Gorgo (1961) – Eugene Lourie

What would happen if England got in on the Godzilla craze? Well, I found out as I explored DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book and came across Gorgo as I continue to explore the chapters on dragons and dinosaurs. When a group of sailors capture a strange beast off the coast of Ireland and…

The Magic Sword (1962) – Bert I. Gordon

Basil Rathbone stars in the next film featured in DK Canada’s immensely enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. As I delve into the chapter on Dragons & Dinosaurs I’m, so far coming across a number of films I had never even heard of. This family fantasy adventure is another one. Rathbone plays the evil wizard Lodac,…

Jack the Giant Killer (1962) – Nathan Juran

There are dragons and monsters galore in the next film in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book as I delve deeper into the chapter called Dragons & Dinosaurs, and while the stop-motion effects aren’t quite up to Harryhausen standards, this fantasy adventure, suitable for family fun, is pretty fun to behold. A farmboy, Jack…

The Sword and The Dragon (1956) – Aleksandr Ptushko

The next title in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, as I continue to delve into Dragons and Dinosaurs, takes me to Russia, where the legendary hero Ilja Moromez (Boris Andreyev) is brought to life in the first Russian film to be shot and shown in Cinemacope. It was released in ’56 in Russia, and…

Unknown Island (1948) – Jack Bernhard

Long before Dr. Grant found himself on Isla Nublar, former Navy pilot, Ted Osborne (Phillip Reed) and his wealthy fiancee, Carol Lane (Virginia Grey) set sail from Singapore to investigate a long lost island to see whether Ted’s belief that he saw dinosaurs on the outcropping of land when he flew over it is true….

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918) – Willis O’Brien

It’s more dinosaurs as I journey through the Dragons & Dinosaurs in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. This time I have a look at the early silent short, The Ghost of Slumber Mountain. Clocking in at eighteen minutes, this little title must have been made to show off the special effects of the time,…

Beowulf (2007) – Robert Zemeckis

I’m enjoying exploring DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book, and the current chapter on Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales is bringing me all manner of film to partake in. Today, it brings me Robert Zemeckis’ take on the epic poem Beowulf. Always a technically inovative director, Zemeckis decided to make the film with computer…

Indiana Jones and The Interior World (1992) – Rob MacGregor

1929 Easter Island Rob MacGregor comes to the end of his run on the Indiana Jones novels this week, and I have to say I’m rather thankful for it, because if you thought Kingdom of the Crystal was bad you have not read this book. This one is terrible, and it doesn’t come near anything…

A Wind in the Door (1973) – Madeline L’Engle

This week, I dove into the second adventure of the Murry children first begun in the childhood classic (which I had never read) A Wrinkle in Time. I was curious to see where both characters and story would go as the adventure continues, so I devoured the book eagerly. This story feels both larger and…

The Great Zoo of China (2014) – Matthew Reilly

  I go long stretches of time without picking up a Matthew Reilly book. In fact, the last time I did, was before I started the weekly Book Shelf update here on the blog. But then when I do pick one up, I race through them, and find myself craving more. More NOW. The downside…