This week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie gets a little more personal than some, as filmmaker Emma Seligman joins me to talk about what seeing Edward Norton’s first feature Keeping the Faith meant to her sense of self and her artistic development.

Given that her own first feature, Shiva Baby, touches on a lot of the same themes as Norton’s movie — and that both Emma and I come from very similar backgrounds — it led to a really fun conversation about the function of religion in daily life, and a few other things besides. And who knows, maybe we’ll get a Keeping the Faith Blu-ray out of it.

Let me guilt you into subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher to get the episode instantly, or if you prefer you can download it directly from the web.

And then there’s the latest episode of NOW What, which is the audio of Rad’s livestream with Vixen Vu, Serena Ivy and Elene Lam about the horrible intersection of anti-Asian racism and sex-worker shaming. You can find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or right here at the bottom of this page. I take no credit for it, I just made a few cuts for time.

Also! I reviewed Godzilla Vs. Kong, which opens tomorrow and is a ridiculous amount of fun, and I wrote a thousand words on the Canadian Screen Awards nominations, which dropped this morning and made a lot of people very happy.

More stuff on Friday. Lots more.

There’s no bonus SEMcast this week — look, if I put one out every Friday they wouldn’t be special! Hopefully the latest NOW What will be fun enough to make up for it; I spent an hour hanging out with Rad and his fellow Scarberians Odette Eccleston and Steph Hinds talking about the way the borough is changing in light of expansion and gentrification, and the things about it they hope won’t change any further. It’s on all the usual podcast platforms, and at the bottom of Rad’s cover story right here.

Also, there’s a new What to Watch page, which offers a broad-spectrum look at new VOD and streaming titles as well as a deeper dive than usual into the disc of the week, Criterion’s gorgeous World of Wong Kar Wai boxed set; you’ll also find an expanded version of my Invincible review and a stand-alone review of The Irregulars on the NOW site, because we’re nice that way.

And if you’ll excuse me, I have to put the final touches on tomorrow’s NOW Streaming newsletter. You’ve already subscribed, right? I put a lot of work into that!

It seems wild that it took 330 episodes of Someone Else’s Movie for someone to pick Don McKellar’s Last Night. I mean, this is a Toronto based podcast with plenty of local guests, many of whom would have seen the movie at a key point in their own development.

Hell, I’ve been expecting to tackle it ever since that episode of The Filmmakers reminded people it was out there, and a modern classic. But no one ever bit … until Leah Cameron stepped up. The release of her charming new web series The Communist’s Daughter gave us the opportunity to record an episode about Don’s magnum opus, which has weaved in and out of my life ever since its release in 1998, and we had a really good conversation about humanity, empathy and the very specific ways Canadians recognize themselves in the narrative. I truly do think it’s one of the best films this country has ever produced, and it was a pleasure to dig into it at length.

You should listen! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher to get the episode instantly, or download it directly from the web. I just wish there was a way for you to revisit the movie in the 4K restoration Don and I screened last January at the Paradise. It’s gorgeous.

Feel like drowning your sorrows? The latest episode of NOW What is all about how Toronto restaurants and bars pivoted to bottle shops to stay afloat during COVID, with Kelsey Adams, Richard Trapunski and Krysta Oben joining me to talk about how the change is likely to affect the industry going forward; you can find it on your preferred podcast platform or right here at the bottom of Kelsey’s cover story.

Oh, and Hot Docs held its big launch conference this morning, rolling out a whole whack of documentaries that’ll be screening in next month’s festival; I offer an overview on the NOW site, and there’s a lot more coverage to come. Brace yourselves.

It’s Someone Else’s Movie‘s anniversary week and I’m feeling generous, so I thought I’d give everyone a bonus episode.

Also, it just so happens that BenDavid Grabinski‘s first feature Happily arrives on VOD today, and I really liked it so I wanted to spread the word.

Also, BenDavid picked Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild, which remains an absolute joy to watch 35 years after its release, so I was delighted to spend an hour talking about the hows and whys of it. And rewatching the film, I found a new appreciation for Demme’s casting chops; Melanie Griffith’s hesitant line readings really shouldn’t work, but he finds a context for them that absolutely sings.

Come along for the ride! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher, or download the episode directly from the web. And then watch Happily. It’s really good.

Today’s episode of NOW What is also about the movies, or more specifically about the movie, Zack Snyder’s Justice League. which dawned on HBO Max and Crave yesterday and — just as expected — set the internet on fire. And since Rad and I have very different takes on the movie, and Snyder’s contributions to the overall DC project, we thought it might be fun to talk through those takes for 45 very nerdy minutes. It’s on all the platforms, and you can also find it at the bottom of Rad’s piece right here.

