Contra Zoom Pod
By Dakota Arsenault
307: Mission: Impossible - Ranked
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to listen to Dakota and Matthew rank the Mission: Impossible films to celebrate the release of the 8th entry (and possibly last film in the series?) , The Final Reckoning. Joining the show is former co-host Rachel Ho the film editor at Exclaim!
Our Rankings
8. Final Reckoning (time stamp for spoilers 9:30 for general discussion and 19:30 for big spoilers)
7. M:I-II
6. Dead Reckoning (spoiler warning for Final Reckoning at 38:35)
5. Mission: Impossible
4. Rogue Nation
3. Ghost Protocol
2. M:I-III
1. Fallout
Back in 2023 Rachel ranked the top 5 Mission: Impossible stunts.
Follow Rachel on Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow him on Bluesky and Threads.
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306: 2025 Hot Docs
The 2025 edition of Hot Docs ran from April 24-May 4th, and we recap six of the films we watched including Ultras, Coexistence, My Ass!, The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés, The Secret Lives of My Three Men, Always and Writing Hawa. Joining Dakota and Jeff is Pedro Lima, a writer for Contra Zoom Pod.
Check out Dakota's reviews of Paul, and The Secret Lives of My Three Men.
Check out Jeff's reviews of I Dreamed His Name, Shamed and Endless Cookie.
Check out Pedro's reviews of The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés, Yalla Parkour, Khartoum, Mama and My Boyfriend the Fascist.
Watch C. Tangana's music video for the song Oliveira Dos Cen Anos.
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305: Best Stunt Oscars
With the announcement of there being a stunt Oscar coming in 2028, we decided to name who we think should have been the nominees and winners for the past five years. We also discuss other new Oscar rules. Joining the show is critic Todd Pengelly.
Read about the addition of the Best Stunts category.
Read about the upcoming changes to some Oscar categories.
Dakota's picks for Best Stunts the last five years: The Fall Guy, The Iron Claw, The Batman, No Time to Die and Tenet.
Todd's picks for Best Stunts the last five years: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, John Wick: Chapter 4, RRR, No Time to Die and Tenet.
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304: A24 Retrospective - Val
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode Dakota and Matthew are looking at 2021's Val directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo. The film is a documentary using actor Val Kilmer's extensive home video collection to cover his life and career up to his diagnoses with throat cancer that left him without a voice. Kilmer sadly passed away on April 1st, 2025 so we decided to jump forward to cover this film.
Both Matthew Simpson and Jeff Bulmer are officially joining the podcast as permanent rotating co-hosts!
Our double bill pairings include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Dakota's pick) and Top Secret! (Matthew's pick). See our complete A24 Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow him on Bluesky and Threads.
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303: 2025 Canadian Screen Awards Nomination Reactions
The Canadian Screen Awards announced their nominations for the June 1st gala with Universal Language leading the pack with 13 nominations. Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast, joins the show as the guys try to predict who will be nominated and then react to actual films that made the cut.
See the Letterboxd list that Jeff made that features all of the nominated films.
Check out some of our Canadian Screen Award reviews from this past year, Darkest Miriam, Paying For It, Rumours, Shepherds, The Apprentice, Universal Language and Young Werther.
Check out new reviews from Contrazoompod.com including Wolf Man, The Penguin Lessons and Julie Keeps Quiet.
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302: Best Films of 2024
Now that Oscar season has come and gone, it is finally time to put a bow on the films from 2024. We rank our top 10 films of the year. Joining the show is CZP's former co-host Rachel Ho. We also feature voicemails from friends of the show who name their favourite film of the year.
Dakota's List
10. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
9. Dune: Part Two
8. The King Tide
7. Kneecap
6. Challengers
5. Dìdi
4. Saturday Night
3. Civil War
2. Sing Sing
1. Conclave
Rachel's List
10. The Bikeriders
9. Sing Sing
8. A Different Man
7. All The Long Nights
6. Dune: Part Two
5. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
4. I'm Still Here
3. Better Man
2. September 5
1. Mars Express
Thank you our special guests for sending in voicemails of their favourite films: Jeff Bulmer from Classic Movies Live (Paying For It), Bryan Loomis from What A Picture (Evil Does Not Exist), Pedro Lima from ContraZoomPod.com (exergue - on documenta 14) and Marta Djordjevic from Rewind and Revive (All We Imagine As Light).
Check out Dakota and Rachel's blog post If We Were Oscar Voters.
Check out Dakota's full list of 2024 Films Ranked on Letterboxd.
Follow Rachel on Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
Read her interview with Seven Veils director Atom Egoyan.
Read Dakota's recent reviews on Shepherds and Can I Get A Witness.
