This review contains spoilers for the film The Life of Chuck. 

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s genre-bending adaptation of Stephen King’s novella of the same name is both uplifting and poignant. Best known for his bone-chilling work (Oculus, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep), it’s not a surprise that this movie contained elements of horror, yet still managed to maintain a resounding feeling of optimism. 

Split into three acts, and narrated by Nick Offerman, the story is unorthodoxly told in reverse chronological order. 

Beginning with Act Three, titled “Thanks Chuck,” we see the entire planet on the verge of collapse. There is a worldwide environmental crisis and the earth is burning. California has faced a massive earthquake that has left the majority of the state in ruins and underwater. Volcanoes have erupted in Germany. China is facing a disastrous famine. It’s the end of times, and the light is dimming on humanity. 

Despite the dreadful circumstances, school teacher Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor)

attempts to hold conferences with parents, all of whom are uninvested in their childrens’ student affairs and instead devastated that the internet has completely shut down. Just the mere thought of the extinction of PornHub is enough to move one parent to tears. 

The sounds and projections of catastrophe are soon drowned out by vague billboard, radio, and television ads, all thanking some guy named Charles Krantz – A.K.A. Chuck – for 39 great years. Thirty-nine great years of what? What are we thankful for? WHO is he? Unfortunately, no one knows and the film makes no effort to disclose this key information too prematurely. 

The height of the devastation brings Marty and his ex-wife Felicia Gordon (Karen Gillan), a nurse overseeing so many deaths that her team has nicknamed itself “The Suicide Squad,” closer than they ever had been in marriage. Watching the world implode around them, the pair rely on each other for comfort in the final hours of doomsday.  

The city has gone completely dark. The moon, Mars, followed by all of the stars in the solar system quickly begin to vanish one-by-one. There’s a feeling of hopelessness in the atmosphere. The only glimmer of light are projections of Chuck, donning a thin smile, onto the windows of homes in the neighbourhood. 

As life as we know it comes crashing down and the two await their undetermined fate, Marty is about to tell Felicia he loves her one last time just before the screen suddenly cuts to black. 

The abrupt end of the first act leaves the viewer bewildered with more questions than answers, including one blaring query: who the heck is Chuck?! 

Act Two, entitled “Buskers Forever,” opens to a brighter scene in the midst of a bustling outdoor shopping centre. 

We’re introduced to Taylor Frank (Taylor Gordon), a Juilliard drop-out and extremely talented busking drummer, Janice Halliday (Annalise Basso), a woman that happens to be on the receiving end of a recent break-up, and finally, we meet Chuck (Tom Hiddleston), a white-collar accountant on a business trip casually passing through the plaza. 

The beat of Taylor’s punchy drumming strikes the seemingly straightforward Chuck, prompting him to stop, set down his briefcase, and treat the audience to a surprisingly remarkable seven-minute dance break. The evidently gifted Chuck reels in Janice, and the pair put on an extraordinarily upbeat performance for the surrounding crowd worthy of an encore.  

The trio, brought together at random by the liberating joy of music and dance, part their separate ways forever. Their chance encounter is a heartfelt reminder that some of life’s greatest moments can appear from the most unexpected places.

It’s revealed that Chuck is suffering from a terminal illness and has less than one year left to live, but he doesn’t know it yet. All he knows is that this one ordinary day was perhaps one of the best days of his life. 

Act One, titled “I Contain Multitudes,” is the longest of the three and finally gives the audience a full explanation for their burning questions.

Chuck was orphaned at the age of seven following a tragic car accident that claimed the life of his parents and unborn sister. 

He’s raised by his loving grandparents, Albie and Sarah Krantz (Mark Hamill and Mia Sarah) – affectionately dubbed Zayde and Bubbe. While his grandfather contained all the discernable traits of a bookkeeper – orderly and slightly rigid – his grandmother on the other hand was full of life, a traditional stay-at-home wife that secretly loved rock-and-roll music. 

Sarah taught Chuck everything about dancing, in which he proved to be a natural. From busting moves together in the kitchen to watching classic musicals, he was well equipped to eventually join the school dance club and become the most gifted among the other students. 

Albie, however, brings Chuck back to reality, reminding him that he’d be better off pursuing a more practical profession instead. 

“The world loves dancers, but it needs accountants,” he explained to Chuck. 

In school, Chuck seeks understanding in Walt Whitman’s 1855 poem “Songs of Myself,” particularly interested in the meaning of the line “I am large, I contain multitudes.” His teacher, Miss Richards (Kate Siegal) powerfully broadens his view, defining the complexities of the world and everything he knows within it as a part of him that he’s in divine control of. 

The staggered tale begins to fall in place with this clarity; the planet is crumbling metaphorically because the world as Chuck knows it is fading in reality. As the title of the film suggests, we’re experiencing his universe, as he’s in the process of dying after living for 39 great years. 

