By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Chandler Levack’s hotly-anticipated second feature takes place in 2011 and follows young female music critic Grace (Barbie Ferreira), who moves to Montreal to figure out life and love. 

After leaving her job at a magazine in Toronto, Grace moves into a shared apartment in Montreal that she found on Craigslist. It’s there that she should devote herself to finishing the next great book in the 33 1/3 album exploration series that she’s already been paid an advance on. Hers will be on the iconic Alanis Morissette opus Jagged Little Pill. However, like many in their early 20s…life gets in the way.

Just like with Lawrence in I Like Movies, Grace makes a lot of bad choices. Levack has a knack for writing endearing leads that make audiences cringe at their poor decisions or indecisions. Here, Grace is a young woman whose focus is on everything and everyone but herself. This leads to Grace blowing her own life up.

This focus on others rather than herself comes from society, but also the career Grace has. There aren’t many films that depict a female critic. Here, Levack shows just how isolating it can be for a young woman. Grace is always on the outside of a circle of men. When she arrives in Montreal, she quickly becomes friends with the band Bone Patrol. Again, she’s the only woman around this band of boys. Ferreira encapsulates the indecision and enclosed rage within a young woman who is simultaneously trying to break the ceiling but at times allowing it to suffocate her.

Even with all of this heavy material, Mile End Kicks is a hilarious romantic-comedy. The semi-love triangle that happens brings nostalgia for the rom-coms we love. Devon Bostick and Stanley Simons are a joy and fully commit to their characters. Bostick as the stoner, sweet guitarist, and Simons as the sleezy, ‘artsy’ lead singer.

At its centre, Mile End Kicks is a story about a young woman learning to respect herself. All of Grace’s poor decisions lead her to respect herself and demand it from others.

Mile End Kicks screens at TIFF:

Thurs. Sept 4 at 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Tues. Sept 9 at 11:55 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sat. Sept 13 at 9:00 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

DIE MY LOVE IS IN CINEMAS IN CANADA FROM NOVEMBER 7, 2025 via Mubi Canada. Today we get a new Teaser.

MUBI, the global film distributor, streaming service and production company, release the teaser trailer for Die My Love, the sensational new film from writer/director Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here, Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin). The film will be released in cinemas across Canada on November 7, 2025. The film received its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

A hopeful young and loving couple (Grace and Jackson) move from New York to an inherited house in the country.

Grace tries to find her identity with a new baby in the isolated environment. Yet as she begins to unravel, it’s not in weakness but imagination, strength and a stunning untamed vivacity that she discovers herself anew.

Set in rural America, Die My Love is a portrait of a woman engulfed by love and madness. It stars Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle), Robert Pattinson (Mickey 17, The Batman), LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah, The Book of Clarence), Nick Nolte (Cape Fear, 48 Hours, The Prince of Tides), and Sissy Spacek (Carrie, Coal Miner’s Daughter, In the Bedroom).

DIRECTOR STATEMENT
To explore the tiny loaded dramas, traumas and endurance in the everyday. The unexpected happening. The loss of oneself. The paralysis. I found that all in Grace. And how Jackson loves her despite his inability to ever understand her.

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
Lynne Ramsay’s previous work consists of Ratcatcher (1999), Cannes 1999 Un Certain Regard, BAFTA winner Most Promising Newcomer; Morvern Callar (2002), starring Samantha Morton, Cannes 2002 multiple award winner, BIFA nominee for Best Director and Best Screenplay; We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) starring Tilda Swinton, nominated for Cannes 2011 Palme d’Or, BIFA winner for Best Director, BAFTA nominated for Best Director; Swimmer (2012), BAFTA winner for Best Short Film; You Were Never Really Here (2017) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Cannes 2017 winner for Best Screenplay and Best Actor, BAFTA nominated for Best British Film; Brigitte (2019), part of Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales Series, Venice Film Festival 2019.

