War of the Worlds (1989) – The Last Supper, and Vengeance is Mine

The war rages on this week, and Team Blackwood is seeking other experts who may be able to help. The Last Supper was written by Tom Lazarus and first aired on 6 March, 1989. Harrison Blackwood (Jared Martin), Norton (Philip Akin), Suzanne (Lynda Mason Green) and Ironhorse (Paul Chaves) are overseeing a gathering of supposed…

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – Frank Darabont

If there is a near perfect drama film for me, it is the next recommendation in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont, who wrote the screenplay as well, basing it on the short story by Stephen King. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman headline at the iconic King-universe prison, Shawshank,…

Star Trek: Voyager (1997) – Year of Hell: Part II, and Random Thoughts

Captain’s log: stardate 51425.4 Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky pen the conclusion to the intense two-parter Year of Hell. First airing on 12 November, 1997, the episode sees Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) attempting to rescue Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) from the Krenim while the Voyager limps along, on the verge of…

Miami Vice (1988) – Bad Timing, and Borrasca

Bad Timing written by Scott Shepherd, is the final episode in the Sonny Burnett arc. Vice detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) is under review and testimony seems to be pretty damning, but I’m sure he’ll find his way through. First airing on 2 December, 1988, Sonny has his hands full with the review, and takes…

Soul of the Border (2019) – Matteo Righetto

Releasing this week from House of Anansi Press is the English translation of Matteo Righetto’s Soul of the Border. Released in Italy in 2017, the novel became a bestseller and is now getting it’s English release. A brisk, cinematic tale; it’s short chapters deliver a story that sees a young woman in search of her…

Isn’t It Romantic (2019) – Blu-Ray Review

Coming to blu-ray and DVD today from Warner Brothers is this surprisingly fun rom-com starring Rebel Wilson, Adam Devine, Priyanaka Chopra and Liam Hemsworth. And honestly, I was pleasantly surprised at how cute and enjoyable it is. Wilson plays Natalie an unhappy woman who works as an architect, but more often is the low person…

Altered States (1980) – Ken Russell

William Hurt is on the search for the purest truth, and that, in this case, places him squarely in the mad scientist chapter of DK Canada’s very enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. Eddie Jessup (Hurt) is a scientist seeking the ultimate truth, and finds himself experimenting with isolation chambers and a ritualistic, possibly hallucinogenic…

Jackie Brown (1997) – Quentin Tarantino

One of my favorite Tarantino films is the up next thanks to the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, which recommended the previously reviewed Pulp Fiction. His only film to date that is based on previously published material, Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, Tarantino’s film is top-notch and lets the…