What do you get when you combine filmmaking, social media and 15-year-old girls? Well there are a lot of things you can get from that combo, but in this case we get “Fan Girl.”

“Fan Girl” follows Telulah Farrow (Kiernan Shipka), an ironic high school sophomore who decides to bring her two passions together for a final project: making movies and her favorite band. In typical high school fashion, Telulah put off her film class project for too long –she was too busy trying to get All Time Low’s attention on social media– and ends up with just a few days to create a killer final project that could bring festival fame. As she scrambles to put her project together Telulah also gets a once in a lifetime chance to see her music idols in concert. So she formulates a plan to bring the two together. Accompanied by smart mouthed wing-girl Jamie (Kara Hayward), and her underachieving, super senior film class partner Darvan (Joshua Boone) she sets off to create the ultimate “fangirl” video.

We got a chance to talk to Shipka and the rest of the cast about the film and their own fangirl moments at the L.A Film Festival premiere for the movie. Check out some of the clips below (you can find all of them on our YouTube channel).

Amy Hargreaves may be best known for her role as Maggie Mathison “Homeland,”  but she’s a veteran who’s appeared in prestige films like “Shame,” and last year’s indie thriller “Blue Ruin.” This year, Hargreaves was given another chance to take center stage in Marc Meyers’ “How He Fell in Love,” a restrained drama about infidelity told without the melodrama and Scarlet Letter-type punishments we see in similar films.

The film starts with Travis (Matt McGorry), a young struggling musician who crosses paths with Ellen (Hargreaves), an older married yoga teacher who is trying to adopt a child with her husband. Travis and Ellen begin an affair that slowly turns into an intimate and profound love. As their encounters continue, Ellen must come to terms with what she wants out of her marriage while Travis must face the consequences of his actions.

We caught up with Hargreaves before the L.A. Film Festival premiere of the film to discuss her character and how she was feeling about the premiere.

The premiere is tonight- How are you feeling?
Excited. I’m excited. I was nervous last week and now I’ve gotten past that. I feel really pleased and really excited to share this with everyone. We did our work, and it’s out there for everyone to see it.

How did you get involved in the film in the first place?
…Casting wanted to meet with me for the role, and Marc the director, and Jody his wife, which is the producer, liked my work and were interested to meet with me for the role- in me for the role. So I went over and met with them, and it was kind of love at first sight for all of us. We really connected about the material, about the character, about the story, about the tone. They offered it to me. They had held out actually. I knew that they were really feeling me early on, like right after I auditioned. But I think they were gun shy to just offer it to somebody right away, because it was kind of early in the process. But then after like sleeping on it for a few days, apparently Marc was just like “You know what, Amy’s the one.” and just kind of called and said “That’s it, let’s make the offer.” So, I was happy.

What was it that drew you to the film initially when you read the script?
I love where this character Ellen is in her life. I feel I can really relate to this story, and I know a lot of women my age can relate to that moment in your life where you wake up and you look around and say “My gosh, I’m already kind of in the middle of my life. Is this everything? Is this- the love that I have for my husband, is this what it’s supposed to be? Is it enough? What does love mean? What does marriage mean? What does it mean to be a mother?” It looks into, it asks all these fascinating questions that I know a lot women my age have and that don’t always get addressed in film or on TV. So that initially, but it was also the fact that this is a character who embarks on an extramarital affair and I think that that’s something that in American cinema, you don’t really get to see addressed with that kind of organic and natural nature. A lot of time in movies like “Unfaithful” with Diane Lane the character that’s cheating has to be punished in some way, like beat up or killed, or some awful thing that’s happened. Whereas, we know, you know, and I know that people cheat and it just kind of happens, as a course of people’s lives, a lot of times. And this [film] addressed it in a really natural and organic way. It doesn’t approve of it, it doesn’t disprove of it, it just shows the story of these two people living their life this way. And I loved that about that, I loved that.

I agree. The way the film was made, you can really picture this happening to regular, everyday people.
Yeah, and it does happen to regular everyday people. So you know, it’s nice to present that in a natural way.

You mentioned that you really connected with what the character was going through in her life. Tell me a little more about that. Did you bring yourself into the character, how did you connect with the things she was going through?

