Ellissinema Podcast

In this electrifying episode, we sit down with lyrical powerhouse Jon Connor and rising star Tootsie The Rapper to talk about their bold and genre-blending joint album, Twin Flames (2025). The duo opens up about the inspiration behind the project, how their distinct styles sparked creative chemistry, and much more.Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the collaborative process—from late-night studio sessions to philosophical debates on hip-hop’s evolution. Connor reflects on his journey from Flint to the global stage, while Tootsie shares how she's carving out her own lane with authenticity and raw emotion. Together, they break down key tracks, the symbolism of duality in their music, and how Twin Flames represents more than just a partnership—it’s a cultural statement.

Joining the show today, world-renowned actor, Sunny Pang. We delve into his gripping performance in Havoc (2025), the latest action-thriller from acclaimed writer-director Gareth Evans. Pang shares behind-the-scenes stories from the film’s production, his experience working alongside stars like Forest Whitiker, Yeo Yann Yann, Jessie Mei Li, and and how he approached his complex role in the gritty, high-stakes world of Havoc.We also touch on the film’s stunning visuals by cinematographer Matthew Flannery, a pulse-pounding score by Aria Prayogi, and the collaborative effort behind the film’s visceral impact, from Tom Pearce’s production design to editing by Sara Jones and Matt Platts-Mills. Take a deep dive into the artistry and adrenaline of Havoc through Sunny Pang’s unique lens.Havoc (2025)Starring: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Sunny Pang, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Yeo Yann Yann, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and many more.Written and Directed by Gareth EvansCinematography by Matt FlanneryMusic by Aria PrayogiEdited by Sara Jones and Matt Platts-MillsProduction Design by Tom PearceAction Design and Stunt Coordinator: Jude PoyerNetflix Release: April 25, 2025Runtime: 107 minutes

Nosferatu is a gothic horror film directed by Robert Eggers, offering a fresh yet authentic take on the classic vampire tale. Set in 1838, the story follows newlyweds Ellen and Thomas Hutter. Thomas, a real estate agent, embarks on a journey to the remote Carpathian Mountains to facilitate a property sale to the egnimatic Count Orlock. As Thomas ventures deeper into Orlock's world, Ellen becomes the object of the vampire's obsession, leading to a series of haunting and perilous events.Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Ralph Ineson.Music by Robin CarolanProduction Design by Craig LathropEdited by Louise FordDirector of Photography Jarin BlaschkeProsthetics and Visual Effects by David WhiteWritten and Directed by Robert Eggers

When a renowned shaman (Kim Go-eun) and her protege (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (Yoo Hai-jin) and the country's most revered geomancer (Choi Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction's origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground. Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.Starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hai-jin, Lee Do-hyun, and more.Director of Photography - Lee Mo-GaeWritten and Directed by Jang Jae-hyun

Spooky Charles of thePicassos, The Lonesome Skeleton Band, and The Sad Hour Band joins the pod to discuss his upbringing, his musical influences, his future, with a quick detour into our love for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.Stream thePicassos wherever you get your music. And be on the lookout for his solo act The Lonesome Skeleton Band as well as the newly formed Sad Hour Band. He is truly one of my favorite musicians working right now.And, if you're in the area, make sure you check out one of the last couple of live performances of thePicassos before an indefinite hiatus.

Joining the show to discuss Headshot (2016), actor and choreographer, Sunny Pang.Headshot: A man suffering from amnesia washes ashore and a young doctor nurses him back to health. His past resurfaces to haunt them both in violent fashion.Starring Iko Uwais, Sunny Pang, Chelsea Islan, Very Tri Yulisman, Julie Estelle, Ario Bayu, Zack Lee, and more.Featuring The Uwais Stunt TeamAction Direction by Timo TjahjantoEdited by Arifin Cu'unkMusic by Aria Prayogi and Fajar YuskemalCinematography by Yunus PasolangDirected by Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto

Small town artist Charley is a tortured man whose drinking binges blur with his sneaking suspicion that he might be a werewolf. He distances himself from those he loves and sinks deeper into solitude, as his flashes of memory of his grisly nighttime acts manifest themselves through his artwork.Starring Alex Hurt, Addison Timlin, Rigo Garay, Motell Gyn Foster, John Speredakos, Barbara Crampton, Joseph Castillo-Midyett, Kevin Corrigan, James Le Gros, Joe Swanberg, Marshall Bell, Ella Rae Peck, Marc Senter, Michael Buscemi, Asta Paredes, Jeremy Holm, Cody Kostro, Clay von Carlowitz, Braxton Sohns, Gaby Leyner, and more.Music by Will BatesCinematography by Collin BrazieWritten and Directed by Larry Fessenden

Writer/Director Francis Galluppi joins the show to discuss his piece, The Last Stop in Yuma County.While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune.Starring Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, Nicholas Logan, Faizon Love, Michael Abbott Jr., Gene Jones, Robin Bartlett, Sierra McCormick, Ryan Masson, Connor Paolo, Alexandra Essoe, Sam Huntington, Jon Proudstar, Barbara Crampton, and more.Production Design by Charlie TextorArt Direction by Adam GaschoMusic by Matthew ComptonCinematography by Mac FiskenEdited, Written, and Directed by Francis Galluppi

From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them into the web of Lou's criminal family.Starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Anna Baryshnikov, Jena Malone, and more.Edited by Mark TownsMusic by Clint MansellCinematography by Ben FordesmanWritten by Rose Glass and Weronika TofilskaDirected by Rose Glass

Ben is a former CIA station chief whose world comes crashing down after his wife, a former operative, dies in a terrible accident. Soon, a cryptic message sends him back into the shadowy underworld of Eastern Europe, teaming up with a former adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he knew about his wife and the agency that he worked for.Starring Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko, Alex Pettyfer, Chris Petrovski, Laetitia Eido, Nick Moran, Daniel Bernhardt, and more.Music by Sean MurrayCinematography by Jonathan HallEdited by Richard Blackburn and Matthew LorentzWritten by George MahaffeyDirected by Jesse V. Johnson

After a mother (Ando Sakura) discovers that teacher's bullying is behind her young son's sudden strange beahvior, she storms into his school demanding an explanation. Continually left without satifactory answers-and with an increasingly distressed child-she furiously escalates her concerns to the school board and the media. But as the story unfolds through the multilayerd perspectives of mother, teacher, and child, the real truth gradually emerges-and proves much more complex than anyone could have expected.Starring Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, Shido Nakamura, and Yuko TanakaMusic by Ryuichi SakamotoCinematography by Ryuto KondoScreenplay by Yuji SakamotoEdited and Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

A prequel to The Admiral: Roaring Currents-the most-watched film in Korean history-Hansan: Rising Dragon depicts the Battle of Hansando. In 1592, Admiral Yi Sun-sin and fleet faced off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis, the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon, the dragon headships known as geobukseon, to change the tide of this epic battle at sea.Starring Park Hae-il, Byun Yo-han, Ahn Sung-ki, Son Hyun-joo, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Sung-kyun. Kim Hyang-gi, Ok Taec-yeon, and more.Music by Kim Tae-seongCinematography by Kim Tae-sungEdited by Hyun-Gun Ahn and Gang-hee LeeWritten by Han-min Kim and Hong-gi YunDirected by Han-min Kim

Dev Patel achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man's quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to sytemically victimize the poor and powerless.Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city's sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.Starring Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher, and Makarand Deshpande.Edited by Joe Galdo, David Jancso, and Tim MurrellMusic by Jed KurzelCinematography by Sharone MeirWritten by Paul Angunawela abd John ColleeDirected by Dev Patel

