Caribou Is a Shapeshifter on 'Honey'
It's hard to imagine improving on this year's bounty of electronic music from the likes of Four Tet, Floating Points
Dylan Barnabe•Oct 7, 2024
film reviews Archive
Eliza Niemi Played Into the Bit at Project Nowhere
"I am Eliza Niemi," Eliza Niemi introduced herself to a quiet house last night at the Baby G. "The band is also called Eliza Niemi
Tom Beedham•Oct 7, 2024Nilüfer Yanya Opened the Loop in Toronto
It was almost 10:30 before Nilüfer Yanya graced Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre in the ever so slight chill of October's first Saturday
Megan LaPierre•Oct 6, 2024Lightning Bolt Made the Walls Sweat at Toronto's Project Nowhere
Their breakneck guerilla-style live shows the stuff of underground legend, Lightning Bolt have built a name on over 30 years grinding
Tom Beedham•Oct 6, 2024Coldplay Were Too Corny for 'SNL,' but Nate Bargatze and the Lonely Island Picked Up the Slack
Comedian Nate Bargatze returned and again proved himself to be a great host, while Coldplay again demonstrated why they're a tad too corny
Vish Khanna•Oct 6, 2024Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo Forged a New Road Ahead at Toronto's Project Nowhere
Moments before hurling his guitar over his audience's heads, Lee Ranaldo swept its headstock along the floor, thrummed the backside of
Tom Beedham•Oct 5, 2024Pelada Took Their Last Stand at Project Nowhere in Toronto
"You know, just because we're disbanded doesn't mean you have to not buy our songs on Bandcamp. It means you should continue to buy
Tom Beedham•Oct 5, 2024At Project Nowhere 2024, Toronto Experienced the Patriarchy
Of all the possible spawn points available to drop into the choose-your-own-adventure bar crawl format of Project Nowhere's second annual
Tom Beedham•Oct 4, 2024'Saturday Night' Is a Stress Dream
"Are you ready to laugh?" director Jason Reitman asked the audience at the Princess of Wales Theatre before the screening of
Alex Hudson•Oct 4, 2024'Joker: Folie à Deux' Est Très Terrible
Like a rebellious rock band that unexpectedly goes from playing in dive bars to stadiums off their debut album, Todd Phillips's 'Joker
Courtney Small•Oct 4, 2024Don't 'Hold Your Breath' for This Barren Dustbowl Thriller
When Sarah Paulson is billed as the lead in anything, especially a psychological thriller, it's almost always a winning combination. After
Marriska Fernandes•Oct 3, 2024The Smile Could Have Cut Out Some of 'Cutouts'
I knew it would only be a matter of time before the Smile went through their 'Kid A' phase, but I had no idea it would be so soon. I was
Stephan Boissonneault•Oct 3, 2024'The Outrun' Can't Keep Pace with Saoirse Ronan
Based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot about addiction and recovery, Saoirse Ronan delivers a touching and powerful performance as Rona, a young
Rachel Ho•Oct 3, 2024Chris Oday Enchanted the Ghosts at Highlands Festival
The smoke from dying morning fires was made silver by the afternoon sunlight slanting through the red pine trees, leaving the air around
Alisha Mughal•Oct 3, 2024'Matt and Mara' Simmers with Subtlety and Some of Canada's Finest Cinematic Talent
When Anne meets Matt at a friend's wedding in Kazik Radwanski's 2019 film Anne at 13,000 ft, the latter's presence is felt immediately. The
Alexa Margorian•Oct 2, 2024La Force Finds the Eye of the Storm with "protection"
It was befitting that the album artwork for La Force's great 2023 album 'XO SKELETON' was a black and white image of Ariel Engle covered in
Megan LaPierre•Oct 2, 2024SOPHIE's Posthumous Self-Titled Is a Bittersweet Party
It's been almost four years since SOPHIE's death. The experimental producer and rising avant-garde pop star was unlike anyone we'd seen
Josh Korngut•Oct 1, 2024Drug Church Continue Their Ascent on 'PRUDE'
Longevity is hard to come by for most hardcore bands, and understandably so. Many struggle to harness and maintain the ethos and style
Paul Dika•Oct 1, 2024TEKE::TEKE Converted the Non-Believers at Highlands
The audience refused to leave at the end of Montreal psych-rock band TEKE::TEKE's performance at Highlands. A surging ovation carried
Alisha Mughal•Oct 1, 2024At Highlands Music Festival, Georgia Harmer Cherished the Minutiae
Georgia Harmer and her band couldn't decide whether to keep their sunglasses on during their early-evening performance at Highlands
Alisha Mughal•Oct 1, 2024Jonah Yano Made Thought Tangible at Highlands Music Festival
The music at Highlands Music Festival is carefully scheduled at three stages littered across Camp Walden. There is the Main Stage
Alisha Mughal•Oct 1, 2024Skratch Bastid and Friends Brought the Bounce to POP Montreal
At the top of his set at Skratch Bastid's BBQ cookout, DJ Nu-Mark hilariously recollected having "bottles thrown on me by Green Day
Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo•Sep 30, 2024Nabihah Iqbal Was a Dream at POP Montreal
I was excited to settle down and witness what I considered one of POP Montreal 2024's strongest bookings — London-born producer, songwriter
Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo•Sep 30, 2024Naima Bock's 'Below a Massive Dark Land' Hides a Universe of Light
The title of Naima Bock's sophomore record is a bit of a misnomer — the immense, looming weight of a phrase like 'Below a Great Dark Land'
Kaelen Bell•Sep 30, 2024The 50th Season Premiere of 'SNL' Brought Out the Stars but Not the Laughs
An ailing Jean Smart suppressed her coughs but not the questionable quality of the material, and Jelly Roll was a mesmerizing and impassion
Vish Khanna•Sep 29, 2024Kate Winslet Brings 'Lee' into Focus
Ellen Kuras's feature directorial debut Lee puts photojournalist Lee Miller in focus, a woman who refused to be defined as model or muse, b
Marriska Fernandes•Sep 27, 2024'Die Alone' Is a Zombie Film with Heart and Braaaains
Die Alone could have been a typical zombie film sent in an apocalyptic near-future, and I don't doubt that, in that form, it could have bee
Rachel Ho•Sep 27, 2024Leif Vollebekk Speaks to the Past on 'Revelation'
For some artists, the songwriting muse visits through acts of conscious collaboration. For Leif Vollebekk, the solitude of the
Em Medland-Marchen•Sep 27, 2024Mustafa Takes a Profound Journey on 'Dunya'
'Dunya,' Mustafa's full-length debut, roughly translates from Arabic to "the world in all its flaws." And to be sure, there is an entire
Nicholas Sokic•Sep 27, 2024The Hives Were Electrifying in Toronto
When the Hives broke through in the early 2000s with their breakneck take on garage punk, it should have come as a surprise to no one
Marko Djurdjić•Sep 27, 2024PJ Harvey Created a Singular Now in Toronto
There was a subtle dissonance at the outset of PJ Harvey's Wednesday night show in Toronto; the crowd at History seemed struck by some
Kaelen Bell•Sep 26, 2024'Nobody Wants This' Makes the Case for TV > Movies
I'm going to put it out there that the television/streaming offerings this year have been stronger than the films. I would also suggest that
Rachel Ho•Sep 26, 2024Alan Sparhawk's 'White Roses, My God' Finds the Light in Grief
There's no wrong way to grieve, but things can get complicated when there's an audience for your grief. It's particularly tough when said
Eric Hill•Sep 25, 2024'A Different Man' Embodies Its Imperfections with a Charming Confidence
Much is made of risk and reward in 'A Different Man.' Edward (Sebastian Stan) approaches a miracle cure for his neurofibromatosis with the
Alexander Mooney•Sep 25, 2024The Cute 'The Wild Robot' Can't Quite Bring Back the Golden Age of Family Films
Lately, family movies aren't what they used to be, and Chris Sanders's 'The Wild Robot' is here to fix that. A tale of found family and
Lindsay Clarke•Sep 25, 2024Paul McCartney's Unearthed Doc 'One Hand Clapping' Reveals His Talent for the Quaint and Quotidian
Even though I had great faith in both Peter Jackson's skills as a documentarian (see: 'They Shall Not Grow Old') and the Beatles's
Matthew Teklemariam•Sep 25, 2024'The Penguin' Dons a 'Sopranos' Tuxedo in Gotham
After years of attempting to impersonate Marvel, DC seems to have found a groove. Instead of solely relying on one massive shared universe
Rachel Ho•Sep 25, 2024Vampire Weekend Attempted to Cover Rush's "Tom Sawyer" in Toronto, Cuz Why Not?
I know it's only rock 'n' roll, but Vampire Weekend really seem to like it. The overarching tone of their latest Toronto show was one of
Alex Hudson•Sep 25, 2024Gallant Has It Figured Out on 'Zinc.'
Gallant has never been shy about his major label experience. Plagued by changing personnel at Warner Bros. Records, his 2019 sophomore
Leslie Ken Chu•Sep 24, 2024Katy Perry's '143' Is So 2000 and Late
The not-so-distant past when Katy Perry was one of pop's most fun, relevant exports only feels farther away every time she returns. Since
Sydney Brasil•Sep 23, 2024The War on Drugs and the National Brought Polished Perfection and Chaotic Theatricality to Toronto
The jokes write themselves. Basically anyone I've spoken with about the National's tour with the War on Drugs has made a remark along the
Alex Hudson•Sep 21, 2024Nelly Furtado Could Use a Little More Luck on '7'
A singular voice in the urban terrain of turn-of-the-millennium Canadian popular music, international phenomenon Nelly Furtado has been
Josh Korngut•Sep 20, 2024Avril Lavigne Brought a Complicated Star Power to Calgary
It was 2003 when I first heard the riff of Avril Lavigne's "Losing Grip," the opening track of 2002's 'Let Go' that skyrocketed the Napanee
Em Medland-Marchen•Sep 20, 2024The Tragically Hip's 'No Dress Rehearsal' Tears Down the Myth While Honouring the Legacy
The Tragically Hip are truly "Canada's band" — both because of the quintessentially Canuck content of Gord Downie's lyrics, and because the
Alex Hudson•Sep 20, 2024Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Showed Toronto That There's No One Way to Dominate the Floor
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan's Sweat tour is a sort of girls-and-gays summit to cap off 'BRAT' Summer, a coming-together of two left-field pop
Kaelen Bell•Sep 19, 2024'Agatha All Along' Needs More Script Editors
One of the great struggles in modern filmmaking is what to do with great supporting characters. Sometimes, it's easy; a new series can be
Matthew Simpson •Sep 19, 2024Jamie xx Still Has the X-Factor on 'In Waves'
After nine long years, Jamie xx, aka Jamie Smith, is back to hold our feet to the dancefloor with his sophomore release 'In Waves.' To
Dylan Barnabe•Sep 18, 2024Sunset Rubdown Pick Up the Pieces on 'Always Happy to Explode'
The gap between Sunset Rubdown's last record, 2009's 'Dragonslayer,' and 'Always Happy to Explode' is three times longer than the band's
Paul Blinov•Sep 18, 2024'The Substance' Is Engaging but Awkward in Its Own Skin
Elisabeth Sparkle's story isn't a new one. In fact, the fictional actress's slow and agonizing slide into obsolescence is so timeless that
Alexander Mooney•Sep 18, 2024'My Old Ass' Will Connect with Young Asses and Old Asses Alike
Megan Park's directorial debut 'The Fallout' offered a breathtaking look at the residual, and varying, mental effects a generation faces in
Rachel Ho•Sep 17, 2024