“War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.” That’s where Raoul Peck’s Orwell: 2+2=5 begins, superimposing Orwell’s familiar doublethink over footage that could have been pulled from this morning’s news: burning cities, campaign rallies, surveillance states, and twisted language. There is no shortage of films trying to warn us about the state of the world. But Peck’s entry may somehow be louder, denser, and more crowded than most. He packs in crisis after crisis like a 2hr greatest-hits reel of global authoritarianism, each scene driving home the world George Orwell (narrated by Damien Lewis) warned us of is now the world…
Author: Marie Nicola
Palestine 36 premiered as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival and is now the official Palestinian submission to the Academy Awards. Set in 1936, director Annemarie Jacir’s fourth feature looks at the year that led into the Arab Revolt, when Palestinians were still trying to negotiate their future without realizing they were being written out of it. The result is a period drama that feels both vividly historical and eerily current, as the world once again turns its gaze toward the Middle East at another turning point in its history. Jacir, known for emotionally resonant films rooted…
Bar Ocelli- Ottawa 17 William Street, Ottawa • ByWard Market • Visited May 2025 Need to Know Neighbourhood: ByWard Market Price: $$$ Must Try Cocktail: Pomme et Poire Galette Open: Mon-Tues, Closed; Wed-Sun, 5pm-1am Instagram: @bar_ocelli Some bars are built for flash. Bar Ocelli is built for cocktail lovers. Located just off the main strip in Ottawa’s ByWard Market. Past the shouting patios and souvenir maple syrup. There’s no sandwich boards. No kitsch. It doesn’t lure you in with neon or noise Just a brick front, moody windows, and a door you almost walk past. Inside, it’s dim bordering on dark, with…
Ember Live Fire Kitchen – Ottawa 92 Clarence Street, Ottawa • ByWard Market • Visited May 2025 Need to Know Location: 92 Clarence St, Ottawa Price: $$ Must Try Cocktail: Dirty Dill Martini Must Try Dish: Woodfired Beef Cheek Pizza Open: Mon-Thurs, 4pm–12am; Fri, 4pm-1am; Sat-Sun 12pm-1am Instagram: @emberottawa Ember is fire – literally. Sitting in the heart of Canada’s capital, this ByWard Market hotspot is all about live-fire cooking, and the results are charred perfection. The Origin Cody Nicoll and Kyle Wilson – co-founders and longtime collaborators – had already worked together in three Ottawa kitchens before life pulled…
It’s easy to think of Ottawa as all politics and polite small talk – but for a summer weekend roadtrip, it’s the perfect combination of history, food and beautiful scenery. This is our self-guided walking tour that is the companion to Day 3 of our Ultimate Weekend Guide to Ottawa: Museums, Dining, and Nightlife The tour kicks off at the Lord Elgin Hotel and winds through the capital’s most iconic landmarks, hidden gems, and snack-worthy stops. You’ll stroll past Gothic cathedrals, whisper secrets at Parliament Hill, snap pics with a giant spider, and refuel with tacos, gelato, and scones along the…
Planning a weekend getaway to Ottawa might not have been at the top of your todo list, but this year, supporting local and keeping those dollars in Canada is the vibe. We’re kicking off this very helpful series, with a roadtrip to the nation’s capital, the 613 original – Ottawa. Our ultimate guide covers everything you need to know for a perfect weekend in Canada’s capital city. Day 1, we made it a museum heavy trip with the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canada Science and Technology Museum, balanced with dining at the highly recommended Ember restaurant before…
Joan Jett and Billy Idol first crossed paths in 1978, somewhere between a Germs gig and the Whiskey A Go Go – back when punk was still chewing through the walls of the Sunset Strip and neither of them had a video on MTV, let alone a platinum record. Nearly five decades later, they finally shared a stage as co-headliners, and the result was something more than a nostalgia trip. It was a reunion. A reckoning. A reminder that legacy doesn’t mean looking back – it means showing up. And, we showed up. Even if it meant were singing along…
Have you ever dreamed of a day where the journey will be prolonged, the stops at rest stops just a little bit longer and you descend into panic when there is 30% of your tank remaining? Then the KIA EV9 may be the vehicle for you. This is KIA’s addition to their lineup that represents the brand’s foray into electric vehicles. The EV9 truly does bring a luxurious, high-performance electric SUV to market that doesn’t compromise on space or comfort. It’s great that Kia is not only expanding its electric vehicle portfolio but also setting new standards for what consumers…
TIFF 2024 opened not with a glamorous party, but with my tears shed on the floor of a condo showroom, a stark contrast to the festival’s usual opulent reputation. Here, surrounded by the remains of what was once the most exclusive gifting lounge of seasons past is now a relict, with little more to offer than cotton candy flavoured water, a sign up sheet for the false promise of an IV Vitamin drip service that would never hit the inbox and a mid-range women’s clothing retailer fat shaming me in the nucleus of yet-to-be-released size 6 smart casual clothing. The…
When you’ve got a movie starring Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, and Pete Davidson, you expect a bit more than a slow burning film that ultimately offers little reward for the viewer’s patience. The ensemble delivers as promised bringing their signature styles to the screen, so fans shouldn’t feel too bad that the plot is pretty one-note. Riff Raff, is a dark crime comedy about a messy family reunion that spirals into chaos as the patriarch’s shady past catches up with him. In the snowy hills of a Maine vacation home during the holidays. Vincent (Ed Harris),…
Toronto International Film Festival may have ended in the fall but now is the perfect time to add these films to your list. We’ve highlighted below our most addicting picks for films you won’t want to miss. They’re some of the best films screened at the festival this year and include some cult classics, some box office bangers and some inspirational tear jerkers. Almost all will hit theatres this season with a few released in early 2025. So bookmark this page and be sure to give all the films a watch. Mr. K “Mr. K” is a confounding yet weirdly…
There is nothing more captivating than Pamela Anderson’s standout performance in The Last Showgirl. Through the lens of Gia Coppola atmospheric ode to aging femininity in the City of Lights, Anderson delivers a refreshingly raw and heartfelt portrayal of Shelley, a Vegas showgirl in the twilight of career, grappling with the closure of her long-running show and the personal demons that come with it. After the premier at the Toronto International Film Festival premier, the cast emerged, greeted by thunderous applause, for the post screening Q&A, where Anderson shared, “I think I’ve been getting ready my whole life for this role,”…
Formulaic may not be the best way to describe Emilia Pérez. It’s a deeply unpredictable cocktail of social commentary, crime drama, and musical. It follows a Mexican crime boss who dreams of escaping the cartel and his assigned gender – but the one thing he can’t escape is the women in his orbit. And, as confusing as that may sound – it’s actually pretty great. With a stellar cast featuring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez is yet another Jacques Audiard film that explores themes of identity, transformation, and redemption, however this time it is through song. A…
There is a type of suppressed rage women are conditioned to internalize in order to be successful in society – Nightbitch uncaps that rage and builds an entire film around it. Validating and cathartic, the film explores the inequity of womanhood and motherhood. The story centers around a former artist (Amy Adams) turned stay-at-home mom who begins to believe she is turning into a dog. This bizarre premise serves as a metaphor for the primal and often suppressed instincts that motherhood can awaken. Directed by Marielle Heller and starring Amy Adams, I left the theatre unsure if I wanted to…