The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002) – Raymond Benson

Raymond Benson delivers his last original James Bond novel. His last 007 book was the adaptation of Die Another Day. So that means he has to wrap up the villain, Goro Yoshida, that he set up in the previous book, Never Dream of Dying. At the PM’s request, James has been assigned to look out…

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) – Christopher Gans

I hadn’t seen this film since it had DVD back in the day. It seemed everyone I knew was talking about it in the video store, in fact, for a brief moment, it seemed to be everywhere. And now it doesn’t seem to be anywhere. So I was more than willing and, in fact, delighted…

Family Ties (1987) – A, My Name is Alex, and ‘D’ is for Date

Michael J. Fox gets to really show his range in A, My Name is Alex. A special hour-long episode that was first broadcast on 12 March, 1987. It was written by Alan Uger and series creator Gary David Goldberg. Alex (Keaton) isn’t dealing well with the death of his friend Greg (Brian McNamara). With a…

The Name of the Rose (1986) – Jean-Jacques Annaud

Jean-Jacques Annaud’s adaptation of Umberto Eco’s novel, The Name of the Rose, is an engaging tour-de-force with a fantastic cast, an intriguing mystery, and a fantastic setting. Amazingly, Sean Connery’s career was in a bit of a lull when he lobbied for the part, one which, it seems, much like Bond, and Indy’s father, he…

Mark of the Plague (2016) – Kevin Sands

Simon & Schuster delivers the second book in Kevin Sands’ The Blackthorn Key Series, Mark of the Plague, available on its own or in a hardcover slipcase collection that contains all six books in the series. Picking up a couple of months after the first book, the tale finds apothecary apprentice Christopher Rowe working to…

TIFF ’23: The Boy and the Heron

If anyone has ever said that animation isn’t an art form, they’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki film. Beloved by fans and critics alike, his films take viewers on journeys through strange lands populated with unusual characters and they always have an emotional core that connects to the audience. And you know you’re watching it…

Hill Street Blues (1985) – Somewhere Over the Rambo, and Oh, You Kid

Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) conducts his corruption investigation and presents his findings to the committee, though Chief Daniels (Jon Cypher) is less than thrilled about the suggestion that he may be responsible for not curtailing some of the corruption that has permeated the force. Somewhere Over the Rambo was written by Jacob Epstein, Walon Green…

Dave Made a Maze (2017) – Bill Watterson

I was delightfully surprised when I came across Dave Made a Maze. It’s a film that is so quirky, charming and off-beat while remembering to keep characters you care about at is heart. Featuring some fantastic puppetry, animation, and just a sense of fun, I was completely taken in by this one. Dave (Nich Thune)…