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The Latest Articles and Appearances from Rachel Ho

Exclaim! •

'The Stunt Driver' Is the Perfect Vessel for Canada: "Identity Is a Powerful Motivator," Says Jay Baruchel │ Exclaim!

Director Michael Dowse had the seed for The Stunt Driver planted about 12 years ago, when a friend turned him on to the National Film Board's documentary The Devil at Your Heels. It was a simpler time, when the need for phrases like "Canada down" and "elbows up" wasn't apparent just yet.By the time production on the film began in Quebec last year, however, Jay Baruchel's run-through-a-brick-wall monologue as titular stunt driver Ken Carter — which ends with him declaring Canada to be "God's coun...
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Season 2 Finds 'The Paper' Coming Into Its Own as a Worthy Sequel to 'The Office' │ Exclaim!

Being a spin-off to a mega-success like The Office meant it was always going to be an uphill battle for The Paper to find its own voice and humour. While its sophomore season still finds them searching for that voice, it's clear they're well on their way.Season 1 of The Paper saw the film crew who documented Dunder Mifflin's antics in Scranton, PA, move to Toledo, OH. They introduced us to the ragtag team behind a local newspaper hanging on by a thread, the Toledo Truth Teller (or TTT for short)...
The Globe and Mail •

The Stunt Driver delivers a wild Mad Canadian epic for our Elbows Up era

Written and directed by Michael Dowse

Starring Jay Baruchel, Ed Helms and Laurence Leboeuf

Rating 14A

Run time 99 mins

Release date Sept. 25

Critic’s Pick

It would have been easy to take a person as colourful as Canadian stunt driver Ken Carter and turn him into a caricature; something along the lines of an Adam McKay-Ricky Bobby number. But in making The Stunt Driver, writer-director Michael Dowse understands that the appeal of Carter’s story is his determination to chase the impossible d...
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'Primetime' Is Sensational Sensationalism │ Exclaim!

With documentarian Lance Oppenheim, a singular filmmaker with an aptitude for the heightened, behind the director's chair and Robert Pattinson, an actor known for taking on wonderfully weird roles, as lead, Primetime was always destined to be a wild ride. Even with such expectations though, Oppenheim's narrative film debut about Chris Hansen and his quest for glory is even weirder and wilder than we could have imagined.For those too young to recall, there was a time when Hansen and his hidden ca...
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The Best and Worst Films We Saw at TIFF 2026 │ Exclaim!

In its 51st edition, the Toronto International Film Festival brought us wild horses, stunt drivers, trash mountains and a reason to re-watch Rocky (as if we needed one). All of a sudden, we're finding possible love and pickpockets in New York while drifting through fjords as Blue Jays' manager John Schneider discovers that Moroccan techno-thrillers can be so fucking heartwarming.This year, La bola negra took home the coveted People's Choice Award, while Elsinore was the International People's Ch...
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TIFF 2026: 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem' Is a Resonant Historical Document │ Exclaim!

Once Upon a Time in Harlem affords us the position of a fly on the wall at a once-in-a-lifetime gathering.The documentary was originally conceived in 1972 by William Greaves, a director and actor who found his footing as a documentarian during the civil rights movement in the United States. William invited surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance to a party at Duke Ellington's townhouse in Harlem, where they smoked, drank, traded memories, gossiped and shared some laughs. He captured the enti...
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TIFF 2026: 'Possible Love' Offers Profound Class Commentary │ Exclaim!

Here's a hot take: Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love explores the socioeconomic class disparity in present-day South Korea better than Bong Joon-ho's Academy Award-winning Parasite.Coincidentally, Cho Yeo-jeong is present in both films, playing the matriarch of the wealthy Park family in Parasite, and in Possible Love playing Ye-ji, a documentarian who befriends Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), a subject in Ye-ji's latest film about labour issues in South Korea, in particular corporate restructuring trigging...
The Globe and Mail •

How Denis Villeneuve and TIFF show up for each other, again and again

As the 51st Toronto International Film Festival takes over the city Sept. 10-20, this series of articles examines some of the Canadian directors whose lives and careers have been shaped by TIFF.

