MUST-WATCH: A battle of the bands, and for love, in Toronto

The cast of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, courtesy of Netflix.

By James Mackin

Posted November 20, 2023 3:11 pm.

Toronto’s taking centre stage in the MUST-WATCH this week! But will this new version of a Toronto classic win this battle, or could it go to the final season of a royal dynasty? Perhaps a return to the Hunger Games? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

The Crown (Season 6, Part 1)

Where to watch: Netflix

First up, it’s time to take a final bow with the British Royal Family!

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in the Crown, courtesy of Netflix.

The final season of the Crown has begun! There’s only four episodes out now, but these four cover one of the biggest moments of royal history in the 20th century. Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki from Tenet) is now pursuing a relationship with Dodi Fayed (played by Khalid Abdalla from United 93), to the chagrin of her ex-husband’s family. But as we all know, the paparazzi never stop following her until it leads to a fiery tragedy. This show also stars Imelda Staunton (from Vera Drake), Dominic West (from the Wire), and Olivia Williams (from Rushmore).

You can watch these first four episodes on Netflix now, with the other 6 coming out in December!

Next Goal Wins

Where to watch: Cinemas

Next up, it’s time for a feel-good comedy about a really bad sports team!

Next Goal Wins is the latest film from Taika Waititi (the director of What We Do In The Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit). It’s based on a documentary of the same name that’s about the American Samoa football team. They’ve literally never scored a goal despite how many times they’ve kept kicking. Eventually the league hires Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen (played by Michael Fassbender from the Killer) to take over the team and help convert them into a team that can score. This film also stars Oscar Kightley (from Sione’s Wedding), David Fane (from Eagle vs Shark) and Elisabeth Moss (from the Handmaid’s Tale).

You can watch this in cinemas now!

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Now, it’s time for a monster fight!

Godzilla in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, courtesy of Apple Studios.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a new show set in the same universe as the 2010s American Godzilla franchise. The film is about two siblings (played by Anna Sawai from Pachinko and Ren Watabe from 461 Days of Bento) who after witnessing a fight between Godzilla and other kaijus head off in search for their father. They come to learn of a secret agency called Monarch which has studied these large monsters for decades. This show also stars John Goodman (from Kong: Skull Island), Joe Tippett (from Mare of Easttown), and playing the same role several decades apart Kurt Russell (from the Thing) and his son Wyatt Russell (from the Falcon and the Winter Soldier).

You can watch the first two episodes of this series on Apple TV+ now, with other series coming out weekly!

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Where to watch: Cinemas

Next up, it’s time to return to this popular YA series!

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel set several decades before the beginning of the first book. The main character here is future totalitarian President Coriolanus Snow (played here by Tom Blyth from Benediction) who is working as a mentor in the upcoming 10th Hunger Games. His mentee is from District 12, and her name is Lucy Gray Baird (played by Rachel Zegler from West Side Story). He trains her as best she can, and when the games begin she becomes a clear favourite. But can she survive, and is there possibly something more between the two of them? This film also stars Viola Davis (from the Woman King), Peter Dinklage (from Game of Thrones), and Hunter Schafer (from Euphoria).

You can watch this film in cinemas now!

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Where to watch: Netflix

Last but certainly not least, Toronto takes the spotlight!

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a anime adaptation of the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley and the film by Edgar Wright. This 8 episode series also features the exact same cast as the movie, as well as a few new additions. It starts off the same, a bass player living in Toronto called Scott Pilgrim (voiced by Michael Cera from Barbie) meets an American woman called Ramona Flowers (voiced by Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Fargo) and falls in love with her. But in order to date her, he’s got to defeat her Seven Evil Exes. Where this show differs is what happens to him once he meets the first Evil Ex, and things get real weird after that. This show also stars Kieran Culkin (from Succession), Ellen Wong (from GLOW), and Jason Schwartzman (from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).

You can watch all episodes of this on Netflix now!