TIFF ’22: Hunt

South Korean action star Lee Jung-jae makes his directorial debut with the brilliant action thriller, Hunt. Set in the 1980s when tensions were heightened between North and South Korea, the film is a white knuckle ride that sees two government rivals, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park (Lee) and Domestic Unit head Kim (Jung Woo-sung) working…

Shadow and Bone (2012) – Leigh Bardugo

My second foray into the Grishaverse was the first one written, Shadow and Bone. And much like Six of Crows, I got swept up pretty damned quick in the story and the characters, and can’t wait to continue to explore the rest of the realm that Bardugo created. In this novel, we are introduced to…

TIFF 2021: Dune dir. Denis Villeneuve

Magnificent. Triumphant. THIS is the movie I saw in my mind’s eye when I first read Dune in 1984 when I was anticipating the Lynch film (which I love for its own reasons). The visual aesthetic, the sound and production design, the score (I swear Hans Zimmer isn’t the only one throwing a few nods…

Black Widow: Secrets of a Super-Spy (2020) – Melanie Scott

Don’t despair Marvel fans, just because the new Black Widow film had to be delayed due to the pandemic, doesn’t mean you can’t learn all there is to know about her in the new Black Widow: Secrets of a Super-Spy now available from DK Canada. This one is a great read, and author Melanie Scott…

Redemption Ark (2002) -Alastair Reynolds

I return to the universe of Alastair Reynold’s space opera this week, with a story that ties directly into Revelation Space, though it also ties into the expanded universe as glimpsed in Chasm City. The Inhibitors are back, they are an ancient mechanical race that prunes back intelligent life, stopping them when they venture too…

V – The Miniseries (1983) – Part Two

Part two of the iconic science fiction mini-series V, written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, aired on 2 May, 1983.  It aired the following night after part one, no week’s wait, not even a couple of days. This was an event, and for two nights it ruled television. Continuing it’s sci-fi retelling of Nazi Germany…

Indiana Jones and the Unicorn’s Legacy (1992) – Rob MacGregor

New England. 1928. Indiana Jones is back in the next novel by Rob MacGregor, but this one feels a little lackluster and doesn’t come up to snuff for either the film series, the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles or the previous novels. Indy finds himself travelling from New England to Cortez, Colorado to investigate petroglyphs and…

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) – Chad Stahelski

When Keanu Reeves stepped onto the screen in the 2014 film, John Wick, cinema lovers and critics met the film with joy and accolades, as it boldly, bloodily and brilliantly updated the revenge films of the 1970s for the 21st century The screen was filled with top drawer stars, and the simplest of revenge stories…