One of the things I most love about Toronto is the fact that I get to meet so many amazing people, and one of those that I am very lucky to call friend is Mike Donis. He’s a fun, smart guy, who has put his creative drive to work. In conjunction with James Christopher…
Raging Bull (1980) – Martin Scorsese
We move back to Drama in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and take a look at Martin Scorsese’s biopic on boxing legend Jake La Motta, brought to visceral life by an Oscar wining performance by Robert De Niro. As succesful as La Motta would prove to be inside the boxing ring,…
Magnum, p.i. (1984) – Holmes Is Where the Heart Is and On Face Value
This week’s check-in with Thomas (Tom Selleck) and the gang, finds both episodes showing the friendship that exists between Magnum and Higgins (John Hillerman). Higgins carries the first episode, Holmes is Where the Heart Is, written by Judy Burns and Jay Huguely, with an original airdate of 8 March, 1984. Higgins is transcribing a…
The Mind Reels Chats: TIFF15 – Les Revenants Showrunner Fabrice Gobert
If you missed the amazing French series, Les Revenants (The Returned) when it aired on the CBC, you can chain-watch all 8 episodes of season 1 now on Netflix. That’s what I did as soon as Sue and I were offered the chance to chat with showrunner Fabrice Gobert during TIFF. We chatted about…
Star Wars: Aftermath (2015) – Chuck Wendig
The Journey to The Force Awakens continues… we’ve had the first issue of the comic, and now comes the new novel, set in the newly established timeline, which sadly jettisoned some of the great stories that created the Expanded Universe that have been in place for over two decades. Aftermath picks up a few…
The Mind Reels Chats – TIFF15: Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers
TIFF continues to be very good to Sue and I, and we were afforded the opportunity to chat with one of the filmmakers behind the powerful documentary, Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers. Meeting and chatting with Geeta Gandbhir and Sgt. J.J. Hainey was a highlight of the day for us, and gave us…
The A-Team (1983) – Mexican Slayride
It’s time for another Stephen J. Cannell series, he and Frank Lupo paired up to create this series at the behest of the head of NBC… The A-Team ran for five seasons (and I’m sure there are a number of them that I haven’t seen, though when the plots became so formulaic it may…
TIFF 2015: P.S. Jerusalem (2015) – Danae Elon
Having its World Premiere today at Scotiabank, and screening again on the 16th and the 19th is this poignant and powerful documentary from filmmaker Danae Elon. Elon invites us into the life of her and her family, as she documents a journey of the heart, and the search and discovery of home. Born in Jerusalem,…
Reservoir Dogs (1992) – Quentin Tarantino
The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Rififi is Quentin Tarantino’s first film, Reservoir Dogs. Now, it’s been a number of years since I had watched this film, but it’s always there in the back of my head about how good a film it…
Revenge of the Creature (1955) – Jack Arnold
I get to spend a little more time with Jack Arnold, the director, thanks to the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, and I also get to see the next installment in the Creature films… I’ll be completely honest with you, I’m with the Gill-man in this film. The guy is treated incredibly badly, and he’s made…
The Mind Reels 