Also! Here’s this weekend’s What to Watch digest, and my review of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which didn’t arrive in time to make the package but now gets to be its own thing. Isn’t that nice? I think that’s nice.

Somehow — probably by sheer bloody-mindedness — Someone Else’s Movie marks its sixth anniversary today. That’s 328 episodes, or roughly twelve and a half days’ worth of listening to my dumb voice. All self-deprecation aside, I’m really proud of the podcast and happy that it lets me talk to artists about art, batting ideas back and forth across the ether and getting all excited about this performance or that editorial choice.

Today, for example, I’m joined by Come True writer-director Anthony Scott Burns to celebrate Manhunter, and discuss both its impact on his own work and its place in the larger context of Michael Mann’s ouevre. It’s a good conversation, and honestly I’ll welcome any chance to talk about Brian Cox’ Lecter Lektor.

Wanna listen? Of course you do! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher, or download the episode directly from the web. It’s waiting for you.

And then you can listen to today’s brand-new NOW What, in which Rad, Kevin, Glenn and I dig into yesterday’s Oscar nominations. Which mostly don’t suck this year!

And then, if you’re feeling the need to vicariously experience crushing disappointment, you’re welcome to read my review of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. I watched it so you don’t have to!

In preparation, I also revisited Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the theatrical cut of Justice League last week, and I still  believe Heny Cavill could have been a great Superman if Snyder had let him. But hey, just because you can piss in a Mason jar and call it Granny’s Peach Tea …

Sooo, there’s kind of a weird thematic thing going on this week.

On the latest episode of NOW What, Rad and I expand on his cover story about the pandemic’s affect on people’s existing sleep disorders and insomnia with the help of our mutual friend Alicia Fletcher (and my own years-long experience).

And then, what should be the lead of this week’s What to Watch column but Come True, Anthony Scott Burns’ creepy horror movie where Julia Sarah Stone plays a teenager whose participation in a sleep study turns her waking life into a nightmare?

It’s weird, right? It’s definitely weird.

And speaking of people whose lives are sliding out of balance, the TFCA named Anne at 13,000 Ft. the best Canadian movie of 2020 on Tuesday night, and I wrote about our very first virtual gala at NOW.

That was weird too.

I’m not the biggest fan of Luca Guadagnino, so any time someone picks one of his films for an episode of Someone Else’s Movie I worry I’ll end up being … difficult.

Fortunately, Jump, Darling writer-director Phil Connell picked A Bigger Splash, which is easily my favorite of Guadagnino’s films, with Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton at their most eccentric and committed. So that made things easier.

Want to listen? You can! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher, or download the episode directly from the web.

And then go catch up to the latest episode of NOW What, as Enzo and I check in with Dr. Jennifer Kwan and see where things stand for everyone a year into the pandemic, and why it looks like we might finally be able to imagine coming out of this thing sooner rather than later. Basically, it’s the vaccines. But there’s other stuff to be optimistic about too!

I also turn up on the 200th episode of Black Hole Films today, as Jeremy marks the milestone by assembling an ambitious Zoom room of myself, Ken Cuperus, Dan Grant and Noah Taylor to tackle Fred Zinneman’s magnificent Western High Noon. It’s a good conversation, and thanks to a technical glitch I ended up playing host for a few minutes. It was an honor.

Rather read than listen? Well, I wrote this week’s NOW 40 at 40, celebrating Ingrid Randoja’s 1998 cover interview with Jeff Bridges for The Big Lebowski, and I take a look at this morning’s dual announcements from the Canadian Film Fest and Hot Docs, which both promise some good stuff without forcing anyone to leave the house.

… speaking of which, I went to the eye doctor today, which necessitated my first journey on public transit since March 11th, 2020. Anniversaries, man.

I haven’t watched the WandaVision finale, so don’t say anything. But I do have a whole new edition of NOW’s What to Watch review package for you, featuring my reviews of Raya and the Last Dragon (good!), The Mauritanian (fine) and Land (meh) and additional reviews from Kevin, Glenn and Rad. It’s what we do.

Otherwise, I’ve spent most of this week working on stuff that won’t see print until next week, so all I can do is shrug and promise you it’s on the way. Until then, enjoy the latest episode of NOW What, capturing yesterday’s Sound of Toronto music panel with Richard chatting with four of the city’s newest, most interesting acts. It’s on podcast platforms everywhere, or streamable at the bottom of the cover story, here.

