BEHIND THE LENS #196: Featuring Jen McGowan

BEHIND THE LENS kicks off its fifth year with a jam-packed show and special guest, director JEN McGOWAN. First up we're talking about THE UPSIDE. An update and fresh English-language version from director Neil Burger of the acclaimed, internationally popular, "The Intouchables." Starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman, THE UPSIDE is one of the first "must see" films of the year. And one of the things that makes this a "must see" is KEVIN HART's performance. Not what we're accustomed to from Hart, in THE UPSIDE he finds a perfect balance with a light comedic touch and a sobering dramatic arc that is revelatory. Listen as Hart talks about this performance and stretching his acting chops from within. And then we go to the birds with BIRD BOX. Take a listen to excerpts of our exclusive interview with screenwriter ERIC HEISSERER as he talks about developing Sandra Bullock's character of Malorie as well as the depth of development for the supporting characters. Plus, Eric talks about his unique visual screenwriting approach with this film and the "rules" he established for this story. Very exciting is our special guest who joins us live at the mid-point of the show – director JEN McGOWAN. The last time we spoke with Jen was several years ago for her freshman feature, the charming and engaging "Kelly & Cal." Jen is now back with her sophomore feature film – RUST CREEK, a thriller with a twist and opening in theatres February 11th. Shot on location during the winter in the Kentucky woods, listen as Jen talks about some of the logistical challenges presented by the location and the weather, the process of casting and the ultimate chemistry between her two leads, and the importance of gender parity on film crews. In fact, the RUST CREEK crew boasts more than one-half of the department heads as female! Plus, find out about FILM POWERED, a networking group for women in the entertainment and film industry which was founded by Jen in 2015. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com