Like reuniting with a best friend. We got up close and personal – a flagrant violation of social distancing protocols – but we hope you’ll understand. While Ontario is under some really uncertain and unprecedented times, we safely navigated in our test drive and ultimately we are thrilled that the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid was there for us when we got our first vaccine. We are incredibly relieved and can’t wait to get our second vaccine. While we don’t live in a hotspot, we’re grateful our turn came as we were just about ready to give up hope!

We were able to travel safely to see my expectant niece, whose Baby Shower sadly had to be cancelled due to stay-at-home orders province-wide and partake in the beauty of Cherry Blossoms in the City as they begin to reach peak bloom! Being able to have the Accord Hybrid there for us to run errands and pick-up essentials is a privilege which we are grateful for.

It all starts the moment the engine turns out. In fact, the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid is so quiet we had to double-check the engine was actually on. Above that, there is a hypnotic hum which actually is quite calming.

It is powered by 2.0-litre, 16-valve, Atkinson cycle DOHC, i-VTEC^® 4-cylinder engine and operates at up to 212 @ 6200 total combined horsepower. Drives were incredibly-smooth and our family and friends commented how sleek and elegant this update of the Accord looks. We fully embrace Proximity Entry and its pushbutton start and gears. In fact, we don’t remember what driving was like anymore before them. Thanks, Honda!

Fuel Economy is a huge selling point for me and the Accord Hybrid gives you fabulous value at 5.0/5.0/5.0 L/100 km city/highway combined. It comes with an ECON mode button but also EV and Sport Drive options. We were able to make it twice downtown, to Niagara and out and about locally for about $45 in Regular fuel, just under a week. That is almost unheard of.

The Accord Hybrid is crammed with little luxuries. Dual-zone automatic climate control with air-filtration system, speed-sensing, variable intermittent windshield wipers, one-touch power moonroof with tilt feature, body-coloured heated power door mirrors with integrated LED turn signal indicators, LED foglights, LED brakelights, LED taillights, front wiper de-icer. Not only does it come with seat warmers, it comes with seat coolers knowing the vast array of conditions Honda’s Canadian customer base endures. These are little things that continually define the Honda driving experience as one that is sophisticated and just much more special. This is the car Canadians deserve.

We’re huge on the audio experience while driving. Its Display Audio System with Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™, HandsFreeLink™, wireless charging plate and arrange of USB ports (two in the front and two in the back), jumbo arm rest with a sizey compartment for storage – masks, gloves, sanitizer, you name it. The Accord Hybrid boasts a 452-watt AM/FM Premium audio system with MP3/Windows Media^® Audio playback capability and 10 speakers including subwoofer. And it sounds every bit the part. The Display system is enabled for SMS text messages and e-mail function. Connecting via Bluetooth was easy – we love our Spotify and can’t imagine not being able to listen to our favourite albums and playlists on the fly.

More importantly, safety is tops for Honda. Parking and reversing are so easy with its multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, plus a driver attention monitor. If that’s not enough, check-out the endless list of safety features that ensure you are as well-protected as can be in the Accord Hybrid: 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS); auto high beam; brake assist; Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system; Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system; Lane Keeping Assist System; Blind Spot Information (BSI) System;Rear Cross Traffic Monitor System; Traffic Sign Recognition via holographic display on the driver’s side of the windshield; Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control; Next-Generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering; i-SRS airbag system; Front Knee Airbags; Side curtain airbags with rollover sensor system; SmartVent™ side airbags. The list goes on.

As was the case with other new Accords I’ve test-driven in the past there are sometimes glitches like the Tire Pressure Monitoring System telling me I have low tire pressure when it’s cold out. Often this goes away on its own. We also saw its Maintenance Minder™ system telling us we had an Emissions System problem (see below), but that also went away on its own after a restart.

My week in review:

Getting my vaccine finally!

Seeing my expectant Niece in Niagara

Winning a Sovereign Award for my Photography

Cherry Blossoms with beanie

Supporting local businesses, as they need us!

One tip I’ve learned that is your furry friend is keen on chewing things in your car, a great preventative measure is spraying those parts (i.e. seatbelt buckles, etc.) with Bitter Apple Spray!

A neat new thing I noticed with the Accord Hybrid is that it is smart enough to remind you that you have something in the back. In my case, that was beanie! How cute.

More on the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid here, which starts at $35,805 CAN.

Thank you 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid for helping get me through the week and to my first vaccination safely. Grateful.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

IFC announce their new programming slate for May on both their subscription service IFC FILMS UNLIMITED and also on VOD.

FC FILMS VOD releases 
*Available to rent on Apple TV

MAINSTREAM (2021) – May 14, 2021 (Comedy, Romance)
*Will be available on IFC FIlms Unlimited Summer 2021
Director: Gia Coppola
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff, Johnny Knoxville, Jason Schwartzman
Synopsis: An artist (Andrew Garfield) satirizing social media culture finds his own ironic internet fame that threatens the bonds of his creative team in this hilariously modern love story.

