Contra Zoom

Dakota Arsenault, Rachel Gordon

10+ YEARS OF LIFESTYLE. MUSIC. CULTURE.

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Top 10 Contra Zoom Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Contra Zoom episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Contra Zoom for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Contra Zoom episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

78: Top Films of 2018

Contra Zoom

03/21/19 • 97 min

Despite it being March, it is finally here! The top ten films of 2018 Contra Zoom mega episode! This episode has everything including a great co-host in Stephanie, four terrific guest spots and more films mentioned than you could imagine.

On this episode, four friends of the show were asked to send in a voice mail of what their favourite film from 2018 was.

Sean Chin’s favourite film was the mountain climbing documentary Free Solo
Scott Murdoch’s favourite film was the Sony animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse
Curtis Sindrey’s favourite film was the darkly comedic Game Night
Sammy Feilchenfeld’s favourite film was beautiful black and white Mexican film Roma

It is humanly impossible to see every film in a given year and below is the list that Dakota and Stephanie weren’t able to catch up with that they thought might have had potential to crack their top ten... if they saw them.

Dakota- Burning, Zama, The Rider, Tea With the Dames and Blaze
Stephanie- Leave No Trace, Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse, Private Life and Widows

The duo also listed their honourable mentions; films that they really loved but just didn’t quite make the final list.

Dakota- Isle of Dogs, Outlaw King, The Favourite, First Man, Game Night and Three Identical Strangers
Stephanie- First Reformed, Game Night, Cold War and Free Solo

Here are the final ten films that made Stephanie’s list:

1. Capernaum

2. Minding the Gap

3. BlacKkKlansman

4. Shoplifters

5. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

6. Vice

7. The Favourite

8. Eighth Grade

9. Isle of Dogs

10. Outlaw King

Here are the final ten films that made Dakota’s list:

1. Roma

2. Capernaum

3. Cold War

4. The Death of Stalin

5. First Reformed

6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse

7. BlacKkKlansmn

8. Minding the Gap

9. Old Man & the Gun

10. Sorry To Bother You

If you want to see a full ranking of every movie Dakota saw last year, check out his Letterboxd list and give him a follow.

Something new I’ll be asking people to do is to rate and review Contra Zoom on Podchaser, a site that aims to be the IMDb of podcasts. Please rate 5 stars and if possible leave a short review to help grow this show.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 78: Top Films of 2018 appeared first on

77: 2019 Post Oscars Analysis podcast

Contra Zoom

03/07/19 • 57 min

I know, it is more than a full week since the 91^st Oscar’s aired, in which Green Book somehow won Best Picture over the far more deserving Roma, but Dakota and Sammy talk about the winners, the losers and how the show went.

Also joining the episode was Stephanie Prior and Scott Murdoch, who recorded their immediate reactions to the ceremony. It was a lot of fun having them both on, and with Scott’s past as a sound engineer, this won’t be the last time you hear from him on Contra Zoom!

Dakota decided to throw out all five Best Actor nominees, and instead create his own list.

Ethan Hawke for First Reformed
Lakeith Stanfield for Sorry to Bother You
John David Washington for BlacKkKlansman
Joaquin Phoenix from You Were Never Really Here
Tomasz Kot from Cold War

While I watched it after I recorded, I would also throw Robert Redford from The Old Man & the Gun in the mix too.

Rolling Stone named the Best, Worst and WTF Moments from the Oscars.

Vogue listed the 15 best-dressed attendees at this year’s Oscars.

If you missed it you can see that Dakota predicted 16 correct categories on the last episode, while Sammy only got 8 right. You can revisit that episode HERE.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 77: 2019 Post Oscars Analysis podcast appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

76: 2019 Oscar Predictions

Contra Zoom

02/21/19 • 85 min

To help aid with your Oscar ballot’s below is both Sammy’s picks and mine (Dakota). The order is based on how we announced them on the podcast. During the episode we also break down whom we want to win and who was snubbed (if any).

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershali Ali (D), Sam Rockwell (S)
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (D), Rachel Weisz (S)
Best Original Screenplay: Green Book (D), Roma (S)
Best Adapted Screenplay: BlacKkKlansman (D), A Star is Born (S)
Best Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody (D), A Star is Born (S)
Best Sound Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody (D), Roma (S)
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (D & S)
Best Animated Short: Bao (D & S)
Best Documentary Feature: RBG (D & S)
Best Documentary Short: Period. End of Sentence (D)
Best Live Action Short:
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Vice (D & S)
Best Cinematography: Roma (D & S)
Best Costume Design: The Favourite (D & S)
Best Film Editing: BlacKkKlansman (D), The Favourite (S)
Best Foreign Language Film: Roma (D & S)
Best Production Design: Black Panther (D & S)
Best Visual Effects: Avengers: Infinity War (D & S)
Best Original Score: Black Panther (D), If Beale Street Could Talk (S)
Best Original Song: “Shallow” from A Star is Born (D & S)
Best Actress: Glenn Close (D & S)
Best Actor: Christian Bale (D),
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (D & S)
Best Picture: Roma (D & S)

In case you missed it make sure you listen to my breakdowns of all the Best Picture contenders. Episode 73 (Vice, BlacKkKlansman and Green Book), Episode 74 (A Star is Born, Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody) and Episode 75 (The Favourite and Roma).

As mentioned during the podcast, the Academy has reversed its decision to award four categories during commercial breaks as detailed in The National Post.

If you haven’t seen this infamous sequence of Rob Lowe and Snow White having a duet during the last host-less Oscars, make sure you watch this.

For a trip down memory lane, look at the history of the types of films that were nominated and won for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 76: 2019 Oscar Predictions appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

74: A Star is Bohemian Panther

Contra Zoom

02/07/19 • 27 min

This is the second Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. He is flying solo this episode as he talks about A Star is Born, Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody.

I categorize all nominations as either Frontrunner’s (FR) meaning they most likely to be the winners, Dark Horse (DH) candidates could pull off an upset if momentum swings their way, and Just Happy (JH) to be nominated as they stand no real chance this year. There can be multiples front-runners to each category.

A Star is Born has 8 nominations:

Best Picture (JH)
Best Actor – Bradley Cooper (JH)
Best Actress – Lady Gaga (FR)
Best Supporting Actor – Sam Elliott (DH)
Best Adapted Screenplay (JH)
Best Cinematography (JH)
Best Original Song – “Shallow” (FR)
Best Sound Mixing (DH)

A Star is Born will for sure win one award with 1-2 others potentially going its way.

What is the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing?

Black Panther has 6 nominations:

Best Picture (JH)
Best Original Score (FR)
Best Original Song – “All the Stars” (DH)
Best Costume Design (FR)
Best Production Design (FR)
Best Sound Editing (DH)
Best Sound Mixing (DH)

Black Panther looks to pick up 3 technical with 2 more if they sweep the Sound categories.

Variety’s breakdown of Black Panther costumes featuring designer Ruth Carter.

Bohemian Rhapsody has 5 nominations:

Best Picture (JH)
Best Actor – Rami Malek (FR)
Best Film Editing (JH)
Best Sound Editing (DH)
Best Sound Mixing (DH)

Bohemian Rhapsody most likely will walk away empty handed, but there is a slim chance it could win 1-3 awards.

If you missed last week’s episode breaking down the odds for Vice, BlacKkKlansman and Green Book, listen to the show HERE.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 74: A Star is Bohemian Panther appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

73: Green and Black Vice

Contra Zoom

02/01/19 • 33 min

This is the first Oscar Primer podcast for Contra Zoom of the year, continuing the series of Oscar Primer’s Dakota does every year, normally just as written articles. He is flying solo this episode as he talks about Vice, BlacKkKlansman and Green Book.

Vice has eight nominations:

Best Picture (JH)

Best Actor – Christian Bale (FR)

Best Supporting Actress – Amy Adams (FR)

Best Supporting Actor – Sam Rockwell (JH)

Best Director – Adam McKay (JH)

Best Original Screenplay (JH)

Best Film Editing (DH)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling (FR)

Vice looks to walk away with anywhere from 1 maybe 2 awards with a couple others being long shots.

BlacKkKlansman has six nominations:

Best Picture (DH)

Best Supporting Actor – Adam Driver (DH)

Best Director – Spike Lee (DH)

Best Adapted Screenplay (FR)

Best Film Editing (FR)

BlacKkKlansman looks to walk away with anywhere from 1-2 awards with the additional 3 being contenders if Roma doesn’t sweep.

