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Rachel West

@rachelwest

Former grave-digger, future Arby's owner. Journalist, Senior Film Critic at @thatshelf.com, running social @weathernetwork.bsky.social. Former ET Canada & Cineplex producer. @torontofilmcritics.bsky.social & AWFJ member, Rotten Tomatoes-approved.

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22.06.2023
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Latest posts by Rachel West @rachelwest

Most excited about Sirat’s Oscar nomination for sound

22.01.2026 13:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Ron Mann Wins Company 3 Luminary Award; Xiaodan He Awarded Jay Scott Prize - Toronto Film Critics Association Ron Mann wins Company 3 Luminary Award, Xiaodan He awarded Jay Scott Prize, and Nirris Nagendrarajah wins Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award.

Congratulations to our latest #TFCAawards winners!

πŸ† Company3 Luminary Award: @filmswelike.bsky.social's Ron Mann
πŸ† Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award: Nirris Nagendrarajah
πŸ† Jay Scott Prize: Xiaodan He
torontofilmcritics.com/features/ron...

19.01.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for January 16 - Toronto Film Critics Association Movie reviews for The Testament of Ann Lee, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Dead Man's Wire, Rip, The Stranger, and more!

On 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE πŸ’€

"Ralph Fiennes gets to release the pig big-time" - Jim Slotek

"a solidly satisfying sequel" - @rachelwest.bsky.social

"shows how the familiar can quite easily be turned on its head" - @jacksonweaver.bsky.social

torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...

16.01.2026 16:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review – Sets the Horror Bar for 2026 Bleak, brutal, and deeply human, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple proves the franchise’s rage virus still has teeth.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple might already be 2026’s best horror film, and its scariest monsters aren’t the infected.
thatshelf.com/28-years-lat...

14.01.2026 01:06 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Best Films of 2025: A Year in Review The best films of 2025 include One Battle After Another, Sinners, Sirat, Come See Me in the Good Light, BLKNWS, Kokuho, and more!

What are the best films of 2025? We polled our contributors to find out!
thatshelf.com/the-best-fil...

21.12.2025 17:15 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Dec. 12 - Toronto Film Critics Association Movie reviews for Peter Hujar's Day, Resurrection, Ella McCay, Dust Bunny, Wake Up Dead Man, Hamnet, The Tale of Silyan, and more.

On DUST BUNNY 🐰

"full of Freudian family weirdness" - @lizbraun.bsky.social

"crawls out from under the bed and straight into cult classic territory" - @rachelwest.bsky.social

"a slice of fantasy that we haven’t seen since the 80s" - @intheseats.bsky.social
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...

12.12.2025 16:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Dec. 19 - Toronto Film Critics Association Movie reviews for Is This Thing On?, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Spongebob Movie: The Search for Squarepants, Breakdown 1975, and more!

This week in movies!

On IS THIS THING ON? 🎀

"A solidly smart and sly adult drama" - @rachelwest.bsky.social

"a terrific, serious performance by Will Arnett" - Jim Slotek

"a raw, incandescent performance" - Brian D. Johnson

torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...

19.12.2025 19:24 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Is This Thing On? Review: Will Arnett’s Career-Best Performance A solidly smart and sly adult drama about the demise of a marriage, Will Arnett gives what might be the best big-screen performance of his career.

Unflashy, emotionally precise, and anchored by a career-best performance from Will Arnett, Is This Thing On? quietly demands attention.
thatshelf.com/is-this-thin...

17.12.2025 20:24 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Now that the TFCA vote is done and I’ve worked my way thru every prestigious film of the year, I am about to binge some absolute trash as a palate cleanser

07.12.2025 22:41 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Best Original Screenplay: Sinners

Runners-up: Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 21:38 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another

Runners-up: Hamnet, No Other Choice #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 21:30 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Outstanding Lead Performance: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Ethan Hawkw, Blue Moon

Runners-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 21:28 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 5

An absolutely phenomenal performance and very well deserved win

07.12.2025 20:21 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Best Supporting Performance in a Canadian Film: Elle-MΓ‘ijΓ‘ Tailfeathers, Sweet Angel Baby

Runners-up: Charlotte Aubin, Montreal My Beautiful; Troy Kotsur,In Cold Light #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 20:05 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well deserved win and great discussion in the room

07.12.2025 20:02 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Best First Feature: Blue Heron

Runners-up: Eephus, Sorry Baby #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 19:29 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3

Best Animated Feature: Endless Cookie

Runners-up: KPop Demon Hunters, Space Cadet #TFCAawards

07.12.2025 19:33 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

One of my favourite films of the year

07.12.2025 19:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Canada's Winter Forecast: La NiΓ±a and the polar vortex set to deliver a truly Canadian winter - The Weather Network As winter approaches, the intriguing dance of La NiΓ±a and a disrupted polar vortex raises the tantalizing question: will these forces conspire to shape an unforgettable season across Canada? Read on to discover what the forecast holds for the months ahead!

How will La NiΓ±a and a disrupted polar vortex influence Canada’s winter? Find out with our 2026 #WinterForecast ❄️⬇️

https://ow.ly/w8oa50Xy55G

26.11.2025 13:11 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Oct. 17 - Toronto Film Critics Association Movie reviews for Frankenstein, Kiss of the Spider Woman, After the Hunt, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Good Fortune, The Twits, and more.

On BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER πŸƒ

"Colin Farrell is superb" - @rachelwest.bsky.social

"Berger is a great stager of scenes" - Gilbert Seah

On GOOD FORTUNE πŸ˜‡

"some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta" - Kim Hughes

torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...

17.10.2025 15:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Totally messing with my Spotify Wrapped by listening to β€œOK Blue Jays” and Harry Nilsson’s β€œZombie Jamboree” more than once today

31.10.2025 19:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Wildly colourful, spooky, and deliciously funny, #DustBunny is a throwback to the glory days of Midnight Madness. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/dust-bunny-r...

11.09.2025 23:02 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Director Ally Pankiw gives Sarah McLachlan and co. the recognition they deserve in Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery. Read @rachelwest.bsky.social's interview with her now #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/ally-pankiw-...

12.09.2025 21:42 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Eva Thomas talks NIKA & MADISON (TIFF 2025) – Rachel West interviews – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Had a wonderful conversation with Eva Thomas on her #TIFF50 film Nika & Madison awfj.org/blog/2025/09...

10.09.2025 17:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

P&I screenings really show you who knows how to dim the brightness on their phone and who does not #TIFF50

09.09.2025 15:49 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I Swear Review: TIFF 2025 Kirk Jones’ I Swear tells the inspiring true story of John Davidson with warmth, humour, and heart β€” a crowd-pleasing highlight of TIFF 2025.

Uplifting, emotional, and deeply human, Kirk Jones’ #ISwear is a crowd-pleasing festival standout you won’t want to miss. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/i-swear-revi...

07.09.2025 18:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A SAMI WEDDING (TIFF 2025) – Review by Rachel West – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

I enjoyed A Sami Wedding but TIFF’s Primetime programme just doesn’t work awfj.org/blog/2025/09... #TIFF50

07.09.2025 01:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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SirΓ’t Review: TIFF 2025 - That Shelf Sirat review: Oliver Laxe’s film is a breathtaking, gut-wrenching desert odyssey. Part road trip, part family drama, part rave-fueled fever dream, and entirely unmissable

Oliver Laxe’s #Sirat is a breathtaking, gut-wrenching desert odyssey. Part road trip, part family drama, part rave-fueled fever dream, and entirely unmissable. #TIFF50 thatshelf.com/sirat-review...

06.09.2025 05:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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You Had To Be There Review: TIFF 2025 TIFF 2025 doc You Had To Be There revisits Toronto’s 1972 Godspell, the cast that shaped modern comedy, and their lasting legacy.

With heart and humour, You Had To Be There captures how a 1972 Toronto production of Godspell became the foundation for a generation of comedy legends. #TIFF2025
thatshelf.com/you-had-to-b...

06.09.2025 20:01 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

In a repeat of the first Saturday of TIFF last year, public tickets seem impossible to get so just two films for me:
The Lost Bus and Bad Apples.

Then a nap I guess πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ #TIFF50

06.09.2025 12:41 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0