Star Wars: Rebel Rising (2017) – Beth Revis

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… I am truly enjoying the new canon Star Wars series, yes, I mourn some of the lost stories, now relegated to the Legends pile, but the new novels, comics, television series, and of course, the movies, all tie in with one another. Things are checked,…

Tomb Raider (2018): Blu-Ray Review

Video game movies are generally more miss than hit, but that hasn’t stopped companies from trying to find a way to adapt them to the big screen. Warner Brothers takes a stab at it this time around using the rebooted game series as its launching point to give us a look at a younger version…

Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – Smile, and Thin Ice

Smile, the second episode of the tenth series was written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and first aired on 22 April, 2017. This episode finds the Doctor’s (Capaldi) new Companion, Bill (Pearl Mackie) joining the Time Lord for her first off-world adventure. This is against Nardole’s (Matt Lucas) advice, and a reminder of the Doctor’s oath not to…

The Hidden Fortress (1958) – Akira Kurosawa

Influencing films like Star Wars, Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress is the next film from the What Else to Watch from DK Books The Movie Book following my screening of Rashomon. A fun, action-filled adventure with dramatic moments, and fantastic performances, the story follows a pair of greedy peasants, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Mastashichi (Kamatari…

Throne of Blood (1957) – Akira Kurosawa

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Kurosawa’s Ran is another classic film from the legendary director, Throne of Blood. Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kubo and Isuzu Yamada star in this action-fantasy-drama. Mifune stars as Taketoki Washizo, while Kubo stars as his childhood friend, and fellow…

Marvel’s Black Panther (2018): Blu-Ray Review

Marvel’s introduction of the iconic Black Panther comes home on blu-ray and DVD today from Walt Disney Pictures, and it is a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and your home entertainment shelf. The film follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he assumes the mantle of King of Wakanda, and works to preserve his nation’s…

Ran (1985) – Akira Kurosawa

I return to the War section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and settle in for Ran, Kurosawa’s epic opus. Taking its inspiration from Shakespeare’s King Lear, the film is a visual masterpiece delving into tragedy, drama and action. It is also one of the top recommendations on the What Else…

Marvel Studio’s Thor: Ragnarok Blu-Ray Review

Thor Ragnarok the immensely enjoyable third solo adventure of the Marvel hero comes home on blu-ray and DVD today, and continues to build on the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also bringing in something new to the adventure… A huge sense of humour and fun. Chris Hemsworth as the titular god shows that he can manage…

The Bounty (1984) – Roger Donaldson

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my return to the action genre and my screening of The Pirates of the Caribbean, is The Bounty. This one has everything working for it, a score by Vangelis, an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson, Daniel Day-Lewis,…