A bizarre, and troubling tale was recommended to me by this odd list I came across listing horror movies, the majority of which I’d seen, but this one I’d never heard of… After his turn as Damien Thorn in the Omen III, Sam Neill took on the role of Mark in this haunting and…
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) – Carl Reiner
Where Monsieur Hulot’s recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book suggested Blazing Saddles as a western send-up, the hilarious Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid starring Steve Martin skewers the noir genre lovingly by intercutting out hero Rigby Reardon (Martin) with actual footage from classic noir films. Reardon, a cynical gumshoe…
Doctor Who (William Hartnell) – The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Terry Nation scripts the return of the Doctor’s (Hartnell) most famous and nefarious enemy the Daleks in this six part adventure. Airing from 21 November to 26 December 1964, the story is epic in size, and sees the first departure of a companion from the TARDIS. In the first episode, World’s End, our travelers…
2014 Toronto Screenwriting Conference
The annual Toronto Screenwriting Conference is coming up next weekend (April 5 & 6), and I have to tell you, I am getting very excited for it. Last year was the first time Sue Maynard and I had been to the event, and were intent on covering as much of it as we could, and…
Battlestar Galactica (1979) – Take the Celestra & The Hand of God
And just like that, one of the series that helped influence my childhood, and generated my love for pop culture comes to an end… For me, Galactica, and it’s follow-up series, the less than stellar Galctica 1980 (except the one episode The Return of Starbuck) will always be joined in my mind with CFB Borden,…
Pandora’s Box (1929) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
The next dramatic title to be highlighted in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film is this silent German film, starring Louise Brooks. Unfortunately, this is the first title I’ve come across in this book that didn’t really captivate me, I watched it, but I didn’t love it. I’m not sure what it…
Odd Thomas (2013) – Stephen Sommers
Anchor Bay was kind enough to send along a copy of the Blu-Ray release of Odd Thomas to me. Sue Maynard and I were lucky enough to catch a screening of it at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival last year. Check out her original review here. While predominantly a supernatural thriller, Odd Thomas…
The Rockford Files (1975) – Aura Lee, Farewell & Sleight of Hand
Strong writing is a feature of both this week’s episodes of The Rockford Files. Jim (James Garner) is hired by a friend of his Sarah Butler (the Bionic Woman herself, Lindsay Wagner, reprising her role from the series premiere movie) in the first episode which features a phone gag about someone calling Rockford with…
Muppets: Most Wanted (2014) – James Bobin
Every now and then, when I find things aren’t going as well as they could, a dose of nostalgia tends to help me get back on track. One of the things I most love from my childhood, is The Muppets. It doesn’t seem to matter how old I get, those bunch of lovable pieces of…
Blazing Saddles (1974) – Mel Brooks
The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book ‘s next recommendation for Monsieur Hulot, is Mel Brook’s comedic take on the western genre, that works on sight gags, physical comedy, and lots of great lines. However, there is also a slew of stereotypes and some less than acceptable language, although it’s very evident…
The Mind Reels 