Steve Stebbing

What The Hell Should I Watch – Dec 5th

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December 5, 2025

Chloe is down sick this week, so it’s a solo Stevil episode — but there’s a mountain of movies to cover, including one gigantic Disney sequel, a sharp new Rian Johnson mystery, festival favorites, and some heavy disappointment from a filmmaker I usually adore.

We kick things off with Zootopia 2, a surprisingly fun follow-up that avoids the worst sequelitis traps. The returning voice cast clicks, Ke Huy Quan is delightful, and there are some genuinely great laughs — even if a few plot beats feel predictable. Kids will love it, parents will be fine, and it’s a solid return to Zootopia after nearly a decade.

Then we jump to the one you’ll see on Netflix next week: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Rian Johnson delivers again — sharper, more character-driven, and pointedly political in a way that will absolutely piss off the right people. Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin and the ensemble are dynamite, and Benoit Blanc’s latest case is big-screen good… which is why it’s frustrating Netflix didn’t give it more theaters.

Up next is Merrily We Roll Along, a Broadway musical filmed with real cinematic intimacy. Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe are phenomenal, the performances soar, and the staging goes far beyond the usual “filmed on stage” vibe. Even as a self-described non-musical guy, I found myself really drawn in.

Then it’s back to VIFF with The Secret Agent, a vibrant, violent, darkly funny Brazilian thriller set against the political turmoil of the late ’70s. Wagner Moura continues to be the coolest human alive, Tania Maria steals scenes, and Udo Kier delivers one last unforgettable role. Brazil’s Oscar submission — and a damn good one.

We stay in the VIFF zone with Deathstalker, Steven Kostanski’s gloriously schlocky sword-and-sorcery remake. Rubber-mask monsters, creature effects, Frazetta vibes, Patton Oswalt voice work, and a cast clearly having the time of their lives. This is a midnight-movie riot waiting for a crowd.

In Streaming This Week, I dig into:

Left-Handed Girl (Netflix) — A gorgeously intimate Taipei-set family drama, shot on an iPhone with the scrappy beauty of Sean Baker’s best work lingering in memory. One of my favorite festival misses finally available to everyone.
After the Hunt (Prime Video) — Luca Guadagnino’s shockingly messy misfire. Great cast, frustrating script, baffling score, and nothing meaningful to say about the heavy topics it raises.
John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video) — Colin Hanks directs a heartfelt, deeply human tribute to a Canadian legend. Funny, moving, and filled with love from friends, family, and collaborators. A must-watch for anyone who grew up quoting Uncle Buck.

New to the Library:

Gabby’s Dollhouse: Pawsome Edition (DVD)
The Gilded Age — Season 3 (DVD)

Yes, Gabby’s Dollhouse now lives on my shelf. Send help.

And finally, a reminder: the War of the Roses remake — starring Olivia Colman & Benedict Cumberbatch — is now out. I reviewed it back on September 5th, but here’s the short version: I liked it… right up until the part where I realized Kate McKinnon can actually be annoying.

🎥 Next Week:

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Hamnet (Chloé Zhao — massive awards buzz)
Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach, Clooney, Sandler)
Oh. What. Fun. (Prime Video holiday comedy from Michael Showalter)

What The Hell Should I Watch – Nov 28th

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November 28, 2025

Welcome back to What The Hell Should I Watch, and this week’s lineup is stacked with big swings, intimate drama, brutal revenge, and one seriously wild true-story brawler. Let’s dive in.

We kick things off with Wicked: For Good, the long-awaited continuation of the Wicked saga. As someone who has never fully connected with this universe, I went in skeptical — and came out surprised at how well this one clicked. The performances land, the world expands in interesting ways, and even if the musical numbers aren’t always my thing, the film won me over more than expected.

Next up is Sisu: Road to Revenge, a sequel that turns up the carnage, grit, and chaos in the most gleefully absurd ways possible. If you’re onboard with this series, you’ll have a blast. If not… this franchise was never pretending to be subtle.

Then it’s Rental Family, an empathetic, grounded drama about loneliness, connection, and the strange reality of hiring people to play loved ones. Thoughtful, emotionally sharp, and surprisingly affecting.

From there we hit Meadowlarks, a beautifully shot, meditative slow burn about grief, heartbreak, and the fragile threads holding people together. It’s quiet, visual, and deeply human — a film that rewards patience.

And then there’s The Smashing Machine, a raw, punishing, brilliantly performed look at the life of Mark Kerr during the chaotic early days of MMA. Addiction, dominance, personal collapse — it’s a heavy watch, and the filmmaking never flinches.

