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Category: Film

  • The art of going to the movies: a guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike

    Learn how to perfect your movie-going experience with these five tips By: Nalyn Tindall Going to the movies is a unique experience unlike any other. With streaming services on the rise, some may feel the practice of going out to see a movie is dying, but I wholeheartedly believe it’s an experience that can’t be…

  • Justin Trudeau’s Drag Race appearance is the epitome of pinkwashing

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just became the first world leader to appear on a Drag Race show, but why? By: Sarah Grishpul In the second episode of Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World, another Canadian incarnation in the American RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a quick appearance in the ‘werkroom’ to…

  • 7 Canadian actors in famous movie franchises

    Canadian actors have been making their mark in blockbuster cinema for longer than you think By: Manroop Aulakh (Graphic by Ishitaa Chopra/CanCulture) Have you ever gone down the stalking-your-favourite-actor-on-IMDB rabbit hole and thought, huh, they’re Canadian? The number of times I’ve been shocked to realize that a great actor was Canadian is astronomical. Canada has…

  • How to take advantage of TIFF throughout the entire year

    TIFF provides youth under 25 with many discounted and free opportunities to engage in the world of cinema By: Sarah Grishpul Patrons wait outside Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre on Oct. 29, 2022. Young film fans eagerly discuss Park Chan-Wook’s latest film, Decision to Leave as they leave the matinee screening. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture) That’s a…

  • 4 iconic Canadian films to keep you up at night this Halloween

    A spooky Canadian Halloween awaits for you on your TV screen By: Alisha Shaikh With Halloween approaching, let the horror-movie-bingeing begin. With so many great scary movies to watch, it may be hard to choose which one to start with. Here are a few iconic Canadian Halloween films to make your doom-scrolling a bit easier.…

  • Marvel’s She-Hulk and the faculty of female rage: A series review

    She-Hulk smashes fourth walls, bad endings and toxic fanboys in its first season’s finale By: Sarah Grishpul SheHulk in the Marvel comics (Graphic by Sama Nemat Allah using imagery from @Gwendal via Flickr) Warning! The next paragraphs contain spoilers for the finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Proceed with caution. Alright, I guess I’ll be…

  • Review: Women contend with religious social control in Water and Women Talking

    Water and Women Talking explore how the individualization of faith threatens patriarchal norms  By: Rochelle Raveendran This article contains discussions of sexual assault, rape and organized religion. Faith is the supreme, paradoxical act of human imagination. On the fated intersections of gender, location, era and experience, faith saves from despair and leads to despair. Water…

  • Canada’s Drag Race is putting Canadian queens on the map

    True, north, strong and fierce!  By: Zoie Karagiannis (Ish Chopra/CanCulture) Canada’s Drag Race is a cultural phenomenon, and while it contains all the qualities you love from RuPaul’s Drag Race, it is branded specifically for a Canadian audience, putting a northern twist on a beloved franchise. RuPaul’s Drag Race is an incredibly important queer show…

  • LGBTQ+ characters that made queer history

    Canada still has a long way to go in terms of representation on screen, but these queer characters are walking media down the right track By: Rojhin Taebi D avid Rose from Schitt’s Creek quickly flourished into a icon for queer people everywhere (Graphic by Sama Nemat Allah) Queer communities have rarely had any solid…

  • Why is Anime so popular?

    How has the globalization of anime in Canada and across the globe changed the genre? And how has the genre changed us? By Alisha Shaikh Collage of characters from notable animes like Naruto, One-Punch Man and One Piece (Alisha Shaikh/CanCulture) Canada is ranked in the top ten countries with the highest anime popularity, having more…

  • Retro review: I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing

    An underrated gem in Canadian cinema  By: Aditi Roy Still from I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing The 1987 Canadian film I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is less of a film and more of an experience. This queer cinema gem is an uplifting story everyone should watch. The title of the film comes from T. S.…

  • Patrice Goodman on her career, life and the importance of representation

    The iconic Canadian actor speaks to CanCulture about her role in the new sitcom Overlord and the Underwoods By: Apurba Roy Toronto-born and York Region-raised Patrice Goodman is a Canadian actor, dancer, director, choreographer and teacher who’s been involved in practically every genre since she started performing in her late teens in dances and acting…

  • The fate of Toronto’s iconic convenience store

    Kim’s Convenience is up for sale By: Alisha Shaikh (JasonParis/Wikimedia Commons) Kim’s Convenience, the iconic store from the award-winning CBC sitcom of the same name, is up for sale. The real-life store that served as the exterior set for the show can now officially be bought for $200,000. Kim’s Convenience is a CBC TV sitcom…

  • Review: Turning Red

    Pixar’s first Canadian animated film set in Toronto! By: Mariana Schuetze Turning Red’s title card. Pixar’s newest animated film might be one of its best yet. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi, Turning Red brings its viewers into an animated version of Toronto and into the life of an Asian Canadian teen, Mei Lee, living…

  • The rise of video essays

    The future of pop culture commentary By: Aishah Ashraf (Szabo Viktor/ Unsplash) Video essays have become increasingly popular throughout the past decade as they offer deep-dive analyses of our favourite movies, television shows and other art forms. Whether it be a discussion of the plethora of Euphoria theories or the underlying meaning behind Midsommar (2019),…

  • Review: The Queen of Basketball — A basketball documentary about more than basketball

    The first woman drafted to the NBA tells her truly inspirational story By: Jillian Gonzales  The Queen of Basketball ‘s documentary thumbnail on YouTube. There is no getting around the fact that this year’s Academy Awards nominations are filled with exceptional films and talent, especially in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category. Within this category,…

  • What if it was ‘Emily in Canada’?

