Rachel West

Associate Editor / Senior Critic
Rachel West is a former senior producer for ET Canada and Cineplex with a B.A. (Honours) in Film Studies from Carleton University. She has interviewed everyone from Michael Fassbender to Miss Piggy and has reported live from TIFF, SXSW, Comic-Con, D23, CinemaCon, the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes. Her film writing and interviews have appeared in publications and outlets including Global News, Shaw Connect, The National Post, Toronto Film Scene, Cineplex Magazine, CAA Magazine, Mondo Magazine, Discover Toronto and more. Rachel’s hobbies include introducing herself to cats she meets on the street, travelling, quoting obscure lines from “The Simpsons” and posting all about it on Twitter. Rachel is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and is on the jury for the 2021 Rising Sun International Film Festival.


Articles by Rachel West:


  • Whistler Film Festival White Noise
    November 27, 2022

    2022 Whistler Film Festival Preview

    The Whistler Film Festival once again welcomes high-profile international films, ground-breaking Canadian cinema, award-season favourites, exciting short films and, of course, film lovers.

  • Michael Rinaldi in Capsule short film
    November 17, 2022

    Capsule Review: Short Film Goes The Distance

    Clocking in at under 20 minutes, Capsule packs a surprising emotional punch. With moments of gallows humour and true contemplation of human existence, Capsule feels like it is the output of a much more experienced director.

  • Here For Blood Review: Toronto After Dark
    October 22, 2022

    Here For Blood Review: A Bloody Fun Toronto After Dark

    Selected as the Closing Gala presentation for 2022, the Canadian horror-comedy feature directed by Daniel Turres is a wild ride, sure to have the Toronto After Dark audience laughing along as the body count piles up and blood rains down.

  • October 6, 2022

    Tár Review: Cate Blanchett Delivers the Performance of Her Career

    Actor-turned-director Todd Field made us wait 16 years between Little Children and Tár, and friends, it was well worth the wait. In a career of great performances, Cate Blanchett delivers what can be considered the pinnacle of her body of work in this dark character study.

  • Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass in TIFF film "Biosphere"
    September 22, 2022

    TIFF 2022: Biosphere Review

    Director Mel Eslyn’s Biosphere was a surprise late add to the TIFF line-up just days before the official start of this year’s festival. With only two public screenings, audiences were asked, nay, begged, not to give away any of the plot’s details because, as it turns out, simply describing what the film is about is a huge spoiler.

  • September 17, 2022

    TIFF 2022: EO Review

    Enduring hardship and strife, as well as kind words and attention along the way, EO’s journey is a beautiful, maddening, sentimental, heartbreaking, and humourous one. Plus, there’s a top-notch cameo from Isabelle Huppert!

  • September 16, 2022

    TIFF 2022: The Good Nurse Review

    Oscar winners Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain team-up for the true-crime medical thriller The Good Nurse.

  • Barbarian
    September 7, 2022

    Barbarian Review: A Surprisingly Twisty Shocker

    Appearances are not what they seem with the new horror movie Barbarian. Rarely does a horror movie so surprising come along that even discussing the finer plot points would spoil the effect. Filled not with red herrings, but with a unique story, Barbarian will delight genre fans, offering something that was perhaps unexpected.

  • The Invitation
    August 26, 2022

    The Invitation Review: New Blood For The Vampire Genre

    Audiences have been fascinated by vampires for hundreds of years. In a year where Nosferatu celebrates its 100th birthday, The Invitation is just the latest in a long line of stories about the undead.