Contra Zoom Pod

We are taking a brief sojourn from Oscar talk, to instead look back into our own country of Canada and discuss the best movies from north of the border. We react to the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards, which celebrates the best in film, TV and screen work. On this show we discuss the movie portion of the nominees. Some of the films we go over include Scarborough, Night Raiders, All My Puny Sorrows, Wildhood, The Righteous, Islands, Learn to Swim, Night of the Kings, Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy and more! The awards for film will be handed out on April 8th.

Listen to our interview with Mark O'Brien director and star of The Righteous and our interview with director Virginia Abramovich and writer Katherine Andrews Between Waves.

Read Dakota's article of his top Canadian Films of 2021.

Read our Rachel's reviews on Scarborough, The Righteous, Night Raiders, Night of the Kings, Learn to Swim, Islands and Between Waves.

Read Dakota's reviews on All My Puny Sorrows, Wildhood and Kicking Blood.

For a full list of nominees check out the Canadian Screen Awards website.

Read Rachel's review of LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, her interview with Kaia Kater from The Porter, and her contributions to the article The Criterion Shelf: Starring Harry Belafonte. 

Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We begin our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On this show we talk about Dune, King Richard and Nightmare Alley. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Paulo Bautista, host of the Oscars Death Race Podcast.

Check out Scaretroducing's review of Nightmare Alley.

Check out and subscribe to Oscars Death Race Podcast and Box Office Watch and follow Paulo on Letterboxd.

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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Normally Make/Remake examines how two films that share the same story. Not to say what film was better or worse, but how they are similar and different while following the same arcs. This time we are looking at the 1957 Akira Kurosawa movie Throne of Blood and the 2021 Joel Coen movie The Tragedy of Macbeth both based on the William Shakespeare play Macbeth. Check out past Make/Remake films for more great entries into the series.

Read Rachel's review of The Tragedy of Macbeth and Cosmic Dawn. 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We react to the just announced 94th Academy Award nominations. We talk about the big (early) winners in The Power of the Dog, Dune, Belfast, West Side Story, CODA, Being the Ricardos, Flee and more. We look at the big categories and what stuck out as a surprise or a snub. Stay tuned for the rest of Oscar season as there will be plenty more shows devoted to the Academy Awards including episodes breaking down the Best Picture contenders, predictions and after the ceremony reactions. We will also have another edition of Dakota and Rachel pick who they would nominate. 

Check out Rachel's top 10 movies from 2021. 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2014's Life After Beth directed by Jeff Baena. The film is a story about a young man given a second chance at love when his recently deceased girlfriend comes back to life as a zombie. The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Dane De Haan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon and Anna Kendrick. This is a special episode as it is a cross over show with Jeff and Pierre from Classic Movies Live coming on to guest, while Rachel and Dakota joined their show to talk about The Voices. The reason for this super special cross over is Classic Movies Live has been doing a series called Kickin' It With Kendrick, a deep dive into the filmography of Anna Kendrick who stars in both Life After Beth and The Voices.

Our double bill pairings include Young Frankenstein (Dakota), Pet Sematary (Rachel) The Voices (Jeff) and Ingrid Goes West (Pierre). Check out all previous Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.

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 180: A24 Retrospective - Enemy. 

Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews.

Check out and subscribe to Classic Movies Live on Spotify and follow them 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2013's Enemy directed by Denis Villeneuve. The film is about a history professor played by Jake Gyllenhaal who watches a movie and notices his exact doppelgänger in it. As he investigates who this other man is, they get wrapped up in a mystery of who is really who and how they might be connected. Joining the show is Alex Watson, a film reviewer who used to run the blog Closer to the Edge but who's work can now be found on Letterboxd.

Our double bill pairings include Persona (Dakota), American Psycho (Rachael) and Nightcrawler (Alex). Check out all previous Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd. 

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 178: A24 Retrospective - Red Rocket.

Follow Alex on Letterboxd and Twitter. 

Read Rachel's contributions to Exclaim!'s 16 Most Anticipated Films of 2022 and her review of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews.

Check out and subscribe to Classic Movies Live on Spotify and follow them on Twitter.

Thank you to Cinessance for partnering with us. Check out the best films from France that rarely get distribution in North America. Subscriptions cost as little as $8/month.

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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

With 2021 now behind us, it's time for Dakota and Rachel to look back at the news stories that dominated the film industry. We talk about Scarlett Johansson suing Disney over the studio pulling Black Widow from theatres, Bob Odenkirk having a scary health moment where for a brief moment the world thought he had died, Jussie Smollet gets sentenced for orchestrating a hate crime against himself, how Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to earn over $600 million in just two weeks and much more. 

Check out and subscribe to Classic Movies Live on Spotify and follow them 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

On this bonus episode, I am sharing my interview with Louis Lathey, director of the new film Who Am I Now? for the Academy of Death Racers Festival. Who Am I Now? is a queer coming out story for two women who are grappling with their self identities as they fall for each other. I was asked to film a Q&A with the Louise to appear after the films screening. Feel free to either watch the movie first or to listen to the interview here before hand.

To watch Who Am I Now? and everything else at the AODR Festival, you can purchase a run of engagement ticket for only $15. 

Watch the AODR Fest trailer HERE.

Watch the Who Am I Now? trailer HERE.

To learn more about Jack Dog Films and Louise Lathey click HERE.

Follow Jack Dog Films on Instagram.

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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you to Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2021's Red Rocket, directed by Sean Baker. The film is about a washed up former porn star Mikey, played by Simon Rex, who returns to his hometown in Texas as he tries to get his life back on track. He moves back in with his estranged wife and mother-in-law and gets back to his scheming ways. He eventually meets 17 year old Strawberry, played by Suzanna Son, as Mikey sees visions of grandeur for the underaged girl in the porn industry. 

Our double bill pairings include A Star is Born (Dakota) and Don Jon (Rachel).

Read Dakota's review of Red Rocket from VIFF. 

Read Rachel's contributions to Exclaim!'s Most Underrated and Underseen Movies of 2021 and Most Disappointing Films of 2021. Follow Rachel on Twitter and check out her website for more great reviews.

Check out and subscribe to Classic Movies Live on Spotify and follow them 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

We are approaching the holiday season, so we thought we'd have a bit of fun! Rachel put together a bunch of questions to test Dakota's ability to make movie recommendations. Jaws or Saving Private Ryan? Marie Antionette or The Bling Ring? Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums? 

Check out some of Rachel's recent work on Exclaim's best of series, Exclaim!'s 17 Best Films of 2021 and Exclaim!'s 12 Best TV Shows of 2021. 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 wherever you listen. Send us a screenshot of your 5 star rating and review to [email protected] and we will send you free swag!

Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for creating the awesome theme music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.

Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.