For Streaming Picks, I’m highlighting two very different vibes:

• Train Dreams — a lyrical frontier story blending myth and memory across the rugged American landscape. Poetic and harsh in equal measure.
• The Beatles Anthology — a monumental deep dive into the band’s origin, evolution, and cultural impact. Essential for music lovers and a stunning archival achievement in its own right.

Chloe jumps in this week with her review of Predator: Badlands, digging into its pulpy world-building, pacing, and the gnarly creature-feature swings it takes.

In New to the Library, I’m adding:
• The Conjuring: Last Rites (4K UHD)
• Oh, Hi! (DVD)

And as a reminder, The Long Walk remains on the radar.

🎧 New episodes drop Fridays at 9 AM PT on stevestebbing.ca and YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, subscribe — it makes a huge difference.

📱 Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky — @TheStevilDead
🎞 Chloe on Letterboxd — @HoneybunChloe

🎙 Catch me on:
• After The Credits – atcpod.ca
• Tremble – threeangrynerds.com
• Shiftheads – shiftheads.ca
• The Night Shift with Shane Hewitt – Fridays @ 8 PM ET on NewsTalk 1010 / iHeartRadio

What The Hell Should I Watch – Nov 21

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November 21, 2025

Welcome back to What The Hell Should I Watch. This week’s lineup spans dystopian violence, magic-heist fatigue, creeping psychological terror, neon-lit sci-fi, small-town paranoia, and a Western misfire that did not land for me. Let’s get into it.

We kick things off with The Running Man, Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the original Stephen King/Richard Bachman novel. I was ready to love this one — Glen Powell is great and the film has real visual bite — but the back half leans on a couple of narrative shortcuts that undercut its emotional impact. There’s strong craft here, but this ultimately lands as my least favourite Wright film, which genuinely surprised me.

Next up is Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third outing for a franchise that didn’t need another chapter. There are a few fun performances, but the plot is thin, the twists are loud instead of clever, and the movie never justifies its existence. Unless you’re already deeply invested, this one is a skip.

Then we head into Keeper, Osgood Perkins’ second film of the year and an unsettling, insidious slow-burn anchored by an incredible performance from Tatiana Maslany. Perkins leans into eerie visual experimentation and suffocating atmosphere, and there’s one moment here that hit me with genuine full-body revulsion — easily one of the most disturbing shots of the year. Despite mixed chatter online, I came out solidly positive on this one.

From there, it’s Tron: Ares, and while the internet seems determined to bury this movie, I genuinely didn’t hate it. Yes, it’s the dumbest Tron film — absolutely — but it’s fun, stylish, full of bold design work, and driven by a great Atticus Ross & Trent Reznor score. The Depeche Mode “humanity lesson” is hilariously on-the-nose, but the movie never pretends it’s deeper than it is. Chloe and I caught the press screening together, and overall, we had a good time with it.

On disc this week, I took a look at The Unholy Trinity, and according to the transcript, this one really didn’t work for me. Despite a stacked cast — Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Brandon Lessard, Q’orianka Kilcher, Veronica Ferres — the pacing drags, the character work doesn’t land, and the whole thing just never comes together. A disappointing Western, especially for a genre that deserves stronger entries.

For TV, I checked out Wayward on Netflix, a dark, eerie limited series set in 2003 Vermont and circling a troubled teen academy with cult-like secrets simmering beneath the surface. Mae Martin leads and co-created the show, Toni Collette is perfectly unpredictable, and the whole thing plays like a slow-burn mystery soaked in paranoia. If you’re in the mood for something moody and unsettling, it’s worth your time.

And returning to Godolkin University, Gen V: Season 2 comes in sharper, darker, and more politically charged. With a new authoritarian dean tightening control and Homelander’s influence creeping into everything, the stakes feel bigger than ever. The season digs into indoctrination, institutional rot, and the cost of power — and the way it honours the late Chance Perdomo adds real emotional resonance. If you’re invested in The Boys universe, this season is absolutely worth watching.

In New to the Library, I’m adding:
• St. Denis Medical
• Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series
• Cheyenne: The Complete Series
• CODA (4K UHD)
• The Curse of Frankenstein (4K UHD)

Next week, I’m taking on Wicked: For Good and Sisu: Road to Revenge.

🎧 New episodes drop Fridays at 9 AM PT on YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, subscribe — it really helps.

