John Wick (2014) – Chad Stahelski

I was shocked (and delighted because it meant I could watch them all again) that I hadn’t written about John Wick before. I had written up the second film but for some reason hadn’t done the other three. So that means I could buckle up and dive into this amazing world where assassins thrive, have…

SilverFin (2005) – Charlie Higson

The Young Bond series gets underway with SilverFin written by Charlie Higson, with the blessing of the Ian Fleming Foundation. It’s a curious idea. By giving us a young James Bond, you’d think the stories are meant to appeal to young adult readers. But the stories themselves are in keeping with the literary James Bond…

Starman (1987) – Grifters, and The Wedding

Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) seem to be conned on both sides of the law in Grifters. Written by Steven Hollander, the episode first aired on 13 March, 1987. The pair have driven a car up from Texas as a way to make some money, but they are about to find a…

Starman (1987) – Dusty, and Barriers

This week, Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) learn that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Duty was written by Peggy Goldman and was first broadcast on 6 February, 1987. On the road passing somewhere close to Reno, the pair pick up Dusty (Lori Lethin) who claims to be a singer in…

TAD 2022: H4Z4RD dir. Jonas Govaerts

Noah (Dimitri Thiviaos) is about to have a very bad day in H4Z4RD an energetic action film from Belgium that boasts a really dark sense of humour and serves as the second film in Toronto After Dark’s opening lineup, having its Canadian Premiere. Driven by a Euro-pop-techno beat, we catch up with Noah, who loves…

Cujo (1983) – Lewis Teague

The film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1981 novel, Cujo, is the next title up in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, and I find myself a little divided on it. The majority of the film is, in fact, faithful to the novel until we reach the final act of the film. But we’ll get to…

Harold and Maude (1971) – Hal Ashby

The Directory in DK Canada’s The Movie Book brings me another classic that I should have seen long ago, and now, have finally been able to remedy that. Combining dark humour with an offbeat romance, Ashby’s film embraces eccentricity while reminding us to live for today. Young Harold (Bud Cort – who looks twelve) has…

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) – Nicholas Ray

The next film that I dove into for DK Canada’s The Movie Book is the James Dean classic, Rebel Without a Cause, from 1955. Dean is brilliantly vulnerable as the teen Jim Stark, who is growing up in a troubled home, clashing with his parents, Frank (Jim Backus) and Carol (Ann Doran), and also dealing…

Heart-Shaped Box (2007) – Joe Hill

After enjoying Hill’s short story collection a couple of weeks ago, as well as his fantastic work on Locke & Key, I decided to give a full novel a try, and the result ends up being a very satisfying ghost story, as we dive into a world of sex, violence and rock’n’roll. Judas Coyne (not…