Ep 559: Ted Geoghegan Returns

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Jeff Wadlow (IMAGINARY, CRY WOLF, KICK-ASS 2, NEVER BACK DOWN, TRUTH OR DARE) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his career. From his amazing story working on Michael Bay’s PEARL HARBOR… to winning the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival and getting his first feature (CRY WOLF) made… to how he got the gig directing NEVER BACK DOWN against all odds… to his long career writing and directing for both features and television… to his experience making KICK-ASS and the making of his latest film IMAGINARY (in theaters now)… Jeff’s career journey is as exciting to hear about as it has been to watch over the last two decades!

Meet Adam and Joe at ASTRONOMICON in Livonia, MI April 12th - 14th! Adam will also be appearing at HORRORHOUND WEEKEND in Cincinnati, OH (March 22- 24), NEW JERSEY HORROR CON in Edison, NJ (April 19 - 21), and TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND in Irving, TX (May 17 - 19)! More appearances for 2024 to be announced soon!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmakers Eshom and Ian Nelms (RED RIGHT HAND, SMALL TOWN CRIME, FATMAN) join Adam, Joe, and Arwen to share their career journey. From a fateful car accident that lead to the purchase of their first camera… to making the move to LA and working at Arclight Hollywood… to their detailed writing and directing process working together as brothers… to the making of their very first short film SQUIRREL TRAP and their triumphant first festival screening (for only 20 people)… to learning early on how to deal with criticism and public opinion… to how they navigate the casting process… to their bold decision to cast Mel Gibson as “Chris Cringle” in their brilliant 2020 action/comedy FATMAN… and a deep dive into the making of their latest film RED RIGHT HAND (in theaters now)… Eshom and Ian will inspire any aspiring filmmaker out there to stop waiting for permission and just go for it!

Meet Adam and Joe at ASTRONOMICON in Livonia, MI April 12th - 14th! Adam will also be appearing at HORRORHOUND WEEKEND in Cincinnati, OH (March 22- 24), NEW JERSEY HORROR CON in Edison, NJ (April 19 - 21), and TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND in Irving, TX (May 17 - 19)! More appearances for 2024 to be announced soon!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Andrew Cumming joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss the journey to making his debut feature film OUT OF DARKNESS (in theaters now). From starting out with commercials and shorts… to moving into directing episodic television series (RIVER CITY, CLIQUE, COLD FEET)… to getting the inspiration to make a horror/adventure set 45,000 years in the past… to working with his co-writers to create a new language for his characters to speak… to how he pulled off such an ambitious, gorgeously lensed film with limited time and resources… to how he managed to shoot in so many remote locations across Scotland… Andrew is full of great advice for other filmmakers on knowing what your “trailer moments” will be and the art of creating the proper creature shriek!

Meet Adam and Joe at ASTRONOMICON in Livonia, MI April 12th - 14th! Adam will also be appearing at HORRORHOUND WEEKEND in Cincinnati, OH (March 22- 24), NEW JERSEY HORROR CON in Edison, NJ (April 19 - 21), and TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND in Irving, TX (May 17 - 19)! More appearances for 2024 to be announced soon!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan (WE ARE STILL HERE, MOHAWK) returns to discuss his latest feature, the Saturn Award nominated BROOKLYN 45 with Adam, Joe, and Arwen. From trying something completely different on the heels of his successful 2015 horror film WE ARE STILL HERE with his 2017 historical action drama MOHAWK… to the pride he takes in hearing from an indigenous elderly Mohawk man that his film was “the first time he ever saw a film in his native language”… to making his triumphant return to the horror genre with BROOKLYN 45 and working closely with his father (a US Air Force veteran) on the screenplay’s authenticity… to the benefits of shooting a contained story on a built set with fly away walls… to the incredible reception BROOKLYN 45 received after it’s world premiere at the South By South West film festival (it is currently available on SHUDDER and available to rent digital)… Ted returns 300 episodes later with a seasoned perspective and lots of great new stories!

Also, Dr. Arwen provides “Hollywood Therapy” to a listener who is growing tired of gratuitous cursing in so many modern TV series and films, Joe’s SUITABLE FLESH premieres on SHUDDER, and Adam announces 3 more conventions scheduled for March and April in his ever growing list of 2024 appearances.

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker and musician Richard Elfman (FORBIDDEN ZONE, SHRUNKEN HEADS, MODERN VAMPIRES) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his career journey. From his humble upbringing in the most unlikely of towns… to how his love for the weird and wild took him around the world… to his part in the creation of THE KNIGHTS OF OINGO BOINGO (which then morphed into the famed 80’s rock band OINGO BOINGO)… to making his 1980 surreal classic FORBIDDEN ZONE… to jumping back into filmmaking after a long stint performing live music and writing for magazines… to working closely with his brother Danny Elfman as a composer on his films… to working with challenging budgets and winning over temperamental actors… to the making of his latest feature, the “Valentine Vampire” opus BLOODY BRIDGET (currently on the festival circuit)… to how he met his muse and BLOODY BRIDGET star Anastasia… Richard brings us on his fascinating 4+ decade ride through stage and screen!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Barnaby Clay (THE SEEDING) joins Joe Lynch for an interview recorded in front of a LIVE audience at USC. From his years working in the commercial and music video world working with artists such as Rhianna, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Gnarls Barkley… to the 8 years that he spent developing the story that ultimately blossomed into his first feature narrative THE SEEDING (currently in theaters and available on VOD)… to the difficulties of shooting out in the desert… to what inspired the already notorious opening scene and the film’s world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival… Barnaby details the long journey behind his feature film debut and even takes a few questions from the USC audience!

PUBLIC VERSION. Musician and actor Lee Ving (lead singer for FEAR, actor in FLASHDANCE, STREETS OF FIRE, CLUE, DUDES, NIGHTMARES) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his incredible career. From growing up in a working class family in Philadelphia, PA… to his many decades fronting L.A.’s seminal hardcore punk band FEAR… to the band’s legendary performance on Saturday Night Live in 1981 (arranged by the great John Belushi) that resulted in absolute mayhem… to what it was like making the transition to acting in feature films with FLASHDANCE (1983)… to his preferred approach to acting and what he feels makes a character feel real and not just like an actor playing a role… to his experience riding Harley’s and shooting Walter Hill’s STREETS OF FIRE… to working with director Penelope Spheeris - first as one of the subjects of her 1981 documentary THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION and then as an actor in her 1987 film DUDES… to working with the all-star cast of Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Leslie Ann Warren, and Eileen Brennan in 1985’s CLUE… Lee shares his journey living and performing under the lights of both the stage and screen for 50 years (so far)!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Josh Forbes (DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS, CONTRACTED: PHASE 2) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his career journey. From honing his craft and making his mark as a music video and commercial director… to making the jump into feature films… to the difference between subversive bloody fun and b-movie shlock… to working with the great Jonah Ray (MST3K, VICTOR CROWLEY) in a leading man role and the amazing Alex Winter (THE LOST BOYS, BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE) as an absolutely unrecognizable character under incredible make-up in DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS… to how Josh made his creative choices on such a quirky film as a director who truly enjoys considering and trying the numerous ideas that such a talented cast excitedly comes to the project with… to why the decision was made to change “William Brown’s” artistic journey from that of a struggling cartoonist to that of a struggling prog rock musician… to how Josh and his make-up FX team pulled off such fantastical characters and elaborate effects sequences with the extremely limited time and resources of an indie budget and what it was like working with a diva swine… Josh pulls back the blood soaked and intestine splattered curtain on his latest feature opus! DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS is currently playing in select theaters and streaming on SHUDDER.

Dr. Arwen provides “Hollywood Therapy” for a fellow podcaster facing a creative crossroads, Joe gets certified fresh, Adam gets clean as a whistle, and Chuckwagon returns in this fun and informative conversation.

PUBLIC VERSION. Screenwriter Nick Shafir (I.S.S.) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his journey to becoming a working screenwriter with a film that’s currently playing in theaters all across the country. From a dyslexic aspiring writer living in New York City who discovered THE MOVIE CRYPT podcast back in 2014 and drew his own personal inspiration from it… to paying his dues at various jobs including being the writer’s assistant to the staff of a major network TV series where he was expected to fix toilets and once reprimanded for “walking too loud”… to selling his sci-fi screenplay I.S.S. during the pandemic and what it was like handing his baby off to a creative team and a production process that he wouldn’t be directly involved with from day to day… to why he believes it would be a disservice for an aspiring filmmaker to NOT go through both the wonderful highs and the soul crushing lows that accompany most every artist’s journey… to what it’s really like surviving for 6 months or more without a paycheck in sight yet not throwing in the towel and giving up on your dream… to how exactly Nick took his brilliant single location concept and crafted a complex character driven sci-fi thriller… to the research that he needed to do to believably write a story about scientists living on the space station… to the nonstop anxiety and constant self-doubt that an artist endures while hoping and praying that somehow someone somewhere will discover and recognize your talent… to the triumphant moment of having I.S.S. world premiere at the prestigious Tribeca film festival only to not even be allowed to step foot on the red carpet or talk about the movie due to the WGA strike… we’ve been waiting and waiting (and waiting) to share Nick’s story with you all and the time has finally come!

Also, Dr. Arwen provides “Hollywood Therapy” for a writer in search of tips on how to improve the dialogue in their screenplays which turns into a super in-depth 20 minute discussion on writing character’s with unique voices.

After a decade of watching his journey and rooting for him every step of the way… on January 5, 2024 Nick Shafir walked into the ArieScope Studio as an accomplished union screenwriter with a film on the eve of opening in theaters nationwide. He is a friend, a colleague, and now… a GUEST on THE MOVIE CRYPT podcast.  We couldn’t possibly ask for a more inspiring way to be starting off 2024 than with this amazing 2-hour conversation!

Will YOU be the next Nick Shafir? Strap in, get to work, and hopefully we’ll see you here in our studio soon!

During THE MOVIE CRYPT’s 8th annual “Yorkiethon” last month, actress and filmmaker Heather Graham (BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE HANGOVER, SWINGERS, AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME, BOWFINGER) joined Adam, Joe, and Arwen LIVE to discuss working on her latest film- Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH (now available on digital and Blu-ray). From growing up as an insecure, brainy, drama geek who never thought of herself as pretty… to becoming an internationally famous actress and considered one of the most beautiful women in the world… to the films and actors that inspired her and made her fall in love with cinema… to playing the iconic role of “Rollergirl” in Paul Thomas Anderson’s BOOGIE NIGHTS and the lasting impact that the film has had on our culture… to what it was like working with Joe and playing multiple characters inhabiting the same body in SUITABLE FLESH… this conversation with Heather was an absolute blast and we were so lucky to have her join us for our annual benefit for Save A Yorkie Rescue!