It’s a show full of surprises on BEHIND THE LENS thanks to our special guests, director RANDALL BATINKOFF and writer/director NANCY GOODMAN.
First up is actor turned director, RANDALL BATINKOFF, who is back for his third appearance on #BTLRadioShow! This time he’s here talking about his latest film, INSIDE GAME, the betting scandal that rocked the NBA! In 2007, Tim Donaghy, James “Baba” Battista, and Tommy Martino, best friends since their days of shooting hoops at Cardinal O’Hara High School in suburban Philadelphia, were arrested and prosecuted for one of the biggest scandals to rock the NBA. Donaghy was a respected NBA referee. Battista was a big-time bookie with mob connections in the Havertown area outside Philly. Tommy Martino was the “go-between” between Battista and Donaghy, the latter who was providing coded inside info on multiple NBA games and through these schemes of Battista and Donaghy, was attempting to control the point spread of games. Ironically, the NBA was not aware of Donaghy’s own betting until it came out during a widespread organized crime investigation by the FBI. While a documentary of this sordid tale was previously made, a narrative feature was never ventured. Enter writer Andy Callahan and Batinkoff who introduce us to Tim, Baba, and Tommy, perfectly played by Eric Mabius, Will Sasso, and Scott Wolf, respectively. We get to know them as kids on the court and as adults up to the time of trial. However, INSIDE GAME isn’t about the trial and the legal ramifications of their actions. This is about the boys themselves; who they are, who their families are, how their bond became so strong, and what led them down this path. Listen as Randall talks about his approach to the film, most notably with casting and crafting an intimate story and character study versus a legal thriller or sports film, visual design and cinematography, shooting in New Jersey, and much more. INSIDE GAME opens in theatres across the United States on November 1st.
Then writer/director NANCY GOODMAN joins us talking about her new film SURPRISE ME!. Inspired by Nancy’s own life, SURPRISE ME! is the story of Genie Burns, surprise party planner extraordinaire. And while her business may be going swimmingly and always has her thinking outside the box, her personal life is calculated, safe, and sheltered. . .that is until she meets Jeff and throws away her “rule book”. Madness and mayhem result along with wonderful life lessons about the surprises that life hands you. A first-time filmmaker, listen as Nancy talks about the trepidation of venturing into this project and the challenges of tackling all the aspects of filmmaking, from financing to distribution and everything inbetween. And if you think there are some surprises in SUPRISE ME!, just hear some of the surprises that Nancy encountered as a director. SURPRISE ME! is available digitally now.
