A Gathering of Shadows (2016) – V.E. Schwab

The second installment in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy transports me easily, and enjoyably back to Red London, as well as fiving us glimpses of White and Grey Londons, but before you pick it up, a little warning… this is book two of a trilogy, you have to know that this one is going…

Tombstone (1993) – George P. Cosmatos

Kurt Russell leads a star studded cast that completely wows in this retelling of the Wyatt Earp story. Joining the always superb Russell is Bil Paxton, Sam Elliott, Val Kilmer, Dana Delaney, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Jason Priestley, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Billy Bob Thornton, Micheal Rooker, John Corbett, Joanna Pacula, Terry O’Quinn, Dana…

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…

Backdraft (1991) – Ron Howard

Wow do I love this movie! Every time I put it on to watch, I find myself wanting to restart it almost the moment it is finished to watch it again. This is a fantastic effort from Ron Howard, and features a brilliant cast led by Kurt Russell. Set in Chicago, we are introduced to…

The Loney (2014) – Andrew Micheal Hurley

I found this book on a list of recent horror novels, and though it is definitely spooky, readers who like concrete explanations, and horrific reveals, as well as being led from plot point to plot point may not enjoy this one. A modern Gothic tale, set in a remote part of England long the Irish…

Diamonds Are Forever (1956) – Ian Fleming

The fourth James Bond adventure by Ian Fleming is on my book shelf this week, and I dug into it eagerly. Despite some troubling moments of racism, 007’s literary adventure in this book is damned enjoyable, and you can see a number of themes and locales survived the jump to the big screen with Sean…

Onward (2020)- Dan Scanlon

Pixar films have been magic for the audience since Toy Story first graced theatre screens, or one could argue, when Luxo Jr., made his first appearance. With their latest offering, Onward, Pixar takes us into the world of magic. It seems magic exists, we’ve just let it slide away because it was too much work…

Dry Summer (1963) – Metin Erksan

The Directory in DK Canada’s The Movie Book is continuing to supply exceptional films from around the globe, and today’s entry is a Turkish film that strikes a familiar chord about possession and greed. The story follows a pair of brothers, Osman (Erol Tas), and Hasan (Ulvi Dogan), a pair of farmers that are caught…