Lake Michigan Monster (2018) – Ryland Brickson Cole Tews

I loved Hundreds of Beavers so I was eager to check out an earlier film from the creative duo behind it, Lake Michigan Monster. Sharing some of the film’s creative styles, it’s shot in black and white, made to look like a throwback to yesteryear, and has a goofy sense of humor that slides from…

Hundreds of Beavers (2022) – Mike Cheslik

Hundreds of Beavers is a gift. It’s brilliantly funny, and pays wonderful homage to the cartoon shorts of yesteryear, including their dark level of violence, the magic of Melies, the creativity of silent films, and the ability of a movie to take you in and captivate you even with its odd trappings. Jean Kayak (Ryland…

Star Trek: The Joy Machine (1996) – James E. Gunn

James E. Gunn takes the original story treatment for The Joy Machine by Theodore Sturgeon, who gave us the TOS episodes Shore Leave and Amok Time, and turns it into a novel that feels very much like an Original Series episode. When a couple of Federation investigators disappear on a planet, one that Captain James…

I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story (2019) – Anthony Daniels

I’ve waxed poetic and nostalgic over Star Wars during the course of the blog. I’ve shared how much it means to me, and how much it has impacted me. How much it has been such a part of my life, and continues to help define it. To say that I love Star Wars is like…

War of the Worlds (1990) – Totally Real, and Max

Debi (Rachel Blanchard) gets another shot at the limelight with Totally Real, an episode written by Jim Trombetta which first aired on 23 April, 1990. While the production value again skirts the noir/apocalypse and the ‘classy’ future look, young Debi finds herself enjoying a fight simulator hologram that was created by the morthren to study…

Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Mirror, Mirror and The Apple

Captain’s log: stardate unknown. The iconic episode, Mirror, Mirror is up first this week. Written by Jerome Bixby, this episode first aired on 6 October, 1967. The story is a lot of fun, Kirk (William Shatner) and a landing party, including Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan) and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are victims of a…

2016 Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival

  There is always something amazing going on in Toronto, and we seem to be inundated with film festivals, which for a movie buff like me, is a good thing! Getting under way today, with a special opening night screening at Sick Kids Hospital and then continuing tomorrow at Innis Town Hall, this festival celebrates…

Toronto Screenwriting Conference – The Mind Reels Interviews

  The Toronto Screenwriting Conference weekend may be over, but, the ideas, and creative juices are still flowing. Sue and I have been throwing around all manner of ideas, from writing a spec script to get in the habit of writing for the television format, to tossing around story ideas for series that we would…