DIE MY LOVE WILL BE RELEASED IN CANADIAN CINEMAS ON NOVEMBER 7, 2025

It’s only Day One but feels like Day 30? Overall, a very productive day today, covering a lot of ground and lot of stars. Some of the names we spotted:

•Ben foster at TIFF for Motor City.
•Jeffrey Latimer, Olivia Chow and Cameron Bailey unveil TIFF’s Canada Walk of Fame star
•Jeremy O. Harris, Charli XCX, Lena Góra at TIFF for Erupcja
•Ryan Reynolds, Colin Hanks, Chris Candy at TIFF for John Candy: I LIKE ME
•Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick, Chandler Levack, Robert Naylor, Juliette Gariépy, Stanley Simons,
Isaiah Lehtinen, at TIFF for Mile End Kicks
•Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, Joachim Trier, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas at TIFF for Sentimental Value
•Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna at TIFF for KPop Demon Hunters critics event

We were up and at it early appearing on CP24 Breakfast! Our appearance, and also TIFF’s Canada’s Walk of Fame induction star unveiling highlights!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Nicholas Porteous

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring Nirvanna The Band The Show to the big screen in what is likely the single most Toronto movie of all time–Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie. For those unfamiliar with the early 2000s web series and VICE TV show–watch it all right now!–but if you can’t, you’ll be completely fine. Matt and Jay once again attempt to land a gig at The Rivoli, only this time they’re unintentionally warped back to 2008–a vastly different era than you might imagine, in a bonkers tribute to Back to the Future (Parts 1 AND 2).

It’s a fool’s errand to try to pin down the magic of Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie in words, but I’ll do my best. It takes place in a hyper-specific and yet all-too-relatable world of stunts and in-jokes, idiotic schemes and deceptively complex filmmaking that wraps Toronto in a thick blanket of Matt and Jay’s mischief, pulling in unsuspecting real humans and manufacturing situations that can’t possibly be real but also can’t possibly be fake. There’s always a question in the air about what percentage of their misadventures is staged and how much is legit–and that’s half the fun. The other half–we’re talking another metric TON of fun, here–is the unhinged situations themselves. Right up front, we get their most daring stunt yet, involving a trip to the top of the CN Tower. A minor qualm–The Movie never totally matches the sheer scope and awe of this opening sequence again. But even if it was just this sequence–The Movie would be worth a full-priced festival ticket.

Explosively gleeful from the first to the final frame, Nirvanna is meant for a big crowd. The sheer volume and length of audience reactions is so intense, you’ll likely miss several jokes at your screening. At 100 convoluted-as-hell minutes, The Movie might be just slightly too dense with ideas, even for its minor runtime. The shorter length of the show and web series gave more license to sustain this very specific level of crazed storytelling in concentrated chonks. Still, there’s nothing else in the world like it. Aside from tracing the faintest outline of Back to the Future, I could never predict where it was heading next, and it’s impossible not to be swept up in the tidal wave of its audacious aura.

The midnight screening is one of the main events at TIFF ’25, but if you can’t secure a spot there, it’s also showing in IMAX–for perhaps the only time EVER–on the 8th. Don’t miss it.

Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie screens at TIFF ’25:

Thurs. Sept 4 at 11:59 PM at The Royal Alexandra Theatre

Mon. Sept 8 at 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sat. Sept 13 at 10:30 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Amanda Gilmore

Brazilian Filmmaker and TIFF veteran Kleber Mendonça Filho returns to the festival with this political thriller that explores that won multiple prizes at this year’s Cannes.

The Film is set in 1977 Brazil, during the country’s notorious military dictatorship. It follows technology expert Marcelo (an outstanding Wagner Moura) as he flees from a mysterious past and seeks asylum in the northern city of Recife, which also brings him closer to his young son. But when he finds out men have been sent to kill him, he searches for a way to get himself and his son out of Brazil.

The Secret Agent isn’t a film strictly about the dictatorship, but instead, about a man living under the oppressive regime. Therefore, some viewers may feel there are parts of the history they don’t fully understand. However, Mendonça Filho delivers visuals and plot points that expose the insidious environment of surveillance and danger. The opening sequence has Marcelo pull into a gas station, where a dead body has been left for days under a piece of cardboard. The police show up, but they ignore the body. Instead, they inspect Marcelo’s ID.

Mendonça Filho tells this story across three parts and varying timelines. Thus, unveiling its plot is like a puzzle. This mirrors the daily life of those living in Brazil under its military dictatorship at the time. How oppressive regimes can conceal the truth and impact people’s memories, even decades later.

It comes as no surprise that Moura won the Best Actor prize at Cannes earlier this year. He’s magnetic as the calm, determined Marcelo. For as much as Marcelo is calm on the exterior, Moura subtly portrays the fear encased within the man.

