Originally a lost silent film, The Magician is the next movie in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies’ chapter on Devil’s Works. A dark fantasy, tinged with horrific elements, the film isn’t quite up to today’s horror standards, and only features one truly standout sequence. Set in Paris, the film introduces us to sculptor Margaret…
Author: TD Rideout
The Trouble With Harry (1955) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock brings me a little New England humour in today’s entry, The Trouble With Harry. Based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story, adapted for the screen by John Micheal Hayes, Hitchcock delivers a delightful film that virtually pops with colour and crackles with sharp dialogue. Using the back drop of the turning of the…
Star Wars: Rebels (2015) – Relics of the Old Republic, Always Two There Are, and Brothers of the Broken Horn
Rex and the rest of the ageing clones (all Dee Bradley Baker) fight alongside the Ghost crew as the Imperials track them down in Relics of the Old Republic. Written by Steven Melching, this episode first debuted on on 21 October, 2015. Ezra (Taylor Gray), Kanan (Freddie Prinze jr.), Zeb (Steve Blum) and Sabine (Tiya…
The Bourne Identity (2002) – Doug Liman
Matt Damon takes on the role of Robert Ludlum’s most famous creation in the 2002 adaptation of his novel. While it could be argued that Paul Greengrass perfected the Bourne storytelling style with Supremacy and Ultimatum, Liman introduced all the visual language of that style in the first film. When compared to its sequels, even…
Peninsula (2020) – Sang-ho Yeon
I remember seeing Train to Busan back in 2016, at my fave film fest, Toronto After Dark, and was excited to see it just from the buzz around it at the festival. I was completely wowed,and have since recommended it constantly. I loved what Yeon did with the film, the way the story played out,…
Star Trek: Discovery (2018) – What’s Past is Prologue, and The War Without, The War Within
Captain’s log: 1834.2 Ted Sullivan pens the next episode in the Mirror Universe arc of Discovery. It first debuted on 28 January, 2018. Lorca (Jason Isaacs), revealed to be a resident of the Mirror Universe continues to move forward with his coup against Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). This action forces Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to come…
Chuck (2009/2010) – Versus the Ring, and Versus the Pink Slip
Season two of Chuck comes to its conclusion with Chuck Versus the Ring. Written by one of the series creators Chris Fedak and Ali Adler, and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, it first aired on 27 April 2009. Chuck (Zachary Levi) may in fact be rid of the Intersect, thanks to his father, Steve (Scott…
Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (1978) – Alan Dean Foster
Back in 1978, we had just one movie, and a handful of toys available from Kenner, not taking into account a ton of tees, trading cards, and almost anything else they could plaster the name Star Wars on. People were clamouring for more adventures from Luke Skywalker and the rest of the rebel alliance, but…
You Only Live Twice (1964) – Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming’s penultimate James Bond novel, there is one more to come, and then a collection of short stories, was the last one published before his death in August of 1964. Picking up nine months after the events of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service we find 007 a broken man. Still in a deep state…
Star Trek: Discovery (2018) – The Wolf Inside, and Vaulting Ambition
Captain’s log: 2257 Lisa Randolph continues the Discovery Mirror Universe arc with The Wolf Inside which first aired on 14 January, 2018. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is in charge of the I.S.S. Shenzou and is ordered to destroy some rebels for the Terran Empire, but she works to do her best to save them all while…
Jack Ryan: Season 2 – Blu-Ray Review
John Krasinski returns as the Tom Clancy created CIA analyst turned action hero, Jack Ryan in the second season of the addictive and smart series from Paramount Pictures. The blu-ray which arrives today is a two disc set that contains all eight episodes of the Amazon Prime aired show. Sleek, beautifully shot (stunning transferred to…
The Ninth Gate (1999) – Roman Polanski
Johnny Depp finds himself caught up in a literary supernatural film noir that serves as the next entry in the chapter of The Devil’s Work in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movie. Using the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte as its basis the film follows a book detective, Corso (Depp) who is hired…
