Rachel Ho continues to captain the CZP ship as she recaps the Toronto International Film Festival. Joining her is Prabhjot Bains, a writer for Tilt and Exclaim! as they talk about the highs, lows and complexities of the fest. They talk about The Whale, My Policeman, The Menu, The Banshees of Inisherin, Brother and The Fabelmans. They also give brief mentions to Aftersun, Triangle of Sadness, Empire of Light, All Quiet on the Western Front and Causeway. Read Rachel's reviews for The Whale and Brother. Read Prabhjot's reviews for The Whale, My Policeman, The Menu, Aftersun, Triangle of Sadness and Prisoner's Daughter.  Listen to Rachel's interviews with Anthony Shim the director of Riceboy Sleeps and John Barker the director of The Umbrella Men. Follow Prabhjot on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

Rachel Ho flies solo for the first time as she interviews two directors whose films were playing at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.  First up is the Anthony Shim, who made the Canadian-Korean drama Riceboy Sleeps about a single mother who is struggling to raise her son as new immigrants to Canada. They talk about struggling to find the right actors for the roles, why music was the key to writing the film and having the nicest press kit ever. The second interview was with John Barker, the South African filmmaker who directed The Umbrella Men about a group a musicians who decide to rob a bank in order to save a local club. They talk about John's return to TIFF after 16 years when the fest screened an earlier film of his, Trevor Noah's connection to the film and how to balance making films from an outsiders perspective. Read the profile that Rachel contributed on about Brendan Fraser on That Shelf. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

Back on episode 151: Hot Docs 2021, Rachel and Dakota reviewed a ramen documentary called Come Back Anytime. They both fell in love with the gentle and warm doc about Master Masamoto Ueda who is not only a great ramen chef, but also a community leader in his neighbourhood in Tokyo. Director John Daschbach is an American that lives in Japan and became a regular at the shop and decided to make a documentary about the noodle king. We get in depth on how to best capture food on film, how Abbas Kiarostami and Krzysztof Kieślowski influence him and how the shop is now getting international visitors.  Read Dakota and Rachel's original reviews for Come Back Anytime. Read Rachel's interview with John Daschbach for POV Magazine.  Catch Come Back Anytime coming to VOD down the line and a November screening of the film on TVO for Ontario residents.  Follow Come Back Anytime on Instagram and Twitter and John Daschbach on Twitter.  Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

With the Toronto International Film Festival just around the corner, running from September 8-18th, we decided to preview what movies we are most excited about. Dakota's picks include Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, The Good Nurse, Triangle of Sadness and Wendell and Wild. Rachel's picks include Stellar, Viking, Brother and The Banshees Of Inisherin. They both are very excited for Decision to Leave so that made their lists. They also share a few honourable mentions. Look for more great TIFF coverage coming throughout the festival. Check out their picks in blog form as well.  Read the Brother cover story from Now Magazine.  Listen to Rachel's appearance on the Awesome Friday Podcast reviewing Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul and Three Thousand Years of Longing. Read Rachel's review of Beast. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

Two years ago on episode 85: All Things MCU, we talked about all the big announcements for Marvel post Infinity Saga. Now that most of the movies and TV shows talked about then have come out, it's time to look ahead again. During this year's Comic Con, Marvel announced the slate for Phases 5 and 6, now being called the Multiverse Saga. Joining the show to talk about upcoming films Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars along with the TV shows Secret Invasion, Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Daredevil: Born Again is Sammy Feilchenfeld.  A huge congratulations to friends of the show Scaretroducing for celebrating 100 episodes!  Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2014's Obvious Child directed by Gillian Robespierre. The film stars Jenny Slate as an aspiring stand up comedian who gets dumped and in her grief has a one night stand that ends up with her getting pregnant while the rest of her life is collapsing around her. Joining the show is Stephanie Prior, CZP's fantastic graphic designer, who was last heard on episode 188: 2022 Oscar Predictions. Our double bill pairings include Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Dakota's pick) and How To Be Single (Stephanie's pick).  If you haven't heard our deep dive into the origins of A24, listen to episode 108: A History of A24 Films and our last episode in this series 194: A24 Retrospective - Under the Skin.  Don't listen to the blasphemous podcast Classic Movies Live and their episode Best Animated Films by Genre, a response to CZP's episode 199: Best Films by Genre. Rachel Ho decided to betray Dakota's trust by appearing on the show.  A huge shout out to our friends at I Hope You Suffer, who have spent every episode since Roe v Wade was overturned donating their own Patreon funds and encouraging others to donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds. Contra Zoom Pod has donated to the same charity since this episode deals with abortion and we encourage listeners to do the same!  Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

With Montreal's Fantasia Festival wrapping up, we look back at one of the premiere genre film festivals. We discuss several films we saw including the opening night selection Polaris, Skinamarink, Baby Assassins, My Small Land and Topology of Sirens. Listen to our interviews with KC Carthew, director of Polaris and Berkley Brady, director of Dark Nature on episode 203: Fantasia Fest Interviews - Polaris and Dark Nature Directors. Read Dakota's reviews for Polaris, Baby Assassins, Topology of Sirens and Compulsus. Read Rachel's reviews for Polaris, Out of the Ring and Skinamarink. Listen to episode 201: 2022 Toronto Japanese Film Festival. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

Fantasia Festival is still going on, but we had the chance to interview two directors who had their films screening at this years fest!  First up both Dakota and Rachel chat with KC Carthew, the director of Fantasia's opening night film Polaris, afterwards Rachel goes solo as she talks to Berkley Brady the director of Dark Nature. Read Dakota and Rachel's reviews of Polaris and Sara Clements review of Dark Nature. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

Dakota and Rachel share their picks for their top five movies of the year so far and a few honourable mentions! Dakota's picks were After Yang, The Batman, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Top Gun: Maverick and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Rachel's picks were Ambulance, Apples, Ashgrove, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Fire of Love. Read Rachel's contributions to That Shelf's best movies of the year list. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message

We return with coverage of this year's Toronto Japanese Film Festival which showcases the finest Japanese films that are often getting either Canadian or International premiere's, giving audiences a chance to finally see the best movies coming out of Japan. We covered the festival last year on 155: Toronto Japanese Film Festival. On this show we talk about Midnight Swan (which won Best Film at the 2021 Japanese Academy Awards), The Pursuit of Perfection, It's a Flickering Life (2022 Best Film nominee), Ribbon and The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai. Read Rachel's reviews of Midnight Swan, The Pursuit of Perfection, Ribbon and Junk Head. Follow the TJFF on Twitter and Instagram.  Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews. Listen to Contra Zoom on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Overcast, RadioPublic, Breaker, Podcast Addict and more! Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free stickers! Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo. Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit our official website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/contrazoompod/message