That’s it! The sun is back, vaccines are happening. Know hope. We’re getting through this.

Well, I missed another Friday post. (The NOW Streaming newsletter still takes a lot of time to put together, though I’m hoping to figure out the rhythm at some point.)

Here’s what you missed, though: The 100th episode of the NOW What podcast, with Julia Mastroianni and Dr. Amit Arya expanding on Julia’s look at the crisis facing Ontario’s personal support workers, and the crisis we’ll be facing when they burn out; NOW’s weekly What to Watch review package, featuring reviews of all sorts of stuff, and our monthly look-aheads for Netflix, Amazon, Crave, Disney+ and CBC Gem.

It’s a lot. You can maybe see why I didn’t have time to blog about it.

And today, there’s even more! Specifically, a brand-new episode of Someone Else’s Movie, in which Ali LeRoi — whose collaborations with Chris Rock gave us Down to Earth, Head of State and Everybody Hates Chris, and whose powerful first feature The Obituary of Tunde Johnson just dropped on VOD in North America — shares his love for Ben Affleck’s sophomore thriller The Town, accents and all.

We didn’t have a lot of time, but Ali talks as quickly as I do, and we packed as much into 40 minutes as we could. You can find it in all the usual spots: Via subscription on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher, or available for download straight from the web.

And then you should go get today’s NOW What, which finds me talking to Scott Thompson (friend of the other show) and Paul Bellini about the documentary they made about their 80s gay punk band Mouth Congress, and the reunion gig they mounted at the Rivoli a while back in order to prove they could still make some noise. Like the doc (and the band), it’s a raucous and occasionally ridiculous conversation about some very real things. I’m glad we got to do it.

Oh, and schedules being what they are, I’m appearing on a couple of other people’s podcasts this week as well! Yesterday, Doug Lilley and Liam O’Donnell dropped the latest in Cinema Smorgasbord‘s ongoing Dick Miller series, in which I join them to discuss Joe Dante’s use of Miller as a particularly cranky exposition machine in The Howling, and my theory of Walter Paisley as a quantum being along the lines of Marvel’s Uatu the Watcher. We had an awfully good time, and if you enjoyed my appearance on Doug and Liam’s Eric Roberts Is The F***ing Man podcast nearly three years ago, you will enjoy this as well.

And on Wednesday, I’ll be making a return visit to Podcast Like it’s 1999 to walk Phil Iscove and Kenny Neibart through Clint Eastwood’s True Crime and where it stands in the venerated auteur’s slow slide into whatever it is he does now. It’s been a year and a week since I joined Phil and Kenny to try and make sense of Neil Jordan’s In Dreams; now I wonder whether we drove the world spinning off its axis, and if this episode will serve as a course correction. Fingers crossed!

… great, now I’m too busy to blog on Tuesdays, too. Sorry about that. But there’s some good stuff coming as a result of my being slammed yesterday, just hang in there.

And now I can roll out all the stuff I was going to promote yesterday, like the latest episode of Someone Else’s Movie, where Test Pattern writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford tells me about her unconditional love for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail — which, I mean, it’d have to be — and we end up dissecting and refining the honestly horrible plot so that Joe Fox doesn’t have to be a monster for the whole thing.

It’s a fun episode! Which, if you’ve seen Shatara’s movie, that might come as a surprise; Test Pattern, which I wrote about in the last issue of the NOW Streaming newsletter, is a taut character piece that’s almost suffocating in its intimacy and intensity. So consider this a study in contrasts, I guess. Or a lesson on making assumptions.

You know the drill: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher and get the episode immediately, or download it directly from the web. And then you should probably listen to yesterday’s NOW What, where Glenn and I talk to playwright and actor Michael Healey about how NOW’s cover story on his 1999 breakout The Drawer Boy might have changed the course of his life … and how a story I wrote for a different cover package nineteen years later definitely did.

It’s available on all the platforms, but you can also find it embedded in Glenn’s latest 40 at 40 story, right here.

Also! I checked in with Lee Isaac Chung again, following up on last month’s chat for the TIFF Secret Movie Club — see what you’re missing? There’s another one this weekend! — and we talked about Minari and what it means to be an overnight success after fifteen years as a working filmmaker.

Oh, I’ve got a junket piece going up in a bit with Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch and Sean Giambrone about the new Disney+/Star series Solar Opposites; for now, you can watch the video of our conversation on YouTube.

… yeah, I’m on YouTube now. It’s weird. Here’s the printed-word version.