So it turns out I like side projects. Maybe it’s that I never quite lost the freelancer’s reflex to have more than one gig going on; maybe it’s just that, for all my delight at joining TIFF and doing something new, I miss writing. And, okay, I guess also miss being able to respond enthusiastically when an announcement of a new special edition lands in my inbox.

So as of this week, I’m launching a damn newsletter. It’s called Shiny Things, and every week I’ll write about the physical media releases you need to see, and maybe also some culture stuff and probably the odd streaming show too. It’s not free — I can’t quite justify that — but at five bucks a month and a weekly-or-better publication schedule, I think you’ll find it worth your while.

But if you’d rather enjoy me for no financial commitment, this week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie is right here! I talk to Rong Fu, who’s recently appeared in Pretty Hard Cases and Hello (Again) and who now turns up on the bridge of the dang Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, about our shared love of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vol. 1, and the significance of Lucy Liu’s O-Ren Ishii in her emotional and creative development. And also how much damn fun it is.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever and get it instantly, or download the episode directly from the web. And please, take a moment to check out Shiny Things; if you enjoy this blog, you’ll definitely enjoy the newsletter. First post’s free! I watched all five seasons of The Wire, I learned a few things.

This is the first time in maybe 30 years that I haven’t covered Hot Docs, and it’s weird to know that so much is going on in the city (and online) without me. It’s the first real sign that the new job marks a proper life change. Like I said: Weird.

But I can still connect with the festival in this week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie, where Framing Agnes director Chase Joynt joins me to dig into Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 watershed indie The Watermelon Woman, a film that predicted the conversations we’d be having on race, sexuality, privilege and representation a full quarter-century ago. Or maybe it was just as on-point then, and I just didn’t notice it. (The latter is probably the case, if I’m being honest.)

Anyway, it’s a very lively conversation with an absolutely brilliant guest, and I’m delighted that we were able to make it happen. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever and get it instantly, or download the episode directly from the web and ride along with us at your convenience. And then check out Framing Agnes if you’re able; it’s got even more to say about the way we live now.

On this week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie, I’m joined by the very talented writer, producer and performer Stephanie Kaliner, whom I first met a few years back when she and Sara Hennessey brought Terrific Women to CBC Gem, and whose delightful new animated series Pinecone & Pony just dropped on Apple TV+.

And what did we talk about? Moana, the 2016 animated musical adventure that brought together Lin-Manuel Miranda, Taika Waititi, The Rock and the directors of The Little Mermaid … and turned out to be one of Disney’s best pictures in years. Seriously, it totally holds up even if I’m not 100% on the giant singing crab; I’m much more partial to the idiot rooster.

Want to hear us discuss all of the above points? It’s easy! Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever and get it instantly, or download the episode directly from the web. It’s a fun one. And really, what else were you going to do today?

Wednesday is National Canadian Film Day, so this week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie features a Canadian filmmaker talking about a movie that may not have maple syrup in its veins, but definitely has Timbit crumbs on its shirt.

That’d be Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, the Oscar-winning 1997 indie that substituted classrooms at U of T and Central Tech for Harvard, and even shot its most famous scene in a Toronto bar. And its influence on Michael’s own work is pretty clear — Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s screenplay taught him that earnestness is a good thing, if you can bring the audience along — so it totally earns its honourary Leafs jersey.

Also, it’s a solid drama with excellent performances all around, and one that holds up surprisingly well a quarter of a century later. (Yes, it’s been 25 years since Good Will Hunting came out. Try not to feel old.)

You should listen, is what I’m saying.  Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever and get it instantly, or download it directly from the web.

And like some apples, would ya? They’re wicked good for you.

I was worried this week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie would be too grim, as we’re tackling a film in which someone suffers the worst losses imagiinable. But I’d forgotten that Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine is as much about hope — however misplaced that hope may be — as it is about despair.

Fortunately, Martin Edralin was all over that aspect of it, pointing out that Lee balances the spiral of Jeon Yo-deon’s miserable Shin-ae with the boundless optimism of Song Kang-ho’s Mr. Kim, whose awkward grace may or may not be the thing she needs to pull her out of her personal abyss. 

Martin’s own film Islands presents a similar dynamic in its story of a middle-aged man left rootless by a life devoted to his parents; you can see exactly how that plays out if you drop by the Lightbox tonight through Thursday, where Islands is playing in an exclusive run. (If you catch tonight’s show, Martin will be there for a Q&A with producer Priscilla Galvez and co-star Esteban Comelang.)

Listen to the episode, and you’ll get a sense of what he does. Subscribe at all the usual spots — Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher — and get it instantly, or download it directly from the web. It’s a good one, I promise.

Well, that was a hell of a ride.

I never thought I’d be name-checked in BlogTO and POV on the same day — well, ever — but that happened on Friday, along with the general outpouring of support for my departure from NOW and congratulations on the new gig at TIFF.

I’m genuinely touched by it all, and more than a little overwhelmed, and more than anything it makes me feel like I made the right choice.

