Rachel West
@rachelwest.bsky.social
Former grave-digger, future Arby's owner.
Journalist, Senior Film Critic at @thatshelf.com, running social @weathernetwork.bsky.social. Former ET Canada & Cineplex producer.
@torontofilmcritics.bsky.social & AWFJ member, Rotten Tomatoes-approved.
Journalist, Senior Film Critic at @thatshelf.com, running social @weathernetwork.bsky.social. Former ET Canada & Cineplex producer.
@torontofilmcritics.bsky.social & AWFJ member, Rotten Tomatoes-approved.
Pinned
Rachel West
@rachelwest.bsky.social
· Nov 18
a man in a white tank top and hat is standing on a boat in the ocean .
ALT: a man in a white tank top and hat is standing on a boat in the ocean .
media.tenor.com
Coming over to Bluesky is like going back to school after summer and seeing all your friends again
Reposted by Rachel West
What are the best films of 2025? We polled our contributors to find out!
thatshelf.com/the-best-fil...
thatshelf.com/the-best-fil...
The Best Films of 2025: A Year in Review
The best films of 2025 include One Battle After Another, Sinners, Sirat, Come See Me in the Good Light, BLKNWS, Kokuho, and more!
thatshelf.com
December 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
What are the best films of 2025? We polled our contributors to find out!
thatshelf.com/the-best-fil...
thatshelf.com/the-best-fil...
Reposted by Rachel West
On DUST BUNNY 🐰
"full of Freudian family weirdness" - @lizbraun.bsky.social
"crawls out from under the bed and straight into cult classic territory" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a slice of fantasy that we haven’t seen since the 80s" - @intheseats.bsky.social
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
"full of Freudian family weirdness" - @lizbraun.bsky.social
"crawls out from under the bed and straight into cult classic territory" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a slice of fantasy that we haven’t seen since the 80s" - @intheseats.bsky.social
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Dec. 12 - Toronto Film Critics Association
Movie reviews for Peter Hujar's Day, Resurrection, Ella McCay, Dust Bunny, Wake Up Dead Man, Hamnet, The Tale of Silyan, and more.
torontofilmcritics.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:25 PM
On DUST BUNNY 🐰
"full of Freudian family weirdness" - @lizbraun.bsky.social
"crawls out from under the bed and straight into cult classic territory" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a slice of fantasy that we haven’t seen since the 80s" - @intheseats.bsky.social
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
"full of Freudian family weirdness" - @lizbraun.bsky.social
"crawls out from under the bed and straight into cult classic territory" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a slice of fantasy that we haven’t seen since the 80s" - @intheseats.bsky.social
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
Reposted by Rachel West
This week in movies!
On IS THIS THING ON? 🎤
"A solidly smart and sly adult drama" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a terrific, serious performance by Will Arnett" - Jim Slotek
"a raw, incandescent performance" - Brian D. Johnson
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
On IS THIS THING ON? 🎤
"A solidly smart and sly adult drama" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a terrific, serious performance by Will Arnett" - Jim Slotek
"a raw, incandescent performance" - Brian D. Johnson
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Dec. 19 - Toronto Film Critics Association
Movie reviews for Is This Thing On?, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Spongebob Movie: The Search for Squarepants, Breakdown 1975, and more!
torontofilmcritics.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:25 PM
This week in movies!
On IS THIS THING ON? 🎤
"A solidly smart and sly adult drama" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a terrific, serious performance by Will Arnett" - Jim Slotek
"a raw, incandescent performance" - Brian D. Johnson
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
On IS THIS THING ON? 🎤
"A solidly smart and sly adult drama" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"a terrific, serious performance by Will Arnett" - Jim Slotek
"a raw, incandescent performance" - Brian D. Johnson
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
Reposted by Rachel West
Unflashy, emotionally precise, and anchored by a career-best performance from Will Arnett, Is This Thing On? quietly demands attention.
thatshelf.com/is-this-thin...
thatshelf.com/is-this-thin...
