Episode 53: It Happened But Nobody Noticed / Denial

Jerry Lombardo (Thomas Breen photo)

Timeline

00:00 - 38:20 -- interview with Jerry Lombardo and Eric Michael Schrader about It Happened, But Nobody Noticed
39:20 - 58:42 -- review of Denial

Description

This week's episode is about It Happened, But Nobody Noticed, a 2009 documentary from directors Jerry Lombardo and Eric Michael Schrader that documents New Haven’s punk and New Wave underground music scene from 1978 to 1988. Host Tom Breen talks with Lombardo and Schrader about how this movie came to be; some of the bands, venues and unique personalities that made up New Haven’s punk and New Wave scene in the 80s; and the ways that movies and music can intersect to help us understand this specific time and place in our city’s underground cultural history. The second half of the show features a review of the new movie Denial.

Other Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu3hrc-sx50

Episode 51: Home Movie Day 2016 / 13th

Molly Wheeler (Lucy Gellman photo)

Timeline

00:00 - 31:20 -- interview about Home Movie Day
34:40 - 55:38 -- review of 13TH with Babz Rawls Ivy

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks to Brian Meacham, Molly Wheeler, and David Pilot about Home Movie Day New Haven 2016, hosted Saturday 10/15 at the New Haven Museum. During the second half of the show Breen welcomes fellow WNHH host and Inner City News CT editor Babz Rawls Ivy for a review of Ava Duvernay's new Netflix documentary, 13TH.

Other Links

http://www.centerforhomemovies.org/hmd/

Episode 49: Brendan Toller / Russ D Martin

Brendan Toller (Lucy Gellman photo)

Timeline

00:00 - 36:37 -- interview with Brendan Toller
39:35 - 55:43 -- interview with Russ D Martin

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with local filmmaker Brendan Toller, director of the new documentary DANNY SAYS, about two movies that have had a profound influence on him as a watcher and maker of movies: BENJAMIN SMOKE, a 2000 documentary about a singer-songwriter, drag queen, speedfreak, misfit named Benjamin from Atlanta, Georgia, and SILVERLAKE LIFE, a 1993 documentary about a California couple living and dying with AIDS. On the second segment of the show, Tom interviews local filmmaker Russ D Martin about his new movie, ...an inappropriate affect.

Links

http://dannysaysfilm.com/Danny_Says/Danny_Says.html
https://www.facebook.com/aninappropriateaffect/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGE_LX5nO54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjGVT4BUG-w

Episode 47: Rich Hanley / Last Days of the Coliseum

Rich Hanley (Thomas Breen photo)

Topics

00:00 - 48:47 -- interview with Rich Hanley about Last Days of the Coliseum

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with Rich Hanley, Associate Professor of Journalism at Quinnipiac University and writer/director of the 2010 documentary Last Days at the Coliseum. Tom and Rich talk about the history of the New Haven Coliseum, and the symbolic intersections of hockey, rock and roll, wrestling, and urban renewal in mid-century downtown New Haven.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/newhavencoliseum/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUslRv5A3IU
https://soundcloud.com/new-haven-independent/episode-47-rich-hanley-last-days-of-the-coliseum?in=user8148908/sets/deep-focus

Episode 45: Nick Palmer / Indignation

Nick Palmer (Thomas Breen photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Nick Palmer
0:00 - 35:45 - interview with CT filmmaker Nick Palmer about Parable Media, "A Bottled Rose," and FTMA

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Lucy Gellman
37:34 - 56:22 - review of the new Philip Roth-adaptation INDIGNATION

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with CT filmmaker Nick Palmer about his work on the 2016 48 Hour Film Project New Haven, the Film and Television masters program at Sacred Heart University in Stamford, and a few of his short films to date, including "A Bottled Rose" and the promo-trailers for "To Live and Die in L.A." On the second segment of the show, Tom talks with Allan Appel and Lucy Gellman about the new Philip Roth-adaptation, Indignation, about the son of a butcher from Newark, New Jersey who struggles to adjust the goyish, repressed American heartland of Winesburg, Ohio.

Video Links

CT Filmmaker Nick Palmer's showreel

Trailer for INDIGNATION

Other Links

http://parablemedia.format.com/

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/sydney_perry_chai_haven/

Episode 43: 48 Hour Film Project New Haven

Russ D Martin and Li Martin (Thomas Breen photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guests: Russ D Martin, Li Martin
0:00 - 51:44 - interview with Russ D Martin and Li Martin about the 2016 48 Hour Film Project New Haven

Description

On this episode host Tom Breen talks to Russ D and Li Martin, a husband and wife who headed different teams in this year's 48 Hour Film Project New Haven contest, about the challenges, joys, and lessons learned while making films on a tight schedule.

Other Links

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/48_hour_filmmakers/

Episode 41: Caden Rodems-Boyd / Ace

ACE by Caden Rodems-Boyd

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Caden Rodems-Boyd
0:00 - 51:34 - interview with 17-year-old New Haven-based filmmaker Caden Rodems-Boyd about his feature film debut, ACE

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with 17-year-old New Haven filmmaker Caden Rodems-Boyd about his feature film debut, a cyborg-buddy action flick called ACE. They talk about filmmaking style on a low budget, making movies as a high school student, and the inescapable influence of Quentin Tarantino on chatty, stylish, smart action movies.

Video Links

Trailer for Caden Rodem-Boyd's ACE

Episode 39: Wheel to Sea / Free State of Jones

Wheel to Sea Productions

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guests: William Minter, Leah Russell
0:00 - 34:55 - interview due behind Wheel to Sea productions

Second Segment

Guest: Allan Appel
36:38 - 57:18 - review of FREE STATE OF JONES

Description

On this episode, host Tom Breen talks to filmmakers William Minter and Leah Russell about Wheel to Sea, a video production company that focuses on making videos about non-profits in the greater New Haven area. During the second part of the show, Breen talks to New Haven Independent reporter Allan Appel about "Free State of Jones," director Gary Ross' new release about medic and confederate deserter Newt Knight .

Video Links

A short video about Yaira Matyakubova of Music Haven, by Wheel to Sea productions

Trailer for FREE STATE OF JONES

Episode 36: Charles Musser / New Haven Documentary Film Festival

NHDocs

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First Segment

Guest: Professor Charles Musser
0:00 - 38:04 - interview with Professor Charles Musser about the third annual New Haven Documentary Film Festival

Description

On today's episode, host Tom Breen talks with Professor Charles Musser about the third annual New Haven Documentary Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 2nd through Sunday, June 12th and will be bringing 15 documentary features and 26 documentary shorts to the Elm City. A founder and co-director of the festival, Musser shares some thoughts on the films and filmmakers included in this year's line up, including Alex Gibney, Barbara Kopple, East Lyme middle school students, and many more.

Video Links

Trailer for ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM (2005) by Alex Gibney

Episode 35: Mike Rhodes / Money Monster

Mike Rhodes (Lucy Gellman photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Mike Rhodes
0:00 - 39:29 - interview with CT filmmaker Mike Rhodes

Second Segment

Guest: Lucy Gellman
41:02 - 53:07 - review of MONEY MONSTER

Description

On this episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen sits down with Connecticut filmmaker Mike Rhodes to discuss freelancing, music videos, and the benefits and challenges of making movies in the Nutmeg State. During the second part of the episode, Breen also talks to WNHH Station Manager Lucy Gellman about Jodie Foster's new flick "Money Monster," starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney.

Video Links

Higher Learning: Children of the Underground. Directed by Mike Rhodes.

MONEY MONSTER (2016) by Jodie Foster

Episode 34: Bruce Ditman / Francofonia

Bruce Ditman (Thomas Breen photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Bruce Ditman
0:00 - 40:19 - reviews of THIEF and BEVERLY HILLS COP

Second Segment

Guests: Lucy Gellman, Allan Appel
41:51 - 1:00:15 - review of FRANCOFONIA

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with New Haven's own Bruce Ditman about two films from the early 1980s that have had a profound influence on the way he watches, makes, and enjoys movies today. Michael Mann’s THIEF and Martin Brest’s BEVERLY HILLS COP have become classics of the heist and comedy genres respectively, but how do they hold up in 2016? For the second segment of the show, Tom talks with Allan Appel and Lucy Gellman FRANCOFONIA, a new meditative documentary by Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov about the timelessness of art and the history of the Louvre under Nazi occupation.

Video Links

Trailer for Thief (1981) by Michael Mann

Scene from Beverly Hills Copy (1984) by Martin Brest

Trailer for Francofonia (2016) by Alexander Sokurov

Other Links

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/everyone_leaves/

Episode 33: BODY DOUBLES / Terror on Tape

Laura Marsh (Lucy Gellman photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guests: Selby Nimrod, Sarah Lasley, Laura Marsh
0:00 - 40:11 - interview about BODY DOUBLES

Second Segment

Guests: David Gary, Nicholas Forster
41:52 - 55:33 - interview about the Terror on Tape symposium

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with curator Selby Nimrod, filmmaker Sarah Lasley, and No Pop gallery co-director Laura Marsh about BODY DOUBLES, a one-night screening series of short, experimental movies about the body: the body as an idea, a physical reality, a venue for political debate and artistic exploration. For the second segment of the show, Tom talks with Yale librarian David Gary and grad student Nicholas Forster about the Terror on Tape symposium, an academic conference dedicated to VHS.

Video Links

Trailer for Eve by Sarah Lasley

The Observatory by Doreen Garner

Trailer for Truth or Dare: A Critical Madness (1986)

Episode 30: Ryan Licwinko / Midnight Special

Ryan Licwinko (Thomas Breen photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Ryan Licwinko
0:00 - 39:45 - interview with Ryan Licwinko

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Lucy Gellman
41:08 - 55:09 - Midnight Special review

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen talks with local amateur filmmaker Ryan Licwinko about three movies that shaped his understanding of what qualifies as artful, entertaining, well-made cinema: 1973's THE STING, 1991's THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and 1968's 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY. For the second segment of the show, Tom, Lucy and Allan review Jeff Nichols's latest blend of sci-fi and Americana, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL.

