THE MOVIE CRYPT’s special roundtable series continues as hosts Adam Green and Joe Lynch sit down with filmmakers David Slade (HARD CANDY, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE) and SpookyDan Walker (SLAY BELLES, VFX artist on STAR TREK BEYOND, CELL, SLITHER) to discuss the controversy over artificial intelligence and why so many artists and tech leaders fear that the rapidly developing A.I. technology may pose an existential threat not only to the craft of storytelling… but to humanity itself! What are the pros and cons of this incredible new technology? What exactly is diffusion modeling and how does it work? Was A.I. developed and released into the hands of the general public too quickly? Should A.I. be more strictly regulated? What does A.I. mean for the future careers of filmmakers? How long until programs like ChatGBT allow studio executives and producers to stop having to rely on actual writers to generate screenplays that will be commercially appealing to an audience that’s already numb from an abundance of “content?” If A.I. is creating new art from existing art then where does the original artist factor into the equation when it comes to credit and potential financial gains? What are the dangers of releasing such advanced technology into a world that is already torn apart by social media, “fake news,” and large factions of society that only believe their own eyes and ears if they like what they are seeing or hearing? Are we entering a new age of artistic enlightenment… or hurdling towards our own creative demise? As with all of our roundtable specials, we hope that you will continue this fascinating, frightening, and extremely complicated conversation with your own friends, family, and co-workers long after the episode is over.

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Mickey Reece (AGNES, CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER, ALIEN) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his career journey. From blazing his own DIY path out in Oklahoma directing several films a year… to how he developed such an incredibly unique cinematic voice while working in almost every single genre… to how he confidently creates with extremely limited budgets and resources… to his choice to star as a Garth Brooks-esque singer on a most unusual quest in his latest film COUNTRY GOLD…to his film festival experience and beyond… it’s no wonder Mickey has been called the “outlaw of independent cinema!” Mickey explains the importance of being able to boldly wear several different hats on every set and Adam winds up schooling himself on the popularity of country music in this truly inspiring episode that will have you fired up to stop waiting for permission, grab a camera, and make your own movie already! 

PUBLIC VERSION. Award-winning FX master Dan Martin (INFINITY POOL, COLOR OUT OF SPACE, 47 METERS DOWN, HOST, DASHCAM, and more) joins Adam, joe, and Arwen to discuss his career journey in special make-up effects. From the VHS era of movies inspiring his love for genre film as a child… to building out his skillset by working in as many departments of the filmmaking process as he could… to his stunning FX work on films like LORDS OF CHAOS, HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2, and this year’s awards darling THE BANSHEES OF INISHIRIN… to why POSSESSOR is one of his proudest projects to date and the art of crafting the perfect prosthetic penis… it’s no wonder why Dan has become one of the most in-demand gore slingers in the industry today!

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Timothy Scott Bogart (SPINNING GOLD, TOUCHED, LOVE & SEX) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his career journey. From growing up as the son of record industry maverick Neil Bogart (Casablanca Records- KISS, DONNA SUMMER, THE VILLAGE PEOPLE)… to fast-tracking his own career as a filmmaker by graduating NYU film school early and heading straight to Los Angeles… to talking his way into executive positions whether he actually knew how to do the jobs or not… to learning firsthand how to put film financing together through tax credits and foreign sales… to creating the TV series MOWGLI: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE JUNGLE BOOK and writing and directing episodes of the show… to his long journey making his latest feature SPINNING GOLD (an extremely personal biopic about his father in U.S. theaters everywhere as of March 31, 2023)… to how the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the production for almost 2 years and almost spun the entire project away right before his eyes… Tim’s story will surely inspire, enlighten, and encourage any struggling artists out there! Also in this episode, Adam and Tim take a controversial stance on Italian food and Dreidel the rabbit emerges from a nasty neighborhood fight as “Dreidelface.”

PUBLIC VERSION. Writer and Director Kurt Wimmer (EQUILIBRIUM, SALT, POINT BREAK 2015, TOTAL RECALL 2012, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his long career and the making of his latest feature CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2023). From leaving medical school to pursue screenwriting instead… to why he has learned to love test screenings… to why he no longer gets discouraged or feels threatened by studio executives’ notes on his scripts… to his philosophy that “the audience is incapable of lying to you”… to his mindset in tackling the re-telling of such beloved properties as POINT BLANK and CHILDREN OF THE CORN (now in theaters and available digitally)… to how he really felt being the only director shooting a movie during the early heights of the COVID-19 pandemic… to working with child actors and the secret weapon that he discovered within his own cast… to the incredible story of how he got the gig writing the adaptation of Michael Crichton’s SPHERE even though he was still an unproven voice in comparison to the dozens of seasoned industry screenwriters who were actively pursuing the job… to how he choreographed the groundbreaking “gunkata” used in EQUILIBRIUM… and why he thinks the long awaited big screen adaptation of METAL GEAR SOLID (that he was attached to at one point) has taken so long to come to fruition… Kurt’s humble candor in discussing his truly stunning career will have you wanting to go back and revisit his entire filmography immediately! Also, Kurt and Adam become best friends over their love for rabbits and Joe completely changes his mind about scotch eggs.

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Pete Ohs (JETHICA, YOUNGSTOWN) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his career journey and his extremely unique approach to filmmaking. From developing his own cinematic style through making videos with friends at 15 years old… to how working as an editor, a cinematographer, and a producer on various TV, short film, and feature film productions helped inform his approach to directing… to how the experience of making his first feature film (EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IS FAR AWAY) through the traditionally structured filmmaking process made him realize just how much he preferred the looser, more organic process that he imparted back when he was first making videos with friends as a teenager strictly for the love of making them… to how he has returned back to his approach to filmmaking using a skeleton crew of friends and writing the story as a group and as they shoot as opposed to starting with a traditional completed screenplay that the team follows… to why he prefers to start each of his productions with no set expectations… Pete’s uncommon and particular storytelling process is certainly one that will make aspiring filmmakers think outside of the box and reconsidering how they themselves approach independent filmmaking. Pete's latest film JETHICA is currently streaming on Fandor and is also available digitally.

PUBLIC VERSION. Actress and now filmmaker Nicki Micheaux (LOWLIFE, THE SHIELD, LINCOLN HEIGHTS) returns to THE MOVIE CRYPT to discuss writing and directing her first feature film SUMMER OF VIOLENCE. From the pros and cons of casting remotely during the pandemic and trying to feel out an actor’s true chemistry through only pre-recorded auditions and zoom calls… to why she feels that every actor should go out and direct something and her choice to not cast herself anywhere in her own film… to the many years that she spent writing and having her work rejected before ever receiving the first feedback that players within the industry were actually into what she was doing… to explaining the exact process that she went through bringing her finished script for SUMMER OF VIOLENCE to life as a fully financed independent film… to why making a movie was “the hardest thing in the world”… to how she turned a time of real life violent culture and trauma that she lived through in Colorado in the 90’s into a backdrop for characters just trying to live their own regular lives… to the perils of shooting a period piece on an indie budget… to how taking screenwriting courses helped her embrace and excel at the rewriting process… Nicki candidly shares a crash course in first time filmmaking in the way that only someone as strong, talented, passionate, and humble as she can.

Dr. Arwen provides “Hollywood Therapy” for an artist who is about to begin reducing the hours spent at their day job and start making filmmaking their primary career, Adam shares a story about how his gut instinct helped him avoid working with an actor who would wind up committing one of the most brutal murders in Hollywood, and Nicki shares some personal news with the guys in the final few moments that leaves them rattled. (It’s a big episode, guys!)

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Christopher Landon (FREAKY, HAPPY DEATH DAY, the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY series) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his career journey and the making of his latest film WE HAVE A GHOST (now playing on Netflix). From getting his start working with Larry Clark (KIDS)… to almost quitting the business after DISTURBIA… to how moving to Austin, TX helped bring him back to the career he loves… to how he got involved with the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY universe… to his knack for subverting and twisting genres… to working with David Harbour and Anthony Mackie on his new spooky heartfelt family drama WE HAVE A GHOST (which he describes as “E.T. with a ghost”)… to how he shot the complicated VFX heavy car chase in the film… to the devastating news that he received right before production began… Chris takes us through his process of finding the right formula for a good “Amblinesque” genre film and explains why he feels that blending genres should always come from a personal place.

PUBLIC VERSION. Filmmaker Patrick Read Johnson (SPACED INVADERS, DRAGONHEART, BABY’S DAY OUT) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his career and the incredible 18 YEAR journey that it took to make his latest film 5-25-77. From a child who spent every waking moment he had creating his own home movie homages to the films that “restructured his DNA”… to becoming one of the very first people alive to ever see STAR WARS… to working as an effects artist on some of the 80’s most notable genre films … to directing films like SPACED INVADERS, ANGUS and BABY’S DAY OUT… to working with the legendary Henson Company on TV shows like DINOSAURS… to writing the beloved fantasy film DRAGONHEART (the very first movie poster Adam had framed in his first apartment)… to working alongside and befriending some of the industry’s biggest icons… to the breathtaking 18 years he spent making his autobiographical opus 5-25-77 (now playing on Showtime, Amazon Prime, and other digital platforms)… Patrick’s story is like a Hollywood fever dream come to life.  If you’re not inspired to work just a little bit harder at making your own dreams come true after listening to this amazing conversation then your speakers weren’t on!

Dr. Arwen also provides “Hollywood Therapy” for someone struggling to find the laughs in the comedy they’ve been watching lately.