IFC FILMS UNLIMITED
*Available on Amazon Prime Video Channels and Apple TV

HUNTER HUNTER (2020) – May 5, 2021 (Thriller)
Director: Shawn Linden
Starring: Camille Sullivan, Summer H. Howell, Devon Sawa, Nick Stahl, Lauren Cochrane, Gabriel Daniels
Synopsis: A mysterious predator eludes an aging detective and a cunning outdoors man to corner and terrorize a woman and daughter trapped in a remote forest cabin

THE NIGHT (2021) – May 12, 2021 (Thriller)
Director: Kourosh Ahari
Starring: Shahab Hosseini, Niousha Jafarian, Leah Oganyan
Synopsis: A couple becomes trapped in a hotel with their demons – real and imagined – until they can confront the secrets in their marriage in this mind-bending supernatural thriller.

THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES (2013) – May 19, 2021 (Horror)
Director: Chris James Thompson
Cast: Andrew Swant, Pamela Bass, Jeffrey Jentzen
Synopsis: A documentary about the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the 1991 summer of his arrest for the murder of 17 people in Milwaukee.

THE OTHER WOMAN (2011) – May 26, 2021 (Drama)
Director: Don Roos
Starring: Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Cohen, Charlie Tahan
Synopsis: The story of a young woman who finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson.

The first seven minutes of MORTAL KOMBAT has surfaced as a preview in anticipation of this eagerly-awaited Reboot!

Synopsis:

In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld‘s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down.  Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with.  Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark.  Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.  But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

See the age-restricted content preview below:

MORTAL KOMBAT is in theatres and streaming on HBO Max in U.S. and will be on PVOD in Canada Friday, April 23, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)

Hot off its Awards Seasons success, particularly for its star and Producer Jason Sudeikis, TED LASSO returns for a second season this Summer and here’s a Teaser!

 Season Two of TED LASSO arrives Friday, July 23, 2021, on Apple TV+. 

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

Mike Epps and Wanda Sykes co-produce THE UPSHAWS, coming soon to Netflix. Kim Fields also stars!

Synopsis:
Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps), the head of a Black working class family in Indianapolis, is a charming, well-intentioned mechanic and lifelong mess just trying his best to step up and care for his family — wife Regina (Kim Fields), their two young daughters (Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins, Journey Christine) and firstborn son (Jermelle Simon), the teenage son (Diamond Lyons) he fathered with another woman (Gabrielle Dennis) — and tolerate his sardonic sister-in-law (Wanda Sykes), all without a blueprint for success. But the Upshaws are determined to make it work, and make it to the next level, together.

See these new Stills:

See the brand-new Trailer!

THE UPSHAWS arrives May 12, 2021 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Adult Animated Series LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS VOL. II comes to us from Director David Fincher and Deadpool Director Tim Miller. See the new Trailer!

Synopsis:

Love Death & Robots is a blast of the future with its roots deep in the past. Show creator Tim Miller teamed up with director David Fincher after years of wanting to make adult animated features and short films at his animation house Blur Studio. When his directorial debut Deadpool hit big, they saw their opportunity and the anthology series found a natural home at Netflix. “We couldn’t have been happier at the response to the show,” recalls Miller, of the excitement around season one and the appetite for more. “It was exactly the kind of passionate reception from animation fans David and I hoped for, but for many long years had been told wouldn’t happen.”

These 8 Animated Shorts arrive May 14th, 2021 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Great news for DOWNTON ABBEY fans! The original Principal Cast will be returning in upcoming DOWNTON ABBEY 2. Joining the Cast are Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West will join the cast. Downton creator Academy Award® winner Julian Fellowes will once again write the film’s screenplay, with Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning Gareth Neame and Emmy Award-winning Liz Trubridge back to produce with Fellowes. BAFTA and Emmy-nominated director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) will join the filmmaking team to direct the sequel. 

Focus Features release DOWNTON ABBEY 2 on December 22, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)

A new Teaser Trailer and Poster have arrived for Marvel’s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS starring our v. own Simu Liu!

Synopsis:

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng. 

See the Teaser Trailer:

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS arrives September 3, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel)

The Wakandans are back! Check-out this new Featurette for THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER where we get a glimpse of the Dora Milaje‘s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Synopsis:

A new featurette for Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” is available now, showcasing Ayo and the Dora Milaje’s return to the MCU. Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, director Kari Skogland, Florence Kasumba and Wyatt Russell share thoughts on the warriors in action. The penultimate episode begins streaming exclusively on Disney+ this Friday.

The last episode of THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER streams Friday, April 16, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Entertainment)

See the new Trailer for Thriller PROFILE starring Shazad Latif and Valene Kane!

Synopsis:

PROFILE follows an undercover British journalist in her quest to bait and expose a terrorist recruiter through social media, while trying not to be sucked in by her recruiter and lured into becoming a militant extremist herself. The unconventional thriller plays out entirely on a computer screen in the Screenlife format, pioneered by Bekmambetov.

PROFILE is out May 14, 2021 via Focus Features.

(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)