Back in 1984, Stephen King and Peter Straub paired up to craft a titanic fantasy novel known as The Talisman. Seventeen years later they paired up again to create a sequel to the tale that brought (Travelin’) Jack Sawyer back into the lives of readers. It’s some twenty odd years later, Jack Sawyer is 31,…
Tag: children
Disney’s Peter Pan: The Signature Collection
Just over three years ago, I settled in for the 1953, Disney classic Peter Pan. A film I hadn’t seen in a long time. Now, it’s time for another revisit, with the beautiful Signature Collection blu-ray transfer available from Disney today. And yes, while there is still that troubling What Makes the Red Man Red…
The Golden Compass (2007) – Chris Weitz
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film following my screening of The Fellowship of the Ring is this adaptation of the first book in His Dark Materials trilogy, The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. It’s obvious that the film was planned as the first in a trilogy, much in the…
Children of Dune (1976) – Frank Herbert
Thus week, I returned to the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. The third book in the series picks up some nine to ten years after the last novel, Dune Messiah. The last novel ended with Paul Atreides, Maud’Dib, wandering into the deep desert in the Fremen tradition of discarding the old and…
Seven Fallen Feathers (2017) – Tanya Talaga
Seven Fallen Feathers is a defining book. It is a haunting, distressing and angering discourse on racism and loss in Northern Ontario, and across Canada. Talaga, a dedicated and insightful journalist turns her investigative eye, shining it like a spotlight onto a piece of Canadian life that many of us are loathe to discuss, accept,…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) – The Inner Light, and Time’s Arrow Part I
Captain’s log: stardate 45944.1 First airing on 1 June, 1992 this superior episode, and always a fan favourite was penned by Morgan Gendel and Peter Allen Fields from a story developed by Gendel. After Picard (Patrick Stewart) is scanned by an unknown probe, he collapses on the bridge. When he awakens he finds himself on…
Monsters, Inc. (2001) – Peter Docter
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Toy Story is this Pixar classic starring Billy Crystal and John Goodman as two monsters trying to keep their world alive. Those noises under your bed, the shadow in the closet, they’re all real. Monsters come through to…
The Twilight Zone (1964) – Come Wander with Me, The Fear, and The Bewitchin’Pool
We arrive, this week, at our last stop in The Twilight Zone. The exploration of The Complete Series comes to its ultimate conclusion with this last trio of episodes. First up is Come Wander with Me. Written by Anthony Wilson, this episode, directed by Richard Donner, debuted on 22 May 1964. The story follows musician…
Unforgiven (1992) – Clint Eastwood
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Wild Bunch, is my all-time favourite western, Eastwood’s multi-Oscar winning film (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman). An ageing gunfighter, William Munny (Eastwood) wants to tend to his tiny parcel…
Fear (2017) – Dirk Kurbjuweit
Hitting trade paperback on Canadian book shelves this week is this engrossing thriller penned by German author Dirk Kurbjuweit. A captivating tale the novel explores themes of love, family, perceptions of masculinity, and the rule of law. The novel opens with a murder. And a confession. For months Randolph Tiefenthaler and his wife, Rebecca and…
The Mind Reels 