Well, that’s a good question. You know, I’ve- for me, I always go back to what’s written on the page. So, um, I’m obviously, you know, the same age range as she is, and I’m a mother, and I know how much that means to me. And I’ve been through marriage and divorce and all kinds of big life changes. And I have a lot of good girlfriends who are in my age range too, that- you know, we go through a lot when we’re you’re in your early 40s. It’s either, you know, you’re coming out of motherhood or you’re just finally having a baby, but also at the same time your parents are starting to get older and starting to get sick. So everywhere I look, every one of my girlfriends has an emotional life thing happening and you can call it a midlife crisis but it’s not really that. It’s just kind of a natural progression of life. So, for me, it just kind of jumped off the page at me that it’s just so- such a real kind of story. That’s not specifically relatable to my life, but just relatable to the women I have around me and the things that I hear and the things that I have experienced in my friends’ lives and my life.

Were there any scenes when you were filming that were really memorable or particularly difficult for you?
Sure, there were a lot of difficult scenes. There’s a lot of emotional stuff and for me, that’s always difficult because it’s- it’s just, you’re going there. And you’re going to deep dark places so. Off the top of my head, when I come over to the Travis’ apartment in the middle of the night- I mean it’s funny cause when you see a still of it or you see a clip of it it looks kind of like this erotic, kind of sexy scene, but it’s actually kind of like a fight scene, when I come over and we start kissing against the wall. That was, really, that was difficult because it was very emotional, emotional point in the movie, and um. And Marc had decided to shoot that, very loose, very handheld, which we all loved. We’re like, “Let’s do it!” So, we kind of just broadly choreographed the idea of what was going to happen. And then we just kinda went for it. By him allowing us to shoot it that way, it really allowed Matt and I to really carry emotions through the beginning and end of the scene. There weren’t cuts, there weren’t pick-ups. It was just like, “Let’s just do this.” So that was very emotional. Another difficult scene was when I come back at the end of the movie, and visit Matt, like a few months later, and we talk in his kitchen..(?????) That was difficult for both Matt and I, we really had- it was just emotional. It was just really emotional to play. Those were the most difficult parts that I can remember at the top of my head.

I read an interview where you said you cried when you watched the movie. What made you…
Oh really? I said that?

Yeah!
Oh, I thought that was my secret. Yeah, I did. It’s funny cause I was in South Africa last year for “Homeland” in Capetown, and Marc had sent me and Matt a link to the finished film on like a Vimeo link, like a protective link and I literally had an iPhone. I was sitting in my bed in Capetown, watched the whole thing on an iPhone, and I was like crying! I finished and I texted Matt, “I saw it, you were so great. I’m really happy, and I cried, I feel like such a dork.” And he writes back to me, “I cried too!” So, it really shook us, and I’m happy about that. Because obviously we know what’s going to happen at the end, and if we’re crying, it’s meaningful.

If I talk to him I’m going to tell him you spilled the beans about him crying.
Oh no.. He’s a sensitive dude. He’s sweet and he’s got a good heart.

How was it working with Matt?
It was a pleasure. I have to say, going into a movie like this, if you don’t trust- you have to have an insane amount of trust in most importantly the director, but then secondly the actor that you’re standing across from for a month or six weeks or however long it was, and doing these kind of- not just the emotional stuff, but the physical stuff too. If you’re working with someone that you don’t trust, or that you don’t feel comfortable with, it’s a game changer. So, I was lucky enough to read with Matt when I- I had been been cast in the role and there were two different guys that they were considering- and I read with Matt, and I knew during his audition that he was somebody I could feel comfortable with. He was very- I’m going to say something that he did that was very respectful and was really interesting to me. We had, in the call back, so I’m reading with a handful of different guys, there was some physical stuff that was happening in the scene. And you can play that a lot of different ways in an audition. You can half ass it, you can go for it, but Matt was the only one out of the guys who spoke up before we started and was like, “Hey, where are we going with the physical stuff? What do you want to see.” And then looking at me and looking at Marc and saying, “Where are we going to go?” So then none of us would be surprised or uncomfortable with anything. And I thought, This is a guy- I can go into the trenches with this guy on a tiny low budget independent film where we’re half naked in this hotel room, sitting in Staten Island, shooting at three in the morning– I can trust this guy to be respectful and be a gentleman and be professional. But can also be a really charming, interesting actor, giving me great moments to play on. I felt really good, I was really thrilled when Marc and Jody chose Matt because I felt like he was really great, he’s going to be a great partner for me to play in this film.

