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Re-Animator 40th Anniversary UHD | Movies We Texted About
Ignite Films was kind enough to send me a copy of their new 40th Anniversary release of the 80s horror classic Re-Animator, and I got to write about it for Movies We Texted About! The 1980s were perhaps the best decade for high-concept, low-budget, effects-driven horror films. There are many examples, but one that has stood the test of time and become a cult classic for horror fans is Stuart Gordon’s 1984 feature Re-Animator. Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, it tells the story of a medical student who develops a reagent that can reanimate dead bodies. Originally…
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Mission: Impossible – Ranked | Contra Zoom
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to listen to Dakota and Matthew rank the Mission: Impossible films to celebrate the release of the 8th entry (and possibly last film in the series?) , The Final Reckoning. Joining the show is former co-host Rachel Ho the film editor at Exclaim! Listening Links
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‘Stick’ Has Even More Heart Than Laughs | Exclaim!
If Apple TV+ sitcoms have a through line, it’s that they aren’t actually at their best when they’re funny. That’s not to say that they aren’t funny — they definitely are — but rather that the laughs seem to come almost secondary to heart. Ted Lasso is probably the best example of this, a hilarious show about leadership and empathy. Mythic Quest, a series about terrible people bound to one another by mutual success, explores finding purpose and community. Shrinking features some of Harrison Ford’s best comedic work in decades, but, at its core, it’s a show about healing from trauma and grief. Stick, the latest…
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Andor, Season Two | Austin B Media Podcast
I sat down with my friend Austin Belzer on his podcast to talk about Andor season 2. The full conversation is nearly 90 minutes but we cover a lot of territory as we discuss one of the best Star Wars projects maybe ever. Listening Links And consider subscribing to Austin’s Patreon.
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Final Destination: Bloodlines | The LAMBCast
We try to keep our promises here on the Lambcast. A Month ago, we talked about the “Final Destination” Franchise and we agreed to come back to talk about the new entry when it dropped in May. Everyone technically has returned, although Richard had to cheat a little to do so. We had no doubt that Lisa Leaheey would be here; she championed the franchise for four years and would not miss savouring a new dish on the menu. Matthew Simpson provides us with the lowdown on the Canadian Locations of the film, while Aaron Neuwirth promises insights from the…
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Top Secret! | The LAMBCast
The first film of the late Val Kilmer, was chosen as the MOTM after being suggested by Jeanette Ward from “The Mundane Adventures of a Fangirl” blog. Almost two years ago she promoted “Real Genius” to MOTM status. It appears that Jeanette has a thing for Mr. Kilmer. After watching the film, you will know why. Kilmer was a natural at comedy, and he could actually sing, as was required by this mash up of Elvis and WWII movies. David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker reinvented comedy with the off the wall visuals and non-sequiturs of “Airplane!” and here…
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‘Murderbot’ Is a Replicant of Other Robot Stories | Exclaim!
From Wall-E and RoboCop to Short Circuit and I, Robot, we are well-served with stories of robots built to serve that develop distinct personalities and humanity, and then eventually save the day. Apple TV+‘s Murderbot, the latest entry in this subgenre, mashes up several versions of this story into something that straddles the line between the familiar and the new. The titular character combines several robots and robot tropes — part Terminator and part Replicant — and its story ends up being something akin to Terminator 2 or an adult version of The Iron Giant, but with a lot more swearing. It would be the easiest thing in the world for this…
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April 2025 First Time Watches | Patreon
Every month I try to watch a bunch of films, both new and old, that I haven’t seen before. In April I watched an even dozen films that were new to me, and here are a few highlights. Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/april-2025-first-128425330
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The 2025 Canadian Screen Award Nominees and Where to Buy, Rent, or Stream them
The 13th Canadian Screen Award Nominees are here! This years main ceremony will take place on June 1st with comedian Lisa Gilroy hosting. Some stand outs among the nominees include Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language which scored a towering thirteen nominations and David Cronenberg’s The Shrounds with nine. Be sure to check out the Best Motion Picture nominees at least, The Apprentice, Darkest Miriam, Gamma Rays, Village Keeper and Who Do I Belong To. There are a ton of great Canadian films to watch this year –and reminder, this is just a small subset of the total!– and the awards are coming up soon, so…
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Thunderbolts* | The LAMBCast
The Lambcast is back and we have a big one for you to kick off the Summer season. The MCU seems to have been in the doldrums for a while and the characters in this movie have apparently been watching because they are all depressed as well. Maybe a new team of B-grade heroes will do the trick and return our interest to a continuing story line. Jeffrey Lyles of “Lyles Movie Files” becomes our reference encyclopedia for the comic book origins of this team and it’s members. Matthew Simpson of the “Awesome Friday Podcast” provides assistance as he too…
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Black Mirror Season 7 Review: The Sci-Fi Anthology Remains On Point | That Shelf
Black Mirror is the successor to series like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, using science fiction narratives to expand and expound on themes of our everyday lives and make us think deeply about the world around us. It’s incredibly well produced and has given us some of the finest science fiction stories of the last decade. Now, it’s back with a new season and set of six episodes. This piece does contain minor spoilers, but the full season is now available to watch, so if you want to go in blind, please bookmark this and come back after. Link: https://thatshelf.com/black-mirror-season-7-review-the-sci-fi-anthology-remains-on-point/
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The Four Seasons Review: A heartwarming story about the importance of friendship | That Shelf
The first episode introduces each of the couples as they are arriving at the lake house. The initial moments are light and fun, and set up the group dynamics almost immediately as a group of old friends who know almost, but not quite, everything about one another. The first night goes well, with talk of soul mates and past exploits and life. Then, the next morning, Nick tells Jack and Danny that he intends to divorce Anne. The secret does not stay a secret of course, except from Anne herself, and hijinks ensue. By the next trip Nick is dating…
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Andor Season Two is Among the Best of Star Wars and the Year | Awesome Friday!
Sequels and prequels are individually difficult. The former have to carry on story threads and push characters into new places in satisfying ways, the latter have to thread the needle of being their own entity while directly leading into the events that viewers have already witnessed. Andor season two then faces the difficulty of being both a sequel to its incredible first season and a prequel to the much-loved Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s no mean feat, and while there is a lot to say about this season of television and this review will be as spoiler-free as possible,…
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Celebrating National Canadian Film Day 2025 | Contra Zoom
This past Wednesday, April 16th, was 2025 National Canadian Film Day! To help celebrate, I contributed to this list of great Canadian films you should totally watch. All the films on the list are great, but the two I chose to write about are Last Night and The Red Violin, both of which are from 1998. Check out the full list here: https://contrazoompod.com/blog-celebrating-national-canadian-film-day-2025/
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Saving Private Ryan, Minute 130 – Deep Breathe Before the Plunge | MovieRob Minute
The daily podcast where we FUBAR our way through the 1998 Steven Spielberg-directed film – Saving Private Ryan, one minute at a time. In this minute, Rob finishes off the week with Matthew Simpson of Awesome Friday, and the anticipation grows with the ground beginning to shake from the nearing tanks. Listening Links:
I am a Rotten Tomatoes-approved, freelance film & television critic and podcast host from Vancouver, Canada! I am a co-founder of the Cascadia Film & Television Critics Association and a voting member of the International Film Society Critics, Pandora International Critics, and the Online Film & Television Association.
I maintain bylines at Exclaim!, Awesome Friday!, That Shelf, ForReel, Movies We Texted About, KeithLovesMovies, and I can be heard regularly on the Contra Zoom Podcast and The LAMBCast.