Video Links

Clip from The Sting (1973) by George Roy Hill

Trailer for Midnight Special

Other Links

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/everyone_leaves/

Episode 29: Lisa Molomot / Eye in the Sky

Scene from The Hill

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First Segment

Guest: Lisa Molomot
0:00 - 38:22 - interview with Lisa Molomot

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Lucy Gellman
39:22 - 55:05 - Eye in the Sky and Marguerite reviews

Description

On this episode, host Tom Breen talks with filmmaker Lisa Molomot about some of her most recent projects: her 2013 release "The Hill," which covers the city's displacement of 94 families to build a new school in the Hill neighborhood, and 2011 film "School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten." During the latter half of the show, Breen talks with WNHH Station Manager Lucy Gellman about the recent release "Eye in the Sky," and New Haven Independent reporter Allan Appel about "Marguerite."

Video Links

Trailer for The Hill (2013) by Lisa Molomot

Trailer for Eye in the Sky (2015) by Gavin Hood

Other Links

http://www.lisamolomot.com/Home.html

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/the_hill_doc/

Episode 28: American Reds / Jay Lender

American Reds

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First Segment

Guest: Richard Wormser
0:00 - 31:47 - interview with Richard Wormser about American Reds

Second Segment

Guests: Jay Lender
31:48 - 1:02:24 - interview with Jay Lender about They're Watching

Description

On today's episode of Deep Focus, host Tom Breen interviews filmmaker and UNH professor Richard Wormser about his new documentary AMERICAN REDS, which offers a new history of the Communist Party USA, from the Russian Revolution in 1917 to the death of Stalin and the dissolution of the American party in the mid-1950s. For the second segment of the show, Tom talks with New Haven-born writer, director, and animator Jay Lender about his directorial debut, THEY'RE WATCHING.

Video Links

Opening clip for American Reds (2015) by Richard Wormser

Trailer for They're Watching (2016) by Jay Lender and Micah Wright

Episode 25: Philip Rosenthal / The Witch

THE WITCH

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First Segment

Guest: Philip Rosenthal
0:00 - 35:08 - interview the psychology of home movies

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Aliyya Swaby
35:09 - 53:04 - review of The Witch

Description

On this episode, Deep Focus host Tom Breen talks to Dr. Philip Rosenthal about the psychology of home movies. During the second half of the episode, Breen talks with New Haven Independent reporters Allan Appel and Aliyya Swaby about the new release "The Witch."

Video Links

Trailer for The Witch (2015) by Robert Eggers

Episode 24: Unsung Heroes / The Lady in the Van

LADY IN THE VAN

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guests: Rebecca Abbott, Frank Mitchell
0:00 - 32:08 - interview about Unsung Heroes

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Lucy Gellman
32:09 - 54:31 - review of The Lady in the Van

Description

Tom speaks with filmmaker Rebecca Abbott and historian Frank Mitchell about their 2001 documentary "Unsung Heroes: The Music of Jazz in New Haven." During the second segment, Tom discusses the latest Alan Bennett screen adaptation, "The Lady in the Van," with WNHH hosts Lucy Gellman and Allan Appel.

Video Links

Clip from Unsung Heroes by Rebecca Abbott and Frank Mitchell

Episode 23: Karyl Evans / Hail, Caesar!

Karyl Evans (Phil Holt photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Karyl Evans
0:00 - 33:02 - interview about Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio and other movies by documentary filmmaker Karyl Evans

Second Segment

Guest: Allan Appel
33:03 - 53:57 - review of Hail, Caesar!

Description

Tom speaks with North Haven filmmaker Karyl Kreizinger Evans, director of "Letter From Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio" and discusses Coen-brother comedy "Hail, Caesar!" with Allan Appel.

Video Links

Trailer for Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio by Karyl Evans

Trailer for Hail, Caesar! by the Coen brothers

Episode 22: Life Ends at 30 / Anomalisa

ANOMALISA by Charlie Kaufman

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guests: Michael Field, Trish Clark
0:00 - 37:32 - interview about the web series Life Ends at 30

Second Segment

Guests: Allan Appel, Lucy Gellman
37:33 - 55:59 - review of Anomalisa

Description

On this episode, WNHH host Tom Breen talks to writer-director Michael Field and producer Trish Clark , creative team on "Life Ends at 30" webseries. During the latter half of the episode, he talks to New Haven Independent reporter and WNHH station manager Lucy Gellman about new film "Anomalisa."

Video Links

Trailer for Anomalisa by Charlie Kaufman

Episode 21: Dan Vieira / Debby Evans

Dan Vieira (Lucy Gellman photo)

How to Listen

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First Segment

Guest: Dan Vieira
0:00 - 34:33 - interview about Youth Rights Media

Second Segment

Guest: Debby Evans
34:34 - 53:47 - interview about contemporary African cinema series

Description

Host Tom Breen welcomes New Haven-based freelance videographer Dan Vieira to talk about his work with Youth Rights Media and foray into independent filmmaking, and Westville resident Debby Evans about her three-part African cinema series.

Video Links

Trailer for Labeled by Youth Rights Media

Trailer for Munyurangabo by Lee Isaac Chung