The Cinema Files

"Phoenix Press were invited to sit down with stars, Esther Smith and Rafe Spall to discuss 'Trying,' an Apple Original TV series. The final two episodes of this, the third season will be available on Friday, August 26th, and September 2nd.

We sit down with the one and only Mark Wahlberg to discuss his passion project, “Father Stu” Father Stu tells the inspirational true story of Stewart Long and his journey from a short-tempered boxer to a humble man of God. We ask Wahlberg how he brought this biopic to the screen and what drove him to do so.

In this interview we discuss how Alfonso got his start, who some of the composers that inspired him are, how the process of composing the music for Klaus, and other topics.

We recently sat down with the charming lead actress of JoJo Rabbit, Thomasin McKenzie. We discussed what it was like working with an already amazing line of directors, and if she had any hesitation taking on the subject matter of Taika’s latest comedy. Some may remember Thomasin from 2018’s “Leave No Trace” with Ben Foster. If her performances in these two films are any clue, she has an amazing career ahead of her.

Eugenio Derbes has been a staple in Mexican pop culture for years. Earlier this week, in a small theater hidden behind a freezer door at a Scottsdale Multiplex, we caught up with Eugenio to discuss his latest project, “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”

A roundtable interview with writer/director Joe Berlinger, who discusses with us what makes "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile" different from other movies about Bundy’s life, and the origin of its rather unusual title.

Director John Lee Hancock and Writer John Fusco discuss their unique approach to their unique take on the Bonnie & Clyde story in "The Highwaymen"

If you've ever longed for naked Jedi, you'll love this interview with Russall Beattie, the creator of “The Empire Strips Back”, a traveling burlesque extravaganza that will be premiering in Arizona on April 2nd!

With the recent success of the brilliant Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House”, WE thought it would be a great time to revisit our conversation with Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy, and Jason Blum.

Just prior to the release of "Ralph Breaks the Internet" we had a quick chat with Michelle Robinson who was the “Character Look Development Supervisor” for the movie. Michelle has a long history with Disney Animation and has worked on some of their best films including Bolt, Tangled, Zootopia, and Frozen

During the "Eighth Grade" festival run, we had the chance to talk to Youtube personality, turned stand-up comedian, turned Writer/Director, Bo Burnham, about the inspiration behind this wonderful movie, and how his own experiences and opinions on social media are reflected in the lead character.

The day after screening "Super Troopers 2" for an early audience in Phoenix, we sat down with the guys of Broken Lizard, the minds behind "Club Dread", "Beerfest", and "Super Troopers." We asked about their experiences bringing a comedic sequel to the screen nearly two decades after the original, and how it was all because of a successfull crowd funding campaign that hit it's first goal in only 24 hours.

Recently, fellow Cinema File Dan Silva was able to speak with "Peter Rabbit" Composer, Dominic Lewis. Dominic is currently scoring the third season of Amazon's "The Man in High Castle." He has composed scores for a number of movies and TV shows, including the new "Ductales", Sony's "Rough NIght" and "Fist Fight" In addition to this he's contributed to scores for "How to Train Your Dragon", "Wreck-it Ralph", and "Captain America: Winter Soldier"

We catch up with composer Ben Lovett just before the 2017 TIFF premier of "The Ritual" (Now available on Netflix) Ben is best known for his score on Magnolia Pictures’ “The Signal,” which received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. He has also scored the Duplass Brothers’ thriller “Black Rock,” and Magnolia Pictures’ sci-fi noir “Synchronicity”

“12 Strong” is based on the TRUE story, of a 12-man team sent to Afghanistan mere WEEKS after 9/11. I along, with a few of my colleagues, was given the chance to sit down talk with the two, real life, ex-special forces, whom the lead characters are based on, Bob Pennington and Mark Nutsch.

Actor, Academy Nominated writer and now director, Jason Hall was in Phoenix last week promoting his upcoming film “Thank you for Your Service” While here, we spoke with him about his process as a screenwriter, why he felt the importance of making this film, and his particular attention to detail as a director.

Last week I sat down with NYT bestselling author, Jeannette Walls to chat about “The Glass Castle”, a new film based on a book she penned about her experiences growing up in poverty. While her story is quite engaging, it pales in comparison to the enchanting presence Jeannette has in person. It’s not a word I use often, but “vivacious” is the perfect description for her. Our ten minutes together blew by as we discussed the impact her youth had on her adult life, and how well the film...

Shortly before the wide release of the inspiring documentary “STEP” I was part of a round-table discussion with Writer/Director Amanda Lipitz, Director of College Counselling Paula Dofat, Step Team Coach Gari McIntryre, and three of the Lethal Ladies of BLSYW(Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women), Tayla Solomon, Blessin Giraldo, and Cori Grainger. The ladies had plenty to say about their their experiences during the documentary which filmed most of their teenage years, and what...

On the night of March 13th, 1997 two major UFO sightings occurred over Phoenix. Collectively they have been known has “The Phoenix Lights” The first was a massive V-shaped object that blocked out the stars as it flew overhead. It traveled southeast from Prescott, over Phoenix, and then down past Tucson. Later that same evening, a formation of large shimmering lights hung over the Estrella mountains to the southwest of Phoenix. This has become the most widely seen and documented UFO sightings...

Last week we caught up with the multitalented comedian, Demetri Martin, at a small cafe just outside of the Phoenix Film Festival. That night his film “DEAN”, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, would be screening at the festival. We chatted about his experiences as a first-time director and some of the more interesting and risky elements that made his film stand out.