This marks the final episode of Lens Me Your Ears, as co-hosts Carsten Knox and Stephen Cooke look back over 172 episodes of watching and discussing films from all genres, decades and communities around the globe, as well as talking about their cinematic summers, from Barbenheimer to the Capitolfest classic film event in Rome, N.Y. It's been a wond…

On this very special tribute episode, Carsten & Stephen discuss the incredible contributions of beloved actor (and occasional director, musician and part-time Nova Scotian) Alan Arkin, from his earliest days onscreen in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, Wait Until Dark and Catch-22, his '70s heyday in Little Murders and Freebie & th…

In the latest episode of Lens Me Your Ears, Carsten & Stephen embark on one last adventure with Indiana Jones as the iconic archeologist so wonderfully portrayed by Harrison Ford undertakes the quest for the Dial of Destiny, an ancient doohickey that legend says can bend the laws of time itself! Then we turn back time to look at films that inspired…

On this episode of Lens Me Your Ears, as Stephen and Carsten look at the filmographies of some of their favourite directors and find some significant gaps they've been wanting to fill. Titles covered include: Murder! by Alfred Hitchcock, Who's That Knocking At My Door by Martin Scorsese, Hour of the Wolf by Ingmar Bergman, Un Flic by Jean-Pierre Me…

On this episode, Stephen and Carsten take a look at the films of U.K.-born international film icon Charlotte Rampling, who's grown from Swinging London sensation to a Grand Dame of Cinema who always brings something deeply personal and psychologically stirring to the screen, whether it's a haunting portrait of a Holocaust survivor in Liliani Cavani…

Stephen and Carsten take a look at the latest offerings from UK gangster film expert Guy Ritchie, who has two recent caper titles to his credit: Operation Fortune - Ruse de Guerre and the armoured truck heist movie Wrath of Man. Plus, we take a look at some other corners of his filmography, from his big screen collaboration with ex-wife Madonna, Sw…

Carsten & Stephen take a look at some offerings from the Criterion Channel's new programme of Erotic Thrillers, like Paul Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers with Christopher Walken, Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson, Dream Lover with James Spader & Madchen Amick and Criminal Passion starring Joan Severence, plus two versions of a…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the highly anticipated Chapter 4 in the ongoing saga of master of mayhem John Wick and his ongoing quest to clear his name with the mysterious High Table, and take out an ocean of goons in the process. Along with the new Keanu Reeves action bonanza, we take a look at a couple of earlier Keanu titles with …

On the latest Lens Me Your Ears, we have a look at some intriguing feature titles on that monolith of streaming shows, Netflix: We Have a Ghost, The Wonder, Windfall, Spiderhead, Earthquake Bird and Emily the Criminal. Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris

Carsten and Stephen pick some favourite actors from the leading and supporting categories in advance of the upcoming Academy Awards, which take place on Sunday, March 12. They discuss Colin Farrell (best actor, The Banshees of Inisherin) and his 2009 mermaid tale Ondine, Kerry Condon (best supporting actress, The Banshees of Inisherin) and her turn…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the new hardboiled gumshoe feature Marlowe, directed by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan and starring grizzled action vet Liam Neeson in the title role of Raymond Chandler's private eye, Phillip Marlowe, solving a new case taken from the recent novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville (Albert Nobbs). In ad…

On the latest edition of Lens Me Your Ears, as we look at recent remakes, or "reimaginings" with a cross-cultural context. There's a brand new film Living from the U.K. starring an Oscar-nominated Bill Nighy that just happens to be inspired by the Akira Kurosawa classic Ikiru, about a dying civil servant's desire to leave behind something of value,…

For the latest edition of Lens Me Your Ears, we have a look at master cinematographer Roger Deakins, famous for his work with the Coen Brothers, who we swear we will get to in a future episode. Right now, his latest collaboration with director Sam Mendes, Empire of Light is gracing cinema screens, and this week Carsten & Stephen take a look at his …

This week Carsten & Stephen scroll through the new Sight & Sound list of the top 100 films of all time, which stirred up the cineaste stew by unseating champions like Vertigo and Citizen Kane with Chantal Akerman's study in domestic intensity, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. This show takes a look at the two Akerman titles that…

Carsten & Stephen back at the careers of two recently departed stars who hail from Ol' Blighty, screen/stage/TV legend Angela Lansbury and the great comedic character actor Robbie Coltrane. For the Murder She Wrote star, we go back to her debut in the classic thriller Gaslight in 1944, and look at films from throughout her career like The Picture o…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the films of Carter Burwell, the New York-based film composer best known for his long-running collaboration with the Coen Brothers, but who has worked with many other filmmakers over the years, which is the work this episode will focus on. Don't worry, we'll be doing a Coen Brothers show one of these days…

Carsten & Stephen get out their handkerchiefs for a romantic comedy cornucopia inspired by the recent releases Ticket to Paradise and Bros, and a look back at some romcoms well-known (Love Actually, Libeled Lady) and overlooked (Imagine Me and You, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Incredible Jessica James) for the ultimate cinematic meet-cute Follow us o…

