There are weeks when putting together this column requires a little digging. This is not one of those weeks.
Between the Forest City Film Festival taking over downtown, a pair of gloriously unfiltered Cape Breton characters coming to London Music Hall and more movies than I could possibly squeeze into one weekend, my biggest problem this week was deciding what not to include. So, consider this your very subjective guide to a few things I think are worth leaving the house for.
The Loon Recommends for October 15 - 21, 2026
Tracy & Martina Come to London, Oct 17
Diana’s Forest City Film Festival picks
Lord Tunderin’: Tracy & Martina Are Coming to London
Saturday, October 17 | London Music Hall | 8:00 PM | All ages | $45.90/ticket
I recently caught the movie “Tracy & Martina: Goin’ Out West” on Crave TV. I had no idea what it was about, but the movie poster art and trailer piqued my interest. Here’s the official description of the mockumentary movie:
Two Cape Breton best friends head west to Alberta for the first time with the hopes of making a few bucks as they open for a local band, but things go south when their accommodations fall through and they run out of money.
It looked like it could be an absolute riot, channeling that wonderfully ridiculous Canadian humour of Fubar or Bob and Doug. After checking Rotten Tomatoes (no reviews yet) and reading some Letterboxd reviews (some of which were hilarious), I decided to take the plunge and check it out. I was glad I did. It is very funny.
The world of Tracy and Martina is one where big hair, questionable life choices and gloriously unfiltered East Coast comedy reign supreme. Now this is definitely a certain type of humour, and won’t be for everyone. If you think the trailer below is funny though, you’ll like the movie.
I then went down a rabbit hole of reading more about this comedy duo as apparently they’ve been around for over ten years, have done crossover shows with the Trailer Park Boys and have built up quite a cult following. Created and performed by Cape Bretoners Justine Williamson and Greg Vardy, the duo have produced videos, live shows and a popular podcast: Shootin’ the Sh!t with Tracy & Martina (which is up to episode 119 now)!
But what does this have to do with London you ask? Well, I thought, it would be great to see them in person. I wonder if they tour?
And lo and behold, Tracy & Martina are currently on tour and are coming to London THIS Saturday!
So - if you like character comedy that takes place in a very particular Cape Breton universe of bingo, Tim Hortons, cheap nights out and family drama — you should get yourself to the London Music Hall this Saturday! It looks like a very fun night out.
Tracy & Martina London Music Hall Show Details
Doors open at 7:00 PM. Show starts at 8:00 PM.
All ages, general admission show.
Tickets are $45.90 each. Buy them from The London Music Hall here
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See You at the Movies: My FCFF Picks
For film lovers in London, October means one thing: the Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) is back! Now in its 11th year, the festival takes over downtown London from October 15–25 with 11 days of films, filmmaker Q&As, special events and plenty of opportunities to discover something you might never otherwise get the chance to see.
With so much on the program, figuring out what to see can be a little daunting. I’ve spent some time digging through this year’s lineup and, as always, a number of films caught my eye. So rather than attempt anything resembling a comprehensive festival guide, here are some of my personal picks, films that made me stop scrolling, watch the trailer and think, yep, I want to see that.
I’ve divided my picks into two groups: Canadian films and international films, with plenty in both categories worth adding to your watchlist.
Note that some screenings have already sold out, so don’t delay in getting your tickets!
Homegrown Canadian Picks
Thunder Queens
Saturday, Wolf Performance Hall, October 17, 7:00 PM
I know I just waxed poetic about Tracy & Martina above, and I was sooo excited to get tickets to the show, BUT I then realized that I had a conflict because Thunder Queens is happening at the same time. And for my Saturday night, I have to go with Thunder Queens.
Why? Because this is a homegrown story executive produced by Tegan and Sara that follows Londoners Violet, Lola and Clara as they grow up together, find their voices and turn their love of punk into a band. It’s a coming-of-age rock documentary about friendship, music and the community that helped make it all possible.
The band has a new album coming out soon, and by all accounts, this all-girl band is going to break out with it. The film will be followed by a Q&A. You’ll want to be there and say you knew them when…
Dancing on the Elephant
Wolf Performance Hall, Sunday, October 18, 2026 12:45 PM
Mary Walsh and Sheila McCarthy plotting an escape from a nursing home? That’s pretty much all I needed to know.
Dancing on the Elephant pairs the two Canadian favourites as Edna and Nora, unlikely friends who bond over their hatred of “chair-xercise” and a determination to prove there’s still plenty of life left to live. Funny, irreverent and bittersweet, this one looks like it could have you laughing one minute and reaching for a Kleenex the next.
Code of Misconduct
There are 2 screenings of the film:
Wolf Performance Hall, Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM
Imagine Cinemas 5, Friday, October 23, 6:00 PM
This is a difficult story, but an important one, and one that unfolded right here in London. Code of Misconduct follows award-winning investigative journalist Rick Westhead inside the courtroom during the trial of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team, while looking beyond the case itself to examine the culture, loyalties and silences surrounding Canadian hockey.
The FCFF screening is part of its Deep Dive series and will be followed by a conversation with director Sébastien Trahan, associate producer Alexandra Feldman and Catherine Laroche, who appears in the film and works with young athletes to address misogyny, consent and hockey culture.
International Film Picks
There are 2 screenings of the film:
Imagine Cinemas 5, Saturday, October 17, 2:00 PM
Imagine Cinemas 5, Tuesday, October 20, 8:15 PM
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest and Project Hail Mary) is reason enough to put this one on my list.
Set in 1949, Fatherland follows Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they return to a shattered, newly divided Germany after 16 years in exile.
Directed by Ida and Cold War filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (who won Best Director at Cannes this year for the film), Fatherland looks like a beautifully shot, thoughtful exploration of family, identity, guilt and what it means to return to a country you no longer recognize.
There are 2 screenings of the film:
Wolf Performance Hall, Sunday, Oct 18, 3:30 PM
Imagine Cinemas 5, Saturday, Oct 24, 8:00 PM
Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti battling it out over the artistic integrity of a small-town community theatre production? Sold.
The Debut follows a shy housewife who lands a tiny role in a local musical and promptly transforms into an obsessive method actor, putting her at war with the show’s domineering director. Described as part Waiting for Guffman, part Black Swan, this sounds like exactly the kind of wonderfully absurd comedy I love.
Jim Queen
Imagine Cinemas 5, Saturday Oct 24, 2:00 PM
The premise: a mysterious virus that turns gay men straight is sweeping through Paris. Honestly, what more do you need?
Jim Queen is an animated film that promises to be a gloriously camp and raunchy comedy about a gym-obsessed gay influencer who contracts “Heterosis” and teams up with his last remaining follower to find a cure. Fresh from a Midnight Screening at Cannes, this wildly irreverent satire looks colourful, ridiculous and very, very funny.
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Excellent article/recommendations, I didn't know about "The Debut", and I'm a huge fan of Julianne Moore (especially her work with Paul Thomas Anderson) so that's one I have to try and make time for!