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contrazoompod.bsky.social
Contra Zoom Pod
@contrazoompod.bsky.social
290 followers 590 following 360 posts
Film based podcast Contra Zoom, hosted by Dakota Arsenault Vancouver/Toronto. Co-founder of @cascadiacritics https://linktr.ee/contrazoompod
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Contra Zoom Pod @contrazoompod.bsky.social · Sep 7
Follow along on my #TIFF50 journey with my ranked TIFF watched list!

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TIFF50 Ranked
A list of 3 films compiled on Letterboxd, including Rental Family (2025), Sacrifice (2025) and The Furious (2025).
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contrazoompod.bsky.social
In honour of the great Martin Scorsese’s birthday, here is my ranking of the 17 films I’ve seen of his. What’s your favourite?
November 18, 2025 at 12:34 AM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Tatsumi follows a low level Yakuza cleaner who accidentally gets embroiled in a conflict when he tries to help out a young woman. Click to read Brodie Cotnam’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: Tatsumi - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 3/5 Tatsumi, a gritty crime drama from Japanese director Hiroshi Shôji, stars Yûya Endô as the titular Tatsumi, a man caught up in the world of low level Yakuza gangsters. He spends his ...
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November 13, 2025 at 6:36 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New reviews! The Leiden International Film Festival in the Netherlands just wrapped up and @elysiacb.bsky.social was there to write about Sentimental Value, Arco, Eternity, Rental Family and more! Click link to read!

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Reviews: 2025 Leiden International Film Festival Round Up - Contra Zoom Pod
The Leiden International Film Festival, the Netherlands’ premiere festival for international narrative film just finished and we have reviews from the fest.
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November 10, 2025 at 6:28 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Nuremberg tells the story of the famous Nazi trials after the war. Hermann Göring Was the highest ranked official tried and here we see what went into prosecuting him. Click to read @plexsty.bsky.social's ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: Nuremberg - Contra Zoom Pod
James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg recreates the famous trials of high ranking Nazi official Hermann Göring and the men who tried him.
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November 5, 2025 at 7:09 PM
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Frequent @contrazoompod.bsky.social guest Paulo Bautista, had the pleasure of attending the NYFF. He reports back with audio diaries on films he saw.
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Contra Zoom Pod Episode 317: 2025 New York Film Festival Diaries
Frequent CZP guest Paulo Bautista, had the pleasure of attending the NYFF. He reports back with audio diaries on films he saw.
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November 5, 2025 at 4:37 AM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New episode! We have a special dispatch episode from frequent guest Paulo Bautista. He reviews 6 films he saw during the New York Film Festival including No Other Choice, Sentimental Value, Scarlett and more! Click link in bio to listen.

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317: 2025 New York Film Festival Diaries
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November 4, 2025 at 4:19 PM
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With the latest version of Frankenstein⁠ coming out from director Guillermo del Toro, @contrazoompod.bsky.social look's back at the history of this monster movie.
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Contra Zoom Pod Episode 316: Old, Young and New Frankenstein
With the latest version of Frankenstein⁠ coming out from director Guillermo del Toro, we look back at the history of this monster movie.
thatshelf.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:01 AM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! The Things You Kill is a drama from Turkey about a man who slowly is losing everything in his life and struggles to keep things together. The film is Canada’s submission for the Oscars this year. Click to read @plexsty.bsky.social’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!

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Reviews: The Things You Kill - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 4/5 Family secrets bubble to the surface as an English teacher in Turkey wrestles with the untimely passing of his mother. Alireza Khatami’s The Things You Kill challenges viewers from t...
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October 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a deconstruction of the spy genre taking classic tropes and cliches and putting a microscope on them to show the grim reality. Click to read Jeff Bulmer’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review.

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Reviews: Reflection in a Dead Diamond from TADFF 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a surreal recontexulizes the spy genre by questioning the escapist fantasy nature they so often present.
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October 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New episode! We continue our annual Halloween tradition by doing a special themed episode. With the release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, we look at 3 versions of the classic horror film! Click to listen!

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316: Old, Young and New Frankenstein
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October 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
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New review! The Ice Tower is a French film about a young orphan who hides on a film set where she befriends the star of the film within a film discovering how much they have in common. Click to read Brodie Cotnam’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: The Ice Tower from Genre Gems 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 3/5 Where do our dreams end and reality begin? The Ice Tower from French director Lucile Hadzihalilovic is a haunting fairy tale-esque journey of a young woman’s life beyond her sheltere...
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October 27, 2025 at 5:48 PM
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This movie is so goddamn good. Go watch this immediately, especially if you like Pontypool.
quinnrau.bsky.social Quinn Rau @quinnrau.bsky.social · 21d
Thinking about "The Vast of Night" again and how this movie still doesn't have a proper physical release. An entrancing and beautiful movie marred by being stuck in streaming compression jail.
Screenshot from the movie "The Vast of Night" showing a car parked in front of a radio station at night with the front of the station displaying a bright neon red sign that says "WOTW" Screenshot from the movie "The Vast of Night" showing a woman wearing glasses sitting in the passenger seat of a car. It's night time and the scene is light with a soft blue.
October 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Blue Moon tells the story of Lorenz Hart the former writer partner of Richard Rodgers on the night that the first Rodgers and Hammerstein show Oklahoma opened. Click to read Jeff Bulmer’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: Blue Moon - Contra Zoom Pod
Blue Moon is the story of Lorenz Hart, the former writing partner of Richard Rodgers on the night that his former partner opens the show Oklahoma!
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October 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
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New review! In The Piano Accident a young woman is famous for her inability to feel pain, so she makes lucrative viral stunt videos. When one stunt goes awry she gets blackmailed to cover up the secret. Click to read Brodie Cotnam’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review.

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Reviews: The Piano Accident from Genre Gems 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 3.5/5 The Piano Accident, a dark comedy from director Quentin Dupieux, explores the world of celebrity, fortune and the internet age. Magalie (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a young woman, born...
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October 23, 2025 at 4:53 PM
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Latest for @contrazoompod.bsky.social Sirat from the Genre Gems Festival. #Sirat #FilmSky
Reviews - Contra Zoom Pod
All written film reviews.
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October 22, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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New review! In Sirât a father and his son look for his adult daughter amongst the desert rave communities in Morocco in an odyssey of loss and techno. Click to read Brodie Cotnam’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review.

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Reviews: Sirât from Genre Gems 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
In Sirât, a man and his son search the Moroccan desert through nomadic raves in order to find his missing daughter in this sprawling film.
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October 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New episode! With the conclusion of the Vancouver International Film Festival we recap some of our favourite movies including Blue Moon, A Welcome Distraction, Blue Heron and more! Click to listen.

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315: 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival
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October 21, 2025 at 4:23 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Good News is a Korean drama about the real life hijacking of a plane in 1970 by Japanese communists. The film takes several liberties to help aid in the dramatic tension. Click to read Jeff Bulmer’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review.

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Reviews: Good News - Contra Zoom Pod
Good News is the dramatization of a 1970 hijacking of a Korean plane by Japanese communists. The film is a quasi fictionalized adaptation.
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October 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Kiss of the Spider Woman is a remake of the classic musical about two men sharing a prison cell in Argentina and the use of retellings of fake classic Hollywood films. Click to read Jeff Bulmer's ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review.

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Reviews: Kiss of the Spider Woman - Contra Zoom Pod
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a remake of a musical where two men sharing a prison cell and one of them tells the story of his favourite film.
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October 17, 2025 at 5:56 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Blue Moon is the second film of the year from director Richard Linklater. Ethan Hawke stars as famed lyricist Lorenz Hart is this deeply funny and tragic movie that takes place over one evening. Click to read Dakota Arsenault's ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: Blue Moon from VIFF 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Blue Moon is the 2nd film of 2025 from Richard Linklater. Here he tells the story of Lorenz Hart, the one time partner of famed composer Richard Rodgers.
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October 16, 2025 at 5:49 PM
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New review! A Welcome Distraction is a Vancouver based drama about processing grief and trauma mixed with the story about joining a cult like organization. Click to read Dakota’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: A Welcome Distraction from VIFF 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 4/5 It’s easy to relate and to understand immediately what the title of Brian Daniel Johnson’s debut film A Welcome Distraction could mean. Who hasn’t had troubles at work, a fight with ...
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October 15, 2025 at 8:12 PM
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New episode! Jeff Bulmer had the chance to sit down with legendary Inuktitut filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, director of Wrong Husband that played at this years TIFF. Click to listen to their conversation!

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314: TIFF Interview with Zacharias Kunuk
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October 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
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New blog post! The Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which screens the best in new horror, thriller and sci-fi runs from October 15-19th. Jeff Bulmer previews 4 of the films playing including Queens of the Dead, Primate and more! Click to read.

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Blog: Toronto After Dark Film Festival Preview - Contra Zoom Pod
The Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which plays the best in horror, thriller and sci-fi films begins and we preview 4 films at the festival.
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October 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
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New review! Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara) is an Inuit supernatural drama about love and family using unique and traditional storytelling methods. Click to read Jeff Bulmer’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 review!

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Reviews: Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara) from TIFF 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 4.5/5 Uiksaringitara, or Wrong Husband, is a gorgeous Inuit epic depicting both an intimate romance between two lovers, and a grander supernatural conflict between rival families. Direct...
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October 10, 2025 at 4:38 PM
contrazoompod.bsky.social
New review! Dreams is a movie about a wealthy white socialite who begins dating an undocumented dancer from Mexico and the effect his deportation has on them. Click to read Brodie Cotnam’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.

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Reviews: Dreams from Genre Gems 2025 - Contra Zoom Pod
Final Rating: 3/5 Dreams, the latest drama from Mexican director Michel Franco (see our review of Memory) stars Jessica Chastain as Jennifer McCarty, a wealthy socialite living in San Francisco. She r...
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October 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM