creator of the ground-breaking Masters of Horror television series and the host of the brilliant podcast, Post Mortem.

Mick is a man with a lot of great stories to tell – and you’ll find them all in Abbie Bernstein’s book, Master Of Horror: The Official Biography of Mick Garris.

Mick Garris joined the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about the book, his career as a filmmaker and also his work as a short story writer and novelist.

This is a far-reaching conversation with the man that many call the Nicest Guy in Horror. 

 

#9. Producer Gemma Bradley Talks About Black Box & Independent Filmmaking

Film producer Gemma Bradley joins this episode of the Movies In Focus Podcast. Gemma is an independent filmmaker who has produced the urban thriller Brother’s Day and the recent science fiction film Black Box.

I’ve known Gemma for well over 20 years. She’s the younger sister of my best friend Robert who was sadly killed by a drunk driver in the year 2000.

 Funded largely through a Kickstarter campaign, this low budget film’s location setting and claustrophobic use of space has echoes of Alfonso Cuarón’s 2013 Gravity. Whereas Cuarón had a $100 million budget at his disposal, Gemma and director Angel Delgado had a considerably smaller budget (thousands, not millions). However, what they did have was ingenuity – which makes Black Box a tremendous feat in low budget, independent filmmaking.

Gemma chatted about many things - including the trials and tribulations of producing low budget independent films and using crowdfunding as a way of raising finance her latest film Black Box.

#8. Oscar Nominated Actor Graham Greene Talks About His Career & The Movie A Dark Foe

Graham Greene is an actor who has an illustrious career. The Canadian performer first broke into the public consciousness with his Academy Award nominated turn in Kevin Costner’s masterpiece, Dances With Wolves. 

He went on to have key roles in such diverse films as Michael Apted’s Thunderheart, John Mc Tiernan’s Die Hard With A Vengeance, Richard Donner’s Maverick and a host of others. 

It was an absolute pleasure to have Graham join the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his latest role in the gritty serial killer thriller, A Dark Foe. 

A man of wit and charm, Graham Greene also discussed how he won his part in Dances With Wolves, what’s it’s like going to the Oscars and the passing of the late Richard Donner. 

#7. Filmmaker Damian Mc Carthy Talks About His Irish Horror Film Caveat

Director Damian Mc Carthy has made a plethora of short films over the last decade and now the Irish filmmaker makes a wonderful feature length debut with Caveat.

Caveat is a creepy and captivating horror film, one which has scares as well as a few well-placed chuckles. This low budget independent Irish film delivers the goods, making it a fantastic calling card for the director and ensuring a great time for its audience. 

Damian joined the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about how he made the micro-budget horror, what it’s like to finish the film and have Caveat make its premiere on Shudder.

#6. Chino Moya Talks About His Big Screen Directorial Debut Undergods

Spanish filmmaker Chino Moya is a veteran director of short films, music videos and commercials. He made his feature length debut with Undergods, a dystopian science fiction film which had its premiere at the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival.

Set in an unnamed futuristic city, the film tells three stories which make The Tales Of The Unexpected seem like Looney Tunes. With nods to directors such as Terry Gilliam and Ben Wheatley, Undergods is an incredibly strong debut feature from the filmmaker.

Deliberately opaque and obtuse, Chino's film is a morality play about society and the family unit. The characters are as important as the dystopian setting and the science fiction aspect adds some glorious visuals. It’s a film that you could spend hours trying to unwrap

This conversation with Chino Moya is yet another interesting look Undergods, the filmmaking process and everything it entails. 

 

#5. Filmmaker Lisa Downs Discusses Three of Her Favourite Films

Lisa Downs’ is a filmmaker with a unique take on how to look back on classic films. Her 2017 documentary, Life After Flash was a brilliant insight into the film Flash Gordon and its lead actor Sam J. Jones, while 2020’s Life After The Navigator looked at another beloved ’80s sci-fi film, Flight of the Navigator and the rollercoaster life of its young star Joey Cramer. 

Far from being mere nostalgic looks at classic films, her documentaries have a heartfelt core, which profile the stars of the movies and their complex lives. It’s just just features  - you can discover more on her Life After YouTube Web Show which features interviews, competitions and a lot more.

On this show Lisa talks about three very different films which mean something special to her - the 1989 comedy Dream A Little Dream starring the two Coreys - Corey Haim and Coery Feldman, 2015 financial drama, The Big Short and the Hollywood classic, Giant starring James Dean.

#4. Boys From County Hell Director Chris Baugh Delves Into His New Horror-Comedy

Irish director Chris Baugh made his big screen debut with the 2017 revenge thriller Bad Day For The Cut. His latest film is the excellent horror-comedy, Boys From County Hell.

The vampire film is something of a change of pace for the director, merging gore and laughs into a film with a lot of heart. It’s an excellently constructed and hugely entertaining slice of genre cinema. 

Chris Baugh talks to Movies In Focus' Niall Browne about Boys From County Hell and why he's interested in making genre films with an Irish focus. 

#3. Actor/Director Ruben Pla Discusses Three of His Favourite Films - Alien, Jaws and The Exorcist

Ruben Pla is an actor with over 65 credits on IMDB. A character actor who has been working for a long time, Pla has had a wide variety of roles in television and film, appearing in everything from shows like CSI: Miami to iconic genre movies like Insidious. He has also moved into directing, making the short films The Kill (2014) and Head (2015). In 2020 Pla released his documentary The Horror Crowd and it’s been a huge success on the festival circuit. 

An enthusiastic and passionate film fan, Ruben Pla joined the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about three of his favourite films - the 1970s genre classics Alien, Jaws and The Exorcist. 

#2. Director Vaughn Stein Talks About His New Thriller Every Breath You Take

Director Vaughn Stein (Terminal, Inheritance) talks about his new psychological thriller, Every Breath You Take starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan and Sam Claflin. 

Stein discusses working in the independent film arena and what it’s like to make a thriller in the classic style.