Not since James Cameron has a Canadian director found as much continuous mainstream success in Hollywood as Denis Villeneuve.

Born in Gentilly, Que., a village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, Villeneuve cut his teeth with some of the most acclaimed Canadian indies this side of the new mil...
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September 2026's Streaming Highlights Bring Fast Thrills and 'Slow Horses' │ Exclaim!

Action is the name of the game this month, and some big names come to play: De Niro, Keaton, Ritchie, Oldman — and then there's Gal Gadot doing her very best to fill the Nile with her so-called acting chops.With summer unofficially over and cooler days ahead, what could be better than sinking into some high-octane hustle and bustle? A couple of series return with same-but-different sophomore seasons that improve upon the initial foundations laid, while Guy Ritchie succeeds and fails with two vas...
Exclaim! •

TIFF 2026: 'Elsinore' Is Infinite in Faculties, in Form and Moving │ Exclaim!

Andrew Scott has given a number of memorable performances throughout his career, but his portrayal of Scottish actor Ian Charleson transcends them all — a tall order for an actor with Scott's filmography.Elsinore captures the leadup to Charleson's second run of Hamlet at the National Theatre in London, a pivotal moment in the final chapter of his life. It's 1989 and Daniel Day-Lewis has infamously walked off the stage mid-performance, leaving director Richard Eyre (Johnny Flynn) scrambling to fi...
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TIFF 2026: 'Love of Your Life' Awkwardly Makes COVID a Plot Twist │ Exclaim!

It's been a minute since we've seen an epic romance on the big screen, and given the state of the world, we could absolutely use one right about now. Love of Your Life positions itself as something to fill that void, a story about how love can defy life's expectations, how the loss of that love can leave you in emotional stasis, and how a new, different love can be the remedy to said stasis.But in spite of this captivating premise and strong performances to see it through, Love of Your Life is a...
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TIFF 2026: 'I Play Rocky' Is a KO │ Exclaim!

I Play Rocky is easily the most crowd-pleasing film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. An underdog story where we all know the outcome — both for the film and its screenwriter and lead actor — Peter Farrelly expertly plays to the audience's knowledge to make us laugh, holler and cheer at exactly the right moments.The film takes us through the seemingly impossible task of making Sylvester Stallone a leading man. When we first meet Sly, played by newcomer Anthony Ippolito, he's in...
The Globe and Mail •

Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe lean on old-fashioned Hollywood thrills in The Weight

Directed by Padraic McKinley

Written by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines

Starring Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe and Sam Hazeldine

Rating 14A

Run time 112 minutes

Release date Sept. 18

Critic’s Pick

Since its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, Padraic McKinley’s The Weight has earned favourable comparisons to other wilderness survival films, including William Friedkin’s 1977 retroactive hit Sorcerer and, to a lesser extent, Deliverance, John Boorman’s hit from 1972.

While shared gen...
Exclaim! •

TIFF 2026: Chris Rock Shows His Depth with 'Misty Green' │ Exclaim!

Chris Rock's progression as a director has seen him go from the comforts of the broad comedy, like Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife, to more serious, meditative fare where he has found a much firmer footing, such as Top Five and now Misty Green.Similar to Top Five, Rock's latest navigates the less-than-savoury side of Hollywood, this time setting his sights on the business of acting. Misty Green (Rosalind Eleazar) is an Emmy Award-winning actor on the decline, professionally and personal...
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TIFF 2026: 'Wild Wild East' Is a Fresh WWII Story │ Exclaim!

With a screenplay by Aleksandra Takuska, director Jan Holoubek searches across a multitude of genres to find a seemingly straightforward mystery treasure hunt set in Poland during the Second World War. While the different styles of Wild Wild East create an interesting viewing experience, it proves to be one too many at times, hampering an otherwise fascinating side quest in the bleakest of times.An affecting Itay Tiran leads the film as Martin Wolff, a German clerk sent to a small Polish village...
The Globe and Mail •

From scandal to celebration: David Cronenberg’s evolving legacy at TIFF

As the 51st Toronto International Film Festival takes over the city Sept. 10-20, this series of articles examines some of the Canadian directors whose lives and careers have been shaped by TIFF.