I was looking at your Twitter earlier…
OH GOD! I’m so bad at Twitter. I don’t know what I’m doing.

Oh no, it was funny! But I saw that Matt tweeted at you that he’s a Yoga master. So I was wondering- who’s actually better at yoga, you or Matt?
I’m better at yoga! I play a yoga teacher in this movie, you saw it. Matt is a fitness freak. He’s really good at all that stuff. We’re total opposites. So, he’s like- lifts weights and knows the food to eat and is thinking about it, talking about, he’s very… I admire that… He’s very… He knows what he’s doing. I am like, kind of lazy, and I walk my dog, and I’m a New Yorker, so I walk all the time. But I don’t technically work out. The one thing I do do, is yoga. He’s not that flexible, not as flexible as I am, so I’m definitely better at yoga. He might argue with that. He was kind of annoyed with me cause I don’t really work out that much and he was pretty annoyed that I was in pretty good shape for not working out. Ask him about his ice cream obsession.

The next season of “Homeland” is coming out soon, is there anything you can share about the upcoming season?
Well, they just started filming so it’ll- they’re coming back full on around September, beginning of October. So right now- you know, the writers write the season as they go along. So, and they keep their parts very close to the vest, so what I can tell you is, I’m alive, my character. They’re flashing forward three years. Claire, that’s Carrie, is living in Berlin, not working for the CIA anymore. So I’m kind of like waiting to see what they’re- what the cards hold for my character this year. Maggie is always around to pick up the chips when Carrie Mathison screws up basically. So I’m sure that I’ll have to come in and save the day at some point.

Other than Homeland, do you have anything else planned. What’s next for you in the next few months?
Honestly, right now, my next big exciting thing is I’m taking a road trip with my family, including my 82 year old dad to Niagra Falls, for like ten days. We’re driving from New York to Niagra Falls. So I’m super excited about that and then, I have a couple other independent films that are in can, and I’m going to be starting to promote those. So there’s one called The Preppie Connection with Thomas Mann. Thomas is coming out in “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” like this week, and he’s amazing. I play his mother in this, it’s a great great great indie. So between “How He Fell in Love” and “The Preppie Connection” I’m kind of excited to see where these movies all pick up…

Have you been to Niagra Falls before?
I was in Niagra Falls when I was 10 years old. I’m a little nervous, because– I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but there are two prisoners– like two murderers, who escaped from maximum security jail in New York, and we’re going to be driving through that area. So I’m hoping that they catch these guys before we drive through, these insane murderers– I actually tweeted that at Matt…

It’s not an easy feat to build a love story around two characters who are never explicitly dating and never even kiss on-screen, but writer/director Emily Ting has done just that with “It’s Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong.”

The film opens with Ruby, a toy designer from the States, standing outside of a bar trying to figure out how to get to the bar her friends are at. Josh, an ex-pat business man, overhears and offers to point her in the right direction before eventually offering to take her there himself. The “meet cute” is slightly forced, and the opening scene seems a little rushed, but it serves the purpose of getting Ruby and Josh out on their first evening together.

The chemistry between Ruby and Josh is clear from the get-go, perhaps influenced by the fact that they’re played by real life couple Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg. The film plays like the first date that dreams are made of—in the grand tradition of films where the night seems to stretch forever, the connection between Ruby and Josh feels effortless. Their conversation flows freely as they both open up about how where they are in life stacks up against the goals they had set for themselves. Under Emily Ting’s direction, the energy between the couple is so intimate that the moments when they interact with other characters seem like intrusions, and it’s not until those moments pop up that you realize for the majority of the film, Ruby and Josh speak only to each other. Even throughout the crowded landscape of Hong Kong, Ting keeps the focus tight on the characters so that whether they’re walking through a busy market or a crowded bar they still feel like the only couple in Hong Kong.

Timing is the central force in the film; the relationship between Ruby and Josh seems to be moving faster in response to the frenzied environment surrounding the main characters. Despite the fact that the movie only follows the couple through two nights of chance meetings, spaced one year apart, the hours they do spend together seem to accomplish more than the years they’ve spent dating other people have. The title plays on this feeling, suggesting that they’re moving faster because they’re on Hong Kong time, but the film itself gives the impression that the nights they spend together exist outside of time altogether. When they’re dragged back to reality and forced to rejoin the world, Ruby and Josh are forced to decide which time zone they want to stay in.

“It’s Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong” premieres June 12^th at the LA Film Festival

Written & Directed By: Emily Ting

Starring: Jamie Chung & Bryan Greenberg

Grade: A

“Caught” Still Courtesy of MarVista Entertainment

The Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from June 10-18, is fast approaching! Festival organizers, Film Independent, announced the full lineup last Tuesday and with 74 features, 60 shorts, and 50 new media projects, there are a lot of decisions to make.

With such a big lineup that’s packed with amazing films, there’s definitely a film for everyone, but how do you narrow down which ones you’ll catch? Don’t fret guys, we will ease your anxiety, here are four stand-outs you’ll definitely want to add to your  festival watch list.

“The Diary of A Teenage Girl,” has been getting a lot of buzz since its debut at Sundance this year. Based on a graphic novel, Marielle Heller’s directorial debut focuses on the sexual awakening of main character Minnie in 1970s San Francisco. Her love story comes with a catch—her partner also happens to be her mother’s boyfriend.

“Dope,” another Sundance favorite, will add some laughter to your festival experience. Set in L.A., the film follows Malcom, a self-proclaimed 90s hip-hop geek with straight A’s, who through a series of turns, finds himself trying to unload drugs to avoid a dealer’s wrath.

Based on the stories of Jose Luis Borges, “Sin Alas” follows main character Luis’ as he discovers –through an obituary– that his former lover, Isabela has died. After reading the obituary, Luis sees Isabela onstage, just as she had looked during their affair 40 years prior. The film chronicles Luis’ journey as he unravels the past, bouncing between the present-day Havana and the Havana of the late 60s where their affair took place.

“Caught”: For a touch of suspense in your festival, don’t miss this campy thriller. “Caught” showcases what happens when teenage Allie’s affair with an older married man is discovered by his manic wife Sabrina. Sabrina gives off Stepford wife vibes, with that suburban complacency replaced with killer intent.

“They Came Together” sets itself up to be a parody of the romantic comedy genre with extremely dated comedy that never seems to quite ”come together” until the brutal end — and that’s on purpose.

Watching this film takes you back to the 90s, when films like ‘There’s Something about Mary’ were all the rage, but the nostalgia feeling just makes you want to switch movies rather than remember the silliness of those films. The film plays on a ‘You’ve Got Mail’ vibe, but isn’t nearly as funny or sweet. That’s the biggest problem with this film. It’s supposed to make fun of the absurdities of romantic comedies, but none of the jokes are funny enough to make you feel like it’s pointing anything out. As you go through the movie you start to feel like you’re just watching a really bad rom-com.

‘They Came Together” stars Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd — two really funny comedic actors that probably should have never been paired as they have no romantic chemistry, even in a romantic spoof type film. Poehler stars as Molly, an over the top goofy candy store entrepreneur who is single and not so eager to join the dating pool (and you’ll see why) and Rudd as Joel, an executive at a major candy corporation who recently became single after being cheated on by his non-committal girlfriend Tiffany (played by Cobie Smulders).

The film plays in story form by placing our characters on a double date where they cheesily explain to their friends how they met and ended up dating each other. So the story begins with a flashback (no spoilers, I promise) of a Halloween party where Molly and Joel’s friends had set them up on a blind date, yet they randomly meet on the street and end up hating each others guts, but secretly finding each other irresistible — as it plays out at the party.

Main characters Molly and Joel joyfully tell the tale to a bored married couple, played by Bill Hader and Ellie Kemper, whose comedic chops complimented our leads very well.

