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    Kino Lefter

    A socialist podcast about movies and culture based in Edmonton, Alberta. New releases, throwbacks, TV and more get covered here and on our Patron-only feed. Host | Evan MacDonald Editor | Jamar Powell
    en-ca250 Episodes

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    Episodes (250)

    150 - Chandler Levack on the making of I Like Movies

    150 - Chandler Levack on the making of I Like Movies

    Joining me for 150th episode of the show is Chandler Levack, the director of I Like Movies. This is a film I saw at the Edmonton International Film Festival a few months back and has stuck with me ever since. 

    In the film, high schooler/cinephile Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) begins working at Sequels Video while his personal relationships and dream of going to the Tisch School for the Arts fall in deeper jeopardy. 

    Watch Chandler's 2017 short We Forgot to Break Up on Vimeo

    I Like Movies starts playing this Friday at the TIFF Lightbox, CPX International Village (Vancouver,) Silvercity Burlington, Playhouse (Hamilton,) Cinematheque on March 11th (Winnipeg) and starting March 17th at Metro Cinema in Edmonton.

    ReComradations:
    New York Ninja (2021) dir. John Liu / Kurtis M. Spieler

    Kino Lefter
    en-caMarch 09, 2023

    149 - Dune: Part One (2021) Messages From The Deep With Tyler, Sean, and Tristan

    149 - Dune: Part One (2021) Messages From The Deep With Tyler, Sean, and Tristan

    Sean and Tyler from Alberta Advantage, and Tristan (my best friend and frequent guest) join forces for a discussion on imperialism, religion, and the brutal and ornate future of Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One from 2021.

    ReComradations:
    Tyler:
    Malazan: Book of the Fallen
    Tristan:
    Centre Place
    Sean: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Evan: D-Tox aka Eye See You, dir. Jim Gillespie (2002) 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caFebruary 21, 2023

    148 - Discordia (2004) A Snapshot of Student Activism with Darts & Letters

    148 - Discordia (2004) A Snapshot of Student Activism with Darts & Letters

    Gordon and Marc from the Darts & Letters podcast join me to discuss the 2004 National Film Board documentary Discordia, chronicling a student uprising against Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at Concordia and its aftermath. This episode connects to their ongoing series revisiting the events portrayed in the film with some of its subjects and others, which you can listen to here.

    ReComradations:
    Evan: action figure youtubers
    Gordon: [1] Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk [2] Ezra Klein, Why We're Polarized
    Marc: Ursula K. LeGuin, The Dispossed

    Kino Lefter
    en-caFebruary 03, 2023

    147 - James Gunn Reveals the DC Studios Slate, Local Expert Weighs In

    147 - James Gunn Reveals the DC Studios Slate, Local Expert Weighs In

    James Gunn and Peter Safran are the co-CEOs of DC Studios, Warner Brothers Discovery's creative entity charged with righting the ship of DC films, television, animation, and games. What's in store for this first chapter of DC storytelling? New takes on Batman & Robin, Superman, and the whole world of weirdos at DC await. Like The Rock promised, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe has changed. #freethepeoplesjoker

    Articles Discussed:

    1. DC Universe Unveils First 10 Projects: 'Superman: Legacy' in 2025, Batman & Robin Movie, Green Lantern Series, Wonder Woman Prequel, and More | Variety 
    2. How James Gunn and Peter Safran Landed Top Spots at DC Studios | Deadline
    3. DC Slate Unveiled: New Batman, Supergirl Movies, a Green Lantern TV Show, and More From James Gunn, Peter Safran | The Hollywood Reporter

    Comic Book Homework:
    The Omega Men
    The Green Lantern: Intergalactic Lawman
    Mister Miracle
    Strange Adventures
    Justice League: Gods and Monsters, dir. Sam Liu (2015) 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caFebruary 01, 2023

    146 - We're All Going to the World's Fair with Trevor Strunk: Imaginary Futures and Moldavite

    146 - We're All Going to the World's Fair with Trevor Strunk: Imaginary Futures and Moldavite

    Friend of the show and host of No Cartridge Audio, Trevor Strunk (@hegelbon) returns to discuss director Jane Schoenbrun's horror film We're All Going to the World's Fair. We talk moldavite, Roblox, art and escapism, identity, queer cinema, Atlus games, and connecting with strangers on the computer.

    The Shimmering Screen: Jane Schoenbrun's transient aesthetic by Sailor Dinnucci-Radley | Letterboxd Journal

    ReComradations
    Trev: [1]
    Marble Hornets [2] Danganronpa
    Evan: [1]
    When Women Kill, dir. Lee Grant (1983) [2] Persona 5 & Shin Megami Tensei 5

    Kino Lefter
    en-caJanuary 27, 2023

    PREVIEW - Akira Kurosawa's I Live in Fear with Megan Linton

    PREVIEW - Akira Kurosawa's I Live in Fear with Megan Linton

    Writer, researcher, and fellow podcaster from Invisible Institutions (also on the Harbinger Media Network,) Megan Linton joins me for this discussion on collective anxiety in the age of COVID, disability and institutionalization, and the masterful direction of Akira Kurosawa in this story of an elderly foundry owner facing the threat of conservatorship over his fear of another atomic attack on Japan in the aftermath of the Second World War.

    This is a preview of Primo Lefter, our premium show. You can visit our Patreon to get access to this episode, our archive, and every new episode. 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caNovember 11, 2022

    145 - Don't Worry Darling - Gaslighting: The Movie with Caitlin & Laura

    145 - Don't Worry Darling - Gaslighting: The Movie with Caitlin & Laura

    Drama. Faux feminism. Gaslighting. It's all here.

