TIFF 25: Frankenstein dir. Guillermo del Toro

I’ve been a fan of Guillermo del Toro since I took home the film Chronos one night from my video store. Since then, I haven’t missed anything he’s done, and look forward eagerly to each new project. When I heard that he was taking on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I was delighted. The classic monsters have…

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) – Dean Parisot

Bill & Ted came along at just the right time in my life. In 1989, I was a senior in high school, and the characters, their speech, and their general attitudes resonated with me. I joined them on their Excellent Adventure a couple of times in theaters, and in 1991 when they went on a…

Family Ties (1984) – Lady Sings the Blues, Baby Boy Doe, and The Graduate

While Alex (Micheal J. Fox) and Steven (Micheal Gross) attempt to teach Mallory (Justine Bateman) how to drive, a prospect that scares and terrifies them, Elyse (Meredith Baxter) revisits her past by pulling out her guitar and playing some folk classics. Lady Sings the Blues was written by Alan Uger and Micheal J. Weithorn. This…

Fringe (2011) – Subject 13, and Os

Subject 13 serves as a bit of a sequel to last season’s ‘Peter’ episode. Written by Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman, and Akiva Goldsman, this story was first broadcast on 25 February, 2011. We plunge back to 1985, with opening titles to reflect that, and we see what happened following Walter’s (John Noble) abduction of young…

Fringe (2010) – Peter, and Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver.

Walter (John Noble) tells Olivia (Anna Torv), and the audience, the back story relating to Peter (Joshua Jackson) and takes the story back to 1985 (which also allows for an 80s-style title sequence). Written by Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman, and Josh Singer from a story by Pinkner, Wyman, Singer, and Akiva Goldsman. It debuted on…

The Fog (1980) – John Carpenter

The venture into the paranormal continues as I delve into the chapter on ghosts in DK Canada’s very entertaining Monsters in the Movies book. This time, it’s John Carpenter’s take on what plays out as a classic ghost story. The story itself is basic, and in the hands of Carpenter we get a creepy little…

V – The Series (1985) – The Hero, and The Betryal

Carleton Eastlake pens this episode that first debuted on 11 January, 1985. Nathan Bates (Lane Smith) has created a new police force to keep the open city of Los Angeles safe, but more importantly to keep the Resistance under control. When they seize a group of rebels including Robin (Blair Tefkin), a deadly plan is…