Practical effects, matte paintings and a dark, playful sense of humour… They just don’t make them like the used to. I was delighted when I returned to the Family section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book that Joe Dante’s horror comedy Christmas movie (it’s set at Christmas therefore it IS a…
Tag: dark
Coraline (2002) – Neil Gaiman
It’s always a delight to dig into a Neil Gaiman story, and I have come to this one after seeing the movie a number of times. I knew going in it would be slightly different, so I was eager to see what the original text would bring me. And what it brought me was a…
Return to Oz (1985) – Walter Murch
It’s time to go back to Oz, with Disney’s 1985 film Return to Oz, which serves to combine two of the original Frank L. Baum novels, The Marvellous Land of Oz, and of Ozma of Oz. And that magical land is the next stop in the DK Canada’s tome, The Movie Book. They recommend the…
The Wild Bunch (1969) – Sam Peckinpah
The next big stop in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as I return to the Historical chapter, is Peckinpah’s ultra-violent, wonderfully bloody take on the Hollywood Western. A group of professional outlaws out of step and out of time looking for one last score find themselves fatally wandering the line between…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990) – Yesterday’s Enterprise, and The Offspring
Captain’s log: stardate 43625.2 Yesterday’s Enterprise penned by Ira Steven Behr, Richard Manning, Hans Beimler and Ronald D. Moore from a story by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell became an instant classic when it aired on 19 February, 1990. A spatial-temporal rift causes changes in the 24th century when it spits out the…
Toronto After Dark 2017: Tragedy Girls – Tyler MacIntyre
BFFs, LOLs, LIKES, RETWEETs and MURDER. The Toronto After Dark film festival comes to a close this evening at Scotibank Theatre with the Toronto premiere of the exceptional dark comedy, Tragedy Girls. A Heathers for the cyber age, the film follows two students and best friends, Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) who are…
Time Bandits (1981) – Terry Gilliam
Back in 1981 or 1982, on a free Super Channel or First Choice weekend I received my first introduction to the cinematic stylings of Terry Gilliam with Time Bandits. An odd, decidedly British science fiction adventure film, it is also one of the recommendations (following T2) as I return to the Action genre of the…
The Twilight Zone (1963) – Valley of the Shadow, and He’s Alive
It’s time to venture further into The Twilight Zone, as I delve deeper into season 4 of The Complete Series on blu-ray now available from Paramount Pictures. First up this week is Valley of the Shadow. Written by Charles Beaumont, this story sees reporter, Philip Redfield (Ed Nelson) finding himself stuck in a strange small…
Red Dawn (1984) – John Milius
The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Dr. Strangelove is John Milius’ dark and violent film, Red Dawn. With an all-star cast including Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey, Powers Boothe and Harry Dean Stanton, the film chronicles an invasion…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988) – Conspiracy, and The Neutral Zone
Captain’s log: stardate 41775.5 Conspiracy is a strange one, and one of my favourite episodes from the first season. It’s darker than Trek usually is, and begged for a sequel which we never got sadly. This episode first aired on 9 May, 1988. Written by Tracy Torme from a story by Robert Sabaroff, the Enterprise…
The Mind Reels 