The final night of Toronto After Dark gets underway this evening, and while I didn’t get to see all the films I wanted to see (life gets in the way), I enjoyed the ones I did, and loved sharing my thoughts on them with you. The final screening tonight (which does so twice, once at…
Vampire Circus (1972) – Robert Young
Vampire Circus, a Hammer Film (read as blood, fangs and nudity) is the next title from Monsters in the Movies by director John Landis. The book is available from DK Canada, and has been extremely entertaining. I really liked this one, it’s not lengthy, it falls short of an hour and a half, but I…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995) – Facets, and The Adversary
Station log: stardate unknown Rene Echevarria pens the penultimate episode of season three, which aired on 12 June, 1995, that gives us a Dax (Terry Farrell) story. The science officer approaches each of her friends amongst the crew and asks them to join her in the Zhian’tara ritual, which will allow her former hosts to…
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) – Stephen King
The penultimate volume of Stephen King’s magnificent fantasy western opus is on the book shelf this week, and leads us along many roads, some hauntingly familiar, all troubling. With the abduction of the pregnant Susannah by Mia, the daughter of none, mother of one, at the climax of the previous book, everything is set up…
Miami Vice (1985) – Back in the World, and Phil the Shill
Detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson who also serves as director of this episode) recalls his time in Vietnam, when an old friend, Stone (Bob Balaban) resurfaces with a story about some heroin that made it out of Saigon and is now resurfacing in Miami. Back in the World was written by Terry McDonnell and first…
TAD 2018: The Inhabitant (2017) – Guillermo Amoedo
It’s unfortunate that The Exorcist is considered the gold standard in horror films, because the film having its Canadian Premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre as part of the Toronto After Dark film festival is no doubt going to draw comparisons because of it’s subject matter. And that is unfortunate, because the Mexican/Chilean coproduction of The…
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) – Blu-Ray Review
Disney and Marvel Studios brings the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to your ever-expanding blu-ray shelf as Ant-Man and The Wasp comes home. In terms of timeline, this film seems to happen concurrently with Infinity War, something that is touched on during the tags at the end of the film, and gives Ant-Man’s…
Star Trek: Voyager (1995) – Cathexis, and Faces
Captain’s log: stardate 48734.2 Brannon Braga comes up with the teleplay for this story by Braga and Joe Menosky. It first aired on 1 May, 1995. A strange nebula renders Chakotay (Robert Beltran) brain-dead, and also lets something else take over the minds of the crew. And no matter how many times the ship tries…
TAD 2018: Robbery (2018) – Corey Stanton
Toronto After Dark, my favorite film festival, playing at the Scotibank Theatre, breaks from the norm this eve, which for them the supernatural, aliens, blood and gore, and goes out on a limb with a Canadian crime drama. And full disclosure, I know some of the folk involved in the film, including my friend Samantha…
TAD 2018: Prey (2016) – Dick Maas
Tonight at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto After Dark unleashes some claws and fangs with this film from the Netherlands, Prey. And Amsterdam had better watch out because a computer generated (and occasionally animatronic) lion is stalking the streets in this riff on man versus nature. When a massive lion wanders into town the bodies begin piling…
Countess Dracula (1971) – Peter Sasdy
The history (and legend) of Elizabeth Bathory gets the Hammer Films treatment in Countess Dracula the next vampire film for review in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book by director John Landis. Countess Elisabeth (Ingrid Pitt) ‘mourning’ the recent loss of her husband, rules her part of Europe with cruelty and the…
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) -Tony Richardson
The angry young British man films continues with the iconic The Loneliness of the Longd Distance Runner, a title from the What Else to Watch list of DK Canada’s The Movie Book following its recommendation of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) is a young offender, busted for robbing a bakery, ends…
