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This year has been interesting for films in the sense that it has been “the year of the epic” – without exception, the most critically and commercially successful films in 2023 have been grand in every sense of the word. The Holdovers is different. By contrast, it’s a tightly focused and tightly cast film that’s driven by the characters and the exploration of their emotional depths.

Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers takes place over the Christmas break of 1970 at Barton Academy, a New England prep school. While his peers are out for the holidays, Angus Tully (Sessa) is stuck at the school with his bête noire, classics professor Paul Hunham (Giamatti), after an act of parental abandonment. Hunham doesn’t want the responsibility but is stuck with it due to a nasty twist of fate. Also present at Barton for the holiday season is Mary Lamb (Randolph), the cafeteria manager of the school who is grieving the tragic loss of her son in Vietnam. These three incredibly different people wind up being alone together during what sometimes can be the loneliest time of the year, especially when you don’t have anyone to be with. 

Throughout the holiday break, we watch them transform as their emotional guards come down and they allow the others to see their own pain that they keep hidden, which manifests in other self-sabotaging ways. As they allow themselves to be vulnerable with each other, Professor Hunham, Angus, and Mary not only learn profound lessons about themselves but also step up and help each other as they process their own emotions and experience their own breakthroughs. It occurs as they interact together in ways ranging from watching TV, attending a holiday party, or taking the trip to Boston which sets up the climax of the film. By the time you reach the film’s bittersweet conclusion, you can see that all three of our protagonists have grown immensely from their experiences with each other over those two weeks and become better versions of themselves in the process.

This movie absolutely belongs to the three main actors. Through their performances, each of them introduces to the audience the qualities that make their characters flawed but also infuse them with enough likeability to make the audience root for them: Giamatti’s stuffy and crotchety but honourable professor; Sessa as the rebellious and surly, yet ultimately kindhearted student; and a scene-stealing performance by Randolph as the earthy, raw and touchingly sympathetic staff member. As each character’s narrative arc intersects with each other like a tapestry, the actors manage to play off each other incredibly well to portray how and why these multidimensional people held onto their pain and what happened to give them the space to overcome that pain. Bravo to them.

I also applaud Payne’s directorial choices, as those choices not only show that the movie is set in the early 70s but practically take us there. Everything is done deliberately and with care, from the credits being done in a 70s style and the type of camera work done to the authenticity of the setting and the film’s naturalistic depiction of life at a prep school; it recalls the New Hollywood era of filmmaking. Even the decisions made on the more substantive choices of the film like the casting and the way the narrative plays out is a callback to New Hollywood filmmaking. The only thing that I had an issue with was that there were points in the film that arguably dragged on for longer than necessary, particularly in the beginning where the stage is set. Despite that, it is a consistently solid film - well-written, well-directed, and especially well-acted. 

The Holdovers might not be the most accessible of films but if you allow yourself to open up and truly appreciate the emotional ride Professor Hunham, Angus, and Mary take you on, you’ll be richer for having watched it. As far as I’m concerned, if Oppenheimer was the summer's undisputed Oscar contender, then autumn belongs to The Holdovers. Judging from the quality of both films, there will definitely be stiff competition in the 2024 award season.

Renee Rapp, 23, star of HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, demonstrated that she is not a one-trick pony at Montreal’s MTELUS on October 21, 2023. While playing Leighton on the series jumpstarted her career, Rapp used her following from the television show to promote her passion as she shared videos on social media of her singing original pop songs. Indeed, she may now be a more successful singer than actress as she went viral on numerous occasions which allowed Rapp the opportunity to travel the world on her ongoing “Snow Hard Feelings Tour” for her debut album Snow Angel. 

The night began with openers Towa Bird and Rapp’s co-writer on the album, Alexander 23. They both sang original songs but Alexander 23 performed some covers of popular songs to ensure engagement with the crowd such as One Direction’s “Steal My Girl” which had the audience going wild. 

The anticipation was palpable in the atmosphere after the two opening acts and a near-hour wait between Alexander 23 and Renee Rapp. As the stereo replayed songs, many people got up to use the bathroom, ordered drinks, or distracted themselves on their phones. The crowd was itching to sing along to something so when Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” played, so many people in the audience sang along that it sounded like the concert had begun. At last, when the screen began to count down her appearance, the crowd was already blaring as if Rapp was present on stage. 

