Martha Wells delivers another entertaining entry in the Murderbot Diaries with Artificial Condition. Much like the first story, this is only a novella as well and it rips along at warp speed, filled with action beats, laughs, and a small exploration of the worlds that Wells is building. The story picks up shortly after the…
Tag: anxiety
The Mercy of Gods (2024) – James S.A. Corey
When I see James S.A. Corey on the front of a book, I know I can buy it whether I know anything about it or not. I love their storytelling style, and The Mercy of the Gods, the first book in a new trilogy called The Captive’s War. Shorter than some of the entries in…
TIFF24: Heretic dir. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods deliver a masterclass in anxiety-inducing tension with Heretic. Shot brilliantly with tight close-ups, Beck and Woods continually ratchet things up even as they present a theology lesson that is as conversation-starting as the film is unnerving. Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) are young Mormons canvassing for…
Fan Expo 2024 Day 3 & 4
Weekends at Fan Expo are a melange of crowds, celebrities and shopping. Those geeks who had to work all week, those families who were waiting for some time off, all descend on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to get their geek on. The word of the day, for both Saturday and Sunday, is patience. Shoulders…
Fan Expo 2024 Day 2
Friday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was laid out before the exploring geek as an adventure of discovery and treasure-hunting. And it also served as a bracer for what was to come on Saturday, large crowds weaving along the pathways between booths, and the walkways that connected the North and South Building. I work…
Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond (2023) – Henry Winkler
I was lucky enough to meet Henry Winkler once at one of Toronto’s Fan Expo, and he was as friendly and charming as I would have wanted him to be. And I didn’t get to tell him, but when I was a kid, living in CFB North Bay, I would ride my little yellow banana…
Hill Street Blues (1986) – Fathers and Guns, and More Skinned Against Than Skinning
There are lots of emotional troubles to be had in Fathers and Guns. Written by Jeffrey Lewis from a story by Lewis and Jerry Patrick Brown. It first aired on 9 December, 1986. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is still learning to be a new father, and the stress of the job, and the world have infiltrated…
TIFF 2021: Hellbound dir. Yeon Sang-ho
Director Yeon Sang-ho, who staked his claim in international pop culture with his fantastic zombie film, Train to Busan, not to mention it’s animated prequel, and follow-up sequel, helms Hellbound, already picked up by Netflix, a supernatural procedural series based on his online digital cartoon, The Hell. Screening at TIFF the first three episodes are…
Proxima Command – An Evening’s Sci-Fi Adventure
Ever since I was a kid and first discovered Star Wars, Star Trek, and science fiction in general, I had dreams of stepping onto the bridge of a starship, or spaceship, and exploring, seeking out new life forms, engaging in intergalactic battles, or watching the stunning starscape slip past my windows. I remember sitting at…
Fringe Toronto: Hanger
I was lucky enough to catch the second-last staging of Hilary McCormack’s Hanger on Saturday July 11th as this year’s Fringe Festival came to a close on Sunday. Directed by Joshua Stodart, this little play about two sisters and the mental illness which appears to run in their family took over the St. Vladimir Theatre…
The Mind Reels 