Contra Zoom Pod

On this episode of Contra Zoom, we have our first interview! Benjamin Charles Watson, who will been seen on the upcoming season of Netflix's Designated Survivor and TNT's Snowpiercer, joins Dakota Arsenault to talk about these shows along with what it is like to be a Canadian actor living in LA, his workout routine and his appearance on the short-lived cult CW show The LA Complex.  Listen to...

Welcome to the brand new iteration of the Contra Zoom podcast! We are now very proud to be presented by Aesthetic Magazine and have this welcoming home. On this debut episode, Aesthetic Magazine founder and Editor-in-Chief Curtis Sindrey joins Dakota Arsenault, to discuss movies coming out this summer.  The movies discussed include: May Releases – Ad Astra, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and...

Hi iTunes subscribers! Thank you so much for being loyal listeners. This is a special announcement that the show is coming back, stronger than ever with some great re-branding. Stay tuned for the first episode coming this week! 

Despite it being March, it is finally here! The top ten films of 2018 Contra Zoom mega episode! This episode has everything including a great co-host in Stephanie, four terrific guest spots and more films mentioned than you could imagine. On this episode, four friends of the show were asked to send in a voice mail of what their favourite film from 2018 was. Sean Chin’s favourite film was the mount...

I know, it is more than a full week since the 91st Oscar’s aired, in which Green Book somehow won Best Picture over the far more deserving Roma, but Dakota and Sammy talk about the winners, the losers and how the show went.  Also joining the episode was Stephanie Prior and Scott Murdoch, who recorded their immediate reactions to the ceremony. It was a lot of fun having them both on, and with...

To help aid with your Oscar ballot’s below is both Sammy’s picks and mine (Dakota). The order is based on how we announced them on the podcast. During the episode we also break down whom we want to win and who was snubbed (if any).  Best Supporting Actor: Mahershali Ali (D), Sam Rockwell (S) Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (D), Rachel Weisz (S) Best Original Screenplay: Green Book (D), R...

This is the last Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. He is flying solo this episode as he talks about The Favourite and Roma . I categorize all nominations as either Frontrunner’s (FR) meaning they most likely to be the winners, Dark Horse (DH) candidates could pull off an ups...

This is the second Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. He is flying solo this episode as he talks about A Star is Born , Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody . I categorize all nominations as either Frontrunner’s (FR) meaning they most likely to be the winners, Dark Horse (DH)...

This is the first Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. He is flying solo this episode as he talks about Vice , BlacKkKlansman and Green Book . I categorize all nominations as either Frontrunner’s (FR) meaning they most likely to be the winners, Dark Horse (DH) candidates could...

With the release of the Oscar nominations for the 91st Academy Awards Dakota Arsenault and Sammy Feilchenfeld discuss their first reactions to the crop of films. They also get into the debate about the merit of Black Panther being a Best Picture nominee along with surprise nominations and snubs.  The Hollywood Reporter looks at the favourites of each category.  Variety lists the biggest...

Mehek Seyid joins us again to talk about the films she saw at TIFF 2018 and gave some great insight into what the landscape for the rest of this year will look like. A few weeks ago Mehek and I previewed the fest by talking about the big name films that were coming to Toronto. You can catch up on the episode HERE . This is a list of what Mehek saw: Assassination Nation , Boy Erased , Can You Ever...

In this edition of Make/Remake Dakota and Stephanie look at a unique pair of films… the exact same film cut two ways. In 1953 Italian Neorealist director Vittorio de Dica paired with David O. Selznick to make an American film his way. He cast American actors Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones and plopped them in Rome to tell the story of an American wife having an affair while in Europe and decid...

According to the Toronto Star ’s preview this year’s Toronto International Film Festival features 21 world premieres, seven international premieres, eight North American premieres and 11 Canadian premieres, including 13 features directed by women. It all kicks off with Netflix’s own Outlaw King starring Chris Pine that is sure to make waves across the industry. Mehek Seyid joins us this week to go...

