Toni's Film Club

There is no such thing as Christmas without watching Christmas movies. Especially the classics. But how did they become that?

Alice Guy-Blaché was an incredibly important filmmaker and a pioneer of the early days of cinema, only to end up forgotten by the very industry she helped create. Well - not on our watch. Not. Forgotten.

Who is Alan Smithee and how was he able to direct a bunch of movies, TV shows and even famous music videos without being, you know, an actual real person? Let's put our metaphorical detective hats and find out.

A closer look at some of the most fascinating, wacky and bizarre movie gimmicks from the 20th century.

In the process of making the videos I constantly stumble upon quite a lot of (mildly) interesting things about the film industry, so I thought I'd share some of them with you. You are.. welcome?

The truth about creativity is that nothing is completely original. And that's okay. In fact, Stranger Things is a perfect example.

With a running time of thirteen and a half hours, the Argentinian movie "La Flor" (2018) is the longest movie ever made (not counting art projects and documentaries). The only questions is: why.

Created by Rod Serling in the 1960s, part of what made The Twilight Zone so special is that each episode would often end with a plot twist, and one of them in particular, is perfect.

The Match Cut is an incredibly powerful, creative and subtle technique in film editing. Join Toni as he explores it's full potential.

Silent films were always meant to be seen in a movie theatre, accompanied by live music. It was a big part of the experience.

The Great Train Robbery (1903) might be one of the most significant movies ever made. Join Toni on a journey throughout film history to find out why.

The Barbie Movie had one of the best marketing campaigns the film industry has ever seen. Up until its premiere in July, it completely dominated the conversation. Not just on social media where it was trending all the time, but in the real world with some ingenious branding, countless partnerships and a release strategy so smart, that it snowballed into a massive event of it’s own. I spent some time looking into it, and broke down its success into the five main components that made it work: earned media, startegic partnerships, branding, barbenheimer and tone of voice.

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is easily one of the the most iconic pair of sunglasses ever created. It's been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows over the past few decades, and this is the story of how it became a pop-culture phenomenon.

The Odorama card was a gimmick accompanying the 1981 film "Polyester", written and directed by John Waters. Moviegoers could smell what they were viewing on-screen with special scratch-&-sniff cards consisting of 10 different smells, to go with 10 different scenes.

The slowly shrinking circle at the end of a movie - one of the most iconic film transitions in the history of cinema. It is commonly known as "The Iris Shot" and this is the story behind it.

We all know how important movie trailers are. But what are some of the tricks they use to get us excited? From clever editing to rhytm and sound design, let's dive into this fascinating art form and see if it can really make anything look compelling.

Improv comedy is a type of live theatre performance where everything is made up on the spot. There are two types - short form and long form, and both of those have had a massive impact on the entertainment industry as a whole.

Some say that up to 95% of all mental activity is processed by the subconscious mind. That is especially true when we watch movies, and not only are filmmakers aware of it, but the really good ones are using it as an advantage.

Have you ever wondered what goes into the making of a really good and emoitonal crying scene? Well, it turns out it is not just a lot of talent, skill and practice but also - a tear stick.

Ever wondered how the academy award winners are chosen? Especially considering that the Oscars are the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema. Well, I thought it might be a pretty serious process and after looking more into it - yes, it absolutely is.

The Moving Picture World was an influential film magazine covering pretty much everything to do with the movie industry in the early 20th century. So, let's look through the pages of this original issue from exactly 100 years ago.

Computer screen movies are a fascinating example of creative limitation - or the idea of limiting yourself in order to drive creativity. For all their limitations however, they offer just as many opportunities for some unique storytelling.

Film localization is one of the most subtle yet fascinating ways studios ensure a movie feels relatable no matter where you are. It happens far more often than you might realize and unfortunately not always for the better.

The original "Star Wars" trilogy is such a massive cultural phenomenon that it somehow feels like I’ve seen it already—even though I haven’t. I finally decided to fix that unforgivable film buff mistake, and what better way to do it than by binge-watching all three movies on the biggest screen possible?

Based on a true story - four simple words that seem to add a sense of legitimacy to any film. We see them in the opening credits, on movie posters, in trailers and commercials. But considering there is no real obligation for any level of accuracy, the line between facts and fiction can often get blurry.

Cillian Murphy's upcoming film "28 Years Later" was filmed on an iPhone, as seen from a behind the scenes photo acquired by Wired.

The sequel to the highly successful “Joker” (2019) is finally here. But is it any good? Was it necessary? Why is it a musical? Let’s discuss.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a background actor on a major movie or TV show? This is my experience as an extra for a day.

As long as there've been movies, there have also been people talking about them. But ever since that talk became a factor of the box office performance, the studios have been doing everything in their power to sway those opinions in their favour. Let's examine.

Analysing "Airplane!" and the comedy principles behind it.

14 movies, 1478 minutes, or just over 24 hours of movies - all recommended by you.

There is something unusual happening in the film industry today that would be pretty much unthinkable not too long ago. It's the phenomenon of Hollywood studios "leaking" their own movies and tv shows on social media for free.

Never seen a silent film? Don't know where to start? No problem!

Good Boy (2025) features one of the most convincing “dog performances” ever. Starring Indy as himself, the film became an unexpected success, and just made history as Indy is now the first canine to be nominated for a major film acting award that had previously recognized only human talent.

Dinosaurs don’t exist… but their sounds do. And someone has to invent them. In this video, I sat down with Tim Nielsen — an award-winning sound designer who has worked on Jurassic World, Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and pretty much every major franchise you can think of — to figure out how movies decide what dinosaurs, aliens, and monsters should sound like.

Working alone from his garage, Julian Curi, a.k.a Righteous Robot turns paper into handcrafted movies that are beloved by millions of around the world.

From inserting yourself as a character to a full-fledged simulation with intelligent virtual beings - let’s explore what the future of film and TV might look like.

The producer and lead editor of War of the Worlds (2025) discuss the response the movie received online.

In 1985, "Young Sherlock Holmes" featured a short 40-second scene that quietly changed the movie industry forever.

Parody (or spoof) comedy movies has been around for over a century and peaked in the ‘80s, but in recent years they kind of disappeared, or worse - got lazy. Are they finally coming back?

Toni watches some of the strangest, most unconventional films in cinema history. Movies that break the rules, test your patience, and make you question what a movie even is. All to find out if they are just gimmicks... or kind of brilliant?

Under the Skin isn’t just a sci-fi film. It’s an experiment. Director Jonathan Glazer and Scarlett Johansson set out to blur the line between fiction and reality by using hidden cameras, real people, and letting things unfold naturally.

In 1983, over 100 million people tuned in to watch The Day After — a TV movie unlike anything ever before it. That night, it forced America, and the world to face the terrifying reality of nuclear war.

In the late 2000s, a Chinese billionaire with zero filmmaking experience but a deep obsession with movies (he’d seen over 4,000!) set out to create the next Hollywood style blockbuster - an epic underwater fantasy that the world had never seen before.

In the early 1990s, Charlie Sheen had seen a Japanese horror film so disturbingly realistic that he immediately reported it to the FBI. And he wasn’t the only one—authorities in Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan also launched investigations, all asking the same question: Was Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood a real snuff film or a masterclass in gore filmmaking?

Dave Bautista is a former WWE superstar turned into actor. But here’s the thing—he didn’t just want to be “big tough guy #47.” For over a decade, he’s been on a mission to prove he’s more than just muscles and action - and this is how he did it.

The story of the Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz and how they broke the record for the most expensive film memorabilia ever sold at an auction!

Lion (2026) is one of the most ambitious nature documentaries in recent years - filmed with zero human intervention over 1400 days, it takes real lions and turns them into characters with real story arcs, all without a single line of dialogue.

As it turns out, a private home theater is not just really cool, but perfectly calibrated to provide the best possible way to experience a movie. Not just better than a TV in the living room, but better than pretty much any commercial theater as well. Oh well, a man can dream lol

Niu Lai (2026) is a $1,000 animated film that just became a viral phenomenon in China... and quite possibly the most profitable movie ever made.

The Flicker (1966) is one of the strangest experiments ever put on film. After reading reports that it made the audience hallucinate, obviously I had to see it for myself.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" might be one of the best superhero movies yet. It isn't your typical spectacle blockbuster chasing world-ending stakes but instead a rather grounded story exploring Peter Parker's very real loneliness after losing nearly everyone close to him.

Over the years I've picked up all kinds of bizarre, rare, and downright cool film memorabilia, so it's about time to go through my collection and the stories behind them.

In the early 2000s, a company called Flexplay created a DVD designed to self-destruct 48 hours after opening, using a chemical reaction with oxygen that turned the disc unreadable. I got my hands on an actual unopened copy and tested it myself to see how it worked. It was one of several attempts, alongside DIVX and early Netflix, to solve the home video late fee problem, but streaming made it obsolete within a few years.

I flew to Bulgaria, where I somehow managed to get a special, unlimited access to the largest film studio in Eastern Europe, where some of the biggest Hollywood movies get made without anyone even realizing it.

The McPherson Tape (1989) is one of the most groundbreaking low-budget films ever made. It also happens to be the one that haunted me for my entire childhood.

My honest thoughts on "Backrooms" - the A24 feature film directed by Kane Parsons who went viral for his found footage series on YouTube and landed a major studio deal at just 20 years old.

Is physical media actually better than subscribing to a bunch of streaming platforms? Let's compare the pros and cons for each and find out.

Exploring one of the most famously disliked movies ever made, to the point of the director publicly apologizing. But is there more to the story?

"The Drama" is one of those movies that forces you to reflect and confront yourself. The new A24 film starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson is exactly the kind of tense, stylish moral mind-game I’ve been missing lately.

One Cut of the Dead (2017) is one of the most deceptively brilliant horror comedies I've ever seen. It looks like a clunky, low-budget zombie movie with awkward acting, weird pacing, and countless amateur-ish mistakes - until you realize that every single one of them is the point.

Project Hail Mary is one of the only books I’ve ever finished. And now, with Ryan Gosling in it, has become one of the most anticipated sci-fi films in recent years.

"Roar" (1981) is one of the most dangerous, chaotic, and astonishingly ambitious films ever made. It is anything but a typical Hollywood production and turns living with a bunch of untrained lions, tigers, and other big cats into the story itself.

"Sinners" is one of those rare films that somehow gets everything right - iIt’s completely original, audiences showed up for it, and critics embraced it in a big way, making it the most nominated film in Oscar history with 16 nominations.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (1968) is one of the strangest, smartest, and most quietly groundbreaking films ever made. It doesn’t behave like a documentary or a narrative film - it turns the filmmaking process itself into the story.

Das Boot (1981) is one of the most obsessively realistic war films ever made. It doesn’t chase spectacle or heroism - it traps you inside a German U-boat and forces you to live there. The film feels less like a blockbuster and more like an anxiety-inducing documentary.