Behind The Lens
JoinTomatometer-approved, veteran film critic debbie lynn elias and a line-up of talented and informed guests as she goes BEHIND THE LENS and below the line with movie reviews and interviews with an in-depth look at the filmmaking process from producing to performance to production design, directing, cinematography, costuming, scoring, editing, scripting, casting and more.
Episodes
This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we turn our attention to the Miami art world and first-time feature director Jing Ai Ng with her film FORGE. I thoroughly enjoyed this film from a story perspective and from a directorial and production perspective. As I’ve been seeing in quite a few films of late from first-time feature directors, once again, production values are high, but story and character are at the center of it all. On seeing...
What a terrific show I’ve got for you this week on BEHIND THE LENS as I get to introduce you to a wonderful British filmmaker, writer/director JOHN MICHAEL KENNEDY, who makes his narrative feature directorial debut with the mystery thriller, AN ENEMY WITHIN. Not only is this John’s narrative feature directorial debut, but as I found out, this interview that you are about to hear was his very first interview, something I found surp...
I’m very excited about this week’s BEHIND THE LENS because I get to talk about RENNY HARLIN and his new film DEEP WATER!
After 33 years of chatting with Renny and talking about his films, he truly is not only one of my favorite filmmakers, but one of my favorite people. His intelligence, his skill, his dedication to the craft of moviemaking and storytelling, his directorial vision, and his kindness. I adore him. Chatting with...
As promised, this week on BEHIND THE LENS is all about director DAVID MACKENZIE and his new explosive film, FUZE.
Directed by David Mackenzie and written by Ben Hopkins, FUZE boasts an amazing cast - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Saffron Hocking, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Elham Ehsas, and Sam Worthington.
Executed with razor-sharp precision, FUZE is a tightly coiled, high-wire heist thriller that unfolds like a cinematic shell g...
This week on BEHIND THE LENS, it’s all about tension and terror, blood and brutality with writer/director ANTON SIGURDSSON’s psychological thriller/mystery, REFUGE.
Four estranged friends reunite on a fishing trip, but a missing child and a desperate father's accusation turn the reunion into a deadly reckoning. Brutal, bloody.....lots of duct tape involved. Terror-filled. A twisted ending that will probably surprise most.
W...
This week it’s all about “To See or Not To See”, and after hearing today’s exclusive interviews with BEN WHEATLEY discussing NORMAL and ANEIL KARIA talking all things HAMLET, I think you’ll agree that the answer will easily be - Must See. Both of these films are fresh and fantastic, from story to performances to production values.
First up today is director ANEIL KARIA talking about HAMLET starring Riz Ahmed.
It takes guts...
As promised, this week on BEHIND THE LENS, we’re talking about the religious-themed, historical drama A GREAT AWAKENING.
Brought to us by director/co-writer Joshua Enck and those terrific folks at Sight & Sound, A GREAT AWAKENING tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between Reverend George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin that resulted in one of the most defining moments in American history - the American Revoluti...
Sorry that I missed all of you last week with BEHIND THE LENS, but I had no voice. And you all know how catastrophic that is when I cannot talk and sound worse than a Budweiser bullfrog. So my apologies. But it’s a new week, and I’ve got a working voice and working internet, so let’s take a look at a film and filmmaker that just blew me away - OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR and its co-writer/director OSCAR BOYSON.
OUR HERO BALTHAZAR mark...
It’s post-Oscar Monday on BEHIND THE LENS, and most of Hollywood is probably still recuperating from a night of celebration. Some big winners last evening, notably ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, SINNERS, and KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, and you'll hear me talk about the evening with the good, the bad, and, to borrow from Sigourney Weaver, the adorable.
But beyond Oscars, this week we're looking ahead with films that could be in contention f...
I love this week’s BEHIND THE LENS (and hope you will, too), and my interview with writer/director PAUL BOYD talking about his new film SCARED TO DEATH. But first, how about a bit of MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS and a new era of YELLOWSTONE with MARSHALS!
Moving into PAUL BOYD and SCARED TO DEATH, let me say at the outset, Paul is fantastic. He knows his craft, and he knows how to tell a story. He spent about 30 years directing mus...
It's a jam-packed show this week on BEHIND THE LENS with two fantastic films and two equally fantastic filmmakers, both of whom are enthusiastic, energetic, and excited about filmmaking. You’ll be hearing from writer/director CINQUE LEE in the second half of the show, talking about his new film LAST RIDE. But first up is my exclusive interview with writer/director NASTASYA POPOV, going in-depth about her narrative feature directo...
Welcome back to another week of BEHIND THE LENS! This week, we’re taking a look at WORLDBREAKER, an apocalyptic, action-oriented, sci-fi, creature feature with a dad and daughter dynamic that is told from the perspective of a young teenage girl, directed by BRAD ANDERSON.
Described as a pulse-pounding sci-fi action thriller about survival, sacrifice, and a young woman’s fight to step out of the shadows and into the war she was...
I’m very excited about this week’s BEHIND THE LENS and my special guest, director KEVIN LEWIS. This marks Kevin’s third appearance on #BTLRadioShow, following the brilliantly bonkers WILLY’S WONDERLAND and PIG HILL. Still, this time we’re talking about his new film MISDIRECTION, which, in many respects, is a big departure from the horror films you’ve come to know and love from Kevin.
Set over one long night in a glass-walled mod...
This week is a fun week for me with BEHIND THE LENS, given the two films that we’re talking about and the two filmmakers I’m speaking with. It’s a great way to kick off my 44th year as a film critic, although I was published with reviews going back 5 years before that! Today you’ll hear from one of my all-time favorite directors, RENNY HARLIN, as we talk about THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3, which now completes his trilogy of the reboo...
Welcome back to another week of BEHIND THE LENS!
I’m excited about today’s show and my exclusive interview with my special guest, director/writer/editor TOM BOTCHII, talking about his new film RELENTLESS. And let me tell you, RELENTLESS is exactly what its title promises: a sustained assault of motion, impact, and withheld meaning. It begins as a home invasion and refuses to let go, barreling forward as a near-wordless cat-and...
Welcome back to BEHIND THE LENS! This past weekend was Dances With Films Film Festival NY and from all accounts, it was a blast. You all know how much I love to champion indie films, which makes DWF one of my fave fests. And how lucky are we to not only have DWF in Los Angeles later in the year, but also an abbreviated version in NY!
I was privileged to screen a few of the fest films before their premieres and screenings at Da...
We're looking at another emotional film this week on BEHIND THE LENS as I chat with writer/director and actor STEVEN GRAYHM in this exclusive interview about his latest film, SHEEPDOG, one of the most important and powerful films you will see this year.
There have been a number of films over the years, especially since all of the Middle East conflicts, that address PTSD or some form of it. Some of those films “work”, while others ...
Welcome back to another year of BEHIND THE LENS and BTLRadioShow!! I’m excited to be back and kick off Year 12 of BTLRadioShow. I am beyond thrilled to start the new year with a very special guest and talk about the absolute “Must See” film of 2026. And that guest is none other than my friend of 40+ years - director RIC ROMAN WAUGH - and that film is GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION.
I first met Ric when he and his brother Scott, al...
Welcome back to another week of BEHIND THE LENS! And it’s the final show of 2025!! And this week, we shine a light on a man who’s a producer, director, writer, and actor in his latest film, SPEED TRAIN - RYAN FRANCIS.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Ryan for over two decades. I reviewed his first short film and multiple feature films thereafter, and interviewed him. And over the years, he has moved from being an actor i...
Welcome to another week of BEHIND THE LENS. This week, it’s all about Christmas as I welcome director/co-cinematographer/co-editor ADAM VOLERICH, talking about his feature directorial debut, DRINK AND BE MERRY, and director CELIA ANISKOVICH, who is filled with the Christmas spirit as she talks about her documentary, THE MERCHANTS OF JOY.
So, let’s get that cinematic sleigh going with Adam Volerich and DRINK AND BE MERRY.
At a...
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