'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Is a Crime Against Nostalgia
At this point, Eddie Murphy is a cultural institution — a powerhouse comedian and performer who cultivated a career based on lewd jokes, bo
Marko Djurdjić•Jul 5, 2024
comedy reviews Archive
The Thrilling 'Kill' Slays Hollywood's Popcorn Blockbusters
Back in the 1960s, Hollywood hit a bit of a snag: the Golden Age was over, the Hays Code was petering out but still in effect up to 1968, a
Rachel Ho•Jul 4, 2024'The Bear' Season 3 Isn’t Quite a Full Meal
As strange as it may sound given how successful Season 2 of 'The Bear' became, I believed at that the time that the series should've ended
Rachel Ho•Jul 4, 2024'MaXXXine' Lacks Moxie
In California in the mid-'80s, a serial killer dubbed the Night Stalker hunted through San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles
Alisha Mughal•Jul 3, 2024Truck Violence Plumb the Loudness of the Outskirts on 'Violence'
There's something fascinating about Canada's prairie towns. The ghostly howl of the wind, the whispering of the grass, mist gathering
Amber Ranson•Jul 3, 2024Kristin Witko's 'A Course in Miracles' Is a Mirror and a Telescope
"We're grotesque, but we're feeling right at home." Those were the closing words Kristin Witko spoke on her 2019 debut album, the refracted
Leslie Ken Chu•Jul 3, 2024Mo Kenney's "Evening Dream" Is a Polaroid of a Bittersweet Breakup
Mo Kenney's "Evening Dream" is a breakup song that plays out like a movie — even when the emotions are painful, the hazy glow of nostalgia
Alex Hudson•Jul 3, 2024pHoenix Pagliacci Is Thrillingly Multifaceted on 'Dichotomy'
'Dichotomy' is the perfect title for pHoenix Pagliacci's new solo album; the Toronto MC and singer (known for formidable work in groups like
Kyle Mullin•Jul 2, 2024Norah Jones Closed Out Ottawa Jazz Fest with Twists and Tenderness
The park was packed and sight-lines were at a premium for the last big night of 2024's Ottawa Jazz Festival, with Norah Jones
Luke Pearson•Jul 2, 2024Butcher Brown Were Loose and Authentic at Ottawa Jazz Festival
After the laid-back, Mediterranean breeziness of Gabi Hartmann on Thursday, it was a whole different kind of melting pot in the OLG tent
Luke Pearson•Jul 2, 2024Camila Cabello's 'C,XOXO' Nearly Sticks the Landing
It would be easy to pick on Camila Cabello. The painfully obvious rebrand she underwent for her fourth solo album conjures images of
Josh Korngut•Jul 2, 2024Vivian Girls' Cassie Ramone Captures Otherworldly Enigma on 'Sweetheart' Solo Album
The first time I played Vivian Girls' self-titled 2008 album on vinyl, I listened to the entire thing at the wrong speed before I realized
Alex Hudson•Jul 1, 2024Gabi Hartmann Glowed with Careful Sophistication at Ottawa Jazz Fest
Sponsored by the French Embassy here in Ottawa, it was an hour of official Francophonia in the OLG tent's 7:30 slot on Thursday
Luke Pearson•Jun 28, 2024'A Quiet Place: Day One' Is a Muted, Meditative Spin on the Series
Michael Sarnoski's directorial debut, 'Pig', cleverly hid a meditation on grief beneath a 'John Wick'-ian veneer, creating a deeply felt
Rachel Ho•Jun 27, 2024Guided by Voices' 'Strut of Kings' Is a Little Wobbly
Like sands in an hourglass, so are the albums of Guided by Voices. While a handful of their 25 albums released since their reformation
Daniel Sylvester•Jun 27, 2024Al Di Meola Faced the Rain at Ottawa Jazz Fest
It was the wrong day to forsake the tented OLG stage (see you another time Commotions) for Confederation Park's open-air setup: it poured
Luke Pearson•Jun 27, 2024Hiatus Kaiyote's 'Love Heart Cheat Code' Is the Future Soul JavaScript
I don't know how much 'Love Heart Cheat Code' — the fourth studio album from Australian quartet Hiatus Kaiyote — is actually meant to take
Megan LaPierre•Jun 27, 2024'Brats' Can't Let Go of the Past
In 1985, New York Magazine journalist David Blum wrote an article about a group of young emerging actors in Hollywood. At the time, Blum
Rachel Ho•Jun 26, 2024Mabe Fratti Has More Questions Than Answers on 'Sentir que no sabes'
Mabe Fratti would make a good Oracle. In thinking of a tidy aesthetic phylum to classify the Guatemalan cellist, singer and composer's work
Eric Hill•Jun 26, 2024Jamboree Mourn the Salad Days on 'Summerland'
It rises from the prairie landscape as a defiant obelisk. Two sixteen-story towers joined together by an all-embracing tropical atrium
Myles Tiessen•Jun 26, 2024Islands Sail into the Sunset on 'What Occurs'
There's a sense of finality floating on the sun-warmed waters of 'What Occurs,' the tenth album by Islands, the near two-decade-old
Vish Khanna•Jun 26, 2024Yorgos Lanthimos's 'Kinds of Kindness' Is a Poor Thing
There's never a dull moment in the cinematic mind of Yorgos Lanthimos — but that doesn't always result in decipherable work. A modern fable
Barbara Goslawski •Jun 26, 2024ML Buch Dissolved Membranes and Charged Molecules in Toronto
ML Buch is a rock star. The Danish composer, producer and songwriter's Tuesday night performance at Longboat Hall — her second-ever
Kaelen Bell•Jun 26, 2024Kehlani Is Living Well on the Careening 'Crash'
These days, our main pop girls work in feedback loops. They live in, respond to and build on the lore that surrounds them — no questions
Ian Gormely•Jun 25, 2024Cinna Peyghamy Took Sled Island Somewhere Else
While headliners Show Me the Body raged at the #1 Legion, a few blocks west, a sonic transformation was taking place in the basement
Em Medland-Marchen•Jun 25, 2024Enny Owl Cast Quiet Spells at Sled Island
Taking the stage at Pin-Bar in the late afternoon on Saturday, LA-based folk artist Enny Owl's sleeper set was a highlight of this year's
Em Medland-Marchen•Jun 25, 2024Parliament-Funkadelic and George Clinton Brought the Finest Funk Weirdness to Ottawa Jazz Fest
Under the enduring leadership of George Clinton, the look and feel of the legendary Parliament-Funkadelic has changed significantly since
Daniel Sylvester•Jun 25, 2024Ottawa Jazz Fest Got a Jolt of Meathead Machismo from Moon Hooch
After losing Thundercat to Bluesfest last year, there was perhaps some behind the scenes bemusement at the Ottawa Jazz Festival in the know
Luke Pearson•Jun 25, 2024Begonia Provided a Gateway at Ottawa Jazz Fest
The jazz gods intervened on the first night of 2024's Ottawa Jazz Festival. After three days of sweltering temperatures there were sweaters
Luke Pearson•Jun 24, 2024VERTTIGO Surged into the Future at Sled Island 2024
As the sun set on day two of Sled Island, the streets of Calgary's downtown core came alive. Festival-goers venue hopped down 7th Ave, mean
Em Medland-Marchen•Jun 24, 2024Irreversible Entanglements Burned Away the Apathy at Sled Island
Beginning their set abruptly with a sound that severed the bone marrow of Central United Church, Irreversible Entanglements made their
Em Medland-Marchen•Jun 24, 2024The Brilliantly Performed 'Fancy Dance' Has a Few Too Many Steps
Every year film festivals release a certain type of film — usually a drama starring an actor riding a wave of positive buzz (or established
Matthew Simpson •Jun 21, 2024Charli XCX and Lorde's "Girl, so confusing" Remix Finds Healing in Confrontation
"Girl, so confusing" is already one of the most vulnerable songs on 'BRAT.' On an album shaped by its unfiltered, plainly spoken
Kaelen Bell•Jun 21, 2024Pond Aren't Quite Sharp Enough on 'Stung!'
Can the joy of experimentation go rote? If anybody knows, it would be Australian headcases Pond. Their kitchen-sink approach
Matthew Teklemariam•Jun 20, 2024'I Am: Celine Dion' Reveals Both Frailty and Force
Like most millennial Canadians, I grew up listening to Céline Dion. It was hard not to. Even before her heart went on and on, Dion's voice
Rachel Ho•Jun 20, 2024'The Bikeriders' Rides Sidecar on a Scenic Journey Through Changing America
Between 1963 and 1967, photographer Danny Lyon interviewed members of the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle Club and their wives and girlfriends, w
Rachel Ho•Jun 19, 2024Alcest Stay in the Light on 'Les Chants de l'Aurore'
There is something incredibly satisfying about amalgamating genres into ridiculous, Frankensteinian combinations, and there is no
Marko Djurdjić•Jun 19, 2024The Japanese House Is No Worries If Not on “:)”
While I ultimately ended up putting forth Afternoon Bike Ride's subtle "Good Company" for my 2023 song of the summer, I almost went with a
Megan LaPierre•Jun 18, 2024Cross Dog Fight the Good Fight on 'All Hard Feelings'
Turning their usual formula on its head, Peterborough's Cross Dog aren't here to play when it comes to the politically charged
Emma Schuster•Jun 18, 2024'Wild Goat Surf' Paints a Stunning Portrait of Growing Pains
A momentous directorial debut for Caitlyn Sponheimer, Wild Goat Surf is a formidable force of filmmaking. A tender and heartwarming explora
Holly Hunt•Jun 17, 2024'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Breathes Fire into the Tarnished Legacy of 'Game of Thrones'
After the catastrophically disappointing final season of Game of Thrones, the apprehensively anticipated House of the Dragon spin-off serie
Karlie Rogers•Jun 17, 2024The Decemberists Enjoy the Journey on 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again'
Colin Meloy's been a busy guy — his YA and children's novels have taken up a lot of his time. He didn't intend for the Decemberists' hiatus
Erica Commisso •Jun 14, 2024'Inside Out 2' Gets to the Root of Who We Are
The first Inside Out film contains a reliably imaginative foundation to work from. It also offers a more abstract concept than Pixar's usua
Josh Korngut•Jun 14, 2024Zsela's 'Big for You' Is a Luxuriant Exhale
Zsela's voice is an anchor. The NYC songwriter's deep, bottom-of-the-throat vocals pull her songs to the dusky half-light of the ocean floo
Kaelen Bell•Jun 14, 2024Cola Are Working Toward Something New on 'The Gloss'
Formed from the ashes of Ought by ex-members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy, Cola started as a duo in 2019. After just one practice with Darc
Marko Djurdjić•Jun 13, 2024Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024 Provided Lessons, Vibes, and Charli XCX at Her Absolute Best
It shouldn't have taken this long, but I think I'm ready to admit it: European festivals have North American festivals beat.I'm sorry, but
Stephen Carlick•Jun 13, 2024L'Impératrice Sound More Like Themselves Than Ever on 'Pulsar'
If they were actually played in clubs this side of the Atlantic, L'Impératrice would likely be a darling. The French-French dance group mak
Matthew Teklemariam•Jun 12, 2024Rick White and the Sadies Speak to an Old Friend on Their Self-Titled Album
Following up on what their band the Unintended once intended, Rick White and the Sadies have reconvened for a lovely album
Vish Khanna•Jun 12, 2024Blackberry Wood Were Wonderfully Uncool at Music Waste
When you look around at any Vancouver music venue, you're almost guaranteed to see the usual Carhartt work pants and Doc Martens. As Blackb
Elena Massing •Jun 10, 2024Kaytranada Continues to Refine His Sound on 'Timeless'
For over a decade, Kaytranada has built his reputation as a summer staple. With his music existing at the intersection of house, dance, pop
Wesley McLean•Jun 10, 2024