Heat 2 (2022) – Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner

Iconic Holywood writer/director Michael Mann pairs up with acclaimed novelist Meg Gardiner to revisit and expand on the world of cop Vincent Hanna, thieves Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis and the pursuit of their goals before and after the events portrayed in the 1995 film. Coiled like a spring, this crime thriller ratchets up the…

1883 (2021) – Blu-Ray Review

It has been a while since I was utterly gobsmacked and left wordless following a television show, but 1883, an origin story for the hugely popular Yellowstone series (which I’ve yet to start) did that. It is available today on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Pictures. Written and created by Taylor Sheridan, who also created…

The Batman (2022) – 4K Review

Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s take on the World’s Greatest Detective, The Batman, is available now from Warner Brothers Canada on DVD, Blu, and 4K. They were kind enough to ensure I had a copy on hand to take a look at, and I was more than happy to take a look at the film…

Zero Minus Ten (1997) – Raymond Benson

While I may not have cared for Raymond Benson’s 007 short story, Blast From the Past (to be clear I liked everything but for the Penthouse Forum ending of the story) I was more than ready to return to the world of James Bond, and see what Benson could deliver with his first novel featuring…

Blast From the Past (1997) – Raymond Benson

Benson takes over 007’s adventures from John Gardner, and delivered this short story that first appeared in Playboy in 1997. Benson shows that he can tell a Bond story in true Ian Fleming style, though the ending definitely is a little more adult, but hardly surprising given the context of where it was published. James…

Die Another Day (2002) – Lee Tamahori

Pierce Brosnan returns for his fourth and final outing in Die Another Day, the 20th canon James Bond film. Directed by Lee Tamahori, the milestone film is a bit of a fumble on the part of the writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade as they throw in tons of visual nods and references to previous…

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…

City On A Hill: Season One – DVD Review

The Showtime series starring the incredibly versatile and always fantastic Kevin Bacon and SAG Award winner Aldis Hodge, City On A Hill: Season One comes home on DVD from Paramount Canada. The ten episodes tell an engrossing tale that follows a corrupt, but hardworking Bureau agent, Jackie Rohr (Bacon) form an uneasy alliance with the…

Soul of the Border (2019) – Matteo Righetto

Releasing this week from House of Anansi Press is the English translation of Matteo Righetto’s Soul of the Border. Released in Italy in 2017, the novel became a bestseller and is now getting it’s English release. A brisk, cinematic tale; it’s short chapters deliver a story that sees a young woman in search of her…