The idea of alien abduction has always gotten under my skin and made me anxious, and occasionally freaked out. Other corners of the horror genre can freak me, but I can usually deal with it easily, processing it and enjoying it for what it is. But there’s something about the concept of an intelligence so…
Tag: family
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) – Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe
Netflix delivered a fantastic animated feature with The Mitchells vs. the Machines. I’ll be honest, when I first heard about it, I wasn’t sure. It looked a little too goofy, or too silly, but settling in for it, you actually realize it has a lot to say about family, technology, and life in general, and…
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…
M*A*S*H (1979) – Period of Adjustment, Nurse Doctor, and Private Finance
Though gone, Radar casts a long shadow over the 4077th, and it has a profound effect on both B.J. (Mike Farrell) and Klinger (Jamie Farr). Period of Adjustment was written by Jim Mulligan and John Rappaport, and first aired on 22 October, 1979. While the camp comes down on Klinger constantly for not being up…
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…
The Mind Reels 