Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) – James Cameron

Fire and Ash is an experiential popcorn movie. It needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and while 3D has some detractors, it is used beautifully in this film. This is a movie-going experience. Having said that, I miss James Cameron’s early work, Aliens, The Abyss, The Terminator, and T2, even True Lies….

Star Trek: The Cosmic Cavemen (1973)

Issue 17 of Gold Keys’ Star Trek comic was available for February of 1973. Arnold Drake took over as writer, and Alberto Giolitti was joined by artist Giovanni Ticci. George Wilson continued delivering cool-looking cover paintings. Let’s just mention that the uniforms are almost the right colours for everyone. Kirk seems to be wearing something…

TIFF 25: Kokuho dir. Lee-Sang Il

Kokuho is an epic tale, a decades-long story that takes us inside the world of kabuki, and features some outstanding performances. Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa) has always had a talent as an onnagata. These are the female characters in kanubi shows, all played by men. He’s taken in by Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe!!), who will serve…

TIFF 25: Frankenstein dir. Guillermo del Toro

I’ve been a fan of Guillermo del Toro since I took home the film Chronos one night from my video store. Since then, I haven’t missed anything he’s done, and look forward eagerly to each new project. When I heard that he was taking on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I was delighted. The classic monsters have…

Stargate SG-1 (2005) – It’s Good to Be King, and Full Alert

When SG-1 learns of an imminent Goa’uld attack, O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) authorizes the team to go and rescue Harry Maybourne (Tom McBeath) from his exile. Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie from a story they created with Michael Greenburg and Peter DeLuise, It’s Good to Be King first debuted on 4 February, 2005….

Stargate SG-1 (2004) – Icon, and Avatar

Daniel (Michael Shanks) is in the middle of a global conflict in Icon. Written by Damian Kindler, it first aired on 6 August, 2004. Told through flashbacks while Daniel recovers, the story sprawls three months, from SG-1’s first contact with the planet of Tegalus. Daniel briefs O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Teal’c…

Stargate SG-1 (2003) – Fallen, and Homecoming

Daniel Jackson (Micheal Shanks) shows up naked on a distant planet, and Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec) begins to figure out the tablet and its references to a Lost City. Fallen was written by Robert C. Cooper and launched season seven on 13 June, 2003. O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Jonas Quinn, Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Teal’c…

Stargate SG-1 (2003) – The Changeling, and Memento

Christopher Judge writes this episode, The Changeling, which first aired on 28 February, 2003. Teal’c (Judge) is being plagued by strange dreams in which he is human and where he is haunted by Apophis (Peter Williams) and the rest of SG-1 join him as firefighters. In the dreams, he is worried about an upcoming kidney…

Hamburger Hill (1987) – John Irvin

It’s been a while since I watched Hamburger Hill. In my teens, a lot of film and television were finally beginning to explore and talk about Vietnam and its effects on the servicemen who were in-country. I was reading books. I remember, vividly reading Robert Mason’s Chickenhawk, as well as the first time I saw…

Farscape (1999) PK Tech Girl, and That Old Black Magic

When I got to PK Tech Girl in my original viewing of the series, this was the point that I realized I was getting hooked on the series. Written by Nan Hagan, it was first broadcast on 16 April, 1999. Moya discovers a massive derelict Peacekeeper battleship that has been lost for a hundred cycles,…