Movies In Focus

#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.

#1. Writer And Director Nicholas Jarecki Talks About His Film Crisis.

Writer and director Nicholas Jarecki (Arbitrage) talks to Niall Browne about his opioid thriller Crisis, starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer & Evangeline Lilly.

Jarecki talks about how the film came together and what it's like releasing a film in the post-COVID-19 world.