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:


  • Meet Me In The Bathroom Sundance 2022 music documentary review
    January 25, 2022

    Sundance 2022: Meet Me In The Bathroom Review

    A time capsule for elder Millennials, young Gen Xers, and anyone who counts themselves among early 2000s indie rock scene fans, Meet Me In The Bathroom is a trip down memory lane.

  • Colin Farrell After Yang movie review Sundance 2022
    January 22, 2022

    Sundance 2022: After Yang Review

    Kogonada’s After Yang is a visually pleasing sci-fi drama about loss, memory, and what it means to be human.

  • Princess Diana in the Sundance 2022 documentary The Princess by Ed Perkins
    January 21, 2022

    Sundance 2022: The Princess Review

    In the Sundance documentary The Princess, director Ed Perkins manages to tell the tragic tale of Diana in a way viewers haven’t seen before.

  • Lady Gaga stars as Patrizia Reggiani and Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Fabio Lovino © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    November 24, 2021

    House of Gucci Review: Fashionably Messy

    Despite an all-star ensemble cast and Ridley Scott behind the camera, House Of Gucci is neither a prestige drama nor a campy extravaganza despite over-the-top performances by Lady Gaga and Jared Leto.

  • September 14, 2021

    TIFF 2021: Jagged Review

    Canadian ‘90s grunge queen Alanis Morissette gets a deep dive into her career, rise to stardom and more in Jagged, a new HBO doc entry into Bill Simmons’ Music Box series.

  • September 14, 2021

    TIFF 2021: The Forgiven Review

    An impeccably cast Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain headline John Michael McDonagh’s morally debaucherous psycho-drama The Forgiven.

  • Belfast
    September 12, 2021

    TIFF 2021: Belfast Review

    Kenneth Branagh called Belfast his “most personal” story to date and that connection pays off on screen in his lovingly-crafted black and white homage to not just his hometown, but the citizens of Belfast.

  • Listening to Kenny G
    September 11, 2021

    TIFF 2021: Listening To Kenny G Review

    Penny Lane’s film takes an oft-light-hearted look at Kenny G and his polarizing saxophone while asking the broader question of “what makes music good?”

  • Candyman
    August 27, 2021

    Candyman Review: The Candyman (Sort Of) Can

    Candyman finally becomes the centre of his own story in Nia DaCosta’s take on the urban legend with a descent into madness from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II worthy of Rosemary’s Baby.