When David Cronenberg’s 1988 film Dead Ringers had its world premiere at TIFF to open the festival, it sparked a “classic festival scandal,” says current TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, who was a film critic at the time.

Bailey points out that in 1988, Cronenberg was not yet “fully canonized” as one of the co...
Exclaim! •

TIFF 2026: 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney' Is an Inside Joke for Canadians │ Exclaim!

Anyone who says Canada's political history is boring can now be happily pointed towards Matthew Rankin's Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, a gonzo documentary that leans hard on the gonzo.As per the title, the film focuses on the ascent of Brian Mulroney from labour lawyer to Canada's 18th prime minister, and the first Tory to give the Conservatives a majority government in 26 years. While Rankin studiously takes us through an assortment of Conservative leadership races, debates, by-election...
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TIFF 2026: 'In the Heart of the South' Is the Work of an Auteur │ Exclaim!

Where Nyla Innuksuk's feature debut Slash/Back brought genre filmmaking to the North with a refreshing air of creativity, her sophomore effort brings the North to Toronto with a devastating psychological thriller that bends minds and perceptions.In the Heart of the South reunites North of North co-stars Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq in an entirely different environment with an entirely different relationship to that of Siaja and Millie. Playing childhood friends from Nunavut, Lambe's Yura moves to...
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TIFF 2026: 'Fjord' Thrives in Ambiguity │ Exclaim!

Cristian Mungiu's Fjord presents an interesting question in a world where liberal and conservative values have construction firm boundaries: to what end should freedom be afforded to us?Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve play the parents of the Gheorghiu family, both turning in powerful performances. Stan's Mihai met Reinsve's Lisbet in his home country of Romania where his soon-to-be Norwegian wife was visiting, and the two got married, had five children and are raising them in a strict, traditi...
CBC Podcasts: Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud •

The Unlikely Indie Film Taking the Box Office by Storm

A new indie film out of mainland China is set to take the world by storm. Dear You is a family drama about a young man from China who travels to Thailand to find his grandfather, and uncovers a family secret he never expected. Film critic Rachel Ho joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to review the Teochew-language film and talk about its surprise success at the box office.

Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant chat conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts and entertainment stories of the day.
Exclaim! •

'Runner' Earns a "Fuck Yeah" │ Exclaim!

I love high-brow cinema as much as the next person, but when the dictionary definition of "Runner" popped up onto the big screen, followed by "Brisbane, Australia" in red-and-yellow Mission: Impossible-esque font, and then Alan Ritchson's massive back appeared with an equally massive scar indicating a healed gunshot wound, I was locked in for Runner.Those quiet opening moments equip the audience for every expectation needed. This is not a film that will require hours of spirited debate afterward...
The Globe and Mail •

Practical Magic 2 is double, double toil and trouble

Practical Magic 2

Directed by Susanne Bier

Written by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel

Starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Lee Pace

Classification PG; 130 mins

Opens in theatres Sept. 11

Visit Salem, Mass., at any given time of the year these days and you’ll be met with a Disney-fied, witchcrafted New England city. Souvenir shops, haunted tour offerings and a variety of haphazardly curated museums dedicated to the Witch Trials overwhelm the main street and downtown...
The Globe and Mail •

Inside Ridley Scott, there are two wolves, but neither really shows up for The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Mark L. Smith

Starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley

Classification 14A; 118 minutes

Opens in theatres Aug. 28

The man who directed 1982’s Blade Runner would be the perfect candidate to adapt Peter Heller’s popular postapocalyptic novel The Dog Stars for the big screen. A story that offers a different approach to the genre by focusing on introspection requires the same meditative hand that brought Philip K. Dick’s ideas to...
Exclaim! •

Five Must-See Movies at the 2026 Ottawa International Animation Festival │ Exclaim!

The Ottawa International Animation Festival returns to our nation's capital for its milestone 50th anniversary this September. Across five days, OIAF presents screenings, workshops and talks celebrating the best animation has to offer.From September 23 to 27, the ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Club SAW, Strathcona Park, the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada and the Ottawa Art Gallery will all play host, welcoming artists, industry insiders and animation connoisseurs from across C...
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