Vala (Claudia Black) is back. Kind of. As we dive into the penultimate episode of season nine. Crusade was written by Robert C. Cooper (he also directed it) and it first aired on 3 March, 2006. Remember the stones that allowed Daniel (Michael Shanks) and Vala to inhabit bodies in the galaxy that the Ori…
The Naked Gun 2 1/2 – The Smell of Fear (1991) – David Zucker
Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) and the members of his Police Squad! are working in Washington and soon finds himself embroiled in another case. And encountering Jane (Priscilla Presley), who backed out of their relationship after the end of the first movie. Once again, Jane is involved with the baddies. This time around, it’s Quentin Hapsburg…
Jaws 50th Anniversary
What a great way to begin and end my TIFF experience this year. Even as TIFF celebrates its 50th year, so does my favourite movie of all time, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. I’ve told the story countless times of how it was my first ever film experience. I’ve seen this movie more times than any others…
The House of Fear (1945) – Roy William Neill
Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back for their tenth outing together in The House of Fear. Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Five Orange Pips, this one leans into using the Universal Monsters sets and, consequently has a very gothic feel to it. When a gathering of gentlemen, known as the…
Smallville (2001) – Pilot, and Metamorphosis
The Superman mythos got the teen drama remix with Smallville. Perfectly cast and solidly scripted, the series ran for ten seasons, and while I did enjoy it, I never got past season five originally. We’re going to fix that this time out. The show launched with its Pilot on 16 October, 2001. Written by Alfred…
Star Trek: The Planet of No Return (1967)
I always love my Trek, but there are times when I just cannot get enough of it. I’ve been listening to the scores, whistling Fred Steiner, watching Strange New Worlds, revisiting The Original Series, digging back into the novels, and it struck me… I haven’t really done much on the blog with the comics. So…
Deepstar Six (1989) – Sean S. Cunningham
1989 had not one, not two, but three underwater adventure films. Now, this one would never be confused with James Cameron’s The Abyss, but you may mistake it for Leviathan (honestly I enjoy all three, and can’t believe I hadn’t penned this one up for the blog before). Directed by Sean S. Cunningham who directed…
Stargate: Atlantis (2006) – Coup D’Etat, and Michael
While Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) investigate the apparent death of Major Lorne (Kavan Smith) and his team, the Genii resurface to cause more problems. Coup D’Etat was written by Martin Gero and it was first aired on 17 February, 2006. Ladon (Ryan Robbins) of the Genii reaches out to Atlantis with the reveal that Cowen (Colm…
TIFF 25: The President’s Cake dir. Hasan Hadi
Set in the 1990s, young Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) lives under Saddam Hussein’s regime with her grandmother, Bibi (Waheeda Thabet) and her pet rooster. Hussein’s 50th birthday is two days away, and every year, one child from each class is selected to make a birthday cake, no matter their circumstances. Lamia, Bibi and the rooster…
TIFF 25: You Had to Be There – How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution… dir. Nick Davis
In 1972 and 1973 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre here in Toronto, almost everything we know about modern comedy was born. The cast included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber and Dave Thomas. From the seeds planted by this special group being brought together sprang SCTV and SNL, not to mention…
The Mind Reels 