The Academy Awards are changing the way their ceremony will be run in three drastic ways over the next two years. Dakota goes over the pros and cons for each of these changes. First- The date of the ceremony will be changed from the end of February to the beginning of February starting in 2020. What this means for when nominations are announced to what other awards shows will do is still up in the...

On this week’s episode Dakota Arsenault is joined by Zach Sokol, host of Radio Camp Half Blood a Percy Jackson read-a long podcast. The two talk about director Alfred Hitchcock one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. They talk about his legacy on cinema history and their favourite works by him. If you were to recommend a Hitchcock film to introduce someone to his work the guys have a few optio...

I’m often asking for movie recommendations both from fellow movie buffs and from people who want to expand their knowledge about cinema. After having a friend ask for a list of important films to watch I decided to put together a curriculum of great films that every budding cinephile should watch. This list is a starting off point for people who want to have a base understanding of cinema’s greate...

I’m often asking for movie recommendations both from fellow movie buffs and from people who want to expand their knowledge about cinema. After having a friend ask for a list of important films to watch I decided to put together a curriculum of great films that every budding cinephile should watch. This list is a starting off point for people who want to have a base understanding of cinema’s greate...

Dakota Arsenault and Sammy Feilchenfeld decide to revisit Sydney Lumet’s landmark debut film, 1957’s 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda.  The idea for this episode stems from Dakota and Sammy who requested a list of their favourite movies for a friend. Dakota mentioned 12 Angry Men as one of his favourite films and called it a drama/thriller, which Sammy had initially rebuked.  Upon a rew...

In the latest edition of make/remake Dakota Arsenault and Stephanie Prior talk about George Orwell’s novel 1984 and two different cinematic adaptations of it. In 1949, George Orwell published his landmark novel detailing what the future might look like if we allow our civil liberties to be eroded and for extreme ideologies to take hold so strongly that the very fabric of society would crumble. It...

Now that 2017 is firmly in the rear view mirror Dakota Arsenault and Mehek Seyid go over their favourite films of last year.  Dakota’s list: 10. Loveless 9. Logan Lucky 8. Mudbound 7. Columbus 6. Lady Bird 5. Get Out 4. Dunkirk 3. Phantom Thread 2. Call Me By Your Name 1. A Ghost Story Mehek’s list: 10.  Sheikh Jackson 9. Mom and Dad / The Killing of a Sacred Deer 8. Lady Bird 7. The Sha...

On this Episode Dakota Arsenault and Sammy Feilchenfeld recap and review the 90th Academy Awards that were handed out on Sunday March 4th, with the Best Picture being awarded to The Shape of Water. Some thoughts discussed include: Dunkirk became the 17th film to win both Sound Editing and Sound Mixing Netflix won it’s first full length feature award when Icarus was awarded Best Doc Jordan Peele is...

Dakota Arsenault is joined by Mehek Seyid to talk about this year’s Oscar’s nominees as they make some bold predictions. They say who they think should win, will win and who was snubbed. Check out Part 1 from earlier this week for the rest of the picks. Look at the images below to see their final picks. Easy to watch nominated films: On Netflix- Mudbound, Icarus, Strong Island, On Body and Soul, H...

Dakota Arsenault is joined by Mehek Seyid to talk about this year’s Oscar’s nominees as they make some bold predictions. They say who they think should win, will win and who was snubbed. Watch out for Part 2 coming later this week with the rest of their picks. Look at the images below to see their final picks. Easy to watch nominated films: On Netflix- Mudbound, Icarus, Strong Island, On Body and...

Dakota Arsenault had the opportunity to chat with Mitchell Cushman , director of the play Jerusalem that is currently showing at Crow’s Nest Theatre until March 10th. You may remember Mitchell who previously appeared on Contra Zoom back on episode three when he talked about directing Mr. Burns a Post Electric Play. Special thanks to Mr. Cushman and to Red Eye Media for setting up this chat. Look f...

This is the second Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. Last week he talked about Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , Darkest Hour and Lady Bird . He is flying solo this episode as he talks about Dunkirk , Get Out , Call Me By Your Name and The Post .  For the last written p...