There’s a new villain in Gotham City this week, though Gordon (Neil Hamilton) knows who they are, it’s the Black Widow (Tallulah Bankhead), an older criminal with a spider motif that is sure to spell trouble for Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) in this two-part story written by Robert Mintz. The first episode,…
TIFF ’23: Sleep
Midnight Madness at TIFF is always a lot of fun, and some great genre films get scheduled that are designed to deliver to the late-night audience. Sleep hopes to do that this week. A Korean entry to the film festival from writer/director Jason Yu. It’s his first feature film, and Yu creates a tense, moody…
TIFF ’23: NYAD
Annette Bening gives a career-topping performance as marathon swimmer, Diane Nyad in the true story of her swim from Cuba to Florida. In the late 70s and 80s, Nyad made a name for herself for swimming the English Channel, around Manhattan Island and more, but she was foiled by her attempt to make it from…
TIFF ’23: Hell of a Summer
Long-time friends Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk share directing, producing, writing and starring credits in their enjoyable and goofy riff on camp slasher films. It’s summer, and Camp Pineaway is gearing up for another round of campers and counsellors. In fact, the counsellors gather the weekend before camp opens to prepare, get reacquainted, drunk, high,…
Family Ties (1984) – Ladies’ Man, Ready or Not, and Double Date
Alex (Micheal J. Fox) is scheming in Ladies’ Man. Written by Alan Uger, this fun and delightful episode was first broadcast on 2 February, 1984. Alex poses as a feminist to get in good with the adorable Deena (Tracy Nelson). He starts spouting things about equal rights, something he doesn’t believe in, and even gets…
A House with Good Bones (2023) – T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon has entertained and creeped me out with each of the books I’ve read by her; three to date, with A House with Good Bones being the latest. Once again she introduces us to a relatable character, in this case entomologist Samantha who, when her summer dig is cancelled, decides to…
TIFF ’23: The Burial
I think every actor wants to do a courtroom drama, to voice their objections, to thunder at a witness during cross-examination, to let that look play across their face that suggests they may have just found a way to win the case. Then, when you throw in the fact that the case you’re bringing to…
TIFF ’23: Poolman
Chris Pine stars, directs and co-wrote Poolman, a sun-baked film noir that never quite finds its tone in spite of its best efforts, and feels like the love child of Chinatown and The Big Lewbowski. A pastiche of the eccentricities and lifestyles of LA, Pine populates his film with characters you could only find in…
Batman (1967) – King Tut’s Coup, and Batman’s Waterloo
King Tut (Victor Buono) is back after getting a bump on the head bringing back his royal Egyptian personality. And amongst his gang? Star Trek’s Grace Lee Whitney! This two-parter was written by Stanley Ralph Ross from a story by Leo and Pauline Townsend. The first episode, King Tut’s Coup, debuted on 8 March, 1967….
TIFF’23: Knox Goes Away
I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll say it again. I love a good noir, and Knox Goes Away directed by and starring, Micheal Keaton may be one of my new favourites. making fantastic use of his framing, lighting, score and production, Knox Goes Away, despite its modern trappings, feels like a throwback to…
The Mind Reels 