TAD 2022: The Lair dir. by Neil Marshall

Neil Marshall brings us another bad-ass woman named Sinclair with his latest effort The Lair. Marshall’s films have been much loved by After Dark audiences having previously delivered such solid fare as The Descent, Doomsday (the other Sinclair), Dog Soldiers. Pairing with his lead actress Charlotte Kirk, they penned the script that sees the true…

TAD 2022: H4Z4RD dir. Jonas Govaerts

Noah (Dimitri Thiviaos) is about to have a very bad day in H4Z4RD an energetic action film from Belgium that boasts a really dark sense of humour and serves as the second film in Toronto After Dark’s opening lineup, having its Canadian Premiere. Driven by a Euro-pop-techno beat, we catch up with Noah, who loves…

Fairy Tale (2022) – Stephen King

Fairy Tale, Stephen King’s latest, available now from Simon & Schuster Canada feels unique in his bibliography. It takes the concept of those long beloved tales of Grimm and Andersen and gives them his unique twist. At its heart, the book seems to be an amalgam of things King loves. It is a story of…

Star Trek: Picard – Season Two (2022) – Blu-Ray Review

Paramount Canada sends Star Trek: Picard – Season Two home today on blu-ray and DVD! The three disc set is packed with extras, and no matter where you fall on the continuation of Patrick Stewart’s iconic turn as Jean-Luc Picard, it is fantastic, nonetheless, to see the character return again. This time around, there is…

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (2022) – Megan Bannen

I’ll be honest, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, available now from Orbit Books hit me like a sucker punch. I didn’t know what I expected from this whimsical, playful tale, but what I did not expect was a genre mash-up that at its heart (or Hart) riffed on the classic tale told in Shop…

The Monsters We Defy (2022) – Leslye Penelope

Orbit Books conjures a magical and engaging tale with Leslye Penelope’s The Monsters We Defy. While arguably a supernatural heist story, that descriptor merely scratches the surface of the tale as we are introduced to an array of characters, united by Clara Johnson in the vibrant setting of 1920s Washington, D.C. Clara was born with…

Eversion (2022) – Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds takes the reader on an epic journey across time. Tinging his new tale, Eversion, with hints of Verne, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, O’Brien, and 50s sci-fi Reynolds introduces us to Silas Coade, ship’s doctor, We slide through time, across a variety of vehicles, sailing ships, airships, and spacecraft, but it is always the same…

The Lost City (2022) – 4K Review

Paramount Canada brings home The Lost City on 4K today, the Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum adventure comedy ventures over some familiar ground, but the chemistry and casting carry it through to make it an enjoyable romp. Commenting on fame, reading, what defines masculinity, and romantic expectations the film follows Loretta (Bullock) a romance adventure writer as…

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space (2022) – Alex White

Orbit Books delivers a loud space opera with Alex White’s new novel, August Kitko and the Mechas from Space. The first in a new series known as the Starmetal Symphony, August Kitko is a fantastic tale that plays like a jazz fusion anime in the mind’s eye. Combining giant robot action, with a joyously crafted…

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – Taika Waititi

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably its most absurd. That doesn’t mean it’s not fun, and that the actors aren’t having a great time, but there are a number of tonal shifts in the narrative that leaves the film feeling a little unbalanced. But that may be because of the storyteller….