The Amber Spyglass (2000) – Philip Pullman

The final novel in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is on the book shelf this week, and I was curious to know if it would have the same effect on me as it did when I first read it eighteen years ago. I remembered nothing of the final half of the book after a…

Father Figures (2017) – Blu-Ray Release

Hitting blu-ray and DVD from Warner Brothers this week is this goofy, semi-sweet, adult-humoured quest story from first time director, but experienced cinematographer, Lawrence Sher, starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms. Helms and Wilson play fraternal twin brothers, Peter and Kyle, who lead separate and different lives from one another and the rest of their…

The Subtle Knife (1997) – Philip Pullman

This week I returned to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy by diving into the sequel, The Subtle Knife. It picks up right after the first novel, The Golden Compass, as we follow young Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon on her adventures. She finds herself in a strange world, having passed into another realm, unlike…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) – Tapestry and, Birthright Part I

Captain’s log: stardate unknown With an airdate of 15 February, 1993, Tapestry immediately became a fan favourite. Written by Ronald D. Moore, the episode is immersed in series continuity, especially that of Captain Picard (Patrikc Stewart). When the captain is injured in a fight, his artificial heart, which we know about from season two, is…

The NeverEnding Story (1984) – Wolfgang Petersen

The first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Fellowship of the Ring is Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 adaptation of only a small part of Micheal Ende’s fantasy novel, The NeverEnding Story. It has been more than thirty years since I watched this one, so I was…

The Adventures of Indiana Jones (1992/1993) – Spring Break Adventure

Sean Patrick Flanery takes over the role of Indiana Jones from Corey Carrier this week with this television movie that first aired on 17 October, 1999. Cobbled together from two episodes, Princeton February, 1916 and Mexico March 1916, Flanery proves himself suitable to the role, and the stories take on a depth that was missing…

Black Hollow Cage (2017) – Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon

Opening today at the Carlton theatre here in Toronto is this slow-burn of a sci-fi drama from writer-director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon. Set in the not so faraway future, the story follows a young girl, Alice (Lowena McDonell) who lives in a remote house in the forest with he father, Adam (Julian Nicholson) and a dog she…

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1993) – Travels With Father

The next adventure of Indiana Jones (Corey Carrier) is pieced together from two episodes shot in 1993 that didn’t air from a proposed third season.  The two episodes were written by Frank Darabont, Matthew Jacobs, and Jonathan Hales. They were combined into a television movie that first aired on 16 June, 1996. Russia, March 1909….