M*A*S*H (1980) – Old Soldiers, Morale Victory, and Lend a Hand

Dennis Koenig pens Old Soldiers which first aired on 21 January, 1980. Everyone at the 4077th is concerned when Potter (Harry Morgan) heads to Tokyo General, leaving Hawkeye (Alan Alda) in charge. While the camp deals with a bunch of youngsters who are having an allergic reaction, they fret and worry over their CO, and…

The Lovely Bones (2009) – Peter Jackson

Director Peter Jackson adapted Alice Sebold’s heartbreaking novel, The Lovely Bones, to the big screen alongside his collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and while there are a lot of differences from the book to film (the novel definitely has more adult themes, and things were toned down for the teen, twenty-something audiences), and some…

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) – Blu-Ray Review

Writer/director Mike Flanagan has been on my one to watch list since Occulus, I love how he tells his tales of the supernatural, and when he adapted The Haunting of Hill House, I had to share that with everyone, as I was sucked in by each episode, and was left an emotional wreck by the…

Hotel Mumbai (2018) – Anthony Maras

Hotel Mumbai plays out as a white knuckle thriller, made all the more breathless because it is based on an actual event. The terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008, At the story’s center is the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, the lap of luxury for its guests, with a staff that are devoted to making sure…

The Witch (2015) – Richard Eggers

Eggers’ atmospheric The Witch, is always an enjoyable Halloween watch, it’s beautifully executed, wonderfully scripted, and has everything you would expect in a classical telling of an 17th century new world fairy tale. A devout family in New England, whose father, Will (Ralph Ineson) has been deemed by the local village to be too extreme…

Apostle (2018) – Gareth Evans

There’s a lot to unpack in Gareth Evans’ film, Apostle, there are concepts of religious tenets, blood, sacrifice, family, worship, deification, and faith, all of it wrapped up in a character driven tale starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen. If you try to take it as the straightforward tale that the film’s plotline offers, you’re…

TAD 2021: Super Z dir. Julien de Volte, and Arnaud Tabarly

Zombie features at Toronto After Dark are never your run of the mill selections. With so many entries in this horror sub-genre, and so many ways to adapt the subject matter to social commentary, it’s unusual to find a unique offering in the field. France’s Super Z is definitely unique. Having its World Premiere virtually…

TAD 2021: Canadian Shorts

Canada delivers its own Shorts programme for Toronto After Dark, with 9 selections, that like the International Shorts features a variety of styles, sensibilities, and genre mashing. There’s some great work in here, and despite the fact that none of the films were as laugh out loud as the highly enjoyable Shiny New World, there…

Willow (1988) – Ron Howard

I remember the first time I saw Willow. I know where I was, and I remember how it swept me up in its narrative. I knew I had to see it the moment it told me it was from the imagination of George Lucas. I knew who Ron Howard was, but I was a teenager…