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Musician and music video director Max Farrell spent almost 8 years gathering footage for what became a roughly half-hour short film that supports the release of Blessings Infinity's latest album, Season One.   With a specific interest in experimental imagery, he crafted the film's sections into meticulously layered collages of landscapes wild, cultivated, and urban, and although the final work is...

To mark the 15 th Annual Video Store Day [VSD] in Anno 2025, I've recorded a short nostalgia piece originally published in the second issue of Film Fvckers . "The Great Tape Swap or: How I Learned Even More About Films and People Thanks to VHS" is a true recollection of a special period when friends swapped VHS tapes and expanded their cinematic horizons, and discovered new genres and filmmakers –...

When Canadian filmmaker and musician Schnudlbug was making his short film Roach , part of the end goal was to produce a 3D film with very specific visual and sonic palettes, and a limited edition VHS release. In our lengthy conversation we touch upon the making of his film, which draws upon both cinematic influences and a background rich in practical skills, including editing, visual effects, soun...

Announcing the soft launch of BHA+ - my Patreon-sponsored media channel where I review vintage consumer, prosumer, and broadcast video gear; offer practical user info for filmmakers; feature test footage featurettes; publish podcast interviews in blog, audio-only, and visual versions; and feature serialized, historical examinations of unique gear.  This podcast is both an Introduction to BHA+, and...

The first podcast from BHA+ -  Big Head Amusement's new media channel - is a lengthy conversation with Canadian-born composer, musician, and filmmaker Spookey Ruben , who celebrates his lengthy career with a tour that takes him to the U.S., Europe, and eastern Canada, including a one-day stop in Toronto on  Firday September 13th at BSMT 234 . Perhaps best known for his breakthrough hit " These Day...

For ArtScopeTO, I interviewed Toronto-based abstract painter Donna Wise on her unique techniques, and working during the 2020-2021 pandemic. Further info and stills are available via the Editor's Blog at KQEK.com . If you enjoyed this podcast, connect with us on  Facebook  and follow us on  Twitter . Visit artbydonnawise.com and donnawisefine art on Instagram for more info on the artist and sample...

Film historian, home video producer, and restorationist Jason Pichonsky discusses the premiere Blu-ray and DVD release of Julian Roffman's restored suspense-drama THE BLOODY BROOD (1959), from KINO Lorber. This podcast follows in the footsteps of my prior Q&A with Peter Roffman and his book DEAR GUELDA: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF PIONEERING CANADIAN FILMMAKER JULIAN ROFFMAN. For further details and lin...

Composers Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner discuss scoring ANNE WITH AN E, CBC and Netflix's recent production of L.M. Montgomery's ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, as adapted by BREAKING BAD's Moira Walley-Beckett. Visit  KQEK.com  for additional  film reviews ,  soundtrack reviews ,  interviews , and read the  Editor's Blog  by Mark R. Hasan for additional info and related links. Special Thanks to Amin Bhatia an...

Composer Austin Wintory discusses scoring the new interactive full motion video game ERICA from Flavourworks, and published by Sony, and his compilation album REMNANTS . Music from both albums are available via Bandcamp . A prior interview from 2010 regarding Paul Solet's psychological shocker GRACE (2009) is also available . Visit  KQEK.com  for additional  film reviews ,  soundtrack reviews ,  i...

For the latest edition of ArtScopeTO, I interview photographer Pengkuei (Ben) Huang, whose current eco-series SOLEMN PINES FADING THINGS is exhibited at Toronto's Urban Gallery (400 Queen Street East) from May 2-31st, as part of the 2019 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival . Huang discusses the genesis of his series, which examines the location and people in Japan's Tohoku region, and the ling...

Composer John Murphy ( 28 DAYS LATER , MIAMI VICE ) discusses scoring the BBC's lavish new 6-part mini-series LES MISERABLES (2018), based on Victor Hugo's epic novel; his main themes & use of the viola; and taking a break from scoring in 2015 after the album  ANONYMOUS . Prior interviews with the composer from 2010 ( regarding ARMORED ) and 2015 ( regarding ANONYMOUS )are also available. Visit  K...

In the latest ArtScopeTO podcast, I interview photographer Lori Ryerson, whose current series OFF THE BEATEN PATH is showcased from April 6-27, 2018, at Toronto's Urban Gallery, 400 Queen Street East. Topics include abandoned landscapes, vintage cars, capturing small details in unlikely places, and transitioning from a corporate career to working artist. Further info and stills from the exhibition...

