I had never heard of Silibil ‘n’ Brains, but knowing this was James McAvoy’s directorial debut I had to check it out. It’s based on a true story, and it’s very entertaining. Gavin (Seamus McLean Ross) and Billy (Samuel Bottomley) are just a couple of blokes from Dundee, Scotland. They dream big, and those dreams…
Tag: debut
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) – Tim Burton
I hadn’t seen Pee-wee’s Big Adventure since it first came to home video in 1986. Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee wasn’t on my radar before that, it was all very much Back to the Future and Miami Vice for me. So when I was introduced to it one night, I found myself laughing aloud, hugely enjoying…
M*A*S*H (1981) – Bless You Hawkeye, Blood Brothers, and The Foresight Saga
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is having some serious problems after an encounter with a patient in Bless You Hawkeye. Written by Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford this episode first debuted on 16 March, 1981. Hawkeye seems to be having an allergic reaction to something. As everyone tries to help out, and Hawkeye denies anything wrong, things…
The Sniper (2021) – Chang Kuo-Li
Taiwanese author Chang Kou-Li delivers an action thriller this week. With its North American debut, The Sniper, is available now from House of Anansi Press, features a translation by Roddy Flagg and reads like the best of Hong Kong cinema. There are action beats, police investigations, involving characters and a weaving story that takes you…
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) – Richard Donner
The gang is back together one last time for a less than stellar send off, but still a mostly satisfying conclusion to the Lethal Weapon series. With age creeping up on both Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) they are thrown into a case that is going to push them to their limits. The…
Live and Let Die (1973) – Guy Hamilton
007 is back, and he’s the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Roger Moore debuts as secret agent James Bond in this 1973 update of Ian Fleming’s character. It also delves a little into blaxploitation, and features one of my favourite Bond Girls, Jane Seymour as Solitaire. Marrying drugs…
The Trap (2015) – Melanie Raabe
There is an immediacy to Melanie Raabe’s debut novel, The Trap, which sees its English release this week, via House of Anansi Press here in Toronto. Translated from German the captivating tale draws the reader into the world that she has created, much as her character, author Linda Conrads, is drawn into the situations…
The Mind Reels 