Seven Samurai (1954) – Akira Kurosawa

The next film recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is yet another iconic film from Kurosawa’s oeuvre. In a catalogue of films that are all exceptional, it’s tough to pick a favourite, but this may very will be mine. I love the American remake from 1960, The Magnificent Seven,  it’s…

The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) – Frank L. Baum

It’s been a while, so I figured I would get in a quick visit to Oz, as I visited the ninth book in the series, The Scarecrow of Oz. Written in 1915, this is apparently Baum’s favourite of the Oz novels he penned. It also serves to introduce two of his previously created characters, the…

South Park: The Complete Sixth Season

Paramount Pictures continues making me laugh with their re-release of the first seasons of South Park. I dug into the seventeen episodes with enthusiasm, and this may be my favourite season! We get Butters taking in his evil persona of Professor Chaos, Bebe gets her breasts and disrupts society, 80s movies get skewered (again), the…

The Black Hole (1979) – Alan Dean Foster

I remember having this novel as a child. In fact, the soundtrack, the first recorded digitally, was one of the first albums I ever bought with my own money as a child. The film has been a favourite of mine for some time, flaws and all, so when I came cross the novel at a…

Uncommon Type (2017) – Tom Hanks

I’ve been a fan of Tom Hanks’ since Bosom Buddies, I’ve watched him grow from a comedic actor to one of my favourite all time actors. I have delighted in his career, and love when he steps away from the front of the camera to work behind it, directing, producing, writing. It was his writing…

His Girl Friday (1940) – Howard Hawks

The next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, is the incredibly enjoyable Howard Hawks film, His Girl Friday starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play The Front Page, with the key change of making one of the leads a woman. From there, history takes over, and the…

The Magnificent Seven (1960) – John Sturges

That music, that cast… It’s no wonder that Sturges’ Americanisation of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of my all time favourite westerns, and the first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Wild Bunch. Elmer Bernstein’s rousing and memorable score supports Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli…

Toronto After Dark 2017: Trench 11 – Leo Scherman

Zombie Night at the Toronto After Dark film festival continues at the Scotiabank Theatre with the Toronto Premiere of the Canadian biological horror film, Trench 11. Without putting too fine a point on it, this has been my favourite film of the festival so far. It’s not overly zombie-filled, but the story is captivating, it’s…