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Radheyan Simonpillai

@justsayrad.bsky.social
1.1K followers 123 following 455 posts

Film Critic at CTV's Your Morning. Pop Culture Columnist at CBC Radio. Contributor: The Guardian, The Globe & Mail and more.

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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Getting into negotiating identity through dance in a big epic conversation with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Hasan Minhaj in Time Magazine. Best of the Best is on Netflix today. share.google/BMeyK2nF8AU1...
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The Story Behind Netflix's Rousing Bollywood Dance Comedy 'Best of the Best'
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Hasan Minhaj on the cultural specificity, friendship, and months of dance training that went into their new movie about collegiate dancers.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 17h
Today on Commotion, we got @brofromanother.bsky.social Kaiya Shunyata and Hanna Flibt sounding off on Digger and Verity. No punches pulled. youtu.be/aTrSx6bqi84?...
youtu.be
Weekly Wrap: Digger, Verity, and East of Eden
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I spoke to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother director Bassam Tariq about going from that superhero movie to a pulpy, neo-Western about a father discovering his kids are his superpower. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oc...
theguardian.com
How Bassam Tariq pivoted from stalled Blade reboot to new Mahershala Ali thriller: ‘I’m happier I made this movie’
In the film-maker’s Houston-set film, Ali stars as a devout Muslim who moonlights as a vicious hitman
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I spoke to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother director Bassam Tariq about going from that superhero movie to a pulpy, neo-Western about a father discovering his kids are his superpower. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oc...
theguardian.com
How Bassam Tariq pivoted from stalled Blade reboot to new Mahershala Ali thriller: ‘I’m happier I made this movie’
In the film-maker’s Houston-set film, Ali stars as a devout Muslim who moonlights as a vicious hitman
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
NAZA: Of course we knew all this from the coverage of the genocide in Gaza. But it's chilling to hear it from "cogs" in the machine, who lay it out as a numbers game intentionally adding up to annihilation.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 30/09/2026
‘Terrorist attack’ by Israeli settlers on Palestinian family in West Bank condemned
theguardian.com
‘Terrorist attack’ by Israeli settlers on Palestinian family in West Bank condemned
Settler violence in West Bank makes everyday life ‘untenable’ for Palestinians, says ICRC after assault on family trying to return home in Jalud The ICRC has warned that Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has made everyday life for Palestinians “untenable”, as a mob attack on Palestinians trying to return home prompted one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rivals to warn of a campaign of settler terror. More than a hundred militant settlers overwhelmed Israeli security forces early on Tuesday to attack a Palestinian family as they attempted to reclaim their homes which had been seized by settlers in the West Bank village of Jalud. Three Israeli security officials were injured and houses were set on fire. Continue reading...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Love Anne Hathaway, even in a movie as disposable as Verity. share.google/6th2K088ZRAU...
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Anne Hathaway can’t elevate Verity past its incoherent, shallow take on erotic thrillers
Hathaway and Dakota Johnson star in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today on CBC's Commotion, we got into the online hate campaign targeting Maitreyi Ramakrishnan for expressing her Eelam Tamil identity, and the subsequent review bombing of her Netflix movie Best of the Best. youtu.be/0Hmxiw3Ld44?...
youtu.be
What's behind the review bombing of Best of the Best?
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today on CBC's Commotion, we got into the online hate campaign targeting Maitreyi Ramakrishnan for expressing her Eelam Tamil identity, and the subsequent review bombing of her Netflix movie Best of the Best. youtu.be/0Hmxiw3Ld44?...
youtu.be
What's behind the review bombing of Best of the Best?
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Spoke to Nimesh Patel about Trump's America, the Palestinian cause and the rise in anti-Indian hate, all of which makes its way into his Netflix special Buy The Dip. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
Nimesh Patel on stand-up, Palestine and politics: ‘The way that religion’s been weaponized is ugly’
The comedian went from being discovered by Chris Rock to making Saturday Night Live history. Now his new Netflix special, Buy the Dip, tackles timely topics with optimism
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Some bits of negotiating identity with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Hasan Minhaj.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Recently toured Paramount Studios. So much incredible history there, not just the sound stages where they shot The Godfather but also the old RKO studios where Citizen Kane was made. That's what the very Citizen Kane coded David Ellison is threatening to tear down. deadline.com/2026/09/para...
deadline.com
Paramount To Leave California Amid Antitrust Battle & Stalled Warner Bros Merger
Leaks out of David Ellison's inner circle said the CEO wold take his Paramount ball & leave California if state AGs didn't back off on their antitrust suit
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Was really looking forward to Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo but alas ... #TIFF www.theguardian.com/film/2026/se...
theguardian.com
Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo review – Takashi Miike follows Ferrara and Herzog with a disappointment
There’s a surprisingly tame quality to the gorehound’s contribution to the rough and ready franchise and a general aimlessness that frustrates
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Possible Love: Every eight years Lee Chang-Dong shows up to remind us he's one of the greatest filmmakers alive. Blown away, as expected. Didn't expect to feel so uplifted. #TIFF
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I Play Rocky: A fitting subject for Green Book director Peter Farrelly. Like Stallone, he's made an Oscar winner about a white man whose story was deemed worthy of a movie because of his proximity to a great Black man. #TIFF www.theguardian.com/film/2026/se...
theguardian.com
I Play Rocky review – crowd-pleasing Stallone biopic is heavy on fan service, light on real emotion
There’s a knockout central performance from Anthony Ippolito in this otherwise rather lightweight making-of comedy drama
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother: Splits the difference between The Limey and Drive, and finds its beauty in how these characters reconcile their way of life with their faith. share.google/SQ2eRF1sGeKc...
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Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother review – Mahershala Ali is a grieving hitman in soulful thriller
The two-time Oscar-winner is an unusual killer in a compelling mix of pulpy action and family drama
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Didn't have stumbling into the Volodymyr Zelenskyy motorcade on my TIFF bingo card.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In today's Globe, my piece on attending Daisy Chain Fields, witnessing Canadian icons gets their flowers, watching Doechii and Chappell Roan electrify the audience, and my deep girl-dad appreciation for Olivia Rodrigo. share.google/r5qI4y3fVLZ5...
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Olivia Rodrigo’s modern-day Lilith Fair was sanctuary in turbulent times between Canada and the U.S.
Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette took turns on stage being celebrated by and performing with the American pop star
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In today's Globe, my piece on attending Daisy Chain Fields, witnessing Canadian icons gets their flowers, watching Doechii and Chappell Roan electrify the audience, and my deep girl-dad appreciation for Olivia Rodrigo. share.google/r5qI4y3fVLZ5...
share.google
Olivia Rodrigo’s modern-day Lilith Fair was sanctuary in turbulent times between Canada and the U.S.
Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette took turns on stage being celebrated by and performing with the American pop star
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Risking heat stroke was totally worth it for Daisy Chain Fields. Wrote about Olivia Rodrigo's love for Canadian icons and why I love being a girl-dad in times like this. Shout out to fellow girl-dad @brofromanother.bsky.social for sharing insight on The Cure. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/83f0ba5...
theglobeandmail.com
Olivia Rodrigo’s modern-day Lilith Fair was sanctuary in turbulent times between Canada and the U.S.
Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette took turns on stage being celebrated by and performing with the American pop star
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I'm in California for Daisy Chain Fields. Listen to my Pop Culture Column on why Olivia Rodrigo and her Avengers just reinforced why I'm here despite Trump's nonsense. share.google/doptfMCwIMxW...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I liked The Magic Faraway Tree, if only for Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/83f0ba5...
theglobeandmail.com
The Magic Faraway Tree is rooted in charm
The film’s real magic is in the family’s dynamic, as the parents try connect with their children and navigate anxieties around modern tech
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Charli XCX wasn't kidding about how much she fucks with The Shrouds. Drops a video starring Vincent Cassel and then closes out her album with Cronenberg.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
This was a really fun, enlightening chat about The Odyssey with @elamin.bsky.social @davidehrlich.bsky.social and Hanna Flint. youtu.be/-jon0DvXJFw?...
youtu.be
Weekly Wrap: Is The Odyssey Nolan's best film ever?
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The Odyssey (Round 2): I'll just stand by what I wrote here.
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Judith Pereira @heypereira.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
And The Odyssey has a Critics Pick from @justsayrad.bsky.social in @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/129d895... 1/2
theglobeandmail.com
The Odyssey is an awe-inspiring spectacle
The making of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey aspires to be as monumental as the story being told
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
As someone who has always been more reserved in my praise for Christopher Nolan, I'm suprised to say how much I enjoyed The Odyssey and really felt the melancholy of it. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/83f0ba5...
theglobeandmail.com
The Odyssey is an awe-inspiring spectacle
The making of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey aspires to be as monumental as the story being told
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Here's @kvanaren.bsky.social and @johnniejae.bsky.social with some beautiful insight on the new Little House On The Prairie. youtu.be/V8NndYr5z_k?...
youtu.be
Little House on the Prairie confronts its racist past
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Kathryn VanArendonk @kvanaren.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
here, have a nice time laughing at exactly the moment I lose control of my faculties and the several following seconds where I attempt to claw them back www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbHt...
youtube.com
Did The Bear land its finale?
YouTube video by Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
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Kathryn VanArendonk @kvanaren.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
pls keep an eye out for today's episode of commotion on cbc when it goes online; you can enjoy @justsayrad.bsky.social accidentally calling eps of The Bear bottle episodes live on the radio, immediately regretting it, and my brain fully shorting out about what constitutes an appropriate reaction
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I liked The Invite. It goes places in terms of relationship woes that I've only seen in real life. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/83f0ba5...
theglobeandmail.com
The Invite is a bitterly funny marriage comedy that tries a bit too hard
The sharp marriage comedy is surprisingly perceptive on issues that plague modern marriage
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
So that couple that scaled the Empire State Building have a Netflix doc I actually found mildly compelling. www.theguardian.com/film/article...
theguardian.com
Skywalkers: A Love Story review – ‘rooftopping’ couple chase thrills in Netflix documentary
A daredevil Russian couple who climb to the tops of skyscrapers make for both frustrating and thrilling protagonists in this hit-and-miss documentary
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
"The move bucks the trend of studios getting ahead of professional reviews by inviting fan-site bloggers and influencers to see major releases in advance and then letting them post (often highly enthusiastic) mini reviews on social media." www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
hollywoodreporter.com
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ to Skip Social Media Influencer Screenings
Universal is going straight to professional critic screenings rather than having the usual "word-of-mouth screenings" for social media.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Supergirl: An impotent and incoherent attempt at bringing George Miller’s grimy diesel-and-rust aesthetic to James Gunn's house-style. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/83f0ba5...
theglobeandmail.com
Almost everything about Supergirl feels tossed in or tossed aside
The adaptation of the Woman of Tomorrow comic book series is a mess
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Barry Hertz @hertzbarry.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Twenty five years ago today, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS hit theatres. If that quarter-century mark sounds crazy, that's because it genuinely is. So much so that I wrote a whole book about it, which I may have mentioned here once or twice. Happy 25, F&F. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/barry...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
The rug that really tied the room together in The Big Lebowski is up for auction. Starting bid is $15,000 USD. entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
The angle we didn't see in the official FIFA broadcast. Elyanna and Jessie Reyez throwing it down with the keffiyehs during the opening ceremony in Toronto.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Reviewed Scary Movie and pondered what this franchise has to say in a post-Get Out world. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film...
theglobeandmail.com
Scary Movie reheats old gags while celebrating Black horror with love and appreciation
Wayans brothers resurrect their franchise and pack it with over a decades’ worth of commentary and parody
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"I want to thank Scarborough for teaching me the three Fs. When to fight, when to be funny and when to flee." - Mike Myers at the Canadian Screen Awards
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Bee Quammie @beequammie.blacksky.app · 29/05/2026
Halle 😭😭😭😭😭 (that's what I heard too, though)
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
One Battle After Another Steelbook just landed.
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Sam Adams @samadams.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
The Yogurt Shop Murders was a probing docuseries about the shadow of a terrible unsolved crime that shook a community for decades. Then, just as it aired, the crime was finally solved. So Margaret Brown went back for an unexpected finale.
slate.com
A Brilliant HBO Documentary Explored the Effects of an Unsolved Murder. Now, in Its Surprise Final Episode, the Case Is Solved.
The director of The Yogurt Shop Murders on its surprise final episode—and why the story still isn’t over.
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Tatiana Maslany challenges the idea that Canadians are peaceful in our interview for CBC Arts. www.cbc.ca/arts/maximum...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Left #Cannes too soon to catch La Bola Negra. So here's a write up on the festival I experienced before that: the early feelings of a hollowed out fest, the solidarity with Palestinians, my blindspots and faves. www.cbc.ca/arts/as-holl...
cbc.ca
As Hollywood retreats, auteurs are back on top at Cannes | CBC Arts
At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, critic Rad Simonpillai sees a notable lack of Hollywood stars. What is present, however, is great filmmaking, glamorous parties, and actors and directors unafraid to ...
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Here's Leah Nelson, Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen on their "love letter to caregivers" and bringing their personal experiences with Alzheimer's to Tangles. www.cbc.ca/arts/the-can...
cbc.ca
The Canadian animated film that has Cannes in tears | CBC Arts
Produced by Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen, Tangles is a star-studded movie about caring for a parent with Alzheimers that premiered in Cannes this week
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Taking a break from Cannes coverage to share my review of I Love Boosters, which feels like Boots Riley's cartoonish Bay area spin on Tout Va Bien. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
theguardian.com
I Love Boosters review – Boots Riley’s absurdist shoplifting comedy is a mixed bag
The Sorry to Bother You director’s brash and outrageously funny new film, led by Keke Palmer, can be a little too scattershot to make an impact
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Late post: my CBC pop culture column on the Canadians and the star power (or lack thereof) at Cannes. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
cbc.ca
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
My first print piece out of Cannes 2026. Spoke to Asia Argento and Jorge Thielen Armand about their haunting surrealist thriller about the history of violence in Venezuela, which they shot while Trump was sending warships to the coast. #cannes www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
theguardian.com
‘It deals with my own blood, my inheritance’: Asia Argento on historical trauma in Death Has No Master
Cannes film festival: The actor’s role in Jorge Thielen Armand’s Venezuela-set surrealist thriller explores deep-rooted tensions of ownership and colonialism
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Radheyan Simonpillai @justsayrad.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Tatiana Maslany on Canada's complicity in ongoing genocide.
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