📱 Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky — @TheStevilDead
🎞 Chloe on Letterboxd — @HoneybunChloe

What The Hell Should I Watch – Nov 14th

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November 14, 2025

Hey everyone — Steve Stebbing here with another episode of What The Hell Should I Watch, and this week we’re running the gamut from alien bloodsport to emotional breakdowns, bizarre satire, and one creepy found-footage nightmare.

We start with Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands — a bold reinvention that takes the franchise off-world and onto a brutal alien planet. The story follows Dek, a young Predator exiled from his clan, and Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani synth played by Elle Fanning, as they fight to survive a planet designed to kill them both. It’s intense, beautifully shot, and the most exciting the series has felt in decades — Trachtenberg absolutely gets what makes Predator tick.

Next, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value — an elegant, deeply felt drama starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. After their mother’s death, two sisters reunite with their estranged father, a once-great filmmaker who decides to mine their shared pain for his next project. Trier’s touch is both gentle and piercing, balancing humor and heartbreak in one of the most grounded family films of the year.

Then it’s David Freyne’s Eternity — a romantic fantasy starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner. In a dreamlike afterlife, Olsen’s Joan must choose where — and with whom — she’ll spend eternity: with the husband she left behind or the first love she lost decades earlier. It’s heartfelt, visually stunning, and emotionally resonant, turning cosmic romance into something beautifully human.

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia follows, and it’s just as unhinged as you’d expect. A remake of Save the Green Planet!, it stars Emma Stone as a pharmaceutical CEO kidnapped by two conspiracy-obsessed brothers (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who believe she’s an alien here to destroy Earth. It’s sharp, disturbing, and wickedly funny — Lanthimos in peak form, skewering human delusion and moral panic.

Then we plug in for Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues — forty years later, the loudest band in rock is back. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer return alongside Paul McCartney, Elton John, and a stack of other cameos. It’s a loving, ridiculous encore that riffs on aging, ego, and rock legacy — and yes, it still goes to eleven.

Finally, Hulu’s Chad Powers — the viral Eli Manning bit turned full-fledged comedy from Glen Powell and Michael Waldron. Powell plays Russ Holliday, a disgraced quarterback who disguises himself as “Chad Powers” to sneak onto a struggling college team. It’s goofy, self-aware, and totally watchable — Powell’s charm alone carries this one across the goal line.

In New to the Library, I spotlight five great additions:

Corpse Bride (4K UHD) – Tim Burton’s gothic romance restored in dazzling detail.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (4K UHD) – the definitive edition of a masterpiece.

The Newsroom: The Complete Series – Aaron Sorkin’s rapid-fire newsroom drama, all together at last.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Complete Series – classic anthology brilliance in full.

The Day of the Jackal: Season 1 – Peacock’s sharp, modern spy thriller reboot.

In Butting In, Chloe reviews Dream Eater — a found-footage horror from Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams that blends parasomnia, trauma, and occult horror. It follows a couple documenting a sleep disorder that slowly unravels into something much darker and ancient. It’s creepy, slow-burning, and unnervingly effective — one of those indie horrors that gets under your skin and stays there.

Next week, we’re diving into The Running Man, Keeper, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and Lynne Ramsey’s Die My Love — plus whatever else claws its way onto the release list.

New episodes drop every Friday at 9 AM PT right here or on YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, and subscribe — it really helps keep this rolling.

📱 Follow me: Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky – @TheStevilDead
🎞️ Find Chloe on Letterboxd – @HoneybunChloe

🎙️ Also catch me on:

After The Credits – atcpod.ca
Tremble: The Horror Podcast – threeangrynerds.com
Shiftheads – shiftheads.ca
The Shift with Shane Hewitt – Fridays @ 8 PM ET on NewsTalk 1010 / iHeartRadio

What The Hell Should I Watch – Nov 7

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November 7, 2025

Hey everyone — Steve Stebbing here with another episode of What The Hell Should I Watch, and this week’s packed with awards-season contenders, dark biopics, auteur passion projects, and a few deep dives into cinematic obsession.

We start with James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg — a tense, talk-heavy post-WWII drama starring Rami Malek as Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, trying to understand the psychology behind Nazi leadership. Russell Crowe is magnetic as Hermann Göring, making this one of the most engrossing and unsettling prestige dramas of the year.

Next up, David Michôd’s Christy — Sydney Sweeney is a knockout as real-life boxer Christy Martin, delivering a fierce, emotionally raw performance in a biopic that refuses to pull its punches. It’s bruising, heartfelt, and unforgettable.

Then there’s Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, a blistering domestic-political meltdown starring Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler. It’s a slow-motion family implosion that hits disturbingly close to home, smartly skewering American privilege and denial.

Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague is next — a stylish, black-and-white, French-language love letter to the French New Wave. Zoey Deutch dazzles as Jean Seberg in a film that celebrates rebellion, wit, and the joy of creation.

We also look at Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks — a grief-soaked horror debut that blends found footage and psychological dread. It’s flawed but deeply sincere, and a promising first outing from a filmmaker who clearly loves the genre.

Then comes Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another — a sprawling, feverish, politically charged epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro. It’s wild, ambitious, and deeply human — PTA firing on every chaotic cylinder.

Next up, Brian Kirk’s Dead of Winter — Emma Thompson leads a tight, brutal survival thriller set in the frozen north, pulled into a kidnapping that quickly becomes a fight for her life. It’s cold, tense, and refreshingly adult filmmaking.

Then we hit Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein — the master’s long-awaited gothic take on Mary Shelley’s classic. Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth bring heartbreaking emotion to a film that’s less horror and more tragedy. Del Toro turns the monster story into a haunting meditation on creation and isolation — visually stunning and emotionally devastating.

We also dive into Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films, a new Disney+ doc exploring the artistry and obsession behind James Cameron’s underwater epic. It’s equal parts filmmaking clinic and pure madness — a fascinating watch for anyone who loves the craft (or chaos) of blockbuster production.

In New to the Library, I spotlight David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds and Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger 4K Steelbook — two wild visions of death, rebirth, and rot worth adding to your shelf.

And in Butting In, Chloe takes on Kiah Roache-Turner’s Beast of War — an Aussie WWII survival horror about stranded soldiers and a shark that’s more relentless than the enemy. She breaks down why this gnarly, practical-effects-driven creature flick is way smarter (and bloodier) than it sounds.

Next week, we’re looking at Lynne Ramsey’s Die My Love, Sentimental Value, and Predator: Badlands, plus some lingering VIFF leftovers.

🎧 New episodes drop every Friday at 9 AM PT on stevestebbing.ca
and YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, and subscribe — it really helps keep this going.

📱 Follow me: Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky – @TheStevilDead
🎞️ Find Chloe on Letterboxd – @HoneybunChloe

🎙️ Also catch me on:

After The Credits – atcpod.ca
Tremble: The Horror Podcast – threeangrynerds.com
Shiftheads – shiftheads.ca
The Shift with Shane Hewitt – Fridays @ 8 PM ET on NewsTalk 1010 / iHeartRadio

What The Hell Should I Watch – Oct 31

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October 31, 2025

Hey everyone! I’m back with Chloe for another stacked episode of What The Hell Should I Watch — the podcast that cuts through the noise of the new-release pile and tells you what’s actually worth your time.

We kick things off with Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere — a stripped-down, melancholic portrait of Bruce Springsteen during the Nebraska era. Jeremy Allen White gives a haunted, career-best performance as The Boss, while Jeremy Strong brings quiet precision as Jon Landau. Cooper ditches the usual music-biopic gloss for something raw, soulful, and deeply human.

Then we head into the nightmare with Dream Eater, a found-footage horror that actually gets it right. A filmmaker documents her boyfriend’s escalating sleepwalking episodes in an isolated winter cabin, only to discover something ancient and hungry lurking beneath his dreams. It’s tense, eerie, and doesn’t rely on cheap scares — one of the year’s best indie horrors.

Next up: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever — or, as I call it, The Blandest Christmas Sermon Ever. It’s another shiny, faith-based Hallmark special disguised as a movie. Judy Greer and Pete Holmes try their best, but this thing is so sanitized it could air on a church lobby TV between bake-sale announcements. Not offensive, just dull — and absolutely not my kind of Christmas movie.

Then it’s New to the Library, my weekly roundup of fresh discs and box sets to add to your shelf:
📀 Elsbeth: Season 2
📀 Hall Pass
📀 Spenser for Hire: Complete Series
📀 La Femme Nikita: Complete Series
📀 Detroit Rock City
📀 Supernova (2020)
📀 Emergency!: Complete Series
📀 The Ant Bully
📀 Being There
📀 Little House on the Prairie: Complete Series

And in Butting In, Chloe dives into The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol and The Long Walk. One’s another bloated, self-important chapter in AMC’s zombie purgatory — watchable but exhausting — while the other is a lean, brutal Stephen King adaptation that earns every blister. Cooper Hoffman absolutely kills it in The Long Walk, a dystopian survival horror that feels uncomfortably close to reality. It’s relentless, bleak, and the kind of King movie that reminds you how good this material can be when handled right.

Next week, we dive into VIFF coverage with Nouvelle Vague and Christy (the Christy Martin biopic starring Sydney Sweeney), plus full thoughts on Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Bugonia, the new Yorgos Lanthimos / Emma Stone collaboration.

🎧 New episodes drop every Friday at 9 AM PT on stevestebbing.ca
and YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, and subscribe — it really helps us out!

📱 Follow me: Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky – @TheStevilDead
🎞️ Find Chloe on Letterboxd – @HoneybunChloe

🎙️ Also catch me on:

After The Credits – atcpod.ca
Tremble: The Horror Podcast – threeangrynerds.com
Shiftheads – shiftheads.ca
The Shift with Shane Hewitt – Fridays @ 8 PM ET on NewsTalk 1010 / iHeartRadio

What The Hell Should I Watch? – Oct 24

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October 24, 2025

Hey everyone! I’m back with Chloe for the Season 3 premiere of What The Hell Should I Watch — our weekly dive into what’s new, weird, and worth your watchlist in theaters and on streaming.

We kick off with Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, Good Fortune — a supernatural comedy starring Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, and Ansari himself. Reeves plays a guardian angel who swaps the lives of a gig worker and a billionaire to teach them both a lesson in perspective. It’s witty, heartfelt, and a surprisingly confident debut.

Then we pick up the call for Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone 2 — a chilling sequel that sees Ethan Hawke return as the Grabber. Four years later, Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) can’t shake their trauma… until that black phone rings again. Moody, emotional, and genuinely terrifying, this one earns its sequel status.

Next, I take on Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — a devastating A24 drama with Rose Byrne delivering her most powerful performance yet as a therapist and mother coming undone. Featuring Conan O’Brien, Christian Slater, Danielle Macdonald, and A$AP Rocky, this one’s a raw, claustrophobic gut punch.

We also talk about Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon — starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, and Bobby Cannavale. Hawke plays Lorenz Hart, the forgotten half of Rodgers & Hart, reflecting on failure, fame, and love across one whiskey-soaked night. It’s tender, reflective, and pure Linklater.

Then comes Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind — her minimalist 1970s heist drama with Josh O’Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, and Bill Camp. Reichardt transforms a simple crime setup into a meditation on guilt, futility, and small-town ennui.

We also get into Michelle Garza Cervera’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025) — now on Hulu and Disney+. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Maika Monroe headline this sharp, feminist reimagining of the 1992 thriller that trades camp for cold, creeping dread.

Then it’s time for Chloe’s signature segment — Butting In — where she dives into the latest horror releases. She starts with V/H/S/Halloween, Shudder’s newest anthology featuring segments from Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic, Alex Ross Perry, and more — a wild, gory, and cohesive return to form for the franchise. Then she tears into Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 2 — a noisy, flat follow-up that wastes a strong Madelaine Petsch performance on recycled scares.

We wrap up with this week’s 4K and streaming releases — The Life of Chuck, F1, The Bad Guys 2, and Nobody 2 — plus a sneak peek at next week’s lineup: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Bugonia, and Dream Eater.

🎧 New episodes drop every Friday at 9 AM Pacific on stevestebbing.ca and YouTube.
👍 Like, comment, and subscribe — it really helps us out!

📱 Follow me: Twitter, Instagram, Letterboxd, Threads & Bluesky – @TheStevilDead
🎞️ Find Chloe on Letterboxd – @HoneybunChloe

🎙️ Also catch me on:
• After The Credits – atcpod.ca
• Tremble: The Horror Podcast – threeangrynerds.com
• Shift Heads – shiftheads.ca
• The Shift with Shane Hewitt – Fridays at 8 PM ET on NewsTalk 1010 / iHeartRadio

The VIFF Experience – Day 7 & 8

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October 12, 2025

As the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival draws to a close, Chloe and I reflect on the final days filled with poignant tributes, compelling dramas, and a celebration of cinematic artistry.

Day 7 opened with John Candy: I Like Me, a heartfelt documentary directed by Colin Hanks. This film offers an intimate look at the life and legacy of the beloved Canadian actor, known for his roles in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, and Home Alone. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with family and friends, the documentary paints a portrait of a man whose kindness and comedic genius left an indelible mark on Hollywood.