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301: 2025 Oscars Wrap Up
Oscar season is officially over after Anora won Best Picture and four other trophies at the 97th Academy Awards. We recap the ceremony, give our thoughts on the biggest winners and losers and judge the production of the show itself. Joining the show is critic Alex Southey, who was last heard on episode 295: 2025 Oscar Nomination Reactions.
We look at who won the the contest back on episode 299: 2025 Oscar Draft, with Alex Watson winning with 7 points, followed by Dakota and Thomas Stoneham-Judge with 5 points each and Brodie Cotnam finishing in last with 3 points.
Check out the collection of Oscar nominated reviews, blogs and podcasts all in one convenient post.
Follow Alex Southey on Instagram and Letterboxd. Check out his podcasts Your Worst Song... and The Human Interest Hour...
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300: 2025 Oscar Predictions
We are less than a week away from the Oscars, so we put our reputations on the line to predict who will win at the 97th Academy Awards. Joining the show is Elizabeth Mulloy a Washington based critic.
Below are our picks of who we think will win:
- Best Picture - The Brutalist (D), Anora (E)
- Best Director - Sean Baker (D+E)
- Best Actor - Adrian Brody (D+E)
- Best Actress - Demi Moore (D+E)
- Best Supporting Actor - Kieran Culkin (D+E)
- Best Supporting Actress - Zoe Saldaña (D+E)
- Best Adapted Screenplay - Conclave (D+E)
- Best Original Screenplay - Anora (D+E)
- Best Cinematography - The Brutalist (D), Nosferatu (E)
- Best Documentary - No Other Land (D+E)
- Best Original Song - El Mal (D+E)
- Best Original Score - The Brutalist (D+E)
- Best Sound - Wicked (D+E)
- Best Costume Design - Wicked (D+E)
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling - The Substance (D+E)
- Best Production Design - Dune: Part Two (D), Wicked (E)
- Best Animated Feature - The Wild Robot (D), Flow (E)
- Best Visual Effects - Dune: Part Two (D+E)
- Best Film Editing - Anora (D), Conclave (E)
- Best International Film - I'm Still Here (D), Emilia Pérez (E)
- Best Live Action Short - A Lien (D+E)
- Best Documentary Short - I Am Ready, Warden (D+E)
- Best Animated Short - Wander to Wonder (D), Beautiful Men (E)
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299: 2025 Oscar Draft
We are back with our third annual Oscar Draft. It is very simple, each person selects 5 movies that are nominated at this year’s Oscars and whoever gets the most awards, wins! Joining Dakota is Thomas Stoneham-Judge, Brodie Cotnam and Alex Watson.
Stay tuned to the Oscar Wrap Up podcast to see who the winner was!
Check out 2024's Oscar Draft and the 2023 Draft too.
Dakota's team - The Brutalist, A Real Pain, The Wild Robot, No Other Land, A Lien
Alex's team - Anora, Conclave, Nosferatu, Flow and Sing Sing
Brodie's team - The Substance, Dune: Part Two, A Complete Unknown, Wander to Wonder and The Man Who Would Not Remain Silent
Thomas' team - Emilia Pérez, Wicked, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys and Black Box Diaries
Follow For Reel on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Follow Thomas on Twitter and Instagram.
Watch Brodie's short film The Gift and log it on Letterboxd. that he wrote and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd.
Follow Alex Watson on Twitter and Letterboxd.
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298: I'm Still Wicked, Conclave Boys
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On this final episode of the series we talk aboutWicked,Conclave,I'm Still Here andNickel Boys. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Paulo Bautista host of theOscars Death Race Podcast.
Check out ourOscar Primer blog entries where we look at other films nominated at the Oscars. The most recent entry covers Nosferatu, The Six Triple Eight and Black Box Diaries.
This Oscar season I will be highlighting different organizations that are helping victims of the Palisades fire. This episode consider donating to theAltadena Girls Fire Recovery or theLA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund.
Check out Jeff Bulmer's review of I'm Still Here and thank you to Sony Pictures Classic and StarPR for the screener.
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297: Emilia Substance: Part Two
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On this episode of the series we talk about Emilia Pérez, Dune: Part Two and The Substance. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Ethan Simmie, the host of The Movie Draft Podcast and 24 Minutes of A24.
Check out our Oscar Primer blog entries where we look at other films nominated at the Oscars. The most recent entry covers A Real Pain, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Memoir of a Snail and Gladiator II.
This Oscar season I will be highlighting different organizations that are helping victims of the Palisades fire. This episode consider donating to the World Central Kitchen or the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program.
Check out more of Ethan's work by subscribing to his YouTube channel Movies Are So Back and read his writing at Agents of Fandom. Follow Ethan on Letterboxd, Twitter and TikTok.
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296: Anora's Complete Brutalist
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On the first episode of the series we talk about The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown and Anora. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast and frequent contributor to ContraZoomPod.com.