The Secret Agent screens at TIFF ’25 as follows:

Sun. Sept 7 at 8:00 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Mon. Sept 8 at 7:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Fri. Sept 12 at 12:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Amanda Gilmore

Director and Co-Writer Genki Kawamura makes a purgatory spin on Kotake Create’s cult game, The Exit 8 — a game in which the player is trapped in an endless underground passageway. The only way to leave through Exit 8 is to notice the anomalies and follow the rules.

In this film adaptation, the Lost Man (Kazunari “Nino” Ninomiya) is a commuter who receives a call from his ex-girlfriend — just before exiting the subway — informing him of her pregnancy. Once out of the subway, he will meet her to give his thoughts on this news. However, he soon finds himself in a continuous loop at the Exit 8 passageway. To leave, he must obey one rule: if he spots any anomalies, he must turn back. Miss a single one and he’s snapped to the start, condemned to loop again. 

Impressively, Kawamura and co-writer Kentaro Hirase have crafted a deeply-human story out of a Horror-Simulator game. Each time the Lost Man goes through the passageway, audiences learn more about the reason for the loop and the man himself. It all comes together to deliver a moving story about guilt, responsibility, and the paralysis of indecision.

For audiences familiar with the game, there aren’t too many ‘scary’ anomalies that happen in these passageways. There are trickles, but nothing horrifying. The Filmmakers rely more on their central storyline, which revolves around a young man’s anxieties about possibly becoming a father. The anomalies target those fears.

Overall, Exit 8 achieves a great feat in creating something human out of a short simulator game. That being said, the audience lives in this passageway for about 80 minutes. There are moments where it lulls and becomes redundant.

Exit 8 screens at TIFF ’25:

Mon. Sept 8 at 9:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Fri. Sept 12 at 9:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Paramount+ today debuted the official teaser and first-look images from the second season of Taylor Sheridan’s hit series, LANDMAN, which will premiere on Sunday, November 16, 2025, exclusively on the service.

The original drama series stars Oscar® winner Billy Bob Thornton, Oscar nominee Demi Moore, Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Oscar nominee Sam Elliott, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chávez, Canadian Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie, James Jordan and Canadian Colm Feore.

LANDMAN ranked as a top 10 SVOD original series across all SVODs for Q4 in 2024. The premiere episode of LANDMAN had 35 million global streaming viewers, setting new records for Paramount+; it became the #1 Paramount+ Original ever on the service, the #1 engagement driver and #1 in households. Additionally, Billy Bob Thornton scored a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in LANDMAN as Tommy Norris.

LANDMAN is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and is a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. Based on the notable 11-part podcast “Boomtown” from Imperative Entertainment and Texas Monthly, the series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.

The series is co-created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace.

LANDMAN is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, David Hutkin, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, Christian Wallace, Billy Bob Thornton, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Friedman and Stephen Kay. Dan Friedkin and Jason Hoch for Imperative Entertainment, and J.K. Nickell and Megan Creydt for Texas Monthly also executive produce. Tommy Turtle serves as co-executive producer.

The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios, 101 Studios and Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions. Season One is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+. LANDMAN is the latest addition to Sheridan’s growing slate on Paramount+, which includes YELLOWSTONE ,1923, 1883, LIONESS, MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN, TULSA KING, LAWMEN: BASS REEVES and the upcoming NOLA KING, starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Today, we get a new Trailer for tiff50 selection TRAIN DREAMS. In theatres November 7, 2025 and on Netflix November 21, 2025.

DIRECTOR: Clint Bentley

SCREENPLAY BY: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar

BASED ON THE NOVELLA BY: Denis Johnson

PRODUCERS: Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, William Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Joel Edgerton, Scott Hinckley, Greg Kwedar, John Friedberg

KEY CAST: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, with Kerry Condon and William H. Macy.

Narrated by Will Patton.

LOGLINE: Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.

Toronto is about to witness its most electrifying cocktail showdown yet in this monthly bar battle series. On Monday, September 15, 2025, from 5:00–7:00 pm, Best in Glass will pit two of Canada’s top bars against each other in an adrenaline-charged competition at Arianna, the crown jewel of Harbour Sixty. With sweeping skyline views and modern Italian cuisine as the backdrop, the night promises world-class cocktails, bold creativity, and a celebration of Toronto’s thriving bar scene. Representing Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar, lead mixologist Joe Dorio and Director of Beverage James Grant will face off against spirits expert and GM Robin Wynne and mixology whiz Joe Tevlin of Bar XXX, the speakeasy hidden beneath Little Sister on Portland Street. Both bars are proudly ranked on Canada’s 100 Best Bars and Restaurants list, making this a true clash of the country’s cocktail titans. Guests can look forward to a high-profile judging panel featuring some of the industry’s most respected voices, including Tiffany Desbiens, Arianna’s lead mixologist and winner of the last Bar Battle (judges’ vote), and Brenton Mowforth, renowned cocktail connoisseur and Instagram personality (@cheerstohappyhour). Tickets are now available for $55 (tax & gratuity inclusive) per person via OpenTable [here].