Composer-Arranger-Orchestrator James T. Sale discusses his score for SAINT JUDY (2018), the bio-drama on attorney Judy Wood and her successful efforts to improve the laws for immigrants seeking asylum. Also touched upon are temp tracks, Jerry Goldsmith, and Mark Mothersbaugh, with whom Sale worked for several years as an orchestrator and composer. Visit  KQEK.com  for additional  film reviews ,  s...

Filmmaker Zach Weddington discusses the making of  Viva Amiga (2017), his affectionate chronicle of the beloved home computer that evolved from a game machine to a pioneering multimedia system for musicians, filmmakers, gamers, and artists. Available digitally from Vimeo , we also discuss the extensive bonus interviews (many free) and the Amiga's impact, including the iconic video editing system t...

Following the April 18, 2018, screening of I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) at Toronto's Revue Cinema for National Canadian Film Day, writer-director Patricia Rozema discussed her feature film debut with cléo journal's Kiva Reardon. Topics include the casting of Sheila McCarthy, developing the story, filming in Toronto, a short bit on Harvey Weinstein, Calvinist self-discipline, and Rozema's...

In this month's ArtScopeTO podcast, I interview photographer Andre Vittorio, whose current series Abstractions on Metal is showcased from April 5-28, 2018, at Toronto's Urban Gallery. Topics include the aesthetics of shooting architectural subjects, especially Brutalist forms in Toronto. Further info and stills from the exhibition are available via the Editor's Blog at KQEK.com . If you enjoyed th...

Jazz composer & improviser Marilyn Lerner discusses performing her score live for Frank Borzage's silent classic Street Angel (1928) at Toronto's Revue Cinema in November of 2017. Also discussed are Lerner's prior scores, including Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), and the nuances of improvising music live for cinema audiences. Visit  KQEK.com  for additional  film reviews ,...

2018's first podcast features a conversation with Peter Roffman, who edited and authored Dear Guelda: The Death and Life of Pioneering Canadian Filmmaker Julian Roffman , newly published as an ebook and available from Amazon. The nearly hour-long program has son Peter reflecting on the incredible career of Julian Roffman, best known for producing & directing Canada's first feature-length 3D and ho...

In this month's ArtScopeTO podcast, I interview Toronto-based abstract painter Donna Wise, whose current series Flights of Fancy is showcased from December 2-30, 2017, at Toronto's Urban Gallery. Further info and stills from the exhibition are available via the Editor's Blog at KQEK.com . If you enjoyed this podcast, connect with us on  Facebook  and follow us on  Twitter . Visit www.donnawiseart....

In this month's ArtScopeTO podcast, I interview renowned painter Mary Lynne Atkinson, whose current series Land on Fire is showcased from November 2-25, 2017, at Toronto's Urban Gallery. Further info and stills from the exhibition are available via the Editor's Blog at KQEK.com . If you enjoyed this podcast, connect with us on  Facebook  and follow us on  Twitter . Visit www.atkinsonartworks.com  ...

Recorded live at Toronto's Royal Cinema, this week's podcast features an edited version of the Q&A with Italian prog-rock and horror masters Goblin, including Maurizio Guarini, Fabio Pignatelli,Massimo Morante, Agostino Marangolo, and Aiden Zammit, and Rue Morgue Magazine's Aaron von Lupton as moderator. The Q&A was conducted after the Toronto Premiere screening of Synapse Film's gorgeous 4K resto...

In the latest ArtScopeTO podcast, I interview abstract painter Chris Marin, whose current series Passages is showcased from October 5-28, 2017, at Toronto's Urban Gallery. Further info and stills from the exhibition are available via the Editor's Blog at KQEK.com . If you enjoyed this podcast, connect with us on  Facebook  and follow us on  Twitter . Special Thanks to Chris Marin for her time, Urb...

In this week's composer interview, Joe Kraemer discusses his latest work, the Amazon production  Comrade Detective , a satire of a fake Soviet era detective series; and King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen .  Also discussed are DVD audio commentaries and vinyl, and a lengthy editorial on classic Canadian detective shows set in Any City, U.S.A., plus some teasing details on Video Sto...

In my occasional non-film podcast, ArtScopeTO, I chat with Hamilton-Toronto painter & photographer Hanna Kostanski, whose paintings of urban Toronto locations spanning the 1910s through the 1970s are showcased until August 26, 2017 in the exhibit 20th Century Toronto: Intersections & Interactions at The Urban Gallery. Further info and stills from the exhibition are available via the Editor's Blog...

This week's podcast features a compact Q&A with legendary Goblin member Maurizio Guarini, who joined the iconic Italian prog-rock band and film composing group in 1975, and co-composed & performed on many of Goblin's greatest albums, including Roller , Suspiria , and Patrick . Guarini, now based in Richmond Hill outside of Toronto, was recently commissioned by the Italian Institute of Culture to c...