Jordan Firstman Comes in Hard with "I wanna see my friends dicks"
I know I've been taking some liberties with my Staff Picks lately, but as Exclaim!'s resident the Dare apologist, hear me out on this one
Sydney Brasil•Mar 14, 2025
film reviews Archive
Stylish Spy Thriller 'Black Bag' Doesn't Interrogate Its Own Iffy Script
In espionage circles, a "black bag" refers to a covert mission wherein an intelligence officer enters a structure — be it technological or
Marko Djurdjić•Mar 14, 2025'We Forgot to Break Up' Pens a Love Song for Toronto's Music Scene
Karen Knox's 'We Forgot to Break Up' is the whole package for followers of Toronto indie music. It chronicles the brief rise to fame of a
Lindsay Clarke•Mar 14, 2025cootie catcher Open Up the Future of Twee Pop on 'Shy at first'
Do you ever wish you could conjure up all that unshackled energy you had as a kid and experience life as an adult through that wide-eyed
Chris Gee•Mar 13, 2025Hannah Cohen Makes the Winding Road an Heirloom on "Dusty"
Every song I've heard from New York-based singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen's forthcoming fourth album 'Earthstar Mountain' has been good — and
Megan LaPierre•Mar 12, 2025'Opus' Is "Incredibly Fucking Middle"
The unsuspecting-group-arrives-at-a-remote-location-only-to-discover-not-all-is-what-it-seems trend has seen a steady rise over the past
Karlie Rogers•Mar 12, 2025Wolf Parade's 'Apologies to the Queen Mary' Toronto Anniversary Show Was a Coronation
Nothing about Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner suggests nostalgia. Throughout each of their multi-decade careers, the two musicians have jumped
Ian Gormely•Mar 12, 2025Car Seat Headrest Can Do Whatever the Fuck They Want on "Gethsemane"
Recently announced rock opera 'The Scholars' is Car Seat Headrest's first album in five years, and its lead single "Gethsamane" is a
Karlie Rogers•Mar 11, 2025'Can I Get a Witness?' Asks Intriguing Questions with Insubstantial Answers
Imagine a world where climate change crisis is no longer a concern and poverty has been eliminated around the globe. A world free of the
Courtney Small•Mar 11, 2025'Novocaine' Is Mind-Numbing
In Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's 'Novocaine,' a crew of gun-toting Bad Santas interrupts a budding workplace romance in a San Diego bank. When
Alexander Mooney•Mar 11, 2025'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' Shall Not Pass the Classic Trilogy
An anime adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's lore, based on an unnamed character and executive produced by Peter Jackson, 'The Lord of the Rings'
Lindsay Clarke•Mar 11, 2025clipping. Dial Up the Digital Squall of Y2K on 'Dead Channel Sky'
We live in an age where most information creeps along silently from cellphone to social media platform to laptop, invisibly arcing from
Eric Hill•Mar 10, 2025Lady Gaga Brought Peerless, Show-Stopping Spectacle to 'Saturday Night Live'
Lady Gaga was a dynamic, engaged host in the well-written sketches prepared for her, and her musical performances raised the bar high in
Vish Khanna•Mar 9, 2025Kraftwerk Merged Man and Machine in Toronto
Kraftwerk's influence on every kind of music is unparalleled. That's right: every kind of music. From electronic music to rock, hip-hop to
Marko Djurdjić•Mar 9, 2025Hot-Take Reactions to Lady Gaga's 'MAYHEM': Recession Pop 2.0 for Non-Corporate Pride 2025
Lady Gaga remains one of the most enduring, revolutionary pop stars of the 21st century, although her cultural impact in recent years has
Sydney Brasil , Allie Gregory , Megan LaPierre and Karlie Rogers•Mar 7, 2025Marie Davidson Humanizes Electronic Music on 'City of Clowns'