Check out our nomination reactions podcast where we looked at the biggest winners, surprises and snubs.
This Oscar season I will be highlighting different organizations that are helping victims of the Palisades fire. This episode consider donating to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank or the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.
Check out Classic Movies Live episodes on Anora and The Substance.
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295: 2025 Oscar Nomination Reactions
The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced and we react to the big winners, surprises and snubs for this years show. Joining the show is Alex Southey, who runs the Play With Rabbit Ears blog.
This Oscar season I will be highlighting different organizations that are helping victims of the Palisades fire. This episode consider donating to the California Fire Foundation and the California Community Foundation.
Listen to Dakota's predictions on who would get nominated on the Oscars Death Race Podcast (surprise he got a 75% accuracy rate).
Follow Alex Southey on Instagram and Letterboxd.
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Check out more great Contra Zoom content on That Shelf!
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
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294: Best Films of the Decade So Far Part 2
The first half of the decade is now behind us, so let's look back at the best films that came out from 2020-2024. We sent out a poll to critics and made a list of the 50 best films of the decade so far. Last week on Part 1, we revealed picks 50-26. Now here is Part 2 where we count down picks 25 through number 1!
Huge thank you to the following people for sending in voicemails on behalf of films that made the list: Calum Macnab, Bryan Loomis, Brodie Cotnam, Daniel Grant, Matthew Simpson, Alex Watson, Martyn Strange, Matt Schmidt, Aria, Nathan Sizemore, Todd Pengelly, John Richards, Sean Wilson, Bil Antoniou, Jeff Bulmer, Harper Thompson, Rachel Ho and Nate Storring.
See every film mentioned on ballots on the complete Letterboxd list.
A very special thank you to Cristel Tapia for designing the custom artwork for this series.
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293: Best Films of the Decade So Far Part 1
The first half of the decade is now behind us, so let's look back at the best films that came out from 2020-2024. We sent out a poll to critics and made a list of the 50 best films of the decade so far. On Part 1, we reveal picks 50-26, with the rest being named on Part 2 next week.
Huge thank you to the following people for sending in voicemails on behalf of films that made the list: Bryan Loomis, Stephanie Prior, Ethan Simmie, Calum Macnab, Ricky Valero, Darren Zakus, Mike Noyes, Adam Schoales, Simon Best, Eric Zhu, Katey Yost, Raf Stitt, Alex Kokke, Mark Hofmeyer, Brett Schutt and Lori Alex.
A very special thank you to Cristel Tapia for designing the custom artwork for this series.
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292: A24 Retrospective - The Witch
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's The Witch directed by Robert Eggers. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy, as the eldest child of a New England family who moves out of their plantation home to live near woods where witches may habitate. Joining the show is Ethan Simmie, the host of The Movie Draft Podcast and 24 Minutes of A24.
Our double bill pairings include Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched (Dakota's pick) and The First Omen (Ethan's pick). See our complete A24 Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.
Check out more of Ethan's work by subscribing to his YouTube channel Movies Are So Back and read his writing at Agents of Fandom. Follow Ethan on Letterboxd, Twitter and TikTok.
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Bonus: Better Know a Contributor - Matthew Simpson
In lieu of a full episode this week, we bring you the ninth in our series of bonus episodes, Better Know a Contributor, where we ask frequent guests of the show 10 Contra Zoom Pod movie questions so you can learn more about your favourite voices. On this show is Matthew Simpson, one half of the Awesome Friday podcast. Dakota and Matthew discuss how to market a film podcast, how you can still discover Airplane! jokes even after dozens of viewings, what makes Sam Raimi so special and more!
Check out previous Better Know a Contributor shows focusing on Dakota, Rachel and Bil to learn more about the extended CZP family.
Check out the nominees for Best Cascadian Film from the CFTCA critics group that Matthew and Dakota co-founded.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
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291: Columbia Noirs
It's November, which means it is time for our annual Noir-vember themed episode! To celebrate Columbia Pictures 100th anniversary, The Criterion Channel put together a pack of some of their noir hits. We discuss Gilda, The Crimson Kimono and Experiment in Terror. Joining the show is Alisha Mughal, editor at The Asian Cut.
Alisha previously joined the show for 261: McCarthyism in Noir and 216: Fox Film Noirs.
Read Alisha's Silence As Salvation: The Quiet Femmes of Modern Horror.
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290: A24 Retrospective - The Souvenir
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2019 and 2021's The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II, written and directed by Joanna Hogg. The films are autobiographical stories of Hogg's own life with Honor Swinton Byrne portraying her during a bad relationship and the reverberating effects it has on her life. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer and Pierre Frigon, hosts of the Classic Movies Live podcast.
