'Spirit in the Blood' Muddles Its Worthy Message
"We just wanted to be brave!" declares 15-year-old Emerson Grimm (Summer H. Howell) at a pivotal moment in Carly May Borgstrom's thriller
Courtney Small•Nov 1, 2024
comedy reviews Archive
'Dahomey' Is a Poetic Meditation on Decolonization
In the documentary 'Dahomey,' Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop masterfully presents an interrogative and poetic meditation on
Marie Saadeh•Nov 1, 2024'Emilia Pérez' Wows with Fresh, Vibrant Performances
Musical crime comedy 'Emilia Pérez' began to make waves after the film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and its female
Rachel Ho•Nov 1, 2024Jennifer Castle's 'Camelot' Makes a Fantasy of the Real
Jennifer Castle's latest album requires a bit of patience. Not because it's difficult or dull, but because it's sometimes best to meet
Kaelen Bell•Nov 1, 2024Skye Wallace Is One Step Closer to Their Destination on 'The Act of Living'
Since debuting with the cinematic folk-rock suite 'Living Parts' in 2014, Skye Wallace has pondered life and death through their music
Leslie Ken Chu•Oct 31, 2024Pom Pom Squad Step into Somewhere New on 'Mirror Starts Moving Without Me'
It's sort of fitting that 2024 would open with Jane Schoenbrun's second millennial-existentialist horror film 'I Saw the TV Glow' and
Josh Korngut•Oct 31, 2024'Here' Pushes the Boundaries of Technology but Forgets About Characters
Previously directing cinematic titans such as 'Back to the Future,' 'Cast Away' and 'Forrest Gump,' Robert Zemeckis is back with 'Here.' But
Holly Hunt•Oct 31, 2024Halsey Finds a Few Hats That Fit on 'The Great Impersonator'
Halsey is no stranger to impersonation. The 2010s Tumblr darling, born Ashley Frangipane, has lived many lives in their decade-long career
Karlie Rogers•Oct 31, 2024Yoo Doo Right Expand Their Limits on 'From the Heights of Our Pastureland'
One of the most spellbinding bands in a city full of them, Montreal's Yoo Doo Right have become an impeccably well-oiled machine both live
Dave MacIntyre•Oct 31, 2024Magi Merlin Explores New Corners of Her Chameleonic Cosmos with "Bip"
Naming Magi Merlin's 2022 EP 'Gone Girl' as one of the best albums of that year was no overstatement, with its soulful molten core and
Megan LaPierre•Oct 29, 2024Lia Kuri Synthesizes Climate Crisis and Caretaking on 'Motherland'
I basically haven't shut up about Afternoon Bike Ride, Lia Kuri's trio with David Tanton and Éloi Le Blanc-Ringuette, since Exclaim!'s
Megan LaPierre•Oct 25, 2024Laura Marling's 'Patterns in Repeat' Unites Greenwich Village and Greenwich, London
It's hard to make folk music in the mould of '60s/'70s singer-songwriters without sounding like mere imitation. With Halloween coming up
Alex Hudson•Oct 25, 2024'Venom: The Last Dance' Has Been Regrettably Marvel-Pilled
Viewers waited three years for the arrival of 'Venom: The Last Dance,' the supposed final film for Marvel and Sony's intergalactic odd
Nathan Chizen•Oct 25, 2024'Anora' Revels in the Wholesome Chaos of Its Sex Work Cinderella Story
When word broke that Sean Baker's 'Anora' had received top honours at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, cinema junkies everywhere shared a
Josh Korngut•Oct 25, 2024Maggie Rogers Was Proof of Concept in Toronto
When I interviewed Maggie Rogers in 2022, she existed at the centre of a rare Venn diagram I was also precariously occupying as someone
Megan LaPierre•Oct 23, 2024Tess Parks's 'Pomegranate' Savours the Taste of Life as it Really Is
Listening to Tess Parks's third solo album 'Pomegranate,' I couldn't stop thinking about critic Malcolm Jack's encapsulation of the
Alisha Mughal•Oct 23, 2024Soccer Mommy's 'Evergreen' Offers Plenty of Comfort and Few Surprises
