I go long stretches of time without picking up a Matthew Reilly book. In fact, the last time I did, was before I started the weekly Book Shelf update here on the blog. But then when I do pick one up, I race through them, and find myself craving more. More NOW. The downside…
Tag: 2014
Red Rising (2014) – Pierce Brown
With hints of the Hunger Games, Battle Royale, Ender’s Game and the guise of an educational setting, Pierce Brown’s science fiction novel, Red Rising, the first of a trilogy, is strongly written and completely engrossing. I’ll admit it took me about the first third of the book to get really hooked on the story,…
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – Matt Reeves
It’s back to the Apes saga as I dive into the most recent sequel as I continue my way through the Sci-Fi Chronicles. Set a decade or two after the previous film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Caesar (mo-capped by Andy Serkis) is leading a growing nation of evolved apes. But…
Hip Hop-eration (2014) – Bryn Evans
Opening today at the Bloor Hot Docs theater is this crowd pleasing, completely charming documentary that follows a group of seniors, some of whom are in their late nineties, as they leave their home from a small island off the coast of New Zealand to travel to Las Vegas to take part in the…
The Last Town (2014) – Blake Crouch
So I dug into the third and final book of Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines trilogy, The Last Town. And once again, I was struck how all three books could have made for three separate and amazing seasons on television, instead of being chopped up into one ten episode season. I mean, the first book you…
Star Wars: Tarkin (2014) – James Luceno
More adventures in the newly minted expanded canon universe of Star Wars (I’m still upset over the loss of some of the other EU moments and characters, but can’t change that now…). This time, we’re taking a look at the villains, well a few of them anyway, as we get a look at Wilhuff Tarkin before…
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) – Francis Lawrence
The Sci-Fi Chronicles expedition into the world created by Suzanne Collins with her bestselling Hunger Games trilogy, continue with the first part of the last book, divided into two films, with the second one forthcoming this holiday season. But knowing that it’s only the first part of a two-part story, I knew, going in,…
The Anomaly (2014) – Noel Clarke
Releasing from Anchor Bay, available on both DVD and Blu-ray today is this sci-fi actioner written by Simon Lewis, and directed and starring Doctor Who’s Noel Clarke. It’s an interesting concept, and for the most part, fairly well executed, so kudos to Clarke for that. Clarke plays Ryan, an ex-soldier, who when he was recovering from a…
East Side Sushi (2014) – Anthony Lucero
Starting a theatrical run in select cities State-side, is this perfect little concoction that delighted, entertained, and fired my appetite. Director Anthony Lucreo has whipped up a splendid little offering that is wonderfully cast, doesn’t cheat or talk down to its audience, and makes us feel for all of the characters involved. At the film’s…
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of D. Moreau (2014) – David Gregory
It’s odd. While I was reviewing the 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau a couple of months ago, I was made aware of this fantastic documentary. I missed seeing it when it screened her in Toronto. It just seemed so strange, I was literally watching the film when my Facebook feed notified…
The Mind Reels 