A Few of My Favourite Things (2025 edition)

Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier: A quietly devastating family drama starring top-notch actors Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) and Stellan Skarsgård (Breaking the Waves). The film follows two sisters grappling with their distant, once-famous filmmaker father as old wounds resurface around art, memory, and regret. Subtle, intimate, and emotionally precise.

The Thinking Game by Greg Kohs: The film chronicles visionary scientist and DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis’ relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence (AGI), a journey of extraordinary perseverance. It’s interesting to go behind the scenes with DeepMind’s AlphaGo team, revealing breakthroughs (notably learning without human data), doubts and ethics, and beating world champions. Filmed over years, access is unusually intimate and candid.

Love + War by James Strong: An intimate documentary portrait of renowned photojournalist Lynsey Addario. Known for her frontline work published in The New York Times and National Geographic, Addario reflects on documenting conflict zones while navigating motherhood and personal sacrifice. The film explores with clarity human resilience and the cost of bearing witness to war.

Le Deuil en Héritage [Francophone]: This Québécois documentary sensitively explores how grief is inherited across generations. By following multiple families, it documents rituals, conversations, and emotional reckonings after a loved one’s passing, balancing intimacy with insight.

Devenir Loup [Francophone] is a fun short 35-minute documentary chronicling comedian Jay Du Temple’s journey training for an ultra-marathon. From grueling workouts to the mental challenges of long-distance running, the film highlights resilience, discipline, and humor. It’s motivating and relatable, giving viewers a front-row seat to the physical and emotional demands of endurance sports. Available on YouTube.

The Beatles: Get Back by Peter Jackson: The fabled film director from Lord of the Rings spent the pandemic sifting through 56 hours of unseen archival footage of the Fab Four’s final act as they prepare to record their last studio album Let It Be. With creative juices flowing and tensions flaring between band members, it provides an exclusive look at the dynamics of the legendary group.

Chef’s Table: Legends on Thomas Keller: The episode paints a calm, thoughtful portrait of the American chef behind multi-Michelin star restaurants The French Laundry, Per Se, and Bouchon. It traces his path from classical training to defining American fine dining, emphasizing precision, mentorship, and standards over ego. Nods to earlier failed experiments add texture and reveal a portrait of excellence built through patience, self-critique, and long-term craft rather than overnight success. I’d recommend it for its nuanced look at craft and how consistency are built over decades.

Bears, episode 7 of The Bear’s Season 4: The gang attends a long-awaited wedding, bringing together friends and family in one long, emotionally rich episode. Old tensions flare, new bonds form, and each character confronts vulnerabilities — including a memorable under-the-table moment where everyone shares their fears. It’s a powerful blend of comedy and heartfelt connection that highlights healing of family dynamics.

Journal d’un Loup-Garou & Triste Animal by Lou-Adriane Cassidy [Francophone]: In 2025, the singer released two strikingly different albums. Journal d’un loup-garou is expansive, poetic, and meticulously arranged, showcasing her lyrical ambition and emotional range, including on standout track Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi. Just months later, Triste Animal arrived as a raw, live-recorded counterpoint — intimate, instinctive, and vulnerable. My favourite track was the opener J’ai l’habitude, which I had on repeat for months. Together, the albums reveal an artist at full creative confidence, moving effortlessly between grand pop statements and stripped-down sincerity, cementing 2025 as a defining year in her career and artistic maturity.

Ami Imaginaire by Patrick Watson & Klô Pelgag [Francophone]: The track from two of Quebec’s most prolific artists blends delicate instrumentation and emotive vocals to create a hauntingly beautiful track. Minimalist piano and soft synths accompany reflective lyrics about longing, love, and transformation. It’s both intimate and immersive, perfect for quiet listening sessions or reflective evenings.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin: The record producer turned author distills decades of experience with artists such as Johnny Cash, Adele, Beastie Boys and Slayer, exploring creativity as presence, flow, and vulnerability. “I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.”, shares Rubin. The book blends personal anecdotes, practical advice, and meditative insights on nurturing artistry. Ideal for creators and thinkers seeking inspiration and reflection. This is a 2023 title but just got around to it this year!

Together: A Book about Community by Elise Gravel: A playful and insightful exploration of how people connect, cooperate, and build communities. Known for her whimsical illustrations in Shark vs. Train and Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deeds, Gravel combines humor and warmth to introduce readers to the joys and challenges of living together. Important messages in a time of isolation and division, where algorithms make it possible to live in bubbles.

Grand Air by Altitude Sports: The promotional magazine from the excellent Canadian outdoor online retailer combines mountain photography, sustainable outdoor fashion, and long-form essays. A given issue can highlight a range of topics such as alpine culture, expeditions, and environmental stewardship. It’s visually stunning and intellectually engaging — perfect for outdoor enthusiasts or anyone craving thoughtful editorial content.

A Few Good Reads (2025 edition): I publish every year a separate list of articles, blog posts and longer reads from around the internet that I’ve enjoyed. View this year’s list here.

Waymo: The autonomous vehicle fleet expanded in 2025, logging millions of miles with LIDAR, radar, and cameras navigating city streets safely. Its fully self-driving technology demonstrates how AI can operate complex urban environments, from pedestrian crossings to construction zones, providing a concrete glimpse of the autonomous future. Your first ride can be a mind-blowing experience.

