THE ROAD WITHIN is an independent film that explores mental health as three young characters with Tourette syndrome, OCD, and anorexia (played by Robbie Sheehan, Dev Patel, and Zoe Kravitz respectively) take to the road and learn how they fit in this all too judgmental world. Let’s say they are not necessarily the ones who are “crazy” or misguided. As a...
Director Gren Well’s brings Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) center stage in THE ROAD WITHIN. Her writing is raw and honest, her directing brilliantly empathic, and her casting spot-on. As the story unfolds, actor Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) faces many challenges as OCD-ridden Alex. I interviewed him before the film’s world premiere at...
Gren Wells succeeds in her directorial debut The Road Within not just because of her amazing script but because she put her heart into the film. When she introduced the film at the LA Film Festival, she showed everyone just that. First, she asked if anyone in the audience ever swore. The audience roared. Then she asked...
As much as we say that money cannot buy happiness, it helps us afford some of life’s essentials — food, water, shelter, and even your health. Health care, even Medicare, does not come cheap. Knowing how to make the most of your dollars can make a difference for you both physically and mentally. I made...
The premise was simple – mingle actors who have portrayed real people in film with real people who have been portrayed by actors on screen. In Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) fashion, the players would then gather poolside at a posh Los Angeles hotel for a panel discussion to be moderated by an Academy Award-nominated director. There you...
Health care is confusing, not just for patients but for doctors too. With all the bureaucratic red tape (and always more coming), it is not all that surprising. How can someone in this time of healthcare reform understand the new legislation? How can they save money? More importantly, how can they get the best health...
I had the pleasure of meeting John Michael Bolger, the duplicitous Martin Zarkovich, at the 2009 LA Film Festival premiere of Public Enemies. Ever the gentleman and a child at heart, John Michael Bolger and I held an interview in 2009 for my Diagnosis Movies column. John Michael Bolger Turns Traitor in Public Enemies How did you prepare for...
Michal Bentt might appear to be a giant with his hulking girth and former WBO Heavyweight Boxing Championship status, but don’t be fooled. Michael Bentt is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. He plays Herbert Youngblood, a murderer who helps Dillinger escape from prison in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, but he is more a teddy...
Johnny Depp, aka John Dillinger, approached the crowd on the set of Public Enemies. I stood behind a metal barricade with local police and hired security circling the short block of South Water Street. The Girl from Connecticut The crowd was full of people from different backgrounds. The hospice nurse, the school teacher, the high schooler, the girl...