Our double bill pairings for Part I include Barry Lyndon (Dakota's pick) and La La Land (Pierre's pick) and for Part II include The Wonder (Dakota's pick), Cold War (Jeff's pick) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Pierre's pick). See our complete A24 Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.
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289: Giallo!
For our Halloween special this year we decided to fill in some horror blind spots and check out the Giallo collection that is available to stream on the Criterion Channel. We review Blood and Black Lace, Don't Torture a Duckling and Deep Red. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, one half of the Awesome Friday podcast.
Check out the full list of movies in the Criterion Channel collection on Letterboxd.
Check out Filmsplaining with Martyn Strange episode 206: Giallo that was used as research for this episode.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
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288: A24 Retrospective - Mojave
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2016's Mojave, directed by William Monahan. The film stars Garrett Hedlund as Tom, a depressed director who goes into the desert and ends up coming across Oscar Issac’s drifter Jack where they have a confrontation that continues back in LA. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, one half of the Awesome Friday podcast.
Our double bill pairings include The Gift (Dakota's pick) and The Hateful Eight (Matthew's pick). See our complete A24 Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
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287: 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival
The 2024 edition of VIFF just wrapped its 43rd year. We discuss our thoughts on the festival and review some of the films watched. Joining the show is Todd Pengelly, Marta Djordjevic and Christopher Cross.
We review Anora, Universal Language, All We Imagine As Light, Conclave, A Different Man, The Girl With a Needle, No Other Land and Rumours.
Read Dakota's reviews of Inedia, A Different Man, Conclave, The Mother and the Bear and Rumours.
Read Marta's reviews of All We Imagine as Light and The Girl With The Needle. Subscribe to McFly's Movie House and follow Marta on Twitter and Instagram.
Read Christopher's reviews for Universal Language and Matt and Mara. Follow Christopher on Twitter and Instagram.
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Leave a comment on Spotify for what movies you saw at TIFF!
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286: 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
With TIFF now behind us, it is time to discuss some of our favourite films that played, the award winners and what comes next for the People's Choice selection. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer from Classic Movies Live, Thomas Stoneham-Judge from For Reel and Darren Zakus from Movie Scene Canada.
We review The Life of Chuck, The Substance, Queer, Eden, The Shrouds, SATURDAY NIGHT, The Assessment and Heretic.
Read Dakota's reviews of SATURDAY NIGHT and The Last Showgirl.
Read Jeff's reviews of The Substance, Vice is Broke, The Return, Julie Keeps Quiet, Universal Language, Young Werther, Paying For It and Seeds.
Read Brodie Cotnam's review of The Life of Chuck.
Read Darren's reviews of Eden, Babygirl and The Life of Chuck.
Check out Thomas and For Reel's complete TIFF coverage.
Leave a comment on Spotify for what movies you saw at TIFF!
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Follow For Reel on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Follow Thomas on Twitter and Instagram.
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285: 2024 TIFF Preview
The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5-15th and we will be in town covering the fest. Here we preview our most anticipated films playing! Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast.
Dakota's picks: Oh, Canada, SATURDAY NIGHT, The Shrouds, The Last Showgirl, Anora and Relay.
Jeff's pick: Ick, Universal Language, The Life of Chuck, Cloud, The Return and Piece by Piece.
Read Dakota and Jeff's blog previewing their picks for films playing TIFF.
Leave a comment on Spotify for what movies you're most excited to watch!
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284: 2024 Fantasia Film Festival
The 2024 edition of the Fantasia Film Festival just concluded and we discuss some of the films we watched, including Cuckoo, The Silent Planet, The Tenants, Electrophilia, Darkest Miriam, Hollywood 90028 and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast.
Read Dakota's reviews of The Silent Planet and Electrophilia.
Read Jeff's reviews of Cuckoo, Infinite Summer, Kizumonogatari - Koyomi Vamp and Darkest Miriam.
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283: A24 Retrospective - Mississippi Grind
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's Mississippi Grind directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film stars Ben Mendelsohn as Gerry a down and out gambling addict who befriends Ryan Reynolds Curtis, a man who he believes is his good luck charm. Joining the show is Eric Zhu, who publishes his work on Substack called The Insert.
Our double bill pairings include Hard Eight (Dakota's pick) and The Adults (Eric's pick). See our complete A24 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 episode 277: A24 Retrospective - Dark Places.
For more of Eric's work check out his reviews on La Práctica and Notes on Films by Nathaniel Dorsky and Jerome Hiler on The Insert.
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282: Best Films By Genre Part 2
It is recently Dakota's birthday, and we continue the trend of picking a category and choosing our favourites from it. In 2020 there was 114: 30 Films in 30 Years, in 2021 it was 157: Best Films Through the Decades in 2022 it was 199: Best Films by Genre and in 2023 it was 243: Best Films By Language.
