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.