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…

Moonlighting (1987) – A Trip to the Moon, and Come Back Little Shiksa

With the shark firmly behind them, Moonlighting Season Four got underway on 29 September, 1987 in A Trip to the Moon written by series creator Glenn Gordon Caron. David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) have been together for four weeks, and both of them seem to have different opinions on what and where the…

The Brothers Grimm (2005) – Terry Gilliam

Arguably Terry Gilliam’s most commercial film, The Brothers Grimm is the next stop as I explore Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales as portrayed in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. The film features Heath Ledger and Matt Damon as the titular Grimm Brothers, and the always stunning (and underused) Monica Bellucci as the evil Mirror…

Rocketman (2019) – Blu-Ray Review

The fantasy biopic about musical legend (and one of my favorite artists) Elton John has come home on blu-ray and DVD thanks to Paramount Pictures. Taron Egerton who is bound to be nominated for an Oscar (or should be) IS Elton John in this jukebox musical that tells the musician’s personal history in a fantastical,…

TAD2018: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) – Issa Lopez

Toronto After Dark gets underway this evening at the Scotiabank Theatre with its opening night film, Tigers Are Not Afraid. Hailing from Mexico, this film kicks off the festival with a darkly beautiful story that has hints of del Toro, and invites us into the troubled lives of a group of children. Screening at 7pm…

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003) – Stephen King

Roland Deschain of the line of Eld, and his ka-tet, Jake Chambers, Eddie and Susannah Dean, and Oy the billy-bumbler, take on the role of The Magnificent Seven or The Seven Samurai in the next volume of Stephen King’s opus, the Dark Tower saga. The fifth installment of the fantasy/western/ horror/science fiction series sees the…

In Conversation with Adam Bray

Next week, DK Canada unleashes Marvel Studios: Visual Dictionary, filled with a plethora of pictures, a cornucopia of content and tons of trivia, their latest offering takes us deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Written by Adam Bray, who has turned in a number of standout reference books for DK Books the Visual Dictionary is…

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997) – Stephen King

I rejoin Roland’s ka-tet this week as I continue my journey to the Dark Tower. Released six years after the previous novel, we rejoin Roland, Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and the billy-bumbler named Oy right where left them… aboard Blaine the Mono, preparing to engage in a deadly game of riddles. From there we continue our…

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (1982) – Stephen King

Stephen King’s fantastic epic adventure gets underway with this stellar, yet surprising short entry into what will be a massive tome, The Gunslinger. Starting with the iconic line. “the man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed” one can’t help but be swept up in the epic western style fantasy.  The Man…

Throne of Blood (1957) – Akira Kurosawa

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Kurosawa’s Ran is another classic film from the legendary director, Throne of Blood. Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kubo and Isuzu Yamada star in this action-fantasy-drama. Mifune stars as Taketoki Washizo, while Kubo stars as his childhood friend, and fellow…