This year we are continuing 2022's theme of doing ten more genres by going through ten different film genres and name our favourite films from each of them! See our picks below (Dakota's first, then Bil's)!
Comic Book: V for Vendetta and Persepolis
Epic: Lawrence of Arabia and Cleopatra
Family/Kids: Elf and Meet Me In St. Louis
Fantasy: The Green Knight and The Double Life of Veronique
Live Performance: Stop Making Sense (both picked this film)
Silent: The General and City Lights
Sports: He Got Game and A League of Their Own
Thriller: To Live and Die in LA and Charade
War: The Bridge on the River Kwai and The English Patient
Western: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Once Upon A Time in the West
How many of our picks have you seen? Compare on our Letterboxd list.
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281: 2024 Toronto Japanese Film Festival
The 2024 Toronto Japanese Film Festival has just concluded and we wrap up the best films that we saw during the run. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast. We discuss Stay Mum, Missing, Great Absence, Life is Climbing and Mondays: See You "This" Week.
Read Jeff's reviews of Missing and Don't Call It Mystery.
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280: Canadian Screen Awards 2024
The Canadian Screen Awards celebrate the best in film, television and web content from Canada, and we discuss the films that were nominated and won at this year's ceremony. Movies discussed include BlackBerry, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, The Queen of my Dreams, Red Rooms and more! Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast.
Read our collected reviews for films that were nominated.
Check out Jeff's Letterboxd list of nominated films and Matthew Simpson's article of where to watch the films.
Read Jeff's reviews of Madame Web and river.
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279: Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
Summer movie season is upon us, so it is time to pick what movies with a confirmed release date we are most excited about seeing this year!
Dakota's picks are The Bikeriders, Kinds of Kindness, Wolf Man, Gladiator 2 and Nosferatu.
Rachel's picks are Twisters, Trap, Speak No Evil, Wolfs and Mufasa: The Lion King.
Rachel also announced that she is ending her run as permanent co-host. She will still come back as a guest, but won't be a full time contributor going forward. She listed her three favourite episodes, 161: Fantasia Fest Interviews, 171: The Unholy Trinity of Folk Horror and 185: 2022 Canadian Screen Awards Nominations.
I hope you join me in thanking Rachel for all her contributions to the podcast over the last few years!
Read Rachel's interview with Sam Taylor-Johnson director of Back to Black.
Read Dakota's review of Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox and Hitchcock’s Pro-Nazi Film. Also Jeff Bulmer's reviews of Madame Web and River.
Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
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278: 2024 SIFF Wrap Up
The 2024 Seattle International Film Festival just concluded and we wrap up some of the films we saw. Joining the show again is Thomas Stoneham-Judge, the owner of For Reel, who was last heard on episode 270: 2024 Oscar Draft.
We talk about Dìdi, The Missing (Iti mapukpukaw), Tiger Stripes, Terrestrial Verses, Hitchcock's Pro-Nazi Film and Bob Trevino Likes It.
Read Dakota's review of Hitchcock's Pro-Nazi Film and Red Rooms. Paulo Bautista's reviews of The Missing and Dìdi.
Watch For Reel's interviews with the director of The Missing with more coming.
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277: A24 Retrospective - Dark Places
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's Dark Places directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. The film stars Charlize Theron as Libby Day a woman who witnessed her older brother murder her entire family in a satanic ritual as a child, only to now be forced to questioned if that's what really happened. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, one half of the Awesome Friday Podcast.
Our double bill pairings include Satan Wants You (Dakota) and Gone Girl (Matthew). See our complete A24 Double Bill Pairings on Letterboxd.
Check out Dakota's interview with Steve J. Adams and Sean Horler, the directors of Satan Wants You.
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 episode 274: A24 Retrospective - The End of the Tour.
Read Contra Zoom's reviews from Hot Docs including Fire Tower, Secret Mall Apartment, The Click Trap and more.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
276: Hot Docs 2024
For the fifth year in a row we are covering the Hot Docs Film Festival, which celebrates the best in documentary films. We discuss 6 films watched during this year's fest. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer, one half of the Classic Movies Live podcast.
The films covered are Secret Mall Apartment, American Cats, Red Fever, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, Agent of Happiness and Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself.
Read Jeff's reviews for Whatever It Takes and Agent of Happiness, with more to come!
Read Dakota's reviews for Red Fever and Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself with more to come!
To learn more about the state of Hot Docs read Pat Mullen's in depth reporting over at POV Magazine on the subject HERE, HERE and HERE.
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275: Seven Samurai at 70 Years
Back in 1954, Akira Kurosawa made the seminal samurai epic Seven Samurai starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of a group of ronin who band up together to save a farmers village from a group of bandits. The film came out 70 years ago, so to celebrate the anniversary we review it and talk about the film’s influence. Joining the show is Bryan Loomis host of the What a Picture Podcast.
Check out Matthew Simpson's Letterboxd list Movies that are just The Seven Samurai Again.
Listen to What a Picture 42. Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa (with Bill Graham).
Listen to 43: Make/Remake: Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
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Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
274: A24 Retrospective - The End of the Tour
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's The End of the Tour, directed by James Ponsoldt. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as David Lipsky a Rolling Stone journalist who spends five days interviewing breakout author David Foster Wallace, played by Jason Segal. Joining the show for the first time is critic Nick Tiffany.
Our double bill pairings include Almost Famous (Dakota) and Birdman (Nick). See our complete A24 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 episode 265: A24 Retrospective - Amy.
Read Dakota's review of Red Rooms and Jay Stryker's review of BlackBerry.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
273: Best Films of 2023
Now that the Oscars are behind us, it is time to put a cap on the movie year that was 2023. There were a ton of incredible films so buckle in as Dakota and Rachel name their ten favourite films from last year. Along the way they get plenty of help from friends of the show who sent in voicemails of their pick for their number one movie too!
Dakota's Top 10
- Monster
- The Teachers' Lounge
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline
- BlackBerry
- The Zone of Interest
- Oppenheimer
- The Iron Claw
- The Killer
- Evil Does Not Exist
- The Royal Hotel
Rachel's Top Ten
- All of Us Strangers
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Poor Things
- Dream Scenario
- American Fiction
- Fallen Leaves
- The Holdovers
- BlackBerry
- Creed III
Check out our blog post If We Were Oscar Voters as mentioned on the show.
Special thanks to all the friends of the show who sent in clips of their top film: Michael Clawson and Eric Zhu (May December), Jeff Bulmer (BlackBerry), Nick Tiffany (Godzilla Minus One), Ethan Simmie (Oppenheimer), Jericho Tadeo (Freemont), Rose Ho (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Darren Zakus (Oppenheimer) and Marta Djordjevic (Perfect Days).
Read Brodie Cotnam's reviews of Chuck Chuck Baby and Loch Ness: They Created a Monster from the International Film Festival of Ottawa.
Read Paulo Bautsita's review of The Peasants.
Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
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Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
272: 2024 Oscar Wrap Up
The 96th Academy Awards are officially behind us! We look at the big winners, best dressed, best performances and hosting! Joining the show once again is Todd Pengelly, a writer from For Reel who was last heard on episode 271: 2024 Oscar Predictions.
Before we dive into the show we look at the crop of this year's Canadian Screen Awards nominees. Check out this helpful Letterboxd list made by Jeff Bulmer.
In response to the episode 270: 2024 Oscar Draft, Thomas Stoneham-Judge and Alex Watson both got 7 points, while Brodie Cotnam got 4 points and Dakota only got 1 point.
On the last episode both Dakota and Todd listed their predictions, with Dakota going 16/23 and Todd went 17/20.
Check out Daniel Joyaux solutions to fix the Oscars Ceremony on The Ringer.
Check out all the reviews for Oscar Nominated Films and read the blog post on if Dakota and Rachel were Oscar Voters on Contra Zoom.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
271: 2024 Oscar Predictions
We have come to the end of Oscar season, with our final episode before the Academy Awards on March 10th, 2024. We predict the winners for all 23 awards. Joining the show is Todd Pengelly, a writer from For Reel and a member of the Cascadian Film and Television Critics Association.
See below the picks for the Oscars:
- Supporting Actress - Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Dakota and Todd)
- Supporting Actor - Robert Downey Jr. (Dakota and Todd)
- Actress - Lily Gladstone (Dakota and Todd)
- Actor - Cillian Murphy (Dakota and Todd)
- Original Score - Oppenheimer (Dakota and Todd)
- Original Song - "How Was I Made" Barbie (Dakota and Todd)
- Original Screenplay - Anatomy of a Fall (Dakota and Todd)
- Adapted Screenplay - American Fiction (Dakota and Todd)
- Cinematography - Oppenheimer (Dakota and Todd)
- Sound - Oppenheimer (Dakota and Todd)
- Costumes - Barbie (Dakota) and Poor Things (Todd)
- Hair and Makeup - Maestro (Dakota) and Poor Things (Todd)
- Live Action Short - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Dakota)
- Animated Short - War Is Over! (Dakota)
- Documentary Short - The ABC's of Book Banning (Dakota)
- Animated Feature - The Boy and the Heron (Dakota and Todd)
- Documentary - 20 Days in Mariupol (Dakota and Todd)
- International Film - The Zone of Interest (Dakota and Todd)
- Visual Effects - The Creator (Dakota) and Godzilla Minus One (Todd)
- Production Design - Barbie (Dakota and Todd)
- Film Editing - Oppenheimer (Dakota and Todd)
- Director - Christopher Nolan (Dakota and Todd)
- Picture - Oppenheimer (Dakota and Todd)
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Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
270: 2024 Oscar Draft
For the second year in a row, we are doing an Oscar Draft! It is very simple, each person selects 5 movies that are nominated at this year's Oscars and whoever gets the most awards, wins! Joining Dakota once again is Alex Watson and Brodie Cotnam, and filling in for Rachel this year is Thomas Stoneham-Judge the owner of For Reel.