The Life of Chuck is a sentimental story of life rather than death. It profoundly explores the emotional depth of the human experience through love, friendship, family, loss, and grief. By the end, the viewer can’t help but be enthralled by the eponymous Chuck, whom at first we did not know, but will now mourn. 

The film’s initially perplexing storytelling is rewarding to those who are patient and invested in taking time to unravel the multiple layers of Chuck. His awe-inspiring story serves as a reminder to be appreciative of the little things in this fleeting life and to dance like nobody’s watching. 

The Life of Chuck initially premiered at TIFF on Sept. 6, but it’s uncertain when it will be released in theatres. 

The post TIFF Review: Award-winning ‘The Life is Chuck’ captures bittersweet dance of life and death, as well as the hearts of viewers appeared first on NOW Toronto.

The monthly event, which blends live artistry and timed competition, is set to host its first night of the season at the Great Hall this Tuesday. 

The now-international event, which was founded in New York City in 2001 and later started in Toronto in 2009 by Chris Pemberton and Simon Plashkes, puts artists up against the clock in 20-minute timed rounds as they try to produce their best work. 

“You can expect to be amazed, because what these 12 painters can do in no time at all, 20 minutes flat, is truly mind boggling for some people,”  Tanya Casole-Gouveia, co-host of the event, said to Now Toronto. “They bring these canvases from blank to beautiful with amazing portraits, cityscapes, landscapes, and abstract art, in no time at all.”

Aside from the one-of-a-kind art produced at the event, Art Battle is intended to be social—with music bumping, drinks flowing, and an exciting energy brought on by live artistry, says Casole-Gouveia.  

“It really helps to foster that artist community for the artists. But as well, it’s a great monthly event to go to for art lovers, or people who are new to art,”  Casole-Gouveia said. 

At the end of the night, a silent auction will take place where attendees have the chance to take home artwork from the night. 

“Some of these artists, their in-studio art can cost upward of $2,000, and you can usually get a great piece of art from a well-known artist for less than that, and really get your art collection going.”

A few of the artists who will be painting on Tuesday night include Mahnaz Yamininezhad, who brings 30 years of experience to the canvas, Nancy Zhang, whose creations are inspired by music and sound, and Jessica Campbell, a Toronto-based muralist and graphic designer. 
The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 and will be live streamed on Art Battle’s TikTok for those not in attendance. Tickets are available for purchase online.

The post A live art battle is returning to Toronto this month, where artists have to prove their worth in 20-minute rounds appeared first on NOW Toronto.

This article contains spoilers for the movie Flow.

Flow is an animated fantasy film about a lonesome cat who is forced to work with a whole range of animals after a great flood overtakes all of their habitats. 

On Sept. 14, the film had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and wowed both adults and kids alike given that it was one of the few animated movies that made it to the festival. 

Although the movie is animated and has absolutely no dialogue, this is not a film that can just be put on the background while mindlessly scrolling on social media. You have to pay extra attention because the sounds are from nature and the animals. 

Flow was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. 

Before the film started, Zilbalodis confessed to the audience he identified with the main character, a nameless cat, because of his fear of working with others and self-sufficient nature. 

I, too, nodded my head in agreement and was even more intrigued by the title of the movie and the journey we were about to embark on.

Aesthetically, the film feels like an RPG video game with the blend of pixelated animals and realistic landscapes. I was surprised the graphics weren’t as high-tech as a lot of other animated films, but I also liked the grainy imagery at the same time. 

The beginning focuses on a small cat with wandering eyes, but who mainly likes to keep to himself. However, all of the other animals are willing to help him right away with the unexpected hurdles he’ll have to face.

The flow of the movie starts immediately. After wandering around the forest, the kitty hears a rumbling and a team of moose rummage through along with a group of barking dogs. Instead of taking the warning, the cat just looks beyond the horizon to see what happens. 

There were moments in the movie that forces you to pay attention because you’re in a world of various animals and species who can only communicate through sounds. I’lll never forget the moment the cat was caught up in a rush of water that eventually damaged his home and took him out into a deep lake he could barely swim in. 

I enjoyed the playful use of stereotypes of animals throughout Flow, like when one of the dogs was so happy-go-lucky that all he wanted to do was bark and play around, despite the entire forest basically being under water. It shows us that sometimes the best attitude to have in adverse situations is to just be grateful to be alive. 

Most of the movie takes place on a raft that continues to flow wherever the water takes them. The crew of animals have to face weather challenges, figuring out if they should go back to their own clans, and how to navigate life both individually and together.

Teamwork was at the centre of the movie. I thought it was interesting that the cat kept resisting that he was part of the team, while everyone had already accepted that they needed each other if they wanted to survive. 