In this sequel to the popular The Witch: Subversion, the story moves awar from a confined secret lab and out into the real world after a mysterious girl emerges as the soul survivor of a bloody raid on the top-secret research facility behind the clandestine Witch Program. She is quickly rescued by a couple who understands the level of threat the girl now faces. However, as the assassins tasked with locating and silencing the girl move closer, the lives of all three are in grave danger.Starring Cynthia, Jo Min-soo, Kim Da-mi, Sung Yoo-bin, Park Eun-bin, Seo Eun-soo, Justin John Harvey, Jin Goo, and more.Music by MowgCinematography by Young-ho KimWritten and Directed by Park Hoon-Jung

Based on the classic wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Jin Yong. Qiao Feng, the respected leader of a roving band of martial artists, the Beggar's Gang, is wrongfully accused of murder and is subsequently exiled. Qiao Feng goes on the run in search of answers about his own mysterious origin story-and the unknown enemies working to destroy him from the shadows.Starring Donnie Yen, Wu Yue, Chen Yuqi, Cya Liu, Wai Ying Hung, Cheung Siu Fai, Wong Kwan Hing, Du Yumung, Lui Leung Wai, Tsui Siu Ming, and many more.Art Direction by Liu Shi YunEdited by Ka-WingCinematography by Chan Chi YingAction Direction by Kenji Tanigaki and Donnie YenAction Choreography by Yan Hua and Zhang ChaoDirected by Donnie Yen and Ka-Wai Lam

After his devastatingly fast, samurai-style combat approach sets filmmakers against him, a legendary action star films his own movie-on turf claimed by feauding Yakuza gangs, including one of Japan's most deadly martial arts assassins.Starring Tak Sakaguchi, Togo Ishii, Sho Aoyagi, Itsuji Itao, Rumika Fukuda, Keisuke Horibe, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Ohji Hiroi, Norhisa Hiranuma, Taro Suruga, Kohei Fukuyama, Kanon Harumi, and more.Cinematography by Jiroyuki OzawaStunt/Action Direction by Kensuke SonomuraWritten and Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi

Today on the show, Ian and Eshom Nelms join the show to discuss their most recent release, Red Right Hand.Red Right Hand stars Orlando Bloom, Andie MacDowell, Garret Dillahunt, Chapel Oaks, Scott Haze, Nicholas Logan, Kenneth Miller, Mo McRae, and more.Music by the Mondo BoysEdited by Traton LeeCinematography by Johnny DerangoWritten by Jonathan EasleyDirected by Eshom and Ian NelmsRED RIGHT HAND IS STREAMING EVERYWHERE NOW!

Friend of the show, filmmaker Seth Landau joins me as we take a look at his biting satire, Take Out. We talk about how the film came to be, the long road to find a streaming platform, working with method and character actors, and why this piece is still relevant today.Starring Seth Landau, Judd Omen, Yeni Alvarez, Ken Kolb, Justin Walker, Keri Maroone, and more.Edited by Greg RobbinsMusic by Dan SilverCinematography by Vincent PascoeProduced, Written, and Directed by Seth Landau

As a Christmas blizzard rages outside, Faith, a nurse, keeps her daughter Charm locked in her room in the hopes to fight off a mysterious affliction. When drifters Kory and Liz break in seeking shelter, they quickly discover that Faith's relationship with Charm stretches the limits of dysfunction, and both of them are concealing the malevolent fifth houseguest lurking in the shadows.Starring Chrissy Metz, Scout Taylor-Compton, Annalise Basso, Connor Paolo, George Schichtle, and more.Production Design by Jeffrey McLeidSpecial Creature Effects by Ill Willed ProductionsCreature Design by Tate SteinsiekMusic by Matthew O'MalleyCinematography by Alexander ChinniciWritten by Shannon WellsProduced, Edited, and Directed by Damien LeVeck

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and more.Production Design by Shona Heath and James PriceMusic by Jerskin FendrixEdited by Yorgos MavropsaridisCinematography by Robbie RyanWritten by Tony McNamaraNovel by Alasdair GrayDirected by Yorgos Lanthimos