The film only being  83 minutes long feels like it takes a lifetime to get funny and on track as most jokes are for the moment versus having any bearing on the plot, typical parody style.  There’s even a point in the story where “the oh so graphic,” and sometimes uncomfortable tale, grows tired to the point where even their dinner guests tried to leave (as I am feeling most audiences will want to do within the first 40 minutes).

Don’t get me wrong, the movie does deliver laughs, especially since the film is loaded with cameos from top comedians who perform the SNL-like material with ease. Faring better than most in the laughs department, was well-known dramatic actor Christopher Meloni, most recognized for the NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Meloni reconnects with director David Wain, Poehler and Rudd, who he worked with on the film ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001), another Wain comedy, to create a character that truly stands out. In the film, Meloni re-tackles his comedic funny bone as Joel’s over the top, money-hungry boss, which was a nice welcome as his character’s embarrassing antics in the film by far gave the most laughs.

Overall, this film deserves a C as some scenes work and others don’t. If you like the actors in it you may enjoy it because of their charisma alone, but if you don’t, then stay far away from this film — as bits with idiomatic expressions like “you can say that again” will probably frustrate you rather than make you laugh.
‘They Came Together’ opens June 27th, in Limited Release.

Director: David Wain

Writers: Michael Showalter & David Wain.
Starring: Paul Rudd & Amy Poehler.
Grade:  C

Producer Laura Rister, actor Bruce Dern and director Matt Shakman

With TV credits for shows like Mad Men, New Girl, Fargo, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia already under his belt, Matt Shakman made his directorial film debut with “Cut Bank,” which includes an all star cast made up of Liam Hemsworth, Billy Bob Thorton, John Malkovich, Oliver Platt, and Bruce Dern.

In the film Hemsworth plays Dwayne McLaren, a young guy who wants nothing more than to leave his small hometown of Cut Bank, Montana, a town whose only notable feature is being the “coldest spot in the nation.” Dwayne works as a mechanic for his girlfriend Cassandra’s (Teresa Palmer) father (Billy Bob Thornton). While filming Cassandra at his favorite spot, Dwayne accidentally captures the murder of town mailman Georgie Wits (Dern). So it seems, anyway.

With a reward of $100.000 to anyone who can offer evidence for the murder, Dwayne quickly hands over the seemingly convincing tape to Sheriff Vogel (John Malkovick), who is completely unprepared for the violent crime. But the two, and postal inspector Joe Barrett (Oliver Platt), don’t expect Derby Milton (Michael Stuhlbarg), a creepy taxidermist, to emerge. All Derby wants is a lunch box that was a part of Georgie’s undelivered mail. He would do anything to get his lunch box.

After the screenplay appeared on the Black List, Shakman quickly jumped at the chance to direct. We spoke with Shakman right after the film’s premiere at the LA Film Festival to talk his transition from directing TV to film, working with the brilliant actors that were meticulously cast, dealing with severe heat while filming, and much more.

Whimsy and insanity come together in an awkward but mesmerizing dance (much like songs played in minor chords) in “Frank,” a film about an avant-garde band whose lead singer wears a large costume head with a cartoon face painted on it. The concept sounds utterly ridiculous, but through it’s quirky characters and examination of a tortured soul who just wants to be liked, “Frank” has a lot of heart and somehow works.

The film opens with naïve, ginger-haired dreamer Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) living a placid, but charmless life in a small English town. Jon is a cubicle drone, who tweets out utterly banal insights about his life (“Panini with cheese and ham #livingthedream”), but his day to day life is just a routine as he awaits the moments where he can write down the songs he’s constantly composing in his head. A wannabe musician, Jon has zero outlet for his little songs and quietly yearns for something more. Right on cue, as if the antenna of the world is finally listening, Jon’s universe is transformed when he accidentally meets a strange, dysfunctional psych-rock outsider band (think a Shaggs-y version of the Velvet Underground meets Captain Beefheart and Daniel Johnston), the unpronounceable and cult-like Soronprfbs, who have lost their keyboardist to madness (trying to drown himself on a frigid English beachfront no less). With the band in town for a gig, Jon offhandedly offers his keyboard skills (he can play F, C & A), and much to his surprise, the band’s unhinged and loony manager Doug (Scoot McNairy), gives the young lad an impromptu chance to fill in for the evening. It’s a bit of a disaster, but Jon is invited to join the band anyhow. And when the malfunctioning, ramshackle group retreats to a cabin in the woods in Ireland to record a new album, their adventure begins. Guileless and way out of his depth, the experience is initially transformative to Jon, but eventually begins to take on a much darker edge.

