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 wonderful run and we thank all the listeners who stuck with us until the final reel, thanks for all your support!
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Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 & the Bean and late career hits like Grosse Pointe Blank, Little Miss Sunshine and Argo.
Stephen’s twitter: @NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 Indiana Jones, directly or indirectly (the Tintin saga, and the "Tintin-inspired" romp That Man From Rio with the late, great Jean-Paul Belmondo), and took their inspiration from him, like the Romancing the Stone/Jewel of the Nile diptych with Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas & Danny Devito, and the recent Romancing the Stone homage, The Lost City with Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and strategic guest star Brad Pitt.
Stephen’s twitter: @NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 Melville, Spy Game by Tony Scott, Inside Man by Spike Lee, and Certain Women by Kelly Reichardt.
Stephen’s twitter: @NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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'sThe Night Porter or a portrayal of a retired, housebound war correspondent seeking solace in a jug of martinis in her recent film Juniper.
Stephen’s twitter: @NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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, Swept Away, to his Disney adaptation of Aladdin, plus an attempt at a psychological inner crime war in Revolver and his take on ancient British legends with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. There's even a little Sherlock Homes talk, and our hopes for his upcoming Afghanistan-set rescue story The Covenant.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 classic Patricia Highsmith story, Deep Water, from early '80s France and 2022 US of A, the latter starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, about a jealous love that knows no bounds. We also take a look at a 1970s classic from director Brian de Palma and screenwriter Schrader, Obsession, whose biggest star might be the Bernard Herrmann score.
Stephen’s twitter: @NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 themes that resonate in the John Wick series - Johnny Mnemonic and 47 Ronin - plus some films that are clear influences on the Chad Stahelski Wickiverse, like Melville's Le Samourai, The Tale of Zatoichi, Bullitt, In the Line of Duty IV (featuring John Wick 4's Donnie Yen) and The Man From Nowhere.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 in Margot Robbie's dustbowl crime drama Dreamland, leading actor nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and his early appearance in the Maggie Gyllenhaal drama The Lost Daughter, The Whale's supporting actress nominee Hong Chau who took the lead in Andrew Ahn's delightful mother/son story Driveways, supporting actor nominee Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) and his lead in the Brooklyn-based comedy The Outside Story and To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough's appearance in the 2012 IRA-themed drama Shadow Dancer.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 addition, we examine the case for 1968's Marlowe, starring James Garner with a memorable appearance by Bruce Lee, Wim Wenders' Hammett, the 1972 thriller The Outfit starring Robert Duvall, and some overseas crime stories from Louis Malle (Elevator to the Gallows) and Akira Kurosawa (High & Low).
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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, which also led us to the new German-language reexamination of All Quiet on the Western Front, the Erich Maria Remarque novel that was turned into a best picture-winning U.S.-made film in 1930. We also take a gander at A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks, a U.S. version of the Swedish dark comedy A Man Called Ove, duelling vampires Let the Right One In/Let Me In and 2022's two wildly different (in approach and quality) adaptations of Pinocchio from Guillermo Del Toro and Robert Zemeckis, based on the Collodi children's story and a 1940 Walt Disney classic animated feature.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 career going back to his feature debut with Justine: Or the Misfortunes of Virtue starring royal scandal participant Koo Stark, and through work with directors like Martin Scorsese (Kundun), John Sayles (Passion Fish) and the aforementioned Mendes (Revolutionary Road), plus the Kinks' Ray Davies' experimental longform music video Return to Waterloo.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 appear on the list, including her documentary News From Home, plus titles that have as yet escaped their gaze like Claire Denis's Beau Travail; Roberto Rossellini's Journey to Italy; a landmark of African cinema, Touki Bouki; and a return to the realm of Iranian cinema with Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up.
Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris
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 of Dorian Gray, Bedknobs & Broomsticks and the underappreciated black comedy Something for Everyone, plus her final appearance, in the latest Knives Out mystery Glass Onion. For Robbie Coltrane, we check out a couple of his rare starring roles, in the Canadian-shot Yves Simoneau comedy Perfectly Normal (co-written by Paul "Whale Music" Quarrington) and the UK farce Nuns on the Run with Monty Python's Eric Idle, directed by My Cousin Vinny's Jonathan Lynn
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Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
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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, that's pretty much a given.
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Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
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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
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Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
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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 the late Jeff Barnaby, the skilled Mi'kmaq horror maestro whose Blood Quantum and Rhymes for Young Ghouls are powerful features that are also perfect to watch at this time of year.
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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 Years of Longing, directed by George "Mad Max" Miller.
Trivia note: Tilda Swinton's Oscar was presented to her by acting legend, part-time Nova Scotian and Village Sound visitor Alan Arkin!
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Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
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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.
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Stephen’s twitter:@NS_scooke
Carsten’s twitter: @FlawInTheIris