Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart join Elamin to talk about standing ovations, Nicole Kidman's performance in the erotic thriller 'Babygirl,' and where Canadian films belong at the festival.

In the wake of news that the Juno Awards would be dropping the reggae and children’s music categories among others, music journalist Dalton Higgins and Taes Leavitt of Juno Award-winning children’s music group Splash N Boots discuss how the loss of these awards will impact their communities, and what their elimination says about the future of these genres. Plus, TV critic Roxana Hadadi talks about...

Donald Trump has long been known as the presidential candidate that TV created - but now Kamala Harris might be beating him at his own game. The morning after the debate, The New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham and Tyler Foggatt join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how the political showdown made for great television, and Taylor Swift's surprise endorsement.

Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart join Elamin to talk about their favourite moments at TIFF, and how body horror shows up in films like Nightbitch, The Substance, and David Cronenberg's The Shrouds.

Elamin is joined by film critic Sarah-Tai Black and culture critic David Dennis Jr. to review the new Netflix cop thriller film ‘Rebel Ridge’ and how well it lands its mining of the historic tensions between law enforcement and Black communities. Plus, Elamin speaks with Canadian film producer Daniel Bekerman about ‘The Apprentice,’ a dramatized depiction of Donald Trump’s rise in the 1970s and ‘8...

Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart join Elamin to talk about the Toronto International Film Festival - the captivating performances in the musical film Emilia Pérez, starring Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Zoe Saldaña. Plus, Rad talks about 'The Bibi Files,' a documentary that uses leaked police interrogation footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and how it made...

Elamin is joined by film critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart to talk about opening weekend at TIFF, and two films getting a ton of buzz - 'Anora' and 'Paying For It'.

APTN celebrates its 25th anniversary as a national broadcaster with the launch of APTN Languages, a channel dedicated to programming in 18 different Indigenous languages. APTN co-founder Jim Compton, musician Marek Tyler and culture critic Riley Yesno join Elamin to talk about the legacy of APTN and how its new channel can contribute to revitalizing languages.

Commotion regulars Teri Hart and Radheyan Simonpillai tell you how Tim Burton’s new Beetlejuice sequel measures up to the iconic 1988 original, and they’ll also give you a preview of the biggest, buzziest movies premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.

ELLE Canada recently published an article celebrating 8 influential Canadian women. However after getting some backlash, they made changes to the piece online, and those changes are not sitting well with a lot of people. Elamin chats with Niko Stratis, Michelle Cyca, and Matt Amha about the controversy.

Culture critics Rad Simonpillai and Mel Woods talk about the surprise fall hit The English Teacher, a comedy starring Brian Jordan Alvarez as a high school teacher navigating wokeness and teenage malaise in a modern day classroom. Plus, writer Rachel Handler talks about the cinematic trend of hot moms on the big screen in 2024.

Film critic Rachel Ho and Korean media professor Michelle Cho discuss the Apple TV+ series Pachinko, which follows the hopes and dreams of a Korean family in the grips of Japan's occupation. Plus, Elamin's joined by Matt Hart to talk about the legendary face off between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi on a live hot dog eating contest on Netflix.

There’s a lot of TV coming out over the next few months, more than 100 shows! Elamin chats with TV critics Saloni Gajjar, Emily Longeretta and Kathryn VanArendonk about what to watch for this fall.

Elamin is joined by film critics Rachel Ho, Radheyan Simonpillai and Adam Nayman to discuss the new biopic Reagan, the return of ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ and the Winnipeg-set comedy ‘Universal Language’ being named as the Canadian entry for Best International Feature at next year’s Oscars.

Paralympic athlete John Loeppky will join Elamin to talk about the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 and his one big hope for the games: That the athletes who are competing don’t get described as inspiring. Plus, Niko Stratis and Alison Herman discuss Netflix’s new true crime docu-series Worst Ex Ever.

Culture critics Bee Quammie and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd track the rise and fall of Bennifer 2.0, and what our cultural fascination with their relationship tells us about our hopes for love. Plus, music journalist Christoph Dallach discusses his new book Neu Klang, which documents the surprising political history and cultural influence that arose from the ‘70s German subgenre, Krautrock.

Almost 15 years to the day since Oasis broke up, Noel and Liam Gallagher have announced a reunion. Culture critics Rich Pelley, Maura Johnston, and Oasis cover band member Alex Spears join Elamin to talk about whether the brothers can put their differences aside and pull off a reunion that most fans believe could never happen.

It's not just a stereotype, there's hard data out there that shows men don't read a lot of fiction. Elamin chats with Nathan Maharaj, director of content marketing at Rakuten Kobo and Pavan Sodhan, who reviews every non-fiction book he reads, about why men aren’t picking up novels. Plus, New York Times theatre critic Houman Barekat talks about two plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival based on Gw...

Culture writers Liisa Ladouceur, Kristy Puchko and Jackson Weaver join the Group Chat to discuss the reboot of the cult-classic gothic thriller ‘The Crow’ and the lingering legacy of the original 1994 version; how music became a big part of the messaging at this week’s Democratic National Convention; and whether Sabrina Carpenter’s new album can keep her Hot Espresso Summer going into the fall.

Writers Tajja Isen and Jael Richardson join guest host Ali Hassan to talk about how book cover designs can be fraught for racialized authors. Plus, the huge success of 'Tiger King' put the director of the series, Eric Goode, in the spotlight as an animal rights activist. So in order to get the access he wanted with his interview subjects for his next project “Chimp Crazy,” he hired someone else to...

Chappell Roan is the latest celebrity to call out fans for crossing the line, for getting too personal in the comments section and invading her privacy in public, stuff that many people believe is just the price of fame. Culture critics Niko Stratis and Tyler Foggatt along with musician Eliza McLamb weigh in – on what is normal fan behaviour, and what - if anything - artists can do about it.

Film critic Teri Hart and author Devin Gordon join Elamin to unpack the legacy of talk show icon Phil Donahue, who died this week at the age of 88. Plus, Slovakia’s right-wing government recently ousted the directors of its national art gallery and theater in a move that critics are calling a politically motivated purge. Musician and Eastern European historian Gregor Kwiatkowski explains why far-r...

Culture critic Fran Hoepfner talks about Anna Marie Tendler’s new memoir Men Have Called Her Crazy, from the raw and vulnerable scenes from her hospitalization to the absence of her ex-husband John Mulaney from the book. Plus, film critic Rad Simonpillai talks to Elamin about whether Alien: Romulus lives up to the mantle of the iconic franchise.

Music writers Niko Stratis, Rosie Long Decter, and Rollie Pemberton join the Friday Group Chat to talk about Post Malone’s new country album, Ice Spice running full-length commercials at her concerts, and the fallout from the foiled plot to attack the Taylor Swift show in Vienna, as her Eras tour continues.

Canadian union actors are angered after watching U.S. actor John Krasinski appear in a new Rogers ad. The frustration stems from a two year labour dispute between some actors and Canadian ad agencies. Actor and screenwriter Fiona Highet joins Elamin to explain why the Krasinski commercial is so controversial. Plus, culture critic David Dennis Jr. discusses the critical reactions to ‘Divorce in the...