Rapp came on stage exuding energy. She bounced around on stage and danced to every song. When someone questioned why she did not play an instrument on stage anymore, she replied that she would rather have the freedom to jump around as she pleased than be weighed down by an instrument. In this way, it was evident that Rapp loves her job and was enjoying the show just as much as the crowd was.  

Her show was uniquely divided into four sections inspired by the seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. This animated the concert and made the audience reflect differently on her songs depending on which season they belonged to. Indeed, the shift in seasons was felt as Rapp opened with some of her happier songs such as “Colorado” in Summer and where the tone and energy of the songs became colder in songs such as “Gemini Moon” and “In the Kitchen” in Winter. The audience was moved by the culmination of Rapp’s beautiful voice, lyricism, and the added layer of meaning with the seasons. 

The show was not just characterized by the narrative of the seasons. Rapp did a great job of engaging with her audience. Between songs she stopped many times to interact with fans, commenting on their signs. “You really wrote this… Can I keep it?” she said to one person and held up a sign that read “Take my virginity pls” so everyone in the audience could see it. Her quips when faced with a new sign, or in receiving a bra that had been thrown at her were quick and had the spectators roaring with laughter. Rapp even put on a friendship bracelet from a fan and wore it for the entirety of the concert. These interactions served as a refreshing break between the serious nature of Rapp’s songs. 

Rapp even found time during her performance to collaborate with her fans. Indeed, she gave someone the microphone during “Willow” which allowed them to sing parts of the song for her. The way she included the crowd in her show is Rapp’s way of giving back to her fans who have provided her the platform to do what she loves. In addition, she brought back the openers in “Tummy Hurts” and “I Wish” which demonstrates Rapp’s bond with the other artists and her ability to share the spotlight in the way of saying “This is not just my show”.  

In sum, Renee Rapp’s debut tour is one you do not want to miss and is well worth the wait. Her creativity and personality shine throughout the show and her vocals are even more impressive to hear live.

Remi interviews director Helene Klodawsky about her new film Stolen Time, screening as part of this year’s RIDM film festival on November 19th at 3 PM at Cinema Du Musée. Stolen Time follows the cases of elder right lawyer Melissa Miller as she and her clients navigate the complicated legal proceedings against for-profit nursing homes. The film shines a light on the ack of accountability and transparency in the for-profit sector of nursing homes.

At The Movies (With Iconic Sounds) is hosted by Remi and co-hosted by Danny every Tuesday Mornings from 8-9 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM.

Slow Pulp is a dreamy Chicago-based band that formed in elementary school as a trio between guitarist Henry Stoehr, bass player Alexander Leeds, and drummer Theodore Mathews, before Emily Massey joined the band as their vocalist in 2017. Yard, their second full-length LP, was just released in September 2023. The band’s use of unconventional instrumentation alongside mellow shoegaze and moody grunge textures is part of the band’s appeal — with violin on their hit track “Falling Apart,” and slide guitar, harmonica and banjo ornamenting their new song “Broadview.” Throw in fun, catchy melodies and comfortingly intimate lyrics that make it feel like your best friend is singing in your ear, and you’ve got a musical act that’s easy to fall in love with. 

It was evident on Monday, November 6th, at their show at Bar Le Ritz PDB, that this was the case. Their down-to-earth, relaxed performance style was perfectly suited for the rainy weather. Yet the room still buzzed with excitement and eagerly filled in the lyrics to their most popular songs anytime that Massey asked. In live performance, Slow Pulp’s music had a more stripped-down quality that had me missing some of the album’s fun vocal effects, like the vocal looping in the intro for “Slugs.” However, the sparseness also made ballads like “New Horse” somehow more gorgeous than they already were. Regardless, the core energy of each song was still translated well on stage and it was satisfying to get to hear all these songs that I’ve been obsessed with live. 

As the show went on, the band seemed to grow a little less shy and halfway through the set Massey started to regularly chat with the crowd, asking funny questions like “Anybody got a crush in the crowd tonight?” and “Is anyone on their period right now?” before launching into the track “Cramps.” After declaring that Vancouver did a hell of a job singing the verses to “High” last month, the crowd chanted it so ferociously that the band was visibly in awe and Massey declared that Montreal had won the singing competition. Seeing how Slow Pulp opened up more with the audience as the night went on, I would love to see how much more mobile and comfortable on stage the band will become with their next tour! The music was crisp and Massey’s breathy, introspective voice was just as emotionally moving as on their albums. With Slow Pulp’s latest release heading in a more bright, high-energy direction, I’m looking forward to how that will influence them to continue to take bigger risks with their stage presence.