For $55 per guest, tickets include a welcome Perrier mocktail, two Valley of Mother of God signature cocktails, crafted live by the competitors, and a curated selection of light bites from chef Scott MacKenzie of Arianna. Guests can then linger into the evening with Arianna’s à la carte dinner menu, perfect for post-battle conversations and connections. Guests can also expect some tribute cocktails for purchase, celebrating World-Class talent in the mixology scene.

Competitor Spotlight

James Grant (Library Bar) – Director of Beverage at the Fairmont Royal York, James is the visionary behind the Library Bar. Raising the stakes in this competition, he brings serious accolades to the bar, including 2021 World Class Global Bartender of the Year and Best Bartender 2022 by Canada’s 100 Best.

Joe Dorio (Library Bar) – A third-generation bartender with 21 years of experience, Joe is one of Library Bar’s lead mixologists, known for his refined, classic service and avant-garde approach to cocktails. Since joining in 2021, he’s helped shape the bar’s reputation with creations inspired by art, literature, and storytelling—bringing depth, creativity, and heritage to every drink.

Robin Wynne (Bar XXX) – Canada’s foremost rum expert and the General Manager and Beverage Director at Little Sister Indonesian Food Bar. A dedicated mixologist, consultant, and DJ, Robin has devoted his life to the hospitality industry, starting as a dishwasher in high school and working his way up to running multi-unit operations in the restaurant and bar trade.

Joe Tevlin (Bar XXX) – Toronto native Joe began his career in 2021 as a barback at Little Sister after departing from baseball. His resume includes time at legendary bars Project Gigglewater and Cocktail Bar, before returning to helm the bar program at Little Sister and Bar XXX.

Beyond the Glass

Guests can expect more than just a battle. Chef de Cuisine Scott Mackenzie will bring Arianna’s signature modern Italian flavours, inspired by his experience across acclaimed Canadian culinary institutions. Partners Valley of Mother of God Gin, Perrier, and Cocktail Emporium further elevate the experience, spotlighting the craft, culture, and community that define Toronto’s cocktail scene.

Best in Glass isn’t just a competition—it’s a celebration of creativity, connection, and the artistry of the cocktail world.

Tickets are available now via OpenTable: HERE 

By Nicholas Porteous

Joachim Trier‘s follow-up to his modern classic The Worst Person in the World reunites him with Renate Reinsve, this time playing Actress Nora Borg, who struggles to communicate with her Filmmaker father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). He’s written a part for her in his long-awaited next film that has the potential to confront their shared, familial trauma. The only problem–Reinsve refuses to work with him, so Hollywood Actor Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) takes on the role in her place.

The world of Sentimental Value–full of imagined movies, stage productions, festivals, social media accounts–is gorgeously-rendered, and feels like a living, breathing place. Trier does a great job blurring the line between reality and in-world fiction with some notable fakeouts I wouldn’t dare spoil.

There’s been talk of Oscar nominations for Skarsgård and Reinsve. Both performances are engrossing, complex and deeply felt. It’s a solid bet they could rise to such acclaim. The real star of Sentimental Value, however, is its paradoxical exploration of art and artists—How Theatre and Film can create a safe environment for profound and needed personal expression, and simultaneously serve as a toxic barrier, preventing that same expression outside the confines of imagined circumstances. If Art represents the only available platform for tackling spiritual baggage, does that also make it a cage?

Some of the dialogue can feel like a placeholder–particularly in regards to the Elle Fanning thread, and the relationship between Reinsve and a stage manager. The Movie can also be guilty of playing into the Tortured Artist trope—lightly implying that real-life agony makes for better Art. Ultimately, Sentimental Value digs deeper than that, and I’ll be pondering many of its beautiful ambiguities long after TIFF is over.

Sentimental Value screens at TIFF ’25:

Thurs. Sept 4 at 9:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 5 at 6:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto