Author: Kevin Bourne

On the heels of the 2026 Ontario municipal elections, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says that it’s not too late to rename Toronto’s Sankofa Square. “What our leaders need to do is go back to the drawing board and allow residents to choose a name for the square that they can be proud of.” -Kevin Bourne The dust has settled on the Toronto municipal election with the incumbent Olivia Chow re-elected as mayor of the City of Toronto. Going into the election, I admittedly wasn’t sold on Brad Bradford. Chow, who aside from her social policies is likeable and doesn’t mind putting…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls one of the most highly anticipated video game films in recent memory “unexpectedly hilarious” but still “missing something” in his Street Fighter film review. “As expected, the fight scenes are well shot and choreographed, but the film is also unexpectedly hilarious.” -Kevin Bourne, SHIFTER Adapting video games for film and TV is nothing new. In recent years, we’ve seen legendary franchises like Resident Evil, Super Mario, Mortal Kombat, Minecraft, Sonic, The Last Of Us, Twisted Metal, and Halo brought to the big and small screens. But this week, fans are ready to see the king of…

In light Haitian-American actor Da’Vinchi’s controversial appearance on Cam Newton’s Funk Friday podcast, Kevin Bourne asks if Black people need to get over slavery. “It’s unfortunate that we have so many people in the word that can’t see past that [slavery]…I can understand the emotions that it conjure up because of what people of African descent have gone through under the hand of Caucasians, but however the story is much bigger.” -Da’Vinchi Haitian-American actor Da’Vinchi has been in the headlines over the past few days and for all the wrong reasons. He was recently on former NFL quarterback Cam Newton’s…

In our first installment of our new article series Give ‘Em Their Flowers, we celebrate mother, entrepreneur, and broadcaster Kayla Grey as she departs Canadian sports broadcaster TSN. “TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but the one I’m most grateful for was the shot to prove seven-year-old me right. ” -Kayla Grey Kayla Grey has taken to her Substack to announce not only the end of her show The Shift, but her departure from Canadian sports broadcaster TSN. In the article titled “The Shift: A Bittersweet Goodbye”, Grey writes: “TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but…

Liv is in labor as The Vortex and The Village, and her mom Laura, stand by her. Here’s our All American series finale recap. Liv’s in labor The episode opens with Liv watching The Vortex’s videos from the cottage talking about where they’ll be in 20 years. Her pregnancy is advancing. The doctor wants Liv to have a C-section with the twins’ heart rate going down, but she wants to wait for Spencer. After a delayed flight, Laura Baker, her mom, shows up to keep her company in the delivery room. With the twins’ heart rates dropping once again, Liv…

In his Firestarter Vol 2 album review, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says that with the album, Kardinal Offishall has cemented his legacy among the best rapper-producers to ever do it. “On the 25th anniversary of Firestarter, Volume 1, I put together the avengers for Firestarter Vol.2 and collaborated with some of my favorite artists of all time.” -Kardinal Offishall In recent years, fans, hip-hop media, and industry insiders have talked about the apparent decline of hip-hop, especially on the charts (prior to Iceman, of course). The once dominant genre seemed to have slowed down with artists struggling with low ticket sales…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Serville Poblete’s latest “equal parts gritty, honest, and beautiful.” in his Sunburn film review. “Overall, Sunburn is equal parts gritty, honest, and beautiful. ” -Kevin Bourne One thing that film fans have to look forward to every year at the Toronto International Film Festival is their selection of Canadian films, especially from the Toronto area. As one of the biggest and most important film festivals in the world, it’s a badge of honor that could elevate a Canadian filmmaker to the next level. One of the local films which premiered at TIFF this year was Sunburn,…

It’s showcase day and it’s KJ and Khalil’s last chance to show out in front of the Division 1 coaches. Here’s our All American Season 8 Episode 12 recap. Coop’s side quest Coop and Amina head to Preach’s favorite restaurant to get him some food, and to give him a little space after his release. Amina is concerned that she has come between Breonna and Coop’s relationship. She warmed up to her after she helped with Preach’s release. Later, Coop goes to prison to visit Miss Scott, aka Shawn’s mom. Coop hopes to one day get her out. Miss Scott,…

Despite some minor flaws, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Chris Rock’s latest “a resounding success” in his Misty Green film review. “Both in front of the camera and as a writer, Rock does an excellent job of balancing drama with moments of comedy.” -Kevin Bourne Fans know Chris Rock as a comedy legend and actor, spanning film and television, including his time on Saturday Night Live. They may even know him for his many comedy specials over the years. But not a lot of fans know Chris Rock the writer and director. Rock made his directorial debut back in 2003 with…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Niki Byrne’s feature directorial debut “an inspirational and satisfying watch” in his The Julia Set film review. “The Julia Set is an inspirational and satisfying watch…and a well-executed feature debut from Byrne.” -Kevin Bourne One of the films that seemed to fall under people’s radar at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival was Niki Byrne’s feature directorial debut The Julia Set starring Chase Infiniti, Christopher Briney, Chloe Bailey, Gillian Anderson, and Jason Isaacs. The film is centered around Julia (Infiniti), a university student and mathematical genius. Recognizing her mathematical genius is her teachers assistant Pascal (Briney)…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls the Zellner Bros’ latest “peculiar” and “an acquired taste” in his Alpha Gang film review. “Alpha Gang is an acquired taste.” – Kevin Bourne There are many words you can use to describe Alpha Gang—strange, odd, peculiar, absurd, and funny. Yes, some of those words mean the exact same thing, but they all apply. Written by David Zellner and co-directed by David and Nathan Zellner, known together as the Zellner Bros., Alpha Gang tells the story of a 1950’s, leather clad group of aliens, played by Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bae…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Florian Zeller’s latest is “blessed by strong performances, but cursed by a weaker story” in his Bunker film review. “Bunker is a film that is blessed by strong performances, but cursed by a weaker story.” – Kevin Bourne When you talk about the most accomplished husband and wife actors in the history of Hollywood, you have to talk about Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. They’re one of only a handful of married or partnered couples  where both parties have won Academy awards for acting. The others are Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Paul Newman and Joanne…