December 2023 / January 2024 Issue

Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023

PUBLISHED Nov 30, 2023

This was the year of the long-awaited payoff. After long stretches of toil and creative refinement, 2023 saw the dam break for a handful of...

Danny Brown Breaks the Cycle: "It Was a Matter of Life and Death"

PUBLISHED Nov 28, 2023

By his own admission, Danny Brown is not a birthday person, and prefers to treat his special day like any other. "I act like I don't exist,...

'Scott Pilgrim' Returns to a "Cool Cartoon Version of Toronto" That Maybe Never Existed

PUBLISHED Nov 23, 2023

Bryan Lee O'Malley, creator of the wildly popular and acclaimed Scott Pilgrim comic book series, arrived in Toronto the day before his pres...

The Nicolas Cageaissance Continues with Wonderfully Awkward 'Dream Scenario'

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli

PUBLISHED Nov 21, 2023

In the '90s, Nicolas Cage was truly something to behold — the most intense eye acting with line deliveries that only he could pull off. Whi...

Adam Sandler's 'Leo' Is Goofily Heartfelt

Directed by Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel and David Wachtenheim

PUBLISHED Nov 21, 2023

In a wonderfully whimsical and laugh-out-loud animated film about intergenerational wisdom and communication, Adam Sandler and his old pal...

Trans-Canada Highwaymen Channel the Spirit — but Not the Sound — of Classic AM Pop

PUBLISHED Nov 16, 2023

They're not Johnny, Kris, Waylon and Willie, who formed the iconic supergroup known as the Highwaymen — but the Trans-Canada Highwaymen are...

Streaming Must-Sees (and Must-Skips) in November 2023

PUBLISHED Nov 15, 2023

So far this autumn, we've been treated to some exceptional content in the theatres and on our streaming services. Some hits and misses from...

Kurt Vile Retraces His Steps on 'Back to Moon Beach'

PUBLISHED Nov 14, 2023

"These recycled riffs ain't going anywhere, anytime soon," stammers Kurt Vile on his latest EP's title track. Riffs, lyrics, melodies — cal...