Dead Again (1991) – Kenneth Branagh

It’s been a couple of decades since I watched Branagh’s Hitchcockian romantic thriller, Dead Again. In fact, it had been so long that I completely forgot about the uncredited appearance by Robin Williams! But from its opening shots, and it’s driving and powerful score by Patrick Doyle, I was taken into the sweeping narrative. In…

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – Wes Anderson

The framing, the quirky characters, the details, the whipsmart dialogue and its delivery. Every time I watch a Wes Anderson film that one becomes my new favourite until I watch another one. I love how he tells his stories, how his characters interact, and all the little moments, styles, and touches that make a Wes…

Broadcast News (1987) – James L. Brooks

Holly Hunter is a treasure and she sparked in Broadcast News. She shines so wholly that she almost eclipses her co-stars Albert Brooks and William Hurt. James L. Brooks wrote and directed this Oscar-nominated film (seven of them, including best picture, actress, actor, supporting actor and didn’t take home one) that lets a love triangle…

Wonderfalls (2004) – Crime Dog, and Muffin Buffalo

Aaron (Lee Pace) begins to suspect Jaye’s (Caroline Dhavernas) secret in Crime Dog. Written by Krista Vernoff this episode was advertised on Fox, but they cancelled the series before it got a chance to air, so instead fans had to wait to discover it when it dropped on DVD in the Wonderfalls Complete Viewer Collection….

Wonderfalls (2004) – Karma Chameleon, and Wound-up Penguin

Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas) gets single white femaled in Karma Chameleon. Written by Tim Minear this episode aired second, on 19 March, 2004, when it was actually the third in the narrative order. When a fish in the bar, and a stuffed chameleon tell Jaye to help ‘get her words out’ when it comes to a…

Star Trek: Invasion! First Strike (1996) – Diane Carey

Diane Carey launched a cross-generational story that swept through all four of the then-existing series, The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. Each novel featured a standalone story that connected with the other tales, and the first featured Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise. Set a very short…

Finders Keepers (2015) – Stephen King

Finders Keepers is the second book in Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy, though he, Jerome and the wonderful Holly Gibney don’t show up until about halfway through the tale. That doesn’t mean King doesn’t dole out another captivating tale, rather the reverse. We’re introduced to Morris in the late 70s. He’s arrogant, and while not…

Disquiet (2023) – Michael Winnick

There are some fun and familiar ideas at work in Michael Winnick’s Disquiet which is getting a limited theatrical run, and VOD release tomorrow, but it just isn’t as strong as it could be. At just under an hour and a half I still felt the editing could have been tighter, and the characters could…

The Unbearable Weight of Immense Talent (2022) – Tom Gormican

Nicholas Cage plays a hyper version of himself, Nick Cage, in Tom Gormican’s hugely entertaining and laugh-filed action-comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Immense Talent. Nick Cage is haunted by a version of himself that pushes him to be a movie star, not a constantly working actor. His daughter, Addy (Lily Mo Sheen), wants to be…