THE OLD MAN: SEASON ONE Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, Amy Brenneman, E.J. Bonilla, Bill Heck, Leem Lubany, Pej Vahdat, and Gbenga Akinnagbe Creators: Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine NICK One of the biggest strengths of The Old Man is the way it carefully executes big reveals through its seven episode first season. This makes it hard to get into certain plot points, but what I can say is the acting is great across the board. The heavy hitters do exactly as you’d expect, with John Lithgow getting the edge for series MVP. The writing is crisp too, a necessity for such a dialogue-heavy series. Unfortunately, the show struggles to maintain the tone of its excellent pilot, which sets up expectations for what the series will be, only to subvert them later. ADRIANO The Old Man gets a resounding “hell yeah!” from me. I went into this show thinking “great, some Yellowstone knockoff,” and was only really watching because of recommendations. With the first episode, I thought “Oh, this isn’t Yellowstone at all.” It’s a very exciting thrillride that I was not expecting to go on. It also shows that even at 72 years old, Jeff Bridges can beat me up. The guy was unexpectedly badass and gave a great performance to boot. Overall, I was shocked by how captivated I was with The Old Man . I just wish the season was longer QUENTIN While the series never quite lives up to the promises made in the premiere, it’s hard to be too negative about a show featuring such strong performances from screen legends Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. Overall, the series is a tad slow, and the ending is a somewhat unsatisfying set up for Season Two; However, it’s filled with enough intrigue, interesting spycraft, and character development to keep you invested. And while I wouldn’t go so far as to call the show “predictable,” the fact is that *I* predicted several major plot points. But either way, predictable or not, The Old Man is worth watching.

INVASION: SEASON ONE Starring: Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna, Firas Nassar, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Tara Moayedi, Daisuke Tsuji, and Sam Neill Creators: Simon Kinberg and David Weil QUENTIN Much like Netflix’s Away , Apple’s Invasion is a bait and switch. It’s marketed like War of the Worlds: The Series , but in reality, it’s just a soap opera with some sci-fi elements looming in the background. To be clear, Invasion isn’t really about an alien invasion. It’s about unconnected people dealing with regular life stuff (like a cheating spouse) at the outset of an alien invasion. Imagine the events of Independence Day happening, but you’re only watching This Is Us -style storylines. Maybe it eventually becomes the show it was advertised to be, but I’m not sticking around to find out.

ANGELYNE Starring: Emmy Rossum, Hamish Linklater, Martin Freeman, Philip Ettinger, Charlie Rowe, and Alex Karpovsky Creator: Nancy Oliver QUENTIN Even as Bitesize Breakdown’s resident old dude, I had never heard of Angelyne. After watching this short miniseries, I now know who she is, but I don’t understand why she matters. Nothing about her story is sympathetic, and there are no grand messages to be found or important lessons learned. The entire idea seems to be “remember that lady who was famous for being on billboards? This is her story.” Granted, Emmy Rossum does a great job and the soundtrack slaps, but ultimately, Angelyne perpetuates her shallow famous-for-being-famous nonsense. I suspect we’ll see a similarly fatuous series about the Kardashians in a few decades.

Previous Next What is a flop? Sometimes it's a bad movie, sure. But sometimes it's a critical darling that didn't bring in enough money or even a film that didn't do well in its original release but found success through home media or streaming. This got us thinking about some of our favourite flops for one reason or another. So, the Bitesize crew has put their brains together to compile Bitesize Breakdown's consensus Top Five Flops. Each writer ranks their top 15 films in the category. Those lists are then weighted on a reverse point system. After all the points are tallied up, the entries with the most total points make up the Bitesize Top Five. 5. BETTER MAN Better Man, a musical biopic about Robbie Williams as a CGI ape, is a creative gamble that pays off spectacularly well for me while also seeming to be a success with critics. However, it has only grossed about $23 million worldwide against a $110 million budget, unfortunately. I’m a fan of Williams’ music, so I was already familiar with the songs, but I also loved the film’s outrageously entertaining musical set-pieces and unexpectedly raw and emotional portrayal of his story. Sadly, not even its bold stylistic choices and genuinely impressive CGI could make up for the fact that Williams simply isn't well-known enough in the U.S. (only making about $2 million at the U.S. box office) or well-liked enough across Europe for it to succeed. Despite this, I think more people should see Better Man regardless of their familiarity with Williams; they’ll be pleasantly surprised. - Katie 4. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION It took me quite a long time to get over my imagined distaste for The Shawshank Redemption . I don’t know what it was, but growing up, I thought it would be a depressing, uninteresting, and downright slog of a three-hour movie. So, when I finally got around to watching it in my 30s (yes, it took me that long, don’t judge), I looked in the mirror and pointed at myself like that meme you all can now imagine in your head. Considering it flopped, maybe I was thinking the same thing as everyone else when it came out? Boy, were we all wrong. Shawshank is pure heart and joy wrapped in the tragic exterior that Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne had to face, with so many lovable (and hateable) characters that you wait with bated breath on each of their respectable resolutions. Whether you cried for Brooks (James Whitmore), got mad with Red (Morgan Freeman), or had the most cathartic exaltation when Andy’s Raquel Welch poster was removed, there is almost no movie that makes you feel the most rewatchable feels more than this brilliant story of resilience. - Amarú 3. WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY As a child, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is pure wish fulfillment: a mysterious stranger has a contest where buying candy is a requirement, and the ultimate winner gets a lifetime supply of chocolate? That is a dream realized. When you grow up, you recognize the horrors and atrocities wrought on the Oompa-Loompas and children who enter Willy Wonka’s (Gene Wilder) factory and wonder why anyone would consider the story whimsical. A $4 million box office gross against a $3 million budget speaks to how the adaptation didn’t grab as many viewers as readers of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story. Maybe Shaft was just more popular for the July 4th weekend in 1971, or maybe potential child murder wasn’t a legitimate draw. Either way, despite how problematic it ends up being, the film has magnificent songs, colorful characters, and Wilder making a case for an Oscar nomination as a man locked in arrested development simply trying to make the world more magical. Who can make the sun rise? The candy man can, and did. - Robert 2. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD In 2010, there were a handful of films that taught film geeks like me that online interest doesn’t always translate into mainstream success. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was one of those very films. Despite months of hype, and even with strong reviews and great word-of-mouth, Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s acclaimed graphic novel series only ended up grossing $47M worldwide against a reported $60M budget. As someone who bought the Blu-ray, downloaded the soundtrack on iTunes, played the game endlessly, read all the graphic novels, and even re-enacted a scene for my high school drama class: I’ll admit… I was bitter. And I had every reason to be because I’m one of those people who actually missed it in theatres. Luckily, it’s not hard to find a repertory screening in Toronto (for obvious reasons), so I was able to rectify a decades-old mistake. Still, no matter how big or small the screen, everything about the film feels as fresh as the first time - from the sublime visuals to its hilarious one-liners, and especially the incredible casting choices (Ellen Wong should’ve been a star, dammit). It’s my favourite Wright movie for a reason, and it fully deserves its cult classic status. Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables ) and Julia Roberts (Eat Pray Love ) may have won that weekend, but Scott Pilgrim won the war. - Bode 1. CHILDREN OF MEN Am I bitter that Children of Men was a massive flop? I don't know, honestly. Yes, it deserved so much more, especially considering it not only failed to earn back its $76 million budget but also lost about $120 million, which effectively put Alfonso Cuarón in director's jail for a time. However, while the box office is certainly a form of showing value with audiences, so is time… and time has been great to Children of Men . Recently ranked 13th on The New York Times' 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, it’s clear that, eventually, audiences graced themselves with the masterwork of this poignant dystopian thriller, buying into the breathtaking visuals of the world-building and the excellent character writing. Plus, Cuarón escaped from director's jail to win two Best Director Oscars, so all is well there, too. - Adriano HONORABLE MENTIONS THE IRON GIANT THE BIG LEBOWSKI OFFICE SPACE KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON KISS KISS BANG BANG

KINDRED: SEASON ONE Starring: Mallori Johnson, Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, and David Alexander Kaplan Creator: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins QUENTIN Kindred , which is essentially Outlander: Antebellum , starts off like gangbusters, setting up an intriguing mystery with horrifying stakes. However, as the show goes on, it mostly abandons the more interesting setups to become a fairly straightforward soap opera. It rarely asks the tough questions about how a modern African American woman would navigate being a slave in the 1800s, and to be frank, the way plantation life is depicted is heavily sanitized, which really undermines the gravity and fear of the situation. Still, overall, it’s more of a missed opportunity than a failure, and I’ll likely come back for Season Two.

MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN: SEASON ONE Starring: Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Kyle Chandler, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Taylor Handley, Hugh Dillon, Pha’rez Lass, Tobi Bamtefa, Hamish Allan-Headley, and Aidan Gillen Creators: Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan QUENTIN Mayor of Kingstown , the latest in writer-director Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding television empire, is a show that leaves me more intrigued about its potential than blown away by its debut season. It takes about five episodes to really get going, starting off like a slow, crime-of-the-week series built around an increasingly exhausted-looking Jeremy Renner. But you eventually realize that it’s setting the board for the season’s more serialized second half, which is fairly compelling. It’s not perfect – and to be honest, I almost gave up on it around the midpoint – but I’m glad I stuck it out despite its imperfections.

PALM ROYALE Starring: Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Julia Duffy, Kaia Gerber, Amber Chardae Robinson, and Carol Burnett Creator: Abe Sylvia NICK What did I expect? Palm Royale is a 1960s set series about a group of socialites that is far more soap opera than comedy; plus, it stars Kristen Wiig (who I’ve never been a fan of). Honestly, if it wasn’t for the return of Carol Burnett, I wouldn’t even have given it a chance. Here’s the thing, though: it’s actually quite good. Maxine Simmons is one of Wiig's strongest roles to date, while the supporting characters (particularly Allison Janney and surprisingly Ricky Martin) intrigue as their secrets unravel one by one. I’m still not entirely sure why Palm Royale worked for me specifically, but it did. QUENTIN Palm Royale , which is essentially The Real Housewives of 1969 meets Mean Girls , boasts tremendous production design and a mostly stellar cast. I say “mostly” because at the center is Kristen Wiig, and she is the main reason this series fails. This may be a “me” thing, but Wiig’s Maxine never feels like a real person, instead coming across as more of a quirky SNL character with an exaggerated southern accent. It’s all the more noticeable when she’s acting opposite Allison Janney and Laura Dern. Admittedly, I’ve never been the biggest Wiig fan, so mileage may vary, but this series did not make me a convert.

ECHO Starring: Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Chaske Spencer, Graham Greene, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, and Tantoo Cardinal Creators: Joe Quesada and David Mack AMARÚ Echo ’s five gritty and intense episodes really let us connect with Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), her story, and her ancestors. The indigenous cultural influences are the show’s biggest strength, along with great sound design and amazing stunt choreography. However, its comic-book aspects, while well connected to the story, are tonally disconnected to those more grounded facets, creating off-kilter pacing issues enroute to a lackluster finale. In the end, I left Echo wanting more of Maya, but also hoping that the MCU will get Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin 100% right one day. Also, shoutout to Graham Greene for just always being awesome. NICK The thing that made Netflix’s Daredevil and The Punisher great was more than just the violence, which is why Disney’s attempt to replicate it with Echo isn’t quite there. There are aspects of that grittiness, sure, but it mostly feels like a cheap imitation. Beyond that, the lead character (Alaqua Cox's Maya) is pretty unlikeable, so I couldn’t get emotionally invested in the moments I was meant to. Thankfully, there are some highlights including strong supporting turns from Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, and the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. Plus, at only five episodes, Echo is an easy watch, but also one of Marvel’s more forgettable. QUENTIN Although there are things I liked about Echo , including a relatively successful return to Marvel’s Netflix-era grittiness, a couple of fight scenes, and the return of Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), it’s the MCU’s most yawn-inducing series yet. I suppose that’s better than being outright bad (or, as reports indicated, “unreleasable”), but even if there are moments of mild enjoyment, Echo is messily edited, poorly plotted, and terribly paced. Alaqua Cox does well when called upon to kick ass, but she’s hard to connect with in the quieter moments because of her permanent “badasses don’t emote” scowl. A disconnected character dealing with underdeveloped (and uninteresting) stakes? Why bother? PAIGE Compared to other Marvel series, Echo has a darker, grittier tone, featuring hard-hitting action sequences, a grounded story, and much-needed representation. In light of this, it’s a slow watch and occasionally extremely dull. The main character Maya (Alaqua Cox) completely lacks empathy, and the challenges she faces during the show’s five-episode arc seem trivial and small. This is where the plot falls flat. But even though I found this spotlight series to be mediocre, there might be enough for other viewers to find it engaging. ADRIANO Echo's whole idea of being the MCU's first foray into adult territory feels like nothing more than a distraction from the fact that the show has nothing going for it otherwise. The action can be cool and brutal, but its slow-building character writing is weak and lacks any real connection to our protagonist despite a compelling performance from Alaqua Cox and the supporting cast, namely Tantoo Cardinal. Echo feels like it's trying too hard to replicate what made Daredevil so popular, and in the process, being sorely mistaken on what made it good in the first place.

Previous Next August 14, 2026 WRITTEN BY: NICK I know I say it every year, but Fantasia is the first film festival to give us a chance when we started out. As such, I will always make it a priority to cover it. This year, we’re pivoting to our typical film festival model, which is to say each writer will individually rank the movies they were able to see, which allows for more personal freedom as to what each writer adds to their slate. Once again, I was covering this one remotely, so I didn’t have access to everything I wanted to see (The Fox and The Leader were big misses on my part). Still, I was still able to check out eight different genre films… 8. HER PRIVATE HELL I know director Nicolas Winding Refn likes making surreal films, but he has outdone himself this time. To be clear, that isn’t a compliment. Her Private Hell acted as my own (hell, that is) as I felt trapped inside Refn’s vision. What I’m sure was a cohesive idea inside his head makes for a disjointed film that is one part soap opera, one part fever dream. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt that the campy dialogue and performances are intentional, they’re out of place with the film’s tone. It’s a visual treat, but that doesn’t make up for the rest of the mess. 7. SOUR MINNOWS With Fantasia being one of the biggest genre film festivals in the world, you’re bound to get some unique and absurd indie features. Enter Sour Minnows . Building off a scene that reminded me of Radiohead’s music video for “Just,” Minnows goes for something that’s a mix of a student film and a David Lynch project. Unfortunately, its overly ambiguous nature makes for a confusing film that doesn’t seem very interested in answering the questions it presents. This one didn’t work for me, but I could see it hitting you differently if you had ingested certain substances beforehand. 6. UNHOLY NIGHT Unholy Night is a holiday horror film that can only be described as “aggressively Italian.” It is heavily centered on the familial dynamics of its cast of characters, and it features many cultural Italian hallmarks. Focusing on an ensemble was the right call because although it feels authentic, it doesn’t feature any particularly noteworthy performances. It also feels like director Michael Gabriele wouldn’t allow the film to be funnier. It has some comedic lines sprinkled throughout, but they’re played too seriously. Some levity, with a tone similar to Krampus , would have improved what is a watchable but ultimately average horror film. 5. NIGHTBORN Although I respect the way director Hanna Bergholm uses the horror lens to convey the difficulties of the postpartum experience, there’s something about Nightborn that feels too familiar. Carried by Seidi Haarla’s great performance, who does her part to elevate an occasionally stagnant story, Bergholm keeps you guessing as to whether there’s truly something supernatural or if everything is in Saga’s (Haarla) head as she seemingly descends into madness. But the reveal takes too long, leading to a rushed ending that doesn’t land with the impact it desires. It’s probably for the best this one is heading straight to streaming. 4. GOD SKIN On its surface, God Skin is a fun action flick that borrows heavily from video game culture, feeling inspired by things like Animorphs and Beast Wars . Beneath the surface, it has its challenges. Key among them is the poorly translated subtitles that make the film come across as goofier than intended. This is a real problem as there are some serious subjects tackled. Also, for a film featuring the stunt team behind Ong-Bak , the fight sequences leave much to be desired. They’re not bad, but they just aren’t memorable; this film needed and deserved better than that. Ultimately, although I had fun, I kept contemplating the “what ifs.” 3. TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA Much like with I Saw the TV Glow , I can clearly see what director Jane Schoenbrun is going for with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma . Although I think they did a better job realizing that concept here, something about it just didn’t connect. As a parody of the slasher genre, it works. As a story of sexual awakening, again, it works. I just don’t feel these elements of the story fully complement each other. That said, Gillian Anderson is great, there’s a nice mix of flesh, fluids, and laughs (despite any scares), and I respect that Schoenbrun never compromises their vision. 2. BUDDY Buddy probably is best suited for streaming — not because of quality, but because a large portion of the film immerses you in a children’s television program, which likely works better at home. Buddy takes cues from programs like Barney & Friends to give it a nostalgic feel, and while this world is clearly scary for its characters, I wish that was also true for the film’s audience. It’s bloody, sure, but Keegan Michael-Key’s entertaining Buddy isn’t quite frightening enough. As an addition to one of my favorite sub-genres (children’s television gone wrong), it’s a fun ride, but the horror could have been turned up a notch. 1. AFTER SCHOOL Even though it’s a Dutch film, there's a sense of familiarity with After School ( Straf ), reminiscent of the school comedies of the early 2000s, and I had a ton of fun with it. It brings the laughs, despite the obvious disconnection with subtitles and comedic timing, but also attempts to tackle subjects like toxic masculinity, single parenting, and of course, bullying. Nothing about the cast is flashy (much like the rest of the film), but everyone brings honesty to their roles, which makes After School feel authentic. Considering comedy films have been lacking as of late, I’d love to see an English remake.

THE BIG CIGAR Starring: André Holland, Tiffany Boone, Alessandro Nivola, Marc Menchaca, and P.J. Byrne Creator: Jim Hecht QUENTIN While I’m sure there is an unbelievable true story at the heart of The Big Cigar , Apple’s latest historical series can’t seem to find the thread to make it interesting. At only six, 30ish-minute episodes, it moves way too quickly, resulting in a show where almost everything is underdeveloped. On top of that, tonally speaking, it’s a disjointed mishmash, jumping from paranoid thriller to caper-y romp to character study to social commentary, none of which is helped by random time jumps. I guess this is what happens when you base a miniseries on a Playboy article, but this Cigar needs to be extinguished. Killer soundtrack, though.

Previous Next With the release of Turning Red, the Bitesize crew has put their brains together to compile Bitesize Breakdown's consensus Top Five Pixar Films. Each writer ranks his or her top 15 films in the category. Those lists are then weighted on a reverse point system. After all the points are tallied up, the entries with the most total points make up the Bitesize Top Five. 5. TOY STORY 2 Toy Story 2 was Pixar’s true indicator of their commitment to storytelling. It’s a sequel that is just as engaging as its predecessor, and one that delves into the deeper existential themes that would eventually become the hallmark of what Pixar is known for. - Joseph 4. INSIDE OUT Inside Out was the perfect return to form for Pixar after several years of sequels. It’s a truly original and creative concept that tells a hilarious and gut-wrenching journey of emotions (literally). It’s also an animated classic that stands alongside Pixar's other masterpieces perfectly. - Adriano 3. TOY STORY Pixar brought us some of the most beloved and memorable characters in cinema with Toy Story . The animation (and entire film, for that matter) is groundbreaking, and let’s not forget the song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which will forever warm your heart and make you think of this instant classic. - Paige 2. THE INCREDIBLES An animated superhero movie from 2004 featuring (at the time) the most original and as-realistic-as-you-can-get superhero story, all without pre-existing IP? And it’s still better than 75% of the superhero movies out today? Toy Story could never… Ok, maybe it could, but The Incredibles is a damn-near perfect film. - Amarú 1. TOY STORY 3 For a company primarily known for making childrens' films, Pixar made Toy Story 3 for the generation that grew up on the original film 15 years prior. They gave us a more than satisfying update and (at the time) a presumed conclusion to these characters that helped shape many of our formative years. - Nick HONORABLE MENTIONS FINDING NEMO MONSTERS INC WALL-E UP RATATOUILLE Photo Credits: Disney/Pixar

THE AGENCY: SEASON ONE Starring: Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Magaro, Katherine Waterston, Harriet Sansom Harris, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Andrew Brooke, India Fowler, Reza Brojerdi, Alex Reznik, Hugh Bonneville, and Dominic West Creators: Jez and John-Henry Butterworth QUENTIN Although The Agency has its imperfections — including some poorly developed characters, occasionally sluggish pacing, and confusingly sprawling subplots — most of them are wallpapered over by the absolutely stacked cast. It’s just too hard to look away from Michael Fassbender and Jeffrey Wright when they’re doing their thing. Thankfully, the methodical storytelling also is sneakily engrossing, especially in a binge (probably the best way to watch since it takes a couple of episodes to get going), as it explores both the professional and personal cost of living the bureaucratic life of espionage in an appropriately cold way. The Agency admittedly takes some patience, but it’s worth it.