Our Fantasia International Film Festival podcast continues talking about films The School Duel, $POSITIONS and All You Need Is Kill

Grab your coffee and settle in for our latest Fantasia pod, where Sarah and Keith dish on three wild Fantasia flicks over a morning brew. Let’s dive into the chaos.

All You Need Is Kill, a vibrant anime adaptation of the light novel that inspired Edge of Tomorrow, flips the script by focusing on Rita this time around. Its fluid, music video-esque animation dazzles, though the third act drags (a little) with over-explained science. A must-watch for anime fans, it’s a breezy 82 minutes but might not hook non-anime geeks due to some quirky anime tropes.

$POSITIONS is a cringe-inducing, anxiety-fueled ride through middle-America’s underbelly. Following crypto-obsessed Mike, it’s a “torture porn” portrait of bad decisions, addiction, and Midwestern struggles. Michael Kunicki’s performance as the calm-yet-doomed protagonist balances humor and heartbreak, making it a brutal, engaging watch for fans of Silicon Valley or Euphoria’s darker vibes.

The School Duel, set in a dystopian Florida, is a gut-punch dark comedy where kids identified as potential school shooters are pitted in a patriotic “duel” for military ranks and family cash. Shot in stark black-and-white, it tempers its violence while delivering a scathing critique of American extremism. Kue Lawrence’s haunting performance as a misguided teen steals the show, appealing to fans of Battle Royale who can stomach its near-future realism.

For more information about these films:

The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025 at Concordia University.

The song during our intro and outro is “Until I Sleep” by Henry Homesweet and is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 UK: England License. 

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Well, The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie is out, and it’s the most comic-accurate yet. Reed Richards is scribbling on chalkboards, tackling cosmic problems like it’s Oppenheimer with spandex. Sue’s stubborn, Ben’s mopey, Johnny’s a hothead. Honestly it’s pretty much straight out of the comics. But it’s a lot of talking heads and some folks (like Keith’s wife) dozed off. Galactus is massive and rocks the Kirby helmet, and they skip the origin story.

Skipping the origin story is kind of our favorite thing in superhero movies these days.

Ironheart reveals that Sacha Baron Cohen is the MCU Mephisto. Feels like they’re testing the waters of introducing Marvel Hell.

Scott pitches a few casting choices for Mr. Sinister: Tom Ellis (Lucifer) or Robert Sheehan (Umbrella Academy) as the fabulous mutant. Both would kill it.

On a heavier note (GET IT?), Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan are dead.

Since we are jaded assholes we end up ranking them out of 10 on scumbag scale. Ozzy, allegedly shot 17 pets in a drug-fueled haze. That ain’t great. But he’s a rock star so maybe a 4/10 on the scumbag scale.

Hogan, though? Terry Bollea’s a pretty big scumbag. He and Vince McMahon built modern wrestling. But his union-busting, steroid cover-ups, and MAGA-adjacent nonsense peg him at a 7/10 scumbag. Hulk Hogan was a living superhero, Terry Bollea pretty much sucked.

Meanwhile on a brand new episode of Garbage Time! Scott once again has whipped up a quiz for Jon and Keith and this time it’s “Sports Movies”. The rules are simple, Scott gives us the name of a fictional sports team and if we can’t guess the movie he will then tell us the star player of the team. Jon and Keith are not big sports guys but you may be surprised by some of the right answers they manage to land on (and infuriated at some of the ones they miss).

If you would like to show your support and head over to Patreon and subscribe at the 9ES Deluxe tier to listen to this and all past episodes of Garbage Time that would be appreciated.

Our intro song is a brand new jam cooked up by OKU-DA just for us, do yourself a favour and check out his SoundCloud).

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Our Fantasia International Film Festival podcast continues talking about films I Fell In Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn, Hellcat and I Live Here Now.

Grab your coffee and settle in for our latest Fantasia pod, where Sarah and Keith dish on three wild Fantasia flicks over a morning brew. Let’s dive into the chaos.

