Bombardier Blood follows the journey of man with a severe bleeding disorder, determined to summit the world's highest 7 mountains

[Interview with Chris Bombardier and documentarian Patrick James Lynch]

Before the Bombardier Blood interview:

Rob and I talk a lot about what we admire in people and what we can do to emulate those qualities.  We also spend a lot of time talking about the best way to spend our own short time on this planet (mostly because of my intense anxiety about dying, without having accomplished anything of real value to the world, but I digress). In every conversation, despite the conversational tangents about website content and podcast topics, the root of what brings us the most happiness is in the moments we feel like we've made somebodies day, just a little bit better.  When we hear your stories about how the podcast got you through a rough patch or that Tim's movie reviews bring you a sense of community, that really matters to us.

I'll admit though, we struggle with not feeling like we're doing enough.  We talk about leaving our secure jobs and instead going to work for a non-profit or moving to Africa and digging wells for water.  But we to be honest, it's hard to take those risks. It's scary to lose security and so, we continue to just admire.

Leading up to the interview: 

Needless to say, we felt quite a bit of pressure sitting down with two people who are so wholly living in a way that serves the world for better.  Two people who have taken their obstacle, and instead made it a job and a mission.  Two people we truly admire.

[caption id="attachment_44790" align="alignnone" width="392"] Chris Meeting with Nepal Hemophilia Community[/caption]

Chris Bombardier is the first person with hemophilia to climb the Seven Summits, to raise awareness of the disparity in treatment for those with bleeding disorders in developing countries.  He is the executive director at Save One Life, an international nonprofit that assists people with hemophilia, where care is limited.  Then, Chris reaches out to award-winning filmmaker and global health advocate Patrick Lynch and their connection is instant.  Patrick also lives with hemophilia and spends much of his professional career advocating for many important causes.  Their mutual passions were the perfect mix to bring Bombardier Blood to life.

[caption id="attachment_44791" align="alignnone" width="392"] Chris Infusing with Guide Ryan Waters at Base Camp[/caption][caption id="attachment_44789" align="alignnone" width="399"] Chris on Summit with Save One Life Flag[/caption]

During the interview:

I had one question that was really important for me to ask.  I wasn't exactly sure how it would come off, but I needed to know.

Was becoming the first person to climb to the top of 6 giant mountains and then traveling to and summiting Mount Everest over the course of 50+ days, whilst infusing their blood with clotting medication enough?

The pursuit of success and meaning and purpose is such a tricky thing and I needed to know if me (probably getting trapped on the side of a mountain and Rob having to send a rescue team) accomplishing an amazing physical feat would somehow bring that desired sense of success and completionism.

We hope you enjoy Chris and Patrick as much as we did. Check out the trailer for Bombardier Blood and find it on streaming now!

[embed]http://vimeo.com/435815756[/embed]

If you're anything like us, the months and months of endless quarantining might have you contemplating taking an axe to the people you've been stuck inside with. If only for a chance to do something new for a change. Fortunately, we have a good way too let off some of that steam: a whole bunch of violent slasher movies. By request of Patreon subscriber Brian Fowler, we're going to be taking a look at director Adam Green's Hatchet series, the over-the-top throwbacks to the most excessive  extremes of '80s slasher movies. None of us have seen any of them, so we're flying blind.

I Used To Go Here is deeply personal for anybody who has struggled with defining and redefining their personal success

[Interview with director Kris Rey]

You know when you watch a movie and you can just tell that the mind behind it is super cool?  I Used To Go Here is smart and funny and relatable, in sort of an unnerving way.  We could tell right out of the gate that Kris Rey was going to be so much hipper than us.  To level the playing field a bit, I took extensive notes titled "Carrie's list of uncool things to not say."  I also wore a dress from my Grandma's funeral last year to add balance my enthusiasm that can sometimes be hard for me to contain.

All of these things seem silly now.  Kris was just so pleasant and approachable, albeit still WAY out of our league on the cool-scale.

Writer/Director Kris Rey

A bit about the movie:

Following the launch of her new novel, 35-year-old writer Kate (Gillian Jacobs, most known for her role in Life of the Party ) is invited to speak at her alma matter by her former professor David (played by Jemaine Clement). After accepting the invitation, Kate finds herself deeply engrained in the lives of a group of super fun college students.  The film is about navigating the complexities of finding and embracing success.

Gillian Jacobs in 'I Used to Go Here'

It's an empathy trip to be sure for anybody who is a bit (or a lot) removed from their wild college days.  Beyond that, the movie explores how we seek adoration and the physical/emotional trap that can be.  What we loved was the character arch, of finding empowerment in whatever way serves you best.

Jemaine Clement plays the long-time admired professor in 'I Used to Go Here'

We hope you enjoy listening to Kris Rey as much as we did.  I Used to Go Here is available August 7th on Amazon and iTunes.

1BR Probably Shouldn't Have Been Made

[Interview with writer/director/cast]

If we're being honest, Rob and I were really nervous for the 1BR interview.  We've done a few interviews over the years, but this was going to be the first time we sat down using video. What if I had stuff on my face? Or what if Rob accidentally picked his nose, like he sometimes does? Or what if I mispronounced somebodies name (which I did, g-damnit)?

So, the good news is, they were really nice, guys... and not scary at all. Rob did the thing that he does where he was all polished and prepared and asked great questions.  Meanwhile, I did the thing that I do where I laugh awkwardly and veer off from talking about the movie, to instead focus on things like hair and drugs. They totally rolled with it (I think).

We talk about everything from 1BR, to Northwestern, to COVID, to eating hallucinogenic worms to how they lost their original female lead days before filming.

A bit about Naomi Grossman:

You probably know Naomi Grossman best as the fan-favorite "Pepper" on FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum & Freak Show. Naomi was also was a Primetime Emmy nominee for her role in Ctrl Alt Delete. And gosh darnit if she wasn't sweet and funny with the best smile (picture below does not represent her actual smile).

A bit about David Marmor 

A San Francisco native, David Marmor studied computer science at Harvard and directing at USC.  Don't worry, I made sure to point out that I went to Augustana College, to level the playing field.  His award-winning short films have screened at more than 60 festivals worldwide and aired on television on IFC and CBC. 1BR is his first feature, and it is a strong debut.

A bit about 1BR:

A young woman named Sarah leaves behind a painful past to follow her dreams and ends up scoring the perfect Hollywood apartment. But something is not right. Unable to sleep, tormented by strange noises and threatening notes, her new life quickly starts to unravel. By the time she learns the horrifying truth, it's too late. Caught in a waking nightmare, Sarah must find the strength to hold onto her crumbling sanity...or be trapped forever in an existential hell.

1BR premiered at Fantasia Fest in Montreal and had a terrific festival run.  It was later picked up for distribution by Dark Sky Films.

Check out the interview and more importantly check out 1BR, on whichever streaming service you use!

For all you aspiring filmmakers out there, here is the Joe Bob Briggs video Alok mentioned where he talks about making a film no matter what.

Acting is very hard work even for people who've spent their whole lives honing their craft; it must be unimaginably hard when the whole life in question doesn't span an entire decade. That's why we're using our next episode to celebrate our favorite performances by children: the young actors who go on to become great stars, the one who fizzle out once they hit the ugly part of puberty, the ones who just showed up that one time and blew us all away with a talent that never had a chance to develop.

In Worth Mentioning, we cover Greyhound, 1BR and Strasbourg 1518!