Green Book has five nominations:

Best Picture (DH)

Best Actor – Viggo Mortensen (JH)

Best Supporting Actor – Mahershala Ali (FR)

Best Original Screenplay (DH)

Best Film Editing (JH)

Green Book looks to walk away with 1 award with a strong possibility of 1 or 2 others if the tide goes its way.

If you missed Contra Zoom’s Oscar reactions podcast, make sure you give it a listen to HERE.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 73: Green and Black Vice appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

68: New Oscar Rules

Contra Zoom

08/16/18 • 26 min

The Academy Awards are changing the way their ceremony will be run in three drastic ways over the next two years. Dakota goes over the pros and cons for each of these changes.

First- The date of the ceremony will be changed from the end of February to the beginning of February starting in 2020. What this means for when nominations are announced to what other awards shows will do is still up in the air, but this impact will be felt across the industry.

Second- The show will be capped at a hard three hours, meaning that some things will need to be cut out with the Academy already announcing that some categories (at the moment unnamed) will be handed out during commercial breaks and will be shown in a montage at the end of ceremony. Other changes to ensure the time length have not been announced yet.

Third- There will a Best Popular Film award handed out next to the Best Picture award. As far as the rules surrounding what makes a film “popular” have not been announced but the fall out from this will be felt as it will change the landscape of what the award means, what types of films will be nominated and how it will affect smaller films.

For further reading check out Vulture “The Oscars Made Some Dumb Decisions Today” and Forbes “New Category For Popular Movies Will Help Disney Rule The Oscars”. You can also check out Box Office Mojo and their list of highest grossing films of the year so far to see some potential nominees.

Also if you have never given the show a rating on iTunes, that also helps tremendously. Every bit of exposure helps grow the show.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 68: New Oscar Rules appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

67: Contra Zoom Presents… Hitchcock

Contra Zoom

07/26/18 • 64 min

On this week’s episode Dakota Arsenault is joined by Zach Sokol, host of Radio Camp Half Blood a Percy Jackson read-a long podcast. The two talk about director Alfred Hitchcock one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. They talk about his legacy on cinema history and their favourite works by him.

If you were to recommend a Hitchcock film to introduce someone to his work the guys have a few options. Zach rec’s The Birds or Psycho while Dakota suggests Rear Window.

While breaking down Hitchcock’s films into tiers they try to make a Mount Rushmore of his work. They agree on Psycho and Vertigo while Dakota suggests Rebecca and Rear Window to round it out contrasting with Zach wants Strangers on a Train and The Lady Vanishes.

Zach informs Dakota that a sequel to The Birds exists called The Birds II: Land’s End (“directed” by Alan Smithee like Zach assumed it was). Surprisingly Tippi Hedren, also in this sequel but not as the same character.

You can watch the original Psycho trailer where Hitchcock gives the audience a tour of the Bates Motel HERE.

In a fun game of over rated/under rated the named some other picks.

Dakota- Over rated: Notorious and The Birds

Under rated: The Wrong Man and I Confess! (honourable mention Rebecca)

Zach- Over rated: Rebecca

Under rated: Rope

Check out Zach’s podcast Radio Camp Half Blood: A Percy Jackson Read-A-Long Podcast. You can also follow Zach on Twitter @suda41.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 67: Contra Zoom Presents... Hitchcock appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

66: Intro to Film 101: Part 2

Contra Zoom

07/12/18 • 32 min

I’m often asking for movie recommendations both from fellow movie buffs and from people who want to expand their knowledge about cinema. After having a friend ask for a list of important films to watch I decided to put together a curriculum of great films that every budding cinephile should watch. This list is a starting off point for people who want to have a base understanding of cinema’s greatest achievements. All the films follow linear story lines and have one or two specific components that highlight their greatness. I also picked all English language films, not because English films are better or anything but specifically because this guide is intended for native English speakers that might find subtitles daunting when they are getting into film.

The plan is to make this a progressively more intense curriculum, with Film History 102 delving more into complex films, thematically, language wise and what they might excel at.

This is part 2 of a 2 part series featuring 25 total films. The movies in this episode are from 1977-2016. If you missed part 1, listen HERE.

