Behind The Lens

As promised, we've got a fun BEHIND THE LENS this week as we explore ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: ORGANIC INTELLIGENCE with director and editor DAVID FERINO.

How many of you have seen any of the ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES movies over the last 50 years? How about the animated series? If you have, then you are probably one of those, like me, who is more than excited over this long-awaited fifth installment in one of cult cinema's most enduring horror-comedy franchises. If you haven't seen any of the TOMATOES films, then you need to start scrolling and streaming right now because they are each a kick in the ass with campy comedic fun with a deliberately outrageous mixture of horror, comedy and social satire.

MONDO FABULOCITY is the best way to describe the gloriously ridiculous, outrageously funny, camp-filled cinematic insanity that is ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: ORGANIC INTELLIGENCE! And yes, "Mondo Fabulocity" is actually a line in the film. One that perfectly encapsulates every deliciously absurd minute of this fifth installment in the beloved cult franchise. The tomatoes are back, they’re bigger, badder, and smarter than ever, and they’re ready to ketchup with the times!

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I've got a terrific BEHIND THE LENS for you this week thanks to the incomparable RENNY HARLIN, who joins me to talk about THE BEAST, his new podcast Harlin House, his next film "Black Tides," which is currently in post-production, and so much more. This is the third time this year that Renny and I have gotten to chat about his "latest" film, in this case, THE BEAST, and as always it is not only an absolute delight, but extremely insightful as well.

Although full reviews of THE BEAST are embargoed until this Wednesday, October 7th, with the film opening on Friday, October 9th, needless to say, you'll be hearing a lot in this interview that will give you more than a sense of my thoughts on the film which is, to be blunt, action-packed with nail-biting intensity, and boasting stellar emotional performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman. In all honesty, THE BEAST is one of the best films that Renny has ever done.

THE BEAST stars Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman and is directed by Renny Harlin with script by Umair Aleem. A simple premise – When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a coup against the U.S., the president is forced to drive the presidential limousine and unlock the full extent of The Beast's highly classified offensive capabilities to save his injured Secret Service agent, reunite with his wife, and save the world. And yes, Samuel L. Jackson IS the President of the United States.

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It's a fun show this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we're talking comedy. Laugh-out-loud funny comedy, dark comedy, and screwball comedies, thanks to DELILAH NAPIER and LUCY POWERS and their film FLOATING CAROUSEL, and CLAIRE SCANLON who talks about her fabulously fun screwball comedy, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.

First up, are DELILAH NAPIER and LUCY POWERS and FLOATING CAROUSEL.

FLOATING CAROUSEL is a dark comedy that follows five characters in their 20s. We meet our core five – a Gender Studies masters student, a messy philanderer, an in-denial Sugar Baby, an aspiring cabaret artist, and a professional cuddler – in a web of dystopian dating scenarios in modern-day New York City. The film takes a surreal turn when two of the characters plot an elaborate revenge scheme that inadvertently unleashes an infestation across New York. A humorous and raunchy look at the transactional nature of our modern day relationships – in a time which has been called the "loneliest century."

FLOATING CAROUSEL is written, directed, edited and stars Delilah and Lucy, featuring an additional cast of Glori Dei Filippone, Brittany Bradford, Jon Rudnitsky, Reg Rogers, Dylan T. Jackson, and Julian Cihi. The film's cinematographer is Fletcher Wolfe and composer is Anna Dubrich.

Switching gears, we're going from dark comedy to balls out screwball comedy thanks to CLAIRE SCANLON and her latest film THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Ali Hazelwood, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia. But when she realizes her best friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) has fallen for her crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), Olive impulsively kisses intimidating professor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman) to prove she's moved on. What begins as a desperate act of friendship spirals into a fake relationship with rules, boundaries, and a mutually beneficial agreement. When their arrangement begins to blur the lines between performance and reality, Olive is forced to test her most daunting hypothesis yet: that love might actually be worth the risk.

Directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Sarah Rothschild based on Ali Hazelwood's best selling novel, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, together with Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jaboukie Young-White. Cinematographer is the fabulous Matthew Clark, with editing done courtesy of Kim Boritz-Brehm and Tia Nolan, with a score by Laura Karpman. A very female centric POV made with a female centric gaze (but for Matthew Clark), and I love it.

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I am thrilled to bring you this week's BEHIND THE LENS and this week's featured interview because we're talking with Moore. Geoffrey Moore.

There is an inevitability to Geoffrey Moore playing a British spy. He knows it. We know it. And when asked whether he had any trepidation about stepping into the role of MI5 agent Hugh in KNIGHTFALL given that his father happened to be Sir Roger Moore, Geoffrey doesn't hesitate. "No. Money is the answer." The laugh, the wit. That sums up Geoffrey Moore.

Witty, funny and self-deprecating, Moore is fully aware of the enormous cinematic elephant standing in the room with him—and entirely unwilling to spend the next half hour genuflecting before it. His is a particularly British wit: quick, dry and responsive, catching an idea in midair and tossing it back with an unexpected spin. And you'll hear for yourselves, when the laughter subsides, Geoffrey gets to the more thoughtful truth.

As for KNIGHTFALL, there is something wonderfully refreshing about an espionage thriller that remembers the most important weapon in a spy's arsenal is his brain.

Lean, character-driven, and refreshingly free of gadgetry and bombast, KNIGHTFALL puts intelligence before action and then makes that action count. Produced by Jonathan Sothcott, director Ben Fortune and writers Robert Dunn, James Smy, and Bob Schultz deliver a grounded British spy thriller in which moves and countermoves matter, relationships carry consequences, and a chessboard proves every bit as important to understanding the film as a gun. And Geoffrey Moore is one part of a very interesting puzzle.

One of the most enjoyable and lovely conversations I've had over the decades, I think you'll enjoy this one too.

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Welcome back to another week of BEHIND THE LENS! I was going to air director Scott Waugh's interview on RUNNER starring Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson today, but given that the review has been out, my interview feature with Scott is also out, and there's so much positive traction on the film already, that I'm switching things up and bringing you PADRAIC "PAT" McKINLEY and his new film THE WEIGHT!

What a film!

Directed by Pat McKinley and written by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines, THE WEIGHT stars Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelic, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine, and the oh so adorable Avy Berry.

A taut thriller set in Oregon in 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression, THE WEIGHT stars Ethan Hawke as Samuel Murphy, a father torn from his daughter and imprisoned in a brutal work camp where Russell Crowe's corrupt and imposing Warden Clancy offers him a chance at early release: help smuggle gold through miles of unforgiving wilderness.

What follows is not merely an adventure or survival story, but a testament to the human spirit and the need for personal freedom, anchored by the gut-wrenching power of a father's love for his daughter. This is the story of an ordinary man in an extraordinary circumstance.

There are a lot of new films out right now in theatres and On Demand and On Digital. I just want to put a few of the indie gems on your radar. One is a sweet nostalgic film is AMERICAN SUMMER starring Steve Guttenberg as a 50-something year old guy looking back on his best summer ever. Then there are two bloody horror films for you – FEED which has an interesting juxtaposition of social media influencers and vampires; and GATOR FACE which is oh so fun with real alligators and the "leader" of the gators wearing a to-die-for gator coat and a gator mask that is shaped like a gator snout but strongly resembles a WWI gas mask. For a change of pace, the British spy thriller KNIGHTFALL is now on digital and it stars Ian Ogilvy, Jeanine Sothcott, and none other than Geoffrey Moore (son of 007 Sir Roger Moore). I'll be speaking with Geoffrey on Tuesday. Plus, I'm speaking with the wonderful James Nunn again this week talking about ONE LAST SHOT to close out the "One Shot" trilogy with Scott Adkins. And folks – it is action-packed. And there's so much more already onn the calendar and in the queue!

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This week on BEHIND THE LENS, I've got an interesting and fun interview for you as I talk with director KEVIN MACDONALD about his new film, the psychological thriller THE RUNNER. Plus, it will tease you a bit before THE RUNNER releases on September 2nd on Prime Video!

Directed by Kevin Macdonald, who you probably best know for The Last King of Scotland or How I Live Now (I also love his work with The Mauritanian and Black Sea), and written by Mark Gibson who has previously brought us the oh-so-fun Snow Dogs and the animated film The Wild, together they bring us THE RUNNER.

THE RUNNER stars Gal Gadot as Maia Marten, a sharp, resourceful high-powered lawyer at the pinnacle of London's legal world. She is also a single mother.

During her routine morning run, a single phone call shatters her world: her son has been taken. The instructions to get him back are simple and merciless — keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one. Stop, and he dies. Forced to sprint through the city and obey a series of sinister commands, Maia must confront an impossible question: how far will she go to bring her son home?

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller set against the backdrop of London's hyper-connected streets, THE RUNNER is a visceral, high-stakes race where every second counts, every choice carries a price, and a mother’s unstoppable love becomes the most dangerous weapon of all.

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It's a fun show this week on BEHIND THE LENS thanks to director ALICIA MacDONALD talking about her new film opening on Friday, FINDING EMILY, and writer/director CASPER KELLY discussing his new film BUDDY, which also opens in theatres this Friday!

First up, we're going to Manchester, England with FINDING EMILY.

