Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) – Dean Fleischer Camp

Dean Fleischer Camp directed this faux documentary that follows a tiny shell, named Marcel, as he discovers a measure of internet fame, its upside and down, and a measure of loss and the importance of family and change. Filled with beautiful stop-motion animation blended brilliantly with live action, the story finds Camp playing a version…

Inferno (1980) – Dario Argento

It’s been a while since I watched Argento’s Suspiria, though I remember enjoying it, so when I learned he did two more films set in the same world I knew I had to seek them out. The first follow-up film is 1980’s Inferno. Rose (Irene Miracle) is living in New York (with Italian locations serving…

The Exorcist: Believer (2023) – David Gordon Green

For the first few minutes of The Exorcist: Believer I thought that maybe the reviews were wrong, that they had been too harsh, or maybe didn’t understand what the film was trying to do. It’s opening felt, to me, very much in line with the original film, until the earthquake hit, and from that moment…

Magnum P.I. (2019) – Black is the Widow, and A Kiss Before Dying

Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is on the hunt for a murderer who may be using a dating app to find targets. Black is the Widow was written by Neil Tolkin and first aired on 4 March, 2019. Karen McDowell (Gia Mantegna) hires Magnum to investigate the death of her father, who was killed during a carjacking….

Family Ties (1987) – A, My Name is Alex, and ‘D’ is for Date

Michael J. Fox gets to really show his range in A, My Name is Alex. A special hour-long episode that was first broadcast on 12 March, 1987. It was written by Alan Uger and series creator Gary David Goldberg. Alex (Keaton) isn’t dealing well with the death of his friend Greg (Brian McNamara). With a…

Star Trek: Heart of the Sun (1997) – Pamela Sargent, and George Zebrowski

Set during Kirk’s original five year mission as portrayed in The Original Series, Heart of the Sun is an interesting exploration of isolationism and its effect, combining two story threads that end up having more in common than you initially realize. The Enterprise has arrived in a remote system, helping restore a planetary database that…

Magnum P.I. (2019) – Day the Past Came Back, and Murder is Never Quiet

The series keeps that continuity running and introduces another legacy character, MacReynolds (Ammie Masterson) in Day the Past Came Back. Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim. It first debuted on 18 February, 2019. With callbacks to the series premiere, Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is kidnapped and taken back to the shipwreck of stolen Iraqi…

Sisu (2022) – Jalmari Helander

Sometimes you just want a little of the old ultra-violence and you want to see nazis get the comeuppance you know they deserve. Sisu will check that box for you. Running a brisk ninety minutes there is blood, gore and violence galore as we join an older prospector (Jorma Tommila) in 1944 Finland. He’s left…

Toronto Comicon Weekend 2024

The weekend just took right off for those of us who went to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to get our geek on. Costumes galore as well as celebrities, collectibles, panels, and new and old friends. There’s always something to see at Comicon. As mentioned previously, this time the con was in the North Building,…