For a full slideshow of the films and what makes them important click HERE.

Annie Hall (1977) directed by Woody Allan
Amadeus (1984) directed by Milos Forman
Before Sunrise (1995) directed by Richard Linklater
Fargo (1996) directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
The Truman Show (1998) directed by Peter Weir
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) directed by Anthony Minghella
Gosford Park (2001) directed by Robert Altman
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) directed by Wes Anderson
Lost In Translation (2003) directed by Sofia Coppola
The Departed (2006) directed by Martin Scorsese
The Social Network (2010) directed by David Fincher
Moonlight (2016) directed by Barry Jenkins

Music from this episode is from Callahan. We premiered his video for Milk and Honey recently on Live in Limbo. Be sure to check out and buy his music from Bandcamp.

Follow the show @ContraZoomPod and Dakota @Dgapa on Twitter.

The post 66: Intro to Film 101: Part 2 appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

58: Interview with Mitchell Cushman Director of Jerusalem

Contra Zoom

02/17/18 • 17 min

Dakota Arsenault had the opportunity to chat with Mitchell Cushman, director of the play Jerusalem that is currently showing at Crow’s Nest Theatre until March 10^th. You may remember Mitchell who previously appeared on Contra Zoom back on episode three when he talked about directing Mr. Burns a Post Electric Play.

Special thanks to Mr. Cushman and to Red Eye Media for setting up this chat. Look for Dakota’s review of the play coming soon.

The post 58: Interview with Mitchell Cushman Director of Jerusalem appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

12: FROM WINGS TO BIRDMAN 1947-1958 PART 2

Contra Zoom

12/17/15 • 83 min

On this episode the guys continue their talk about the third edition of their Best Picture Winners revisits. Check out Part 1 from the years are 1948-1957 (the 20^th– 29^th Oscar winners) here. You can find Edition 1 here and Edition 2 here and Part 2 here.

In Part One the guys reveal their bottom five of the decade.

10. The Greatest Show on Earth

9. Around the World in 80 Days

8. From Here to Eternity

Tie for 6^th place

6. An American in Paris

6. Marty

On this episode they list the top five of the decade.

5. Hamlet

4. All About Eve

3. All The King’s Men

2. On The Waterfront

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai

As usual we award the best performances and film with our own version of the Oscar’s!

Best Picture- Bridge on the River Kwai for both Dakota and Andreas

Best Actor- Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) for both Dakota and Andreas

Best Actress- Anne Baxter (All About Eve) is Dakota’s pick

Bette Davis (All About Eve) is Andreas’ pick

Best Supporting Actor- Karl Malden (On The Waterfront) is Dakota’s pick

John Ireland (All The King’s Men) is Andreas’ pick

Best Supporting Actress- Celeste Holm (All About Eve) is Dakota’s pick

Eva Marie Saint (On The Waterfront) is Andreas’ pick

Songs from this episode are from Justin Nozuka.

Dakota photographed and Andreas reviewed Justin back in July at the Danforth Music Hall when he opened for the legendary Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

You can purchase Justin’s latest album Ulysees on iTunes here.

Follow Dakota @Dgapa and Andreas @AndreasBabs and follow the show @ContraZoomPod on Twitter.

The post 12: FROM WINGS TO BIRDMAN 1947-1958 PART 2 appeared first on LIVE IN LIMBO.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Contra Zoom have?

Contra Zoom currently has 77 episodes available.

What topics does Contra Zoom cover?

The podcast is about Music, Podcasts and Tv & Film.

What is the most popular episode on Contra Zoom?

The episode title '77: 2019 Post Oscars Analysis podcast' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Contra Zoom?

The average episode length on Contra Zoom is 57 minutes.

How often are episodes of Contra Zoom released?

Episodes of Contra Zoom are typically released every 13 days, 23 hours.

When was the first episode of Contra Zoom?

The first episode of Contra Zoom was released on Apr 21, 2015.

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Contra Zoom

Dakota Arsenault, Rachel Gordon

Top 10 Contra Zoom Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Contra Zoom have?

What topics does Contra Zoom cover?

What is the most popular episode on Contra Zoom?

What is the average episode length on Contra Zoom?

How often are episodes of Contra Zoom released?

When was the first episode of Contra Zoom?

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