Is This Thing On? Review: Will Arnett’s Career-Best Performance
A solidly smart and sly adult drama about the demise of a marriage, Will Arnett gives what might be the best big-screen performance of his career.
thatshelf.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Unflashy, emotionally precise, and anchored by a career-best performance from Will Arnett, Is This Thing On? quietly demands attention.
thatshelf.com/is-this-thin...
thatshelf.com/is-this-thin...
Now that the TFCA vote is done and I’ve worked my way thru every prestigious film of the year, I am about to binge some absolute trash as a palate cleanser
December 7, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Now that the TFCA vote is done and I’ve worked my way thru every prestigious film of the year, I am about to binge some absolute trash as a palate cleanser
Reposted by Rachel West
December 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Rachel West
December 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Rachel West
Outstanding Lead Performance: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Ethan Hawkw, Blue Moon
Runners-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent #TFCAawards
December 7, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Outstanding Lead Performance: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Ethan Hawkw, Blue Moon
Runners-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent #TFCAawards
An absolutely phenomenal performance and very well deserved win
Breakthrough Performance: Abou Sangaré, Souleymane's Story
Runners-up: Miles Caton, Sinners; Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Miles Caton, Sinners; Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another #TFCAawards
December 7, 2025 at 8:21 PM
An absolutely phenomenal performance and very well deserved win
Reposted by Rachel West
Best Supporting Performance in a Canadian Film: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sweet Angel Baby
Runners-up: Charlotte Aubin, Montreal My Beautiful; Troy Kotsur,In Cold Light #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Charlotte Aubin, Montreal My Beautiful; Troy Kotsur,In Cold Light #TFCAawards
December 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Best Supporting Performance in a Canadian Film: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sweet Angel Baby
Runners-up: Charlotte Aubin, Montreal My Beautiful; Troy Kotsur,In Cold Light #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Charlotte Aubin, Montreal My Beautiful; Troy Kotsur,In Cold Light #TFCAawards
Well deserved win and great discussion in the room
December 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Well deserved win and great discussion in the room
Reposted by Rachel West
December 7, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Rachel West
December 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
One of my favourite films of the year
Allan King Documentary Award: Come See Me in the Good Light
Runners-up: Orwell 2+2=5, The Tale of Silyan #TFCAawards
Runners-up: Orwell 2+2=5, The Tale of Silyan #TFCAawards
December 7, 2025 at 7:51 PM
One of my favourite films of the year
Reposted by Rachel West
How will La Niña and a disrupted polar vortex influence Canada’s winter? Find out with our 2026 #WinterForecast ❄️⬇️
https://ow.ly/w8oa50Xy55G
https://ow.ly/w8oa50Xy55G
Canada's Winter Forecast: La Niña and the polar vortex set to deliver a truly Canadian winter - The Weather Network
As winter approaches, the intriguing dance of La Niña and a disrupted polar vortex raises the tantalizing question: will these forces conspire to shape an unforgettable season across Canada? Read on to discover what the forecast holds for the months ahead!
ow.ly
November 26, 2025 at 1:11 PM
How will La Niña and a disrupted polar vortex influence Canada’s winter? Find out with our 2026 #WinterForecast ❄️⬇️
https://ow.ly/w8oa50Xy55G
https://ow.ly/w8oa50Xy55G
Reposted by Rachel West
On BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER 🃏
"Colin Farrell is superb" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"Berger is a great stager of scenes" - Gilbert Seah
On GOOD FORTUNE 😇
"some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta" - Kim Hughes
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
"Colin Farrell is superb" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"Berger is a great stager of scenes" - Gilbert Seah
On GOOD FORTUNE 😇
"some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta" - Kim Hughes
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
TFCA Friday: Movie Reviews for Oct. 17 - Toronto Film Critics Association
Movie reviews for Frankenstein, Kiss of the Spider Woman, After the Hunt, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Good Fortune, The Twits, and more.
