I didn’t know where to go after I finished Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series. I hadn’t been moved and entertained by books like that in a long time. So I decided to go the opposite way, and find something light and fun. Enter: I Only Read Murder by Canadian authors Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson. It…
Tag: audition
Family Ties (1987) – Battle of the Sexes: Part 2, Band on the Run, and Keaton vs. Keaton
Hey, look, the two-part clip show continues. Battle of the Sexes: Part 2 was written by Stephen Curwick and first aired on 19 February, 1987. As the discussion about the differences between men and women continues, the narrative shifts to show how Mallory (Justine Bateman) and Jennifer (Tina Yothers) have gotten into trouble with the…
Family Ties (1985) – Designated Hitter, Don’t Go Changin’, and The Old College Try
Alex (Micheal J, Fox) is troubled when an intelligence test suggests Mallory (Justine Bateman) is smarter than he is, but the real story in this episode, written by Stephen Curwick, is Jennifer’s (Tina Yothers). Airing on 24 October, 1985, Jennifer has found a boy she likes, Adam (Noah Hathaway!), and the family is delighted when…
Quiz Lady (2023) – Jessica Yu
Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play sisters in the very enjoyable, Quiz Lady, which I missed at TIFF but was delighted to check out when it hit streaming platforms. Anne (Awkwafina) is quiet, set in her routines, and has some mental health issues that keep her confined to her job, and her couch, where she and…
The Full Monty (1997) – Peter Cattaneo
I remember the first time I saw The Full Monty and how much I laughed and got emotionally involved with the film. I haven’t watched it in the better part of two decades so I was quite happy to sit down and watch it again. Robert Carlyle stars alongside Mark Addy, Tom Wilkinson, Steve Huison,…
Chuck (2009) – Versus the Best Friend, and Versus the Beefcake
Chuck (Zachary Levi) tries to help Morgan (Joshua Gomez) deal with the break-up of he and Anna (Julia Ling) but trouble ensues when Chuck flashes on Anna’s new boyfriend. Chuck Versus the Best Friend was written by Ali Adler and first debuted on 23 February, 2009. And while the team, gets pulled in on the…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988) – Elementary, Dear Data, and The Outrageous Okana
Captain’s log: stardate 42286.3 Elementary, Dear Data first aired on 5 December, 1988. Written by Brian Alan Lane, this one is a holodeck story. Data (Brent Spiner) and Geordi (LeVar Burton) are looking to have some fun on the holodeck engaging in the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, respectively. Unfortunately, Data knows all the…
Quantum Leap (1991) – Private Dancer and Piano Man
Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in the body of a male stripper, Rod ‘The Bod’ in Private Dancer. Written by Paul Brown this episode first aired on 20 March, 1991. As Rod, Al (Dean Stockwell) informs Sam that he is there to help a young, deaf, waitress, and hopeful dancer, Dianna (Rhondee Beriault) and stop…
42nd Street (1933) – Lloyd Bacon
My foray into musicals continues with 42nd Street, the first recommendation to come from my viewing of Gold Diggers of 1933. Yet another film that was delightfully enjoyable, though I tended to enjoy some of the antics the girls got up to in Gold Diggers a little more. Having said that, the musical numbers,…
Audition (1999) – Takashi Miike
“Didn’t you see Fatal Attraction?” “You wouldn’t let me!” “Well I saw it and it scared the shit out of me! It scared the shit out of every man in America!” That exchange from Sleepless In Seattle was all I could think of while I was watching Audition, the next film brought to me on…
The Mind Reels 