Let's Get Reel

In this special bonus episode, Andrew and Monica have a casual interview with author, activist and film critic Gareth Higgins about life, movies and his new book, Cinematic States. In the book, Higgins examines American cultural myths through the lens of its movies, going state-by-state throughout the U.S. and exploring what films set in those states reveal.  They discuss the process of writing the book, the state of film criticism, the inherent morality of art, the need for non-violent forms of conversation, why The Lone Ranger is the best film of the year, and a lot more! ABOUT OUR GUEST: Gareth Higgins is an author, speaker, non-profit director, and festival curator. His latest book, Cinematic States, explores American myths through films set in each of the 50 states. He is also a co-host of the podcast The Film Talk, the best film podcast not on Film Geek Radio. SHOW NOTES: 0:22 - Intro 3:34 - A conversation with Gareth Higgins 44:40 - Show close DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by em

Everybody loves SeaWorld, but what if that's just because we're being fed a bunch of lies? In this episode, Monica sits down with Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the director of the new documentary Blackfish, which uses an attack by a killer whale in captivity to explore just what exactly goes on behind the curtain. Is there anything about the SeaWorld experience that's authentic? What was the most painful thing to learn? And how did her perceptions change as she got further into her investigation? Tune in to find out. NOTE: This episode arguably contains mild spoilers for Blackfish. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Gabriela Cowperthwaite is a documentary filmmaker who has directed, produced and written a variety of real life stories, including City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story and Blackfish, the latter of which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. She has also produced content for ESPN, National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery, and History Channel. The Episode: 0:26 - Introduction 2:04 - What i

In this episode, Richard Rowley talks to Monica Castillo about his new documentary Dirty Wars. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name and follows investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill around the world as he investigates a side of the War on Terror most media outlets rarely cover: drone strikes, assassinations, U.S.-backed warlords, and more. Rowley talks with Monica about the three-year process of making the film and what changes he hopes to inspire. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Richard Rowley has made multiple award-winning documentary features including Fourth World War and This Is What Democracy Looks Like. His shorts and news reports are also regularly featured on leading outlets including Al Jazeera, BBC, CBC, CNN International, Democracy Now!, and PBS. Rowley is a co-founder of the Independent Media Center and has been a Pulitzer Fellow, Rockefeller Fellow, a Jerome Foundation Fellow, and a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellow. The Episode: 0:26 - Introduction and clip 2:07 -

Greta Gerwig started out as the so-called "queen of mumblecore," appearing in low-budget movies by people like Joe Swanberg and the Duplass Brothers. She’s now one of the most sought-after actresses around, having landed supporting roles in movies like No Strings Attached and Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love. Her latest film, Frances Ha, reunites her with Greenberg director Noah Baumbach. Exquisitely shot in black-and-white, the film follows a young dancer struggling to figure out what to do with her life. Monica Castillo talked to Gerwig on the phone about co-writing the film, real-life experiences that inspired it, and the role dance has played in her life. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Greta Gerwig first rose to prominence as the star of several films considered part of the "mumblecore" movement, including LOL, Hannah Takes The Stairs and Baghead. She previously worked with acclaimed filmmaker Noah Baumbach in his film Greenberg, and she has had supporting roles in movies like No Strings Attached and To R

It's been nearly 10 years since Shane Carruth made a splash on the filmmaking scene with the super low-budget time travel film Primer, which went on to find a cult following. He's now self-distributing his second film, Upstream Color, which follows a relationship across multiple non-linear storylines and also involves pigs and parasites and drugs and kidnappings. He also stars in the film, edited it, and worked on the score. In this episode, Monica Castillo talks with him about the use of symbols, the distinct color scheme, working both in front of and behind the camera, his brief collaboration with Rian Johnson on Looper, and much more. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Shane Carruth is a film director, writer, actor and composer. Before pursuing a career as a filmmaker he studied math and worked as a software engineer. His first film, Primer, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. His second film, Upstream Color, won the Special Jury Award for Sound Design at the same festival

Harmony Korine sometimes comes across as nervous or downright bizarre in his interviews with the press, but he was refreshingly candid in this interview with Monica Castillo about his new film Spring Breakers. She asked him about the technical side of the film, working with James Franco and Selena Gomez, and just what he's hoping people take away from it. Spoiler: if you came out of the theater feeling like you dropped acid, that was probably intentional. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Harmony Korine is a filmmaker and author whose movies are often characterized by their non-linear, experimental form and shocking content. He first earned acclaim as the screenwriter of Larry Clark's controversial film Kids in 1994. He has directed the films Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy, Mister Lonely, Trash Humpers and Spring Breakers, among others. In 1998, he published the novel "A Crack Up At The Race Riots." The Episode: 0:26 - Introduction and clip 2:52 - What attracted you to the spring break phenomenon? 4:10 - You chose

