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, Star Wars Celebration, Comic-Con, D23, CinemaCon, BAFTA Tea Party, the SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, among other events. Her film writing and interviews have appeared in publications and outlets including Entertainment Tonight Canada, Global News, Shaw Connect, The National Post, Toronto Film Scene, Cineplex Magazine, CAA Magazine, Mondo Magazine, Discover Toronto, The Weather Network 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 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA), Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and has served on several film festival juries including the Rising Sun International Film Festival in Japan, the Tallgrass Film Festival and the ICFF Lavazza Inclucity Festival.Articles by Rachel West:
-
September 20, 2023
TIFF 2023: Quiz Lady ReviewCan you call it a comedy if there isn’t a single laugh?
-
September 20, 2023
TIFF 2023: Memory ReviewPeter Sarsgaard and Jessica Chastain star in Michel Franco’s quietly subdued character study, Memory. One of the highlights of TIFF and featuring dynamite performances from two veteran actors, Memory is a compassionate tale of two broken people longing for connection and stability.
-
September 14, 2023
TIFF 2023: Mother, Couch ReviewA top-notch cast in fine form can’t save the befuddling Mother, Couch, a story that is at once both too literal and too obscure.
-
September 13, 2023
TIFF 2023: Dream Scenario ReviewWhat if, instead of Freddy Krueger haunting your dreams, it was an unassuming, mild-mannered biology professor who looks a lot like Nicolas Cage?
-
September 13, 2023
TIFF 2023: Back Half Best Bets ReviewThe team at That Shelf has seen dozens of films so far and we have recommendations to round out your festival.
-
September 12, 2023
TIFF 2023: The Promised Land ReviewWho knew a historical epic about potato farming in Denmark in the mid-18th century would be packed with so much blood, determination, and greed?
-
September 11, 2023
TIFF 2023: Sing Sing ReviewThe real-life story and players of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts programme at Sing Sing Correctional Facility are at the centre of director Greg Kwedar’s affecting and emotional drama, Sing Sing.
-
September 9, 2023
TIFF 2023: La Suprema ReviewDirector Felipe Holguín Caro captures the heart of a remote Colombian community in the rousingly joyous La Suprema.
-
July 18, 2023
Cillian Murphy’s 10 Best Movie RolesWith Cillian Murphy about to detonate (sorry) the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, take a look back at the Irish actor’s best movie roles.
-
May 15, 2023
Retrograde Review: A Study In EntitlementFor anyone who has ever gotten a traffic ticket, you know that it can be embarrassing, enraging, and even enlightening. Writer/director Adrian Murray hits all of those points in more in his very Toronto second feature, Retrograde.
-
April 20, 2023
Ari Aster Interview: On Beau Is Afraid, Martin Scorsese & Working With Joaquin PhoenixAfter chilling audiences with Hereditary and Midsommar, Ari Aster is ready to make audiences laugh, at least a little bit, with his “nightmare comedy” Beau Is Afraid.
-
April 13, 2023
Renfield Review: Nicolas Cage Sinks His Teeth Into DraculaNicolas Cage has a great time as Dracula but it is Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield who takes centre stage in this horror comedy.
-
film
-
TV
My Brilliant Friend Episodes 4.01 – 4.03 Review
The fourth and final season of HBO's hidden gem, My Brilliant Friend, returns with more quietly observed drama surrounding classism and motherhood.
-
music
Piece by Piece: TIFF 2024 Review
Morgan Neville’s Piece by Piece delivers a visually stunning look at Pharrell Williams’ legendary life and career.
-
podcasts
BGM Episode 204: Godless with Craig Jordan
Bad Gay Movies has the pleasure of actor Craig Jordan joining the podcast to talk about Joshua Lim's Godless.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-