During the final week of the Fantasia Film Festival, I fortunately got the last two days of the festival off to get in some final film viewings. I also managed to make time to get to a screening of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and Nope (IMAX); two films that I highly recommend checking out in theaters for the best experience.

Canadian speed metal legends Exciter delivered a set of heavy hitters at Montreal’s Foufounes Electriques  on July 8. The date kicked off a Canadian east coast tour, which saw the group take the stage in Quebec City, Toronto, and a few other places – wrapping up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the end of the month.

It’s been a good two years since the Fantasia Film Festival had the opportunity to showcase the premier genre film festival to an audience on the big screen, having a limited opportunity last year with the gradual reopening of the theaters. I had some time to catch some theater screenings that played well with the audience, which only proves that the audience is the heart and core of the festival. It was also great to see some familiar faces and audience members who haven’t seen each other in a while due to the pandemic.

It’s been a good two years since the full return to an in-person experience at the Fantasia Film Festival, with a few in-person events last year. Speaking from the past five years of experience, Fantasia with a full audience is the best possible way to enjoy the festival with everything that makes it special, including CJLO DJ’s and meowing cat noises.