First up, I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director from Brooklyn. Shina, a jaded Japanese movie star, rediscovers her passion making a gloriously trashy horror flick with Jack, a neurotic Woody Allen-esque director (played by Estevan Muñoz). It’s a love letter to Troma-style schlock, the “film within a film” is shot on a junky hi-8 camera for $500. Perfect for Fantasia nerds who dig heartwarming, low-budget chaos.

Next, I Live Here Now, Julie Pacino’s debut, shot on vibrant 35mm. Lucy Fry’s Rose grapples with childhood trauma and an unexpected pregnancy in a surreal, David Lynch-ian hotel. Body image metaphors, creepy hotel staff, and a standout glass-eating scene (with killer sound design) make it a haunting thriller. Keith calls it a must-see for Lynch fans—intense, weird, and empowering.

Finally, Hellcat, another world premiere, traps Dakota Gorman’s Lena in a moving camper, injured and maybe kidnapped. The constant rattle of beaded curtains and a mysterious driver crank the tension. The host of a late-night paranormal radio show (voiced by SNL’s James Austin Johnson as the host) keeps you guessing. It’s a tight, twisty 90-minute thriller with not too much gore, just psychological dread. Sarah’s all in for this sleeper hit—fingers crossed it gets a wider release so you can check it out!.

Both Hellcat and I Live Here Now were world premieres so you don’t want to miss our takes on these two films which were definitely standouts so far for us at this year’s Fantasia Festival.

For more information about these films:

The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025 at Concordia University.

The song during our intro and outro is “Until I Sleep” by Henry Homesweet and is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 UK: England License.

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Osheaga 2025 is only 6 days away!

Our Unofficial Osheaga Podcast is back for 2025! It’s less a week away and we’ve already looked at the entire lineup. So, what now?

It’s time for a very special guest! Patrick Guay is officially *clears throat* Senior Manager, Booking, Concerts and Events at evenko. What does that mean? Well he’s one of the people responsible for putting together the entire lineup of festivals like Osheaga, IleSoniq and Lasso.

What does that mean for you? That means an extra long episode where Sarah and I sit down with Patrick Guay to talk about concerts, festivals and of course a LOT about music. If you were interested in everything that goes on behind the scenes to put together a festival like Osheaga this is the episode for you.

Enjoy the show and see you next week! Oh – and this is ALSO this week’s Go Plug Yourself!

Osheaga runs from August 1st to August 3rd at Parc Jean Drapeau. Check out osheaga.com for more info and tickets.

All audio clips are copyright of their respective owners and used solely with the intention of promoting and editorial previewing Osheaga.

Our intro song is Paradise Engineering (instrumental) by YACHT and is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.

Sarah is somehow still @femalewalter on Instagram. Follow her for pictures of our dogs and sometimes she remembers to post about all the arts and entertainment we take in all year long.

The post Patrick Guay (evenko) Returns – Osheaga Podcast (Unofficial) Special appeared first on 9to5 (dot cc).

Our Fantasia International Film Festival podcast continues. We’re sipping our morning brew and diving into Redux Redux and Every Heavy Thing, two films that couldn’t be more different but totally nail that Fantasia vibe.

First up, Redux Redux, the Canadian premiere from the McManus brothers, who we’ve been fans of since their gem Funeral Kings (still a top-tier fave) and the spooky Block Island Sound. This sci-fi thriller stars Michaela McManus as Irene, a woman dimension-hopping to avenge her daughter’s murderer—hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. The multiverse mechanics? They’re there, but don’t expect a science lecture. It’s a plot device, not the point. The focus is Irene’s relentless revenge cycle and her struggle to break free from it. Stella Marcus shines in a role we won’t spoil, but trust us, her performance adds layers the trailer doesn’t hint at. With sharp dialogue, quick gory kills, and subtle world-building, it’s a tight 1-hour-45-minute thrill ride. Not straight horror, but a bloody, character-driven sci-fi thriller that’s beautifully shot. Catch it on Shudder or in theaters if it gets a wider release—you won’t regret it.