Irish director Lenny Abrahamson beguiles with this weird mix of moods and methods — goofy comedy here, sudden slashes of tragedy there, momentary eruptions of musical inspiration overshadowed by admitted mediocrity. Everything is light and hopeful until all of a sudden it isn’t. Even Jon’s high spirit and naivete turns into greed and an obsession with fame, but the darkness that arises seems like an allegory for things that happen in real bands.

You know your film isn’t off to a good start when the first headlines revolve around it being booed at the Cannes Film Festival. As was the unfortunate beginning for “Only God Forgives,” the second collaboration between director Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling (who first worked together in the critically acclaimed thriller “Drive”).

American audiences got their first look at the film during the LA Film Festival in late June and the critics haven’t gotten any kinder. Some have even gone to predict this as Gosling’s first flop. The movie finally premiered in the U.S. on July 19^th, giving Gosling fans a chance to decide what they think of the film for themselves.

“Only God Forgives,” starts with the brutal murder of an underage prostitute. Senior police officer Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), who acts as executioner throughout the film, finds the prostitute’s father and allows him to kill the murderer. We soon find out that the prostitute killer, Billy (Tom Burke), was the brother of a drug-smuggler by the name of Julian (Ryan Gosling). The film follows Julian (Ryan Gosling) as he attempts to avenge Billy’s murder, at the request of his mother, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas).

Once Crystal arrives in Thailand to retrieve her first-born’s body, Julian is ordered to find the killer. Julian already knew it was Chang’s righteous doing that ended his brother’s life, and wanted to stay away. But Crystal was relentless. The film goes on a wild goose chase, Crystal after Chang, Chang after Crystal, until finally Chang and Julian meet face to face.

While the synopsis above seems to make for an interesting film, don’t be fooled. Audiences are left squirming in their scenes due to the over-the-top violence, but also due to the boredom. The brutality in the violent acts did not detract from the lack of dialogue, and overall slow pace of the film. Gosling’s performance, probably (hopefully?) intended to be stoic, seemed to be nonexistent. As a fan of Gosling, it’s disappointing to write the following sentence: he was just there, a blank face with no emotion and it wasn’t enough. However, the film did have one saving grace, Kristin Scott Thomas. The most memorable scene of the movie (perhaps due to the shocking, and admittedly amusing, dialogue) takes place during a   dinner between Crystal, Julian, and a prostitute he hired to pretend to be his girlfriend. After Julian is completely emasculated by his mother, he tells her of Billy’s wrongdoings, to which she replied, “I’m sure he had his reasons.”

Perhaps Nicolas Winding Refn focused too much on style, which for some people may have hidden the little-to-no substance the film provided. The film was aesthetically pleasing, thanks in part to cinematographer Larry Smith, but the tone was never fully settled. Was this supposed to be a voyeuristic, sadistic violent film, or a highbrow art film? Perhaps neither, and somewhere in the middle-weird void between the two, the film was completely lost.

The film is currently on limited release (so far only 78 theaters) in the U.S.

The coming of age drama “The Spectacular Now” has been receiving positive buzzed since it premiered at Sundance earlier this year and now movie goers are finally getting a taste of what the film is all about.

A24 released the film’s trailer earlier this week, following the it’s screening at the L.A. Film Festival. The movie is an adaptation of the young adult novel, of the same name, by Tim Tharp. It follows hard partying (borderline alcoholic) high school senior, Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) and Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley), a shy, brainy girl he wants to turn into his pet project. While it may sound like the beginning of “She’s All That,” “The Spectacular Now” has already received rave reviews from the festivals where it’s been screened. Many people have mentioned the possibility of awards nominations… and the filmed hasn’t even been released yet.

We had a chance to chat with the cast and crew of the film during the L.A. Film Festival. Check out the interviews and trailer below. Also, stay tuned for our review in the upcoming first issue of the HTS magazine. Let us know, do you plan on watching it?

Watch the trailer below: