magnolia pictures

[7 mins. 25 secs.] The filmmaker Jim Cummings visits the podcast to discuss his first feature film, Thunder Road which will be opening theatrically on Friday, October 12th. In the meantime you can see an advance preview of Jim’s film as well as a number of other films (including John Landis’ never-before-seen Schlock) on Sunday, September 23rd which is Art House Theater Day. That day celebrates the legacy of independent theaters as advocates for cinematic arts. In an age where media has become more digital than tangible, more solitary than social, art house theaters remain the physical spaces where film lovers congregate and connect with intrepid, creative filmmaking. They are the beating heart for new and exciting cinema that is shaping the future of the medium. For details and a complete list of participating theaters, visit www.arthousetheaterday.com. Thunder Road is written by, directed by, and stars Jim Cummings and is based on his 2016 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Grand Jury Prize winning film of the same name. The feature centers on Jim Arnaud (Cummings), a Texan police officer, who struggles to raise his daughter as a love letter to his late mom. It is a tragicomic portrait of a failing figure of authority in America. You can also watch a number of Jim’s shorts as well as his web series, on Filmstruck. The short film version of Thunder Road may be found on Vimeo.

[50 mins. 23 secs.] Also on the podcast, Lisa D’Apolito, the director of the documentary Love, Gilda about the brilliant and beloved comedian and one of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players, Gilda Radner. Diaries, audiotapes, videotapes and testimonies from friends and colleagues offer insight into the life and career of Gilda Radner, the beloved comic and actress who became an icon on Saturday Night Live. Among the many talking heads in the film are Andrew Alexander, Anne Beatts, Chevy Chase, Bill Hader, Janis Hirsch, Judy Levy, Melissa McCarthy, Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman, Marcus O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Michael Radner, Maya Rudolph, Stephen Schwartz, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Rosie Shuster, Cecily Strong, Jordan Walker-Perlman, Pam Zakheim and Alan Zweibel. The film opens nationwide this Friday, September 21st, and is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films. The director and I are joined by colleague, friend & Gilda Radner aficionado, Lisa Rosman.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

[13 mins. 25 secs.] In this special episode of the podcast I welcome the director and the producer of the new indie Support The Girls. Back for his third appearance on the podcast (he was on Episode 150 discussing Computer Chess & and Episode 296 discussing Results) is director Andrew Bujalski as well as his frequent collaborator producer Houston King (Lemon, Hearts Beat Loud) who makes his first appearance of the podcast.

Support the Girls is about Lisa (Regina Hall), the general manager of Double Whammies, a sports bar that features skimpily dressed waitresses. Always nurturing and protective of her staff, she soon faces one trying day that tests her optimism at every turn. The dramedy also stars James LeGros, Brooklyn Decker, Haley Lu Richardson & Shayna McHayle.

Support the Girls is now in its second week theatrically screening in many major cities including the IFC Center in New York, the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn, as well as at the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles. As it widens its theatrical, it has also become available on demand both on iTunes as well as on cable. The film is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

[8 mins. 45 secs.] The team behind the new indie film We The Animals is in the first segment. In Part 1 I chat with director Jeremiah Zagar (Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart) and actor Raúl Castillo (Looking). [37 mins. 45 secs.] In Part 2 I speak with the film’s director of photography Zak Mulligan. Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood. Their mother and father have a volatile relationship that makes and unmakes the family many times over, often leaving the boys fending for themselves. As their parents rip at one another, Manny and Joel harden and grow into versions of their father. With the triumvirate fractured, Jonah, who is the youngest, becomes increasingly aware of his desperate need to escape. Driven to the edge, Jonah embraces an imagined world all his own. The film is being distributed by The Orchard and was produced in partnership with Cinereach.

[1 hr. 6 mins. 52 secs.] The Danish actor Trine Dyrholm is the next up. Trine stars in the fiction film Nico, 1988 which is currently screening at Film Forum. Approaching age 50, singer/songwriter Nico leads a solitary existence — far from her days as a Warhol superstar and celebrated vocalist for the Velvet Underground in the 1960s. Her life and career on the fringes, Nico’s new manager convinces her to hit the road again and tour in Europe to promote her latest album. Struggling with demons and the consequences of a muddled life, she longs to rebuild a relationship with her son, whose custody she lost long ago. The conversation was recorded at the offices of Magnolia Pictures which is releasing the film.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of the great Aretha Franklin, who just passed away at the age of 76. She and her voice was a true gift to the world.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

The Zellner Brothers were last on Episode 279 discussing their film Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter. They’re back on this episode with a brand new feature film called Damsel which had its premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson), an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. Both David and Nathan Zellner also appear in memorable roles. The film, distributed by Magnolia Pictures, opens Friday, June 22nd.

Then actor, producer and former assistant to Brand De Palma, Tara Culp appears in the second segment. Tara stars in a short film called The Audition which is currently in the festival circuit.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

First up [6 mins. 30 secs.] on Episode 430, real estate developer turned film distributor & exhibitor, Charles Cohen discusses his career and various projects for which he either serves as producer or distributor. In addition to the work he does with Cohen Media Group, we also discuss the new Quad Cinema and what is coming in the pipeline.

After that [28 mins. 48 secs.] filmmaker Lana Wilson (After Tiller) returns for her third visit to the podcast. After collaborating on her last feature, Wilson goes it alone with her new documentary, The Departure. The film, which had its festival premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, follows the story of Nemoto, a former punk-turned-Buddhist-priest in Japan, who has made a career out of helping suicidal people find reasons to live. But this work has come increasingly at the cost of his own family and health, as he refuses to draw lines between his patients and himself. The film will have a theatrical engagement at the Metrograph in NYC beginning on Friday, October 13th, and then an engagement at the Laemmle Monica in L.A. before going wide.

Lastly, [51 mins. 35 secs.] actor turned filmmaker John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story, Fargo) discusses his directorial debut with the dramedy, Lucky. The film, which is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures, stars the recently deceased Harry Dean Stanton as 90 year old Lucky who has been a life long atheist but now finds himself on a spiritual journey which includes the quirky characters that inhabit his off the map desert town. It’s an appropriate and loving swan song for one of America’s great actors.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Episode 425 celebrates two new documentaries hitting theaters in New York City on Friday, September 8th. [4 mins. 10 secs.] First up, the filmmaking couple Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau discuss their film Trophy, an in-depth look into the powerhouse industries of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Africa. The film aims to unravel the complex consequences of treating animals as commodities. The film is being distributed by The Orchard and financed in great part by Impact Partners.

[34 mins. 14 secs.] The other documentary is a gorgeous film out of Ireland called School Life (a.k.a. In Loco Parentis). Filmmaking couple Neasa Ní Chianáin & David Rane follow two inspiring teachers working at the only boarding school in Ireland for children ages 7 to 12 are followed for a year, as they begin to prepare for the end of their tenure. The film, which is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures and which also opens on Friday, September 8th, is true vérité at its finest.

Music on this episode of the podcast is by Steely Dan as a tribute to the recently deceased Walter Becker.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Vermont College of Fine Arts film program. Visit vcfa.edu/film for further details.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

[5 mins. 20 secs.] In this jam-packed episode of the podcast I first welcome back long-time friend of Filmwax, filmmaker and commercial director, Adam Reid, who appeared way way back in Episodes 15 & 38 with his feature film, Hello Lonesome. Adam is back to discuss the Kickstarter campaign for his latest project, Barry & Joe: The Animated Series which is where Barack Obama and Joe Biden are sent back in time by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Bromancing the multiverse to save us from ourselves.

[39 mins. 45 secs.] When I was at the Maryland Film Festival this Spring I was fortunate enough to see a dark comedy called Lemon. The film concerns Isaac’ Lachman (guest Brett Gelman) whose blind girlfriend walks out on him, as his life goes into free fall. We follow Isaac as he directs an unhinged staging of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” attends the Passover Seder from hell, and attempts to woo a new flame. Gelman, who co-directed and stars is joined by his partner Janicza Bravo, director of Lemon. The film, which is being distributed Magnolia Pictures and which also stars Judy Greer, Michael Cera and Nia Long, opens in Los Angeles, on iTunes, Amazon Video and on demand on Friday, August 18th, then in NYC on Friday, August 25th.

[1 hr. 8 mins. 55 secs.] Last up, the team behind the Sundance 2017 break-out hit, Patti Cake$: filmmaker Geremy Jasper, and actors Danielle McDonald and Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull). In a coming-of-age story straight out of Jersey, an unlikely rapper finds her voice as a one-of-a-kind hip-hop legend in the making in Patti Cake$, the first feature film from acclaimed commercial and music-video director Jasper. Set in gritty strip-mall suburbia, the film which is being distributed by Fox Searchlight and opens wide August 18th, chronicles an underdog’s quest for fame and glory with humor, raw energy and some unforgettable beats.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

In this episode of the podcast we meet with the teams of two outstanding documentaries. Up first, Holy Hell which had its New York premiere at Rooftop Films a few days ago and which hits theaters on Friday, May 27th. For a full list of screenings and theatricals, visit their website. Guests include filmmaker & former cult member Will Allen along with two other former members Philippe Coquet and Vera Cheiffo. In 1985, Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual group. A recent film school graduate, Allen began to chronicle the group’s activities that centered on their leader, a mysterious individual they called The Teacher, or Michel. Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface, until finally, a shocking allegation against The Teacher tore the group apart – all in front of Allen’s camera.

Then we welcome the team behind the new festival hit documentary Presenting Princess Shaw (Magnolia Pictures) including the film’s subjects Samantha “Princess Shaw” Montgomery and musical genius, Kutiman, as well as director Ido Haar. The true story of the incredible Princess Shaw and the enigmatic composer Kutiman, who discovers her from the other side of the world. By day, Samantha Montgomery cares for the elderly in one of New Orleans’s toughest neighborhoods. By night, she writes and sings her own songs as Princess Shaw on her confessional YouTube channel. Raw and vulnerable, her voice is a diamond in the rough. Across the globe, Ophir Kutiel creates video mash ups of amateur YouTube performers. Known as Kutiman, he is a composer, a musician, and a pioneering video artist embraced by the world of fine art. Two strangers, almost 7,000 miles apart, begin to build a song. Presenting Princes Shaw opens theatrically on May 27th as well.

Film directors Rebecca Miller (Maggie’s Plan) and Terence Davies (Sunset Song) are the guests. The music on this episode is by Jim’s Big Ego from their album Stay. Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films.

Two friends of the podcast return for their second visits: Atom Egoyan (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter) talks about Remember starring Christopher Plummer and Ben Dickinson (First Winter) talks about his new Creative Control. Both films open Friday, March 11th.