Then there’s Every Heavy Thing, a Fantasia Underground pick that screams lo-fi, 70s film grit. Joe, played by Josh Fadem, is an ad salesman who witnesses a murder and gets tangled in sci-fi weirdness and paranoia. The film’s retro look—think film grain, not cheap digital—mixes cell phones with house phones, leaving you wondering, “What year is this?” Dark comedy and absurdist humor shine through, poking at gun nuts and tech billionaires. It’s a shoestring-budget vibe done deliberately, perfect for genre buffs who love a quirky, unsettling B-movie. Not for everyone, but a must for Fantasia diehards.

Both films are Fantasia at its best—bold, weird, and unforgettable. Check ‘em out!

The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025 at Concordia University.

The song during our intro and outro is “Until I Sleep” by Henry Homesweet and is is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 UK: England License.

Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.

Sarah is somehow still @femalewalter on Instagram. Follow her for pictures of our dogs and sometimes she remembers to post about all the arts and entertainment we take in all year long.

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Osheaga 2025 is only 9 days away!

Our Unofficial Osheaga Podcast is back for 2025! It’s just over a week away and we’re ready to finish our deep dive into Sunday’s lineup!

(More or less) every two weeks Sarah and I have been digging into the entire lineup of this year’s Osheaga to give you music recommendations all summer long. We pick ten acts from each day, we talk about them, play clips of their tunes to give you a feel for their music and tell you why we think they’re worth checking.

We’re having fun and talking about music all summer long, won’t you join us?

But wait – you don’t need us to tell you why you should probably check out Olivia Rodrigo now do you? So (for the purposes of this show) we ruled out the entire top line of each day of the lineup. So yes, that means you will need to decide for yourself if you’re going to see Jamie xx or not.

Trust us, if you listen to all of these episodes you might find yourself running back and forth between stages all weekend and discovering your new favourite artist.

Here is our first batch of 5 “non-headline” acts we think are worth checking out for Sunday.

Osheaga runs from August 1st to August 3rd at Parc Jean Drapeau. Check out osheaga.com for more info and tickets.

All audio clips are copyright of their respective owners and used solely with the intention of promoting and editorial previewing Osheaga.

Our intro song is Paradise Engineering (instrumental) by YACHT and is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.

Sarah is somehow still @femalewalter on Instagram. Follow her for pictures of our dogs and sometimes she remembers to post about all the arts and entertainment we take in all year long.

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Our Fantasia International Film Festival podcast continues talking about films Noise and I Am Frankelda

Noise, a Korean ghost story directed by Kim Soo-jin follows Joo-young, a deaf woman, and her sister Joo-hee, who’s obsessed with the noisy upstairs neighbor. The film kicks off with Joo-hee’s erratic behavior leading Joo-young on a tense search through their apartment complex. It’s a slow-burn horror with suspenseful moments, a few jump scares, and clever sound design. High points include Joo-young’s hearing aid toggling off and on and voice-to-text phone use, amplifying the creepiness. Sarah recommends it for ghost story fans, noting its 90-minute runtime and accessibility for those not into intense horror—perfect for teens or horror newbies.

I Am Frankelda, a Mexican stop-motion feature by Roy and Arturo Ambriz, is a vibrant, musical, stop motion film set in 19th-century Mexico and a nightmare realm. Young Frankelda’s imagination fuels this fantastical world, where she’s a horror writer linked to a realm powered by nightmares. The young prince, Herneval, seeks her help to revive the realm’s fading creativity. The film’s intricate sets and unique character designs—like spider people and two-headed dragons—are stunning, though the fast-paced dialogue and fantastical names demand quick reading. Sarah suggests it’s kid-friendly for strong readers (the subtitles go by very fast), though the 113-minute runtime and dense dialogue might challenge younger viewers. Ideal for Spanish speakers or stop-motion enthusiasts.

For more information about these films:

The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025 at Concordia University.

The song during our intro and outro is “Until I Sleep” by Henry Homesweet and is is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 UK: England License.