Dakota's Team
- Barbie
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Maestro
- The Creator
- The ABCs of Book Banning
Thomas' Team
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
- Nyad
Alex's Team
- Poor Things
- Anatomy of a Fall
- American Fiction
- The Boy and the Heron
- Napoleon
Brodie's Team
- The Holdovers
- The Zone of Interest
- 20 Days in Mariupol
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
- Letter To A Pig
Follow For Reel on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Follow Thomas on Twitter and Instagram.
Follow Alex Watson on Twitter and Letterboxd.
Watch Brodie's short film The Gift that he wrote and follow him on Twitter.
Read Paulo Bautista's review of Dìdi.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
269: Poor Lives and American Holdovers
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On the second episode of the series we talk about Poor Things, American Fiction, The Holdovers and Past Lives. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Jeff Bulmer and Pierre Frigon, the hosts of Classic Movies Live.
Listen to our last episode breaking down the Best Picture nominees, 268: Killers of the Barbie Maestro.
Want to track what nominated films you've seen? Use Death Race Tracking or Oscars Death Race, two excellent sites.
Listen to Classic Movies Live review Poor Things and The Holdovers.
Read Jeff's review of Hundreds of Beavers.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
268: Killers of the Barbie Maestro
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On the second episode of the series we talk about Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie and Maestro. We label each nomination as Frontrunner, Dark Horse, Longshot and Just Happy To Be There. Joining the show is Kyle Garzon who was last heard on 228: Oscars 2023 – The Way of WesTÁRn Sadness.
Listen to our last episode breaking down the Best Picture nominees, 267: Anatomy of an Oppenheimer Zone.
Want to track what nominated films you've seen? Use Death Race Tracking or Oscars Death Race, two excellent sites.
Check out season 2 of The Academy Museum Podcast which breaks down how casting works.
Read Kyle's review of the new Marvel show Echo.
Check out and subscribe to Once Upon a Time at the Oscars on Spotify and follow Kyle on Twitter and Instagram.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
267: Anatomy of an Oppenheimer Zone
We continue our yearly tradition of breaking down the Best Picture nominees and the odds they have to win each of their categories. On the first episode of the series we talk about Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. 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 and John Richards the owner of Red Carpet Rosters.
Read Paulo's reviews for Perfect Days and And So It Begins.
Want to track what nominated films you've seen? Use Death Race Tracking or Oscars Death Race, two excellent sites.
Check out and subscribe to Oscars Death Race Podcast and Box Office Watch and follow Paulo on Twitter and Letterboxd.
Follow John and Red Carpet Rosters on Twitter.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
Bonus Episode: AODR Festival Interview with Mike Donahue of Troy
On this bonus episode, I am sharing my interview with Mike Donahue, director of the new film Troy for the Academy of Death Racers Festival. Troy is a short film about a couple in NYC who hear their neighbour having loud sex nonstop, the noise consumes their lives until one day it stops and they try to learn what happened. I was asked to film a Q&A with Mike to appear alongside the film's screening.
Watch Troy for free on the New York Times website (U.S. residents only).
To learn more about the Academy of Death Racers Festival, check out their official site and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
Follow Mike Donahue and Troy on Instagram.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
266: 2024 Oscar Nomination Reactions
The 2024 Oscar nominations have now been announced with Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie and Maestro leading the pack. We go over the big categories and discuss what we think of the crop of nominees including who our pleasant surprises were and biggest snubs. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, one half of the Awesome Friday podcast and co-founder of the Cascadian Film and Television Critics Association.
Check out the full list of nominees.
Listen to Dakota's appearance on the Oscars Death Race Podcast with Paulo Bautista as he attempted to predict who would be nominated.
Want to track what nominated films you've seen? Use Death Race Tracking or Oscars Death Race, two excellent sites.
For more of Matthew's work check out his personal portfolio. Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
Read Kyle Garzon's review of the Disney+ show Echo and Brodie Cotnam's review of The Teachers' Lounge on Contra Zoom.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
265: A24 Retrospective - Amy
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's Amy directed by Asif Kapadia. The film chronicles the life and career of the singer Amy Winehouse who tragically died at the age of 27 in 2011. The film only uses archival footage and home movies an adding in narration from friends, family and colleagues. Joining the show is Alex Watson who was last heard on Bonus Episode: Oscars 2023 - Oscar Draft.