Following this tribute, we watched Sentimental Value, a poignant drama directed by Joachim Trier. The film delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the enduring impact of the past on present relationships. Starring Renate Reinsve as Nora, a successful stage actress, and Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav, her estranged father and a once-renowned director, the story unfolds as Gustav attempts to reconcile with his daughters after the death of their mother. His efforts to involve Nora in a film about their family’s past lead to emotional confrontations and a reevaluation of their fractured bonds.

Day 8 featured It Was Just an Accident, a gripping psychological thriller directed by Jafar Panahi. The film begins with a minor road accident that sets in motion a series of escalating consequences. Vahid, an Azerbaijani auto mechanic, believes he recognizes one of his former torturers in the driver involved in the accident. As he confronts his past, the film explores themes of guilt, revenge, and the cyclical nature of violence.

The festival concluded with The Mastermind, a 1970s-set heist film directed by Kelly Reichardt. The story follows J.B. Mooney (Josh O’Connor), an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief, who plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels. The film explores themes of ambition, failure, and the consequences of one’s actions.

In our final episode, we also reflect on the standout films of the festival, sharing our personal favorites and discussing the unexpected surprises that made VIFF 2025 unforgettable. Join us as we celebrate the art of storytelling and the magic of cinema.

The VIFF Experience – Day 5 & 6

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October 11, 2025

The 44th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival rolls into its second weekend, and Chloe and I are back to cover Days 5 and 6, featuring films that range from intimate character studies to surreal, politically charged thrillers.

Day 5 opened with Father (Otec), a devastating Slovak drama by Tereza Nvotová, exploring the trauma and guilt of a father after a tragic accident. Youngblood followed — Hubert Davis’ modern, socially conscious take on Canadian junior hockey, exploring race, ambition, and identity.

Then came Clement Virgo’s Steal Away, a psychological thriller blending obsession, secrecy, and historical memory in a stylized and unsettling narrative. The night closed with Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, starring Wagner Moura — a neo-noir political thriller set in 1970s Brazil, combining paranoia, surreal imagery, and historical intrigue, making it one of VIFF’s most audacious offerings.

Day 6 shifted toward introspection and literary resonance. A Private Life (Vie privée) featured Jodie Foster as Lilian Steiner, a Parisian psychoanalyst investigating a patient’s mysterious death, delivering a nuanced and captivating performance in her first French-language lead. Finally, Franz, Agnieszka Holland’s surreal Kafka biopic, used non-linear storytelling, dreamlike sequences, and inventive visuals to explore Franz Kafka’s complex emotional interior, family dynamics, and existential struggles, rounding out the festival’s mix of intense drama and cinematic artistry.

From raw emotion to stylistic experimentation, these six films reminded us why VIFF is our favorite festival of the year. Join us as we break down the standout performances, unforgettable moments, and bold cinematic choices defining VIFF 2025.

The VIFF Experience – Day 3 & 4

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October 10, 2025

Chloe and I are back for Days 3 & 4 of the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival, and these two days delivered an extraordinary mix of humor, emotional depth, and cinematic craft.

Day 3 opened with Philippe Falardeau’s Lovely Day, a Montreal-set dark comedy following a groom whose wedding day spirals into panic, family chaos, and personal reflection — a uniquely Canadian, heartfelt story. Next came the Dardenne brothers’ Young Mothers, a raw, unflinching portrait of five women navigating motherhood in a communal home, told with the Dardennes’ trademark social realism. Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater’s homage to Godard and the French New Wave, offered cinephiles a stylish, black-and-white ode to creativity, chaos, and the birth of modern cinema. The day closed with Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, a biting, darkly comedic satire of corporate competition and moral compromise starring Lee Byung-hun — tense, witty, and disturbingly relatable.

Day 4 shifted gears into the absurd, the ethereal, and the intense. Nirvanna The Band The Show: The Movie brought Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s meta-comedy to the big screen, blending time-travel hijinks, heartfelt absurdity, and the chaotic spirit of Toronto’s indie music scene. Dance Of The Living (La Lucha) followed with a tender, gripping drama about a father and daughter navigating grief, generational tension, and the cultural rituals of traditional Canarian wrestling — a quiet but emotionally powerful highlight of the festival. The day wrapped with After The Hunt, Luca Guadagnino’s taut, morally complex academic drama starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield, exploring sexual misconduct, ethics, and hidden pasts — an intense and thought-provoking closer.

From grounded realism to meta-comedy, artful homage, and emotionally charged storytelling, these two days perfectly captured what makes VIFF magical — bold voices, daring stories, and unforgettable cinematic moments. Tune in as we break down the films, share our reactions, and celebrate the heart of VIFF 2025.