Deep Research by Perplexity: The AI company launched Deep Research in 2025, producing multi-page, citation-rich reports for complex topics. Iterative search and reasoning capabilities make it ideal for research, journalism, and professional workflows. Users should verify sources for critical work, but it’s a remarkable productivity tool for deep inquiry.

Workspace Studio by Google: A unified design and automation environment for building custom workflows, apps, and integrations across Google Workspace leveraging Gemini. It enables teams to prototype, automate, and extend Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and Drive using low-code tools, scripts, and AI-powered features.

Reminders by Apple: A surprisingly useful app that supports collaborative lists, location-based alerts, and nested subtasks. Seamless across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, it’s an elegant organizational tool for daily routines, projects, and goal tracking — perfect for staying productive without mental clutter.

The Functional Government Podcast: A thoughtful podcast hosted by Alistair Croll, entrepreneur and author of Complete Web Monitoring and Lean Analytics. Each episode explores the inner workings of governments, public policy, and civic systems, breaking down complex topics with clarity and insight. It’s a great listen for anyone curious about how government really functions and looking for smart, engaging discussions that make policy relevant and understandable.

How we restructured Airtable’s entire org for AI: In his podcast with Lenny, Howie Liu, co-founder and CEO of Airtable, the ~$12B no-code platform, describes how he became an “IC CEO,” coding daily, and reorganized the company into fast-thinking AI teams shipping weekly and slow-thinking infrastructure teams, inspired by Nobel Prize–winning psychologist, helping drive over $100M in free cash flow.

Mental models for building products people love: Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of iconic apps Slack and Flickr, shares how to build products people love. Also on an episode of Lenny’s Podcast, he emphasizes deeply understanding users, iterating quickly, and prioritizing simplicity. He shares strong examples from Slack’s product development process over the years.

Stripe Sessions with Jony Ive & Patrick Collison: Legendary Apple designer Sir Jony Ive joins Stripe CEO Patrick Collison for a fireside chat on AI and Creativity. The two discuss Ive’s design philosophy, career from Apple to LoveFrom, empathy in tech, and how thoughtful design should serve humanity. Also of interest from the same protagonist this year, on a similar theme: Patrick Collison discusses the importance of beauty and craftsmanship when building products in a Collison Brothers podcast interview.

A Better Algorithm by Jack Conte: This video opinion piece from the CEO of Patreon for the NY Times does a marvelously devastating job at explaining how monetization-driven algorithms are frying our brains, and how Patreon is building a human-curated stream of creative content that could be the remedy. It’s filled with super cool animation and craftsmanship, a hallmark of Conte’s multi-disciplinary artistic videos.

Plaisir de la lecture [Francophone]: This Québec education campaign highlights the joy of reading across generations. Warm visuals and candid family interactions communicate cultural and emotional depth. Its soft lighting and natural storytelling make it a thoughtful, human-centered campaign, with a funny twist any parent is able to relate to.

Quintonil: Led by Jorge Vallejo, this two Michelin-starred gem in Mexico City celebrates seasonal Mexican ingredients in refined, contemporary dishes. Heirloom corn, grasshoppers, and inventive plating elevate traditional flavors, making it a top 50 Best Restaurant experience globally.

Rue du Nil: A short street in Paris’s 2nd arrondissement, near Sentier, blending old-market heritage with modern gastronomy, attracting chefs, locals, and visitors seeking seasonal produce, inventive bistros, and an authentic yet contemporary Parisian atmosphere. Rooted in the early 19th century and historically tied to Les Halles, the city’s former central food markets, it was once lined with traders and suppliers feeding Paris. It’s now celebrated for its artisanal food scene, home to several cult favourites like Terroirs d’Avenir, Frenchie Bar à Vins, and Frenchie To Go. A very vibrant small alley!

Spier Farm: Located in Stellenbosch, South Africa, it is a historic wine and hospitality estate renowned for its vineyards, sustainable farming, and cultural experiences. The estate blends farm-to-table dining, art installations, and wildlife conservation programs. A destination to recommend to anyone seeking a mix of scenic beauty, gourmet experiences, and thoughtful engagement with South Africa’s rich agricultural and cultural heritage.

The Lesson by Cédric Loth: Near McGill University in Montreal, it’s a lively bronze sculpture showing a young student absorbed in work on a laptop, while a curious squirrel climbs the bench beside them. The piece captures the mix of focus, curiosity, and everyday whimsy in academic life. I always love walking by it when close to McGill or downtown Montreal.

Hugo Houle: A striking new mural in Montréal’s Plateau honors Quebec cyclist Hugo Houle and his historic 2022 Tour de France stage victory. Covering over 650 m², the artwork by Projet TYXNA depicts Houle crossing the finish line, pointing skyward in tribute to his late brother Pierrik, who died in a hit‑and‑run accident in 2012 and to whom Houle dedicated the victory. Visible from the street and from elevated viewpoints on Mont Royal (e.g., Camilien‑Houde Lookout), a popular path for cyclists in the city, this vibrant mural celebrates both athletic achievement and personal resilience.

Petit Bureau de Vote: This initiative in Montreal is an educational initiative that lets children experience a mock voting process during municipal elections, answering a child-friendly question in a space set up within actual polling stations. It’s great because it introduces kids to democracy, encourages them to think about issues like the environment, and allows families to share the voting experience, fostering civic engagement from an early age.