    The hit show “Emily In Paris” doesn’t quite capture Paris correctly, so let’s try Canada instead.  By: Talia Saley Although the Netflix show Emily in Paris has become viewers’ latest guilty pleasure, it has also stereotyped and offended several cultures.  Emily in Paris revolves around an American woman in her mid-20s who gets an opportunity…

  • Canadians earn major nominations at the 94th Academy Awards

    Canada continues to make its mark this awards season. By: John Vo (Abby Grant/CanCulture) The Academy Awards, also known as The Oscars, is one of the most esteemed awards shows that honours the achievements of filmmakers every year. For Canadian filmmakers and actors, these awards can jumpstart their careers. The nominations for this year’s ceremony…

  • Review: Therapy Dogs — Fact vs. fiction

    Do you dare to relieve high school with this student-made Canadian film?  By: Daniella Lopez Movie poster for Therapy Dogs (2022) If your best friend jumped off a bridge, would you too? In Therapy Dogs — which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January — the concept of reality and fiction frequently gets distorted…

  • Retro review: Enemy — When your worst nightmare looks like you

    The epitome of suspense with a Canadian touch By: Atiya Malik The use of spiders in a mystery or thriller film isn’t new, but in Enemy, renowned director Denis Villeneuve leaves his viewers disoriented long after they’ve seen the film.  Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian filmmaker who’s best known for directing Dune, one of…

  • Why fatphobia in film and TV has to stop

    The mistreatment and negative portrayal of fat people in film and television has been happening for years and needs to be called out.  By: Jillian Gonzales Content/Trigger Warning: Mentions of anti-fat stigma and body image (Donald Tong/Pexels) It is no question that film, television and popular culture have largely fuelled the toxic ideals society holds…

  • 10 Canadians who appeared on Saturday Night Live

    Dozens of Canada’s top entertainers have been on the show as hosts, cast members or musical guests.  By: Anastasia Blosser (Steven Dahlman/Wikimedia Commons) Since its first episode aired 47 seasons ago, Saturday Night Live has spent 90 minutes each week bringing comedy sketches to television. The skits often parody contemporary news, politics, and culture with…

  • A modern-day coping mechanism

    How films and TV shows help us cope with the stress and anxiety of life, inspire us, and help us find community By: Aditi Roy To cope with the substantial amount of pressure in our lives today, we find mechanisms that help us destress and relax. For many, this method is consuming content like films…

  • How Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings shifts the BIPOC representation game

    The future of BIPOC representation in the mainstream film and television landscape seems promising By: Kuwarjeet Singh Arora  (Abby Grant/CanCulture) It is no surprise that the movie theatre experience is a huge part of youth culture. However, film lovers and moviegoers missed out on that experience for months due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Running any…

  • Returning to the big screen is forever transformed due to COVID-19

    Theatres reopening after the pandemic sparked changes in the way people view movies. By: Aylia Naqvi (Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels) It is no surprise that the movie theatre experience is a huge part of youth culture. However, film lovers and moviegoers missed out on that experience for months due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Running any business during…

  • Dear Toronto venues, stop giving Dave Chappelle a platform

    There should be no tolerance for bigoted people in comedy and film By: John Vo Dave Chappelle at TIFF 2018 (John Bauld/Wikimedia Commons) You’ve probably heard at least one person say, “There are no boundaries for comedy,” especially if that person is known for liking or telling jokes founded on offensive stereotypes about minority groups.…

  • Films and TV shows shot in each Canadian province and territory

    Canada can be transformed into almost any other city — when filming, that is.  By: Daniella Lopez While most films and television shows take place in the United States, many are filmed and set in Canada. Whether it be for cheaper production costs, better scenery or historically accurate locations, here is a list of films…

  • Review: The authentic, three dimensional representation in ‘Never Have I Ever’

    The Netflix comedy-drama series, starring a young Canadian, takes a non-traditional approach to South Asian and teenage culture. By: Aru Kaul Just like the drinking game, the comedy-drama series Never Have I Ever is about making decisions. Some bad ones, some good ones, but all memorable ones. The show is the perfect blend of comedy…

  • Review: Dune – Directed with Canadian spice

    Canada’s own Denis Villeneuve attacks the legendary source material with his signature intellectual grandiosity By: Thomas Publow Logo for Dune Denis Villeneuve is a filmmaker that Canada holds dear. The French Canadian director is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award and has taken his talents all the way to an Academy Award nomination.…

  • Retro review: Black Christmas

    The Canadian cult-classic horror film that defined a genre By: Federico S. Gutierrez Don’t let the title mislead you, Black Christmas is not a merry movie. Quite the contrary. Here’s the disturbing tale of a psychotic killer hiding in the attic of a sorority house, tormenting the lives of the young women living there. It’s…