The audience gets to see the beautiful world that the Latvian director and writers created, from tropical rainforests, lush swamps, and European-inspired boat corridors. Flow encapsulates the beautiful landscapes and timing of Mother Nature. 

One of my favourite parts of the movie is when a large bird selflessly serves as the cat’s protector. The cat is almost afraid of everything because he doesn’t trust anyone other than himself. When he was sprinting because he didn’t know what was happening around him, the large bird decided to protect him. 

However, it was at the expense of being humiliated in front of his tribe and even getting one of his wings injured. For the rest of the movie, there’s this image of the bird hovering over the cat. I was touched by his behaviour because he fought for a cause that he believed in regardless of what his own species thought of him. 

In fact, all of the animals leave their own tribes to help each other. The lemur was a shadow character to the cat with his obsession of collecting material possessions. It was almost like a safety mechanism that we humans resort to, where keeping or taking care of something makes us feel like we have some sort of control and protection over ourselves. 

That idea was disbanded too when several glass bottles and mirrors either broke or floated away in the flowing waters. 

Eventually, the direction of the water took the animals back to their own tribes, leaving the cat almost heartbroken. But then, they all came back to each other out of their own choice, rather than when the flood first forced them together. 

This really had me thinking about the idea of free will and sometimes how we have a choice and other times we just have to obey what life presents us. 

What I found the most interesting is that the cat is usually the only one yearning for a specific outcome, whether that’s wishing his home was never destroyed or that the other animals don’t leave him. Meanwhile, everyone else is simply accepting what’s happening and then deciding what they’re going to do based on the current circumstances rather than focusing on what they want in the future. 

The last bit of the movie blew me away when the cat and one of the other animals were about to die. 

The animals, including the dog, and the dog’s friends joined up to help the cat. However, the dogs that weren’t on the journey got distracted by chasing rabbits instead of saving the cat, showing the power of focus and undoubtedly believing in a larger purpose even if that means sacrificing those little impulses that can cloud your judgment. 

Flow is a movie for all of us who are questioning if we are truly in control of our lives, and  teaches us that sometimes, all we need to do is step back, breathe, and go with the flow.

The post TIFF Review: Animated film ‘Flow’ explores free will and teamwork through the eyes of a lonesome cat, without using any dialogue appeared first on NOW Toronto.

The “I’m Like A Bird” singer’s latest body of work 7 features 14 songs, including its title track “Corazón,” which Furtado said took her two years to write. 

This album comes seven years after her album The Ride, which she released in 2017.

And, fans of the British Columbia-born musician have been reacting to the announcement online.

“I‘ve been waiting so desperately for a new album!!!,” one Instagram user wrote. 

“Yass queen. Can’t wait for your art,” another person commented.

“Take as many years as you need, just please don’t stop making music! We love you,” someone else said.

The 45-year-old first teased the album back in July. 

“I made 400-500 pieces of music in 4 years. My ADHD doesn’t always allow me to organize creations in a methodical way so it’s hard to explain how we have chosen 14 songs that magically rose to the top of the heap,” she wrote on Instagram. 

In an interview with The Breakfast Club released today, Furtado talked about embracing her ADHD, which wasn’t diagnosed  until she was in her early 40s.

“To be honest my brain is different, it’s different, I have inattentive ADHD and this time when I made this record I was like I’m just gonna lean into that,” she said. 

#NellyFurtado joined #TheBreakfastClub to dive into her new album ‘7,’ and we learned she was diagnosed with ADHD after the age of 40. Listen in to hear how her diagnosis inspired her current project! @NellyFurtado @breakfastclubam

Tap in live NOW on the @iheartradio app or… pic.twitter.com/b79KT7ddsZ

— Power 105.1 (@Power1051) September 20, 2024

Leading up to today, in the past 24 hours Furtado let her fans in on each song by unveiling their names and lyrics one by one on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nelly Furtado (@nellyfurtado)

Furtado released her first album Whoa, Nelly! in 2000 which resulted in two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, “I’m Like a Bird” and “Turn Off the Light.”

The musician has one Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance which she won in 2002, and seven Grammy nominations. 

The post Nelly Furtado releases first album in 7 years, reveals how she managed her ADHD while writing music appeared first on NOW Toronto.

This weekend, there are various activities such as Etobicoke Ribfest, the Queen West Art Crawl Festival and the Spadina Museum Fall Festival. 

Friday, September 20:

Etobicoke Ribfest

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Silver Bullet BBQ (@silverbulletbbq)

The 3rd annual Etobicoke Ribfest is back at Colonel Samuel Smith Park after being cancelled earlier this summer. The festival includes lots of mouth-watering BBQ smoked ribs, tender pulled pork, chicken, brisket and more. There will also be fan-favourite festival foods as well such as the bloomin’ onion, Tiny Tom’s mini-donuts, roasted corn, poutines, funnel cakes and a beer garden. It’s free to attend and begins at noon.

For more, click here.

Jane Finch Community Arts Festival: Day 1 – Artist Showcase

The Jane and Finch community is hosting a women-led community arts festival, presented by Flaunt-It Movement and the Jane/Finch Centre’s Corner Commons. It’s a free festival that is loved by locals for its live performances, art installations and interactive activities. Many talented local artists will be featured to showcase their music, dance, poetry and art. It’s from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Jane Finch Mall parking lot.

For details, click here.

Jazz Nights at My House

Indulge in a soothing jazz night at MY HOUSE in the Junction, a go-to spot for cozy vintage vibes, live events and culinary artistry. Along with jazz, guests can enjoy a fancy dinner, accompanied by an impressive array of fine wines and cocktails. The night begins at 8 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. Tickets are $15 each. 

For information, click here.

Saturday, September 21:

Queen West Art Crawl Festival 2024

Walk along Queen Street West on Saturday and pursue amazing one-of-a-kind art, free entertainment, food and shopping opportunities. Attendees can expect one hundred artists, live performances, a kid zone and art activations through the park. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m and is free to attend. 

For more, click here.

Geary Art Crawl

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Geary Art Crawl (@gearyartcrawl)

For those who want to see even more beautiful art, check out the free two-day art crawl on Geary Avenue from Dufferin to Dovercourt. On site, there will be art activations, local businesses to support, entertainment and food and drinks available for purchase. It’s free to attend and begins at noon.

For information, click here.

Russell Howard Live

British comedian Russell Howard, recognized as one of the world’s top comedians, is in the city for his new tour and is performing live at Meridian Hall. Howard is known for his popular hit shows in the U.K., including “Russell Howard’s Good News” and “The Russell Howard Hour.”

For tickets, click here.

VegTO Fest

Head to Nathan Phillips Square for the popular VegTO Fest where visitors can get plant-based food from over 200 exhibitors. Some food vendors include Alma Bakery, Bliss Dough, Corn Soup King and so many more. The festival starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. 

For details, click here. 

Sunday, September 22:

Chocolate Paint Meditation

QUEST XO Chocolate Lab is offering you a chance to make your very own edible chocolate paint art. The Chocolate Paint Meditation workshop is meant to be a relaxing evening full of breathing techniques, glowing candles, and soothing meditation music as you create your edible art on a handcrafted chocolate canvas. The session is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and tickets are $40 each. 

For tickets, click here.

Acrylic Paint Pouring Workshop

Create a one-of-a-kind piece of art at Artbox Studio & Gallery’s acrylic paint pouring workshop. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., you can be as creative as possible at this fun activity that allows guests to play colours and patterns. Tickets are $40 each. 

For information, click here.

Spadina Museum Fall Festival

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Toronto History Museums (@tohistorymuseums)

Bring your family and friends to Spadina Museum’s free fall festival to spend the first day of fall. At the event, there’ll be loads of activities, such as apple picking, a scavenger hunt, crafts, games, tours, live music and a vendor market. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information, click here.

For a list of events, check out our events calendar, powered by Now Playing Toronto. 

To list your event, click here.

The post Events happening in Toronto this weekend: Sept. 20-22 appeared first on NOW Toronto.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12, the film is as equally eerie as it is alluring, bringing you on a wrestling internal battle of trying to decipher reality from fantasy, with a compelling Sarah Paulson at the centre. 

This article contains spoilers for the film ‘Hold Your Breath.’

Opening in a field, the sight of three little girls innocently playing amongst the tall grass is abruptly cut by the sounds of wailing, aggressive coughing and the darkness of dust. 

It was all a dream, albeit induced by heavy sleeping pills, and Paulson’s character Margaret Bellum, thankfully sighs. 

The year is 1933, set in a nearly barren, dirt-ridden town in Oklahoma. 

The first few minutes set the tone for an environment on the brink of apocalypse: the crops are dry, the farm animals are running out of supply, the children are getting sick and dying, and no one can breathe due to constant suffocating dust storms.  

Margaret’s daughters, who we saw in the beginning, are often kept inside because of the deadly storms. There are only two girls now; the youngest, Ada June Bellum, died from scarlet fever years prior. Regardless, Margaret loves her girls dearly and protects them with all of her resources (including her shotgun), especially being the only parent present in the household since their father travelled to Philadelphia. 

Eldest daughter Rose (Amiah Miller) keeps her younger deaf sister Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins) entertained (and scared) with the spine-chilling story of “The Gray Man.” The tale follows an ominous, faceless man that hides himself in the dust. He seeps into the cracks, and if you breathe him in, he’ll do terrible things. 

Their ghastly storytime is cut short however, with Margaret insisting that the story is not real. 

From there, several unexplainable incidents occur; Ollie begins to see a figure in the shadows, the family’s cow is set loose, and there are constant footsteps in the barn. 

The latter turns out to be a man, who identifies himself as Wallace Grady (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), allegedly sent by Margaret’s husband Henry to check on the family. 

Wallace claims to be a healer – a “man of the cloth” if you will. Although facing much doubt and hesitancy from Margaret, he earns his keep in the household after curing Rose’s constant nose bleeds from the dust. 

However, a letter from Henry vindicates Margaret’s intuition. Wallace is a thief and a murderer on the loose who has come to rob the family. After facing the barrel of Margaret’s shotgun, he leaves, but not before promising one thing: they’re not going to be able to stop “The Gray Man.”

All hell breaks loose. Nightmares ensue. The girls’ beds are set on fire. Paranoia is at an all-time high. The house is completely covered up, not even the light of day can intrude. Is that Wallace at the door again or is it the dust knocking? Who knows. 

Between Margaret’s now nightly bouts of hallucinating sleep-walking leading to terrifyingly jumpy awakenings and the menacing whirrs from the dust storm breaking the frequent silence, the audience was on edge as the story unfolded. This is perhaps the most engaging yet disorienting part of the film. 

From here, we were all shaken by some deeply disturbing moments, such as Margaret slitting her thigh with a knife and using her blood as cheek blush or sewing a needle directly through her palm. As I looked around, audience members watched through their hands covering their eyes, some looking away entirely. At this point, Margaret feels no pain, and instead we as viewers are tormented by the gore. 

Margaret’s state of confusion, unaware of the difference between real life and slumber, leads her on a journey so petrifying that the townspeople are concerned and even her children are afraid. The mother they adored is nothing but a vessel that “The Gray Man” has now inhibited.

Realizing the damage she’s done, Margaret decides it’s time to reconnect with Ada in the afterlife. Distributing her crushed sleeping pills in bowls of soup, she wishes to bring the girls with her too. 

Refusing to fall into her mother’s fatal trap, Rose makes the heartbreakingly brave decision to trick her mother, sending her outside during a dust storm in search of Ollie. Recognizing the only way to love her mother is to let her go, Rose cuts the rope that connected Margaret to the home, leaving her lost and suffocating in the stifling environment. 

The film has an inspirational ending, with the girls aboard a train, leaving their past behind, but not before we see shots of dust dwindling, a reminder of the trauma that will always live inside of them. 

Hold Your Breath was quite literally breathtaking. As unsettling as the atmosphere was, it was also starkly beautiful. As someone who isn’t very fond of horror movies, the psychological aspect kept me locked in, wondering just how far Margaret would be willing to go to protect her family. 

With this film, Sarah Paulson has solidified herself as this generation’s scream queen. Past roles such as in American Horror Story, Run and Ratched were all a warm-up to becoming Margaret in Hold Your Breath, which is yet another convincingly chilling character that showcases her depth and flexibility as a horror movie icon.  

Hold Your Breath will be released by Searchlight Pictures as a Hulu original film in the U.S. on Oct. 3.

The post TIFF REVIEW: ‘Hold Your Breath’ offers a dark insight into the depths of a mother’s love, keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time  appeared first on NOW Toronto.

On Wednesday evening, the Michelin Guide unveiled its newest additions at a ceremony at concert venue HISTORY. This year, Michelin expanded beyond the Greater Toronto Area to find new discoveries. Michelin recognizes restaurants worldwide for their food and hospitality experience.

As a result, new restaurants DaNico, Hexagon, Restaurant Pearl Morissette and The Pine were each awarded one Michelin Star, with Restaurant Pearl Morissette also being the newest Green Star restaurant in the selection. 

“As we toast to year three of the Michelin Guide in Toronto, we are excited to see the selection expand beyond the city center, with new and emerging talent being spotlighted,” Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec said in a press release on Wednesday. 

 “We are very pleased to welcome four new eateries into the family of Michelin-starred restaurants and hope this serves as encouragement for the restaurant community to continue raising the bar. The chef and culinary teams’ passion is evident with a strong focus on Indigenous ingredients and sustainable gastronomy,” he continued.

In addition to four new starred restaurants, the guide also added four new Bib Gourmands, an accolade that recognizes neighbourhood friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices. These include Berkeley North in Hamilton, Guru Lakshmi in Mississauga and Conejo Negro and Rasa in downtown Toronto.

Toronto and its surroounding region now has 15 one Michelin star restaurants, two green star restaurants and a two Michelin star restaurant which remains to be Sushi Masaki Saito.

Here are the newly starred restaurants in the GTA: 

DaNico (Toronto)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DaNico (@danico.to)

Italian restaurant DaNico marries modern Italian culinary dishes with exceptional service. The sophisticated restaurant is located inside a historic bank building of Palmerston, Little Italy. Michelin star Chef Daniele Corona is known for using worldly influences to create a vibrant menu such as combining Asian ingredients and other local and sustainable ingredients. Some of its signature items include the Pacific crab served over vegetables, a house-made basil bottini and a Sicilian green olive coulis. 

Hexagon (Oakville)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hexagon Restaurant (@hexagonrestaurant)

This contemporary French restaurant located in downtown Oakville is elegant inside and out. The menu includes classic French dishes, such as beef tartare, oysters, and fish but made in an exquisite and original way. In addition to these, Michelin inspectors recommend the Hokkaido scallop, corn agnolotti with Manchego, the short rib and for dessert, its cheesecake with strawberries and a nutty almond cookie. 

Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Niagara region)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Restaurant Pearl Morissette (@restaurant_pearlmorissette)

Restaurant Pearl Morissette is worth the trip to the Niagara region, as it is not only a restaurant, but also a winery, orchard, farm and bakery. The contemporary restaurant is an hour drive southwest of Toronto and is highly regarded for its fresh, Canadian ingredients which its ever-changing menu reflects. Its ambitious fine dining experience is inspired by seasonal French cooking. Inspectors say Chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson went above and beyond in its free-range pork specifically. This restaurant was also awarded the Michelin Green Star for having outstanding sustainable and eco-friendly culinary practices. 

The Pine (Creemore)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Pine (@the_pine)

For Chinese and contemporary cuisine, The Pine in Creemore is the place to be. Nestled north of Toronto in Simcoe County, The Pine is operated by Chef Jeremy Austin and his wife, Cassie, who provide an immersive tasting menu experience influenced by Austin’s time working in China. Inspectors note its Sichuan-favourite dried fried string beans and the carrot jiaozi as some of its worthy items to try, however each meal is packed with flavour and delightful creativity. 

When it comes to the Bib Gourmand restaurants, here are the four new restaurants added to this year’s list: 

Berkeley North (Hamilton)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Berkeley North (@berkeleynorthkitchen)

Berkeley North is a popular contemporary restaurant in downtown Hamilton. The menu is eccentric and fuses different flavours from around the world. For instance, tuna crudo with citrus ponzu or Chinese egg rolls with a chickpea potato curry and a ginger-herb dip. The Michelin guide suggests trying its perfectly roasted Cornish hen with potato salad or its comfort dishes, such as pasta or steak frites. 

Guru Lukshmi (Mississauga)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by agirlhas2eat (@agirlhas2eat)

Located in Mississauga, Guru Lukshmi is an authentic South Indian restaurant that offers vegetarian food with exceptional seasoning, colours, nutrition, taste and aesthetic. Its aim is to make you feel like you’ve tried South Indian home cooked food from Idli, dosa and sambhar. Those who plan to visit must make a reservation beforehand as the space can get busy. First timers must try the Mysore Bhaji Dosa with aloo masala.

Conejo Negro (Toronto)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @droolie.t

If you love Caribbean and Latin American food, you must try Conejo Negro in downtown Toronto. This cozy space is great for a date or for a night out with friends thanks to its backyard patio. Visitors always end up coming back time and time again for its fried and warmly spiced firecracker shrimp, fried chicken, jerk chicken and delicious desserts, all generously portioned and recommended for sharing.

Rasa (Toronto)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RASA (@rasarestaurantto)

Situated in the heart of Harbord Village, the relaxing restaurant Rasa has bold and saporous plates such as sea bream ceviche with chili oil and lamb vindaloo dumplings. The restaurant delivers hearty meals, such as truffle gnudi with pesto and tasty burger with beef cheek and house-made brioche. The restaurant invites large groups of friends and families to indulge in its big servings of global-inspired snacks and entrees.

The post Four restaurants in Toronto and surrounding region awarded esteemed Michelin Guide Star appeared first on NOW Toronto.

Trevaunn and Jermaine Richards, known online as Jae & Trey Vlogs, have been posting comedy sketches and vlogs online for over seven years. 

In that time, they have made a name for themselves with their popular “Random Order” podcast, racked up 177,000 YouTube subscribers, 16.1 million likes on TikTok, and even caught the attention of some of the world’s biggest names, including Kevin Hart and Drake.

After years creating content, their hard work has paid off. On Wednesday, the comedy duo announced that their new TV series “The Office Movers” will be streaming on Crave starting next month. 

Let’s get moving Oct 11th!!!

The new Crave Original Series #TheOfficeMovers premieres October 11 on Crave. pic.twitter.com/3AZ165tOct

— Crave (@CraveCanada) September 18, 2024

“The Office Movers is based on real life, our father’s moving company & the crazy years he made us work there. This means the world to me to tell his story through comedy & I’m truly so grateful for everyone who has stuck with us on this long journey,” Trevaunn wrote on X on Wednesday.

Created by and starring Jermaine and Trevaunn, the show takes viewers behind the scenes of a fictional office moving company.

Shot in Toronto, the six-episode comedy series follows Everett (Jae) and Eric Saunders (Trey), two brothers reluctantly working in the commercial office moving industry.

Everett, the owner of Shazam Moving, is fighting to keep his business afloat alongside his brother Eric, and a quirky crew of co-workers.

As the brothers scrap with an industry giant to win a big contract, the brothers fight each other, their family and their crew in the face of an unforgiving industry that they dream of leaving behind.

Described by Bell as “hilarious, yet very relatable,” the show depicts the struggles of working in a family business.

Fans of the duo have been reacting to the announcement online.

“My fave YouTube channel, only guys I ever bought merch from too, u and Jae r the GOATS of YouTube sketch comedy to me, can’t wait to see the new series,” one person on X commented.

“Happy as hell for y’all man. Love this! can’t wait to watch!,” another fan said.

“I remember watching y’all when I was 14 and I’m 24 still pulling inspiration from all that y’all do. Thank you for being the storytellers you are,” someone else commented.

Fans in the U.S. are also asking if they can watch the show.

“We’re working on it,” Trevaunn wrote in response.

The first two episodes of “The Office Movers” drop on Oct. 11, with two new episodes streaming on Fridays.

The post ‘Happy as hell for y’all,’ Canadians are applauding these Brampton YouTubers for landing their own TV show  appeared first on NOW Toronto.

This article contains spoilers for the movie Saturday Night.

Saturday Night is a dramedy about the last ninety minutes right before the opening night of Saturday Night Live in 1975, starring legends like Willem Dafoe, J.K. Simmons, and Lamorne Morris, along with Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, and Jon Batiste. 

On Sept. 13, the film had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and definitely didn’t disappoint. 

What I appreciated most was that the cast of characters was entirely based on the original 1975 cast, which made the audience feel like they were going on the same journey as those actors did back then. 

The movie encapsulated the culture and social fabric of the mid 70’s with SNL’s first musician Billy Preston played by Jon Batiste, who’s currently an in-house jazz musician for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Labelle was the star of the movie, playing a young and hopeful Lorne Michaels along with Sennott who played Rosie Shuster, Michaels’ wife at the time. 

Michaels’ character was both inspiring and delusional, two qualities necessary for a successful showrunner ready to put forth creative work that had never been done before on major American television network NBC.

Immediately, Saturday Night inserted the audience into the world of what it was like on that 1975 rainy New York evening. Groups of grown up “theatre kids” pranced around in the hallway, comedians from all over the world submitted their skits and were standing with cats and unusual props, and stereotype-defying young women were eager to prove their acting skills. 

There was a whiteboard filled with Michael’s sloppily organized, pastel-coloured post-it notes that started to overlap one another. A supportive yet concerned Rosie emulated a midwife character, who was committed to birthing the first episode no matter what it took. 

That included sucking up to who would be known as Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets), played by Nicholas Braun. He threw one of the largest adult tantrums because he was forced to dress up in a bumblebee costume. 

Although I felt like that part was a bit dramatic, the cinematography was on point with the zoomed-in focus of blowing a cigarette to the pouting of Henson, showing the Hollywood pompousness of actors feeling like they’re too good to be playing certain roles. 

That whiteboard signified what would shape SNL for the rest of its time. The audience kept seeing it as a place where post-its would fall off while characters would just stare at it with their fingers crossed that they wouldn’t be cut from the show.

 Eventually, Michaels completely wiped everything off the board altogether. 

That disorganization and constant on-edge feeling of “what if we get sent home?” made you care about all of the crew that Lorne had brought together. They were young actors trying to make a difference and stand up to old men who were more preoccupied with playing reruns of Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.”

Dafoe and Whiplash’s J.K. Simmons came into Saturday Night as rough top network executives showing the pressure and glass ceilings that many of today’s writers and directors in Hollywood have to face.

Dafoe owned his role as the charismatic theatre businessman and publicist David Tebet. His mind games with Michaels were meant to turn the TV writer off, but Michaels maintained an innocent charm and faithfulness to what he was doing. 

It honestly reminded me of a child-like attitude where children don’t fight back when they truly believe in something, but they just smile and say “you’ll see.”

This was perfectly depicted in all of the cast and a designated crew taking turns laying down a brick flooring, where all of those final gaps cemented in place for Michaels. To me, this is almost like a cry out to Hollywood decision makers where their investments should focus on unique ideas instead of prioritizing numbers and money all the time

Meanwhile, Milton Berle, nicknamed Mr.Television, was played by  Simmons and one of the most memorable scenes he had was with two of the cast members who were also a couple. 

It touched on how romantic couples in the industry can be swayed by others with a more established entertainment career and the confidence boost a successful entertainer could bestow upon an up-and-coming performer. 

Saturday Night had the pacing of an actual episode of SNL with in-between moments that forced both the characters and audience out of moving from one stress to the next, from fake blood splattering all over Michaels’ dress shirt to leaving for a breath of NYC air at a dingy dive bar to randomly find a comedian with a book full of jokes at an open mic. 

Those little moments of the characters being human and sharing their flaws made me want to believe in the mission even if they didn’t know where exactly they were heading to. 

As a fellow creative person watching everything happen all at once, the movie’s BTS feel is what gave Michaels the final spark for what SNL was actually going to look like despite NBC execs not having a full-time stamped rundown and who exactly was going to be on air.

Michaels and Shuster’s on screen relationship was intriguing as it touched on what it’s like to work in the industry as a couple, especially when Shuster was debating whether to use her maiden name or her married name. 

The last few moments in the movie were some of my favourite. A confident Michaels stood in front of his crew members with his hands on his hips facing the executives and declared “you can’t expect people to recognize what they haven’t seen before.” 

However, I itch to know exactly why the show was such a mess less than two hours before it was supposed to be aired. 

No wonder why Micheals quoted Greek God of fire Prometheus in Saturday Night because he definitely brought fire to the people before and after that first airing.

The post TIFF Review: Jason Reitman’s ‘Saturday Night’ shows the madness behind the magical birth of SNL appeared first on NOW Toronto.

In a letter obtained by the Canadian Press earlier this month, JUNO organizers told committee members this month of plans to put select categories on “hiatus,” including reggae recording, children’s album, Christian/gospel album and international album of the year.

Soon after the news got out, the JUNOS was receiving backlash for the plans due to cultural insensitivity, including pushback from this year’s reggae JUNO Album of the Year winner Kirk Diamond. 

“Reggae music is built out of things like this, you know? I mean, out of the struggle. This is what it’s for. It is for us, fighting for the voices, for the people. And this is just another hurdle that we have to jump, another river we have to cross,” Diamond told Now Toronto.

On Tuesday, JUNO Awards CEO Allan Reid posted on social media declaring that the three categories will be handed out in Vancouver during next year’s award ceremony.

“Over the course of last year, CARAS underwent an extensive process reviewing all Award categories, taking into consideration data such as consumption, number of submissions, and other metrics. Given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year,” Reid said in a LinkedIn post.

Reid also said all of the changes for the 2025 JUNO awards categories, including newly added categories, will be released on Sept. 23. 

“We remain dedicated to ensuring the JUNO Awards reflect industry excellence and are representative of the diversity of the Canadian music industry,” Reid said in the post.

However, Reid didn’t mention any news on whether the international music category would stay, which could potentially rule out K-Pop and South Asian music. 

Advance Canada, a business collective for Black people in the music industry , also put out a statement on Instagram last week to ensure the JUNOS continue to fairly represent Black musicians given their history with the gospel and reggae genres. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ADVANCE (@advancemusicca)

“We are committed to engaging in a productive dialogue with the CARAS team to achieve these goals,” the organization said in a statement. 

The decision to keep these genres affects how the next generation will shape the future sound of Canadian music, according to 2018 Billboard Gospel Music Album of the Year and Grammy-nominated producer Roy Hamilton III. 

Hamilton III moved to Toronto to develop young singers for his organization The Singer’s Company, which is hosting a talent search in October. 

“We have an entire generation of young singers and rappers who don’t want to make any other kind of music than gospel music. And it’s only right to allow them to rise to the same heights of success as mainstream artists,” he told Now Toronto on Wednesday. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ADVANCE (@advancemusicca)

Longstanding artist development program Honey Jam, which has helped contribute to the success of JUNO-award winning singers like Jully Black, Savannah Re, Haviah Mighty, and Nelly Furtado, also recognizes the importance of reversing the decision so close to the submission date. 

READ MORE: Honey Jam artist development program celebrates almost three decades of sisterhood in Canada with upcoming showcase

“Some of our artists make music in those categories and we’re glad to know that at least for 2025 they will have an opportunity to submit their work for consideration for Canada’s highest music award. The hard work that goes into creating their art deserves a place to be recognized,” show creator Ebonie Rowe told Now Toronto. 

The post Canadians are reacting to JUNO Awards’ decision to keep genres, including gospel and reggae, after backlash  appeared first on NOW Toronto.