Directed by Alicia MacDonald and written by Rachel Hirons, FINDING EMILY is the story of a lovesick musician named Owen who is given the wrong number for his dream girl, "Emily", which leads him to team up with a driven psychology student from the United States, Emily Raine, to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way. Side note for all of you – there are 40,000 students at the University. 318 are named Emily… plus some non-students also named Emily. And Owen's ideas for finding "the right Emily" bring on all sorts of hilarity and heart.

Shifting gears, get ready for a fun-filled look into the world of BUDDY courtesy of writer/director CASPER KELLY. I had so much fun watching this film and speaking with Casper about it. BUDDY is very cool. Fresh. Original. A novel idea!

So, who is BUDDY? Well, BUDDY is a bright orange unicorn and star of the fictional classic childrens' television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room. And Casper takes us inside the world of "It's Buddy!" where we meet a group of children who spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness, while learning important life lessons. But what happens when one child refuses to play along, displeasing and angering Buddy?

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I'm very excited to bring you this week's BEHIND THE LENS Radio Show and my exclusive conversation with director BEN GREGOR talking about THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, a film, like the book on which it’s based, that keeps the child inside of us alive with fun and fantasy and good storytelling that speaks to family, imagination, and risk that is a shared language to us all. I've been under embargo on this one until today, and I'm so happy I can bring you this fun and interesting interview.

Adapted from Enid Blyton's beloved classic novel THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, the film centers on Polly, Tim, and their three children – Fran, Beth, and Joe – a modern family forced to relocate to the remote and rustic English countryside due to financial difficulties. As they adapt to their new lives with no electricity and no wifi and none of the modern conveniences they were used to, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Mr. Watzisname and Oom Boom Boom. At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular, fantastical lands like the Land of Goodies, the Land of Birthdays, the Land of Back to Front, the Land of Knowalls, and through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby based on Enid Blyton's novel of the same name, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson, Dustin Demri-Burns, Oliver Chris, Mark Heap, and more. The real magic and wonder and fun of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE comes courtesy of the incredible crafts artisans who bring the worlds of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE to life – cinematographer Zac Nicholson, editor Gary Dollner, production designer Alexandra Walker, art directors Janet Harwood, Hannah Moseley and Jo Riddell, composer Isabella Summers, and costume designer Ann Maskrey whose work here is truly award-worthy.

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Sorry we didn't have a BEHIND THE LENS show for you last week due to unforeseen circumstances, but I'm back this week with a fun interview with a very affable, engaging, funny, and talented director, writer, and actor REED ARNOLD as we talk about his feature directorial debut DO US PART.

A fun, fun rom com, filled with a lot of heart, terrific performances, and some great physical comedy, DO US PART is the perfect relaxing summer entertainment.

On what should be the happiest day of his life, Ryan's wedding is thrown into chaos when Rose, his best friend from college—and the woman who has secretly loved him for years—arrives uninvited, determined to finally tell him how she feels. As old emotions resurface, Ryan's best man, Mark, finds himself scrambling to keep a web of long-buried secrets from detonating before the couple can say "I do."

Starring Travis Laughlin as our groom Ryan, Reed Arnold as Ryan's best man and long time best friend Mark, and Kelly Russo as Rose, the third prong in this collegial friendship, the dynamic between the three is seamless, palpable, and beyond believable. But beyond that, their individual and collective acting talents with comedic timing – both in dialogue and physical comedy – is superb. As I told Reed, Kelly has shades of Lucille Ball in her performance as Rose.

So, take a listen and enjoy the fun and insight from writer/director/actor REED ARNOLD into DO US PART.

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It's finally here! It's SHARK WEEK 2026! And who doesn't love SHARK WEEK? I know I do! To celebrate this time-honored tradition, this week we're talking sharks and shark movies with director JESSE V. JOHNSON and his new film ABOVE & BELOW.

A basic premise, but one that has tension reigning supreme above the water and danger lurking below, in ABOVE & BELOW, during a Mexican shark dive, five friends are ambushed after discovering cartel cocaine. Trapped in a shark cage, Tatiana and Kaley are forced by the cartel to retrieve a bag of drugs on the seafloor. Battling legendary Great White sharks, dwindling air, and armed killers, the survivors mount a brutal fight to outsmart their captors and escape.

Directed by Jesse Johnson with script by Anthony Giordano, ABOVE & BELOW stars Antonio Banderas, Laura Marano, Louis Mandylor, Jess Liaudin, Timothy V. Murphy, Christina Ochoa, Donncha Tynan, Ryan Bertroche, and Diego Llinas, while the team behind the lens includes one of my fave cinematographers Maxime Alexandre, editor Matthew Lorentz, and composer Maria Vertiz.

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