Saoirse Ronan shines as Maria, an elementary school teacher pushed too far in Jonatan Etzler’s darkly funny thriller, Bad Apples. If you’ve read the tagline for the film, do yourself a favour and don’t read anything else about it. Go in with the knowledge that Maria is working to keep her class engaged. She has…
Tag: beliefs
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…
Holly (2023) – Stephen King
Wordsmith and beloved storyteller, Stephen King, delivers his latest tale this week. Released by Simon & Schuster, the story allows the readers and King to spend some time with one of his favourite characters, private investigator, Holly Gibney. Holly has become a beloved character, appearing in the End of Watch trilogy, The Outsider and a…
Family Ties (1983) – Elyse D’Arc, Tender Is the Knight, and The Homecoming
Elyse D’Arc finishes up season one. It closed out on 11 August, 1983 and was written by Micheal J. Weithorn. There’s a little trouble in the Keaton household as Steven (Micheal Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter) have some marital difficulties as they are troubled by the fact that they aren’t getting enough time with one…
Family Ties (1982) – Pilot, Not with My Sister You Don’t, and I Know Jennifer’s Boyfriend
Family Ties premiered on 22 September, 1982. The pilot was written by series creator Gary David Goldberg and introduced us to the Keaton family. There’s patriarch, a former hippie, who manages a public television station Steven (Michael Gross), fellow hippie, and architect, Elyse (Meredith Baxter), son, and young Republican, Alex (Micheal J. Fox), popular but…
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 (1996/1997) – Paper Hearts, and El Mundo Gira
Vince Gilligan pens Paper Hearts, one of the best episodes of season four according to stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. It first aired on 15 December, 1996, and earned composer Mark Snow an Emmy nomination. Mulder (Duchovny) has been having very vivid dreams, dreams that lead him to the unmarked grave of a little…
The Sheik (1921) – George Melford
Clips from The Sheik can be found anywhere, it is an iconic Hollywood film from the silent movie era, and it just happens to be the next title I’m watching in Philip Kemp’s Movies book. I can remember the first time I saw clips of this film, alongside Laurel & Hardy shorts, and the occasional…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2004) – Damage, and The Forgotten
Captain’s log: date unknown Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) is still held by the Xindi in the next season three episode, Damage. Written by Phyllis String, the episode first premiered on 21 April, 2004. With the Enterprise reeling from its near destruction by the Xindi attack, and a neighbouring ship requesting help, T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), in…
Moonlighting (1989) -I See England, I See France, I See Maddie’s Netherworld, and Those Lips, Those Lies
Chris Ruppenthal’s script attempts to put Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willi) through their paces this week with I See England, I see France, I see Maddie’s Netherworld. First airing on 14 February, 1989 the pair of detectives find themselves on a hunt for the other half of a ten million dollar winning lottery…
The Mind Reels 