I don’t know if there’s a horror sub-genre more flexible and adaptable than the zombie story. It can do straight horror, gore, comedy, romance, tragedy, and can give us social commentary, or just give us a white-knuckle thrill ride. This time out, it’s a pontificiation on humanity, our treatment of others, growth, and nurturing. Mike…
Tag: apocalypse
TIFF ’23: Concrete Utopia
Concrete Utopia from South Korea has its North American premiere here at TIFF, and this one is definitely a must-see. While arguably a little heavy-handed in its messaging, the film is a captivating two-hour exploration of the human condition, our faults, and our hopes. An apocalyptic event has struck Seoul, and it seems the only…
Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) – Amando de Ossorio
The Spanish/Portuguese horror classic Tombs of the Blind Dead finally found its way into my viewing schedule. It was a fun and interesting watch, with some curious things going on with the treatment of female characters, but the dead Templar zombies are pretty cool. Virginia (Maria Elana Apron) – arguably the most attractive actor in…
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) – John McPhail
A Christmas Zombie Horror Musical Comedy sounds like a definite win. I missed Anna and the Apocalypse when it played at Toronto After Dark a few years ago, and I was a little bummed about it. But now that the holidays have rolled around, I figured I could take a look at it and figure…
The Cabin at the End of the World (2018) – Paul G. Tremblay
I read and enjoyed Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts, so when I heard about his novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, I was suitably intrigued as it seems both he and I don’t love the home invasion subgenre of horror. His thought process was ‘how would I write one?’ and this…
The X-Files (1999) – Hungry, and Millennium
Vince Gilligan delivers the first monster-of-the-week episode of the seventh season with Hungry, an episode that first aired on 21 November, 1999. Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are investigating a strange murder in California, a body is recovered with no brain matter, and a strange hole that Mulder thinks may have been a…
Millennium (1999) – Forcing the End, and Saturn Dreaming of Mercury
Juliet Landau, whose mother Barbara Bain was featured in the previous episode, guest stars alongside Andreas Katsulas in this episode, Forcing the End, written by Marjorie David, that first aired on 19 March, 1999. Frank (Lance Henriksen) and Hollis (Klea Scott) find them working on an abduction case that Hollis believes the Millennium Group, specifically…
Millennium (1999) – Antipas, and Matryoshka
This week, Millennium delivers what is probably one of my favourite episodes of the third season, Antipas, written by series creator, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, it first aired on 12 February, 1999, and boasts some familiar Canadian faces like Art Hindle and Jay Brazeau. It also sees the return of Frank’s (Lance Henriksen) nemesis,…
Ghostbusters (2016)- Paul Feig
It’s been five years since Ghostbusters (2016) came out. It’s been a year since Ghostbusters: Afterlife was supposed to be released (it’s now been pushed to November 2021), since then, the vitriol around an all-female lead cast has dispersed, and perhaps the film can be judged anew. I thought it was okay when it first…
Millennium (1998) – The Innocents, and Exegesis
Chip Johannessen takes over show running from Glen Morgan and James Wong as Millennium returns for a third season, and has to deal with their apocalyptic season two finale. Mike Duggan is responsible for writing them out of it with his season three two part opener. The first half, The Innocents first aired on 2…
The Mind Reels 