If alien life landed on our doorstep, would we be ready? Would we know how to handle it? Are there procedures in place? The simulated experience of an alien’s (the audience) arrival on Earth is put up onto the screen by Madsen, as he puts the United Nations in the spotlight, as the only body in the…
Month: April 2015
Magnum, p.i. (1982) – Did You See the Sunrise?
And we’re back in Hawaii, to join Thomas (Tom Selleck) and the rest of the gang for season 3 of Magnum. two hour season opener, Did You See the Sunrise? Bellisario wrote the season opener, which aired 30 September, 1982. And what he’s written may be one of the best episodes of the series….
Hot Docs 2015: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead – The Story of National Lampoon – Douglas Tirola
National Lampoon started as a small, rather unprofessional looking magazine at its birth, but its humour, wit and brilliance was there from the get-go. Co-founded by Douglas Kenney and Henry Beard, the magazine, on finding its feet, became ground zero for some of the biggest names in comedy both on-screen and off. The documentary…
Hot Docs 2015: Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi – Neal Broffman
Screening today at the ROM theatre at 7:00pm is this amazing, important, and emotionally involving film that introduces us to the Tripathi family. In the early months of 2013, their youngest son, Sunil, a Brown University student left his home in Providence one night, and disappeared. The family was distraught, but organized, and welcoming the help of friends and volunteers…
The Water Rat of Wanchai (2011) – Ian Hamilton
I don’t remember the last time I read a book so voraciously as I did this first in a series of novels from Canadian author Ian Hamilton. The Water Rat of Wanchai, preceded in this edition by the novella The Dragon Head of Hong King, we are introduced to Ava Lee, a forensic accountant….
Hot Docs 2015: The Nightmare – Rodney Ascher
Eschewing objectivity, or any real investigation into the phenomena and instead focussing on sharing the experience, The Nightmare is quite possibly the first true horror documentary. Director Rodney Ascher sits down and chats with 8 people, Jeff, Ana, Kate, Korinne, Stephen, Chris, Connie and Forrest, people who suffer from the terrifying phenomena of sleep paralysis. I’ve been…
Hot Docs – The Messenger – Su Rynard
The Messenger is a beautiful, thought-provoking film which takes a look at the rapidly-depleting global population of songbirds, and what that likely means not only to the planet, but to our survival as a species, as well. Director Su Rynard deftly takes us all over the world, speaking with various birders and ornithologists about bird…
Hot Docs 2015: Monty Python – The Meaning of Live – Roger Graf & James Rogan
I came to the Monty Python phenomena in the late 80s, early 90s during my uni days, which is sad as they’d been around since 69, and had basically not done anything together in a long time at that point. But immediately afterwards I was a devout fan, my favorite member of the troupe…
Hot Docs 2015: Possessed by Djinn – Dalia Al Kury
Hot Docs is well underway, and today, I got a look at this intriguing offering, Possessed by Djinn, which screens at the ROM Theatre today at 6:00. Director Al Kury takes us inside the dark superstitious corners of the Islamic faith, that no one seems to talk about, but innumerable people believe. One could…
The Greatest American Hero (1981) – Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard and Reseda Rose
Alright kiddies, here’s the scenario; Bill (Robert Culp), Ralph (William Katt) and Pam (Connie Sellecca) have even more fun this week. Cannell scripted Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard, which aired on 8 April, 1981. Ralph and Bill find themselves mixed up in an international mess, when a married couple, Theresa (Alexa Hamilton), an Italian…
The Mind Reels 