Nashville's Sophie Allison has been releasing albums as Soccer Mommy at a fairly steady two-year clip since her rise as a classic
Luke Pearson•Oct 23, 2024Bruce Springsteen's 'Road Diary' Introduces the Concept of Concerts
Before the screening of Bruce Springsteen's 'Road Diary' documentary, a TIFF programmer came out to introduce the film and made an off-hand
Alex Hudson•Oct 23, 2024Katie Gavin Is a Little Too Relaxed on 'What a Relief'
After three successful albums with MUNA, lead singer Katie Gavin steps out solo with What a Relief. The album highlights Gavin's
Rachel Kelly•Oct 22, 2024A Budding Cinematic Talent Sprouts in 'Seeds'
Many of us learned about colonialism in school, but 'Seeds' reminds viewers that Canadian colonialism isn't simply a thing of the past
Alex Hudson•Oct 22, 2024Momma Capture a Mythic Muse on "Ohio All the Time"
"I never got Ohio / Baby, now I do," is the lyrical anchor of Momma's first new material since 2022's 'Household Name,' the lauded third
Megan LaPierre•Oct 22, 2024'Conclave' Takes a Modern Look at a Middle Age Practice
The idea of the papal conclave began in the late 1200s following Pope Gregory X's decree in an attempt to shield the process of selecting a
Rachel Ho•Oct 21, 2024Mk.gee Makes the Guitar Sound New Again on "ROCKMAN"
It's been about 70 years since electric guitar became the dominant instrument of popular music — a role it held for many generations
Alex Hudson•Oct 21, 2024MJ Lenderman Was Understated and Unhurried in Toronto
Four days before MJ Lenderman stopped in Toronto to promote his new album, 'Manning Fireworks,' the Asheville, NC musician announced he
Ian Gormely•Oct 20, 2024Billie Eilish Soared and Michael Keaton Was the Ghost with the Most on a Pretty Solid 'SNL'
Michael Keaton did a fine job hosting, Billie Eilish gave us someone to look up to, and Alec Baldwin, Maya Rudolph, Dana Carvey, and Andy
Vish Khanna•Oct 20, 2024True Crime Doc 'Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara' Explores the Sketchy Side of Fandom
Tegan and Sara have been open with and generous to their fans across their 20-plus-year career. On top of releasing 10 studio albums, they
Laura Stanley•Oct 18, 2024'Rumours' Brings a Uniquely Canadian Sensibility to Political Satire
Canadian humour exists on a unique plane from the rest of the world. It's a type of comedy that's hard to describe — not quite British, not
Rachel Ho•Oct 18, 2024'We Live in Time' Offers a 365-Degree Look at Love
Often, love stories caught on film present an account of either the beginning of a relationship (concluding with a loving embrace and the
Rachel Ho•Oct 18, 2024Naomi Scott Will Have Horror Fans Grinning in 'Smile 2'
Parker Finn's 2022 feature directorial debut, 'Smile,' could have been easy to pigeonhole as a younger sibling to 'It Follows.' The two
Karlie Rogers•Oct 17, 2024Porridge Radio Look to the Heavens on 'Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me'
A Porridge Radio song is catharsis in action. Lead singer Dana Margolin always sounds like she's on the precipice of passing out, which
Dylan Barnabe•Oct 17, 2024High Vis Are Post-Originality on 'Guided Tour'
All "post-" genres are fucking stupid. It's true. Sorry to burst the bubble, but someone had to do it. Adding "post" to genres is a lazy
Marko Djurdjić•Oct 17, 2024The Inspiring 'Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story' Is More "Super" Than "Man"
From the minute Christopher Reeve flew into the public conscious, he was an elevated being — out of this world, even. But after his
Rachel Ho•Oct 17, 2024Karate Can't Quite 'Make It Fit' on Their Return
Over a decade and six albums that marked the turn of the last century, Boston's Karate chopped together an aesthetic that combined elements
Eric Hill•Oct 17, 2024Panda Bear and Cindy Lee's "Defense" Unites Two of Music's Great Pop Deconstructionists
On the aughts indie pop pinnacle 'Person Pitch,' Panda Bear channeled the very familiar sounds of '50s and '60s pop into something
Alex Hudson•Oct 16, 2024'Shrinking' Rises to Its Tall Order in Season 2
A great television season is hard to pull off, but following it up with another comes with added pressure to stick with the core ideals that
Matthew Simpson •Oct 16, 2024Fontaines D.C. Reached a Fever Pitch in Montreal
There was a palpable excitement in the room at a packed MTELUS, as fans eagerly awaited the members of Fontaines D.C. to file onto the
Wesley McLean•Oct 13, 2024Ariana Grande Absolutely Sang as 'Saturday Night Live' Host
With a second solid writing and performance week in a row, 'Saturday Night Live' was very entertaining, with a dynamic hosting turn by
Vish Khanna•Oct 13, 2024Touché Amoré Find the Centre on 'Spiral in a Straight Line'
Post-hardcore titans Touché Amoré still have more to say. Somehow it's already been fifteen years since the five-piece from L.A. made their
Paul Dika•Oct 11, 2024The Linda Lindas Are Suited to the Times on 'No Obligation'
The Linda Lindas have come a long way since screaming about a "Racist, Sexist Boy" at the LA Public Library in 2021. And despite their
Jordan Currie•Oct 11, 2024The Nauseating 'Terrifier 3' Anoints a New Classic Horror Villain
When Art the Clown and his Terrifier franchise officially arrived in 2016, most viewers hesitated to recognize the brutal antagonist as any
Josh Korngut•Oct 11, 2024Pharrell Williams's LEGO Doc 'Piece by Piece' Is Phun for the Whole Phamily
For a guy who has produced entire albums of grimy coke raps and was in that gross "Blurred Lines" video, Pharrell Williams has maintained a
Alex Hudson•Oct 11, 2024'Woman of the Hour' Can't Avoid the Usual True Crime Playbook
The world already has more than enough entertainment about serial killers, but 'Woman of the Hour' at least tries to do something different
Alex Hudson•Oct 11, 2024Famous Freak Out at the Fringes on 'Party Album'
If you search "famous band" on Google right now, this broad query will likely bring up a Reddit post from r/music or perhaps a visual list
Kyle Kohner•Oct 10, 2024Klô Pelgag Casts a New Spell on 'Abracadabra'
Few singer-songwriters in the Quebec Francophone scene have a knack for drama and dense orchestrations as Klô Pelgag does. Yet, on
Bruno Coulombe•Oct 10, 2024Chat Pile Won't Look Away from the Horror on 'Cool World'
In Ralph Bakshi's 'Cool World,' a femme fatale in a supposedly "created" cartoon world uses her wits and her sexuality to try and overcome
Marko Djurdjić•Oct 9, 2024Balance and Composure Are Back in Fighting Form on 'with you in spirit'
When the members of Balance and Composure were on the cusp of breaking up, they already knew it was a mistake. Internal divisions
Owen Morawitz•Oct 9, 2024The Personal Trumps the Political in 'The Apprentice'
Ahead of a Toronto critics screening, 'The Apprentice' director Ali Abbasi told the room full of critics that he would be returning after
Rachel Ho•Oct 8, 2024'Bonjour Tristesse' Says Hello to a New Canadian Talent
There's something about a lazy holiday. Lounging around on long afternoons and warm nights make for easy days. It's easy to get lost in the
Matthew Simpson •Oct 8, 2024'40 Acres' Is a Tried-and-True Post-Apocalypse Story
It is interesting to chart our vision of what the post-apocalypse might be. The shortage is never the same, but the outcome always is
Matthew Simpson •Oct 8, 2024Japandroids Finally Hit the Brakes on 'Fate & Alcohol'
The road beckons Japandroids. In song and on stage, there's always another bar, another girl or another gig to get to. They're a screaming
Ian Gormely•Oct 8, 2024