I remember greatly enjoying Gotcha! when I rented it on video back in the day. And though it’s always been floating round in the back of my mind, I haven’t watched it since… until now. And let me tell you, this one stands up. There’s a couple of things that don’t stand the test of…
Tag: engaging
SilverFin (2005) – Charlie Higson
The Young Bond series gets underway with SilverFin written by Charlie Higson, with the blessing of the Ian Fleming Foundation. It’s a curious idea. By giving us a young James Bond, you’d think the stories are meant to appeal to young adult readers. But the stories themselves are in keeping with the literary James Bond…
The Shallows (2016) – Jaume Collet-Serra
Blake Lively stars in a tight little actioner that runs shy of 90 minutes, but features some crisp and beautiful location and underwater photography. Lively is Nancy, a med student who has journeyed to Mexico to surf a secret beach that her mother once surfed long ago when she learned she was pregnant with Nancy….
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) – Brian Selznick
I remember being completely enchanted when I realized the movie, Hugo, was not only about a boy who lived in a train station, but about Georges Melies, the famed French director, and his wonderful collection of films. It absolutely swept me up in it’s narrative. But I had never read Brian Selznick’s original book, which…
Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? (2017) – Alyssa Mastromonaco with Lauren Oyler
While I’m waiting to get my hands on the new West Wing book, this one popped up in my book recommendations, and I figured why not. A fun memoir written by Obama’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, Alyssa Mastromonaco, what’s not to like? I flew through this one, it was an absolutely engaging read that…
TIFF24: A Missing Part dir. Guillaume Senez
Senez delivers a moving drama that examines familial connections against the backdrop of Tokyo and Japan’s clean break policy when it comes to family separation. Jay (Romain Duris in a role that allows him to deliver a stellar performance) drives a cab at night, while he spends his days trying to find the daughter he…
Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968) – Yoshiyuki Kuroda
As much as I loved 100 Monsters, Spook Warfare almost disappointed me as much. It feels like a bit of a goofy film, and I get that this is the point of the series, the same way Godzilla went from a dark film to ‘who is he fighting this time?’ It starts out promisingly enough,…
One Piece: Season 1 – East Blue, Part 2
There is so much to discover on Crunchyroll, and I may have been foolish to dig into something so huge as One Piece right off the bat, but I was intrigued by the concept, and after watching the first few episodes I was hooked. The first half of the season helped set up a lot…
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse delivered a brilliant, funny, engaging, and arguably one of the best onscreen Spider-Man we’ve seen yet, and it’s animation style is fantastic. It marries a number of animation styles and literally brings the comic book to life. When Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) has a life-altering encounter with Spider-Man…
Hidden Pictures (2022) – Jason Rekulak
Jason Rekulak delivers a wonderfully creepy ghost story with Hidden Pictures. Filled with familiar ideas and tropes, Rekulak keeps it fresh with his engaging story, delightfully layered characters and the drawings that fill the novel. Mallory is fresh from rehab, she’s trying to get her life together, and with some help she lands a summer…
The Mind Reels 