In this episode, Carsten & Stephen discuss Barbarian, plus a sampling of the '80s Horror gems being offered by Criterion Channel, just in time for Halloween. Down Under thrills from the Aussie giallo Next of Kin, Euro-chills from the Dutch classic The Vanishing, high concept spills by the remake of The Blob, and much, much more, plus a tribute to t…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the long and rewarding career of the seemingly ageless Tilda Swinton, from her early days as a collaborator with avant grade enfant terrible Derek Jarman to work in major big budget films like her Oscar-winning turn in Michael Clayton with George Clooney, and this year's literary fantasy Three Thousand Ye…

On this epsiode, Carsten and Stephen discuss their recent experiences at the Toronto International Film Festival and FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, with titles from as far away as India and Korea and local features made just around the corner. Follow us on twitter: @Lensmeyourears and like us on Facebook! Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke Car…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at some sweat-soaked movies set in desolate deserts, starting with the recent John Michael McDonagh (Calvary, The Guard) film The Forgiven with Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain as a jaded aristocratic couple whose lives are thrown into turmoil when a tragic accident on the way to a decadent desert mansion …

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at Jordan Peele's new genre-busting spectacular NOPE, which has a whole lot to say about popular entertainment, showbiz exploitation and racism, and the hidden history of Hollywood that needs to be acknowledged, all within the framework of an alien attack movie. Through NOPE we open a window into the summer …

Wow, the big 150! For LMYE 150, Carsten & Stephen delve into the world of intrigue behind the battlefields of the Second World War, starting with the new feature Operation Mincemeat, about a real operation meant to fool the Germans about British invasion plans, and the heavily fictionalized thriller Enigma, about the capture and decryption of the m…

On the latest episode of Lens Me Your Ears, as Carsten & Stephen take a look at the new Baz Luhrmann biopic of Elvis, from the King of Rock & Roll's early (and heavily mythologized) roots in the rural south to his early fame as a symbol of teen rebellion, a decade of Hollywood hackery and triumphant return to the concert stage before an untimely de…

This week, Carsten and Stephen greet the start of the summer with a platter of projects that look at the lazy, hazy, crazy days of the sunniest season through a variety of lenses, from the animated antics of The Bob's Burgers Movie and the Disney+ gay romcom Fire Island to Frank Perry's fable of suburbia and middle age decline, The Swimmer, Mike Le…

Carsten is back and we have a new episode for this week: a roundup of what's been happening in the Marvel Cinematic (and Streaming) Universe. From Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (plus a sidebar on Everything Everywhere All at Once) to Eternals and the Sony corner of the MCU with two Venoms and a Morbius, plus a splash of Spider-Man, M…

In this episode, Carsten & Stephen have a look at a selection of adventure films and dramas inspired by the sagas of those bold raiders from the north, the Vikings, currently represented in theatres by The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers' highly anticipated big screen saga The Northman. Stephen & Carsten put out their oars and row their way throu…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the latest from apocalyptic auteur Roland Emmerich, Moonfall, as well as a journey through the history of the disaster movie, from its historical and sci-fi roots in films like When Worlds Collide, through its heyday in the 1970s with star-studded spectaculars like Airport and The Towering Inferno, to our…

On the latest edition of Lens Me Your Ears, we take a look at the work of Austin-based indie filmmaking legend Richard Linklater, inspired by the recent release of his new digitally rotoscoped feature Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, which just dropped on Netflix. Carsten & Stephen take a look at some under-appreciated gems in his filmography,…

On the latest edition of Lens Me Your Ears, we have a look at films set in Toronto, Canada's largest city and for some, The Centre of the Universe :). Ah, but we kid the T-Dot. With the new Disney/Pixar film Turning Red examining the life of a teenage girl and her Chinese-Canadian family, and an ancestral legacy that sees her turn into a giant red …

On this week's show, we look at the career of successful Hollywood screenwriter David Koepp! Koepp came to prominence in the early 1990s with his work on Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and Brian DePalma's Carlito's Way, and most recently has finally collaborated for the first time with longtime friend Steven Soderbergh on the techno thriller Kimi…

Carsten & Stephen take a look at the lengthy and impressive career of New Zealand-born director Jane Campion, in the wake of her tale of toxic masculinity on the open range, The Power of the Dog, emerging as a top contender at this year's Academy Awards. Her first feature film in more than a decade, the film comes after her loving look at the roman…

On the latest episode of LMYE, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the ouvre of cinematic enfant-terrible Paul Verhoeven, whose latest controversial release 'Benedetta' takes a look at the life of a nun who defied the power of the Catholic church in Renaissance Italy. From his earliest work as a Dutch filmmaker (Soldier of Orange, The 4th Man) to his …

With the recent release of Asghar Farhadi's latest film A Hero on Amazon Prime, pegged as a strong contender for this year's Best International Film at the Academy Awards, Carsten & Stephen take a look at a range of noteworthy films from Iranian and Iranian-American filmmakers, including the work of Farhadi, Jafar Panahi (Taxi, The White Balloon), …