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Our Fantasia International Film Festival podcast continues talking about films Beans and Cielo.

Sarah and Keith are checking out a bunch of films at the 2025 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival and as we do, we are recording the chats we have about the movies and letting you eavesdrop on them in the form of a podcast. It’s fun, trust us.

We don’t usually plan out “themes” for any given episode but totally by accident we found that our first two films were linked (somewhat) thematically. Both feature strong willed young women dealing with things no young person should really have to deal with. One (Beans) is dealing with growing on in Kanehsatake during the 1990 Oka Crisis and the other (Cielo) is dealing with the loss of your parents. In both cases our young leading ladies need to deal with these far, far too young.

For more information about these films from the Fantasia Festival website:

The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025 at Concordia University.

The song during our intro and outro is “Until I Sleep” by Henry Homesweet and is is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 UK: England License.

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One has to wonder if there’s the possibility of a Wu-Tang Clan crossover with the Predator franchise. In Predator: Killer of Killers they explore the idea that if you manage to kill a Yautja they come for you and bring you back to their home planet. Would a Predator be able to survive The 36 Chambers?

I remember a time in this podcast where conspiracy theories were kind of like a fun little thought experiment where we would all go “yeah, wouldn’t THAT be crazy” but these days it’s hard to get excited about tinfoil hats when every crackpot idea seems not only plausible but downright likely.

Don’t go falling out of any windows.

We wrap the show up by talking a little about the staged but very real violence that Hangman Adam Page and Jox Moxley engaged in over the weekend at AEW All-In. From Bleacher Report:

“Page drew first blood by repeatedly stabbing Moxley in the head with a fork. It was a brutal scene because you could see the wound opening up as it happened. There was no hiding it. It’s not like they showed some hits and then Mox had time to use a blade. It was the fork doing all the damage.”

ART.

Meanwhile – over on Garbage Time, Scott prepared a list of obscure aliens to quiz Jon and Keith about their knowledge of aliens. It’s a good time. We also talk about the upcoming films Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Honestly you should at least head over to the Patreon just to take a look at the episode image Scott whipped up for this one, it’s dope. If you would like to show your support and head over to Patreon and subscribe at the 9ES Deluxe tier to listen to this and all past episodes of Garbage Time that would be appreciated.

Our intro song is a brand new jam cooked up by OKU-DA just for us, do yourself a favour and check out his SoundCloud).

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The Montreal arts & entertainment podcast that ask Dr. Tyler Lemco: “In human history, are things getting better, or worse?” That question asked by Erik Intrevado back in episode 317.

So we’ve had Tyler Lemco on the show before. The man is one of the creative legends of Montreal so he’s always got something new and exciting to plug. He ran for mayor of Montreal! And that’s not even close to the best thing he’s done in the last few years.

Digging into the Go Plug Yourself archives, Tyler Lemco has been on the show 3 times as a solo guest, once as a co-guest and featured on at least 2 episodes of the Holiday Shit Show. Once again filed in the “holy shit we’ve been doing this a long time” folder: The first time Tyler was on the show was in 2013. Simpler times.

Tyler’s latest creative endeavour is bringing out your creative side. That’s right, you. He’s running “Dr Lemco’s Creative Club” which is a series of events that he’s running around the city where you can show up and do something creative. Mess around with paint, make some bracelets, let your creative energies run wild. He’s doing them all over town so you should head to tlem.co and check out the calendar for when he will be in your neighbourhood.

Finally, Dr Tyler Lemco is having a vernissage this Sunday July 13th at4710 Rue Saint-Ambroise Montréal, from 4 pm to 8 pm so you should check that out to.

Walter J. Lyng and Troy Stark join me for this one and the less said about Indiana Jones the better I think.

As always, a big thank you to the providers of our theme song: Leighland Beckman and Aural Turpitude!

Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and sometimes blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.

Walter J. Lyng is a stand-up comedian based out of Montreal, you should follow him on Twitter @wallygoodtimes and on Facebook: Walter J. Lyng

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