torontofilmcritics.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
On BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER 🃏
"Colin Farrell is superb" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"Berger is a great stager of scenes" - Gilbert Seah
On GOOD FORTUNE 😇
"some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta" - Kim Hughes
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
"Colin Farrell is superb" - @rachelwest.bsky.social
"Berger is a great stager of scenes" - Gilbert Seah
On GOOD FORTUNE 😇
"some kind of revelatory sad sack operetta" - Kim Hughes
torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
Totally messing with my Spotify Wrapped by listening to “OK Blue Jays” and Harry Nilsson’s “Zombie Jamboree” more than once today
October 31, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Totally messing with my Spotify Wrapped by listening to “OK Blue Jays” and Harry Nilsson’s “Zombie Jamboree” more than once today
Reposted by Rachel West
Wildly colourful, spooky, and deliciously funny, #DustBunny is a throwback to the glory days of Midnight Madness. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/dust-bunny-r...
thatshelf.com/dust-bunny-r...
thatshelf.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Wildly colourful, spooky, and deliciously funny, #DustBunny is a throwback to the glory days of Midnight Madness. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/dust-bunny-r...
thatshelf.com/dust-bunny-r...
Reposted by Rachel West
Director Ally Pankiw gives Sarah McLachlan and co. the recognition they deserve in Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery. Read @rachelwest.bsky.social's interview with her now #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/ally-pankiw-...
thatshelf.com/ally-pankiw-...
thatshelf.com
September 12, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Director Ally Pankiw gives Sarah McLachlan and co. the recognition they deserve in Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery. Read @rachelwest.bsky.social's interview with her now #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/ally-pankiw-...
thatshelf.com/ally-pankiw-...
Had a wonderful conversation with Eva Thomas on her #TIFF50 film Nika & Madison awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
Eva Thomas talks NIKA & MADISON (TIFF 2025) – Rachel West interviews – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS
awfj.org
September 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Had a wonderful conversation with Eva Thomas on her #TIFF50 film Nika & Madison awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
Reposted by Rachel West
Uplifting, emotional, and deeply human, Kirk Jones’ #ISwear is a crowd-pleasing festival standout you won’t want to miss. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/i-swear-revi...
thatshelf.com/i-swear-revi...
I Swear Review: TIFF 2025
Kirk Jones’ I Swear tells the inspiring true story of John Davidson with warmth, humour, and heart — a crowd-pleasing highlight of TIFF 2025.
thatshelf.com
September 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Uplifting, emotional, and deeply human, Kirk Jones’ #ISwear is a crowd-pleasing festival standout you won’t want to miss. #TIFF50
thatshelf.com/i-swear-revi...
thatshelf.com/i-swear-revi...
I enjoyed A Sami Wedding but TIFF’s Primetime programme just doesn’t work awfj.org/blog/2025/09... #TIFF50
A SAMI WEDDING (TIFF 2025) – Review by Rachel West – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS
awfj.org
September 7, 2025 at 1:29 AM
I enjoyed A Sami Wedding but TIFF’s Primetime programme just doesn’t work awfj.org/blog/2025/09... #TIFF50
Reposted by Rachel West
Oliver Laxe’s #Sirat is a breathtaking, gut-wrenching desert odyssey. Part road trip, part family drama, part rave-fueled fever dream, and entirely unmissable. #TIFF50 thatshelf.com/sirat-review...
Sirât Review: TIFF 2025 - That Shelf
Sirat review: Oliver Laxe’s film is a breathtaking, gut-wrenching desert odyssey. Part road trip, part family drama, part rave-fueled fever dream, and entirely unmissable
thatshelf.com
September 6, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Oliver Laxe’s #Sirat is a breathtaking, gut-wrenching desert odyssey. Part road trip, part family drama, part rave-fueled fever dream, and entirely unmissable. #TIFF50 thatshelf.com/sirat-review...
Reposted by Rachel West
With heart and humour, You Had To Be There captures how a 1972 Toronto production of Godspell became the foundation for a generation of comedy legends. #TIFF2025
thatshelf.com/you-had-to-b...
thatshelf.com/you-had-to-b...
You Had To Be There Review: TIFF 2025
TIFF 2025 doc You Had To Be There revisits Toronto’s 1972 Godspell, the cast that shaped modern comedy, and their lasting legacy.
thatshelf.com
September 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
With heart and humour, You Had To Be There captures how a 1972 Toronto production of Godspell became the foundation for a generation of comedy legends. #TIFF2025
thatshelf.com/you-had-to-b...
thatshelf.com/you-had-to-b...