And as I promised, Someone Else’s Movie isn’t going anywhere; this week’s episode dropped right on schedule, and it’s filled with pure joy as Kristin Booth steps up for Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride, a movie that is just as charming, sweet and weird as it was when we first encountered it 35 years ago.

Which, amazingly enough, was right around the time I started reviewing movies in newspapers, bringing everything full circle. Sometimes things just line up, you know?

Anyway, give it a listen. You can subscribe at all the usual spots — Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher — or download it directly from the web. Kristin’s great and the movie’s a delight. Take some time to feel good this week.

In case you didn’t see the Twitter thread yesterday, I’ve left NOW Magazine.

It’s okay! Honest! After fourteen years at the paper, and almost three and a half decades in journalism, it was time for a change, and an opportunity came along that I just couldn’t refuse.

As of this week, I’m joining TIFF as a programmer, working year-round to curate their digital platform — though I’ll also be involved with some in-person stuff at the Lightbox as well, not limited to my duties as co-host of the Secret Movie Club. (Tickets for next season on sale soon! Don’t miss out!)

I will continue to produce and host Someone Else’s Movie, because there’s no way I’d ever give up a project as fulfilling as that — and as it happens, the last couple of episodes cross over with my final episode of NOW What, in which I join Rad to chat with Nathalie Younglai, Alex Mallari, Jr., and Rong Fu about the show’s genesis, production and relevance.

It’s on your podcast platform of choice, and right here. Enjoy it! It’s nice to enjoy things!

There’s only one episode of Someone Else’s Movie this week — I have stuff to do! — but that’s okay, because it’s a good one: Alex Mallari, Jr., star of the charming CBC Gem series Hello (Again), joins me to talk about his love of Remember the Titans, the 2000  Disney movie where Denzel Washington and Will Patton solve systemic racism with high-school football.

Okay, it’s a little deeper than its concept, thanks to a raft of terrific actors able to sell unapologetically corny material and director Boaz Yakin’s gift for getting out of their way. The needle drops are a bit much, but if that’s the worst thing you can say about a studio sports picture more than two decades later … well, that’s not bad at all.

Check it out! It’s in all the usual spots — Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher — and available for direct download right here. And check back later this week for another Hello (Again) podcast, and some personal news.

Don’t worry, everything’s okay. Better than okay, really. You’ll see.

I know, I know: What’s with all the Friday bonus episodes of Someone Else’s Movie? Well, I had most of this month off and there were a lot of very talented people making things, so here we are.

Today, it’s Nathalie Younglai, a writer and producer you may know from shows like Coroner and Ruby and the Well; she’s also the co-creator, co-writer and executive producer of Hello (Again), a really charming web series that drops in its entirety on CBC Gem today.

It stars Alex Mallari Jr. — whom you may have noticed earlier this month smacking Ryan Reynolds upside the head in The Adam Project or working through a tragedy as a free climber in Transplant — as a cook who’s given the opportunity to fix the relationships he’s neglected in his life after an encounter with a weird little girl. It’s sweet and moving, and as time-loop comedies go it’s awfully smart. Take a look.

Nathalie picked another tale of supernatural complication: Turning Red, Domee Shi’s delightful Pixar feature about Mei Ling, a confident, mildly goofy 13-year-old girl whose life is derailed by the  discovery that she poofs into a giant red panda whenever she gets overly emotional. Nathalie gets into that metaphor, and a few other things, in a really delightful conversation. So join us!

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher and get the episode immediately, or download it directly from the web. And enjoy it!

Sorry about all the local references, but you know how Toronto people get when we see ourselves on screen. Even when we’re rendered as kaiju pandas. Maybe especially then.

Oh, crap, I almost forgot: This Sunday is the last Secret Movie Club of the season! So if you want to come down to the Lightbox and see what will absolutely be one of the most talked-about pictures of 2022 … well, you should do that. Show starts at 10 am! Tickets are still available, somehow! Say hi when you see me!

Don’t worry about Thyrone Tommy looking all serious in his publicity photo; his episode of Someone Else’s Movie is loose, light and funny, as you’ll discover today.

Thyrone — whose Learn to Swim was one of my favorite discoveries at TIFF last year — wanted to talk about Ghost, the Swayze/Demi/Whoopi supernatural romance/comedy/thriller that conquered the box-office in 1990, won a couple of Oscars and now feels like the last gasp of weird-ass studio pictures that managed to connect with everybody in the room despite being almost impossible to describe with a straight face. But somehow, Jerry Zucker — the Naked Gun guy! — made it work.

You probably haven’t thought about Ghost in a long time. Thyrone would like that to change. And you know how to make it happen: Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher and get the episode immediately, or download it directly from the web.

And enjoy the bonus Titanic and All About Eve content, that’s our gift to you.  Fun fact: If you’d like to hear more about those movies, Harvey Guillen’s Titanic episode is waiting for you right here on the feed, while Natalie Merchant’s episode on All About Eve is part of the SEMCAST YEAR ONE package, available with 51 other early episodes for just twenty Canadian dollars. Trust me, it’s worth it.