Our double bill pairings include Moonage Daydream (Dakota) and Whitney (Alex). See our complete A24 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 episode 262: A24 Retrospective - Barely Lethal.
Follow Alex Watson on Twitter and Letterboxd.
Read Paulo Bautista's reviews of Godzilla Minus One, The Missing and Beyond Utopia and Dakota's review of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood over on Contra Zoom.
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Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Send a screenshot with your 5-star rating and review to contrazoompod@gmail.com and we will send you free stickers! For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
264: James Bond Draft
To end 2023 we are having another game themed episode! Earlier this year we celebrated the birth of the James Bond film franchise on episode 236: Dr. No at 60 Years. After watching all 25 official Bond films in a calendar year, it was time to make our ultimate spy movie. 10 different categories were selected to create our own Fantasy Bond Film. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson and Simon Best, the hosts of the Awesome Friday Podcast.
Check out Dakota's Bond rankings on Letterboxd.
How to watch the Bond franchise in chronological time order.
Follow Awesome Friday on Twitter and Instagram.
Check out Matthew Simpson's personal website.
Check out Simon Best's personal website.
Follow our new critics group, the Cascadian Film and Television Critics Association on Instagram, Twitter and see our nominees for Best Cascadian Film.
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Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
263: Make/Remake The Wages of Fear and Sorcerer
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 1953 Henri-Georges Clouzot film The Wages of Fear and the 1977 William Friedkin film Sorcerer. Check out our past Make/Remake‘s for more great comparison episodes and see the Letterboxd list.
Listen to Drink In The Movies and visit their website to read Taylor's reviews. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Letterboxd.
Read Jay Stryker's review of Napoleon and Brodie Cotnam's review of Total Trust over on Contra Zoom.
Follow our new critics group, the Cascadian Film and Television Critics Association on Instagram, Twitter and see our nominees for Best Cascadian Film.
Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip!
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For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
262: A24 Retrospective - Barely Lethal
We continue our series going through the entire catalog of A24's films. On this episode we are looking at 2015's Barely Lethal directed by Kyle Newman. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld as a teenaged secret agent who runs away to be a regular high schooler but trouble pops up in the form of her rival in Sophie Turner. Joining the show is Jericho Tadeo, The Asian Cut's newest editor!
Our double bill pairings include Agent Cody Banks (Dakota), Harriet the Spy (Rachel) and The Edge of Seventeen (Jericho). See our complete A24 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 episode 250: A24 Retrospective - Slow West.
Follow Jericho on Twitter and Instagram. Read Jericho's profile on Alice Wu at The Asian Cut.
Read Jeff Bulmer's review of Gran Turismo and Paulo Bautista's DOCNYC recap over on Contra Zoom.
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Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
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Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
261: McCarthyism in Noir
It's Noir-vember, which means it's time for our 3rd annual noir themed episode! This year we are looking at McCarthyism in film noir with three films, On The Waterfront, Storm Center and Witch Hunt. Joining the show is Alisha Mughal, who was last heard on episode 216: Fox Film Noirs.
Watch Storm Center and Witch Hunt for free on YouTube.
Watch Orson Welles criticize Elia Kazan and read about Kazan receiving his honorary Oscar.
Read Jericho Tadeo's feature on Alice Wu.
Read Alisha's reviews from Reel Asian including Q and Moustache.
Read recent Contra Zoom reviews including Perfect Days, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Bad CGI Gator.
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Follow Alisha on Twitter.
Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
Check out more great Contra Zoom content on That Shelf!
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 a screenshot with your 5-star rating and review to contrazoompod@gmail.com and we will send you free stickers! For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
Use my special link (https://zen.ai/Tzmt1w7Ugwp2K_w8umo6Cw) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.
260: The Red Shoes at 75 Years
Back in 1948, Powell and Pressburger made one of the definitive dance films with The Red Shoes starring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring. The film tells the story of a young ballerina who gets caught up between dedicated herself completely to dance and falling in love. The film came out 75 years ago, so to celebrate the anniversary we review it and talk about the film's influence.
Support the show on Ko-fi by sending us a tip!
Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram, bookmark The Asian Cut and check out her website for more great reviews.
Check out more great Contra Zoom content on That Shelf!
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 a screenshot with your 5-star rating and review to contrazoompod@gmail.com and we will send you free stickers! For more information, visit contrazoompod.com.
Thank you Eric and Kevin Smale for the original theme songs, Jimere for the interlude music and Stephanie Prior for designing the logo.
Use my special link (https://zen.ai/Tzmt1w7Ugwp2K_w8umo6Cw) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.