In this City of Clowns, Marie Davidson is the mayor, and her first decree is that dancing is mandatory. "I want your ass on the floor," she
Alex Hudson•Mar 7, 2025'Mickey 17' Is Expendable
In 'Mickey 17,' Bong Joon Ho's latest film, we see the acclaimed director return to the well-trodden thematic territory of how capitalism
Alexa Margorian•Mar 7, 2025Frog Eyes Lay It All Out on 'The Open Up'
The room feels alive on 'The Open Up,' the follow-up to 2022's 'The Bees' and Frog Eyes' 10th studio album. Not only is it alive, but you're
Megan LaPierre•Mar 7, 2025illuminati hotties' "777" Is a Slow-Motion Montage
For self-described "tender punk" peddler Sarah Tudzin a.k.a. illuminati hotties, the standalone single "777" represents a vibe shift. While
Alex Hudson•Mar 6, 2025'Night of the Zoopocalypse' Animates the Best of Canadiana
Documentary, comedy and horror tend to be the three tenants of Canada's contribution to cinema, and for good reason — Allan King, SCTV, the
Rachel Ho•Mar 6, 2025Casper Skulls' "Dying in Eight Verses" Reflects on Generational Cycles of Rock
Casper Skulls have released a few songs from their upcoming album 'Kit-Cat,' and I'm enjoying how completely out of step they sound with
Alex Hudson•Mar 5, 2025Marvel Regains Its Superpowers in 'Daredevil: Born Again'
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in its flop era since 2021, having taken a turn around the disappointment of 'Eternals.' That's not a
Alex Hudson•Mar 5, 2025'Riff Raff' Is a TIFF Laff
'Riff Raff' is a masterwork of typecasting: there's Jennifer Coolidge as a sloppy drunk, Ed Harris as a gruff patriarch who balances caring
Alex Hudson•Mar 4, 2025Silly Stu's "McDonald's in the Pentagon" Is a Brainrot Happy Meal
Working hybrid means I naturally spend a lot of afternoons singing whatever song is stuck in my head to my cat, Monty, changing certain
Sydney Brasil•Mar 3, 2025Jason Isbell's Songwriting Returns Home on 'Foxes in the Snow'
It's a tale as old as time: a man and his guitar. To be specific, a mahogany Martin 0-17 acoustic from 1940. This is the chosen instrument
Dylan Barnabe•Mar 3, 2025Panda Bear Wants It Darker on 'Sinister Gift'
Panda Bear's 2007 masterpiece 'Person Pitch' is on my desert island list of all-time favourite albums, and while I doubt 'Sinister Grift'
Alex Hudson•Mar 3, 2025Even Mike Myers Couldn't Save 'SNL' from Shane Gillis's Disastrous Monologue
On by far the weakest 'Saturday Night Live' episode of season 50 (and after more than a month off, so they could prepare for the 50th
Vish Khanna•Mar 2, 2025Djo's "Delete Ya" Is a Replay-Button Smash
"Then there's a lyric that, in context, stings," sings Joe Keery — a.k.a. Djo — as he reflects on visiting an old apartment in a city he no
Megan LaPierre•Feb 28, 2025cootie catcher Make Smart Indie Pop with "Dumb lit"
When talking about music with friends, I've begun hyping up cootie catcher as Toronto's next trendy indie rock band, and the new single
Alex Hudson•Feb 28, 2025'Last Breath' Doesn't Dive Deep Enough
In the filmmaking world, truth is often stranger — and far more gripping — than fiction. The 2019 critically-acclaimed documentary, 'Last
Victor Stiff•Feb 28, 2025Mindy Kaling's 'Running Point' Follows a Familiar Playbook
'Running Point' is Mindy Kaling's second Netflix series, following the hit 'Never Have I Ever.' Whereas the latter focused on a teenager's
Jericho Tadeo•Feb 27, 2025'Who by Fire' Exceeds Expectations in a Canadian Shield Cabin
In 'Who by Fire (Comme le feu),' Jeff (Noah Parker), a young man and aspiring filmmaker, accompanies his best friend Max's (Antoine
Alexa Margorian•Feb 26, 2025Jenny Hval Is in Full Bloom on "To be a rose"
The opening verse of Jenny Hval's "To be a rose" wafts like cigarette smoke and floral fragrance, drifting ephemerally on a cloud of
Alex Hudson•Feb 26, 2025'Zero Day' Crashes in Spite of Its Cast
'Zero Day' proves that even a stacked cast of incredibly talented actors save a series from a convoluted, messy plot. A politically charged
Marriska Fernandes•Feb 24, 2025Father John Misty Gazed into the Void in Toronto
Father John Misty was way ahead of the curve in articulating the modern sense of despair. For more than a decade, he's been mingling
Alex Hudson•Feb 22, 2025Drake Does Mildly Successful Damage Control on '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U'
"Drake elimination, fake intimidation / Take a minute, take a deep breath, have a little bit of patience / 'Drizzy, you amazin', you the
Alex Hudson•Feb 21, 2025Nemahsis Triumphantly Overcame the Flu at Heartfelt Toronto Show
Record-high levels of snow couldn't stop Torontonians from descending upon the Danforth Music Hall to see Nemahsis in concert. Last night
Ozioma Nwabuikwu•Feb 20, 2025Father John Misty's 'I Love You, Honeybear Demos, etc.' Feels Like Real Love, Baby
'I Love You, Honeybear' is Father John Misty's biggest and best album — but "Real Love Baby" is his biggest single, and the newly released
Alex Hudson•Feb 20, 2025'My Dead Friend Zoe' Hits Like a Ton of Bricks
While writer and director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes was fortunate to return home after serving in the United States Army in Iraq, not everyone
Matthew Simpson •Feb 20, 2025Silverstein Continue to Up the Ante with 'Antibloom'
In the mid-2000s, Burlington, ON-born post-hardcore heavyweights Silverstein often took hits from heavy music fans for being sweeter than
Anthony Boire•Feb 20, 2025'Parthenope' Is Suffering
As 2022 became 2023, I found myself at an all-inclusive resort on the cusp of a depressive episode whose primary cause, I later realized
Alexa Margorian•Feb 19, 2025Youth Lagoon Melds Memory and Make-Believe on 'Rarely Do I Dream'
As a child, when the cable bill went unpaid, my mom would dig out the VHS tapes — 'Forrest Gump', 'City Slickers,' every pre-Y2K Disney
Kyle Kohner•Feb 19, 2025Pixar's 'Win or Lose' Does Both
Rather surprisingly, 'Win or Lose' marks Pixar's first original series, and unsurprisingly, the animation house has created a show filled
Rachel Ho•Feb 19, 2025'The Monkey' Kills to the Beat of its Own Drum
After becoming a household name among both horror and movie fanatics alike after 2024's 'Longlegs,' Osgood Perkins continues his killing
Karlie Rogers•Feb 19, 2025Avalon Emerson's "Don't Be Seen with Me" Is a Ravey Daydream
A couple years ago, my wife and I were obsessed with Avalon Emerson's dream pop album '& the Charm,' so we bought tickets to her Toronto
Alex Hudson•Feb 18, 2025Mereba's 'The Breeze Grew a Fire' Is a Breath of Fresh Air
Singer-songwriter, producer and rapper Mereba's idiosyncratic, vibe-y songs often have a breezy quality to them, so it's quite fitting that
Megan LaPierre•Feb 18, 2025Art d'Ecco's 'Serene Demon' Is a Masterclass in Juxtaposition
For someone with a vision as strong as Art d'Ecco's, any stray from form can be seen as somewhat of a departure. This feels true of
Sydney Brasil•Feb 14, 2025'Captain America: Brave New World' Has Five Writers and It Shows
It seems unfair that one movie has to carry the weight of a whole studio on its back, but things haven't been going so great for Marvel
Ian Gormely•Feb 13, 2025'The Gorge' Is Promising but Empty
Unique ideas are hard to come by, and while 'The Gorge' begins strong with a great concept, it falls apart in the back half. In the earliest
Matthew Simpson •Feb 13, 2025‘Paddington in Peru’ Fails to Live Up to Its Predecessors
Threequels, ugh. Sometimes, they become timeless classics — much beloved and endlessly rewatchable — others serve as the black sheep of the
Marko Djurdjić•Feb 13, 2025