    Olivia Wilde's follow-up to Booksmart is here and it isn't good! Caitlin and Laura return to the show to discuss the cooler stories this film could have told, its tired politics, some juicy behind-the-scenes Hollywood gossip, and the interior design choices we liked.

    ReComradations
    Evan:
    Hold the Girl - Rina Sawayama
    Caitlin: How Should a Person Be? by Shiela Heti
    Laura: Catch Me If You Can, dir. Steven Spielberg (2002)

    Kino Lefter
    en-caNovember 05, 2022

    HALLOWEEN SPECIAL PREVIEW - What is a Woman? Commentary Track

    HALLOWEEN SPECIAL PREVIEW - What is a Woman? Commentary Track

    I have prepared a little Halloween special for you all. I've wanted to record commentary tracks for a little while now, and this is a film that I think deserves one. What is a Woman? is the transphobic documentary from legitimate fascist Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire website. They're in the movie-making business now, so in service to my listeners, I watched their movie. 

    This is a preview of Primo Lefter, our premium show. You can visit our Patreon to get access to this episode, our archive, and every new episode. 


    Kino Lefter
    en-caOctober 31, 2022

    144 - Being Normal at the Georgia Guidestones: Alex's War with Big Shiny Takes

    144 - Being Normal at the Georgia Guidestones: Alex's War with Big Shiny Takes

    Alex Jones gets the kid gloves treatment from TFW No GF director Alex Moyer in Alex's War, a sanitized look at Jones' career and InfoWars leading up to the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. We discuss how the post-left has embraced Jones and what this film means for the next phase of the MCU. Eric and Jeremy from Big Shiny Takes return.

    ReComradations
    Evan:
    action figure YouTubers + Four Horsemen Studios
    Jeremy: [1]
    The South by Adolph Reed Jr [2] *Reverse Recomradation* writing a book
    Eric:
    The Rehearsal

     

    Kino Lefter
    en-caOctober 12, 2022

    143 - Mike & Evan Talk Obi-Wan Kenobi (eps. 1 & 2)

    143 - Mike & Evan Talk Obi-Wan Kenobi (eps. 1 & 2)

    Friend of the show and audio wizard Mike (@olivesagan) came on the show immediately after the release of the Deborah Chow-directed Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi to chat with me about our relationship to Star Wars and our first reactions to this series. With Andor streaming now, we will never not have Star Wars products to talk about until the day we die. 



    Kino Lefter
    en-caSeptember 21, 2022

    142 - Top Gun: Maverick, a Tale of Two Brothers (with my Brother Tyler)

    142 - Top Gun: Maverick, a Tale of Two Brothers (with my Brother Tyler)

    Kino's back from its summer break, and what an episode to come back with.

    My brother Tyler joins me to share where our love of movies comes from, our Top Gun fanaticism, and our shared experiences of one of the best blockbusters to grace theatres in years.

    ReComradations:
    Evan:
    Petite Maman, dir. Céline Sciamma (2021)
    Tyler:
    home renovations, and looking forward to Jurassic World: Dominion

    Kino Lefter
    en-caSeptember 11, 2022

    141 - Return to Space: The Elon Musk Disrespect Hour with Paris Marx

    141 - Return to Space: The Elon Musk Disrespect Hour with Paris Marx

    Friend of the show Paris Marx is back to talk about the phenomenon of SpaceX propaganda on our beloved streaming platforms. Return to Space, directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, chronicles the quest of SpaceX to privatize space travel by sending two dads to the International Space Station.

    ReComradations:
    Evan:
    watching Hong Sang-soo movies, and notably Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013)
    Paris:
    Night Raiders, dir. Danis Goulet (2021) 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caMay 26, 2022

    140 - Everything Everywhere All At Once with Dylan McKeever: taxes can be fun

    140 - Everything Everywhere All At Once with Dylan McKeever: taxes can be fun

    Comedian, writer, and artist Dylan McKeever (@deemakes) joins Evan for a conversation on multiverse fiction, poverty, Asian-American experiences, and Avatar 2 on this week's Kino dedicated to our good friend Michelle Yeoh and her new movie Everything Everywhere All At Once.

    ReComradations
    Evan: [1]
    Swollening by Jason Purcell [2] Fallen Angels, dir. Wong Kar-wai (1995)
    Dylan: [1]
    Severance on Apple TV [2] making your own aguas frescas 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caApril 16, 2022

    PREVIEW - The Life and Living Death of Dr. Micheal Morbius with Tristan Turner

    PREVIEW - The Life and Living Death of Dr. Micheal Morbius with Tristan Turner

    Literal angel and my best friend Tristan Turner rejoins the show for this milestone 90th episode of Primo Lefter on the latest disaster from the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, or SPUMC: Morbius. Jared Leto is Dr. Michael Morbius, a sick guy who becomes a vampire. We also explore the Morbius discord at the severe risk of being groomed.

    This is a preview of Primo Lefter, our weekly premium show. You can visit our Patreon to get access to this episode, our archive, and a new episode every week. 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caApril 08, 2022

    139 - X / Deep Water with Eli Olsberg: Are you familiar with Torque (2004)?

    139 - X / Deep Water with Eli Olsberg: Are you familiar with Torque (2004)?

    Eli Olsberg (Twitter/Letterboxd) visits Kino Nation for a deep dive on two strangely connected films: Ti West's new A24 slasher X and the director of Indecent Proposal's return to the erotic thriller genre starring former lovers Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas Deep Water. Secret lovers, porn, murder, and the crimes of Sam Levinson. It's all here in this mega-sized episode. 

    ReComradations:
    Eli: [1]
    the filmography of Shinya Tsukamoto [2] Crash - Charli XCX
    Evan:
    Persona, dir. Ingmar Bergman (1966) 

    Kino Lefter
    en-caApril 06, 2022