TIFF24: Ick dir. Joseph Kahn

I had a great time with Kahn’s Detention so was ready to happily slip into his latest effort, Ick. A bit of a combination between Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, Night of the Living Dead and The Faculty, Kahn’s film suggests that there is a lot of fun to be had, but it…

TIFF24: A Missing Part dir. Guillaume Senez

Senez delivers a moving drama that examines familial connections against the backdrop of Tokyo and Japan’s clean break policy when it comes to family separation. Jay (Romain Duris in a role that allows him to deliver a stellar performance) drives a cab at night, while he spends his days trying to find the daughter he…

TIFF24: The Last Showgirl dir. Gia Coppola

Pamela Anderson delivers a career-topping performance as Shelley an aging Vegas showgirl, whose show, Razzle Dazzle, is closing, bringing her thirty-year career to a grinding stop. Directed by Gia Coppola whose use of shallow focus lenses keeps the story on Shelley at all times, the tale looks honestly at aging and beauty in not only…

Man on Fire (2004) – Tony Scott

I love Tony Scott films; the saturated colours, the moving cameras, the tight pacing, the visual shorthand he used in his storytelling style. I don’t think I ever met a Tony Scott film I didn’t like. Sure I like some more than others, but all of them have his indelible print on them. Man on…

Starman (1987) – Grifters, and The Wedding

Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) seem to be conned on both sides of the law in Grifters. Written by Steven Hollander, the episode first aired on 13 March, 1987. The pair have driven a car up from Texas as a way to make some money, but they are about to find a…

Starman (1987)- Appearances, and The Probe

Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere, forty miles from a town, when their camper breaks down. They find a remote farm where a family is hiding away in Appearances. Written by Micheal Marks this episode first debuted on 16 January, 1987. Frank (Don Dubbins) is…

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) – Steve Carver

With a musical score by Francesco De Masi and an opening credits sequence that feels very much in line with a Sergio Leone western, expectations surrounding Lone Wolf McQuade on my initial viewing went up a little. Despite the fact that I know Chuck Norris isn’t a very good actor. Norris plays the titular McQuade,…

Family Ties (1987) – Father Time: Part 2, and The American Family

Steven’s (Michael Gross) brother Rob (Norman Parker) is furious over his daughter, Marilyn’s (Tammy Lauren) behaviour and the fact that she stayed over at the Marine’s place. Is Steven going to be able to give Rob any helpful advice? Will Rob and Marilyn be able to connect and find a way back to one another…