On today's episode, Stephen & Carsten take a look back at the films of the late Sidney Poitier, who led the way in changing Hollywood's approach to Black representation in films, and portrayed a series of memorable characters defined by their strength, their integrity and their defiance through the 1950s and '60s and beyond. Carsten and Stephen loo…

This week, Carsten and Stephen take a look at Guillermo del Toro's new blend of horror and film noir in his reimagining of the collision between the side show and high society, Nightmare Alley, inspired by the 1947 film starring Tyrone Power and the original novel by William Lindsay Gresham. The show also takes a look at the original film and other…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at the return of the movie musical, with three new productions on the big and small screens starting with Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated remake of the Broadway and Hollywood classic West Side Story, plus modern musical maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his directorial debut with his adaptation of Jonat…

This week, Carsten & Stephen follow the Noir-vember tradition of delving into hard-boiled cinema with some of the best known and under-appreciated titles in the genre, with heavy hitters like Double Indemnity, Laura and Out of the Past, alongside terrific thrillers like Phantom Lady, The Asphalt Jungle, No Way Out and Niagara. Follow us on twitter:…

In this episode, Carsten & Stephen take a look at U.K. director Edgar Wright's new thriller 'Last Night in Soho'. Stepping out of his comedy comfort zone, Wright tells a gripping and lurid tale of a young fashion student's trip through time and into terror when she comes to London and becomes embroiled in the city's nightlife and a fantasy vision o…

In this episode of Lens Me Your Ears, Carsten & Stephen discuss the long-awaited sci-fi epic DUNE, directed by Canada's own Denis Villeneuve, the first half of his visionary interpretation of the epic Frank Herbert novel. Along with Dune, Carsten and Stephen also took a look back at David Lynch's own mixed bag of spice with his 1984 version, and th…

This week, avowed 007-philes Carsten & Stephen take a look at the long-awaited 25th official James Bond film No Time to Die, which is also Daniel Craig's (Madeleine) swan song as the unstoppable MI6 secret agent with a license to kill. There are spoilers galore in this examination of the film and discussion of where the 007 franchise could be heade…

On this week's episode, Carsten and Stephen take a look at the latest Marvel Studios offering 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' starring Simu Liu and Awkwafina, and the MCU’s dive into its martial arts comics legacy, plus a look at the film careers of its two incredible co-stars from the world of Hong Kong cinema, Michelle Yeoh and Tony L…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at some of the latest Atlantic Canadian film offerings from the 2021 edition of FIN Atlantic International Film Festival running to Sept. 23rd, including Bretten Hannam's amazing Two-Spirit odyssey Wildhood, Shelley Thompson's debut feature Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor, Juanita Peters' thriller about reconcil…

This week, Carsten & Stephen take a look at some of the overlooked highlights of the career of French star Marion Cotillard following her latest risk-taking role as an opera singer in the Leos Carax/Sparks collaboration Annette. Carsten & Stephen delve into a series of films stretching over two decades, from the Hitchockian thriller A Woman in Dang…

This week, Carsten & Stephen go behind the music with a series of recent and lesser-known music documentaries, from the you-are-there narratives of Woodstock '99: Peace, Love & Rage and Questlove's Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) to the detailed biographies Edgar Wright's The Sparks Brothers, Suzy Q's look at the …

Inspired by Steven Soderbergh's latest outing, the post-modern retro caper film No Sudden Move, with a killer cast. Carsten & Stephen delve into the history of neo-noir films, recalling the classic post-war movement chronicling doomed heroes, femme fatales and dark shadows with fresh spins on a familiar form. Thanks to Criterion Channel, some of th…

This week we take in the return to the big screen of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Black Widow, and the last (maybe?) hurrah for super-agent and erstwhile Avenger Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson. While the film takes us behind-the-scenes of Black Widow's family life, or rather, "family" life, prior to its cataclysmic finale, Ste…

On this episode of LMYE, we take a look at recent and important entries in the realm of Queer cinema, ranging from the landmark documentary The Celluloid Closet currently streaming on The Criterion Channel to Canadian director Bruce LaBruce's new feature Saint-Narcisse and the overlooked My Days of Mercy starring Elliot Page to new films featuring …

Inspired by the recent release of the North Ontario-shot thriller Girl, starring Bella Thorne and Mickey Rourke as an axe-wielding young woman and the foreboding sheriff investigating her father's gruesome demise, Carsten & Stephen opted to take a look back and the wild & wooly filmography of Rourke, who has had his share of letdowns and comebacks …

On this episode of LMYE, Carsten & Stephen have a look at Danish thriller 'Riders of Justice' and the most recent winner of the best foreign language film at the Academy Awards, Denmark's 'Another Round', both starring the omnipresent Mads Mikkelson. From there, the show goes through some classic and recent examples of Danish filmmaking, from Vampy…