There’s a new independent horror film being released in select AMC theaters this weekend: the teen cyber-slasher flick Smiley. The movie’s titular villain is a serial killer who can be called on to kill anyone over the internet. But this isn’t your typical slasher -- there’s a pseudo-philosophical subtext to it exploring the power of online anonymity and the internet as an extension of human nature. Michael J. Gallagher stops by to talk about the dark side of the cyberspace and the process of making and distributing an independent feature film. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Michael J. Gallagher is the creator of the online sketch comedy series "Totally Sketch" and the director of the independent horror film Smiley. He has been studying and producing film since he was nine years old. The Episode: 0:26 - Introduction and clip 3:32 - When did you know you were ready to direct a feature film? 5:33 - You have experience with sketch comedy. Why did you choose to do a horror film? Was it really just for budgeta

One of the crowd favorites this year at the Toronto International Film Festival was Blancanieves, a silent black-and-white adaptation of Snow White that transports the story to 1920s Spain. It was an endeavor eight years in the making, but director Pablo Berger’s work has paid off - the film is receiving rave reviews and was recently put on the shortlist as a possible contender to be Spain’s submission to the Academy Awards. In this episode, Berger joins Andrew to discuss the inspiration for the film, working with child actors and the decision to transform Snow White from sexual morality tale into religious allegory. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Pablo Berger is an acclaimed Spanish filmmaker. His first film, Torremolinos 73, won numerous awards on the international festival circuit in 2003-2004 and was nominated for four Goya Awards. His latest film, Blancanieves, is a silent black-and-white adaptation of the Snow White fairy tale. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been shortl

One of the films playing this week at the Toronto International Film Festival this week is Thale, a low-budget dark fantasy film from Norway. Silje Reinåmo stars as the titular character, a strange creature from Scandinavian folklore called a Huldra, who is discovered by two unsuspecting forensic agents in a basement.  In this episode, Reinåmo joins Andrew to discuss the mythology behind her character, how she approached her performance, and what it's like to spend the majority of a film shoot in the nude, among other topics. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Silje Reinåmo is a Norwegian actress and musician. She stars in the Norwegian television series "Hjem" (Home) and can most recently be seen as the titular character in the dark fantasy film "Thale" from director Aleksander Nordaas. "Thale" has played at film festivals around the world and is now on DVD/Blu-Ray in Scandinavia. At the moment she is wrapping up production on the film "Patriot Act" directed by Wayne Slaten. The Episode: 0:27 - Intr

In this episode, Andrew talks with filmmaker Chris Metzler about his latest film, Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone. The film follows members of the band Fishbone, who exploded the LA music scene in the late 70s and would go on to inspire performers like Gwen Stefani and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Metzler also discusses how he got started as a filmmaker, including his work on B-level horror films and Christian rock music videos. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Chris Metzler has worked on a variety of film projects, from B-level horror films to Christian rock music videos. He is a Billboard Music Video Award winner and the director of the documentary films Long Division: The Next Big Threat to Democracy and Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, the latter of which played at the Slamdance Film Festival and won the HBO Producer’s Award and the Robert Altman Award. He recently collaborated with Lev Anderson to co-direct Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, a documentary about the band Fishbone that

Welcome to Let's Get Reel! On this premiere episode, Andrew explains the types of people he'll be talking to on the show. He then calls up his first guest: Jim Whitaker, former President of Motion Pictures for Imagine Entertainment and current Chairman of Whitman Entertainment for Walt Disney Pictures. He's here to talk about directing his first feature film, a documentary about the aftermath of 9/11. SHOW NOTES: About Our Guest: Jim Whitaker is the former President of Motion Pictures at Imagine Entertainment, where he produced such films as "American Gangster," "8 Mile," "Cinderella Man," "Friday Night Lights" and "Changeling."  He is currently the chairman of Whitaker Entertainment at Walt Disney Studios, where he recently finished producing "The Odd Life of Timothy Green."  He is also the founder and director of Project Rebirth and the director of "Rebirth," a new documentary film that explores the aftermath of 9/11 in the lives of several individuals. "Rebirth" is his directorial de