Rachel West

Canada, Toronto

Writer and Digital Producer at Freelance

Associate Editor and Senior Critic at That Shelf

Social Media Lead at The Weather Network

Social Media Lead @weathernetwork, critic @thatshelf, @rottentomatoes. Member: @awfj, @tfca. Prev: ET Canada. Former grave-digger, future Arby's owner.

Articles

Around the Green at the Club Car Championship: Round 2

2 weeks ago | wtoc.com | Rachel West

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The 2025 Club Car Championship continued Friday with second round action at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club. Jeff Roberts and Rachel West take you Around the Green to recap round two of the tournament. Copyright 2025 WTOC. All rights reserved.
ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

1 month ago | awfj.org | Rachel West

0 Flares 0 Flares × Superhero movies are a dime a dozen, with larger-than-life heroes impervious to weapons, spells, left hooks, and anything else the villain du jour may throw at them. Enter Novocaine’s Assistant Bank Manager Nathan Caine. He’s not rich like Iron Man with a cadre of tech at his disposal, nor is he trained in wicked hand-to-hand combat like John Wick. Instead, Nathan Caine can feel no pain.
Interview: Kevin Drew on Broken Social Scene Doc It’s All Gonna Break

Jan 23, 2025 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

Toronto band Broken Social Scene have earned themselves fans far and wide throughout their over 20-year career. A massive musical collective with members Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew at the centre, the band owes their success to more than raw talent and determination – it owes it to friendship. Nowhere is this more evident than in the new documentary It’s All Gonna Break, directed by Stephen Chung.
Interview: Mindy Kaling, Director, Producer, on Oscar-Nominated Live-Action Short Film Anuja

Jan 23, 2025 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

It’s easy to assume a film set in a back alley sweatshop in India will be a tale of despair and woe, but in Anuja, the opposite is true. The Oscar-nominated live-action short film directed by Adam J. Graves tells the story of a sisterly bond filled with love and lightness. Anuja, a 9-year-old girl who works in a garment factory alongside her older sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their sisterly bond.
Bob Uecker passes away at the age of 90

Jan 16, 2025 | wtoc.com | Rachel West

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker probably never will be without baseball, but the baseball world is now without Uecker. “Mr. Baseball,” as he had been dubbed, passed away Thursday at the age of 90 after battling small cell lung cancer since 2023. Uecker dedicated nearly seven decades of his life to professional baseball. After spending years in the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Braves in 1962.
I'm Still Here Review: Walter Salles' Welcome Return

Dec 8, 2024 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

A story rooted in a moment of Brazil’s history, Walter Salles’ latest, I’m Still Here, goes beyond politics to present a moving portrait of a family rocked by instability and uncertainty. The film is Brazilian director Salles’ first feature film since 2012’s On the Road, and it premiered to raves at the Venice Film Festival where it won best screenplay for writers Heitor Lorega and Murilo Hauser.
Never Look Away Review: Lucy Lawless Finds Worthy Subject in Margaret Moth

Nov 21, 2024 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

The women behind the news stories are having a moment on screen in 2024. Whether it’s Kate Winslet as famed photojournalist Lee Miller in the biopic Lee or Kirsten Dunst’s fictional war photographer in Civil War, women who have put their lives on the line to tell the truth of bitter battles and armed conflicts have been a cinematic focus this year. Now, another pioneering female camera operator is having her story told in a new documentary.
Savannah State quarterback selected for 2025 HBCU Legacy Bowl

Nov 20, 2024 | wtoc.com | Rachel West

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Tigers quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan is headed to the HBCU Legacy Bowl, a postseason all-star game showcasing the best NFL draft-eligible players from HBCUs.The game will take place on February 22 in New Orleans at Tulane University at 4 p.m. and be broadcast live on NFL Network. In eight games in 2024, Sullivan averaged 205 yards per game and had 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. The grad transfer from Albany State and Winder placed fourth in the SIAC in passing.
Memoir of a Snail Review: One of the Best Films of 2024

Nov 13, 2024 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

What if I told you the most emotional and moving film of 2024 is a whimsical, stop-motion animated feature about a snail-obsessed woman? Adam Elliot’s bittersweet tragicomedy Memoir of a Snail packs an unexpected emotional punch as one of the year’s greatest animated films, but also as one of the must-watch movies of 2024. Period. We have patiently waited 15 years for Elliot’s follow-up to the fantastic Mary and Max, which the filmmaker follows up in spectacular fashion here.
Heretic Interview: Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods on Horror and Hugh Grant

Nov 6, 2024 | thatshelf.com | Rachel West

When you think about Hugh Grant’s career, the horror genre isn’t exactly what comes to mind. That is precisely why his latest role, in the new and unsettling Heretic, is so thrilling to see. The film’s directors and writers, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place), tapped the English actor to play Mr. Reed, a disarmingly charming conversationalist eager to hear more about Mormonism from two young missionaries, Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East).